Page 192 of Sin Bin

Meadow watched from behind the Plexiglas, dazzled by their speed and electrifying footwork. Their skills were stunningly impressive.

She found herself smiling as they finished the drill, their laughter and competitive trash talk echoing across the empty stands.

Hunter was the first to spot Meadow hovering by the boards. He bumped Logan on the shoulder and pointed to where she stood. Logan looked over, his face splitting into a huge grin. He looked so happy to see her that her heart squeezed with guilt.

After exchanging a few more words with his teammates, he handed his stick to Hunter and then skated toward Meadow. As always, her traitorous heart tried to batter its way out of her chest to tango with him.

He slowed as he neared her, studying her face as if he could sense her inner turmoil. It wouldn’t surprise her. He could read her like an open book. Hadn’t she told him as much?

She smiled and waved. “Hey.”

“Hey.” His voice was rough from his exertions as he skated up to her and stopped with a rasping swish, sending up a shower of ice flakes.

He towered over her even more in his skates, testosterone oozing from every pore. Jeez, he was delicious. Even all sweaty.

He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers, sending a rush of tingles down her spine. “Hola, cariño,” he murmured tenderly, his warm breath mingling with hers. “Cómo estás? Qué tal tu día?”

He was asking how her day went. “Mi primer día de trabajo fue bien,” she told him. “My first day of work went well.”

“Muy bien.” His eyes glinted approvingly. “Tu español está mejorando. Your Spanish is getting better.”

“Gracias.” She couldn’t fight the warm glow spreading through her. “I told you I picked up some Spanish when I worked for DFS.”

“You speak it beautifully.” Logan smiled and gave her another feather-light kiss before pulling back and peeling off his gloves. “Wow.” He whistled softly, giving her skirt suit and high heels an appreciative perusal. “Damn, mamacita. You look hella good in your professional attire.” He lifted a finger and twirled it, gesturing for her to turn around.

She snorted. “So you can look at my ass? I don’t think so.”

He laughed, bit his lip, then shook his head. “Seriously though, Jupe. I’m not sure how I feel about you strutting around the office in these sexy little power suits. Guys are gonna be checking you out so much that I’ll have to come up there and kick their fucking asses.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” she warned.

Grinning, he pulled his helmet off and combed his fingers through his sweaty hair. He looked so hot she didn’t know whether to swoon or jump his bones. And then she remembered the painful decision she’d made, and in an instant, her mood darkened again.

Logan’s teammates started leaving the ice, clapping him on the shoulder and winking at Meadow as they skated past. Hunter, Reid, Viggo and Dubs greeted her with warm smiles and super-friendly hellos.

She beamed at them. “Hey, fellas. Good workout?”

“Yes, ma’am.” They grinned and playfully bumped Logan’s shoulder. “We’re out.”

Logan nodded to them. “See you guys tomorrow.”

Once everyone left, the cavernous arena felt even more deserted. This was further compounded when someone turned off the music, plunging the place into sudden silence.

Meadow nervously smoothed back a strand of hair from her sleek topknot. Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure Logan could hear it.

He put his helmet and gloves down on the ice. Then he plunged his hand into her hair and loosened her topknot, unwinding it until her thick hair landed softly around her shoulders.

She stared up at him, barely breathing.

“Much better. Less restrained.” He was smiling, but there was an edge to it. He definitely knew something was up. “You got here sooner than I thought you would. Did you stop home first and pack a bag?”

She hesitated, then shook her head.

Disappointment flashed through his eyes. “Don’t tell me you changed your mind about staying over.”

Her nerves twisted into heavy knots in her belly. “Logan—”

He took a step toward her. “You don’t have to stay the whole week. I’ll take one night if that’s all I can get.”

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