by Kendall Ryan
But I can’t think about that right now. Can’t let myself wonder what it might be like to be with the grown-up version of Eden I met in her office. The suit-wearing, confident, badass lady boss calling the shots in a multimillion-dollar organization.
Down, boy.
When I look up, Madden is standing there staring at me.
“You don’t have a thing for her, do you?”
I scoff. “No. I never had a thing for her.”
Madden doesn’t look convinced. After a long silence, he chuckles. “Shit, you so did. Probably still do. As I said, she’s hot as fuck. And she likes hockey.”
“Playing hockey isn’t some great noble profession. You know that, right?”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “And security is?”
Shit, I need to stop talking. Next he’s going to see through my disdain for hockey—the very sport Eden’s ex-boyfriend plays for a living. Smooth, dumbass. And don’t even get me started on the way Alex looked at her in the locker room today.
“Forget about it, Madd. I’m over it. Eden and I are ancient history. So, drop it, okay?”
“Whatever you say, boss.” He grins at me again.
There’s something about his playful grin that bothers me. Maybe it’s because Eden seemed so rattled after her locker-room pep talk. I want to make things easier for her, not more difficult.
“I’m about done here. You?” Madden asks, re-racking his weights.
“Yup, but we’re not skipping leg day next week. Your calves are starting to look scrawny.” I toss my damp towel at him.
Once we finish our workout, Madden heads out, opting to shower at home, while I plan to take advantage of the facilities here. It’s probably better that he’s gone. That way he won’t see me order a ginger-and-turmeric shot, and then use it as ammo to make fun of me for the next decade.
This is a nice perk of working at the training facility. Even on my days off, I can come and use the gym here. A fancy-ass gym for the pro athletes. Never thought I’d be here, but I feel lucky to have landed the contract. Even some ribbing from my friend won’t stop me from enjoying it.
Listening to Madden call me out about my crush on Eden was more than a little uncomfortable. It’s scary how close he got to discovering the truth. But I’ll protect our secret to the grave. As far as I know, Eden never told anyone about our night together, about her night slumming it with me.
I certainly never told a soul. But more than that, I got used to hiding that lost, vacant expression on my face whenever I spotted Eden and Braun together on campus. Got used to burying that hurt in my eyes, that look like someone kicked my puppy whenever they appeared together on the news.
That month they moved to Toronto fucking crushed me. It was the spring after she graduated from Sutton. There was a rumor that Braun wanted her to drop out the last few weeks of her senior year. If she had, I would have hunted him down and castrated the bastard. Anyone could see how important Eden’s education was to her. When I heard she graduated with honors, I felt proud. Relieved. It was at least something she wouldn’t compromise for him.
But then they left for Canada, and I thought that was it. Thought he’d propose, that they’d get married and live happily ever after. I was convinced I’d lost her forever. But I couldn’t admit that to Madden. It was stupid. Young love. But that can’t be right. An infatuation, maybe. It couldn’t be love.
Then Braun fucked up in Canada. Fought with his own team’s goalie during a game and was kicked off the team. He and Eden came back to the US, to Philadelphia briefly, then New York. Somehow Braun still managed to end up with a multimillion-dollar contract. That was a hard pill to swallow.
Although I had no right to, I mourned the loss of Eden, grieved like someone close to me had died. And my chances of ever being with a girl like her did die.
Through that experience, I came to realize what was possible for a guy like me and what wasn’t. And being with a millionaire heiress to the Wynn fortune just wasn’t going to happen. She’d made her choice, and I’d made my peace with it, but that didn’t mean I wanted to fucking rehash it with Madden today.
Keeping memories of Eden in my past is easier said than done. As much as I try to pretend I wasn’t affected, she still gets under my skin. The scent of her shampoo. The way she sucks on her bottom lip when she’s deep in thought. Her bright-eyed determination. I love that she thinks she can run Boston’s hockey empire with her sheer will.
And that’s the thing about Eden. Of course she can, and she will. She’ll prove all her critics wrong, and I guess I’ll be the guy with a front-row seat to it all. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. At least, that’s what I hear.
I head toward the showers and select the one on the end. Thankfully, no one else is here today, so I have the place to myself. Cranking the water to hot, I push down my shorts and boxers and yank off my T-shirt.
Stepping into the spray of hot water, I let out a sigh. I grab my bodywash and lather up, washing my face, armpits, groin . . . all the important parts.
Now that I’m alone, my thoughts return to Eden. Watching her take charge of the guys, giving that speech. Hearing how composed and confident she sounded.
My hand drifts down to my dick, and I give it a slow caress. I’m already half-hard just from thinking about the way Eden looked in that suit, the way she commanded the attention of every guy in that room. She’s a force to be reckoned with.
Forget it.
But it’s not like I can ignore the rush of heat to my groin. I give the base of my cock a warning squeeze.
Now’s not the time, dude. Later, I promise myself.
If I keep this up, things with Eden are bound to get complicated. I shut the door on my past, but maybe I can open it just a crack. Just long enough to peek inside to see what I missed.
• • •
Ready for more? Continue the story in The Rebel, available HERE.
Eden’s entire life changed in an instant. After enduring a messy breakup and the death of her grandfather, she’s the new owner of his business, a struggling hockey franchise.
Bad things happen in threes, right?
Not one to back down from a challenge, she jumps in with both stilettos. There’s just one tempting and sinfully handsome problem . . . her new head of security, Holt Rossi.
Eden and Holt share a complicated history, one steamy night in college that she’s never forgotten. The man is about as mild-mannered as a pack of wolves, and now he’s back in her life, crowding her space, edging out all her good sense. And Holt hasn’t changed a bit. The emotionally damaged, sexy-as-hell beast of a man has her tied up in knots yet again.
But temptation proves to be too much for either of them to handle. Holt, for one, is willing to overlook the rules or even slam right through them, if it means he can have Eden again.
Between her ex—a bad-boy hockey player—and her distractingly handsome head of security, Eden is in for a bumpy ride.
Warning: This romance contains one growly, broken hero; a bunch of rowdy hockey players; and a smart, hardworking heroine whose life hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. This is a no-cheating, scorching-hot love story with a guaranteed HEA.
Grab your copy now!