Page 5 of Snowed In With the PUCK

I hold my breath, watching his expression shift from curiosity to confusion.

“What… what is this?” he asks, holding up the document.

I feel resignation slipping over me, knowing there’s no way out of this now. “It’s part of my job.”

“Your job?” His face is a mask as he flips through the documents—all about him.

I sit back on my heels, stacking the papers into a neat pile. “I wasn’t planning to tell you this right now, but I guess I have no choice.”

Eric stands up slowly, holding the contract out to me like it’s some kind of evidence. “What’s going on?”

I let out a long breath, standing to face him. “I’m a junior attorney on the team that is managing your trade paperwork. It’s not finalized, you know. You’re here and you’ll play for the Avalanche, but the stuff that happened in Nashville is causing us to add several new clauses….” I’m rambling.

I take a breath. “Okay, the truth, put very simply, is that I work for the firm that represents the Avalanche, and I’ve been assigned to finalize your deal.”

He stares at me, clearly processing the information. “You’remy lawyer?”

I shake my head quickly. “Not exactly. I’m on the team of attorneys representing the team, not you. But yeah, I’m working on your contract and everything that comes with it.”

Eric frowns, still as handsome as ever, his accusatory tone deepening. “Everything that comes with it? What does that mean?”

I sigh again, knowing he’s not going to like this next part. “It means negotiating and arranging the community events, the charity appearances, and more with the PR team and ownershipof the team. The team wants to make sure your transition to Colorado goes smoothly. They want to… improve your image.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “Improve my image? What, they think I’m a bad guy?”

I don’t respond, because I know he already understands. The whole reason his reputation took a hit in Nashville is exactly why the team wants him to do some public outreach here in Denver.

Eric shakes his head, laughing bitterly. “Great. So now I’m stuck in this house with you, and I have to play nice or else you’ll sabotage my trade deal.”

I meet his gaze with as much calm as I can muster. “Sabotage? Rude.” I look at him pointedly. “Why don’t I just focus on doing my job while you focus on doing yours? We share a roof, but we don’t have to talk to each other or get to know each other.”

We stare at each other for a moment.

Finally, Eric lets out a long breath. “Alright, fine. Sounds like we’re both new here, so the last thing we need is stress after work when we come home. I’ll be out of here soon, anyway, and be in my own place.”

I shrug. “Good.” I gather my things and blindly head down a hallway, turning to throw out over my shoulder, “And my name is Jessica, since you asked earlier.”

A vague, low mumble meets my ears. I smile. I am very certain he is a teddy bear underneath all the snark.

Eric Warren might be cocky, but there’s more to him than meets the eye.

I get the feeling that this arrangement is going to be a lot more complicated than either of us thought.

Chapter three

Eric

The morning light filtersthrough the kitchen window, casting a golden glow over the granite countertops. I’m up early, and my mind is in fight mode for my first day with the new team. We’ll scrimmage this morning and then have a real practice and workout session after.

But before that, I have to meet with the team owner. I’m hoping that goes quickly. I’m an athlete, not a business guy, so meetings tend to feel a bit boring to me.

Last night was complicated. I wasn’t expecting to share a house withher, with Jessica, let alone find out she’s one of the attorneys handling my trade. I still can’t decide if the universe is playing some cosmic joke on me or if this is just another twist in my already messed-up career path.

She is gorgeous, though. Her eyes are expressive, and her figure is the perfect blend of curves and leanness.

I take a sip of my coffee and glance toward the hallway. She’s in one wing of the house and I’m upstairs in what I think is a smaller second main bedroom. The place is swanky with luxurious furniture and quality architecture, from what I can tell.

I listen for sounds of life down the hallway. I haven’t seen her this morning, but I figure she’s up. Lawyers probably keep ridiculous hours, right? They’re workaholics, too. I chuckle to myself. Where I’m all muscle and physical power, she’s got to be an intellectual with a brain of steel from so much studying to pass the bar and then so much thinking she has to do each day. I begrudgingly admit to myself that I admire that about her.

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