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She jolted at the voice behind her, heat shooting through her rigid spine – the oh God, cocky burr, the scent on the draught. All spicy, earthy, male. Oh no. She spun to find Blake filling the doorway. Dressed in top to toe black, even his eyes looked black in the gold light of the entryway.

‘If you’re gonna hang out here talking, you ought to dress for it.’

And before she could say another word, he was shrugging off his fur-lined aviator jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders, his warmth and scent making her nostrils flare and her body melt.

‘Astrid?’ Sissi’s voice came down the line, muffled by the whirring in her ears. ‘What’s going on? Who’s there?’

What had Blake heard? What had she said this side of the convo? What the hell did she do now?

Slowly she lowered the phone and blindly cut the call, her heart in her mouth as she tried to read his face. The intensity of his gaze. But then he always looked intense.

Did he look intensely suspicious though?

‘You didn’t need to give me your coat.’

What was it with the Carter boys and their dashing gestures?

‘Your lips say otherwise.’

‘My lips?’

He nodded, his hooded gaze settling on her mouth. ‘Or are they supposed to look blue?’

‘They are?’ She lifted her fingers to the flesh now tingling with his attention, his look as tangible as any caress. Dammit , he might as well have kissed her!

‘Not any more.’

He gave a satisfied smile but didn’t move away, didn’t lift his gaze either. As his coat warmed her from the outside, his gaze burned her up from the inside.

‘You’re very hot.’

And oh my God , where had that come from? She squeaked and swallowed in one.

‘I mean temperature hot! This!’ She gripped the lapels of his jacket together, squeezing her eyes shut and opening them again. ‘What I mean is, I’m now hot, thanks to you.’

He gave a deep, panty-melting rumble. ‘I think your hotness has nothing to do with me and everything to do with you. But we can debate that later. Back at my place, if you’re game.’

Not what she was expecting after her totally uncool behaviour.

And not something she could ever say yes to in a million years. Because the offer wouldn’t help her get payback, or get her article written, it would land her in a whole heap of hot trouble. And hell, she shouldn’t be getting high on it.

It was an absolute no. Never gonna happen. No.

‘Don’t you live with your brother?’

Hardly the put down of the century, Astrid!

‘We have separate wings, and we don’t like to share.’

Share?

Gulp.

Where was her sanity when she needed it? Evaporating with her freaking ovaries!

‘I don’t think me coming back to yours for what you have in mind would be wise… do you?’

He ran his teeth over his bottom lip, his dark stubble shifting and flashing those too-damn-sexy dimples.

‘No, probably not, but then, if you know anything about me, you’ll know I’m all about the unwise,’ he murmured. ‘The more unwise the better… And Astrid?’

She could do nothing but nod as he leaned in close.

‘I’m onto you.’

Her breath snatched from her lungs – shit!

‘I don’t know what you mean.’

‘Oh, I think you do… Now, why don’t you go back to your phone call…’

‘My what?’ And that’s when she realised her phone was ringing, Tay Tay’s tune muffled beneath his jacket.

‘I’ll go keep my brother sweet. We can pick this up later.’

‘There’s nothing to pick up. There’s nothing to tell. There’s nothing?—’

His grin cut her off. He couldn’t know. He couldn’t have worked it out. He couldn’t have heard enough to…

‘Don’t keep Sissi waiting.’

Shit. Shit. Shit.

* * *

‘What’s her deal do you reckon?’

Blake sat opposite his brother, but his eyes were trained on her through the glass to the foyer. He couldn’t make out her features, but she still wore his jacket and damn , did it suit her.

‘What do you mean? She’s a journalist doing her job.’

‘What kind of a journalist rocks up to an ice rink in the depths of a New York winter looking like she’s about to do a televised interview with the president?’

Aiden shrugged. ‘One that wants to make a good impression with the powers that be.’

‘Her track record does that for her.’

‘It does? You been reading up on her?’

‘I did a google, yeah.’ He toyed with the glasses she’d left on the table… so she obviously didn’t need them all the time. He’d kind of missed them on her.

‘And?’

His brother’s prompt snapped him back to his senses. ‘She’s impressive. She writes some decent stuff. Still doesn’t explain the killer heels and the kick-ass suit.’

Aiden gave a laugh as he slugged his beer. ‘You know what your problem is?’

‘What?’

‘You’ve got the hots for her.’

Blake huffed. ‘Tell me you don’t.’

Aiden followed his gaze to the glass. ‘She’s attractive. Any man would have to be blind not to see that.’

‘Attractive or not, she’ll be sick as a dog if she keeps rocking up to the arena dressed like that.’

‘Play nice, Blake.’

‘I’m here, ain’t I?’

‘You are… but I know that look.’

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about, bro.’

‘Let her do her job and humanise you to the masses.’

‘Humanise me?’ He choked on the beer he’d just chugged.

‘Yeah.’

‘Did you forget the article is about you as much as me?’

‘I’m not the one in need of an image overhaul.’

