Maxim (Carolina Reapers 10)

Two days ago, right. When he’d kissed me or I’d kissed him, who really knew?

I rolled my eyes and spun around to grab a container out of one of the cabinets to store the rest of the carb-offensive brownies.

“And third,” he said, this time from right behind me.

I whirled around, container in hand, the breath catching in my lungs with how close he stood. He looked down at me, those eyes churning and molten as they grazed every inch of my body.

“You should never worry about your body or what you eat. You’re fucking gorgeous and you know it. And I don’t care how many times I have to tell you, Evie. I’ll tell you every damn day if that’s what you need.”

My heart fluttered in my chest, my pulse taking off as I stared up at him.

“I only meant that my career is centered on my body’s performance, and you can’t argue that certain foods can slow a body down,” he said, still not budging an inch from where he practically caged me in against the kitchen counter.

I parted my lips to apologize and tell him I didn’t mean to throw my triggers at him but he hurried to continue.

“But,” he said. “I’m also saying your treats are too delectable to not put in my mouth.”

Flames licked up my spine, my body clenching with need at his words. His innocent, solely about my food, words. God, I couldn’t even keep my feelings for this man separate from a damn food conversation.

I blew out a breath, trying my best not to squirm under his gaze, to not reach out and kiss him like he’d kissed me the other night. How could I not want more? With one kiss, he’d managed to awaken some buried desire I’d never felt before. A craving and a thirst that I knew only one thing would quench. One kiss, and he’d made me believe that maybe, just maybe, some of the authors who wrote the steamy books I loved had based their feelings off of real-life experiences.

“Noted,” I finally said, crawling out of my mind. Not my best response, but it was the only thing I could manage at the moment.

He held my stare a little longer, then backed up one step, then two, until he was leaning against the island. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and I packed up the brownies while he glanced over whatever text or email he’d just gotten. He sighed and sat his phone on the counter just as I was popping the lid on the container and sliding it out of the way.

“Everything okay?” I asked, noting the time. He wasn’t due for the pre-game skate for at least an hour.

“Yeah,” he said, rubbing his palms over his face. “Just finalizing another endorsement deal. The contracts are always tedious, but now we’re at the stages where I actually have to sign them as opposed to letting my agent handle the bulk of the work.”

I nodded, leaning against the counter opposite him. “And with the added pressure of your game schedule and…” I stopped myself before I could say the yips. “Other stressors, it’s a lot.”

“It is,” he said. “Not that I’m not grateful. I have more endorsement deals than most of the guys on the team. Hell, the NHL. I’m just…”

His voice trailed off, and I noted the strain in his eyes. The signs of exhaustion evident in the hard set of the features on his face. And it wasn’t the kind of exhaustion that came from lack of sleep either, but an internal, bone-weary exhaustion that came from stress eating you alive from the inside out.

“Tired,” I finished for him.

He folded his arms over his chest and nodded.

“Remember that relaxing thing we talked about?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood. “We really need to figure out what it is that’ll get you to unwind.”

A small smile shaped his lips, and my stomach flipped at the sight. When he didn’t seem keen to offer up a suggestion, I pushed on. “Who is this deal with?” I asked, my brow furrowing. “You already have deals with Lululemon and Adidas, right?”

His brows raised, surprise flashing in his blue eyes. “Stalking me, Evie?”

I huffed a laugh. “Hardly,” I said, and it was the truth. I may be hopelessly in love with my best friend’s older brother, but I wasn’t a creep. “You may not believe it, and Mila may murder me for telling you this, but she’s your biggest fan. She gushes about you constantly to anyone who will listen, including me.”

Pure love radiated out of his smile that deepened, and it made me warm all over. Mila may be the only person he truly loved out of his entire family, and he showed her in his own way as often as he could. Like letting her best friend crash at his fancy house rent-free.