Nate and Rebecca are the story I have been waiting for while reading all the others. Not to say that I didn't enjoy the other stories in the series, but there was so much in them leading up to this that I have been looking forward to it. A lot.
And, it didn't disappoint. Nate is the billionaire owner of the Brooklyn Bruisers and a bit of a tech geek. Actually, a bit is an understatement. He is the last guy you would expect to own a pro team of any type, much less the rough sport of hockey.
Rebecca has worked for Nate for years, from the beginning when they were a small office, and as they have grown, she has been right there. Until Nate transfers her from the main office to the hockey team's office. And, she feels she has done something wrong. Little does she know, it is that Nate can't stop thinking about her, and has decided it is not professional to be in love with one of his employees.
And, that is the fun of this book. Watching Nate, his PowerPoint presentations and his mild social awkwardness deal with falling in love with Rebecca, and having a chance at having something more with her, is hilarious and enjoyable. You feel for both of the characters as they try to navigate being the team owner and employee while falling in love...although as the reaction of those around them seems to be a lack of surprise and wondering why it took them so long.
The epilogue is also satisfying and ties up some loose ends that have run through the other books and I was left very pleased at the end of this title.
I grab a towel off a waiting stack of
them and toss it onto the edge. “You can sit and put your feet in.”
She’s wearing a short little knit
dress that’s been making me crazy all evening, so it would be easy enough for
her to strip off those stockings, sit on the towel, and drop both feet in.
And that’s what she does. She eases
one stocking down over a smooth knee and tugs it off.
I don’t want to stand there staring
like a middle-school boy. Okay, I do want to. But I don’t want to make her
uncomfortable. So I go over to the sound system instead, and I set my phone on
the speaker and cue up a really old playlist. One she’ll recognize.
When I turn around again, she’s seated
on the towel, both legs hanging down into the churning water. “Ah. Wow.” She
looks up at me, her eyes sparkling. “Nice place you got here.”
“Isn’t it?” I toe off my shoes and kick
them to the side.
The first song comes on, and it’s a
Macklemore tune that we used to play far too often in our first office. Rebecca
laughs immediately. “You didn’t! I haven’t heard this playlist in forever. But
I’ll bet I still know every transition. Lady Gaga is next.”
“She sure is.”
Rebecca kicks her feet, making a
splash. “I have a little confession to make.”
“What’s that?” I loosen my tie and
slide the knot out.
“Well…” She grins up at me. “I used to
have a crush on you. Back in the early days.”
My hands freeze on the tie silk. “Get
out of town. You did not.”
“No, I really did.” Her cheeks are
pink. “That first year especially. But you were taken, and you were my boss.
Those two things made it pretty easy to tamp down, when you’re a practical girl
like me.”
I walk over and drop down beside her,
my back to the water, though, because I’m still wearing trousers and socks. “So
how does that work, exactly?”
“What?” She gives me a sidelong
glance, but then looks away again and won’t meet my eyes.
“How do you stop wanting someone? I’m
a practical person, but I don’t see how that makes it any easier. Nothing seems
to mute the raging attraction I have for you.”
Her chin turns quickly toward me, and
I seize the opportunity to kiss her. And it only takes one kiss—one slide of my
lips over hers, and I’m on fire again.
We’re facing opposite directions, so
it’s awkward as hell. But I don’t even care. I take greedy sip after greedy sip
of her mouth, until she pulls back to stare at me. Her color is high and her
eyes are bright and happy. “This is like Twister.”
“It’s better,” I correct. Lady Gaga
comes on, just as Becca said she would. “Are we getting into this pool or
what?”
Becca kicks a foot in the water. “I’m
tempted. But I don’t have a bathing suit.”
“Oh, snap.”
She smiles and shakes her head. “Are
you really getting in?”
“We don’t have to.” I’m never going to
pressure her.
Her fingers trail across the surface
of the bubbling water. “But this is an adventure, right?”
“Right.” I stand up and remove my
socks. She’s watching me. And I can’t read her expression. “What?”
“Just wondering what else you’re going
to take off.” She smiles.
“Come here.” The order rolls off my
tongue.
But Rebecca doesn’t blink. She gets up
and turns toward me, curiosity in her eyes.
“You tell me. What am I taking off?”
She puts two hands tentatively on my
chest, and I make myself be patient. Everything I ever wanted is on the other
side of this moment. I just need us to break through this awkwardness—the “will
we or won’t we” tension.
Her fingers find the top button of my
shirt. “I’m not getting in the water unless you are.”
That’s a compromise I can live with. I
find my lower shirt buttons and work upwards, until we meet in the middle. She
pushes the two halves of my shirt apart and runs a hand down my bare chest.
My inner caveman stands up and
cheers.
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