Free Edge by Brenda Rothert Page A

them.
    “Hey, are you two involved or something?” I asked. Dell gaped at me with disbelief and Landis laughed.
    “No,” she said quickly, folding her arms over her chest and giving me a look.
    “Why, do you see chemistry between us?” Landis asked, sliding an arm around Dell’s waist. Fucking prick.
    I laughed at his question. “No, I just figured no decent guy would put his hands all over a woman like that unless she was his girlfriend.”
    Landis’ face darkened and he edged away from Dell slightly. “I know you boys are pretty protective of your trainer,” he said, pretending to sound amused.
    “I haven’t been a boy for ten years.”
    “Yeah, but you hockey players like to flex your muscle. I get it. That’s your thing.” His condescending insinuation that I was all brawn pissed me off even more.
    “Don’t most doctors who are worth a shit have patients to see at ten o’clock on a weekday?”
    “Luke—” Dell interjected.
    “I don’t keep office hours on Tuesdays,” Landis said. “I’m not sure how we got off on the wrong foot, Luke, but I work for the team and Dell and I are … close.”
    Dell gave him a confused look. “How are we close?”
    “We work closely,” he said.
    “Just keep your dick in your pants and your hands to yourself and we’ll get along fine,” I said.
    The guys were lining up to start practice and I skated away to join them. Guys like Todd Landis, who copped cheap feels, pissed me off. I’d never touched a woman who didn’t clearly want me to, and I’d never paw one in a work environment.
    “What’s up, man?” Niko asked. “You look like you’re about to throw down.”
    I looked back over at the bench, where Dell leaned against the wall, gazing out over the ice. Landis was about a foot away from her now. Better, but I still wanted him to fucking leave.
    “What’s with Dr. Hands?” I asked.
    Niko smiled. “You mean Dell? He’s got a thing for her.”
    “Does she have a thing back?”
    “I don’t think so. Dell’s not really into anyone.”
    “He shouldn’t play grab ass with her, then.”
    “Don’t worry, man, Dell can take care of herself. She made Patterson cry one time when he was being a pussy about his rehab. Told him to sack up or ship out.”
    “I’m not gonna stand by while some obnoxious doctor tries to get in her pants.”
    Niko was silent and when I turned to him, his brows were arched and he was grinning. “You’ve got a thing for her, don’t you?”
    I gave him an agitated glare. “It’s your fucking turn, asshole.”
    He shook his head and skated off, muttering, “Be careful.”
    It was a little late for that.
    ***
    Dell
     
    I’d never been so excited about a road trip. Usually, I was down about them because I hated being away from Kyler for two or three days at a time. But Sadie was taking him to her family’s farm in Wisconsin for the weekend, and he’d been bursting with excitement when he’d left this morning. Sadie’s father always let him help feed and brush the horses, and it was one of his favorite places to go.
    It wasn’t just Kyler’s happiness that had me wound with excitement, though. Tonight’s game would decide whether I’d be showering for Luke. I was crazy excited over him wanting me to and crazy nervous over the idea of possibly doing it.
    The team’s travel bus rolled past snow-covered fields and I pulled out my e-reader. I stared at the screen without turning it on, knowing I wouldn’t be able to focus on reading right now. For five years, I’d been content to be a mommy and a surrogate sister to all the guys on the team. But Luke was stirring something in me that had been asleep for a very long time. I felt desirable, and I loved it.
    My mind was replaying my last conversation with him when my phone buzzed with a text. I looked down at a message from him on my screen.
    Luke Hudson: You’re smiling. Thinking about me?
    Me: Nope, smiling about something in a book.
    Luke Hudson: What r u