Anna Sugden - A Perfect Distraction

And how worthless Jake was.

“There, but for the grace of God and a seat belt,” he muttered.

“You’re not giving me that crap about how it should have been you?”

“Nah. Haven’t you heard? Only the good die young.”

“Don’t turn Adam into a saint. He was human, with faults like the rest of us. He nearly killed you in that accident.”

“If it’d been me—” Jake held up a hand to forestall Tru’s objection “—what kind of tributes would I have had? Nothing to make anyone proud of me.” His chest tightened.

Tru snorted with disgust. “Can the pity party. To paraphrase Saint Adam, most guys would give a left nut to have one night in your shoes. You’re always the same—all or nothing. When you set yourself a goal, it’s impossible to get you to veer from the path.” Tru calmed his tone. “Single-minded determination is great, but not for your personal life. There has to be a middle ground.”

Jake couldn’t imagine what that would be. “Like what?”

“Ditching the parties and other wild stuff is fine, but what’s wrong with dating a nice woman?”

“I told you, it’ll be a distraction.” Despite himself, however, a hint of doubt crept into Jake’s mind.

He’d always had women skating in and out of his life like players on a shift change. Women who’d relished his lifestyle as much as he had. He’d never dated one woman steadily, let alone someone ordinary, like Maggie. How would that even work?

Tru continued, “Having a good woman in your life and in your bed is a great way to balance out the stress. Hell, if I found someone like that I’d grab her in a heartbeat.”

Jake frowned at the hint of wistfulness in his friend’s voice, but their arrival at the rink ended the conversation. As they skated drills, he mulled over Tru’s suggestion.

Would dating the right woman be so bad?

In the past, Jake would have shuddered at the thought of making a commitment. He would have been horrified at the quiet life he planned to have now.

Yet neither prospect filled him with the dread they once would have. Maybe because he knew nothing could be worse than the alternative he’d escaped. He still had a choice about how to live his life. Adam sure as hell didn’t.

He pulled up sharply, his angled skates created a showering arc of ice. Maggie was nothing like the women in his past. For sure, she wouldn’t tempt him into his old ways.

Taking a pass from Tru, Jake fired a puck at the practice net, pumping his stick in the air in celebration when he scored. Maybe he should give dating Maggie a shot.

What did he have to lose?

* * *

“HOW ARE THINGS going with Jake?”

Though Tracy’s question was, on the surface, innocent enough, Maggie fought to control a blush. “Fine.”

She focused on her notes, hoping her sister wouldn’t notice, though it was hard to avoid Tracy’s curious gaze when sitting beside her bed.

There were still two days left of the promised week of bed rest, and allowing Tracy to work for a few hours each day was the only way to stop her from going stir-crazy. Twice-daily update sessions were the only way, short of handcuffing Tracy to the bed, to keep her from going downstairs.

This morning’s review had gone smoothly. Until now.

“No more problems after that little bust up?” Tracy put aside her laptop.

“Not really.” Maggie wasn’t about to admit how much her growing attraction to Jake troubled her. No matter how many times she talked sternly to herself, one sniff of his clean, masculine scent or the warm brush of his hand against the small of her back and her pulse danced. As often as she reminded herself of how wrong he was for her, temptation would try to override her caution. Tantalizing her to relax her guard against this bad boy.

What harm could it do?

Too bloody much. Didn’t she have the physical and emotional scars to prove it? No way could Maggie consider taking that dangerous path again.

Tracy cut into her thoughts. “I sense a but.”

“The house hunt is going in circles.” Her lips twisted. “I’m letting you down.”

“It’s not your fault the right place isn’t out there. Give it a little longer. You never know when the ideal house will be listed.”

“But training camp is imminent. The Ice Cats won’t be happy if I don’t deliver on time.”

“Actually, the Cats are very pleased with how you’re managing Jake’s requirements. They’ve even asked me to take on another player, a guy they’re bringing in from the Swedish Elite League. Thanks to your efforts to bring my admin stuff up to date, too, I was able to say yes.” Tracy leaned against the pillows with a satisfied smile. “I can almost taste that retainer.”

“That’s great. Are you sure you don’t want to take over with Jake?”

“I’ll have my hands full with this Swedish guy. Bringing in an overseas player is complicated because he hasn’t got a credit history. Signing him up for basics like electricity is a nightmare. Besides, like I said, you’re doing a good job.” Tracy’s gaze sharpened. “Is Jake giving you a hard time?”

“No. He’s lived up to his promise.” She paused, then admitted, “He’s not what I expected. He’s actually pretty good company.”

“Really?” Her sister arched an eyebrow.

“He talks about something other than sports, for a start. He’s not patronizing and he doesn’t mind if my opinion differs from his. I can say what I think and he’ll listen.”

“He’s hot, too.” Tracy grinned.

“He’s a client.” Maggie kept her voice steady. “All he’s interested in is finding a house, and all I’m interested in is ensuring he’s happy with our service, so you get that contract.”

“Once that’s done, you could still have a little fun with him.”

“I had my fun and suffered for it. Worse, so did Emily.”

Though she’d fiercely protected her daughter from Lee’s physical abuse, the emotional strain had taken a toll on Emily. Maggie’s throat tightened as she recalled how her bright, bubbly daughter had grown more withdrawn every time Lee had gone on a rampage. How she’d clung to Maggie, never wanting her to be out of sight. As if she’d known he wouldn’t hit her mother if she was there. At least until that final, awful night. “I won’t let her suffer again.”

“Sweetie, I know how much you both suffered. The last thing I want is for you ever to be in that situation again.” Tracy took hold of Maggie’s hand. “But you can’t let that stop you from ever going out with another guy.”

“I won’t.” Maggie squeezed her sister’s hand. “I’m just not ready yet. Even if I was, Jake’s totally the wrong guy for me.”

“There’s a wrong guy for having fun with?”

“There is for me. No more sports stars. No more rich and famous. It took a long time to learn the lesson, but I’ve learned it well.”

“I’ve never heard even a hint of anything bad about Jake. Women tend to gush about how wonderful he is.”

“Still, he’s not for me. He’s a hockey hard man who makes his living fighting and hitting.” She doubted anyone who displayed the cold-blooded aggression she’d seen in the video clips online—okay, so she’d done a Google search—could turn it off in other areas of his life. Lee certainly couldn’t.

No matter how much she liked Jake or how her body reacted to him, Maggie couldn’t afford to take a risk on him. Not just for her sake, but for Emily’s.

“When the time is right, I’ll start dating again. Assuming I can find the right kind of man.”

Tracy studied her carefully. “All right,” she said finally. “In the meantime, can you at least get rid of those dreary outfits?”

Maggie stiffened. “They might be plain, but they’re smart. You hardly want me in full WAG gear when I’m dealing with your clients.”