Page 3 of Snowed In With the PUCK

I clear my throat, which leads to my coughing. Great. Then I square up to him. He won’t impress or intimidate me. After all, I know who this guy is. Anyone who works in the hockey industry would know disgraced former Nashville forward, Eric “Gator” Warren. And he doesn’t know it yet, but I’m his lawyer. Or, one of them.

We stare at each other for a long, awkward moment, both processing what the hell just happened. I wave my finger around at his still-naked manhood.

“You mind, uh, taking care of that, please?”

He smirks and doesn’t make a move. “Sounds promising. What kind of ‘taking care of’ did you have in mind?”

“Oh my God, are you twelve? Please. Cover up.” But I can hear the humor in my voice. It makes it hard to be a bossy lady when I am starting to find the whole situation hilarious.

I physically turn my body away from him and look at the beautiful, open living room right off the entryway. The place is huge, much larger than my old apartment.

I hear movement behind me.

“Are you decent yet?” I ask in a bored tone, as if we’re an old married couple and I don’t have the interest in seeing him naked.

“Maybe.”

I laugh. “Smart ass.”

“Yep. That’s me.”

This was supposed to be an empty house, a place for me to focus and clear my head while I started my new job in Denver—a job that Kathy was instrumental in landing for me. Well, actually, it was her daughter and my best friend Laura who conspired to get me a job with the team’s law firm.

“I’m sure they have a hotel nearby…” I suggest.

I’m thinking of all the work I need to get done… in peace and quiet. Fat chance of that when I’ve got a stranger standing in front of me, acting just as surprised and confused as I am.

“Oh, right,” he says innocently. “I can drive you to one, if that’s where you want to stay.” His tone is humorous.

I glance back, disappointed to see him properly clad in the towel. “I thought you’d be a gentleman and offer to leave. Since I’m very sure you’re not supposed to be here.”

“About that,” he pulls out his cell phone, “do you see this address in the text message… the message from a Bill Stanton? Yeah. It’s this house. I’m supposed to be here.”

I huff at him. “Since I’m not a child, I’m not going to play ‘show me yours and I’ll show you mine.’”

His eyes turn mischievous. “That’s too bad. I would’ve liked that game with you.”

I stare at him, but he holds my gaze. Finally, I look away. Damn it. He’s getting to me. In a way, I feel like I know him. I’ve spent the last few weeks buried in paperwork about him to prepare for my new job as a sports attorney, reviewing his contract, ironing out the terms of the trade.

I keep my voice calm. “Let me get this straight, you’re not leaving and I’m not leaving. So, I guess we’ve got a problem then.”

“Yeah, the whole ‘one of us has to leave’ thing is pretty damn awkward.”

I laugh dryly. “You think there’s any choice besides one of us leaving? Get real.”

For a second, neither of us says anything. It’s too late to figure it out right now. It’s late. I had already called Kathy and said that I was on my way to the house, and then I texted Laura. I’d hate to bother them again or create drama all because there’s a mostly nude man standing before me with the most amazing body I have personally laid eyes on… Stop it, Jessica.

I turn my head away and stare blankly at the huge wood-burning fireplace.

“Look, there’s no way I’m calling Kathy, and certainly not her ex-husband Bill, at this hour to clear things up.”

Eric finally breaks his silence, his look triumphant.

I groan. “Stop gloating. It’s weird that you want me to live with you here and not go to a hotel. Don’t you get that?” I am full on pretending that he is a random guy and that I don’t know who he is.

He laughs, a beautiful deep sound that makes my horniness level jump up a few notches. I love men with deep voices. His voice is surprisingly casual. “Look, it’s a big house. There’s plenty of room. Why don’t we just… coexist for a few days until we can sort this out?”

I stare at him, surprised by how nonchalant he sounds. He acts like our being dumped into the same house is no big deal. Like it’s completely normal.

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