After Gorst talked, Cooper gave an equally rousing speech, and the guys hustled from the room shouting and yelling. Isaac hung back as did Blake. Blake arched a brow at him and pointed toward the door.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Isaac heard the cheers of the crowd as he walked through the tunnel, and adrenaline surged through his veins. He stepped onto the ice and did a few easy circles, getting used to the feel of his new arena’s home ice. As the guys paired up to do some stick drills, Blake joined him as if it were expected that the new guys would pair up.
Isaac played a decent game with two assists, a block, and three hits, not to mention a stint in the penalty box for high-sticking. All in all, a good night. The team won, not that Isaac paid much attention to team wins and losses, unless they were in the playoffs. He just played his game and competed against himself and the high standards he’d set.
After the game, he growled at the press, chasing them off with his one-syllable surly answers. He hated interviews, not giving a damn what the league said. It’d been one of many sore spots with his former teams. When Coach approached him, he expected to be lectured on fostering good relations with the media; instead he was pleasantly surprised.
“When I said we want our players to be individuals, I meant it, Wolfe,” Coach said. “You won’t get any pressure from us to talk to the media. If you aren’t comfortable with it, or worry you’ll say the wrong thing and prefer to keep your mouth shut, we’re good with that. We’ve got your back.” He patted Isaac on the shoulder and moved to Blake’s locker with more words of encouragement.
Was this guy for real? He was so positive, it should come across as fake, yet weird as hell, it didn’t.
Isaac shook his head in amazement and finished dressing, fully planning on getting out of the locker room before one of his teammates tried to bond with him. Isaac knew he’d fuck it up somehow, say the wrong thing, piss off the wrong person, and before he knew it he’d be back out on the street. So he kept to himself and kept his tactless trap shut.
“Hey, want to grab a bite to eat?” Blake asked, watching him hopefully.
Isaac stood and shrugged into his leather jacket. “A word of advice. If you’re looking for a buddy on this team, I’m not that guy.”
He saw a flash of hurt and loneliness in Blake’s eyes before Isaac strode from the locker room. He’d done it again. It wouldn’t have killed him to accept Blake’s invitation. The guy was obviously lonely. Isaac didn’t have to be such a dick about it.
Only he wasn’t sure he knew how to be anything but a dick.
* * * *
As soon as Isaac got home, he walked down the driveway toward the barn. Despite how late it was, he needed to convince Avery to keep her mouth shut about them. No good would come from her telling anyone, and Isaac liked his balls right where they were, rather than where they’d be if Coop found out.
Considering that Coop didn’t show more than his normal dislike, he was pretty sure Avery hadn’t revealed their secret yet, but it was crucial Isaac got to her first.
It was almost midnight, yet there was a light on in the barn. He pushed open the big double doors just wide enough to squeeze his body through. Aisle lights illuminated the chilly barn and horses nickered at him as he walked down the aisle, obviously looking for handouts.
Avery stood near a stall looking inside. At the sound of his footsteps, she turned in his direction and frowned as he walked purposely toward her. She wasn’t looking too happy to see him.
“Hey,” he said quietly, while his thirsty gaze drank her in. She wore an oversized gray sweatshirt, faded jeans, and no makeup and looked more beautiful than any made-up women he’d ever seen. She captured her tangle of golden hair in a messy ponytail, not the kind women spent hours on to get just the right messy look, but more like the kind that had been done in a rush. She looked damned adorable and sexy in a country girl sort of way. His dick immediately took notice.
Crap. That wasn’t why he was here.
“When were you going to tell me?” She propped her hands on her hips and glared at him.
“Tell you what?” Isaac asked. She’d caught him off guard. He’d gone in the game on offense; now she’d stuck him on defense, but he was damn good on defense.
“That you’re my future brother-in-law’s new teammate.”
“Ah, that.” Isaac leaned against the wall and assumed a casual position. “Perhaps when you told me that you happened to be his future sister-in-law.”
