And she’s even more attractive for not knowing how gorgeous she is.
“How’s your family?” I ask, wanting to hear more about her life, about the time since I last saw her.
“They’re good,” she says. “My mom’s got some big position at the university now. My dad still travels a ton. Talia’s here with me. We share an apartment, and we’re both nurses.”
“Oh, that’s cool.”
Talia. Christ.
That woman hated me with the fire of a thousand suns.
I manage a faint smile. “Bet she was thrilled to hear my name again.”
Emma lets out a quiet laugh. “You could say that.”
The sound hits me square in the chest.
“How are you feeling?” Emma asks. “How’s your pain?”
I smirk a little. “You’re not on duty, Emma.”
She blushes, and my body betrays me instantly.
I’m sore everywhere, beat to hell, wearing nothing but a flimsy hospital gown that doesn’t hide a damn thing, and still, somehow, my brain short-circuits just looking at her.
I shift under the blanket, trying to play it off, but it’s useless.
Even half-broken and pumped full of IV fluids, Emma Reyes still turns me on like flipping a switch.
I clear my throat and look away, pretending to read the heart monitor like it’s fascinating, hoping she doesn’t notice.
But whatever.
“Still,” she finally says, pointedly not looking at the bulge where my cock is. “Are you okay?”
“I’m off ice for six fucking weeks, which sucks, but I’ll be fine.”
“Who did this to you?” she asks.
“Thugs,” I say. Not a lie.
“Did you deserve it?” she asks.
I choke back a laugh. Such an Emma thing to ask. “No, I didn’t.”
This seems to relax her a bit, like she was bracing herself to find out that I was still the reckless teen she knew six years ago, picking fights to get the aggression out.
“Did you move here to be closer to your dad?” Emma asks. “Talia reminded me that he moved here after your parents’ divorce.”
I frown. “Uh, no. I mean, the NHL sends you where they want you to go.
She hesitates, then asks again. “How… how is your dad?”
I exhale, “He… actually died last year.” Then glance up briefly. “He, uh… took his own life.”
Her face falls, and she puts a hand to her mouth. “Oh, Liam. I’m so sorry.”
I shake my head, “Don’t be. He was a piece of shit, Em. I wanted to think we could have something close to a real relationship when I got drafted here. And for a little while, we did. But he was an addict, and he got himself into more trouble than he could handle, so he took the easy way out. I, uh, live in his old house, though. It’s nothing special.”
