The Keeper (Playing to Win #1)(17)

He finally puts the coffee down on the counter next to me as I stare at him in shock. “Why do you know how I take my coffee?” I ask, stunned.

“Because I’ve made it my business to know everything about you.”

“Oh.” What the hell? Oh? That’s the best I can come up with?

“Do you have plans tonight?” He doesn’t wait for my answer before he starts rifling through my cabinets again.

“What are you looking for?” I ask.

“A travel mug.”

I move to the other end of the counter and rise up on my tiptoes to grab him one of our insulated mugs. Then I freeze as his warmth envelopes me without his body ever touching mine. His arms move to either side of the counter, boxing me in.

I don’t turn around, afraid of what he might see if I do.

Instead, I place the metal mug on the counter and take a deep breath.

“I promised Andrew I’d meet him at the rink tonight. He’s still trying to get me to reconsider competing, and I keep telling him no. So now he has me watching his potential partners try out instead.” I try to say it forcefully, but the words come out more like a whisper.

Is it possible to feel him even when he isn’t touching me?

“Are you sure you’re done competing? Won’t you miss skating?”

It’s the same question I’ve been asked too many times to count since the Olympics. But my answer has stayed the same. “I still skate. But now I skate for me, or when I’m working with my baby skaters. Now it’s more fun, less stress. Andrew’s just having a hard time accepting that.”

“What time are you meeting Andrew?” Easton growls quietly against my ear.

“Seven,” I breathe out and fight every instinct screaming at me to take one small step back. One tiny little move would close the distance between the two of us.

“Seven,” he whispers and steps back, then grabs the travel mug. “Thanks, princess.”

I turn slowly and watch Easton pour his coffee and screw on the lid. “Where are you going now?”

“I want to surprise Blaise and drive him to school before I meet with my new coach. Then I’ve got practice. First game’s tomorrow night.”

His words shake up a thought I hadn’t considered before. “Have fun at practice, hockey boy. You might want to steer clear of Jace on the ice.”

“Your brother loves me.” He looks at me for a moment, losing a little of his bravado before he shakes it off and walks out of the kitchen calling out, “I’ll see you tonight, princess.”

Once I hear the front door click shut behind him, I sag against the counter.

It was a whole lot easier to be mad at him when he wasn’t close enough to touch.

I blame the touching.

The touching leads to trouble.

The problem is . . . I think I’d like that kind of trouble.





Easton





Coach Fitzgerald stands from behind his desk at the Revolution arena and offers me his hand. “Glad to have you join the team, Hayes. It’ll be nice to have you in our net for a change.”

“Yes, sir. Thanks, Coach. Glad to be here.”

He motions for me to sit. “I was surprised when your agent called and accepted our offer. You’ve been telling us to pound sand for a few years.” He leans back in his chair and waits as the door to his office opens. “What changed?”

Well . . . Shit.

I should have seen that coming.

Max Kingston walks into the room. The man is certainly the master of his own universe. Even in his forties, he exudes power and strength unmatched by anyone else I’ve ever met. And right now, he’s looking at me like I’m a problem he’d like to eliminate.

“Yeah, Hayes. What changed?” Max leans back against Fitz’s desk with his eyes narrowed on me. Eyes the same color as his sister’s.

I meet Max’s stare head-on. “My reason for staying in Las Vegas changed. It was time to come home.”

Fitz clears his throat, but Max ignores him. “And how long do you plan on staying?”

“His contract—”

“I’m not asking what his contract says,” he interrupts Fitz, his glare never wavering from me.

“As long as my wife wants to stay here, this is where I’ll be. With as close as she is to her family, I don’t think she’ll ever want to leave.” I lean back in my seat and cross my leg. “I’d like to finish my career in Philadelphia, if I can, but that’ll be up to you.”

“Hurt my fucking sister and I’ll make sure you never play another minute of professional hockey again. You won’t be able to tend goal on a fucking development team in some no-name town in Canada when I’m through with you.” His knuckles turn white from his grip on the edge of the desk behind him. “Do we understand each other?”

“I think—” Fitz tries to break the tension, but I refuse to back down because this moment is more important than hockey.

“Loud and clear, Max. But it goes both ways,” I tell him as I stand from my chair. “Pretty sure I’ve already proven I’d die for your sister. How about you let her live her life like the intelligent, independent woman she is, and you try not hurting her? Because I’m pretty sure she’d be hurt if she knew you were assuming she couldn’t stand up for herself.”