Page 1 of Bound

CHAPTER ONE

Claire

Just another work day.

Just another pregame snack run.

Or so I tell myself.

I roll my shoulders, trying to ease the ache in my loaded-down arms as I hurry down the hall toward the Breakers locker room. As I brace because I know what I’m about to see.

WhoI’m about to see.

Hockey players shouldn’t make my heart race.

Not after all this time.

Not after being all but adopted as the team’s little sister.

But Jackson does.

They also shouldn’t make my blood boil.

I work with these guys on a day-to-day basis. We banter. We tease each other and spend loads of time together during the season. I’m friendly to actual friends with most of them.

Just…not Jackson.

Sighing, I focus on the task at hand—delivering pregame snacks so I can get back to my real duties as assistant tothe General Manager of the Breakers hockey team—and shove any thoughts of Jackson down—boiling blood or heart racing or otherwise. I turn into the locker room. I need to be a professional, need to be focused on the job at hand. I need to be…

Not be swooning after a certain hockey player…who I love or hate, depending on the day.

I need to not be?—

I screech to a halt in the open doorway, mouth falling open, bag of snacks and Aiden’s hot dog nearly slipping from my grasp.

Biting back a gasp, I dash out of the room and turn and press my forehead against the cool wall, eyes slamming closed, cheeks scorching hot, heart racing all over again.

Because holy mother of all the pucks on the ice, I can’tseethese things.

Can’t see Jackson Hunter with those chocolate brown eyes and wavy dark hair, the perfect amount of stubble on his face and that body built for sin…

Wearing a pair of tiny, skintight boxer briefs.

Wearingonlya pair of tiny boxer briefs.

Showing off a body that’s…

Well, it’s provided sexy fodder for my dreams many a night.

And it likely will againtonight.

If only he didn’t hate me.

My fantasies would be so much better.

“Enough,” I whisper, pushing away from the wall and shoving down all of those pesky emotions that Jackson invokes. I have a job to do—I need to check in with Luc and then I have some paperwork to take care of and meetings to schedule and team bonding events to brainstorm.

And most importantly, the guys need their pregame snacks.

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