Offside (The Barker Triplets 1)

Yes, Mr. Tall, dark, and handsome as sin Logan Forest—the man who’d starred in every teenage fantasy she’d ever had—stood a few feet from her, his blue eyes focused and intense. Damn, but they were as beautiful as she remembered. Billie’s blush deepened as memory returned fast and hard.

Logan Forest, the man who’d—

“Billie-Jo Barker.” Seth grinned.

God how she hated the way Seth rolled the syllables in her name like she was some backwoods hee haw from the hills.

“In the flesh,” he continued. “Never thought I’d see you back in New Waterford.”

His tone snapped her out of her funk and Billie dragged her gaze from Logan as she turned to Seth. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

“It’s all right.” Seth’s made a big show out of checking her out, his smile widening as she glared at him. “I’m not disappointed at all. In fact I’d say the scenery around here just improved one hundred percent. Without all that hockey gear you look more like your sister, Bobbi, or hell,” his grin widened like he was paying her the biggest compliment ever. “Maybe even Betty.”

[i]What a dumbass.[i]

“Funny how being a triplet will do that.” She couldn’t hide her sarcasm.

His eyes narrowed. “Funny how [i]not[i] being a jock cuts down on the butch factor.”

Billie’s hands fisted at her side and she opened her mouth to retort, but Mr. Talbot appeared from the back, her skates in hand.

“All done, Billie. Good as new.”

She nodded, moved past Seth and skirted around the long way, not wanting to get too close to Logan Forest. Even after all this time the man made her nervous as hell. Christ, her belly flipped and rolled as if she was damn teenager all over again.

Logan remained silent as she passed though she was aware his head turned and followed her progress. She blew a piece of hair from her eyes and wished it wasn’t so damn hot. What was it with old people and the need to crank their heat?

“Longwood doesn’t know what he’s talking about. You look good, kid.”

Billie’s heart lurched at the sound of Logan’s voice. It was deeper than she remembered—full bodied and sexy. Like whiskey on the rocks. He was five years older than her, which she supposed had played into her young, foolish fantasies—back when she was eighteen and he was twenty-three. And now at thirty years of age, he was a man in his prime.

She glanced back and hoped her cheeks had toned down a bit. “Thanks,” she murmured. King of his prime, more like.

His dark hair was damp against the collar of his leather jacket as if he was fresh from the shower, and she inhaled a hint of spice in the air. The man smelled as good as he looked.

[i] Something else that hadn’t changed.[i]

Out of habit she grabbed a roll of duct tape, some new laces and waited while Mr. Talbot rang up her purchases.

“So what are you up to these days?” Seth was beside her now, his grin unbearable as he gazed at her. Tall for a woman, Billie stood five feet nine in her socks, but this morning she’d pulled on a pair of her sister Bobbi’s boots and…

“About two inches taller than you,” she quipped.

She heard Logan chuckle and glanced toward Mr. Talbot, whose eyes twinkled as he rang in her order.

Seth’s eyes hardened. “Funny,” he muttered, though he took a step back and gave her a bit of room.

“That will be sixteen dollars even.” Mr. Talbot announced.

Billie pulled a twenty from her back pocket and set it on the counter, for the first time noticing a bright orange flyer next to the cash register. She picked it up and quickly scanned the information.

Friday Night Hockey, it proclaimed in bold font.

“What’s this? A new league in town?” Billie asked, eyebrow arched.

Mr. Talbot glanced over his specks at her and then nodded slowly. “It’s something new. We’ve got a twin pad now and more ice time is available, so a bunch of local boys have started up a league.”

“No contact?”