The minute their home game ended and their fans cleared out, the team was forced to shower, change, and were ushered onto a bus and driven to the John Wayne Airport. They flew to Arizona on the team’s private jet, and everyone took the hour flight to try and catch some sleep. Zach noticed Harper in the back, reading on her kindle, but since she didn’t acknowledge him, he didn’t acknowledge her. Didn’t want to disturb her if she was in the middle of something important.

Zach hadn’t put too much thought in their date. He refused to overthink things. All he knew was that he liked being around Harper. There was something different about her, something he could relate to, something that kept him grounded despite the fact that there was nothing really tying them together, save for one date. The problem was, as much as he tried not to think about her, when she was around him, he couldn’t stop staring. Golden brown hair, forest green eyes, freckles. The quintessential girl next door and exactly his type. Petite. Curvy. Long legs. The only flaw she seemed to possess was her unruly hair – it was wavy, which made it look messy when it wasn’t. But that wasn’t a deal breaker and it wasn’t something he particularly cared about. In fact, it reminded him of sex hair, and he was all about sex hair.

“Hey, man.” He picked his eyes up and Oscar Solis, one of his teammates – an offensive defenseman paired with Zach’s line on the ice – stood next to his seat. “The team’s going to go to this local club – the Phoenix Club – and wanted to know if you wanted to join us.”

Typically, Zach would have said no. They had a game tomorrow night and he wanted to get sleep. But it was an excuse to get closer to Harper, to touch her, to dance with her again. He didn’t like to use the fact that it was an exhibition game because even though they didn’t technically count, Zach still took them seriously. Any time he had the opportunity to get on the ice, he took it and skated his hardest, whether he won or played well or not. Maybe it was because he used hockey as a way to escape his family drama, and when he was invited to try out for a travel team, it actually got him far away from them.

He wouldn’t waste ice time, not even as an NHL player. Not even an exhibition game.

It would force him to work harder tomorrow, but if he made it worthwhile tonight, it would be worth it.

His eyes flickered over to Harper, still reading, before going back to Solis. “I’m in,” he said with a grin.

* * *

Convincing Harper took much more time than Zach thought it would initially. After they checked into their hotel rooms and he dropped off his stuff, he immediately went to Harper’s room. She was lucky she didn’t have to room with anyone, but his roommate, Solis, assured him he wouldn’t be back until the early morning. To be honest, Zach didn’t know if it was because he was a few years shy of thirty, but he couldn’t party all night the way he used to. And he didn’t intend to. All he cared about was getting Harper into his arms, pressed against his body, for the rest of the night. Maybe he’d have a couple of drinks, but she was his only goal.

At first, she had refused, citing she was a morning person and needed sleep. Then, she told him she wasn’t a party girl. Finally, Zach promised an exclusive interview regarding the rumors that followed him from Toronto. She gave in and got dressed in an hour.

When Zach came to her door, he could not take his eyes off of her. Which was saying something, considering he typically couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She straightened her hair, did her makeup, and the slip of a dress wasn’t even worthy of being called a dress – the straps were thin, the front was low and the hemline was short – so short it just barely covered her behind, revealing long legs in simple black stilettos.

Fuck, she looked amazing.

“Ready?” she asked with a small smile, as though she knew the affect she had on him.

He almost grinned in response. Two could play at that.

Zach had a cab waiting as they walked out of the hotel. He opened the door for her and slid in afterward.

“Phoenix Club,” Zach murmured to the driver.

The drive was ten minutes with no traffic, and even though it was just after ten o’clock, there was already a long line around the building. Zach almost hesitated. He didn’t know if people actually knew who he was, and he knew Harper already thought he was an arrogant prick so dropping his name at the door wouldn’t help that part of his reputation. However, it would be a waste of a night if they had to wait in line, and due to the goosebumps littering her skin, he could tell she was already cold.

“Zach,” a voice called from the crowd. “Zach!”

Zach took a step toward the voice and saw Solis and a few other players at the front of the line. They were all dressed in dark jeans and collared shirts, similar to his own attire, waving him over. He grinned, releasing a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding as subtly as possible.

He could feel Harper hesitate as he placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her towards his teammates.

“We’re going in a group?” she asked, her voice catching.

“Yeah,” he told her. “Is that a problem?”

“No.”

