Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Grace

" S o, what are you studying?" Jane asks in a friendly tone. I'm hanging out at the bar with the wives and girlfriends of the team as the yacht slowly pulls away from the pier. Jane is Tucker's girlfriend, which is a little funny to see. She's so sweet and smiley, and he looks like he's been cursed with a bad case of resting scowl face. I guess opposites do attract.

"Graphic design," I tell her. "I'd like to work in marketing."

"That's fun," she says. "Any ideas where you'd like to work?"

"Umm… Not really."

I'm trying to decide what to do. If I should apply for jobs or start my own boutique graphic design agency with my friend Lindsay who I met at school.

My dad wants me to come work for the Hyenas when I graduate. I'm not sure about it .

We argued about it yesterday.

"Come work for me," he said. "I'll get you a job easily."

"That's nepotism, Dad!"

"Yes, exactly! See? Now you're getting it. The team will hire you because you're my daughter. Isn't that great?"

"No! I want to earn it."

He had a mix of frustration and pride on his face as he looked at me.

"I've seen your work," he said after a deep breath. "You're so talented. That's why I want to hire you. Not because you're my little girl."

He leaned in and kissed my forehead.

"Yeah, right," I muttered under my breath.

I don't want to ride his coattails. I want to carve my own path in the world.

"I guess I'll figure it out after graduation," I tell her.

We chat a bit more, but I'm having trouble focusing on what she's saying.

My eyes keep wandering through the crowd, looking for the Hyenas' hot goalie.

I shiver as I think back to the heated way he was looking at me. He was standing on the deck with his intense brown eyes locked on me. I desperately wanted to know what he was thinking.

Whatever it was, it was not PG-13. Those eyes were X-rated.

"Do you like hockey?" Jane asks as she takes a sip of her drink.

"Do you?" I ask with a laugh.

She shrugs her bare shoulders. "Not before I met Tucker," she says as she gives him a shy smile. "But I'm starting to come around. I just close my eyes during the fights. I don't like that part."

She must close her eyes a lot. Her boyfriend is the biggest, baddest fighter in the league .

"I like it," I say. I used to only watch it because my mom forced me to watch Dad's games when he became a coach, but it's grown on me over the years.

Especially when Nolan is playing. I can't take my eyes off the TV when he's on the ice.

He suddenly appears in the crowd and my chest tightens. I suck in a breath as I stare at him in awe.

He's stunning. Such a gorgeous man.

His black suit looks molded to his broad shoulders and muscular chest. I just want to run my hands along his lapel. I want to be the one to fix his tie in the morning. I want to be the one who undresses him at night.

I feel a fluttering rippling through my body as he comes this way. He hasn't seen me yet.

I'm not sure if he's going to say hi or not. I saw my father lecturing him and I bet it was about me. My father is good at intimidating all sorts of strong powerful men—you don't get to be a professional sports coach without that trait. I wonder what he said.

My father isn't around now…

I'm going to talk to him.

"It was nice talking to you," I say, smiling at Jane. "I'll see you on the dance floor later?"

She smiles back. "Definitely. And good luck with Nolan."

"What?" I say, snapping my head back to her. I feel my cheeks getting red.

She laughs. "Oh, don't get all sunburnt on me. It was obvious with the way you were gawking at him with those big Pixar eyes." She grins. "I'm rooting for you. Let me know if you need some backup. I can run interference with your dad."

Is there anything this woman doesn't catch?

"Thanks," I say a little breathlessly. "I might take you up on that. "

I take a deep breath, puff out my chest a little, and make my way through the crowd toward him.

I'm so nervous, but I keep going.

My eyes zero in on his lips the closer I get. His mouth is so damn kissable. He has a five o'clock shadow, which suits him well. My fingers get all tingly while I imagine running my hands over his cheeks and pulling his mouth to mine.

