Page 25 of Ice Rebel

There was nowhere to hide.

A slight tip of his head was followed by a knowing smile, even a nod as his gaze way too slowly fell to my tennis shoes.

Shit. This could be considered encouraging him. With a tiny smile and nothing more, I slipped away and into another room, taking a deep breath as I did. He was truly a beautiful man, although my guess was he’d find being called anything so remotely feminine beneath him.

Maybe he was right, but handsome just didn’t do his rugged features justice.

On the scale Samantha had developed, the man was a solid ten. But I had no intention of sharing that information with anyone. Doing so would go against every belief. Every promise.

So nope, I wasn’t going to fall prey to my delirious fantasies no matter how high he’d surfaced on the scale.

I went about my business, taking a few minutes to talk to the incoming manager before continuing my casual stroll. Part of my role was also to interfere with any conflicts before they started, much like a referee. That’s why when I walked into the main weight room, I always prepared myself for whatever I’d find.

It would seem the why-isn’t-it-Friday blues were hitting early in the evening. Two grown-ass men were about to start a fight over what, one of three dozen weightlifting benches?

“Don’t you dare push me,” a straitlaced-looking blond snarled, his chest puffing up. Even his hands were fisted in preparation. Why did all the executives feel the need to wear and/or trash their hundred-thousand-dollar watches while working out?

Did these dudes who probably drove a Mercedes or even a Ferrari really believe they were going to find the perfect woman inside a gym when they were all sweaty and gross?

Hmmm… Case in point and the reason for the recently developed hot scale.

While the second guy was a little scrappy around the edges, he was by far the sexier of the two. Plus, he was calm and cool, grinning as if he’d just stolen the man’s most prized possession.

“Push you?” the second guy laughed. He was enjoying the hell out of invoking extreme anger.

“Yeah,” the blond snarled in return just as he shoved the other guy over the very bench they’d been arguing over and to the floor.

“That’s it,” I snapped, rushing forward. “You’re both outta here.”

“He started it!” Did the blond honestly believe his bully in the sandbox whine was going to get anywhere with me? It was always the buttoned-up guys you had to worry about.

“I don’t care who started the fight. I’m too old for this shit. Get your things and leave.” The moment the blond opened his mouth to retort, my finger was in his face. “Don’t say it. I didn’t have nearly enough coffee this morning and skipped my favorite energy drink, so I am more than a little bit cranky. I suggest you take that as a hint.”

The other guy made the mistake of chuckling at the wrong moment, which in turn landed him a seriously venomous look.

“You too.”

“Okay. Okay.” While the dark-haired guy clambered to his feet, the blond huffed and puffed until I slowly turned my head toward him once again. All my life I’d gotten into serious trouble because of the nasty looks I offered when I wasn’t pleased about something.

At least in this circumstance, I didn’t need to worry about hurting their feelings or being called to the principal’s office.

Thankfully for both, they chose not to argue with me. One then the other scampered away. If they decided to engage in another battle in the parking lot, security could deal with them. When they were out of my line of sight, I blew a strand of my messy hair from my face.

“You’re one formidable lady.”

The tone of the voice was deep, throaty, and created a warm and velvety series of shimmers drifting ever so slowly across my body. It was impossible not to feel heat rising from the base of my neck, exploding across both cheeks. His voice should be used to record audio books.

Steamy audio books.

As quickly as the slight hint of truly wicked desire played havoc on my body, it faded. Why? Because attached to the incredible husky voice was an arrogant godlike douchebag.

I wasn’t basing the fact solely on his given profession as a hockey player, although points should be taken off his scale for that alone. What had annoyed the heck out of me was insisting I go on a date just to learn his name.

Yeah, I’d given him a fake name, but girls couldn’t be too careful. He could have a side job as a mafia assassin or something equally as dangerous. Hmm… Maybe that would return the two points lost for being a hockey player.

Very casually even though my stomach was churning, I spun on my heel. The offending player was on his back, his massive legs straddling another weight bench. From where I was standing, I had a direct view of his long torso, which ended in a thick bulge between his legs.

Wait a minute. Did he have a hard-on while lifting weights or was he just that well-endowed when his… cock wasn’t in use?