PROLOGUE
Erika– Age 21
“You’re looking hot tonight, Ms. Johansson.” Leon throws me a compliment as he sidles up to the bar.
I roll my eyes, pretending to be annoyed by this back-and-forth flirty banter we constantly do.
Deep down, I secretly love it, and he knows it; otherwise, he wouldn’t do it.
He tracks my every move, watching me lift my glass to my lips as I take a sip of my drink to hide my amusement.
“Are you not going to return the compliment and tell me how good my ass looks in these pants?”
Laughter filters out of my mouth as he twirls, lifting his jacket to flash me his tight behind. I’m so jealous of those pants that hug him perfectly.
I tear my eyes away from his ass and smack my lips together. “No,” I reply, setting my glass down on the bar, looking straight ahead, and steering us away from any coquettish conversation. “You and Buster did a fantastic job with the place. I love it.” I survey the cleverly designed space. Both professional hockey players, like my brother, Leon, and Buster, live and breathe thegame and love all sports. Opening a sports bar called Home & Away together makes sense. It’s fitting.
Gulping loudly as butterflies dance in my stomach, I then stare at my drink as if it’s the most interesting thing I’ve seen all day. Nervousness is like my best friend, except it only appears when I’m around Leon. You would think that after three years of crushing on him from afar, it would have worn off, but nope, it’s never wavered.
When I glance up, Leon catches my eye in the mirrored wall of the bar, moving closer to my side. Lowering his voice as if trying not to be overheard, he says, “The bar looks better with you in it.”
I scoff and shoot him a look, my expression saying it all.This is just like you.
There’s no escaping Leon’s skill in steering the conversation back to us. He’s a master at it.
And there’s no mistaking the mischief in his tone: it’s full of things we leave unsaid every time we see each other.
For him, I know I’m forbidden fruit; the girl he can’t have because if he touched me, my older brother, Ash, would chop him into tiny pieces and serve him for dinner. But in my mind, Leon is all I ever wanted. Not that he knows that. Nobody does.
I swear, if Ash hadn’t warned every member of the Edmonton Eagles—the NHL team he plays for—off me, Leon would have asked me out on a date as soon as I turned eighteen.
I would love nothing more than a date with Leon. Dinner, strolling through Jasper Park, holding hands under the moonlight… but for me, that will only ever be a dream. It’s frustrating how protective my brother is of me. I understand why, but it also pisses me off.
“You are looking so fucking hot tonight in those leather pants, Erika.”
“So, you said,” I deadpan, “but I don’t think I’m the one making this place hot. The opening night of your new bar is packed with sexy women, Leon. I’m sure you’ll find someone to take home.” Someone who isn’t me.
Jealousy quietly aches inside me, gnawing like a hungry, wild animal.
“I would like to takeyouhome tonight, Erika.”
“Keep dreaming.” A long sigh leaves the back of my throat.
“I dream about you all the time,” he says, sounding serious.
The heat from his stare warms my cheeks. “Sure you do,” I drawl, waving him off and pretending to be bored by this game we play, when really, I just want him to say more things that give me false hope because I’m a sucker for punishment.
“You don’t believe me?” he asks, his eyes widening, appearing genuinely surprised that I think he’s lying.
“Nope.” I shake my head.
According to the hockey blogs I read online, Leon has a new girl every week. I’m not sure how much of it I believe, but there’s probably some truth to it. The puck bunnies sure do like to brag in the forums, but I, for one, can’t imagine sleeping with that many hockey players. Or men, for that matter.
Since I started studying my undergrad program to get me into med school here in Edmonton, I’ve only been with one guy: the one I lost my virginity to. It was over within minutes, painful, and didn’t end with the life-changing orgasm I had hoped for, which is why I haven’t done it again.
I wish I had saved myself for the person my heart belongs to.
Specifically, Leon, the man my brother has spent years trying to keep me away from because he’s a ladies’ man, but I can’t stop thinking about him.
