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  THE GRINDER

  STEPHANIE JULIAN

  Game on…

  Riley Hatch is a fast-talking minor-league hockey player with a reputation as a grinder. He goes in deep, hits hard and comes out with the puck. He’s not known for giving up and, when he meets a cool blonde who trips all his switches, he’s not about to take no for an answer.

  Aly Martin’s aversion to professional athletes falters when faced with the six-foot-four hockey god towering over her. He’s everything she never wanted in a man…overtly sexy, rough around the edges and pushy. And absolutely irresistible.

  Riley falls hard and fast but he knows he’s going to need more than determination to break down Aly’s reservations. But will his lifelong dream of making it to the NHL cost him the woman of his dreams?

  Copyright

  Stephanie Julian

  Published by Stephanie Julian

  Copyright 2016. Stephanie Julian.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to a legitimate bookseller to purchase your own copy.

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at [email protected].

  All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.

  Chapter One

  The door to the billing office of the Reading Health Center squeaked open, causing Allison Martin to do two things.

  First, she cringed because she was currently bent over at the waist trying to find the cord that’d fallen between two desks, and her ass would be the first thing anyone walking through the door would see.

  And second, she hoped like hell whoever had just walked through that door was a coworker and not someone she’d actually have to talk to.

  “Uh, hey. How’s it going?”

  Shit, shit, shit.

  No such luck. The voice was male and unknown, deep, with just enough of a husky edge that her heart kicked up a beat.

  And, of course, she’d been caught with her ass in the air.

  With a sigh, she began to wiggle her way out from between the desks.

  “I’ll be with you in a second.”

  “Yeah, sure. No problem. Take your time.”

  Great, just great. He was a perv, too, which meant he was going to watch her ass the entire way.

  And, since she was the only person in the office, she’d have to smile and pretend to be pleasant while he berated her for a bill he probably didn’t understand.

  Today, smiling would require a superhuman effort. The hospital’s internet had been spotty all day, and the program the office used to bill patients had been glitchy since it’d been updated last week.

  She’d just gotten off the phone with the tech guys, who’d told her to try the old unplug-replug method for fixing the connection. If that didn’t work, she’d have to wait her turn because apparently every other department in the hospital had had the same problem today. Which meant she’d probably embarrassed herself for no reason.

  Sucking in a deep breath, Aly finally freed herself and stood, pushing the hair that had escaped her pristine twist out of her face.

  Then she forced a smile and hoped she didn’t look like a rabid dog.

  “Hello, can I help…you?”

  Holy crap.

  The man leaning his elbows on the counter had definitely been checking out her ass.

  Quite frankly, she wasn’t sure she minded.

  Specimens like this didn’t typically pass through her door, much less stare at any part of her. No, she usually only saw guys like this in memes about eye candy and fantasies.

  He had to be at least six-two and probably weighed more than two hundred pounds. All of it muscle. Thick, bulging muscle that made his faded gray t-shirt stretch at its seams.

  She felt small standing in front of him, which was a minor miracle because she wasn’t. She stood five-seven and carried a few more pounds than she’d like. In heels, she could stare down most men she knew.

  But not this one.

  She had to look up, even as his gaze dropped to her feet then made its way up until he finally met her eyes.

  And when they did…

  Holy freaking crap.

  She had to bite her bottom lip to make sure her mouth didn’t hang open.

  He was quite possibly the hottest guy she’d ever seen in real life. Seriously, he should be modeling underwear.

  She had the urge to pick up the nearest stack of papers and fan herself. She couldn’t remember ever meeting a guy who made her body flush with heat from her toes to her scalp. And everywhere in between.

  Rugged features that reminded her a little of a young Brad Pitt but even more handsome. Damn, she never would’ve thought that possible.

  His brown hair had a wave to it, and his eyes were a dark greenish-brown that made her want to lean over the counter and get really close so she could see them better. Like, maybe flat-on-his-back-lying-on-top-of-him close. With their noses almost touching and their lips only centimeters apart—

  “Hey, yeah, I’m hoping you can.”

  Can what? flashed through her mind, but luckily she couldn’t get her mouth to work right away. Oh yeah, she was at work.

  When he reached behind his back to take something out of his back pocket, all the muscles in those arms shifted and bunched and generally made her feel like she was watching a porn movie. Which she never did.

  “I got this bill…”

  He grinned at her as he unfolded a piece of paper and set it on the counter.

  And holy crap, she nearly swallowed her tongue.

  Down, girl. He wants you to fix his bill, not lick him from head to toe.

  “I’m not sure why I got it. It should’ve gone to my former team.”

  Swallowing hard, she smiled and reached across the counter for the paper. Tearing her gaze away from his, she focused instead on scanning the bill. After she’d taken a look at his hands. The man had huge hands, with long fingers covered in scars.

