Page 2 of Icebound Hearts
“That joke’s as old as you are, bro,” he fires back. Again, the locker room explodes in laughter, but I chuckle along with everyone else. I am one of the older guys on the team, although I’m nowhere near past my prime as a pro athlete.
“In all seriousness, though, do you mind if I stop by on the way home?” I ask Reese as the banter and chatter continues around us. “I think Jake left his stuffed rabbit over there the other day when we were over for dinner, and he’s been missing it a lot.”
“Oh, yeah, of course.” He nods. “Or I can just bring it to you next practice.”
I grimace. “I don’t think Jake’s going to be okay with that.”
“And you’re sure it’s at my place?”
“Almost positive. Neither of us remember seeing it since we were there. So either he left it at your place, or he dropped it in the parking lot at the grocery store or something. But I think one of us would’ve noticed that. He doesn’t go anywhere without that rabbit.”
“Got it. Well, I’ve got some errands I have to run before I head home, but here.” He drags his gym bag closer and rummages around inside, then pulls out a key and tosses it to me. “I always keep a spare in my bag, just in case. You can let yourself in and take a look, although fair warning, I don’t remember seeing a stuffed rabbit anywhere.”
“Well, it’s worth a shot, anyway.” I grin gratefully at him. “You sure Callie won’t mind me stopping by?”
Reese waves that away. “Nah, she’ll still be at school teaching, so the house should be empty—unless you happen to walk in on a burglary-in-progress,” he adds with a chuckle, and I roll my eyes at him.
“Hilarious. But thanks, I appreciate it. And I’m sure Jake will appreciate it even more. He’s been missing his stuffy ever since he realized he lost it.”
“No problem.” Reese runs a hand through his damp blond hair. “Just drop the key on the counter and make sure you lock up when you leave.”
“Will do,” I promise.
I tuck the key in the front zipper of my gear bag, then peel off the rest of my equipment and take a quick shower before packing everything up and hitting the road. My lips turn down into a frown as I check the time on the clock in my car’s dash. I’ve got less than an hour left with the sitter I hired for Jake today, and Reese’s place is at least twenty minutes away from mine, so I’ve got to make this quick.
I shoot the sitter a quick text to let her know I might be a little late, then pull up navigation going to Reese’s house. He lives closer to the arena than I do, and traffic is light in the middle of the afternoon, so it doesn’t take me long to get there. Just like he said, Callie’s car is gone, so I really will have the house to myself.
In the driveway, I dig the key out of my bag and hurry to the front door to let myself in. I don’t have a clue where Jake might have left the rabbit, assuming it’s even here, so I walk around the living room, retracing my memory of where he hung out while we visited the other day. But as soon as I round the corner of the large L-shaped couch, I spot it sitting neatly in the middle, leaning to one side.
“Thanks, Callie,” I murmur with a smile.
She must have found the rabbit and knew one of us would be looking for it, so she put it in a conspicuous place. I reach for the rabbit—then freeze when I hear a thud from upstairs.
“What the…?” I mutter.
The house is supposed to be empty, and there aren’t any cars in the driveway other than mine, so I have no idea what made that sound.
Reese’s joke repeats in my head.Unless you happen to walk in on a burglary-in-progress.
Suddenly, it’s not so funny. My teammate lives in a nice home in a nice area, so it’s unlikely, but if it’s not an intruder, then who the hell is it?
I tuck the rabbit under one arm and walk to the bottom of the stairs and stop, straining to hear anything else. But nothing reaches my ears. Still, I think about going back to the car to grab my hockey stick, just in case.
You’re imagining things, Townsend. Just drop the key and leave.
As soon I have that thought, I hear something that sounds a lot like music drifting downstairs. I highly doubt a burglar would be blasting their favorite playlist during a break-in, so curiosity gets the better of me, and before I realize it, I’m halfway up the stairs. The music gets louder, and at the top of the stairs I realize it’s someone—a woman—humming.
I follow the sound of the humming to the guest bedroom down the hall where the door hangs wide open. The humming turns to full-on singing as I reach the door and step through it. A naked woman with soaking wet blonde hair stands in front of the full-length mirror, holding a hairbrush to her mouth like a microphone.
A startled sound escapes me, and she yelps and whips around as she realizes she’s not alone, dropping the hairbrush in surprise.
Violet.
I freeze in shock, my eyes widening as I take in the sight of Violet’s willowy curves and pale skin. Her blonde hair looks darker than usual, thanks to the water clinging to the strands, and for a moment, heat curls low in my gut as we stand staring at each other. Her full lips are slightly parted, her hazel eyes framed by long, thick lashes, and there’s a slight flush to her cheeks that only serves to highlight her gorgeous cheekbones.
It hits me in a rush that I’m staring at Reese’ssister, and I wrench my gaze away, clearing my throat.
“Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was here,” I mutter, still a little stunned—and unable to shake the image I just saw from my mind.