She almost smiled. “What we did together—no one—I mean no one can know. It was a moment of weakness. It shouldn’t have happened.”
Isaac opened his mouth to protest, even though she was serving what he wanted on a silver platter. He snapped his mouth shut and nodded slowly. He should’ve been relieved, yet it irritated him that she was shrugging off the best sex he’d had in a long time as if it were an inconvenience to be forgotten. “Cooper told me in no uncertain terms to stay away from you and your sister.”
Avery laughed. “As if my sister would ever be caught dead near you. She has more sense than I do.”
Now that hurt, more than it should’ve, but he forced a carefree grin, as if it didn’t matter. “Yeah, but we had a damn good time doing something that never happened. Don’t deny it. You loved every minute.”
She blushed bright red, exactly the reaction he’d wanted. “So did you,” she shot back.
“I always enjoy sex, especially with a hot blonde writhing underneath me begging for more.” He watched her, knowing he was pushing a little too hard, but unable to curb his inner devil. “But there can’t be an encore. My career—” he choked on the words, hating his rare lapse of weakness. “My career depends on it.”
“Your career and our secret is safe with me. There won’t be a repeat performance.” She stood up straighter and lifted her chin defiantly. “Don’t flatter yourself. You weren’t that good.”
“And you’re a lousy liar.” He pushed himself off the wall and took a step toward her. She licked her lips and glanced up and down his body before resting her eyes on his face. The attraction arced between them.
“You’re full of yourself, Isaac Wolfe,” she shot back, yet he got the impression by the smile tugging at the corner of her sexy lips, that she was enjoying their sparring as much as he was. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss the hell out of her. Better yet, strip her naked and throw her on top of that saddle sitting on a rack in the corner and gallop into an imaginary sunset.
Yeah, that was what he wanted, but a guy didn’t always get what he wanted, especially when this woman stood between him and his ability to resurrect his career.
They stared at each other, not moving, for a very long time. Finally Isaac broke the spell first. He’d gotten what he’d come for, and if he didn’t leave soon, he’d be saddling up this pretty little thing and riding her once more into oblivion.
Now he was starting to think like a country song, and he hated country music.
Scrubbing his face with his hands, he heaved a deep sigh. “I guess I should be going.”
“Yes, you should.”
He didn’t move. Avery took a step toward him, their eyes locked, and he took a step toward her, sealing his fate. He wasn’t going anywhere tonight, and as bad of an idea as this was, he didn’t care. He just wanted one more night inside her. Just one more.
“Avery,” he groaned, as he moved to within six inches of her. As usual, she smelled like soap and horses, a scent he was beginning to like—a lot. He brought up a hand to push an errant strand of gold hair off her face and ran his finger down her cheek and across her jaw. One simple touch did all kinds of crazy things to his insides. He’d never been much for touching or gentle foreplay, and most ladies never complained. Yet, he wanted to touch Avery, learn every part of her body, and claim ownership. He wanted her to be his and his alone. He wanted all kinds of crazy-assed things he had no right to want.
He shoul
d leave now, but he didn’t.
She leaned in toward him, her head tilted in a silent invitation. He lowered his mouth to hers, their lips almost touching.
“Avery!” shouted her sister from the stairs to the apartment.
They sprang apart, and heat spread from his neck to his face. He never got embarrassed, yet he was now. He could feel the heat rising from his neck to his forehead.
Emma glared at him as if he were a criminal then turned her wrath on her sister. “What are you doing with him? You know how Coop and Izzy feel.”
“I—uh—I,” Avery couldn’t seem to find the words so Emma turned on him, damn cute herself with her blazing blue eyes so like Avery’s, yet he could see the subtle differences in the two women, and instinctually he could tell them apart. Or maybe it was his body that knew the difference.
“What are you doing here at midnight?” Suspicion darkened features very similar to Avery’s yet very different. They might be twins, but Emma did nothing for him, and Avery did everything.
“I saw a light on when I was coming home from the game, just making sure everyone is all right,” he lied smoothly.
