Joanne Rock - Her Man Advantage

He released her hand in a hurry.

“Story lines?” An unmistakable scowl crossed Axel’s face and she knew a moment’s gratitude she wasn’t facing this man as an opponent out on the ice.

“Yes. I’ll want to see which player is struggling to stay on the team and which one is battling problems at home.” She clicked through some of the more basic narratives that came to mind in a piece where ratings mattered. “I’ll need to see who will make a good candidate for a love interest—”

“Love interest?” Axel Rankin’s color warmed up a shade as his deep voice pitched even lower. The tone was more like a strangled whisper.

And yes, she took a bit of sadistic pleasure of her own in his obvious discomfort since Axel had assaulted her nostrils with deadly intent.

“Yes.” She tucked a curl behind her ear, warming up to the job. “Perhaps you have a girlfriend who wouldn’t mind a little extra screen time?”

Axel’s mouth flattened into a straight line, his face devoid of expression. As if she’d hit a nerve he wouldn’t admit. She could be reading into it, of course, but in her field of work she’d gotten adept at coaching nonprofessional actors into evoking a mood on camera. The nuances of body language were well-known to her.

And somehow, she’d upset the hulking defenseman who’d probably sent opponents to the E.R.

“I don’t think so, Ms. Hunter.” He straightened, his Finnish accent all the more pronounced when he spoke formally. “In fact, I don’t think a player’s private life should be open for viewing in a documentary that’s supposed to be about a sport.”

When he moved past her as if to end their conversation, she realized she needed to mend fences. Coming into the Phantoms’ rink with a chip on her shoulder about the project had been a bad idea. As frustrated as she might be about this series, she didn’t want to alienate all the players before she even began shooting. She had to make a successful series in order to clear the way for what she really wanted to create—a documentary about the way girls used social media to ostracize those they rejected socially. Bullying didn’t begin to describe how mean-girl culture could stomp out an innocent enemy the way Jennifer’s sister, Julia, had been made an outcast by the girls in her school.

And Jennifer had been born with a need to fix problems when she encountered them, a compulsion increased by her single mother’s complete lack of parenting. Jen hadn’t minded raising herself while her mother worked two jobs and returned to college. But she’d been irritated on her younger sister’s behalf when her mother hadn’t stepped up for Julia, either. Their father hadn’t been a factor, coming around every few years to borrow a few bucks from their mom.

“Of course, you’re right.” She reached for Axel’s forearm. “Some people—believe it or not—jump at the chance to land their friends and family on camera. If you’d rather not, that’s fine.”

Pausing, he planted his hockey stick on the industrial carpet and seemed to reassess her.

He was a striking man. Not traditionally handsome with that U-shaped scar on his cheek and the stark, angular features softened only by those blue eyes. But the imposing strength of him would give any woman a thrill. Even without the hockey pads, he would be an impressive size.

Her cheeks heated at where her mind went after that, a girly blush that probably hadn’t happened to her since high school. And Axel Rankin couldn’t have possibly missed it, his eyes roaming over her … lingering here and there for the scenic tour before meeting her gaze again.

“But you’ll still be looking for story lines.” The blue stare turned darker. Stormier.

And for reasons she couldn’t fully fathom, she didn’t want to tick him off any more. If only for the sake of the show, she felt called to make nice with him.

“That’s part of the job,” she admitted. “If all I did was show your team playing hockey, I wouldn’t have anything different than a game broadcast. My work will let fans get to know you on a more personal level.”

She would find a way to reveal the deeper story behind the game. She’d received critical acclaim in her first two years as a full-fledged director for a small film company. But she had yet to produce anything that made money and her higher-ups insisted she make a more marketable film before she got the green light for the project dear to her heart.

“That wasn’t in the job description.” He lifted the hockey stick and thudded the end on the carpet once, twice, three times.

“And choking to death in noxious locker rooms wasn’t in mine, either, but here I am.” She reached for his stick and, leaving it in his hands, she copied his action of tapping it on the floor to punctuate her words. Once, twice, three times. Then she let go. “We might as well make the best of it.”

One dark eyebrow lifted.

“Why was a woman who wants to make the best of it hiding from me earlier? Eavesdropping while I wondered aloud where you were?”

“My natural instincts for self-preservation must have kicked in when I heard you banging on the conference room door.”

He seemed to consider that, scratching the inside of a shin guard with his hockey stick.

“I might have knocked a bit forcefully,” he conceded. “I was anxious to find you before the full effect of my workout died down.” He waved a hand around his chest to waft the scent of sweat her way.

Covering her nose with one hand, she used the other to point at him accusingly. “I knew you looked sadistically pleased when you shook my hand. You were trying to asphyxiate me.”

He grinned and she was a little surprised to see beautiful, straight, white teeth. Maybe she’d formed a few premature perceptions about hockey players. What other sexy surprises might be hidden inside the six foot five inches of this mysterious man? Suddenly, she was curious to know Axel better.

“Just trying to acclimate you to your new environment.” Tugging off his helmet, he unveiled cropped brown hair that was spiked up on top from the headgear. “You’ll have to get used to it sooner or later.”

Awareness crackled between them even though he didn’t seem too happy about it. She wasn’t thrilled with the realization, either, but there you go. Who could predict physical chemistry?

“How thoughtful.” She found herself eager to see what he looked like after his shower. “Since you’re so committed to making me feel welcome, maybe you’d consider showing me around after you wash up?”

She wasn’t sure why she’d asked. No, that wasn’t true. She knew why she’d asked—she was drawn to Axel Rankin. She’d always struggled with a tendency toward impulsiveness. But she couldn’t act on that flash of chemistry when they’d be working together. When she might very well have to extract a story line from him that he wouldn’t like.

But it was too late to call back the words.

Surprise registered on Axel’s face a split second before heat flared in his eyes.

“They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” He tucked his helmet under his arm. “Guess that means I ought to take you up on the offer.”

“Because we’re sure to be friends, right?” She needed a few allies on this project if she wanted to get through the upcoming weeks.

He cast her a level glance while the Zamboni made quick work of smoothing over the rink.

“We’ll find out soon enough.”

AXEL STALLED. BIG-TIME.

He made a few more passes over his chest with the soap, wearing the bar down to nothing after spending so long in the shower willing away his reaction to the mouthy filmmaker. He needed a game plan for sending Jennifer Hunter packing before he did something stupid like act on the surprising attraction.