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Fair Trade: Las Vegas Sinners, #5
Fair Trade: Las Vegas Sinners, #5
Fair Trade: Las Vegas Sinners, #5
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Fair Trade: Las Vegas Sinners, #5

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When ambitious Olivia Parker is offered the prime position of assistant physician for the Las Vegas Sinners hockey team, she's determined to prove she belongs there. But it's lonely at the top. Her professional focus has lost her countless personal relationships, and now she's ready for a fresh start. What she's not ready for is her gorgeous new patient showing her everything she's been missing. Could a shot at real love be worth risking her ethical code?

Grayson Gunn happily played his entire career for his hometown team, never having won hockey's greatest prize. A surprise trade to the Sinners gives him one last chance at the Cup before he hangs up his skates, and nothing will stand in his way, not even the injuries that send him to the team's pretty new doctor. A little flirtation now that he's on his way out of the NHL can't hurt though...right? But when he gets a second chance to keep playing, Grayson is torn between the game he's lived for and the woman he can't seem to live without.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 10, 2018
ISBN9781386172918
Fair Trade: Las Vegas Sinners, #5

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    Fair Trade - Katie Kenyhercz

    Chapter 1

    Saturday, March 7

    It didn’t make sense to be nervous. How many arenas had he been in over the last twenty-seven years? Still, only one had been home, so this was weird. Grayson Gunn pushed through the double doors to the Las Vegas Sinners locker room and was met by twenty-three stares including Nealy Windham’s, his new coach. She was the only female coach in the NHL, and that might give some players pause. Players who’d been living in a hole and had never met the woman. Her style was just as brash if not more so than her male counterparts. It’d been intimidating from the visitor’s bench with a pane of glass between them. Face to face, it was kind of terrifying even though he had a foot and a half on her.

    She smiled, though it wasn’t entirely reassuring, and gestured him forward. Come on in, and welcome to the Sinners. We’re happy to have you and are excited about the depth you’ll add to our team. I’ll be switching you up between center and winger as needed. Your stall’s next to Cole’s. You’ll all have time for girl talk later. Right now we need to hit the ice and work you into our system. It’ll take some adjusting. You’ve got twelve hours. Suit up and I’ll see you out there.

    Grayson lifted his brows and glanced around. No one seemed surprised by the high expectations. Then again, this team had some of the best players in the world and was primed for a deep playoff run, even another ring. That’s why he’d chosen them. He took the empty spot by Dylan Cole—they’d met a handful of times, and he’d always been a solid guy. Grayson nodded and extended a hand. Hey man, good to see you.

    Likewise. The kid shook and grinned. At twenty-five, Cole, the captain, had won two Cups with the Sinners. I’m glad you’re here. It’s gonna be a wild ride.

    That’s what I’m hoping for. Grayson pulled on his pads, socks, shorts, and jersey. Leaving Edmonton had been hard. Born and raised in that city, he’d played his whole career there. And even though they’d never gotten close to a Cup, it was a great hockey community. He loved them, and they loved him. And now he was abandoning them at the end. It was too much to process, so he didn’t. Moving forward was the only option. He wasn’t in Las Vegas to make friends, but getting some advice could help the transition. As he strapped on his helmet and slid on his gloves, he glanced back at Cole. Any tips?

    Don’t make her mad. The kid was completely straight-faced.

    Grayson smiled.

    Cole didn’t.

    The smile dropped away, and Grayson nodded. All right then.

    They all finished getting ready about the same time, and as he fell into line on the march toward the rink, the guys around him patted his shoulder or back in greeting, and he nodded but kept to himself. As long as he’d been in the game, there were very few players he didn’t know. That made being here a little easier, but he still wasn’t looking to bond.

    Lots of teams had separate practice rinks, but the Sinners trained in the same arena where they battled. It was convenient, having only one place to go, especially in a new city. Plus, it gave him a feel for what it would be like later that night. The texture of the ice, the stands rising all around him. Even though the seats were empty, he could imagine them filled with screaming fans, and they would be filled, unlike in Edmonton. That was both exciting and intimidating. His first few laps to stretch the legs were easy, comfortable.

    And then Nealy blew the whistle.

    All right, ladies. Time to get down to business. Let’s start with some sprints. Red line by the home net. Go. And Reese, just because your ass stays in that goal all game and you have more pads, don’t think you’re getting out of this.

    Shane Reese, the goalie, tipped his head back and groaned, and the other guys laughed, but that was short-lived. Nealy blew the whistle again, and they all took off for the blue line, hit it with a hard hockey stop on the edges of their skates, and came back. The next sprint went to center ice and back. Ah, suicides. He knew them well. In Edmonton, he’d kept up with even the youngest guys on the team, skated circles around them in fact. And he matched strides with his Sinners’ teammates … for the first three. By number ten, he was ready to drop to his knees, but they kept going. They had more experience with this particular brand of torture. That had to be it.