She shook her head, avoiding his eyes. She was lying to him, he knew, but he would get to the bottom of it eventually. Maybe she wanted him all to herself. Maybe she wanted something more low key, more romantic. He pressed his lips together and looked straight ahead. He just assumed going out in a group would be easier than going out just the two of them, especially since they had already gone on a date.

Zach decided not to think about it any longer. Instead, he reached his hand toward hers and entwined his fingers with hers. She squeezed back, giving him a smile. Any hesitation, any doubt, had left her delicate features. He couldn’t tell if that was because she didn’t care anymore or if it was because she was good at hiding how she was feeling.

He hoped not. He hoped she would feel comfortable enough to tell him what she was truly feeling.

They didn’t speak the entire way to the dance floor. The bodyguards patted him down and went through Harper’s purse but didn’t charge at all. The couple walked in with Zach’s teammate to low lighting, pounding music, and a bigger dancefloor than Taboo’s. His teammates, Solis and Berringer, were already looking at the beautiful women who kept a sharp eye on them the minute they walked in. Zach couldn’t tell if they were genuinely attracted to them or if they knew the guys were hockey players. Either way, Solis and Berringer sure as hell weren’t complaining. If Zach had been by himself, he wouldn’t have minded it, either. It felt good to be noticed, good to be desired. The motive behind that desire was simply semantics.

The problem was, Harper completely changed that. Now, he only cared about impressing her, about being desired by her. He couldn’t care less what anyone else thought of him as long as she liked him.

Which was so utterly middle school, he was almost sick with himself.

He refused to think about that. Not right now. Not when he just wanted to be near her.

Zach didn’t even talk to the guys he was supposed to have come here with in the first place. Somehow, she read his mind. Somehow, she knew where he wanted to go. She let him lead her to the floor. He didn’t need to buy her a drink first. There was no reason for small talk or empty flattery – though Zach would never have to lie when flattering her like he had to for some of the other women he had been with.

Harper was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen. Aesthetically, perhaps he knew women who were more flawless. But for some reason, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. He couldn’t keep himself from not touching her when he was around. There was something about her that drew him to her like a moth to a flame.

He was in trouble and he knew it. And he didn’t care.

The minute they were on the dance floor, the music surrounded them, fused through the bloodstream, and vibrated throughout their body. His hands found her waist and pulled her to him, so their pelvises were touching like magnets. It wasn’t skin but it would have to do. For now.

He couldn’t even say what song was playing. It didn’t matter. All he cared about was getting Harper in his arms, pressing his body against hers, feeling her move against him. She knew how to move, despite her shyness, despite her hesitation. It was almost like a secret weapon. Looking at her forest green eyes, her chestnut brown hair, the freckles on her face, she looked like the quintessential good girl. An innocent. But the way she moved… There was more to her than the way she looked.

Without warning, she flipped around in his arms so her back was pressed against his chest and her hips were rocking against his crotch. He had to think of something terrible in order to calm himself down or else he was going to lose it and press his hardness against her. The last thing he wanted her to think about was the fact that he might lose control around her. He wasn’t a kid anymore, even though that was exactly how she made him feel.

Harper’s arms reached up locked around his neck, bringing his head down over her left shoulder. Her back was arched up so he got a delicious view of her cleavage from where he stood, and didn’t hesitate to take advantage of it.

God, her body.

Her hips rocked in time with the beat. How was she able to focus on the beat when there was this attraction, this pull, between the two of them. It was like a spell she cast around him, pulling him under her magic, making her irresistible. He couldn’t resist her. He didn’t even want to. All that was left to do was claim her as his.

So he did.

His lips found her shoulder and he could feel (thanks to his palms pressed flat on her stomach) her suck in a breath. He waited but did not stop his ministrations on her neck, wanting to see just how she would respond. There was a good chance she would push him off of her, and he would take the knock to his arrogance in stride, the way he always did when things didn’t pan out the way he wanted them to.

But she didn’t pull away. In fact, now that he noticed it, Harper’s back was arched up, her head tilting away in order to give him more access to that beautiful column of her throat.

She wanted this. She wanted him just as badly.

He groaned as he felt himself stiffen upon this realization.

Without thinking, without waiting, he removed his lips from her skin and spun her around until they were face to face. He couldn’t wait, didn’t want to see the doubt and the rejection in her eyes. He would take what he wanted and deal with the consequences later. He might not have another chance.

After a beat, he grabbed her behind the head and pulled her to him, so he could kiss her mouth with as much fire as she caused in his very bones.