They can resist their attraction…until their hearts rocket them across the blue line.

Hunter
Timing. Hockey careers are made or broken on it, and mine has taken an exceptionally broken road. I’m not a star. I’m a grinder, I work hard, and I’m finally at the point I can put the past behind me and get the fat, long-term contract I deserve.

But my agent—the man who stuck by me through every crash and burn—has had a heart attack. I need another agent now, or my one chance for the good money will slip through my fingers. Kate’s a rookie, but she loves the game like I do, so I pick up the phone. And I wonder if she remembers that one night in Cancun as vividly as I do.

Kate
Hockey. All my life I’ve lived it, breathed it, played it. Now it’s my business. As an agent, I’m tied to my phone at all hours, but nothing prepared me to hear Hunter’s voice. The last time I saw him—three years ago—there was a lot of bare skin and horny hormones involved.

I’ve handled it all in my short career—sexism, harassment, being broke, being laughed at. Resisting the attraction between us should be easy. Until it isn’t. And Hunter’s past shakes his confidence hard enough that he could make the worst decision at the worst possible time…

We walk into the bright and sunny apartment. Being a corner unit, it has lots of windows, and the décor is light and airy, all pale gray and white. “Cute place,” I say.
“Thanks. It’s tiny but I love the neighborhood.”
“It looks like you.”
Kate gives me a skeptical look.
“Organized. Tidy. Modern.”
She gives me a long, impassive look. “That’s me, huh? Tidy?”
Shit. There I go again. I called her tough that night and I think she was insulted. Now I’ve done it again.
“Well, not right now,” I admit, eyeing her sweaty hair and face.
That probably didn’t make it better.
“You’re not wrong.” She sighs and sets the bear head on the small island. “Okay, help me get this off. I really need to pee now.”
We wrestle her out of the costume, and I try not to notice that I’m touching her. Under the getup, she’s wearing a thin tank top and a pair of tiny, tight black shorts. I swallow hard.
One hand grazes her bare arm. Then her thigh. I hear her sharp intake of breath and my gaze lands on her nipples, now hard and poking against her bra and tank top. Christ.
I kneel to help her step out of the costume. She sets a hand on my shoulder for balance and lifts one long, sleek leg. I want to run my hands up and down her leg so badly my palms tingle. My dick is pushing aggressively against the fly of my jeans.
I look up at her. She’s watching me, her lips parted, her eyes pupils dilated. A flush stains her cheeks and she catches her bottom lip between her teeth.
Daringly, I set my hands on her calf and she pulls the other foot free of the fur garment. I slide my hands around the back of her firmly muscled calves, and then up to the backs of her knees. She shivers. “Hunter…”
She’s not stopping me. I glide my hands up the backs of her thighs, then over the little shorts to cup her ass. I straighten my legs and stand, pulling her closer. Bending my head, we’re nearly nose to nose. Her eyelashes flutter. Our mouths are so close… “Kate.”
She pulls back, her eyes full of regret. “Hunter. We can’t do this.”
I close my eyes at the stab of disappointment. “Right. Right. Sorry.”
“Also, I still have to go to the bathroom.” She darts away from me and into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
I lean against her kitchen island, sweating, breathing hard. My heart is galloping. Jesus. I fucked up. Why did I touch her like that? What the fuck is wrong with me?