Jordan, my man, I gotta admit, I’m jealous.” Krys tried not to stare at the man who walked up, but she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off him and was relieved to see that his eyes locked on Amy. This was the first time he’d introduced them to anyone on the team, and everyone was enamored of their daughter.

But for some reason, this guy struck a chord with Krys, and her mouth went dry, just looking at him. He was built like an athlete, very similar to the rest of the players, but his biceps were just a little larger, and he stood a hair taller than Jordan, who wasn’t exactly short. More than anything, something about his personality seemed to fill the room, and his eyes were a haunting shade of gray in a perfectly chiseled face. That didn’t even take into account the silky dark brown locks that she wanted to run her fingers through.

Jordan pasted on a smile, his arm around Kylie, and ruffled Amy’s hair, causing her to bat at his hand. She’d been very protective of the fragile curls from the beauty salon. Laughing, he reached for Krys’s hand, and instinctively, she glanced at Kylie, relieved to see she didn’t even blink at the gesture. “Dex, you know Kylie.”

“Yes, and I’ll be at the engagement party, stealing at least one dance,” the man – Dex – said with a wink at Kylie.

Clearing his throat and ignoring the comment, Jordan turned to Krys. “This is Krys and our daughter, Amy. Ladies, this is Dexter Collins. Just traded to our team last year from Dallas FC.”

Amy reached out her hand very seriously and shook Dex’s. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Dexter.”

Krys fought back a smile at the greeting. But she didn’t have to fight long as the man’s gaze fell on her, making her shuffle from one foot to the other in discomfort. He stared at her like some fascinating thing under a microscope, and she blushed, thinking she had probably looked at him the same way as he’d joined their little circle.

Still looking at Krys, he said, “It’s lovely to meet you, too, Amy. I’m a big fan of your dad’s.”

“So are we,” Amy assured him.

Slipping his hand from the girl’s grasp, he held it out to Krys, taking her fingers and brushing his thumb lightly over the back of her hand. It sent chills up her arm and down her spine to the low place beneath her belly that rarely seemed to feel anything these days. Now, though, it spun and swirled and heated like someone had just flipped a switch. “Krys, is it? You have a beautiful daughter. She looks just like you.”

Krys giggled a little, barely able to contain herself. No one paid her compliments anymore. She was a mother, not a woman on the market. So, the insinuation of a compliment made her even more nervous and desperately shy. “Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He finally released his hold on her hand and motioned toward the bar in the back of the room that had been rented out by the team after the game. “Can I get you something to drink?”

How about a nice tall glass of Dex on the Rocks? Krys winced internally. It was a terrible line, and even if it had a ring to it, she couldn’t say anything like that in front of her brother and daughter, for goodness’ sake! Instead, she gave a short nod and a big grin. “I’d like that. Thank you. Maybe a gin and tonic.”

“On the rocks?” he asked, quirking a brow that had Krys wondering if he’d just read her dirty little mind.

“Sure,” she told him hoarsely. She cleared her throat as he walked away and turned to the others, her hand on Amy’s shoulder to keep her from getting to riled up. “All your teammates are really nice,” she told Jordan. “They’ve all been very welcoming.”

“Well, who wouldn’t be? All three of you are drop dead gorgeous,” Jordan laughed. But he quickly sobered. “I probably should have let you know that this is sort of me coming out to everyone on the team but Marcus. Things have been hectic for us so far this season, and I haven’t wanted to weigh anyone down with my personal situation. But I figured today would be perfect because I could have you here in person to show off.” He let his gaze fall to Amy and winked. The girl winked back awkwardly, and Krys hid a smile.

"You don't have to explain yourself, Jordan," she told him, meaning it. Of course, it would look really suspicious if he didn't explain the sudden appearance of a real-life daughter. So far, they hadn't mentioned being related by their parents' marriage, referring to each other as old friends. But that still left questions in the eyes of Jordan's teammates, and they needed to work out the exact story before he got grilled over it.

Dex came back with her drink, and she took it, an electric shock shooting up her arm when her fingers brushed his. It was a horny teenager’s response, but something about this man made her body react with the same giddy arousal she used to have in high school. “Thank you,” she told him.

“You’re welcome.” The moment grew awkward, and she was relieved and grateful when Kylie cleared her throat. “Hey, Jordan, the new goalie. I haven’t met him yet. Can you introduce me?”

Krys didn’t miss the irritation in Jordan’s gaze as he glanced at her, but he said nothing. She hoped he’d behave; he’d always played the protective brother, but he hadn’t been around to do it as an adult like he had in high school. She was a 32-year-old woman now. She didn’t need his overbearing attitude. “I suppose we can find him.” With one last warning glance, he smiled down at Amy. “You want to come, sweetheart?”

Amy just nodded, and she took off before Krys could say anything else, forcing Jordan and Kylie to follow. “Well, that’s better,” Dex said, blowing out a heavy breath. “I was a little out of my element, trying to talk to you in front of Jordan. And the kid.” He sipped his drink and eyed her again. Krys found his hungry gaze intoxicating, and she let him peruse her from head to toe openly without a word. “Nothing against Kylie, but Jordan had to be stupid to let you go.”

