Page 4 of Worth the Risk

Barren walls and an empty desk greet me, but the massive window behind the desk has the most exquisite view of the Rocky Mountains I’ve ever seen. It takes my breath away. I gasp with glee.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” a voice says from behind me, and I jolt. Turning, I find a striking man leaning against the doorframe. “Sorry to scare you. Just wanted to come meet Coach’s niece. I’m Gabe.”

He extends his hand to shake mine, and I slide my hand into his. He shakes it, but doesn’t let go.

“Coach didn’t tell us how beautiful you were,” he comments. I snort and roll my eyes.

“That’s how you’re gonna play this?” I ask him with a cocked eyebrow. I didn’t expect his first sentence to be a line. He grins widely.

“Yep. What’s your name, beautiful?” he asks, still holding my hand.

“Her name is off limits, Dawson. My niece is off limits. Spread the word to the team. I better not hear about any of you hitting on her,” my uncle says from behind Gabe.

Gabe is still holding my hand with his eyes on mine. His thumb skirts over mine in a light stroke.

“You might need to let go of my hand,” I whisper. He shakes his head slightly.

“Not sure I can do that, beautiful. Not sure I can,” he responds with a flirty wink, and I can’t help but giggle.

“Enough! Dawson, get the fuck out of here. Leave my niece alone,” my uncle yells. Gabe finally lets go of my hand, but doesn’t leave my office. He takes an exaggerated look at the nameplate on the door before turning back to me.

“Til next time, Ms. Beauregard. I’ll be seeing you again real soon,” he says with a sultry promising tone.

“The fuck you will,” my uncle snarls. “You just got yourself twenty extra minutes of drills today, Casanova.”

I have no idea what that means, but Gabe does. He winces slightly, but then gives me another big smile.

“Worth it,” he says, then taps the doorframe before sauntering away.

My uncle looks over at me.

“Stay away from him.”

“Uhh, okay?”

“Seriously, Hannah. Stay away from him. He’s trouble. Well, actually he’s not trouble, as he seems to stay out of the limelight, but still stay away from him. Just stay away from all of them. Especially Santo. He’s the worst,” my uncle mutters.

“I don’t really intend on hooking up with the entire hockey team, Uncle Bennett,” I respond wryly.

“Jesus. I didn’t need that thought in my head, Hannah banana. To me, you’re still six years old.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not. I’m twenty-eight, and I’ve had sex, so quit acting like I’m an innocent flower these dirty little hockey players are going to corrupt. I’ve been corrupted. It’s done,” I tell him. He squeezes his eyes shut. “And seriously, you’re not even that much older than me. I bet you’ve sowed your wild oats enough for the both of us.”

“I’m a dude. It’s different.”

“Oh, is it?” I ask, popping a hand on my hip and staring at him. “How positively antiquated, Uncle Bennett. Shall I have all gentlemen callers speak with you first for your blessing?”

“You’re not gonna make this easy on me, are you?” he says with a tilt to his lips that tells me he’s not actually angry.

“Probably not.”

“Fan-fucking-tastic.”

Luca

Standing outside my building, I begin my stretching routine before my run. I’ve positioned myself so I can see the pixie walk out. No clue where she came from, or how she got into the apartment next to mine. Caroline Davenport was living there, and her brother is one of the coaches on my team. So I’m guessing the pixie knows Caroline somehow. They might be related, as I could hear a southern twang in Pixie’s voice when she was yelling at me last night, and I vaguely remember Coach Davenport talking about family somewhere in the south.

Fifteen minutes after I left the elevator, the pixie still hasn’t come outside. Yeah, I get my fair share of pussy. But I don’t go out of my way to be cruel to women. Something about this girl has me off my game. I’m feeling a bit worried, and as I’m about to head back into the building to make sure she’s okay, she strides out. She sees me and her steps falter, but I see her square her shoulders as she swiftly walks past me. I don’t miss the reddening of her eyes though. Fuck. Maybe calling her a bitch was a little rough, even for me.

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