Chapter 2—Blocking the Puck

Amelia Stacey scooped up the toddler as he barreled past. She held him by his waist as he attempted to wriggle from her grip. “Oh, no you don’t, Eddie. It’s nap time.”

She carried the squirming boy to the row of mats against the wall and laid him on an empty one.

“I don’t want to sleep.” He squeezed his eyes shut, his face turning red, and pounded his legs and fists against the mat.

Amelia knelt and tickled him. Eddie burst into fits of giggles, forgetting his tantrum. Eventually, he collapsed in a heap of tired child and closed his eyes. With a weary sigh, she rose and swept her gaze around the room. Four children slept soundly, along with three babies in nearby cribs. She sank into a chair, bone-tired and wishing she could take a nap herself.

“Sorry I’m late.” Her sister-in-law hustled into the room, breathless and harried. But then, Ruby was always like that, just as she was always running late, and always leaving Amelia to handle the day care by herself.

This was Ruby’s day care, but a casual observer would assume Amelia was the owner. Amelia loved kids but couldn’t have one of her own and had dedicated her career to working with small children.

“You knew I had an afternoon class I couldn’t miss, and it’s too late now to make it.”

“I’m sorry.” Ruby didn’t sound one bit sorry.

Amelia opened her mouth to give her brother’s wife a piece of her mind and snapped it shut. She needed this job. For starters part of her “salary” included the use of the small studio apartment in the partial daylight basement of their house. Where else in Seattle’s high-demand housing market could she get such flexible hours to accommodate her class load? Only they hadn’t been very flexible lately, and she’d begun to suspect Ruby might be cheating on Dean. Amelia sincerely hoped not, but she’d heard the two arguing late into the night on many occasions, since their bedroom was above hers.

The outside door opened to the day care. A drop-dead gorgeous hunk of man sauntered in as if he owned the world. Both Amelia and Ruby stopped in their tracks and gaped at him. He wasn’t the type of man you’d expect to see in a day care. He belonged between the covers of a magazine advertising Calvin Klein jeans or sexy men’s cologne. The hunk towered over Ruby and Amelia, taller than most men, a commanding presence with a charming, boyish smile.

Ruby bolted forward, practically tripping over her feet in the rush to get to him. Amelia hung back, wary as to why this handsome stranger would be here of all places.

“What can I do for you?” Ruby gushed.

“Hello, beautiful ladies.” He grinned at Ruby, fully aware of his effect on women and using it to his advantage. “I have a problem, and I’m hoping you can help me.”

“I will, oh, I will.” Ruby slid closer to him. Amelia rolled her eyes. This guy dressed in his designer jeans and expensive leather jacket and sporting what appeared to be a Rolex wouldn’t be the least bit interested in Ruby, or Amelia for that matter. He was here for an entirely different reason, and she couldn’t fathom what the reason might be.

Curiosity got the best of her, and she edged closer to catch the conversation.

“I’d so appreciate your help. I’m Martin.” His megawatt smile lit up the dreary Seattle day. Ruby melted at his feet, but Amelia held strong.

“I’m Ruby Stacey, and this is my business. What can I possibly do to help a big, strong man like you, Martin?” Ruby’s voice thickened with sultry undertones, making Amelia want to roll her eyes. Or even better, smack the woman for flirting so outrageously with this man in front of her husband’s sister.

Martin’s gaze slid to Amelia. “And you are?”

“That’s Amelia. My helper,” Ruby answered quickly. She stepped in front of Amelia, effectively cutting her out of the conversation.

“Well, ladies, here’s the deal. I find myself in need of temporary child care for a five-year-old girl during the day and some nights and weekends for at least the next two weeks.”

“Are you a truck driver?” Ruby asked.

Amelia could’ve told Ruby this man was not a truck driver. Truck drivers didn’t make the kind of money to afford clothes like his. Ask her stepfather. Or her mother, who never had enough money to pay the bills.

Martin chuckled, finding her guess about his profession amusing. “I’m a hockey player for the Seattle Sockeyes.”

“Oh my God. You’re that Martin? Martin Bricker. Brick, the goalie. I thought you looked familiar. My husband and I love hockey.” Ruby had gone into full fangirl mode, batting her eyes and pushing out her ample chest.

His smile oozed sexual charm and reeled Ruby in like fish on a line. “That’s me. I’m appealing to you as a fan to help me out, ladies. For starters, I leave on a road trip tomorrow, and I need someone to take care of Macy while I’m gone.”

“You didn’t think of this problem sooner? Isn’t this a little last-minute?” Amelia felt a surge of annoyance toward all irresponsible parents who waited until the last minute.

“I didn’t know I had the problem until last night. I’m willing to pay a generous amount.” His pleading brown eyes sucked Ruby right into their magnetic web. Even Amelia felt the tug of attraction, and she’d developed an immunity to good-looking men. But then, she wasn’t certain she’d ever met a man as pleasing to the eye as this one.

