Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 107667 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107667 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Dart helped me clean the apartment and get it ready for whoever the company wants to have in it next. I sent the email that I moved out yesterday, and I haven’t heard anything from the higher-ups. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad one. Even so, my leads are coming in, and I have meetings out the ass for the next two weeks. I’ll need them. Especially with Dart traveling. Something I’m not ready for at all, but I know is part of the deal with loving a hockey player.
“He makes it real easy to be completely crazy with,” I admit, and her eyes are so kind and loving.
“That’s Dart for you. His passion is intoxicating. And the way he tells you exactly what he is thinking…” She laughs a bit, shaking her head. “He’s a mess for sure,” she admits, and I hear a bit of Nashville twang.
I want to agree with her, gush over him, but then I realize something. “Are you and Owen from Tennessee? Is that why the wedding was there?”
“Yeah, both Owen and I grew up there. Our dads played hockey together for the Nashville Assassins.”
“No way!” I exclaim, and she nods.
“Yeah. His dad is Shea Adler, and mine is Benji Paxton.”
I gawk at her. “The Shea Adler?”
She grins. “The Shea Adler.”
“So, no wonder Owen is so handsome. Shea is gorgeous.” I quickly hold up my palm. “I mean that with all the respect in the world.”
She’s not the least bit offended. “Girl,” she says, leaning in, “you should see Shea Adler in person—like, in your face, telling you you’re the best thing for his son. I looked to the heavens and thanked the Lord that Shea Adler is my man’s dad, ’cause Owen is only going to keep getting hotter with age.”
“No shit,” I agree, and we both laugh as we lean into each other. Wow. I like her. A lot. “That’s crazy cool.”
“Yeah, and like his dad, he’s solid, wonderful, and makes me feel like the most gorgeous girl in the world. I hit the jackpot.”
I wonder if I look like her when I speak about Dart. That awestruck look in my eyes, the parting of my lips, always waiting for Dart’s to press against them. The heat burning my cheeks and every single inch of my insides. I know I do, because I feel what she is feeling right now. I did hit the jackpot, ten times over.
I look out at the ice, seeing as Dart shoots the puck and then skates around the net with ease. As I watch him, excitement burns in me, not only because he’s gorgeous to watch, but that I’m almost done with his assessment. I can’t wait to show him my findings. He’s been asking, but I don’t want to show him until I’m done and have a plan. Until I know he’ll be impressed by what I have to say. Though, knowing him, I could show him a stick drawing on a sheet of paper, and he’d tell me it’s the best thing he’s ever seen.
Lordy, I’m so in love with him.
And hot diggity dog, he looks so damn good out there. The black of his jersey brings out his eyes and amplifies his neck tattoo, making him look really dangerous and sexy. The intensity in his eyes to make the shot reminds me of when I’m under him, screaming his name. The way he grips his hands along his stick, his ease of moving the puck, leaves me yearning and breathless. I watch as he skates toward the bench, and a trainer, a woman, throws him a water bottle. I’m sure she’s watching him as closely as I am because this fine specimen of a man squirts his face, his hair, the back of his neck, and the front of his jersey, dousing himself with the water.
I’ve never wanted to identify as a water bottle so much in my life.
He shakes his head, water spraying everywhere, and my mouth goes dry. My heart slams into my ribs, and I pull my gaze away. If I keep watching him, I’m going to find my way onto that ice, and I’m not sure the rink people would appreciate us melting it.
Because we would. Ten times over.
I swallow, needing a distraction. “Have you and Owen been together for a long time?”
“We grew up together, but we didn’t hook up until a couple years ago.” Her eyes are on her husband, and I adore the tip of her lips. “I didn’t like him growing up because he’s cocky as all hell, but when we found ourselves in the same place—me, here for school, and him, here for hockey—I realized that I wasn’t happy unless I was with him.” She looks over at me and smiles. “Now, life has no meaning unless he’s in it.”