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CHAPTER TEN

MARLEE

T he chill of the rink seeps into my skin but I barely notice as I stand several rows up with my gaze fixed on the guys moving below.

Even in practice, they’re a blur of movement, muscle, power, and grace.

They’re strong, fast and purposeful, their bodies clearly honed from hours of summer workouts as they itch to be back on the ice as a team.

Strong legs pump beneath padded gear, and the sharp scrape of their skates cuts against the ice.

The rhythm with which they maneuver around the rink shouting instructions or laughing with one another is both overwhelming and exhilarating.

There’s a solid contrast between the chill of the ice and the heat these guys exude.

Off the ice, they’re just normal fun-loving men with a camaraderie that adds to their allure, but on the ice, they’re the epitome of power, precision, and pure grit.

With training camp in full swing this week there’s a renewed energy in and around the arena and it feels good.

It feels right.

It’s refreshing and exciting.

I inhale a deep, fulfilling breath with a satisfied smile on my face. Whatever it is in the air today, it has all of us feeling optimistic that this might be our best season yet.

It’s good to have my Stars back together again.

In particular, one Star.

My gaze lingers on Ledger when I spot him racing down the ice dribbling a puck with his stick. Maybe it’s the way his broad shoulders stretch his jersey taut when he leans into each turn or the effort behind the ease of his movements that makes him more magnetic to watch.

Or maybe it’s just me.

Either way, I could get lost in watching him all day.

“What’cha doing?”

I turn to glance behind me even though I recognize her voice immediately. What I didn’t plan to see though was Layken standing with my college best friend, Blakely, as well as our team’s mascot, Ella, and the coach’s daughter, Corrigan.

“Hey ladies.” I turn back around, continuing to watch the goings on below us. “I’m just checking out a little bit of this morning’s practice. Are you off today, Corrigan?”

Corrigan is an ER nurse who works at Pacific Children’s Hospital, but she’s also the girlfriend of our newest player, Bodhi Roche so we do see a lot of her during the season.

“Off for two days.” She smiles. “And I am grateful as hell. Summer is rough for kids. It’s been one accident after another.”

“Oh yeah?”

She nods. “Bike accidents, playground accidents, drownings. You name it. It’s happening. Every single day.”

“Don’t let her fool you,” Layken says, bumping hips with her best friend. “Corrigan is great at her job. Pacific Children’s is lucky to have her.”

“So, you’re watching practice?” Blakely asks again.

“Yep. Just had a free minute before I have to meet with the team so I thought I’d see how they’re looking.”

“Uh huh,” Blakely says, stepping up next to me and bumping my hip with hers. “You sure you’re watching the whole team or do you only have eyes for one of those guys down there?”

Even amongst the chill of the ice, my cheeks warm. There’s no denying what I’m really doing up here but I haven’t really said the words out loud yet.

“There’s something clearly mesmerizing about the way physically fit men move around on ice, isn’t there?” Ella says, peering over my shoulder toward the ice saving me from having to answer Blakely.

“Mhmm,” Layken answers with a nod as she nibbles on the end of her fingernail. “Watching them can be an overwhelming mix of admiration, curiosity, and?—”

“And just plain kinky fantasy,” Ella finishes her sentence. “Don’t you think, Mar?”

Kinky fantasy.

Yep.

One hundred percent agree.

“Uh, sure?”

“But then it’s not just about their looks, am I right?” Blakely asks as her eyes narrow on the guys below. “It’s their presence as a whole. How their confidence radiates off of them from the way they hold their sticks in their hands to the thrust of their slapshot.”

“Oh yes!” Layken nods slowly as she nearly drools over the men below. “Their thrust for sure. Or the intensity in their eyes when they’re focused solely on the?—”

“Puck?” Corrigan asks, interrupting. “Focusing on the puck?”

“Yeah.” Layken shrugs with a smirk. “I was totally going to say puck.”

I roll my eyes. “Uh huh. You ladies are a bunch of horny bitches.”

Blakely bumps my hip again. “Says the woman who’s clearly standing here watching the team in hopes of getting a glimpse of one man and one man only.”

“You guys.” I scoff lightly. “I really just stopped to see how their practice was going. I have to meet with the team after this to go over their promo schedules.”

“Mmkay,” Ella says with a nod. She steps forward and hangs her arm over my shoulder. “But just for a second let’s imagine ourselves up close with Ledger Dayne, shall we? Like, close enough to experience the sharp scented mixture of sweat and ice as he skates by.”

Why does the idea of experiencing Ledger in all his hockey rawness excite me?