Krys snorted at that and shook her head. “It’s not what you think. But that’s a discussion you can strike up with him someday. What I want to know is, if you’re from Dallas, and you play for Seattle, why are you in New York?”

“I don’t have the foggiest notion.” He said it with a southern lilt that melted her bones and made her throat ache. She wanted to hear him whisper naughty things in her ear and see if he still had an accent.

“Interesting expression,” she said.

“Well, you pick up a lot of those growing up in the south. Really, though, I guess I’m here because several of my teammates live here. I feel like I can get to know my team better if I’m somewhere that I can hang out even when we’re not working.” He stepped closer, and she caught a whiff of his cologne, a heady musk that made her head spin and the space between her legs throb. “I’d like to know how you ended up here. That’s a pretty thick, beautiful accent, and I get the impression you haven’t lived here very long.”

How much was she supposed to tell someone she didn’t even know? Especially when she wasn’t ready to hop in bed with him, much less start anything more. And she needed some sort of commitment, however temporary, before she divulged her life story. Taking a deep breath, she went with a half-truth. “Well, I came and lived here a few years ago, and then I had to go back home. But I decided to make it more permanent a few months back because Amy and Jordan have a close relationship I don’t want them to lose.”

“But you’re obviously not together,” he probed, moving even closer.

Krys could feel the warmth of his body from this close, and she caught the hint of something the cologne didn’t quite cover, that human aroma. And coming from Dex, it was enticing. “Like I said, it’s not what you think. You’ll have to talk to Jordan about all of that.”

“Maybe I will,” he conceded with a short nod. But then he gave her a mischievous smile, narrowing his eyes. “Or maybe, I’ll just find a way to get under your skin and make you trust me enough to tell me yourself.” His hand fell on her waist, and Krys inhaled sharply at his touch through the jersey, which hadn’t warranted any special attention at all. At the moment, she wished she’d worn something thin and formfitting.

“We’ll see,” she answered, her voice barely a whisper as she tilted her face up toward his, wondering if he just might kiss her. He stared down at her, his eyes falling to her lips, and Krys held her breath, but nothing happened, and she lost her nerve.

Stepping out of his immediate field of presence, she ducked her head. “So, you’ll be at the engagement party next weekend?”

“You better believe it. If I hadn’t planned on it before, I’d come just to take you for a spin on the dance floor.” His voice was a low growl that had her head snapping up to gaze at him. His gray eyes were molten and fiery, and she could sense the way his breathing had changed, faster and harder. She almost wanted to haul him into a dark corner and throw herself at him, but her daughter was there, somewhere. She couldn’t risk being seen acting like that by an eight-year-old, who looked up to her as an example.

What was she thinking anyway? She’d never been that girl.

Clearing her throat as if that would clear the naughty thoughts from her head, Krys gave a demure smile. “Well, then, I’ll look forward to seeing you there. If you’ll excuse me, I should find the rest of my crew. My daughter’s going to be tired early after such a big day, and I need to get her home.”

Something clouded Dex’s expression, but it faded quickly so Krys couldn’t quite read it. “Alright then. Be safe getting home. And don’t forget to add me to your dance card.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek, and her throat closed, blocking her airway and creating a lump of What Could Have Been. Muttering a goodnight, she hurried off before she changed her mind and did something stupid.

Weaving her way through the rest of the team and their guests, she swept her gaze over the people, seeking out Jordan or Marcus, the two tallest among her friends. In the process, she ran into something waist-high with a grunt, and looked down to find Amy wrapped around her legs. “Mama, I just met Taylor Higgins, and he signed my jersey. See?” She pointed to the shoulder of the jersey and, sure enough, the new young goalie had signed. “That’s three now!”

Amy was beside herself, and Krys couldn’t help but grin. It didn’t matter that her father and “Uncle” Marcus had produced the other two signatures. It still made the girl happy, and it gave Krys half a mind to have Jordan pass around a new one to all his teammates to sign as a Christmas present. “That’s lovely, sweetheart. Where are Dad and Kylie?”

“We’re right here,” Kylie giggled as they broke through a group of people. “We just don’t have the agility of someone as small and determined, so we can’t quite keep up.”

Amy yawned before Krys could respond, and Jordan, whose expression didn’t show nearly as much delight as everyone else’s, asked, “Are you ready to leave?”

“No!” Amy cried.

"Yes," Krys countered, patting her on the head. "You've had a big day, and we have an appointment early tomorrow at the hospital." As much as she hated the grave reminders of the past, it was essential to keep up on the tests that would assure they caught any abnormality that showed cancer might be coming back.

Looking defeated with her head hanging, Amy nodded, and Krys exchanged a glance with Jordan. His features softened, and he crouched down beside his daughter. “Hey, sweetheart, why don’t we go for ice cream after your appointment? It’ll be fun, and you can have a giant sundae or a triple scoop cone.”

The girl brightened instantly, and Krys knew she’d done the right thing, moving here. She’d pay Kylie back, somehow, for making it possible. Taking her daughter’s hand, she followed Jordan and Kylie out, insisting on taking a cab so Kylie could drive home with Jordan. She would be fine; she’d been single for a long time. And that wasn’t going to change anytime soon.