“Don’t give me that bullshit,” McKellen said. “Look, you keep pushing it out here, you’ll put your entire recovery at risk. One fuck-up, and you’re looking at riding the bench the rest of your life—not just on the hockey rink. That what you want?”
Walker jerked the helmet from his head, ran a hand through his sweat-drenched hair. He was losing steam, the adrenaline from his earlier successes draining out of him. “You know it isn’t.”
“Then you need to listen to me. To the docs. I know you’re anxious to get back out there, but you need to let this recovery run its course. Your body will tell you when it’s ready.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Mac. I don’t have the luxury of letting this shit heal on its own timeline.” Walker jerked his head toward the coach, keeping his voice in check, but just barely. “Term’s almost up. If I don’t get back on the active roster this season, they won’t renew my contract, and then I’m out on my ass. Permanently.”
Walker knew it, sure as he knew how to hold a stick and pass a puck. No matter how good he’d been in his prime, no matter how many records he’d broken, no matter how loyal he’d been to the Tempest, no NHL team would sign a washed-up puck jockey with a bum knee and shit times.
Walker tugged his helmet back into place. He had to make this work.
McKellen shook his head, blew out a frustrated breath. Holding up his hands in surrender, he said, “It’s your life, son. Make the call.”
“One more run, then we’ll see where we’re at.” Without waiting for a response, Walker skated to the goal line at the other end of the rink as fast as he could, pivoting in a sharp turn in front of the net.
Bad idea.
He’d twisted too hard, thrown off his balance. His left foot slid ahead while his right knee stayed behind, and then he was on his ass, helmet skittering across the ice.
Another bolt of pain shot through his leg, radiating all the way up to his hip. He pulled himself up again, but it was a fight to stay on his feet, not to just crumple back to the ice like a fucking baby. Not to shut his eyes and let the darkness seep in.
Walker tried to tell himself it was just an off day. Not enough sleep last night, maybe, or hitting the free weights too hard at the gym this morning before the session. But the little nagging bitch who’d set up camp inside his head said otherwise, and as much as he’d tried to ignore that bitch, he couldn’t ignore the searing pain.
His knee was on fire, and just like that, he was back in that car.
Swerving to miss the kid on the bike who’d darted out into the intersection, not even looking.
The screech of brakes, the smell of burnt rubber.
Metal on metal.
Broken glass.
Blood in his mouth.
Sirens.
Lucky to be alive…
“Walker.” McKellen’s hand clamped down over his shoulder, yanking Walker back to the present. “You good?”
Walker clenched his teeth, then opened his mouth and spit on the ice. There wasn’t any blood—not really. His legs were straight. He was here, on the rink, in full pads, still fucking alive. He nodded.
“We’re going to plan B,” McKellen said, signaling to Coach.
Walker had no idea what the hell was going on, but he could already tell he wasn’t going to like it. “What’s plan B?”
* * *
Walker doesn’t know it yet, but plan B—otherwise known as the fierce, fiery Olympic figure skater Eva Bradshaw—is about to rock his world. Hate-kissing their way onto Santa’s naughty list is one thing, but do Walker and Eva have a snowball’s chance in hell at finding love?
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Find out in Naughty or Ice! Click here to learn more!
Sneak Peek of Hot as Puck!
By Lili Valente
I take a deeper breath, realizing for the first time that Libby smells good. Not simply good as in clean and inoffensive to the nostrils, but good as in I would like to know what she smells like after she hasn’t showered in a while. I would like to smell the curve of her neck after she’s fresh off a run, to pull her sports bra up and over her head and let my tongue explore the sweat-damp valley between those incredible, way-more-than-a-handful—
“I need a drink.” I cut the thought off before it—or the erection swelling behind the zipper of my jeans—can fully form. I refuse to think those kinds of thoughts about Libby. It’s so wrong that wrong isn’t a strong enough word for it.
I’m trying to think of a better word, something appropriate for things forbidden, disturbing, and a little embarrassing, when Libby puts a hand on my arm again, curling her fingers into the cotton of my dress shirt.
