Page 38 of Miami Ice

Beckham.

My lips part in surprise. Because he’s absolutely breathtaking.

His dark brown hair is tousled and swept off his forehead. Beckham’s dressed in a gray suit with a white dress shirt. There’s no tie, and the shirt is open at the neck to reveal his tanned skin that has no doubt been kissed by the Miami sun. A white pocket square is in his pocket, a nice attention to detail on his part. I can’t help but let my eyes roam over him, taking in how his trousers hug those massive, athletic thighs of his that have been built by skating.

I shift my gaze upward to his face, and I suck in a breath in response to what I find.

Because Beckham is already staring at me.

My heart thumps wildly. The words to “Blank Space” roll in my head. Beckham smiles and walks toward us, and I feel my body becoming a complete mess.

“Uncle Beckham!” Lucy cries, thrusting her tiny arms out toward him as he joins us.

He grins and takes her from Sofia’s arms. “Aren’t you supposed to be in bed?” he teases, kissing her on the cheek.

My heart instantly shifts gears from thumping to melting as I see how he is with his niece.

“We’re about to go,” Aaron says, holding Stella’s hand as she tries to get back to the play center that is in the lounge. “We didn’t want to abandon Georgie at her very first hockey game.”

“Speaking of that,” Beckham says, fishing in his suit pocket, “I have something for you, Georgie.”

Curious, I watch as he pulls out a hockey puck with a piece of masking tape on it. “Here. Whenever you have a big occasion in hockey, you get to keep the puck. Like first goal, for example. Well, this is your first game so I thought you should have it.”

What’s left of my heart has officially become a puddle as he holds the puck out to me. I take it and glance down at the tape, which says: “Georgie’s First Game” with today’s date on it.

I glance up at him and find his eyes completely locked on mine. “Thank you so much. I can’t believe you did this for me.”

“I had a random lapse of thoughtfulness,” he says, grinning at me.

“I’d say.” Sofia’s eyes shift from Beckham to me and back to Beckham.

He shoots her a look, a look like one I give Ella when I want her to shut up.

And seeing that look makes my pulse quicken in excitement.

“I think it’s time for us to get these girls to bed,” Aaron says cheerfully, changing the subject.

Goodbyes are said, and then it’s just me and Beckham. “Come on, Cupcake,” he says. “Let’s go have this retro date you’re insisting on.”

“You will not regret it,” I assure him as he leads me back out into the caverns of the arena. “And this is a real treat, because they launched their Christmas flavors this month and I haven’t had a chance to try them.”

“Does Christmas ever turn off in your brain?”

I grin. “Not really. I’m always sad when the season is over, but all year-round I’m looking for things for my collection.”

He lifts an eyebrow at me. “Do you have a warehouse to store all your Christmas shit in?”

“No!”

Beckham doesn’t need to know about the climate-controlled storage unit I have rented specifically for that purpose.

We reach an area of the arena that is manned by security, and I see row after row of expensive sports cars.

“Care to guess which one is mine?” he asks, stopping at the threshold.

“If you’re letting me guess, I’m assuming you don’t have a license plate that says BECKS,” I tease.

“No. I don’t need to make it that easy for fans to follow me.”

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