  “Of course, Mister…” she looked down at the name, “Hatch. Let me take a look.”

  “It’s Riley. And thanks, Miss…?”

  “Martin. Aly Martin.”

  She happened to look up at that moment and found him smiling down at her. Not a full-out grin, but one of those half grins guys did so well.

  “Nice to meet you, Miss Aly Martin.”

  She blinked and sucked in a breath. “Nice to meet you, too. I’ll, ah, just take a look at your bill.”

  He leaned his forearms on the counter, getting even closer. “Got it a week or so ago but we’ve had practice every day and I haven’t been able to get over here. I figured it was better to do this in person than try to explain over the phone.”

  And she was so grateful he had. “Practice?”

  His smile widened and her ovaries practically exploded.

  “I play for the Redtails.”

  “Redtails?”

  She cringed as she parroted him for a second time, just as she realized that he must be a hockey player for the local Reading Redtails.

  “Sorry. Stupid question.” She shook her head and focused her attention on the paper in front of her. “Let me take a look at this.”

  “Are you a hockey fan?”

  The bill was standard and nothing looked out of ordinary. The only thing that didn’t make sense was that the bill was from this hospital for services at a hospital in another state that was in the same network. “You were treated for a shoulder in
jury last July?”

  She looked up to find him watching her with a slight smile on his face, the kind of smile that invited her to smile back. Which she did.

  “Yeah. Took a hit into the boards.” He reached for his left shoulder and rubbed it with one of those big hands. She couldn’t help but follow the movement before she blinked and snapped out of it.

  “Does it still hurt?”

  She wanted to take it back the second the words were out of her mouth and barely managed not to roll her eyes at her own words.

  Damn it, she wasn’t her younger sister, Vivi, who’d never met a guy she didn’t want to sleep with. Although no one would blame her for wanting to see this man stripped down to nothing because, holy crap, he was hot.

  His smile widened as he shook his head. “Not anymore, no. I just rub it out of habit. So what do you think?”

  “That maybe you want to get another job? This one seems dangerous to your health.”

  He burst into laughter and, Jesus, if she’d thought he was hot before, now he was off-the-charts drool-worthy. His mouth alone made her want to grab him and kiss the hell out of him.

  And since that was completely out of the question, she could only smile back when he stopped laughing.

  “Yeah, it kinda is, but it’s still fun and I love to play so I’m gonna until I physically can’t.”

  He certainly looked physically able at the moment.

  Her gaze dropped to his broad shoulders then to his muscular chest. She’d never been this up close and personal with a hockey player before. The only other professional athlete she’d ever been this close to before had been Vivi’s ex, a football player. And he’d been a cocky asshole Aly had hated on sight.

  This guy looked just as cocky. She’d reserve judgment on the asshole part.

  Which doesn’t matter because you’ll never see him again.

  She didn’t go to hockey games, didn’t think she’d like them. From what she’d seen on TV when her dad used to watch, the sport was rough and loud. Two things Aly tried to avoid as much as possible in her life.

  She usually dated nice guys, nerds who spent hours in front of a computer every day and considered Hacky Sack a sport. The ones who took off the day the new Marvel movie released.

  Nice, regular guys. Who left her completely cold.

  Tearing her gaze away from his chest, she looked over his bill again.

  Luckily, there was no one else here to see her make a fool out of herself. The five other women who worked in this office would have never let her live this down.

  “So, what’s the problem with your bill?”

  “Well, it should’ve been paid by my previous team. The injury happened during a game so I figure it should’ve been covered under their policy. I don’t know why it wouldn’t.”

  “Which team?”

  “The Colonials’ ECHL team in Lancaster.”

  “How long have you played hockey?”

  Okay, technically, that had nothing to do with his bill but, sue her, curiosity had taken hold.

  Leaning his elbows on the counter, he cocked his head to the side. “For as long as I can remember. Have you been to a game?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Would you like to? I could get you tickets. We have a game tomorrow night.”

  Yes and No popped onto her tongue at the exact same time.

  Yes, because hello, hot guy. No, because, well, she didn’t accept random offers of hockey tickets from unknown men. At least, she never had before.

  She blinked, trying to reboot her brain. “I don’t think I’m available.”

  Which was total bullshit. She didn’t have a date. She and her last boyfriend had parted ways six months ago. He’d wanted more than a few dates a week and sex whenever they could squeeze it in. She’d been perfectly content with the arrangement.

  It wasn’t like she’d been planning to marry Paul.

  And didn’t that make you a stone-cold bitch?

  Probably.

  Still, she’d thought they’d been happy. Not in love but there’d been sparks. Well, more like a warm ember or two. But, really, wasn’t all that chemistry stuff just a big lie to explain away the stupid stuff you wanted to do because you were in lust?

  She wasn’t some hopeless romantic who was waiting for “the thunderbolt,” that lightning strike from out of the blue that was supposed to hit you when you met the man you were supposed to marry.