“Can we talk about the private stuff first?” Uncertainty creeps back into her gaze. “I’m afraid if I wait, I’ll lose my nerve and never say what I came over here to say.”
I swallow hard, fighting the urge to bolt. “What did you come over to say?”
“I have a favor to ask.” Her teeth worry her bottom lip in a way that makes the newly aware of Libby part of me wonder what her mouth tastes like.
Fuck. I have to get away from her and get my head on straight before I do something stupid like try to kiss her and ruin one of the best friendships I’ve ever had.
I’ve never even thought about dating either of the Collins sisters, no matter how nice they are to look at. They are my friends, so close we’re almost family. I’m the guy who glares at their boyfriends at the annual holiday party our parents throw together and who makes veiled threats about pounding faces if those douches even think about hurting Libby or La. I’m the big-brother type, not the guy trying to scam his way into Libby’s pants. Or down her shirt. Or daydreaming about slipping my tongue between her lips while I cup her breasts in my hands and—
“A kind of strange favor,” Libby continues, derailing the smut train in my mind just in time. Thank God. “But the fact that you and Sylvia broke up makes it a little less strange, I guess.” She laughs nervously. “I mean, not that I was ever going to ask you to do something that would get you in trouble with your girlfriend. I’m desperate, but I’m not crazy. Well, maybe a little crazy, but—”
“Just spit it out, Libs.” Sweat breaks out beneath my shirt as I fight not to think about lips or breasts or giving Libby anything but a firm, friendly hug.
“Okay, fine.” She pulls in a breath and lets it out in a rush. “I need you to teach me about sex.”
My eyebrows shoot up and I’m pretty sure I would have spit out my drink if Laura hadn’t stolen it. “What?” I sputter, even though I heard her perfectly well. But hearing and believing are two entirely different things.
“Sex,” she repeats, her cheeks going pink. “And flirting and being sexy and not saying stupid things on the first date or the second date or the third date. All that kind of stuff. The stuff I’m clearly really bad at.”
“Um, I—” I break off with a choked sound. “I’m sorry, Libs, but—”
“I’m going to be twenty-five in three months, Jus,” she cuts in, a pleading note in her voice. “And I’m still shy and weird and completely hopeless with men. If something doesn’t change, I’m going to spend the rest of my life alone, crocheting bonnets for my cats and wondering what it’s like to have a real relationship.”
“You don’t even have cats,” I say, because I don’t know what to say to the rest of it. I know Libby doesn’t date much, but I had no idea she was so upset about it.
“I will by then. I’ll have so many cats I’ll barely be able to walk from my couch to the bathroom without stepping on one. And when I die of old age, the poor things will run out of cat food and end up eating my corpse.”
“Well, there are worse ways to go,” I joke. “I hope to go of old age myself, and once you’re dead you probably won’t mind—”
“Justin, please!” Her brow furrows and desperation creeps into her eyes. “Please be serious. I’m being serious. I need help and you’re the only person I can ask.”
“What about Laura?” I shove my hands
into my pockets, wishing I’d run for it while I still had the chance. Before things got well and truly weird. “She’s good at flirting. I’m not sure about sex, because she’s my friend and thinking about her having sex is almost as gross as thinking about you having sex, but I’m—”
“Thanks a lot,” Libby interrupts, her bottom lip trembling as she reclaims her drink with a swift snatching motion that sends the liquid sloshing out of the glass. “It’s nice to know the thought of me in an intimate relationship with someone is that repulsive.”
“I didn’t mean it that way, Libs. I just meant—”
“It doesn’t matter.” She downs the rest of her martini in one gulp before setting it back on the table with a hard clink. “I never should have asked you for help. This was a mistake.”
“Come on, Libs, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” I reach for her, but she steps away, lifting a hand between us.
