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winner I knew I should read but was struggling with. My mind kept wandering to a certain hockey player every few paragraphs.
    I’d done half a chapter when the mobile on my bedside table rang.
    “Hello.”
    “Hi, honey.”
    “Brick?”
    “Who else calls you honey?” His voice was deep and slow and so very sexy.
    I closed my eyes and sent up a prayer of thanks. “No one.” I smiled into the phone.
    “Good, I like it that way.” There was a pause. “Did you watch the game?”
    “Sort of, it was on in the background. You deserved to win. I’m sorry you didn’t.”
    “We could have done with the points. But they’re a good team and we’re still missing Raven.”
    “How’s his leg?”
    “Hey, you really are a Vipers fan aren’t you?” he said in a voice that told me he was smiling too.
    “Isn’t everyone in Orlando?” I could hardly tell him if he switched teams so would I.
    He chuckled down the line and the delicious noise rumbled through my body. “He’s getting on just fine, he’s back in training and not far off playing again.” I heard him shifting and a click, a light switch perhaps. “So what have you been up to today?”
    “I’ve been to see Mom and Dad, helped Mom out with her garden. They’re going away soon and she wants it tidy, then I did fifty on my bike.” I rested back into the soft pillows and stretched my legs on top of the duvet.
    “Fifty miles.”
    “Yes, that’s my weekend thing. It was really hot today though and the traffic was heavy even on the outer roads.”
    “Why don’t you train indoors?” His voice sounded stern. “Cooler and much, much safer.”
    “It’s way too boring. Not to mention they won’t give me the track to myself for that long unless my coach books it. So she only does that when there’s something major I’m going for.”
    “So there’s nothing coming up competition-wise for you.”
    “No, not for several months, that’s why I agreed to this charity work with the Promises Foundation.”
    “Yeah, it’s a good cause, I’m glad I got picked for it.” He paused. “Especially now.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well, ’cause I got to meet you, honey.” He gave a little snort of humor as if he knew he was being cheesy.
    There was a moment of silence and my mind went back to the kiss he’d given me when I last saw him. I touched my fingertips to my lips.
    “I’m sorry I didn’t call you earlier,” he said in a softer voice. “It’s been a crazy day.”
    “It’s okay.” I tried to sound nonchalant, as if I hadn’t been looking at the phone every ten minutes to check for signal and missed calls.
    “We had an early flight and then Coach had us trying out a new formation, which didn’t work so we switched back and it all got…” he trailed off. “You don’t want to hear about hockey.”
    “I like hockey.”
    “I like you,” he said quickly as if the words had tumbled from his mouth.
    My heart did a little flip of excitement. “So where are you now?”
    “In my hotel room.”
    “Why aren’t you out commiserating?” I wriggled down in the bed so I was lying flat. I could listen to his voice all night, it washed over me like nectar and poured into me like fine wine.
    “I wanted to talk to you. I reckoned if I didn’t I might blow my chances forever.” I heard him swallow.
    “Yeah, you might have.” I paused. “You got a drink?”
    “Yeah, just a beer from the minibar, a nightcap.”
    “Are you in bed?” I asked.
    “Are you?”
    “Yes, it’s late.”
    “I’m on the bed but not in bed, if you know what I mean.” A silence fell between us and I could hear his breaths down the line. “I’m sorry I ran out on you yesterday,” he said eventually.
    I was quiet. He seemed to have a lot to apologize for.
    “You still there?”
    “Mmm, I’m here. So why did you dash off?”
    He cleared his throat and when he spoke again his voice was lower, huskier. “If I hadn’t left when I did, you’d have found yourself