"Excuse me," I whisper as I pass around a couple, keeping my eyes on Nolan. His brown hair is all wavy like he styled it with his hands straight out of the shower.

He must feel the intensity of my gaze because his eyes suddenly dart over. His whole body goes still when he sees me approaching. He looks starstruck.

"Hello," I shyly say as I arrive. "You must be Nolan Barlowe."

I put my hand out and he looks down at it. My breath quickens as he reaches out and takes it in a firm grip. It's the first time we've touched, but I can already tell it won't be the last.

I reluctantly let go of that strong hand and take another quick breath.

"I'm Grace," I say, hoping I don't sound too nervous. "Coach Moss' daughter."

"Grace," he whispers under his breath as he looks at me with a stunned expression, like he can't quite believe his eyes. "I was hoping I'd get to meet you."

I smile shyly.

"Although, I don't think your father would approve of us talking," he says in a rich deep voice that has me inching closer.

"Oh, gosh. Did he say something?"

He grins. The sight is so sexy I have to stop myself from fanning my face. "He threatened to throw me off the boat if I spoke to you. "

I roll my eyes and laugh, even though inside I want to kill my father.

"Did he really?"

"Maybe not those exact words, but…" He grins again. My god…

"Should I leave then?"

He slowly shakes his head as he looks at me with a sparkle in his brown eyes. "I'm a pretty good swimmer."

"I'll throw you a life preserver if he tosses you over."

He laughs. I do too.

"Don't worry about him," I say with a flick of my hair. "He's all bark and no bite."

He smiles and it takes my breath away. He's so incredibly hot.

"I saw your game last night," I tell him, trying to change the subject away from my dad. I can still remember the excitement I was feeling after that incredible performance. I had my Nolan Barlowe jersey on and was literally jumping on my couch cheering.

"You were there?"

"I watched it at my place," I say. I wish I had been there. I would have been screaming the loudest in the whole arena.

I've never had an encounter like this before. Never. Our eyes are locked on one another. I can feel the electricity crackling in the air around us. Our bodies feel like they're operating on the same wavelength. They're already so in tune. I bet our hearts are both beating at the same quick speed.

He leans in a little closer and I have to hold myself back from leaning in too. "I'll have to put on a good show next time, knowing you're watching."

"It was a pretty good show last night," I tell him, remembering those incredible saves. "I don't think I've ever seen a goalie do that before. I was on the edge of my seat."

"Just another day at the office," he says with a grin like it's no big deal. He has so much confidence and charm. It's drawing me in like a moth to the flame.

"Oh, come on," I say with a smile. "Don't be so humble. That was something special. Admit it."

His big broad shoulders drop a little. "It's moments like that I was dreaming about as a kid. But knowing someone like you is watching makes it even better."

I give him a flirty smile. "Someone like me?"

He leans in to whisper something, but then he spots something in the distance and freezes up. I turn, already knowing exactly what I'm going to see.

Yup.

My father is on the other side of the pool glaring at him.

Ugh. This man!

I step into his line of sight and glare back. He just continues staring at Nolan like he's seeing right through my head.

"All bark and no bite, huh?" Nolan says with a gulp. "He looks like he wants to put my head on a spike and place it beside the bar as a warning to all of the other guys not to look at his little girl."

"He's a little protective of me," I admit with a shrug.

"I would be too if you were mine."

Our eyes meet again and all of that passionate energy comes crackling back around us. I take his hand and pull him away from my father's prying eyes.

"Let's go somewhere quiet and talk," I say as I pull him away from the bar. "And just so you know, if he throws you overboard, I'm jumping in after you."

He laughs and the sexy sound sends goosebumps rocketing along my skin. The pool is between us and my dad, so we're able to escape.

I pull him into a large room that has people chatting all around it. Items for the high-end auction are displayed everywhere on tables and the more expensive items are behind glass.

We wander over to check it out. I notice that he doesn't let go of my hand. I have no problem with that. It feels good to be touching him.

