Skate the Line: A Single Dad Hockey Romance (Blue Devils Hockey Book 2)

It’s official.

I’m a fucking creep, and now she’s going to know it.

Listening to Sunny talk to my daughter without realizing I was listening was wrong. But can you blame a guy with trust issues? I mean, hell, the last nanny locked Ellie in her room.

Of course I’m going to eavesdrop.

Though, it proved that I have nothing to worry about.

In all honesty, it sort of made me jealous.

I’ve been begging Ellie to open up and tell me things about her classmates, the playground, anything, but she just shrugs and walks away, unwilling to act anything but bored when it comes to school.

Two weeks with her new nanny and she’s suddenly spilling secrets about some little punk who told her that blue is a boy color?

Sunny is good with her.

She isn’t good with being innovative as I rush to catch her, though.

“Rhodes.” Her warm breath fans down to my hands on her waist, and I tighten my grip.

She catches my disappointed look and quickly glances away, like she’s in trouble.

God, she has a perfect body. I can tell, even in these paint-splattered overalls she’s wearing. My thumbs brush against the skin below her cropped white tee, and thank god the rest of my grip is positioned over the denim.

There’s a slash of white paint on her face that I want to wipe away in the worst way.

“Good thing you were there, Daddy!” Ellie’s voice pulls me to reality.

I peer back at her and bring Sunny with me. I place her on the ground and hastily remove my hands from her body as if they’re going to catch on fire at any second.

“I’m quick,” I admit, in hopes that Sunny doesn’t learn I was hovering outside the door, listening to them.

Sunny rocks back onto her heels with her cheeks sucked in slightly. She doesn’t meet my eye.

“What exactly were you doing…” I glance at the books on the floor. “Using your books as a ladder?”

Her cheeks puff with air before letting it all out in one big huff. “Well, I didn’t want to stand on the brand-new furniture…”

“Or ask me for help?” I raise my eyebrows. Maybe she’s a little too independent. “I have an actual ladder, you know. One that you’re welcome to climb anytime.”

I internally wince. That came out wrong.

Touching her flipped a switch in my head, because since when does the word ladder have a double meaning? She’s welcome to climb it anytime? Fucking Christ.

“It’s fine.” The soft angle of her chin catches my attention as she looks to the corner of the room. “I got it in the midst of my near tumble.” She laughs quietly.

“You got your face too.” I shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans so I don’t reach out and wipe the paint from her face.

Irritation crawls up my spine. Why am I acting like this?

It’s been a while since I’ve been with someone, but still.

Get a fucking grip.

I’m not sixteen.

She’s attractive.

So what?

Not to mention, she’s way too young for me to even think about.

She isn’t that young. She turns twenty-six soon.

I growl silently at the voice in the back of my head.

There are six years between us.

That’s too young.

But is it?

Fuck, why am I arguing with myself?

“Oh.” Sunny rubs the back of her hand over her face, making the paint smear worse.

I snort, and she shoots me a close-lipped smile, breaking the weird tension that I’m pretty sure I only felt.

“Thanks for catching me,” she says, looking embarrassed. “I guess you are quick.”

I shrug it off. “I’m just good with my hands.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

First, I mention how I have a ladder she can climb anytime, and now I’m telling her I’m good with my hands? To save myself from the absolute shitshow I’m currently the star of, I turn toward Ellie.

“Wow, look at you.” I scan her from head to toe. I almost laugh but quickly register the T-shirt that’s hanging down to her knees. “Where the hell did you get that shirt?”

“Daddy.” Ellie’s small fists go to her hips. “You said hell.”

I hear Sunny’s hushed laughter from behind, but I’ve since banned myself from looking at her.

“So did you,” I argue.

She flattens her lips.

“Now tell me where you got that shirt.” I assume it is one of my teammates. They are always telling Ellie to do things that they know will irritate me. Harmless things, but still.

The hawk logo is supposed to be on her chest, but the shirt is so big on her it falls to her stomach.

Washington Hawks. Which of the guys played for them? They’re in a different division than the Blue Devils, and the last time I played against them, I was a rookie.

“Oh.” Sunny steps forward. “That’s mine.”

She’s a Hawks fan?

That makes sense. She used to live in Washington.

I make a mental note to get her some Blue Devils attire because…absolutely not.

“I was planning on pitching it, so I figured it could double as a smock for Ellie. That way, she wouldn’t ruin her own clothes.” Sunny’s usual cheery vibe dulls while she explains this to me.

“Are you sure?” I ask. “I can always buy you a new one…” I clear my throat. “Though it would kill me.”

She laughs, and just like that, the spark is back in her eye.

“I’m positive. I wouldn’t want you to betray your team like that.”

As if she wants to change the subject, she gasps dramatically while looking at the wall behind us.

“Oh. My. Gosh.” She quickly brushes past me and moves to stand by Ellie. “Look at your painting!”

Ellie beams. “Do you like it?”

On the wall, in yellow paint, are three little stick figures. I assume I’m the tall one with a… horizontal line for a smile. Rude. Then there’s a shorter one with a huge smile and hair that looks as long as Rapunzel’s. And then…

I check back into the conversation. Ellie points to the last stick figure.

“And that’s you!” she says to Sunny. “I made you closest to the sun because of your name.”

Sunny smiles. “You know what? I love it. I’m keeping it.”

“You are?” Ellie is surprised but pleased all the same.

Sunny bends down to get on her level. “Of course I am. I’ll put a little frame around it. Maybe you’ll be an artist like me.”

I glance at her “ladder” and read the titles: Art History, Art from the 1800s, Romanticism in Art.

Hmm. Does she have an art degree?

“You better go wash up! It’s your big movie night.”

Ellie told Sunny all about our movie night? What else is she telling her?

Before she leaves me alone with her nanny, she stops at the last second and looks at me with soft and hopeful eyes. “Can Sunny watch the movie with us tonight?”

I pause. “Uh, well…”

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

A movie night with Ellie and her nanny?

I swing my attention to Sunny. Please say no.

Her smile is forced. She looks to Ellie and then back to me.

It’s like I can read her mind.

She doesn’t want to refuse, upsetting Ellie, but she doesn’t want to accept and upset me.

Shit.

This is new territory. I’ve never had a nanny last this long, and I’ve surely never had one live with us. I lift my hand and squeeze the back of my neck to ease the tension there. “If Sunny wants to join, she can. But remember, Printsessa, she is technically off the clock when I’m home. Now, go wash up.”

Ellie quickly looks at Sunny and then turns to disappear down the hall.

The room suddenly feels smaller without her in it, which is impossible.

“I don’t have to join if that makes you uncomfortable.” Sunny busies herself with closing the paint cans. “I totally understa⁠—”

“It doesn’t make me uncomfortable,” I lie. “Why would it?”

I said that way too quickly.

Sunny stops what she’s doing. Her fingers freeze on the paint can lids. I hear her swallow all the way across the room.

I hate that I’m interested in why she thinks it would make me uncomfortable. Does she know that I can’t stop staring at the little bit of skin playing peek-a-boo from her overalls? Does she also feel the undeniable tension between us whenever we’re alone?

When she doesn’t answer, I take a step closer. She’s kneeling on the floor below me, and the thoughts in my head would absolutely make her uncomfortable.

Her doe-like eyes peer up at me, and all I can think about is her on her knees, sucking me off.

Wait, what?

“Come or not.” My tone is cold, and it has nothing to do with her and everything to do with my incessant thoughts. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

I turn and walk out of her room.

I quickly pull my phone out of my pocket and text Malaki.

Did I just lie and request a babysitter for myself?

Yes. Yes, I fucking did.