Blake gave him the once-over. ‘You sure about that?’

Aiden punched him in the arm. ‘For once in your life, can you be serious?’

‘I am being serious. I don’t want to do it.’

‘You don’t have a choice; did you not hear them this afternoon? The NHL want you out, bro, and then it won’t be up to the Titans any more, you won’t be worth trading, you’ll be hanging up your skates for good.’

The idea chilled him to the bone.

He was nothing without the game.

A no one.

‘Would it really be so bad to let her in, tell her your truth? Let the world see that you do have a heart. Get to the man beneath the mask. The boy behind the goon.’

‘For fuck’s sake.’ Blake rolled his eyes. ‘How many more ways do you wanna put it?’

‘I’ll put it every which way until you realise it’s about saving your ass.’

‘Worried what you’ll be without me on the ice to save yours?’

‘I can save my own, thanks.’

‘You wouldn’t have an ass to save if it wasn’t for me.’

‘You wanna bet?’

Aiden was grinning now. So was Blake. The camaraderie much easier to deal with than reality. ‘You know she’s gonna wanna know all about dear old Dad.’

Aiden’s smile shrivelled. ‘You only have to give her enough, you don’t need to tell her everything; she doesn’t need to know about that night.’

Blake ground his teeth as the memories threatened to take hold. ‘Do you not worry that one day the story will surface? That a police officer will talk, or a neighbour?’

‘The neighbours were used to the yelling, and they didn’t see jack shit.’

‘But Dad… the money he could make if he were to offer it up.’

‘He wouldn’t dare. If it weren’t for us, he’d be living on the streets now.’

His brother was right. It didn’t take the edge off though.

His blood still ran cold, goosebumps prickling across his skin as he scratched that same itch upon his chest. He let his eyes drift to Astrid beyond the glass, let the miraculous warmth she triggered soothe away the chill and push all thought of his father out…

‘So, you wanna tell her to change her getup?’ he said. ‘Or shall I?’

‘The Mother Teresa act is all yours, buddy. But just so you know, she wore my jacket first.’

‘She what?’

Aiden gave him a shit-eating grin. ‘She was shivering at the rink…’

‘Bloody hell, do you reckon she did it on purpose? Some kind of test to see if she could coax out some chivalry?’

‘Who knows.’ Aiden swigged his beer. ‘Bet you’re impressed with her outfit choice now though.’

Blake gave a tight chuckle. ‘The cunning minx…’

Aiden laughed. ‘I’m not so sure. She seems fairly genuine to me.’

He frowned at his brother. ‘What makes you say that?’

‘Stuff she said.’

‘Like?’

‘Like the fact she was nicknamed Twinkle Toes when she was younger because she’s clumsy as fuck.’

‘Twinkle Toes!’ Blake spluttered over his beer. ‘How on earth did you get onto that?’

‘She fell on those killer heels you’re obsessing over.’

‘And let me guess, you saved her?’

‘Like her knight in shining armour, buddy.’

‘Ha! Pull the other one.’

‘I’m serious about the name though – Twinkle Toes. No devious piece of skirt goes about sharing something as blush-inducing as that.’

‘And was she?’

‘What?’

‘Blushing.’

‘Like a beacon.’

Blake’s mouth twisted up into a smile. ‘Twinkle Toes… I like it.’

‘So, we’re agreed then?’

‘Agreed?’

‘To play nice with the reporter.’

‘Define “nice”?’

‘Give her what she needs and – no, Blake, not that.’

‘What? I didn’t say a word.’

‘You didn’t have to.’

‘Are you telling me she’s off limits, because you know how that’s going to go down?’

His brother’s eyes were laughing even as he ground his jaw. ‘I mean it, Blake.’

‘So do I.’ Because telling him ‘No’ only poured gasoline on the fire already simmering for her. ‘Scared of a little competition, bro?’

‘There’s no competition.’

‘If you say so…’ But Blake didn’t believe it. His brother was no saint when it came to the opposite sex and someone like Astrid, as hot as Astrid, as real… was catnip.

‘Is this a private stare down or can anyone join in?’ A nervous laugh accompanied her sudden presence at the table and slowly Blake released his brother’s gaze to meet hers.

He rubbed his jaw, more for something to do that didn’t involve hauling her into his lap, caveman style, and staking his claim up front. ‘Hey Twinkle Toes, good of you to join us.’

Her eyes shot to Aiden’s, wide, horrified. ‘You told him!’

Aiden kicked him beneath the table, the move fierce and invisible from above. ‘Why would you tell her that?’

‘If she’s hanging out with us for the foreseeable, she might as well know we share everything.’

Her eyes shot back to his, her cheeks flushing crimson as her mouth opened but no words came.

‘You’re such a jerk,’ Aiden threw at him and Blake grinned, their face-off resuming as readily as his next breath.

‘Takes one to know one.’

‘Oh my God, you’re like children!’

Their heads snapped to her, voices dropping low as they said as one, ‘We can assure you we’re not.’