Page 9

Matt didn’t often take women home simply because he found it rather unpleasant to throw them out the next morning. He preferred to walk out their door himself. He had bought the loft five years ago and could count the women who had slept there on one hand. He had been related to three of them.

Maddie had been unusually quiet in the underground parking garage.

She merely shook her head without saying a word as she got out of her old Fiat, which she had parked next to all the shiny BMWs, Porsches, and Mercedes.

Yes, the residents of the high-rise were all on the rich side and her car fit in here as well as Matt in a tutu.

Normally, Maddie would have made some sort of joke about how the contents of this underground parking garage were the most ostentatious thing since the invention of the gold tooth.

But she merely stood silently next to him in the elevator and stared at the suitcase in her hand.

The worst of the mess in her apartment had been cleaned, but the landlady had agreed that some work was in order.

The insurance would cover it, but unfortunately, it would be easier to do if Maddie moved out for the duration.

God, he hated seeing her like this, so dejected and hurt.

Maddie had the best smile, which she usually gave away like Jehovah’s Witnesses give away Bibles, and normally, an incredible amount of energy.

Right now, however, she looked so exhausted that Matt would have liked to carry her straight to bed.

But that would have been weird, wouldn’t it?

He had no idea what the carrying rules were for platonic female friends. Maddie was his first such relationship.

“I should have become a hockey player,” she muttered as he opened the door for her and let her enter first. “It seems to be the only real job.”

Her gaze slid across the polished hardwood floor to the gigantic flat screen on the opposite wall to the even more gigantic couch and marble kitchen island where Matt usually just put his coffee.

“Ah. As a professional female player, you’d only earn a fraction of our salary,” he said apologetically and closed the door. “It’s not particularly fair.”

“What is?” she asked, her voice tired, and set the suitcase next to the door. She rubbed her eyes. “Isn’t it strange that we’ve been friends for more than a year and I’ve only been to your place twice?”

Hm. Was that right?

“Gosh, sometimes I forget you’re rich,” she said and walked toward the glass wall.

Matt snorted. “Nobody forgets that!”

“Well, I do.” She shrugged and turned to him. “You’re usually so…normal, not as ostentatious as the horrible underground parking garage. Although, what’s worse is that you don’t even wash your own clothes and the kitchen looks completely untouched.”

The corners of his mouth twitched. Maddie was back to her old self. It was nice that the day hadn’t completely beaten her. “Thank you. Your words warm my heart,” he said with feigned emotion, placing both hands on his chest.

She smiled, which filled her light brown eyes with warmth. “With pleasure. The parties you could throw,” she said, shaking her head and turning in a circle. “You’d even have a dance floor.” She gestured to the space between the couch and kitchen island.

“Oh, parties usually take place at Fox’s.

” He was the captain of the Hawks and regularly hosted team-building events .

His house had a pool, a poker room, and a private basketball court.

Matt considered such a huge property too much of a hassle — too many things to take care of. The loft was enough for him.

“So, you really never invite people over?” she asked, frowning.

“Nope. Only Dax comes every now and then.” He raised one shoulder. “But you’re welcome to invite people over.”

“Seriously?” Her eyebrows shot up.

“Sure. If you want. This is as much your home as it is mine, for the next few weeks.” He spread his arms. “I just want you to feel comfortable.”

She smiled broadly. “Does that mean I can make a mess in the kitchen, too? It’s a little creepy how clean it is.”

He grinned. “It’ll be happy to be used.”

“Like your washing machine. Why do you even have one if you take everything to the cleaners anyway?”

“Well, the laundry room seemed so empty without it.”

She snorted. “The laundry room. Of course.” She turned and gazed out the window at the glittering lights of the city.

“You can see all the way to the ocean,” she murmured.

“Yeah, that’s why I bought it, in the end.”

She looked up. “Because you like the ocean?”

“I like looking at everything beautiful,” he replied with a grin, looking at her meaningfully.

She snorted, but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “And you’re surprised your nickname is Charming .”

He frowned. He had been hoping for months that the name wouldn’t catch on, but it was hopeless.

Some sports reporter had given him that name and now it was stuck to him like burrs on felt.

“It’s not fair. Dax is called Devil , Jack is called Saint , Fox is…

well, Fox. But they all sound cool. Charming sucks.