    When Nealy finally stopped with the whistle, it took everything he had not to lose his breakfast on the snowy ice. It took just as much restraint not to throw his helmet off and lie face down in an attempt to lower his body temperature. Jesus. Was it like this every day? The other guys were panting too, leaning on their sticks but trying not to show it.

    Let’s run some plays. Come check out what I’ve got.

    They all drifted over and stood around her. None of them actually picked up their dead feet, just rocked side to side until it propelled them forward at snail speed. Nealy didn’t seem to notice. She had a dry-erase board with the ice layout printed on it and busted out a red marker that smelled like cherries. Oh God, here come the eggs and bacon. By some miracle, Grayson held back the rising gorge and tried to focus as she marked Xs here and there and drew arrows to connect them. It made sense but only barely, because paying attention at that point took monumental effort.

    It was a relief when she barked at them to take their places, and the cool, crisp smell of the ice took away some of his nausea. He faced off with Cole, and a jolt of pride shot through him when he won the puck against the best player in the league. The flash of surprise on the kid’s face felt even better. One of his wingers picked it up, and they completed Nealy’s play without a hitch.

    Yes! That’s what I wanna see! Her migraine-inducing screech hit his eardrums like a hot needle. Something else to get used to. They ran through five more plays, three more drills, and finished with a shootout competition, in which the loser had to grow an old-school hockey mullet during the rest of the season and post season. Even if he hadn’t made every shot he took, there was no way his shaved head would grow three inches of hair, let alone enough for a mullet, by June.

    Back in the locker room, Grayson did his best to sit on the bench in front of his stall instead of collapse.

    Cole dropped down next to him and elbowed his arm. Lookin’ good out there.

    Thanks. Anything more than a one-word response might ruin his image with a fountain of vomit.

    Cole laughed like he knew. Different from your coach in Edmonton, eh?

    Grayson nodded.

    Shoulda warned ya. Sorry. The only way to really understand what a Nealy practice is like is to live through it. Which you did, so congrats. Believe it or not, you get used to it. Never gets easy, but you stop feeling like you’re gonna die.

    That was tough to believe, but he was no stranger to hard work. If anything, he had a reputation for being a beast in the gym and treating his body like a temple. To last as long as he had in this sport, you had to. He shook off his gloves and winced at a sharp pain in his right hand.

    Cole frowned. You okay, dude? You caught Zed’s slap shot like a baseball. Didn’t break your hand, did you?

    I don’t think so. Even if he did, he’d tape it up, ice it, keep his mouth shut, and play through the pain. He curled and flexed his fingers. A lot of soreness, but he wasn’t seeing stars. Nothing would get between him and the Cup. This was his last shot.

    Still. Better get it checked out. Nealy just saw you wince.

    Shit.

    Olivia Parker sat at her desk, flipping through the files of her new patients. It would be slow until someone got injured, and that was okay. As assistant physician for the Providence Bruins AHL team, she’d gotten used to working on an as-needed basis. At least she’d have time to put names to faces before they started filtering in.

    A loud knock broke the silence and jump-started her heart.

    Come in. She stood just as the door opened and smoothed her shirt.

    A man stepped inside, one hand held up against his chest. Everything about him said hockey player, but he didn’t match any of the pictures in her files. He filled the frame, his shaved head nearly touching the top of it. His skin was soft, smooth caramel. His dark eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. A little boy grin on a grown man’s face. Sweet and contagious. She couldn’t help returning it. He lifted his other hand, revealing a folder like those on her desk. Hi, Dr. Parker. I’m supposed to give you this.

    Oh. Thanks. She stepped around the desk and took it from him, glancing at the label on the front. Welcome to the team, Grayson.

    You, too, right? The guys said you were new.

    I am, thank you.

    He made no move to leave, and the one hand was still cradled against his chest.

    Can I do anything else for you?

    His gaze lingered on her lips, but he blinked, seeming to have caught himself staring. Um. He glanced at his hand and hesitated. This close to playoffs, it took a lot for a player to admit to an injury, but he already had whether he realized it or not.

    Can I see it?

    Another second’s delay, and then he extended his arm.

    She offered her best reassuring smile and took his big hand gently in both of hers. With a soft touch and most of her attention on his expression, she manipulated his fingers first. Not a wince. Then again, with the way he was looking at her, she might be able to drop an anvil on his foot and he wouldn’t notice. It’d been so long since a man looked at her that way. Well, that wasn’t true. They’d looked. She hadn’t been interested. Wasn’t interested now, but there was no denying the spark of attraction. Admitting it to herself was okay. Acting on it was not.

    Methodologically, she pressed different areas on his palm, and when she got to the center, the corners of his eyes crinkled again, but this time in a small hint of pain. On a scale of one to ten, how much does that hurt?

    Three.

    So that means five. Swelling’s not too bad. You probably just bruised it, but you should get an x-ray to be sure.

    Okay. His face was blank, but anxiety radiated from him. Until he looked down. Then one corner of his mouth perked up.

