Decidedly with Luck (By the Bay #6) - Stina Lindenblatt Page 0,2

help me get through it. And you know the best part?”

I shook my head, clueless at what it could be.

“Just because you lose someone you loved doesn’t mean you’ll never love again.” She winked at me, confirming she did know the truth. What else had my dear sweet sister shared? My social security number? “I found a new prince, and I’m just as much in love with him as I was with my sweet Alfred.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” My words had more to do with her falling in love with someone new than the chance of that happening to me again.

I shifted on my feet and twisted toward the orchestra, now playing a new piece.

I could almost imagine Cinderella and Prince Charming waltzing to the music with the other couples dancing.

“Would you like to dance?” The question was a low murmur against my ear, and my insides quivered once again, in a way that would make a bowl of Jell-O envious.

2

Logan

The blue-eyed, blonde beauty had turned to the dance floor, where couples were moving in time to the music. Some clearly knew how to waltz—unlike me.

I was a hockey player, not a dancer. But that hadn’t stopped me from asking Kiera if she wanted to dance. I’d sensed she wanted to escape my grandmother’s questioning as much as I did.

This wasn’t the first time I’d met Kiera. Her husband, Stephen Ashdown, had been both my teammate in college and best friend.

The last time I’d seen her was at his funeral a year ago.

And Christ, she still looked as beautiful as she had back then. Beautiful, but not as sad.

How did I know she was the same Kiera I’d met in college?

I’d seen her checking into the hotel with a man a few hours ago. Although at the time, I hadn’t realized he was her brother-in-law.

The unnamed emotion I’d experienced when I saw her with the man I thought was her new boyfriend hadn’t been alone. Shock, excitement, desire had all been its teammates, along with unease. The unease felt when you’re slammed into the boards during a game, and you pray you haven’t just exacerbated a previous injury.

I shook the thought aside. Happiness—that was what I should’ve felt at seeing her. And I had. Because Kiera being here, not far from the ski slopes where Stephen had lost his life, meant she was moving on. Which was exactly what he would’ve wanted.

Kiera looked at me and smiled. It was the smile I’d missed seeing all these years. A smile that had been absent the day of Stephen’s funeral. In its place had been the reserved, relieved-to-see-me smile, but nothing beyond that.

This smile? It was all dimples and had been responsible for a few of my morning hard-ons in college.

She tilted her head to the side. “I would love to dance. Thank you.”

I held out my hand and led her to the dance floor, silently thanking my daughter’s love of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast for teaching me what I was supposed to do in situations like this. It wasn’t as if playing with the Chicago Blackhawks had prepared me for this moment.

Away from my grandmother’s prying eyes, I parked my hand on Kiera’s waist. The zap of electricity from earlier, when I kissed the back of her hand, hummed through me again.

Kiera’s gaze locked on mine. Her lips parted slightly, and the tip of her tongue traveled slowly along her lower lip. The move sent a shot of red-hot desire to my cock.

I don’t think she even realized she’d done it. The move seemed subconscious.

With one hand still on her waist, the other holding her hand, I started swaying to the music. Her soft floral scent that I remembered so well prompted a kaleidoscope of memories. Memories of sitting next to her in geology class. Of studying with her. Of introducing her to my best friend at a party. I’d never had a chance with her after that.

The soft waves of her dark-blonde hair brushed teasingly against the fabric of her low-cut dress. Without meaning to, I let my gaze wander down to her mouthwatering cleavage. But what did you expect? I was a hot-blooded man, after all.

The gold scripted letters of her necklace glinted in the light, and the adrenaline rush of an overtime goal pulsed through my veins.

She still has it?

I’d given her the “Believe” necklace as a graduation gift after I’d seen it in a store while the Blackhawks were in Nashville for a game.