The Pucking Girl Next Door (Power Play Off The Ice: Snowed in for the Hoildays)

Chapter 1

Kimberly

"God. I fucking hate dating." I huff, crossing my arms over my chest as I throw myself down on the break room couch at Rose Valley Hospital. A chuckle comes from behind me and whirl to see who it could be. Colleen's grin gets bigger and bigger as I continue to glare at her. Her black messy bun distracts me slightly as it shakes as she tilts her head to ask, "Bad date?"

Rolling my eyes, I turn my back on her. "The worst."

"What happened?" she says sarcastically. "I thought Todd was different." She wiggles her fingers, adding air quotes.

I whip around to give another glare, but then her chuckles get to me too, and a laugh suddenly bursts out. Now, I can't seem to stop giggling. A stabbing feeling to my side reminds me of how much of a joke my love life is. Man, they should just make a reality TV show about me. I'm sure it would be a hit with all the losers I've dated. Every time I think maybe this will be it, maybe this one won't be so bad. But I'm never right. They're all bad.

We both suddenly stop laughing and just stare at each other. Colleen's eyes soften a bit. "What happened this time?"

Shaking my head, I clench my hands. "I saw him kissing another woman before the date even started."

"Whaat?" she shrieks. I hurry to plug my ears. Man, she's loud.

"I was running late and I didn't know his number because we've only been messaging on the app, so I tried to contact him through there. Well, I guess he didn't get my message because when I walked in ten minutes late, he was sitting at the bar with some woman on his lap and they were making out."

"Did you say anything to him?"

"No, I just left. But he responded this morning." Shrugging my shoulders, I try to be as nonchalant as possible. Though really if I'm honest, my heart aches. I thought by the time I was twenty-seven I would have met my perfect someone. That I would be married, possibly have a kid on the way. But nope, the universe doesn't work like that. Well, at least not for me.

Out of the sea of frogs I've dated, there was only one who had snagged my attention, the only man I was truly drawn to and he wasn't even someone I was dating. No, he was my, at the time boyfriend's dad. A man who was sexy as fuck and had eyes that you could drown yourself in.

A man twenty years older than me.

Whose wife had died the year before.

When my boyfriend Smith had caught me ogling his dad for the hundredth time at a family dinner, he'd practically dragged me too. Smith confronted me. His mom had just died and how could I even think I would have a chance with his dad when she was the love of his life. When I tried to lie and deny it, he saw right through me. I felt so disgusted with myself. The worst part? He was right, I would always be second with Silas Cabot. It was a pretty nasty breakup. That fight gave me the strength to walk away, or at least as far as they knew. They didn't need me to come between them. They needed each other.

I've felt nothing like the way I did when I was around Silas. Over the years, I've been trying to recreate those feelings. Trying to forget. Hoping that one of these guys on these sites will be my true love… but nothing, nada.

Colleen interrupts my walk down memory lane when she asks, "Well, what did he say?" Oh yeah, we're talking about my date from last night.

"He asked me why I stood him up. I told him I didn't stand him up, but he probably didn't see me since he had his tongue down another woman's throat."

Her brows shoot up at that, placing her elbows on her knees as she listens to my story. "What did he say to that?"

"He told me if I wasn't so selfish and showed up on time, he wouldn't have moved on. I didn't respond."

Colleen sits up and leans back in her chair. "Sorry Kimmie. Maybe the next guy will be better."

"That's just it. I don't want there to be a next time. I'm tired of these dates."

"Yeah, it's definitely difficult to find someone worth your time out there," she murmurs, leaving me with questions. But I know I have to be careful how I ask things, not pushing her too hard. She keeps things locked down tighter than Fort Knox.

"Enough about me. What about you? Are you dating anyone?" I ask, trying to keep my tone light so she doesn't think I'm prying.

Colleen lets out a huff. "No. I'm just out having fun."

Her eyes light up as she gets up from her chair, and I know I'm in trouble. When she jumps over the back of the couch, landing next to me, she wraps her arms around my shoulders. She has this glint in her dark brown eyes, causing me to take in a deep breath and brace for whatever comes out of her mouth next. "I know what will make you feel better. We should have a girls' night." she blurts out.

Letting out my breath slowly as my shoulders relax, I pull my phone out of my pocket. "That sounds good to me. Let's text the girls and see who is down."

