Page 32 of Santa's Pucking Hat Trick

The next shot came fast and hard, but I was ready this time. I dropped into a butterfly stance, my pads absorbing the impact as I blocked the puck with a satisfying thud. The crowd roared, and for a moment, the world snapped back into focus. Everything was right again. Hockey was my touchstone.

The rest of the game was a blur of motion and noise, but I found my rhythm again. We fought hard, and in the end, the Santas came out on top. The final buzzer sounded, and the rink erupted in cheers as we skated off the ice, victorious.

But even as my teammates celebrated, slapping each other on the back and whooping with joy, I couldn’t shake the hollow feeling in my chest. I caught Rachel’s eye one last time as I headed to the locker room, and I could see the concern etched on her face.

I needed to do something to shake this off, to forget about Alicia and her new life, if only for a little while. And maybe, just maybe, I had an idea of how to do that—and how to put a smile on Rachel’s face while I was at it.

17

RACHEL

I’d shut my office door behind me in hopes of getting some quiet. Some peace, just me, before I eventually had to head home for the night. So the knock that came from my door wasn’t exactly a welcome sound. I sighed, going to open it, expecting Jerry or one of the other suits I worked alongside on the behind-the-scenes side of Santas’ stuff. But instead, dressed down in a comfy sweatshirt with his hair still dark and dripping from the shower, I found none other than Sawyer Finnegan.

He smelled incredible too. Clean, a little cologne but not enough that it was overpowering, something like cedar and warm skin. All man. It was unfair.

“Get your coat,” he told me gruffly. “We’re going skating.”

My brow wrinkled. “Excuse me?”

“I promised skating lessons, and I’m finally making good on that. Unless you don’t want to learn anymore.”

“I do,” I hurried to say. Though if I was honest with myself, I cared a lot more about spending time with Sawyer and all his good-smelling sexy glory, despite the oddly intense energy he was giving off just now, than I did about learningto skate. “But…they’re doing the ice tonight. You know. Um, Zamboni…ing.”

Sawyer’s lips twitched behind his facial hair. “I’ve never heard that made into a verb before. Much less a gerund.”

Ugh, hewouldbe the type of jock who still knows what a gerund is. Why was that hot? For someone who had been so recently and thoroughly laid, apparently I was still pretty thirsty.

“You know what I mean,” I grumbled, and Sawyer cracked a real smile. “We can’t skate here. Not tonight.”

“Yeah, well,” Sawyer said, smoothing a hand over his beard with a shrug, “I know a guy.”

“What doesthatmean?”

“Are you in or not?” he countered. I hesitated for a second. But I knew my answer before I said it. Curiosity alone would have had me following Sawyer out of the ice center tonight in a heartbeat.

“Fine. Lead the way, Finnegan.”

I followed Sawyer out of the ice center, my curiosity winning out over any logical reservations I should’ve had. The night air was crisp, a sharp contrast to the warm, stuffy office I’d been hiding out in. My breath misted in front of me as I pulled on my coat and caught up to Sawyer, who was already striding ahead like a man on a mission.

When we reached the parking lot, he stopped in front of a sleek, black Audi—definitely one of the nicer cars I’d ever seen in Mistletoe. My eyebrows shot up, and before I could stop myself, I let out an appreciative whistle.

“This yours?” I asked, running my hand along the smooth, shiny surface. The clean lines, the understated but powerful design—I could nerd out over this car for hours.

Sawyer glanced at me, a half smile playing on his lips. “Yeah. You like it?”

“Like it?” I said, my voice rising with excitement. “This is an Audi RS7. It’s got a twin-turbo V8 engine, right? Almost 600 horsepower. You know how fast this thing can go?” I circled around the front, eyeing the car like it was a prize at an auto show.

Sawyer’s smile widened, and I could see he was enjoying this side of me. “I didn’t realize you were a car nerd.”

I shrugged, trying to play it cool even though I was geeking out inside. “Not a lot of people around here to talk about cars with.”

“Well, feel free to nerd out all you want.” He unlocked the doors, and I slid into the passenger seat, immediately feeling the plush leather against my skin. The car purred to life as Sawyer started the engine, the deep, growling sound sending a little thrill through me.

It was hard to believe I was more excited about the car than about going skating with Sawyer. Well, almost. I still had that incredible kiss playing through my head on repeat, and since I’d already embraced the chaos of sleeping with two players, I could hardly cling to my so-called professional ethics.

Sawyer drove us through the winding streets of Mistletoe, the town’s Christmas decorations twinkling in the night, making everything feel undeniably magical no matter how much of a Scrooge I supposedly was. I tried not to stare too much at him as he drove, the way his hands gripped the steering wheel confidently, the slight tension in his jaw that hinted he wasn’t as relaxed as he seemed. The man had a damn good profile, because of course he did.

We pulled up to the town’s outdoor ice rink, the one they set up every winter in the center of Mistletoe. It wasn’t open to the public yet, and the gates were still closed, but the ice gleamed under the overhead lights, freshly smoothed.

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