“We’re fine. Good night.” Emma pointed toward the door.
With a last look at Avery, who was staring at her feet and wouldn’t meet his gaze, Isaac left the barn. He trudged back to his house, annoyed as hell at himself. He’d almost given in to his weakness. His life was about hockey, not a fling with a cute little horsewoman. Cooper wouldn’t tolerate Isaac messing around with Avery. If he found out, it’d be a one-way ticket out of the NHL.
No woman was worth sacrificing his career. Not even Avery.
* * * *
Avery wiped imaginary drool from her face as she watched Isaac walk out of the barn, his head held high, and his gait easy and unhurried, as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
Avery could be so lucky.
If she didn’t have enough trouble in her life, why did she have to go and invite more trouble? Isaac Wolfe was trouble in all caps. Trouble radiated through him from his ice-blue eyes to his sexy-as-sin body to his panty-melting voice. Everything about him was trouble. And if the man and his reputation weren’t bad enough, she had Izzy and Cooper making everything worse.
And now her twin, the one family member who always had her back, glared at Avery as if she were a stranger she’d just met and didn’t like.
Unable to bear her twin’s censure anymore, Avery leaned on the stall door and studied Riot. She’d come downstairs earlier to check on the horse as he’d seemed more off than usual at feeding time. He looked okay now though, and was picking at his hay like he normally did.
“Avery. Didn’t you hear anything Cooper and Izzy said? That guy is bad news. Don’t get mixed up with him.” Emma stood beside her, and Avery could feel her eyes burning into her.
“Yes, I heard them.” Avery sighed wearily. She’d been listening to Izzy tell her what to do all her life, and now there were two of them, three if you counted Emma.
“Have you read all the stuff out there on him? It’s not good. He’s worse than a bad boy. He’s poison. He uses women. He drinks too much. He fights with his teammates. He—”
“Enough already. It’s not like I’m marrying him or having his baby. If I were Bella, no one would even take notice.”
Emma sobered a little. “Yeah, that’s true.”
“I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. If I want to have a little fling with my sexy neighbor, so what? We aren’t hurting anyone. We’re just having fun.”
“Izzy and Cooper aren’t going to like this,” Emma hedged.
“Izzy rarely likes anything I do. Cooper goes along to keep the peace.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m just worried about you. Have you—? You know— Have you?” Emma got embarrassed when she mentioned sex.
“Yes, just once, and it was hotter than hot. I swear he melted my skin right off my bones.”
“That’s pretty hot.” Emma blushed, but her eyes twinkled.
“He came over here tonight to ask me to keep quiet because Cooper’s already threatened him. I know he’s in a precarious state with the team, and he doesn’t want to piss off the captain.” Avery met her twin’s gaze.
“I won’t tell anyone,” Emma promised. “Are you going to see him again?”
“See him? As in get naked with him?”
“Uh, yeah. That’s what I mean.” Emma couldn’t look her in the eye and stared into the stall.
“I don’t know. We have this crazy attraction to each other. It’s hard to resist.” Avery would’ve done it again with him if Emma hadn’t interrupted, and Emma wouldn’t always be around to play the role of rescuer. She worked a lot of nights for the Party Crashers, Izzy’s brainchild and a growing business for the sisters. “Don’t you get tired of always doing what everyone else wants, Emma?”
Emma ran a hand through her long blond hair and sighed. “Sometimes, but Izzy only wants what’s best for us.”
“What about you? You can sing and dance better than anyone in this family, and you love it. Have you ever thought about pursing it for a living?”
“No,” Emma spoke firmly. Her tone left no room for debate.
Avery shrugged. Emma never said much about what she wanted. She was the pleaser of the family, too busy fulfilling Izzy’s expectations to consider her own. They’d grown up in a household with neglectful parents who were two-hit wonders. Fawn and Rock Maxwell had founded To the Max, a formerly popular rock band. Ever since, they grasped for one more moment of fame with a sad desperation.
