He turned, and her palms slid to his waist. "I don't know when I'll get back. This thing could run real late." Although with the start of the regular season just around the corner, he doubted it. He pushed her dark hair behind her shoulder.
"Call me the next time you're in Seattle."
"That could be months, and by then you'll be on the road playing hockey." She dropped her hands and moved toward the bed.
He watched her skinny behind as she stepped into her tiny panties. There were a lot of things to like about Veronica.
He just hoped she didn't get all clingy on him. "We can always meet up on the road again."
"True." She reached for a black T-shirt, pulling it over her head before stepping into a pair of jeans. "But by then you'll have a black eye."
He grinned. "True." He grabbed his suit jacket and slid his arms inside. Last season he'd hooked up with her in Pittsburgh. That night against the Penguins, he'd scored a goal, spent four minutes in the sin bin for a double minor, and got his first major shiner of the season. Maybe she'd bring him the same sort of luck this year. He reached for his wallet and shoved it into the back pocket of his khaki trousers.
After Veronica slid her feet into a pair of pumps, they walked from the bedroom of Sam's downtown loft. Gray shadows hugged the scarce furnishings as misty sunlight cast dull patterns across the wood floor.
Sam held the front door open for Veronica, then locked it behind him. He moved down the hall and his thoughts turned to the game in less than a month against San Jose. The 180 Sharks had been knocked out of the first round of the playoffs last season, but that didn't mean a guaranteed win for the Chinooks in this season's opener. Not by a long shot.
The Sharks would be hungry and some of the Chinooks had partied a little too hard during the off season. Johan and Logan were each carrying ten extra pounds around the middle. Vlad was drinking like a sailor on leave and the organization had yet to officially name a new captain.
"I love weddings," Veronica said through a sigh as they moved to the elevator.
Everyone assumed Walker Brooks would be captain, but nothing had been announced.
The elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. "Don't you?"
"Don't I what?" He pushed the button to the lobby.
"Love weddings."
"Not particularly." Weddings were about as much fun as getting his cup rung. They rode to the bottom floor in silence and Sam placed his hand in the small of Veronica's back as they walked across the lobby. Two heavy glass and stainless steel doors slid open and a yellow cab waited by the curb.
He kissed her good-bye, then said, "Call me the next time you're in town," as he shut the cab door.
Misty clouds clung to the Seattle skyline as Sam walked to the corner and headed two blocks toward Fourth Avenue and the Rainier Club. Life was good. Last season the Seattle Chinooks won the Stanley Cup and Sam's name would forever be inscribed on hockey's highest prize. The memory of holding the cup over his head as he skated in front of the hometown crowd brought a smile to his lips.
Within several moments, he caught sight of the old, exclusive club with its aged brick and carefully trimmed lawn that reeked of money. His professional life was on a high. Through blood, sweat, and hard work, he'd reached every
goal he'd ever set for himself. He had more money then he'd ever thought he'd make in one lifetime and his personal life was pretty good, too. Women loved him and he loved them back. Probably a little too much sometimes.
He walked beneath the Rainier Club's black awning and a doorman greeted him. The inside of the prestigious club was so stuffy that he had a sudden urge to take off his shoes as when he'd been a kid and his mom got a new carpet. A few of the guys hung out at the bottom of a wide staircase looking a little uneasy, but otherwise good in their designer suits and summer tans. In two months, several of them would be sporting black eyes and a few stitches.
"Nice of you to make it," forward Daniel Holstrom said as he approached. Harp music drifted down the stairs as Sam peeled back the cuff of his shirt and looked at his Rolex. "Ten minutes to spare," he said. "What are you all waiting for?" "Frankie and Logan aren't here yet," goalie Marty Darche answered.
"Savage make it?" Sam asked, referring to the groom.
"I spotted him about ten minutes ago. First time I've ever seen him break a sweat off the ice. He's probably nervous that the bride has come to her senses and is halfway to Vashon."
Sam laughed as a shiny auburn ponytail and smooth profile caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He turned. His laughter stopped. A woman moved across the lobby toward the front doors, talking into the tiny microphone in front of her mouth. A black sweater hugged her body and a little battery pack was clipped to her black pants. Sam's brows lowered and acid settled in the pit of his stomach. If there was one woman on the planet who hated his guts, it was the woman disappearing through the front doors. Daniel put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Sam, isn't that your wife?"
Marty turned toward the front. "You have a wife?"
"Ex-wife." The acid chewed its way up toward Sam's esophagus. "She's my ex-wife." Daniel laughed like he thought something was real funny. "Does being married for three days really count?"
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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With the publication of New York Times bestselling author RACHEL GIBSON's first book, readers discovered one of contemporary romance's freshest voices. Four of her novels were named among the Top Ten Favorite Books of the
Year by Romance Writers of America. She has won numerous awards, including Borders Bestselling Romantic
Comedy, National Reader's Choice, and the RITA® Award for the Best Single Contemporary Romance Title of the
Year.
Readers can write to Rachel Gibson at PO. Box 4124, Boise, Idaho 83711-4124, or visit her website at
www.rachelgibson.com.
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BOOKS BY RACHEL GIBSON
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NOTHING BUT TROUBLE
TRUE LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS
NOT ANOTHER BAD DATE
TANGLED UP IN YOU
I'M IN NO MOOD FOR LOVE
SEX, LIES, AND ONLINE DATING
THE TROUBLE WITH VALENTINE'S DAY
DAISY'S BACK IN TOWN
SEE JANE SCORE
LOLA CARLYLE REVEALS ALL
TRUE CONFESSIONS
IT MUST BE LOVE
TRULY MADLY YOURS SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE
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TASTES OF RACHEL GIBSON BOOKS
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TRUE LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS
978-0-06-157906-6
Faith loathes Ty on sight, but she can't stop thinking about him all day ... and night Soon she sees there's more to him than sex appeal.
NOT ANOTHER BAD DATE
978-0-06-117804-7
Adele Harris has had so many lousy dates, she's sure she's cursed. She goes back to her hometown, only to run smack into Zach Zemaitis ... the one who got away.
TANGLED UP IN YOU
978-0-06-117803-0
When Flick Hennessy discovers why Maddie Dupree is back in Truly, Idaho, he can't resist getting tangled up with her.
I'M IN NO MOOD FOR LOVE
978-0-06-077317-5
Clare Wingate wakes up wearing nothing but perfume next to Sebastian Vaughan, her girlhood crush turned sexy, globe-hopping journalist.
SEX,, LIES, AND ONLINE DATING<
br />
978-0-06-077291-8
After way too many Internet dates with men named "luvstick" and "bigdaddy 182," Lucy Rothschild should know better than to fall for one.
Visit
www.AuthorTrscker.com
for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
Available wherever books are sold or please call 1-800-331-3761 to order.
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PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF RACHEL GIBSON
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"DELIGHTFULLY WACKY...
[GIBSON'S] A WINNER!"
Detroit Free Press
"WITH HUMOR AND ELOQUENT PROSE,
GIBSON BRINGS SUBSTANCE AND DEPTH
TO THIS LOVING, MODERN ROMANCE."
Publishers Weekly (*Starred Review*
for True Love and Other Disasters)
A FUN, SATISFYING READ."
McClatchy-Tribune News
(Not Another Bad Date)
"Perfect 10""
Romance Reviews Today
(Not Mother Bad Date)
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Nothing but Trouble Page 24