Layken leans forward and murmurs, “Or the way his hand might wrap around yours if you were next to him. Strong but careful because obviously he’d be gentle with you, but he’d sure as hell do all he can to keep you safe.”

He does make me feel safe.

“Right?” Blakely sighs. “He’d probably look at you the way he looks at the game. With this innate focused hunger…like nothing else matters.”

“Yep.” Ella smiles. “And something in the way he would look at you would make your breath catch and he’d do that sexy smirk thing that only Ledger Dayne does. You know that smolder-ish look he gives.”

Nodding, I can’t hide my smile when I say, “I have to admit I know exactly the look you’re talking about.”

Just as those words pour from my mouth, Ledger turns his head as if he hears us talking and his eyes find mine.

“Holy shit,” Corrigan exclaims without moving her lips too much so Ledger doesn’t notice. “Do you guys see that? The way he just looked at our girl?”

“Mhmm.” Blakely giggles softly. “Like he wants to back her up against a wall and have his way with her.”

Fuck me.

For just a second I allow myself to envision what a moment with Ledger would be like if I was his.

Would he slowly peel his gloves off while he watches me?

Would his hands be soft and gentle as he touches me or would they be rough and chilled from the ice?

“Do you think he would kiss her with this tender slowness that makes her weak in the knees?” Layken sighs.

“Nah.” Blakely shakes her head. “If he wants her as hungrily as he looked at her just now, his kiss would be searing and feverish. Like he’s been waiting all fucking practice to get that close to her.”

“Okay, okay. Why are we standing here imagining something that isn’t even real?” I turn away from the team only to meet the disbelieving stares of my friends.

Layken crosses her arms in front of her chest. “Because I’m pretty damn sure it’s real even if you don’t want to admit it, Mar. You like him.”

“Of course, I like him. What’s not to like? Ledger’s a great guy and he’s doing me a huge favor.”

“No.” Ella shakes her head, watching me. “You like him, like him. And he’s definitely doing you…somehow…soon.”

My jaw drops. “Oh, my Gosh, Ella!”

“She’s right.” Layken smirks. “And it’s totally cool. I mean you’re right too. What’s not to like about Ledger Dayne? He’s had a crush on you for years and the man is literally going to give you the world’s most attractive baby.”

Blakely stares at me wide-eyed as my jaw nearly comes unhinged this time. “Wait, what?”

Corrigan backhands Layken’s arm. “Babe…I don’t think Ledge wanted her to know about the…” She lifts her hand to her mouth and whispers, “C-R-U-S-H.”

“Fuck,” Layken whispers. “Oh well.” She shrugs. “Cat’s out of the bag now. It was bound to happen sooner or later and besides, these two humans need to get together already. He’s clearly interested,” she says and then gestures to me. “And so are you.”

Am I really hearing her correctly?

“Are you being serious right now, Lake?”

She crosses her heart with her finger. “As serious as a heart attack. Yeah.”

“Ledger has a crush on me?” I hear the disbelieving tone of my voice as it rises in pitch.

“Had. Has. Will always have.” She nods. “Yeah. All of the above.”

Ella nods, giving me a sympathetic glance. “It has been going on for quite some time.”

“Yeah.” Layken chuckles. “Also, how do you not know about this by now?”

“I…” I shake my head, trying to figure out the answer to that question. “He’s never said as much when we’ve been together.”

Ella lifts a brow. “You sure about that? He’s never given you any clue?”

“I think every damn thing about you is beautiful.”

“On a night like tonight, you look absolutely snuggle-worthy.”

“You’re stunning.”

“If you were mine, I’d want to spend every waking minute showing you what an amazing work of art your body really is.”

“If you were mine, you couldn’t keep my tongue away from the sweetest part of you.”

“I promise you I will put a baby inside you if it’s the last thing I do.”

I gasp audibly and palm my forehead. “Oh, my God!”

Layken smiles. “Your cheeks are red, Mar. You’re thinking about him, aren’t you? You’re thinking about all the things he’s said to you.”

My gaze shoots from Ella to Layken to Blakely to Corrigan and then back to Ella. “You guys! How did I not see it? How did I not know? Shit! He’s always been so kind. So…generous.”

“So generous in fact,” Blakely reminds me with her finger in the air, “he’s willing to literally shoot his tiny little semen demons right up inside you.”

“How long?” I turn to Layken and Ella. “How long have you known?”

Layken glances at Ella and says with a shrug, “She knew before I did so…”

Ella sighs, her shoulders releasing her tension. “At least three years.”

My eyes bulge. “Three years?”

She nods.