Skating on Thin Ice: Seattle Sockeyes (Game On in Seattle Book 1) by Jami Davenport Page B

minimized private interactions and made sure others were around when she was with him to reduce temptation. And the man was way too tempting.
    During the day she concentrated on team matters, but at night she succumbed to fantasies filled with sparkling blue eyes, a sexy half smile, and a hard muscular body. Not that she’d seen him naked, but she could imagine. Thank God, the team’s recent success had distracted her somewhat.
    Lauren pinched herself several times over the course of the last twenty-four hours as she realized how close this team was to achieving the impossible. They deserved this—every one of them, including the staff and coaches who’d worked so hard, slept little, and given it all to reach this point. They’d ride this ride however far it took them.
    The team played beyond their abilities, believing in themselves. And Cooper, who’d stuck with the team through all the adversity and losing seasons, had never once given up hope or sold out to the highest bidder. That type of loyalty didn’t exist in pro sports anymore. Cooper said once in a rare interview that you could only spend so much money, and the extra dollars didn’t come close to making up for the team and community relationships he’d built over the years.
    And Cooper had built relationships. He worked tirelessly on his different causes, especially children’s cancer, faithfully spending one day a week at the Children’s Hospital. He’d rarely missed a week in all the years he’d been with the team.
    Ethan needed to see that side of Cooper, understand where he was coming from, and appreciate him for the man he was off the ice as well as on the ice.
    The team had a few days before the next series began, and Lauren suspected Coop would be heading to the hospital with some teammates. Playing the stalker, she hung out until he finished practice and ambushed him as he walked off the ice.
    Usually happy to see her, Cooper pursed his lips, his eyes wary, as if her association with Ethan branded her as a possible traitor. Cooper didn’t like change. He liked everything exactly the way it should be, all lined up, neat and tidy. It served him well on the ice, where his precision counted big time. Off the ice, she wished the Giants’ star player would be a little more flexible, more open-minded to the possibilities of life without the Sleezers.
    “Are you going to see your kids this afternoon after practice?” She asked him.
    He stiffened and lifted his chin, setting his jaw and regarding her with a hooded gaze, as if he were trying to decipher her ulterior motives. “Yeah, Ced and I are.”
    “Good. Mind if Ethan and I tag along?” Lauren clutched her hands behind her back to hide her fidgeting.
    Cooper frowned. Oh, yeah, he minded, really minded, but he sighed, as if he knew arguing would get him nowhere. “If that’s what you want.”
    “What time and where should we meet you?”
    “We’ll be at the hospital around two PM . You can meet us there.” He slipped past her as if he couldn’t get away fast enough.
    So much for travelling in the same car, but Lauren would take what she got. Cooper was the easy part. Now to convince Ethan and to keep the two men from killing each other.
    * * * *
    Ethan didn’t see the point in invading Cooper’s private time, but Lauren wouldn’t back down. She wanted him to see a different side of Cooper. Feeling cranky and unsure why, Ethan tagged along.
    Lauren pulled her piece-of-crap car into the visitor parking at the University of Florida hospital. He rubbed the back of his neck and stared out the passenger window, not certain it was a good idea for him to be here.
    “I don’t think Cooper will appreciate me being here.”
    “Hang with me on this.” Lauren turned off the engine and got out, leaving him no choice but to follow or sit inside a car with the blistering sun beating down. He hurried to catch up to her, still annoyed at being kept in the dark. She punched the button for the fourth