Page 133 of Coach's Temptation

She turns to him, eyes flashing. “Take me back to the hotel.Now.”

Connor’s eyes widen. LikeChristmas-morning, power-play-breakawaywide. “Wait, I thought you said we’re not doing that anymore? You know, because of your brother—”

Lucy’s face blazes red. “SHHH!”

She smacks his arm so fast he barely has time to flinch as they walk away, Lucy clinging to his arm.

I can't help but laugh as I turn back to Hunter and slip beneath his arm.

“Tomorrow’s the biggest game of your career, Coach. Shouldn’t you be, I don’t know… resting?”

He tugs me closer, his hands settling low on my hips.

“Oh, sweetheart. I’ll rest when the Cup’s in my hands.” His lips brush my ear, his voice dropping to that deep, rough tone that always turns my knees to jelly. “Tonight, though? I’ve got something much, much better to hold onto.”

A shiver rolls down my spine. “Oh yeah? Like what?”

Hunter steps back just enough to run a slow, deliberate finger down my spine, stopping right at the dip of my lower back. His eyes flick over me, heated and dark, before his smirk deepens.

“Well, I did say I liked that dress. On the floor. In about five minutes.”

I open my mouth to say something but Hunter’s already lacing his fingers through mine, pulling me toward the exit.

My heart pounds. My cheeks hurt from smiling. My entire body hums with love, with everything this man has given me.

And as he pulls me into the night, one thought stays locked in my mind.

The ring feels impossibly light on my finger.

Like it belongs there.

Like it’s always belonged there.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Hunter

Ipace behind the bench, my heart thundering against my ribs. Two minutes left. We're up 3-2, but Vegas is pressing hard. Every second stretches like an eternity.

"Blake! Short shifts!" I bark as he gasps for air.

His shoulder is holding. Barely.

The crowd roars, a deafening wall of sound. Twenty years of coaching, and I've never heard anything like it. Iron Ridge has taken over Vegas, it's become a powder keg of hope and fear.

Vegas pulls their goalie. Six attackers now.

"Connor, stay square!" I shout as our net gets peppered with shots. My rookie goalie stands tall, deflecting puck after puck.

One minute. My fingers grip the bench. Fuck!

I catch a flash of shining light behind me. Natalie's engagement ring catching the lights at the far end as she wrap Blake's shoulder one last time.

Even now, in this chaos, she's my anchor.

"Thirty seconds!" Jordan yells beside me.

Vegas wins the faceoff. My heart stops as they cycle the puck, looking for the perfect shot. Connor makes a sprawling save. The puck bounces to Ryder.

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