“How generous?” Amelia elbowed her sister-in-law out of the way and stepped forward. He’d said the magic words—pay a generous amount.

“Very. Three hundred a day.” His eyes met hers. They were deep brown, the color of the hazelnut dark chocolate sauce she liked to pour on ice cream. The image of pouring that same sauce over this man’s pecs and abs flashed through her mind. She shook her head to clear it.

A knowing smirk spread across his handsome face.

“Three hundred a day,” Amelia repeated in an effort to ground herself back in the reality of cold, hard cash. She did a few careful calculations in her head. “I’ll do it.” She ignored Ruby’s cutting glare. It wasn’t as if Ruby could play nanny for his child, not with a husband and a business to run.

His face lit up brighter than stadium lights, and she basked in the radiant glow. “Thank you. You saved my ass.”

Ruby glared at Amelia. “You work here during the day. You can’t care for a child twenty-four-seven.”

“You have other helpers you can call on. It’s only for a few weeks, isn’t it?” Amelia directed her question to the gorgeous hunk.

He shifted from one foot to the other and avoided her gaze, his cocky confidence wavering slightly. “Uh, yeah, until I can make other arrangements.” He turned to Ruby. “I’ll put her in your day care and pay you twice what you normally get.”

Amelia frowned. They were full, and Ruby had already had one too many warnings from social services about violations.

Brick sensed Amelia’s reluctance. His cockiness fully restored, he turned on the charm again. “I’m begging you to help me out, ladies.” That sad, puppy-dog face worked its magic.

“Absolutely,” Ruby said without giving their capacity one consideration.

A grin spread across his face and lit up his eyes. “I live down the road and drive by every day. I was hoping I could find a place this convenient. It’s only for a few weeks. I’m planning on making other arrangements as soon as I can. I don’t have the lifestyle conducive to raising a child.”

Amelia didn’t doubt that. She vaguely recalled rumors regarding the goalie’s degenerate lifestyle. She was surprised he had a child, especially one he had custody of. Perhaps the child was visiting for a few weeks. Regardless, the circumstances were none of her business. She could earn several thousand in a few weeks at the rate he was paying. That’d take care of next quarter’s tuition. Maybe she’d even treat herself to a new top or jeans.

“I don’t have a game tomorrow, but I have morning practice. Can I drop her off in the morning?”

“Absolutely, Brick.” Ruby’s smile was sultry and inviting, but he wasn’t taking the bait.

“Thanks.” He turned to Amelia. “Maybe you could come by tomorrow night, and I can get you set up with keys and stuff?”

“Sounds good. Don’t you want to run a background check on me?”

He blinked a few times as if the question surprised him. He probably had people who did this stuff for him without him ever having to think about the same perils normal people did. “Uh, yeah. Uh, could you write the pertinent details on a piece of paper for me? There isn’t anything I should be worried about, is there?”

“Of course not. Or I wouldn’t be working here.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Assuming everything checks out, meet me about seven o’clock at my place?” Looking around, he picked up a coloring book and blue crayon. He scratched out his address and handed it to Amelia.

“I’ll be there, Mr. Bricker.”

He chuckled. “Call me Brick. Everyone else does.”

“Okay, Brick it is.” She suspected the man’s body was a hard as a brick. Damn, but he was fine.

He winked at her, and she fell for him just like any other woman. She hated that. She wasn’t any other woman. She’d didn’t fall prey to good-looking men—not anymore. Obviously, she needed a refresher course in exactly why she avoided guys like him. Her reasons were many, and she was still paying the price.

He waited while she wrote down her info, took the piece of paper from her, and left.

Her gaze followed him out the door. It didn’t hurt to look, and he did have a nice ass.

* * * *

Brick’s teammate and fellow goalie Jacques Frontier came to the rescue. Jacques’s wife had volunteered to care for Macy while Brick searched for child care and went to practice. Shit, the Frontiers had five kids. What was one more?

After lucking out and finding a temporary nanny—an incredibly gorgeous one—and day care at the first place he’d stopped, he headed earlier than usual to the SHAC, aka Sockeyes Hockey Athletic Center, which comprised the practice rink, the workout facilities, and the Sockeyes headquarters. He called Al and relayed Amelia’s info, minus the fact that his new nanny was freaking hot. Al bitched and moaned about being his secretary but grudgingly agreed to get back to him by tomorrow.

Practice sucked. His timing was off, and he missed blocking several easy shots. His teammates cast concerned glances in his direction but said nothing. They didn’t need to. Their worried expressions said it for them. He got it. They were one game into the regular season. They’d opened their season last Saturday in the brand-spanking-new Sockeyes Arena with a shutout win. Now Brick was off his game.

Even the worst hangover and pounding headache hadn’t affected Brick as much as the child on his doorstep. He kept his mouth shut, not in the mood for their ribbing when they found out the party boy’s wings had been clipped. Thankfully, Jacques didn’t clue them in. He was a stand-up guy who minded his own business and contributed in whatever way he could to the team.