The girls swore from a young age they would never pursue the path their parents had, even though they’d inherited their parents’ musical talents, skills that came in handy when crashing parties, something they started doing as kids to get their next meal. They were so good at it, they formed the Party Crashers. Hosts paid them to crash parties and ensure their guests had a good time. They’d honed party-crashing to an art.
Avery quit crashing parties at the same time she walked away from college and dedicated her life to horses. Her absence from the sisters’ business proved another sore spot between Izzy and Avery. She didn’t need the rift between them to grow even wider by having an affair with Isaac Wolfe.
“What are you thinking? I can almost hear those rusty wheels turning.”
“Rusty? Are you saying I don’t use my brain?” Avery shot back with a smile.
“Not like you did in pre-med.”
“True. I just use it differently.”
“So what’s going on in your head?” Emma pushed.
“I’m not sure I’m done with Mr. Wolfe yet.”
“You’re playing with fire.”
“I’ve always been a sucker for heat.”
Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t come crying to me when he breaks your heart and all heck breaks lose ’cuz Cooper and Izzy find out.” Emma never swore.
“There’s no heart involved here. I’m going to borrow a page from Bella’s book. This is pure, animal attraction. Besides, they won’t find out. My sex life is none of their business.”
Emma worried on her lower lip, not looking the least bit convinced. Avery smiled, feeling liberated and energized. If she wanted to have an affair with Isaac, she damn well would.
She remembered too well the feel of Isaac’s big, rough hands on her body and the intensity of his blue eyes burning into her soul while he thrust into her over and over until her entire body came apart.
She wanted that feeling again. Just one more time. Or a few more times. Nothing permanent. Nothing serious. Just sex for sex’s sake.
Yeah, right.
Was that really what she wanted, or was she truly playing with fire and destined to be burned to a crisp? Was she the type of woman who could have casual sex with a hot bad boy without involving her heart?
She didn’t know, and she wasn’t certain she should find out.
Chapter 6—Team Dynamics
That damn dog had gotten out again.
Isaac had come home between the morning skate and the evening game to let the dog out. The shit slipped between Isaac’s legs and ran as fast as his fat body would allow, making a beeline for a horse out in the field, barking the entire way.
Oh, crap.
Isaac sprinted across the field after the mutt. He’d send the little shit to the pound once he caught up with him.
Yeah, right.
In the distance, Hal danced around the horse’s feet barking and leaping, while a small, slight teenage girl held onto the lead rope in a death grip. All sorts of disastrous scenarios raced through Isaac’s mind and every nasty profanity-laced phrase he learned in countless locker rooms erupted from his mouth. He ran harder, hoping like hell Hal didn’t cause any harm to the horse or the girl.
He skirted a grove a trees, putting them temporarily out of sight.
Oddly, he didn’t hear Hal barking anymore. He slowed to a jog as the scene before him came into view, shaking his head in wonder. The girl knelt down next to Hal as he enthusiastically licked her face. A huge horse grazed nearby, unconcerned by anything but the grass under his feet, as he dragged the lead rope with him.
The girl giggled and hugged the usually crabby boxer as Hal washed her face with his slobbery tongue. Isaac stopped several feet from her, at a loss for words, as he stared at Hal’s wiggling butt.
When Isaac’s shadow blocked out the sun, the girl glanced up and immediately sobered. She shot to her feet and backed away from Isaac. Hal stood between them, his stance stiff as he growled at Isaac.
“Hal, give it up, would you?” Isaac said wearily, tired of the dog’s games. He turned his attention to the teenager, remembering her as the girl he’d accidently scared a few days ago. She shrunk away from him, making herself small, as if she were in danger. Isaac didn’t get it. Whatever her deal was, she’d obviously suffered some sort of trauma.
God help him.
She gaped at him with big, doe-like brown eyes and looked ready to bolt any second or scream like crazy. Either one wouldn’t be good, especially now that Isaac understood the connection between Avery and Cooper Black. He didn’t need to give the team captain one more reason to hate him.
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