Chapter 12
OFF LIMITS NEVER LOOKED LIKE THIS (NATE)
Iwalk out of the PT room, my skin too tight, the ghost of her touch burning in places I shouldn’t be thinking about. She’d been all business, but my head had been nowhere near clinical.
By the time I hit the rink, I’m still buzzing, and it’s a problem. Coach is going to bench me if I don’t get my head straight, and right now every blink puts her back in front of me, close enough to touch, close enough to wreck me.
“That’s three in a row,” Liam calls out from the top of the circle after I let another easy save slide past. “Getting slow, Russo. You hungover or aging out?”
I flash the glove, show the pocket—come and get it. “Try aiming next time, Cap. Hitting the center of my chest isn’t a flex.”
The guys snort. Wesley bangs his stick on the boards. “He’s got a point, man. Try top shelf next time.”
Their chirps barely register. Every time I blink, I see Eden—flushed, unsettled. I got under her skin without laying a hand on her. I’m finally closing the distance I’ve wanted to erase for years.
“Last round,” Coach Novak barks. “Then stretch and cool down.”
The skaters break into pairs; I peel away. Goalies finish earlier, and I take full advantage. I strip off my mask and gloves, drag a towel over my neck, and drop my blocker on the bench.
“Yo, Russo!” Alex calls as he glides by. “You look wound for overtime. I know a girl who could loosen you up. You in or what?”
“Hard pass.”
“Come on, man.” Alex grins. “You’ve been radiating tension all week. Get laid. Scowl less.”
“Seriously,” Wesley chimes in. “You’re more twisted than Finn before a playoff game.”
“Not anymore,” Finn chimes in. “Happily married and extremely relaxed.”
They’re not wrong. But it isn’t only tension.
It’s Eden. Ten years of nothing, and now she’s close enough to touch, close enough to wreck me.
My pulse hammers, my head’s a mess, and I’ve already made the call—I want her.
Bad. And if she somehow missed the memo, my body made sure the announcement was as clear as a summer day.
“Is everyone on this damn team domesticated now?” I grumble.
“Not Alex,” Liam says. “And he’s trying to corrupt you.”
Alex shakes his head, but I’m tuning out. I need someone who can help me make sense of Eden. And there’s only one person who knows her well enough to give me information I can use.
A couple hours later, I’m standing outside Leo Carver’s boxing gym in Williamsburg. The place resembles a converted garage with a cracked sign and zero pretension. Heavy bags swing from steel beams, and the smell of sweat hits me the second I push the door open.
Leo’s in the ring, working mitts with a coach. He doesn’t see me at first, too locked in. When he finally glances over, his gaze narrows.
“Well shit,” he says, ducking out between the ropes. “Didn’t think I’d see your ass here.”
I offer a shrug and pull him into a quick hug—one of those chest-bump, back-slap deals that says more than either of us would admit. “Missed your pretty face. You’ve got a big one coming up, yeah? January?”
“Yeah. Madison Square Garden. Title fight, defending my belt.”
“You ready?”
He grins, all calm confidence. “I will be.”
We drift toward the drink station. We still hang out—grabbing a beer when our schedules align, trading texts about the Knicks, catching the occasional fight together.
But it’s been a minute since I came to him like this.
Face to face. Not just as his buddy, but as a guy trying not to mess up my shot with his sister.
“What’s up?” he asks, wiping sweat from his jaw. “You don’t drop by unless you’ve got something on your mind.”
“Wanted to see you.”
He gives me a flat look. “That all?”
I hesitate, then dive in. “It’s about Eden.”
Leo’s posture shifts. “What about her?”
“She’s my new PT.”
He blinks. “Seriously?”
I nod. “Figured you’d want to hear it from me. NDA and all, I know she probably didn’t say anything.”
“No, she didn’t,” he says slowly. “Said she had a new high-profile athlete, left it at that. Guess that tracks.”
“She’s good,” I say. “Magic touch. She ever do craniosacral on you?”
He huffs a laugh. “Fight week, pre-spar, day before weigh-ins—anytime, really. Focus snaps on. Neck lets go. Sleep hits quick. Now the whole gym’s hooked.” He jerks his chin at the mats. “Heavyweights line up for a session whenever she stops by.”
I laugh. He’s not wrong.
Eyes still on me, he takes a pull from the bottle. “And you’re…okay with her treating you?”
“She’s the best. I need the best.”
“Didn’t ask if she’s good. I asked if you’re okay.”
I breathe out. “Working on it. She feels…different now.”
His shoulders tighten—protective, not pissed. “She rebuilt after her ex tore her down. Took years to get her footing.” His voice drops. “And before…her first year in college was worse.”
The jaw, the tone—there’s an ugly story there. It still burns in him.
“What do you mean?”
He shakes his head. “Not my story to tell. What matters is she’s finally herself again. So if she’s letting you in, don’t screw it up.”
I nod, but my head’s gone. She’s got a permanent place there—in my thoughts, under my skin.
“She doesn’t talk much about herself,” I say.
“Not with most people.” He caps the bottle.
“She learned to keep her guard up. I didn’t protect her back then.
Won’t happen again.” His look sharpens; the air shifts.
“Whatever you’re thinking—and don’t insult my intelligence by denying it—remember this.
She’s grown and she can handle herself. But I’m still her brother. ”
It’s a warning, wrapped in care. He trusts me. He loves her more.
“I hear you.”
“Good.” He jerks his chin at the ring. “You want a round?”
“Nah,” I say, stepping back. “Just needed to clear my head.”
Leo grins faintly. “Let me guess, didn’t work?”
“Not even close.” I clap his shoulder, but my mind’s already back on her, spinning on the way she looked at me this morning, on the feel of her hands on my thigh.
I need to stop obsessing about Eden Carver.
My phone buzzes—Jessica: Sponsor mixer at the W Gramercy. Thirty minutes. Shake hands, smile, go home. Camille from Helios will host you.
I groan. I owe Jess; she’s representing my best friend and has pulled the Defenders out of a bender too many times to count.
Fine. I’ll show my face tonight and bounce.