“I swear I didn’t know who you are.” He really hoped he could make her believe this was nothing but an accident, even though he could barely believe it himself.
“You said your name is Will.”
“It is. Will Lecroix.” He shrugged. “When I was a kid, I had a bad habit of cross-checking, and with the name Lecroix, it became a nickname. By college, nobody was even using my real name anymore. Except my mother and sister, of course.”
“You said you play in the minor league.”
“And I also said not for long, and I meant that literally. I’m in Boston for a conditioning stint with the Skimmers.”
She cinched the belt on her robe tight and then exhaled slowly. “This is bad.”
He couldn’t disagree with that, but only to a point. “Getting naked with Erik Burke’s sister is definitely right up there on the list of sins I shouldn’t have committed, but I’m having a hard time being as sorry about it as I should be. Tonight wasn’tallbad.”
When she put her hand over her mouth and then turned her back, Will decided to give her a moment. It was a lot to digest. But when her shoulders started shaking, he mentally ran through every curse word he knew and shoved a hand through his hair.
Goddammit, he’d made her cry.
Because nothing about their interaction tonight—as focused on the physical as it might have been—led him to believe she was a woman who cried easily, dark thoughts crept into his head, and his fists clenched at his sides. Maybe Erik Burke was even more of an asshole than he’d thought. Or their old man. That guy was a real piece of work, from what he’d seen and heard over the years.
The thought of her being afraid of the men in her own family turned his stomach, and he’d closed half the distance between them before he realized she wasn’t crying.
She was laughing.
And he didn’t know what to do with that, either. How the hell had he gotten himself into this predicament? And maybe the better question was how he was going to get out of it. Or did he even want to?
He didn’t find it quite as laugh-out-loud funny as Kristen seemed to, but of all the people in the world he could have had semi-anonymous sex with, Burke’s sister had to be the least likely. And if he hadn’t already met her, the very suggestion of such a thing happening would have sent him running like his ass was on fire.
But he had met her. He’d met her and wanted her and, if he was honest with himself, he already wanted her again.
“It’s tempting to think you set this up somehow,” she said when the laughter had passed. “But I saw your face when I said Erik’s name, and there’s no way you knew.”
“What would I get out of tracking you down and then sitting there by myself, reading a book and minding my own business until you decided to have sex with me?”
She snorted. “Just to piss off my brother? Remember, everything I know about you has been filtered through my dad and Erik. Does your mom sit around talking about what a sweet boy Erik Burke is?”
“I wouldn’t say she’s a big fan, no. Especially lately.”
“Yeah, about that.” She tilted her head. “Didn’t you get hurt? I mostly tune out the hockey talk, but I have a vague memory of my dad and Erik talking about him taking you out of the game.”
Ouch.“They were probably just excited because with me out, the Marauders might have a chance to win something.”
She arched one eyebrow. “Seriously? I have zero interest in this macho bullshit, in case that wasn’t clear before. I’m merely curious because I heard you were injured, but you didn’t seem to be hurting tonight.”
“It was just a separated shoulder that had nothing to do with him.” He threw the words out casually, but he shuddered at the memory of how the nagging pain had become asearingpain when he was swinging at Burke and turned into a flaming agony when they went down on the ice and Will took both their weights on his shoulder. It hadeverythingto do with Burke. “I’ll be doing a conditioning stint with our affiliate team here in Boston after the All-Star break, and then, if I’m still pain-free, going back to Baltimore.”
“Huh.” She chuckled. “I feel like there’s some irony in your team’s minor league affiliate being here in the city that hates you.”
“Yeah, I know. But it’s not like the teams had a big rivalry umpteen years ago, when that decision was made. That’s centered more around me and Burke...uh, your brother.”
“I need a drink,” she announced.
“I wouldn’t turn one down myself, unless you’re throwing me out.”
“I’m not throwing you out.” He would have grinned, but she cast him a hard look over her shoulder. “Yet.”
3
Cross Lecroix was in her apartment. Not only was he in her apartment, but not too long ago, he’d been in her bed.