Brick should pick up Macy, but he lingered at practice, taking some extra reps in the weight room, running several extra miles on the treadmill, and coercing the team masseuse to fit him into his schedule. He refused to admit he was afraid to go home and be alone with a little girl. He had no idea what to do with a heartbroken, abandoned child. It’d been a long time since he’d felt so helpless and out of his element, all the way back to living with his new stepmother and her son, his former best friend. Yeah, that’d been a hellish year, and he was still recovering from that feeling of uselessness.

He was a partier, damn it. No responsibilities except on the ice. He liked it that way. People gravitated to the party boy, fawned all over him, and most of all, made him feel wanted, and Brick needed to feel wanted.

Working on his third cup of coffee, he rubbed his weary eyes and slumped down on the bench in front of his stall. He needed sleep, but his current castrated lifestyle weighed too heavily on him to allow for a good night’s rest.

“You’re sure playing like shit.”

Brick jerked his head in the direction of the speaker. He shrugged, unable to muster the energy for one of his usual cocky comebacks. Isaac “Ice” Wolfe sat down next to him. Ice wasn’t known for his friendly conversation, though he’d gotten better since he’d found Avery, the love of his life, or so he claimed. Weird what that shit could do to a guy.

Ice narrowed those pale blue eyes and saw right through him. “What’s going on? You knock some girl up?”

Brick choked on the coffee he’d swigged. Fuck, was Ice psychic or something?

Ice sat back, and his eyes grew bigger than pucks. “What the fuck?”

Brick plastered a devil-may-care grin on his face, not wanting Ice to see his misery. Unfortunately, his teammate’s shrewd gaze cut right through the crap.

“You got some girl pregnant?” Ice said again. This time the corners of his mouth hitched upward, and perverse amusement glinted in his shrewd eyes.

“Seriously? You think I’m daddy material?” Brick dodged the question.

“Fuck no, but as much as you put your dick anywhere it’ll fit, I’d expect an entire small city of children to be fathered by you.”

“I always wear a condom. Always.”

“They break.” Ice smirked, and Brick fought the urge to eradicate that smirk with a fist to the defenseman’s face.

“She’s not my kid. As soon as the DNA test gets back, I’ll prove it, and she’ll be someone else’s problem.”

“So the mother’s going after you for child support, or what?”

“More like ‘or what.’” Brick dropped all pretenses and buried his head in his hands. “Fuck,” he muttered.

Ice stayed silent. Brick lowered his hands and stared at the floor. Ice waited, and that man would wait until hell froze over.

“The mother is dead. Someone left the kid on my doorstep with a note saying she’s my daughter.”

“That’s rough, man,” Ice said, and fell silent for several long moments—the calm before the storm. “How old?”

“Five years, a girl.” Saying the words made them more real. His stomach tied in knots and his head pounded. Oh God, he was so screwed.

“A girl?” Ice snorted through his nose.

“Yeah. I’d appreciate it if you’d keep this between us. I’m not in the mood to be hazed about it.”

“Do you know who her mother was?”

“No.”

“That doesn’t mean you didn’t bang her, though.”

“My agent is unraveling the entire mess.” There were so many women, so many one-night stands. And only the crazy stalker types or the especially kinky ones held a spot in his memory.

“What are you going to do if she is yours? A kid is going to cramp your lifestyle.”

“Tell me about it. Hire a full-time nanny, I guess.”

Ice shook his head and leveled Brick with one of those intimidating stares he reserved for the opposing team’s enforcer. “Brick, that little girl deserves a father, especially since she doesn’t have a mother. Your lifestyle is about to change whether you like it or not.”

“Fuck,” Brick muttered, scrubbing his hands over his face. Ice hadn’t told him anything he didn’t already know, but he wanted to live in denial a little longer.

“Your wings have been clipped, my man.”

“I did hire a sexy nanny. That’s a plus.” Brick managed a grin. His thoughts drifted back to Amelia with that shiny brown hair and those deep blue eyes. Yeah, he could get into sleeping with the nanny. He’d always had sexy librarian fantasies, but hell, a nanny who looked like Megan Fox… Now there was a fantasy he could sink his teeth into. Or better yet, a different part of his anatomy.

“Nanny, huh?” Ice stood, shaking his head and smirking. “Good luck, Brick. You’re going to need it.” His smirk disappeared as he leaned closer. “But whatever the fuck happens, keep your personal problems off the ice. We need you focused one hundred percent on the game.”

Brick nodded. Ice was right, of course. Today he’d let the drama in his life affect his concentration. A goalie couldn’t afford to do that, or he’d be benched and replaced with Jacques the backup. They might be friends, but Jock was already breathing down his neck and chomping at the bit to take Brick’s job. Even more so, this was their year to make that run for the Cup. All the pieces were in place.

He couldn’t afford distractions.