Hot Puck (Rough Riders Hockey 2)

“Like I can flip pancakes?”

“Like you’re easygoing and you have a great sense of humor. You’re spontaneous and flexible. You don’t hold bad-date judgments against a guy, and you seem to make friends wherever you go.”

“That’s quite a bit considering we may have spoken a handful of times in the last two hours.”

“Observation.” They reached the car, and he opened the door for her. “I also noticed you stayed away from the kids. Don’t you like kids?”

“A hot grill in a kitchen isn’t a safe place for kids.” She steered the conversation in another direction. “Shouldn’t they have been in school?”

“The event was considered a community outreach, so the kids who could come with their parents earned school credit.”

“Man, you really have this dialed in. Did you bring in some good donations?”

“A lot. We won’t have totals until tomorrow, but I feel really good about it.” Hanging on to the door with one hand, he asked, “What did you learn about me?”

She breathed deep and looked through the windshield, remembering. And she smiled a little when she said, “I learned your ass looks even better in jeans than dress pants.”

He laughed, and she met his eyes again.

“I learned you and your teammates are, indeed, like a motley crew of brothers, and they love you fiercely.”

His grin softened, and he nodded.

“I also learned there’s a huge heart hidden in here.” She patted his chest.

“How’s that?”

“You were incredibly patient and attentive to fans. And since you weren’t in a kitchen with a hot grill, you got a lot of time with kids, and you’re really good with them.”

He grinned. “I like kids.”

“I also heard how your leadership has pulled the team together into a cohesive unit that’s ruling the ratings this season. Overall, I’d have to say I was damn impressed, Mr. Croft.”

He stroked her cheek, his gaze lingering on her mouth. “Maybe it wasn’t such a bad date idea after all.”

“No,” she said, “it was still a bad idea.”

That made him laugh, and instead of closing the door, he pulled the seat belt over her and leaned in to buckle it. A sweet pang tugged inside her, and she threaded her fingers through his hair. He smelled good, and he was warm.

“There you go,” he murmured and pulled back.

Eden reached out and cupped his face with both hands. “You may have questionable taste for date locations, and I did think you showing up at my work was creepy at first, but you managed to pull it out of the fire and make it fun. So thanks for saving me from myself and taking that extra step to corner me.”

He grinned. “That has to be the strangest yet sweetest thank-you I’ve ever received.”

“I like to be different.”

She pulled him to her for a kiss, and the moment his lips pressed hers, she sighed. And then she needed more. And he kept giving her everything she asked for until their hands were tangled in each other’s hair and Eden pulled back, breathless.

He pressed his forehead to hers. “Baby, you are definitely different.”

A few hours ago, she’d been ready to write him off. A few hours ago, he’d made her so nervous, she couldn’t speak. But now, her craving for him was so strong, it felt like a physical entity inside her body. Now, she wanted to get naked and get him inside her.

“Do you have somewhere to be?” she asked.

“Not until this afternoon.”

He kissed her again, forcefully pulled away, and closed her door. Then he paused a moment, hands braced against the car, gaze cast down, as if he were thinking. But he shook his head, met her gaze through the glass, and pressed a flat hand to the window, letting it linger there as he seemed to lose himself in thought another second. Finally, his fingers slipped away, and he rounded the car to the driver’s side.