Harlequin Superromance September 2013 - Bundle 1 of 2: Her Favorite Rival\A Perfect Distraction\To Trust a Cop by Sarah Mayberry

Author:Sarah Mayberry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“WELCOME BACK, Bad Boy.”

Tarkov, Ottawa’s high-scoring left-winger grunted as he and Jake clashed in the corner.

Jake crunched him to the boards, swiped the puck and shot it across the ice to Tru. “Good to be back.”

Within seconds, the Senators had possession once more and Jake and the Russian resumed their battle.

“I won’t take it so easy on you in the second,” Tarkov taunted as he hip checked Jake.

“You and which army?”

“Stemgarder.”

Jake’s response about the opposition’s goon was blunt and coarse. Again, he stripped Tarkov of the puck. He passed it to Juergen, whose slap shot rebounded off the crossbar and flew high into the netting, stopping play.

As Jake skated to the bench, he passed Stemgarder. They exchanged glares; they’d never liked each other. While he waited for the TV break to finish, he glanced across at the stands. Maggie was frowning.

He didn’t have time to consider why, as his shift was called.

When Tarkov skated toward the Cats’ goal, Jake cut him off. They collided and the Russian ate ice. Grinning, Jake skated behind the net ready to start a rush back the other way. As he did, his gaze strayed to Maggie.

She looked annoyed. Why?

During that momentary lapse in concentration, Tarkov took the puck off his blade and chipped it behind Ike for a score.

“Damn it, Jake.” Ike was furious. “Concentrate on the game, not your girlfriend.”

Jake tapped his friend’s pads in apology and skated to the bench.

The horn went for the end of the period. The Cats trooped off toward their locker room, giving him heat for his stupid mistake. While the coach talked tactics for the second period, Jake tried to get his head back in the game.

What the hell was wrong with him? He’d never lost concentration like that before. Fans had been yelling crap at him for years—he’d always blocked it out. Yet one angry look from Maggie and he’d been thrown off balance like a damn rookie.

As the team prepared to take the ice, Jake squared his shoulders. He wouldn’t think about Maggie for the rest of the game. Focus on winning.

Just before they stepped out, Ike growled, “Keep your mind out of your shorts for the next twenty minutes.”

Jake nodded sharply, then skated into position.

The second period was hard fought with possession swinging back and forth. Just before the intermission, Jake tipped the puck to JB, who banged it in the net for his first NHL goal.

“Glad you’re back in the game,” Tru said as they walked to the locker room.

“Sorry about earlier. It won’t happen again.”

Tru studied him closely. “Bad memory?”

He shook his head, unwilling to explain.

“Why don’t you get laid and do us all a favor?” Ike muttered.

Anger surged. “It’s got nothing to do with Maggie,” he lied.

“Yeah, right.”

Jake glared at Ike. His friend backed off.

He returned to the ice for the final period with renewed determination. His focus was complete, his concentration intent.

The Cats went ahead with a couple of quick goals, making the period even more frenetic. As the Senators tried to claw the score back level, Jake and Tru were pressed into extra shifts.

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