  “Got a date?” Riley asked.

  Was he teasing or fishing for information? And really, how badly was she deluding herself?

  She wasn’t some hideous troll but guys like this didn’t ask out girls like her, with her reading glasses hanging around her neck and her skirt a safe two inches below her knees and her buttoned-up blouse.

  She resisted the urge to look down at herself to see if she’d actually buttoned it all the way to her neck this morning.

  Besides, professional athletes had bad reputations. Not that she’d ever dated one. But her sister had dated an NFL player she’d met at a party during training camp at a local college. And he’d been a huge asshole.

  “No, I don’t. But I—”

  “Then I’ll leave two tickets for you at the door.” His smile widened. “Bring a friend.”

  “I’m not sure I can. I’ve—”

  “Come on, you’ll have a great time. We’re playing the second-best team in the league. It’ll be a good game.”

  He grinned and…oh wow. That smile should be illegal. It made her thighs…and other parts…clench.

  And she couldn’t resist asking, “So who’s the best team in the league?”

  “We are.” His smile widened even more and she felt her insides tighten and heat. “Our team won the Calder Cup last year and we’re looking to repeat this year.”

  She nodded like she knew what winning a Calder Cup meant.

  Then she resisted the urge to bat her eyes at him and pet his chest.

  “So, Miss Martin, wanna come to a game tomorrow night?”

  Riley watched the woman in front of him think really hard about her answer to his question.

  And he had to admit, his pride was taking a hit.

  Usually, women jumped at the chance to accept whatever he was offering. Tickets, dinner, sex…

  Then again, most of those women knew who he was and what he did. Most of them sought him out and, even if they didn’t, he didn’t have to do much chasing.

  This girl was nothing like those others who went out of their way to catch his eye, except for one—she was hot. From the top of her blonde head to the tips of her toes in those little heels and everything in between, this girl flipped all of his switches.

  But she didn’t seem to want anything to do with him.

  Well, damn. Wasn’t that just par for his fucking course this year?

  He hadn’t really wanted to do this today, hadn’t wanted to have to fight through the bullshit of medical bills and be reminded of the injury that’d nearly killed his career last season.

  He’d figured he’d be up against some middle-aged battle-ax who’d question him for five minutes, make him feel like a criminal for daring to question the mighty hospital’s bill, and make him fill out a shit-ton of forms.

  But when he’d stepped into the office and seen that beautiful ass in that tight black skirt sticking up in the air, he’d been understandably turned on.

  Then she’d stood and every naughty librarian fantasy he’d ever had flashed through his brain.

  Hell, his mouth had gone dry.

  “Um,” she finally said, “I’m really not sure if I can get there tomorrow night.”

  Well, at least it wasn’t a flat-out no. He could work with that.

  Toning down his smile by a few watts, he leaned his arms on the counter separating them. “Well, how about this? I’ll leave the tickets at will-call, and if you can come, you can pick them up there. Then maybe we can go out for a drink afterward.”

  Her p
ale-blue eyes widened and she didn’t answer right away. Shit, maybe he should’ve waited to ask her out for that drink. But he wasn’t known for keeping his mouth shut, on or off the ice.

  “A bunch of us usually go out after the game.”

  “So… it’d be a group thing?”

  He’d make it whatever she wanted. “Yeah, a group.”

  Her teeth sank into her bottom lip and he had to swallow a groan.

  “I’d really hate to say yes and then not show up. The tickets will go to waste. I should really just—”

  “The tickets won’t go to waste,” he assured her, knowing she’d been about to turn him down. “We never sell out. I’ll leave two. Bring a friend.”

  Now her tongue came out to lick at her lips, and it was all he could do not to reach out and let his finger run over that plump bottom lip.

  “Well, my sister loves sports.”

  There were more where she came from? Someone on the team was going to owe him big time. “Bring her along. The more, the merrier.” Then his smile toned down even more. “Don’t say no. I’ll leave the tickets at the will-call window, and I’ll give the guard your name so you and your sister can meet me downstairs after the game. I’ll give you my number and you can text me for directions.”

  It took a second but finally she smiled. “Okay. I’ll see if my sister can go.”

  Their gazes held for a few more seconds and, for the first time in his life, Riley found himself without a single thing to say.

  If she hadn’t looked down at the bill she still held in her hands, he wasn’t sure how long they would’ve stood there, staring into each other’s eyes. And he wouldn’t have minded.

  Then she sighed. “And I hate to say this but I think I’m going to have to get back to you about your bill. Our system is messed up and I can’t get online at the moment.”

  “No problem.” Just meant he’d have an excuse to talk to her again if he didn’t see her tomorrow night. Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen from the counter, he wrote his name and number and slid it across the counter.

  She took it, their fingertips brushing as the paper exchanged hands.