    Very carefully, she let go of his hand and dropped her arms to her sides.

    I was going to go to the head doc first but was hoping you could tell me I didn’t need to.

    No offense taken that he’d planned on skipping her for Felix Tanner. Tanner was an orthopedic surgeon, so broken bones were his specialty. As the general physician with experience in neurology, she got everything else. Sorry you wasted your time.

    Who says I did? That smile returned, and her pulse sped up.

    Flattering, but not gonna happen. That didn’t mean she couldn’t take a compliment graciously. It was nice to meet you, too.

    He nodded and edged back toward the door. Well, x-ray it is. I’ll see you around.

    Not if you’re lucky.

    Agree to disagree. He winked and disappeared into the hall, closing the door behind him.

    She released a slow breath and shook her head. He was a charmer, and she was not in the market for one of those.

    Chapter 2

    Sinners staff meeting

    After Grayson’s visit, Olivia’s morning had been mostly uneventful except for the player who stopped in with a sore throat. She’d sent him on his way with a prescription for hot tea with lemon and honey and the advice to gargle with saltwater and a crushed aspirin and to come back if it wasn’t better in a few days. Hockey players didn’t usually bother admitting to such a minor ailment. Hell, like Gunn, they had trouble coming forward with a broken bone this time of year. But with the current mumps scare, all symptoms had to be taken seriously to avoid a full-blown epidemic. And the guys were probably curious about her. They’d never had a female physician before.

    All she wanted was to go back to her house and unpack just enough so she could relax. It would take a month or more to settle in completely, depending on how much traveling she did with the team, though all she really needed were kitchen supplies, linens, and the TV set up for background noise. But she couldn’t miss the staff meeting. She was the guest of honor, after all. Under other circumstances, she’d be happy to shake hands and converse with her new colleagues, but she was still trying to get her bearings in Vegas. To top if off, her first game as a Sinners’ physician was directly after the meeting. Talk about trial by fire.

    She wasn’t worried. Just tired.

    All right, if we can all take our seats, I promise this’ll be fast. Jacey Phlynn, the owner of the team, stood at the head of the conference table and waved Olivia forward.

    Everyone else found a chair around the table, and Olivia slid past to stand next to her new boss. Felix Tanner, head physician, stood on Jacey’s other side and smiled warmly.

    Jacey lifted a hand to quiet the chatter. Thank you. As you know, Dr. Stone, our previous assistant physician retired unexpectedly early after his heart attack. We were lucky enough to snag Dr. Olivia Parker from the Providence Bruins AHL team. I’d like to officially welcome her to the Sinners. In the fall, we’ll be adding an ER doctor as well according to the new regulations, but I’ll get into that more later. Olivia, we’re so happy to have you. You come highly recommended. Some faces you might come across in your work: our head coach, Nealy Windham.

    Nealy, a tiny woman sitting near the back, raised her hand and nodded. A female owner and coach. It was nice to be part of such a progressive team.

    Of course you’ve met Dr. Tanner. Down the table to your left are Dr. Alexandra Kallen-Reese and Dr. Oscar York, our sports psychologists. Jacey gestured, and the doctors nodded. Olivia smiled at them and got a wink from Dr. Kallen-Reese.

    Jacey pointed to a casually dressed man seated next to Nealy. The handsome young guy back there is Sinners’ captain and NHLPA rep for the team, Dylan Cole. Hopefully, you won’t be seeing him any time soon.

    Dylan’s smile and wave were adorably shy. His chart had said twenty-five, but he could pass for nineteen.

    Jacey ran through the rest of the staff, and once introductions were over, it was Olivia’s turn to say something. It’s a pleasure to meet you all, and I look forward to working with you. I couldn’t be happier to be in Vegas. Polite niceties but completely true. It was such a relief to be thousands of miles from Boston and the painful memories there. Well, the memories might have tagged along, but no way would they take up as much space in her new life. This was her chance at a fresh start.

    Everyone in the room applauded her statement, and then Jacey lifted her voice again. All right. We’re close to clinching our playoff spot with the Presidents’ Trophy this year for the first time ever. Expect madness on all fronts. That’s all. See you at the game. Nealy, Felix, and Olivia, if you’d hang back for a second?

    The rest of the staff filtered out, and once they were alone, Nealy turned to Felix. So what’s the word on Gunn, Doc?

    Olivia was right to send him to me with the tenderness he was experiencing, but x-ray shows no break. Just a deep bruise.

    Nealy nodded. Thank God. And he can play tonight?

    I wouldn’t recommend it, but I know better than to forbid it. He’ll be in pain, but if he tapes it and doesn’t use it for anything but shooting and passing, he should be okay. I just gave him a decent dose of ibuprofen, so he won’t feel much for the next twelve hours. You tell him absolutely no fighting if he wants to stay in the game.

    "Gunn’s a physical player, Doc. I’ll do what

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