Offensive Plays: A Surprise Baby Hockey Romance (Heatwave Hockey Series)

14. Libby

”Just the two of you,” the hostess asks, her eyes lingering on Michael for just a beat too long.

”Yes,” he smiles brightly.

”Right this way,” the young girl says ushering us to a table in the corner.

”This isn”t burgers,” I say to him from the corner of my mouth.

”Never said it was. You just assumed.”

The woman sets the one page menus down in front of each chair. Michael pulls out my chair and helps me push it up to the table.

”Such a gentleman,” I say playfully.

”Only the best for you,” he winks, taking his chair across from me.

The woman clears her throat. ”Your waiter will be with you shortly.” Then turns abruptly.

”What”s her problem?” I nod toward the retreating waitress.

He looks back at her. ”I don”t know. She did kind of look familiar.”

”Did you ghost her, Fergie?”

He laughs, ”I can assure you that no. I don”t ghost people. Though, I can”t say the same is true for other people.”

Is that a jab at me?

The waiter approaches us and asks us for our orders.

”I”ll have the chef”s special,” Michael announces.

”Excellent choice, sir. And you, ma”am?”

I scan the menu. So many things sound delicious. But the voice of that one photographer echoes in my head.

If only you were ten pounds lighter.

”I”ll just take a salad. All greens, please.”

Michael shoots me a concerned look as the waiter grabs the menus.

”Are you allergic to meat?”

”No,” I scoff. ”I”m just... not hungry.”

”We just skated for two hours straight and my stomach is about to eat itself alive. How are you not hungry?”

I shrug, bringing the water to my lips and avoiding his gaze.

”Well, feel free to have some of mine,” he offers.

The waiter comes back with some small samples of bread and butter.

Michael reaches for them excitedly, ”It”s like they overheard my stomach rumbling.”

I take another gulp of water, eyeing the bread.

”You”re not even a little bit hungry?” he asks, popping a piece of bread into his mouth.

”Nope,” I say, practically salivating.

He rolls his eyes and grabs another piece of the bread, lathering it with butter. ”Ok, but you seriously have to try this. This might be the best bread I”ve ever had in my life.”

I tilt my head. ”What are you doing?”

”Trying to share this incredible bread with you. Seriously, you”re missing out,” he says between bites.

”I”m not hungry,” I say again. My stomach rumbling too at the thought of tasting the morsel.

”Just one bite, Lib. It won”t ruin your salad appetite, I promise.”

I glare at him. ”Fine, one bite.”

He hands me the piece and I pop it into my mouth. Savoring the feel of the soft carb against my tongue along with... oh my god is that honey butter? This actually is the best bread I”ve ever had in my life.

”You want another, don”t you?” he teases me.

I shake my head, when all I want to do is say, ”YES. Yes. Absolutely yes!”

He prepares another piece for me. The same way he did the first and holds it out for me.

”The best bread in the world cannot be denied, Libby.”

I roll my eyes and reach for it. He snatches it back.

”Hey!”

”Uh-uh, you need to enjoy it. Close your eyes.”

I narrow my eyes at him but do as he says. ”Now lean forward and open your mouth.”

”People are watching,” I remind him.

”Do as your told, Libby.” His voice is strong and commanding and I suddenly get a flashback of our messages. The things he said he”d do to me.

I lean forward, opening my mouth open for him.

”Good girl,” he says, low and husky.

Oh my god...what is he doing to me? How am I so turned on right now?

He pushes the bread onto my tongue, and I accept it. I lick the tip of his finger as I close my mouth around it.

The bread tastes heavenly. But somehow, being served by Michael takes it to a whole other level.

I open my eyes to see his jaw slightly slacked as he watches me eat.

I lick my lips and he gulps.

Ok…we’ve avoided this long enough.

“I have a proposition for you,” I say, reaching for another piece of bread.

He sits back and tilts his head, waiting for me to continue. “I’m listening.”

“BlindBang,” I say.

“What about it?”

“That wasn’t our doing. We actually matched on there.”

He nods.

“Which means, despite all the reasons why we shouldn’t be together, we have several reasons why we should just… have a little fun.”

“Really? You have several reasons?” He leans forward and rests his head on his hands never breaking his gaze. “Tell me about them.”

“Well, for one. We can trust that neither of us are serial killers. I know you. You know me.”

“That’s valid. I for one am not a serial killer,” he agrees.

“Right, and I can confirm that neither am I. We both aren’t looking for a relationship.”

Something flashes across his features when I say this. “Right?”

“Right,” he says. “I’m way too busy with my career.”

“And I’m about to get busier than ever.”

“So what are you suggesting, Libby?”

I give a quick scan of the restaurant to make sure we’re not being watched.

“Let’s just… use each other for sex. No strings attached. No expectations. No brothers or teammates finding out.”

He leans back and crosses his arms, narrowing his eyes at me as he does.

“What?” I ask.

“You’re so sure that we can do that? Sneak around?”

I reach for the butter and slather it onto my bread before popping it into my mouth. “Why not? People do it all the time in the movies.”

“And it never works out. Somebody is guaranteed to fall in love when all is said and done.”

“In the movies,” I emphasize. “This is real life, Michael. We’re in control. Not some movie director or script writer.”

He brings a hand up to his jaw and rubs it while he looks at me.

“So? What do you think?”

“We’ll need to have, you know, ground rules.”

I feel butterflies in my stomach. He didn’t shoot it down.

“Of course,” I say trying not to show my excitement.

Ever since finding out that strangerDanger23 and Michael Ferguson were one and the same, I haven’t been able to look at him without thinking about what could have been.

“Nothing that will give us away in public. People will have to see us as only friends.”

“Only friends,” I agree. “And we should have each other’s numbers saved on our phones as something other than our real names, just in case.”

“Good point,” he says, pulling out his phone and placing it on the table.

He pulls up my contact. He has me saved as Lib. And he changes it to butterfly.

My core pulses.

I pull out my phone and change Fergie to stranger. We look at each other and nod.

“What about… limits?” He asks, his voice low.

I swallow. “Limits?”

He nods. “How far are we willing to go?”

“As long as we don’t get caught… no limits,” I say, reaching for yet another piece of bread.

He clocks the motion and smiles. “No limits,” he repeats.

“I can get pretty creative,” I assure him.

He leans forward, interest piqued. “So can I, butterfly.”

I gulp down the bread and reach for the water.

“And we should always use protection. I’m on birth control but… we shouldn’t take any chances.”

“Agreed,” he says with a nod.

“Okay,” I breathe, watching him over the rim of my glass. “Anything else?”

He thinks a moment. “Yeah. What happens if we meet someone we like? It’s not a relationship after all. It’s just sex.”

He’s got a good point. What if either of us meets someone we want to pursue further?

“Then…we just need to be honest and tell the other person. I’m not a cheater and I refuse to be the other woman. Even if it’s just sex.”

“I would never let you be the other woman, Libby. You deserve to be someone’s only.”

He says it so sternly that I freeze up and cough to clear my throat. “You too.”

“Then it’s settled,” he says reaching for the water in front of him and lifts it up. “To sneaky dirty sex.”

I smile and reach for my glass, “To sneaky dirty sex.”

We clink our glasses and sip while watching each other.

This is going to be fun.