Page 73 of The Puck Stops Here

All over a woman who should mean nothing to him. But there was something about her. The candid way she’d opened up from day one, the way her eyes always gave her away – vulnerability, compassion, desire – all raw and unfiltered and equally effective at drawing him out.

He’d been putty in her hands.

And he hated being putty in anyone’s hands.

‘Who are you? Our mother?’ Aiden joined him in the kitchen, pulling a ready prepped meal out of the fridge and sticking it in the microwave to warm up. He leaned back against the counter and pinned Blake with his stare. ‘What gives?’

‘It’s not like you the night before a game – especially when we’re playing away against a team like the Kings.’

He cocked a brow. ‘You were worried about me?’

‘I worry this chick has got you acting out of character, yeah.’

‘Gotmeacting out of character? Don’t you mean you?’

Blake sipped the beer he’d been nursing all evening. It was warm, funky, flat. Though he couldn’t blame it for the face he pulled. ‘No.’

‘I don’t know, bro, you’re looking a little green around the edges.’

He gave a tight laugh. ‘Whatever.’

‘You’re not going to ask where I’ve been?’

‘I know where you’ve been.’

‘You do?’

‘I think the entire team know that you’ve been teaching Twinkle Toes to skate.’

Aiden pressed his lips together, blue eyes bright in the low hanging aluminium light that stretched along the breakfast bar. ‘And you still say you’re not green?’

‘No.’ He shoved the bottle away and stood.

‘Not going to ask me how she was?’

‘No.’ He was already moving off.

‘She really is true to her name,’ he called after him. ‘Spent more time in my arms than on the ice.’

‘Not listening.’

‘She’ll get there though, just needs a lot of one-to-one attention from the best…’

‘Night, bro.’

His brother’s soft laugh worked its way through him, provoking every green nerve. Hewasjealous. So jealous. And that bothered him more than he’d care to admit.

Because he’d never been jealous of his brother. He’d coveted his cool. His ability to shut down every emotion and focus. But he’d never been jealous of him. Until now.

And over a girl, of all things.

Hell, he needed his head examining.

Or a good game to thrash it out of him.

Tomorrow’s face-off couldn’t come soon enough.

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