Her eyes brighten with approval. “Exactly. The players will draw attention, but people remember the details. You have a knack for that.”
After four years in the Railers’ PR department, I’ve learned that details are everything. Especially when cleaning up after the guys. I can spin a scandal before my first cup of coffee.
Which is exactly why my pulse shouldn’t spike when my iPad vibrates, and a text banner flashes across the top of the screen.
Big D: Been thinking about you.
Heat crawls up my neck. I swipe the message away before Evelyn can notice, refocusing on the agenda even as my heartbeat stutters.
“Beau’s team will need access to the loading dock by four,” she continues.
Buzz.
Big D: I can’t wait to get my hands on you again.
My grip tightens on the stylus until it’s on the verge of snapping in half.
Ignore it.
Focus.
You’re a professional, Rina.
Buzz.
Big D: God, I’m starving. I haven’t stopped thinking about the taste of you on my tongue.
Heat curls in my belly, and I tug at my collar, popping the first button, as if that’ll do a damn bit of good to cool me down.
“Rina?” Evelyn’s crisp tone cuts through my haze. She studies me carefully as her brow furrows. “Are you all right? You look flushed.”
“Uh-huh. Totally fine.” The reply comes out a note too high.
Her eyes narrow. “Do you need some water?”
“Yes,” I blurt before I can stop myself. “That would be great.”
She crosses to the mini fridge before returning with a chilled bottle. My hands shake as I take it and twist off the cap, gulping down half of it like I’ve been walking through a desert for hours. The icy water does nothing to touch the heat raging inside.
Buzz.
Big D: I’m going to make you scream tonight.
I bite the inside of my cheek until my eyes sting.
Holy. Freaking. Hell.
This man needs to stop.
If Evelyn stares at me for a second longer, she’ll see everything I’ve been working so hard to keep tamped down. The butterflies, the restless thrum under my skin, the rules I’ve been ignoring.
My contract has a strict no-fraternization clause when it comes to the players. One I signed without a second thought. If anyone caught a glimpse of those messages, I’d be cleaning out my desk by the end of the day.
Hockey players have never been my thing.
Okay… so maybe one in particular has reluctantly become my thing.
Which is a real problem.
