Troublemaker - Lisa B. Kamps Page 0,9

bit uncomfortable when we entered my apartment.

It took me a minute to figure out why, and then only because I saw her glance at the bed. It was kind of hard not to miss, considering the room was right there off the living area. I hadn't given the layout of the place much thought when I first rented this place—I'd been in a hurry and pretty much grabbed one of the first places I had looked at online. I'd even found the different open floor plans and odd angles of the walls in some of the units unique.

Of course, I hadn't counted on having any guests at the time. That put a completely different spin on the layout.

I closed the door behind me and locked it, then tossed my keys onto the island counter. "I'll take the sofa. You can have the bed."

"No, I don't want to put you out—"

"I insist."

"But—"

"No buts. Besides, the sofa is pretty comfortable."

Morgan's gaze moved to the sofa then slid back to me. She didn't bother to hide her disbelief. "You're too tall for the sofa."

"No, I'm not. I've slept on it before. I'll be fine. Promise." I bounded up the steps to the main living area and grabbed a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt from the dresser. "Give me two minutes then the bathroom is all yours."

Morgan was standing in the same spot I'd left her when I walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later, only she had a bundle of clothes and a small bag clasped to her chest. I moved past her with an encouraging smile and grabbed an extra sheet and blanket along with a pillow from the hall closet.

Five minutes later, I was stretched out on the sofa and staring up at the high ceiling. Staring at Morgan would have been a lot more fun but I figured the ceiling was a safer bet. Maybe she didn't have as many curves as I usually preferred but her long legs and firm ass more than made up for it. I'd caught a glimpse of both—-along with her super-short flannel shorts and her thin red tank shirt—when she hurried past me on her way to the bed and knew without a doubt exactly what I'd be dreaming of tonight.

And as much as I was looking forward to it, even I knew I was asking for trouble. Morgan was off-limits. She had to be. Maybe she was a runaway bride but I had no doubt she was the kind of woman looking for a commitment. The fact that she had damn near married some other guy this morning said as much. It said a lot of things, actually.

Too damn bad my brain wasn't paying much attention to my common sense.

I closed my eyes and forced myself to ignore the sounds of Morgan climbing into my bed and getting comfortable. I ignored the image of her hair spread out on my pillow, or the way she'd look with my comforter tucked around her. It was better to think about tomorrow's game.

I ran through the different plays in my head, anticipating potential shots and moves and calls. We were playing Cleveland tomorrow and I'd never had much luck against them. Of course, I was on a different team now so that changed things.

Maybe.

Then again, with the way we were playing, maybe not. We'd gelled a bit more as a team these last few weeks but we still pretty much sucked. Every time we hit the ice, I kept waiting to hear that magical click that would mean we'd finally become a real team. So far...nothing. But the season had just started and we hadn't been together that long yet. Soon, though. Maybe another week or two, or even a month. Surely no longer than that.

I hoped.

"Dylan?"

My eyes shot open, all thoughts of games and strategies and teamwork evaporating from my mind. I swallowed and quietly cleared my throat, hoping my voice wouldn't come out as a strangled croak when I spoke. "Yeah?"

"I just...I wanted to say thanks. For not calling the police on me earlier today."

I smiled, thought about telling her I wouldn't have followed through on the threat, then decided against it. "No problem."

"And thanks for letting me stay here."

"Not a problem."

"I won't be in your hair much longer. Maybe just until the day after tomorrow. As soon as I get some money—"

"I said no problem." I unclenched my jaw and forced myself to take a deep breath. Maybe she