PROLOGUE
Dixie
Come on…where is the damn elevator?
I glance at my phone to check the time and then shove it into my blazer pocket. Tonight is not going as planned. I was almost late getting to the arena because of an accident on the freeway, and as soon as I arrived I realized I forgot my employee pass. So I had to skip the PR briefing and run to security to get a temporary pass. I managed to print out the press list, but now I’m late for a meeting with the owner of the team, Ryanne Bateman. She’s the reason I wanted to work for the San Francisco Thunder hockey franchise to begin with, and I’m about to mess up my first impression. The thought has me so panicked my skin is itching.
I jam my thumb into the elevator button again. And again.
“Punching it repeatedly doesn’t make it come any quicker, you know.” The voice rumbles through me like an earthquake. My first thought as soon as my eyes land on him is Ooh…he’s pretty. If a scientist mixed the DNA of a Disney prince and an action hero, this guy would be the result. Tall, dark, rugged, muscled and exuding calm confidence. Who the hell is he?
I glance at his chest, which is expansive, to say the least, looking for the pass that should be around his neck if he’s a guest or staff, but there’s nothing there. My eyes move up from his chest to his face, and on the way they land on a scar. It’s hard to miss because it’s pink and puffy and takes up a lot of real estate on his strong neck, moving from below his ear to an inch or two from his Adam’s apple. There’s only one person with a scar like that who would be in this arena.
“You’re Levi’s brother,” I announce, like he doesn’t know his older brother is captain of the Thunder.
“Just Eli is fine,” he corrects and his voice is even deeper than before, which is both unbelievable and unbelievably attractive.
He’s in a suit that fits him like a glove, and the charcoal gray color compliments his shock of thick, dark hair. His eyes are…green? I’d have to step closer to find out, and I almost do but catch myself. Then he smiles, something that his constantly brooding brother rarely does, and it’s sexy as all hell.
“Are you lost? Are you looking for the friends and family lounge or something?” I ask and glance at the elevator, which still isn’t here. “I’m heading down that way. You can come with me.”
Eli’s sexy smile grows bigger. “There’s nothing I’d rather do.”
He winks at me. Wow. Talk about cheesy. So why am I smiling? I bite the inside of my cheek to stop it from spreading as he takes a step closer so he’s standing right beside me now. He’s looking down at me with those definitely green, like dewy moss or freshly cut grass, eyes. Wow. He’s hot. Am I breathing? I don’t think I’m breathing. I take a deep, deliberate breath. “You’re going to need to get a pass from security.” I hold up mine as an example. “All non-players walking around the VIP areas need a pass on game days.”
“I don’t need a pass,” he replies casually and then dips his head a little to read the name on my pass. “Dixie Wynn, PR intern.”
I glance down. “Crap. They printed my old title. I’m PR staff now. Since June,” I mutter, annoyed. “Also, I know you’re the captain’s brother, but you still need a pass.”
He smirks at that. “I don’t.”
Wow. He’s entitled. I decide not to argue with him. He’ll find out quick enough when the security guard at the players level won’t let him off the elevator.
The elevator dings and the doors open. No one is there. That’s weird. Why was it taking so long if no one was in it? I step inside and he follows, once again standing right next to me even though we have the whole elevator to ourselves. It’s disconcerting and yet somehow flattering at the same time. I keep my eyes focused on the elevator panel after I punch the bottom floor.
“There might be something wrong with my eyes,” he murmurs and his rough, deep voice seems to reverberate off the walls of the elevator. I look up at him and he smiles. “Because I can’t seem to take them off of you.”
Oh God. Is he serious? Who uses lines like that? Our eyes meet and he grins, and it makes me grin. Damn it. I’m enabling him.
“That was cheese-tastic. You need to work on your pickup lines,” I say. “On someone else.”
He chuckles lightly. This guy must think because he’s the captain’s brother he can do whatever he wants.
“You clearly don’t know why I’m here, so how did you know who I was?” Eli asks, and it makes me look up at him again.
“You’re here to visit Levi, obviously, and I recognized you because…” My eyes linger on the scar instead of his face, and when I do make eye contact I can see a scowl cross his face, but he quickly smiles.
He raises his hand to his neck. “I got it saving orphans from a knife fight.”
I bite back a laugh. “Do you actually tell women that?”
He nods. “Sometimes. Other times I say I was saving puppies from a hostage situation. Women love heroes, Ms. Wynn.”
“Are you for real?” I ask, and I can no longer hold back my laugh. “Do cheesy pickup lines and ridiculous lies honestly work for you?”
He laughs too. “Yeah. Because it gets women to laugh and it starts a conversation. And it takes the stick out of even the tightest little asses, like yours.”
“You really can’t talk to me like that!” I warn him, but I can’t sell it because I’m not all that angry—mostly just stunned. “Are you sure you share DNA with Levi? He’s way more…refined than you.”