Thank god that was it. Sometimes Colleen comes up with some crazy stuff, and because she's my ride or die, I'm always down for whatever, but sometimes her ideas are a little much, even for me. "Do you want me to text everyone or do you?"

Before Colleen responds, the alarm on my phone buzzes. Reminding me that my lunch break is over. Time to get back at it. Standing up, I tuck my phone back into my pocket. "I've got to get back, before the cardiac wing goes crazy without my presence."

"I'll text in our group chat to see who wants to get together. Are we doing this tonight?" Colleen asks as she pulls out her own phone.

"Yeah, we can do it tonight. I'm off tomorrow. Thankfully."

"Awesome. Now get back to work," she says as she smacks my ass as hard as she can.

My hands instinctively go to my ass. "Ouch. Did you have to do that?"

She smiles. "You know I did."

"Now my ass is going to hurt all day."

She winks at me. "You know you like it."

"No, you hag. I don't like it. But it's time to get back to work."

Colleen cackles behind me as I leave the break room, rubbing my sore ass. Heading back to the cardiac wing, I roll out my neck, reminding myself I only have four more hours on this shift. Usually, I work twelve hour shifts five days a week. Except for surgery days. On those days, you never know how long you'll be working. Sometimes it's longer, other times it's shorter. I love my job. It seems like I'm complaining, but I'm not.

What other job could you have where you get to meet great people? Work with one of the most complicated organisms in the body, the heart? And help heal people, not just physically but emotionally, too. I was meant for this, but that doesn't mean I don't get tired.

Pushing the doors open after scanning my I.D. the sight I see has me freezing right in my spot. All thoughts about my disastrous love life and my sore ass leave my head. What the hell is he doing here? I will my legs to move so I can get out of here and hide in one of my patient's rooms. Thankfully, I'm able to turn quietly, attempting to tiptoe down the hall. Before I can creep past the two men standing at the nurse's desk, Randall, my boss, spots me.

"Aww, there you are, Kimberly." My whole body stiffens. Shit, I wanted neither of these men to see me, time to be a big girl I force myself to relax my shoulders. Plastering on the fakest smile, I turn back toward Randall and his guest. Making sure I keep my eyes on my boss and only him, I ask, "What can I do for you?" My words are dripping in sweetness so he can't see how uncomfortable I am right now.

"This here is Mr. Cabot; he just bought the hospital and is making rounds over the next few weeks to check in on the departments."

My jaw drops in shock. My gaze goes to the man standing next to him. And shit, my heart skips a beat when they connect with Silas Cabot's very green eyes the same man who has had my heart since the moment his son introduced us seven years ago.

"Hello, Kimberly," he greets me with a small smirk. His deep voice rolls over me, the same one that had my stomach flipping every time he spoke back then, and it seems things have not changed, no matter how much I've tried to put him out of my mind. I say nothing. I can't. All my words are stuck somewhere between my brain and throat. And maybe even a few have dropped to my pussy, because suddenly my clit is tingling, and my panties are damp.

This is not good. I can feel my boss's gaze bouncing between us. When he finally gets the guts he clears his throat and asks, "You two know each other?"

I'm nodding, because my brain doesn't seem to want to work, but Silas answers for us both. "We've met. She dated my son a few years back. Isn't that right?"

As if a bucket of ice has been thrown on me, I wake up to reality instead of being stuck in the one I've created. Why would Silas have any interest in me other than as his son's ex-girlfriend?

"Yes." I casually answer, pulling my nurse phone out of my pocket, pretending that a patient is calling me. "Sorry, I've got to go." Not caring if the two men staring at me know it's all a ruse, I immediately start down the hall. Because right now I need to get myself together.

When I reach one of my patient's doors, I take a deep breath and let all the tension in my body go. He just owns the hospital, nothing more, nothing less. He has more important things to do than care about you except for the extent of your job. And nothing to worry about there because you're a kick ass nurse.

Maybe if I chant that a few times, I'll even convince myself. A buzzing sound interrupts my thoughts. When I pull out my personal phone, I see a slew of texts confirming girls' night.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly as if I was at yoga. This is what I need, a night with my girls to keep my mind off of Silas Cabot or that he now owns the freaking hospital.