“Don’t. I can’t deal with a pity hug right now.” Her lips press together as she blinks hard. “Let’s just pretend this never happened, okay? I’ll find someone else to help me. Or I won’t. It doesn’t really matter, right? I mean, what’s another spinster kindergarten teacher eaten by cats?”
“Libby, wait,” I call after her as she turns and walks away, tottering in her too-high-and-stabby-looking-for-Libby-to-be-wearing heels.
But she doesn’t turn back, and now I feel even more like shit than I did before. Watching Libby storm away from me is much, much harder than watching Sylvia do the same. So hard, in fact, that I can’t let it happen. I follow her, weaving my way through the crowd. But when I get to the other side of the dance floor, she’s nowhere to be found.
And damn it, I feel like something’s been lost. Something necessary and special that maybe I’ve taken for granted.
Right then, I make a promise to myself to find Libby and do my best to help her out, no matter how uncomfortable it might be at first. Friends don’t let friends get eaten by cats, and Libby’s been my friend for too long for me to say no when she needs me to say yes.
* * *
The NHL’s biggest bad boy is about to fall for the virgin next door. Hot as Puck is out now!
Learn more at Lili’s website here.
About the Authors
Sylvia Pierce loves writing about kick-ass, headstrong women and the gorgeous alpha guys who never see them coming. She believes that life should be a lot like her favorite books—smoking hot, with happy endings and lots of temptations, twists, and trouble along the way. She lives in New York City with a strong, sexy husband who appreciates her devious mind, loves making her laugh, and always keeps her guessing. Like the heroes in her stories, Sylvia’s man didn’t see her coming… but after nearly twenty years together, he’s finally figured out who’s boss! Visit her online at SylviaPierceBooks.com, or follow along at:
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Lili Valente has slept under the stars in Greece, eaten dinner at midnight with French men who couldn’t be trusted to keep their mouths on their food, and walked alone through Munich’s red light district after dark and lived to tell the tale.
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These days you can find her writing in a tent beside the sea, drinking coconut water and thinking delightfully dirty thoughts.
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Visit her online at http://www.lilivalente.com or follow along at:
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Also by Sylvia Pierce
Buffalo Tempest Hockey Series
Naughty or Ice
Down to Puck
Big Hard Stick
Learn more here
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Bad Boys on Holiday
Standalone Romances
Snowed In with the Bad Boy
Bad Boy Valentine
Beached with the Bad Boy
Rescued by the Bad Boy
Bad Boy Summer
Bad Boys on the Beach:
The Starfish Cove Collection
Learn more here
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Bared to the Billionaire
Serial Romance
Bared to the Billionaire One
Bared to the Billionaire Two
Bared to the Billionaire Three
Bared to the Billionaire Four
Bared to the Billionaire: The Complete Series
Learn more here
Also by Lili Valente
Fall hard for Lili’s SEXY flirty dirty
romantic comedies!
Magnificent Bastard
Spectacular Rascal
Incredible You
Meant for You
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The Hunter Brothers Standalone
Rom Coms
The Baby Maker
The Troublemaker
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The Bad Motherpuckers
Hockey Series
Hot as Puck
Sexy Motherpucker
Puck Aholic
Puck me Baby
Learn more here
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Master Me Series
Snowed in with the Boss
Masquerade with the Master
Very Dirty Billionaire
Learn more here
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To the Bone Series
A Love so Dangerous
A Love so Deadly
A Love so Deep
Learn more here
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Under His Command Series
Controlling Her Pleasure (Free!)
Commanding Her Trust
Claiming Her Heart
Learn more here
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Bought by the Billionaire Series
Dark Domination (Free!)
Deep Domination
Desperate Domination
Divine Domination
Learn more here
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Kidnapped by the Billionaire Series
Dirty Twisted Love (Free!)
Filthy Wicked Love
Crazy Beautiful Love
One More Shameless Night
Learn more here
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Bedding the Bad Boy Series
The Bad Boy’s Temptation (Free!)
The Bad Boy’s Seduction
The Bad Boy’s Redemption
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Like a Boss Page 19