"Is this for a helicopter ride?" I ask as I look at a tiny metal replica of a helicopter on the table.

"Nope," Nolan says with a chuckle. "That's for an actual helicopter. We're at a billionaire's party after all."

"Oh," I say, shaking my head. "Of course. Who else would make an impulse purchase of a freaking helicopter?"

"This is more like it," Nolan says as he picks up a laminated flyer with a gorgeous villa on it. "A month-long stay in a villa in Santorini, Greece."

"I doubt they have any skating rinks on Santorini," I say with a grin. "Would you be able to stay off the ice that long?"

"Waking up here every morning," he says as he flips it over and looks at the picture of the bed with the gorgeous ocean view. "With someone special…"

He looks at me and I get all tingly knowing I'm that someone special he's picturing.

"…that sounds like a dream come true."

It sure does.

"Are you going to bid on it?" I ask.

"Are you going to come with me if I win?"

"Win it first, then we'll talk."

He grins as he picks up a pen and starts filling out the form. It's a silent auction so you place your bids and hope for the best.

Edvard Svensson comes rushing over as Nolan puts his bid into the box. "Have you guys seen Gemini-X?"

"The singer?" I ask.

"Yeah, I can't find her anywhere."

"Maybe she doesn't want to be found by you," Nolan says with a grin. "Ever think of that? It sounds like she's hiding. "

"Playing hard to get, hmmm ," Edvard says while rubbing his chin. "I like that."

He goes to rush away but then stops and looks at us.

"You guys make a hot couple," he says. "Just don't let the coach see. Nolan, you might be able to stop everything, but even the best goalie in the universe can't stop the coach on a rampage."

He hurries off and I look at Nolan with a shy smile.

"Is it true you can stop everything?" I ask with a flirty smile.

He's serious as he shakes his head. "Not everything. I can't stop myself from falling for you."

I can't help but laugh. "Does that line work on all the girls?"

"I have no idea," he says as he gazes into my eyes with a sincere look. "I've never said it before."

"Well, I bet it would," I say with a grin.

We wander over to the section with all of the art up for auction. There are beautiful paintings and weird sculptures that people are assessing. I'm trying to keep my eyes on the artwork and not on him, but it's so hard. He's so cute.

"Where did you grow up?" I ask him as we stop in front of a weird sculpture that kind of looks like a flower that was melted in the microwave.

"Minnesota," he says. "A small town you've never heard of."

"Was it nice growing up there?"

He gives me a nostalgic smile. "It had a hockey team and a small frozen lake in the winter. That's about all I needed."

I can picture him out on the frozen lake as a boy, glued to the net and stopping every shot, even from the older teenagers. I can't help but smile.

"Where did you grow up?" he asks. "Did the coach keep you locked away in a secluded ivory tower? "

"No, it wasn't that bad," I say with a chuckle. "He let me step outside for twenty minutes every day."

People start rushing out of the room and crowding onto the main deck. I turn to look at what the commotion is.

"No way," I say when I see her on the stage. "Gemini-X is starting!"

She's a huge pop star. I love her new album.

"Let's go!"

I grab Nolan's hand and pull him outside as the excitement builds.

There are so many excited people crowding around that I'm forced to let go of Nolan's hand. I head deeper into the crowd with my eyes on the stage as Gemini-X starts playing.

"Can you believe this?!" Jane shouts as she grabs my hand and pulls me over to where the girlfriends and wives of the team are dancing in front.

"This is amazing!" I shout back.

It would be even more amazing with Nolan here. I look back and search for him.

He's standing with the team off to the side, but his eyes aren't on the stage.

They're on me.

I shiver from the intensity of them. I can feel all that desire and heat wrapping around me as I start to move.

It's time to give this gorgeous man a show.

I grin as I start to move my body, trying to tease him and drive him wild.

He's going to fall for me by the end of the night.

Let's see Mr. Hot Goalie try and stop that.