Offside by Juliana Stone Read Free Book Online Page B

Logan.
    Not that she was interesting in going. Not
really.
    “Whatever,” she muttered to herself as she
scooped up her bag and grabbed her sticks. “At least I got to
play.”
    Even though she’d help them kick ass tonight,
she knew for the most part the men on her team weren’t happy she’d
invaded their all-male environment and she wasn’t going to push it.
Not yet anyway.
    She stepped through the door and froze.
    Logan Forest leaned against the wall, long,
denim clad legs crossed casually like he’d been there a while. Wide
shoulders stretched beneath distressed leather and his sexy-as-hell
eyes looked at her with an intensity that left her mouth dry. His
hair was damp from the shower, curling near his collar and even
though he was covered up, she knew what was under there.
    Tattoos and hard-ass muscle.
    He was the most delicious thing she’d ever
laid eyes on and for one second, all those old feelings rushed
through her. The ones of longing, fantasy, and briefly…hurt.
    “Great game, kid.” His voice was like warm
chocolate, so smooth and sinful it wasn’t fair.
    “Thanks,” she managed to get out.
    “Sorry about the room mix-up earlier.” He
grabbed his bag and indicated he’d follow her out. “Dearling is an
asshole.”
    “I can’t argue with you there.”
    Billie moved past him and she wondered if he
was checking out her butt. Seemed like a fair assumption
considering she’d be doing exactly [i] that [i] if he was in
front of her. The thought brought heat to her cheeks and she
thanked the Lord that she’d dragged on her worn and faded, Levi’s.
They may not be trendy like Bobbi’s skinny jeans, but they made her
ass look damn good.
    They paused at the top of the stairs, in the
lobby of the twin pads. The second hour of men’s league was
running, as well as a rep team practice on the other side. There
was a line-up at the concession stand, the smell of popcorn and
hotdogs filled the air.
    The smell alone was enough to put Billie in
her happy place and it didn’t matter the nasty odor of hockey gear
wafted in the air as well. She was a rink rat through and through
and always felt more at home here than anywhere else.
    “You heading to The Grill?” Logan asked.
    “No,” she answered abruptly, shaking her
head. “I don’t think the guys are ready for our relationship to
progress that fast. We’re not even in the honeymoon stage yet and
besides, I can’t get the image of Dearling’s hairy ass out of my
head.”
    He stared down at her and though she wanted
to drag her eyes away, Billie couldn’t. The man had superpowers or
something…a weird tracking device that claimed every pair of female
eyes in the lobby and wouldn’t let go. She knew this because at the
moment, there were at least ten pairs of them aimed his way.
    “Okay,” he smiled and Billie wasn’t prepared
for the hundred watt mega wash of deliciousness. Her cheeks heated
like she was no more than twelve, and her heart sped up so much
that she was out of breath. Superpowers didn’t come close to
describing the kind of mojo Logan Forest possessed. It had only
gotten stronger with time. “They’ll come around, Billie.”
    “Thanks,” she murmured and stepped out of the
way as he strode past.
    “I’ll see you next Friday.”
    “Sure will.” Billie’s eyes fell to that
delicious butt and then he was gone.
    She hiked her bag up and followed him
outside, though her car was parked on the far side. She cut to the
left as Logan’s truck pulled away and she watched his taillights
disappear into the dark. For one second she thought that maybe,
just maybe, she’d head to The Grill for one drink.
    It couldn’t hurt…could it?
    As Billie approached her car, the soft buzz
she’d been feeling vanished. It was replaced with a cold shot of
anger and if she was honest, a whole lot of hurt.
    All four doors of her old Honda had been
keyed, as well as the trunk where the word ‘HO’ was scratched in
but good. The hood was lucky