Page 79 of Coach's Temptation

Despite everything, my shoulders relax slightly. “Are you serious?”

She nods, then lifts an ice pack with a knowing grin. “But before you get too excited, we're still on thin ice. Tomorrow morning will tell us everything. I've given him a last round of anti-inflammatories and told him to get some sleep.”

I exhale, shaking my head in amazement. “Jesus, Hayes. You know I don’t have the stamina for that kind of suspense at this hour.”

Her mouth quirks up, something slow and dangerous. “I highly doubt stamina is your problem, Coach.”

And just like that, the air shifts.

The teasing is still there—but now it’s something else entirely.

My robe suddenly feels too damn hot, and I’m standing too damn close to the one person who already has me half out of my mind.

I take a step closer, watching her throat work as she swallows. "Tell me, Natalie, why did you really come here?"

"To give you an update." Natalie's fingers trail along the doorframe, her eyes fixed on mine with that look that drives me crazy.

The look that's half challenge, half invitation that started this whole damn thing between us.

"You could have sent a message." Another step closer. The space between us shrinks to nothing but crackling tension and the soft whisper of her breath against my lips.

She tilts her chin up. "Maybe I wanted to make sure you weren't still sulking in the dark about your star player being injured."

The laugh rumbles in my chest. God, she's something else. Even when I'm being an ass, she knows exactly how to handle me.

"It's the robe, isn't it?" I tug at the fluffy collar, trying my best to smile as I watch her eyes track the movement. "You wanted to see the robe."

"Mmm." She reaches out, fingers ghosting over the hotel's embroidered logo. "Can you blame me? It's not every day I get to see the great Hunter Brody looking like a spa day gone wrong."

Her touch burns through the thick fabric, setting every nerve ending on fire. I catch her wrist before she can pull away, thumb pressed against her racing pulse.

"Careful, baby." My voice drops low, rough around the edges. "A man might start to think you've got ulterior motives being here so late."

She doesn't back down. Natalie she never does. Instead, those green eyes darken as she steps fully into my suite, moving in close enough that I can smell her intoxicatingly sexy scent.

"And what if I do?"

My heart skips a beat, that shadow of guilt lingering, pulling me back from my deepest temptations for a second.

“Then I'd say you're giving me far more than I deserve tonight,” I murmur quietly, my thumb brushing gently against her wrist. "Especially after earlier."

Her eyes soften, the teasing fading into sincerity.

She shifts closer, voice lowering to a whisper. “Forget it. It’s done. You wanted to win. This is Iron Ridge hockey, it's what we do.”

“Natalie,” I say softly, holding her gaze. “I was an asshole to you.”

She exhales slowly, lifting her hand to cup my jaw, the touch tender enough to unravel whatever resistance I have left.

“Yeah. You were.”

I flinch at her gentle touch, but her eyes remain steady. Understanding in a way that floors me.

“But Hunter? You also trusted me when it mattered. You gave me a chance. Believed in me. No one’s ever done that for me before.” Her thumb strokes my cheek. “That means a lot to me.”

I swallow thickly. How the hell did I get lucky enough for her to see the good in me, even now?

“You’re giving me way too much credit here, baby,” I whisper, forcing a smile even as my throat tightens.

---