Everyone expects me to go free Cinderella from her tower or something. ”

“Cinderella was the one with the shoe. Rapunzel was the one in the tower.”

“See!” he complained. “That proves the name doesn’t fit.”

“No, that just proves you weren’t listening when your mom read you fairy tales.

I like the name. It fits because you’re constantly flirting.

With everyone and everything ! Whether it’s human, animal, or a puck.

” She patted his bicep as if it were his fault.

“But that’s okay. You always make people feel good. So, it’s not a bad thing.”

Hm. She always felt good around him? That was…nice to hear. So nice, his stomach did a little, satisfied flip. Maddie should always feel good.

She turned her gaze back outside and asked softly, “Matt, were you serious about what you said earlier? Do you believe that I’m… not looking?”

Surprised, he raised his eyebrows. “What are you looking for?”

“The man of my dreams.”

Oh, him. “Yup,” he said without further ado. “You don’t even make an effort to find him. You keep saying that you want to get married and have kids, but man, you have a dating agency and you haven’t even used it yourself.”

She shrugged, visibly unsure. “I don’t want to take anyone away from my clients.”

He snorted loudly. “Little liar. You’re just scared.”

She glared at him. “What am I supposedly afraid of?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“I’m not scared! I’m just concentrating on work right now.”

“I wasn’t accusing you of anything, Maddie!

” he replied, backpedaling. “It’s okay that you’re not looking.

” It didn’t bother him at all! “But you can’t expect to get married and have kids anytime soon if you’re not dating.

Unless you go to WhoNeedsAGreenCard.com.

Then you could probably get married tomorrow.

But you’d have to clarify the kid issue first.”

She snorted and playfully bumped his arm with her shoulder. “I’ll remember that, if all else fails. But it’s all taking a back burner for now. Now that Geller has dropped out, work takes precedence for a while longer.”

Shit. Matt had figured that the meeting she’d been anticipating for weeks hadn’t gone well from her little outburst earlier. “Why didn’t she sign?”

“We’re too small and green for her.”

“Fuck.”

“Yep.”

“I’m sorry, Maddie. Is there anything I can do to help?”

She laughed dryly. “Not unless you know someone famous who’d like to…” She stopped abruptly and glanced up.

Oh, damn. He knew that look. “The answer is no,” he said quickly. “Like all the previous times.”

“I haven’t been this desperate the last few times!” she said pleadingly, gripping his forearms tightly. “Come on, Matt, be my client.”

He looked at her seriously. “Let me say this as tactfully and lovingly as I can, Maddie: Not in a million years!”

“But you’re single!”

“So what? I’m also a Capricorn, but I don’t feel obliged to advertise the next petting zoo.”

“But you would be the optimal brand ambassador!”

“Of course I would be — I’m beautiful! The answer is still no.”

Frustrated, she groaned and released him. “God, what good is it to know a famous ice hockey player if I can’t use him for my own financial gain?”

“It brings you a wonderful friendship?”

“Yeah, yeah, right.” She made a grumpy face. “But seriously, Matt, it’s your loss. Our questionnaire works and you’ll miss out on your true love.”

“Oh, I’m more of the brief affair type anyway, so it doesn’t bother me at all.”

“Matt!”

“No.” Wide-eyed, she stared at him and batted her eyelashes.

Fighting a bad feeling, he shifted from one foot to the other. God, he couldn’t ever let on how well that expression worked. He immediately felt guilty and she looked so damn cute and innocent. He knew the effect was deceptive, however.

“No,” he stated, remaining steadfast.

“Why not? You don’t even have to actually date. We could just pretend you’re serious so I can get some good publicity.”

“Hm,” he uttered, then leaned forward and started tugging on her earlobes. He frowned and leaned first to the right and then to the left with narrowed eyes.

Maddie flinched and hastily rubbed her ears. Goosebumps had visibly risen all the way down her neck. “What are you doing?”

“Checking if there’s anything wrong with your ears. My answer was no!”

After all, he had just decided to take a break from dating.

With a sigh, her shoulders sagged. “Great! Can you at least ask the team? Maybe someone is looking for their dream woman. Or dream man. It would help me a lot.”

“I don’t think that…”

“Just ask, okay? For me?” She raised her eyebrows.

He groaned and rubbed his eyes. “Fine. For you. God, you don’t play fair.”