Hot Puck (Rough Riders Hockey 2)

Eden kept one arm clasped around his neck, her breath hot and quick against his skin. She was quiet, and Beckett felt something shift between them. A seriousness that seemed to weight the air.

He’d never been in love before, but somehow he knew this was that feeling that made the guys around him do stupid, crazy things. ’Cause, yeah, he could envision himself doing stupid, crazy things for Eden to hold on to this. To hold on to her.

Only his life wasn’t his own to wield anymore. He had Lily to think about.

So instead of letting the words roll out like he wanted, Beckett eased back, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her, then whispered, “You are so amazing, you humble me.”

And she smiled. The simple sight swamped him with emotion.

Oh, hell yes. He was most definitely in love.

20

Eden and Tori were pulling out of the hospital parking lot when their pagers sounded again.

Eden, filling out reports in the passenger’s seat, closed her eyes on a groan. Tori swore.

“You’ve become a total jinx,” Tori said. “We all agree. Every shift from hell has one common denominator: you.”

“Wow, you’re giving me a lot of credit.” Eden covered the iPad and pulled out her phone for directions to the call. “And while I deeply appreciate the confidence, if I had that kind of power, I’d use it to have the universe orchestrate my life in a whole different way.”

She picked up the radio to tell the dispatcher they were en route to the call of yet another woman down. Then told Tori, “Nothing like going straight from the hood to the Ritz.” With a few quick clicks on her phone, Eden pulled up photos of the house. And in between Siri’s directions, Eden said, “It’s a huge brick colonial surrounded by a white picket fence. Middle of the block on the right.”

Tori wove through the streets of downtown DC, picking up their earlier topic of discussion: Beckett. “So when are you two going out again?”

“Tomorrow night,” she said, smiling at the thought. She’d woken and showered with Beckett early that morning, leaving for work before Lily had stirred. “He’s got a game tonight, then home to Lily. He’s off tomorrow. We’re meeting a few other guys on the team and their girlfriends and wives for dinner.”

“I’m so happy for you,” Tori said, entering the affluent Spring Valley neighborhood of Washington, DC.

“I’m…cautiously optimistic. I’m having to force myself not to jump in with both feet. It’s hard. He’s tempting in so many different ways. But this whole thing still scares me.”

“I think that’s normal. And smart too.”

Eden gave her a smile before they pulled into the home’s driveway and bailed from the rig to grab equipment from the back. But she knew she was all talk. She was already head over heels for Beckett, which scared the living shit out of her. Yet holding her feelings back was like trying to get an IV in a guy on PCP.

They loaded equipment on a gurney and approached the sidewalk. The house’s interior lights glowed golden in the night, and the lights from the ambulance shot strobes of red and blue across the brick. Eden slowed as they reached the gate. “Hold on.”

After a quick glance around the neighborhood, she scanned the home’s lush front yard encompassed by the fence again. Huge rhododendrons and hydrangea plants were scattered among various trees and shrubs. In the dark, she couldn’t tell if the backyard was also open to the front, but she didn’t see a fence separating the two.

Shifting the oxygen tank into one hand, she used the other to shake the fence gate, rattling the hardware as she watched the shadows for movement.

“What are you doing?” Tori asked.

“Checking the dog’s friendly meter.”

“What dog?”

“Look at the other houses. Only one other fence I can see. If there’s a fence, there’s usually a reason.” Eden did it again, adding a whistle. No dog appeared. But no one stepped out of the house either. And Eden’s trouble meter flared orange.

She unlatched the gate and pushed it open. “Stay here a minute,” she told Tori. “And keep this exit clear.”

Eden was at the stairs, about to take the first step toward the front door, when she heard a low growl from her right. Her trouble meter jumped to full-blown red. Fear skittered down her neck and flooded her chest. She turned toward the sound and caught sight of the dog jumping from around the corner of the house.

Eden stumbled back a step, holding the oxygen tank out in front of her. The dog was big and dark. But it was his ferocious bark that pounded down her spine and lifted the hair on her arms.

He lunged, teeth bared in a snarl. Eden shoved the tank at him, hitting the dog and knocking him back. But he was on his feet in seconds, meaner than ever.

“Shit.” She sidestepped back toward Tori with the metal tank keeping the dog at bay until she’d slipped through the gate again. Tori slammed it behind her, and Eden stumbled into the street, panting, shaking, her heart pounding in her ears.