17. Luke
CHAPTER 17
LUKE
I intentionally kept our conversation light on the car ride back to Sarabella. Otherwise, I’m afraid I’d spill my guts to this woman who’s taking up a lot of real estate in my head these days. Seeing her in my jersey decimated the last of my resistance. I didn’t plan to catch feelings for her, but I did.
And I am. More so with each minute I spend with her.
Which scares me, because I’m not sure I could deal with losing someone close to me again. Every time I see Kinsley’s name on my phone, fear spirals up from the pit of my stomach and deadlocks into my chest. I keep thinking this will improve with time, and it is. But it’s still my gut reaction.
It took all the strength I had left over from the game not to yank Sophie out of her chair and kiss her at the restaurant after she explained her expanding vision for that column she covets so much. The passion in her voice…how her eyes widened with excitement…makes me want to jump in and experience life the way she does.
To live my life out of passion and not fear. And yeah, I wanted to kiss her right there, greasy lips and all.
I park the car in front of the building she directs me to. “I’ll get your door. ”
She starts to argue with me, but I stop her. Here I am again, trying to be the man my mother raised me to be. Every day, I try to make her proud, as if that will erase the truth that she’s gone.
Sophie takes my offered hand when she gets out. “Thanks for the ride.”
“My pleasure.” I follow her up the sidewalk.
She stops and turns around. “What are you doing?”
I skim the night sky above us, noting the heat lightning crawling silently through the clouds. “Making sure you get to your door safely.”
She shakes her head, then crosses her arms and tilts her smile. “First the hotel room. Now my apartment. You make this sound like we’re on a date or something.”
Moonlight reflects off her bangs, and a cool breeze rustles the palm fronds overhead, lifting a tendril of hair across her face. Standing with her in the shadows of the night somehow emboldens me.
Drawn to move closer, I tuck the wayward strand behind her ear, brushing the soft swell of her cheek with the back of my fingers. My voice roughs out, “And what if it was? A date, that is.”
She blinks several times, her pink lips parting with surprise as she drops her arms. “Oh…yes. I mean, I was actually joking. Well, kind of…but I think that would be okay. But no pressure! I wouldn’t want you to think?—”
I dip my head, my mouth hovering over hers. So close yet not touching. “And what if I kissed you good night? Would that be okay too?”
Her lashes flutter as her eyes drop to my mouth. “Yes.”
Slow and soft, I brush my lips over hers, figuring that would be a good first kiss. But then Sophie leans into me, sliding her hands up the front of my shirt as she parts her lips with a sigh that blows my mind.
Our kiss intensifies and deepens, then slows, giving me time to memorize the taste and feel of her. She’s soft in my arms, so I press her closer. I want to explore everything about her, but I also don’t want to rush this. That’s what my mind tells me, but then I remember she’s wearing my jersey and every part of me ignites on a whole new level.
For the record, drawing away from her is one of the hardest things I’ve done to date. I rest my hands on the curve of her hips and lighten the kiss back to where we started, softly sweeping my lips over hers before lifting my head.
Her smile is tentative as she lifts her hand to my face and traces the outline of my lips with her finger, which somehow affects me even more than her sigh did. “The shape of your lips is so fascinating.”
Laughter rumbles in my chest. I hope that’s a compliment because I definitely want a repeat. “Is that a good thing?”
Giggling, she bites her bottom lip, making me want to kiss her again. “I took figure drawing in college to better understand the human form for my photography, and you have sculpted lips.”
“Sculpted seems good.” I brush my nose over the tip of hers.
Her breath fans my face as she lets out a breathy exhale. “Very good. Who wants to kiss someone with lizard lips?”
“Another lizard?” I quip.
She blurts out a laugh. “There is that.”
Expecting her to turn around and go inside her apartment, I let her go, but instead, she tugs my head down for another kiss, running her fingers into the back of my hair. I lose track of time and don’t care, to be honest. For once, I’m letting myself just be in the moment—with her. I’m tired of worrying about the future—mine and my sister’s. And I’m realizing I want more moments like this…with Sophie.
Maybe even a lifetime of them.
She rests her cheek against my chest as she wraps her arms around me. “Is this okay, too?”
I hum and kiss the top of her head, relishing the way she fits against me. And how easy this is. It’s as if we’re meant to be together. Right here, right now. “More than okay.”
She looks up at me. “Are you sure?”
Seems like a simple question, but I’m almost certain she’s asking if I trust her. And I do. She’s not at all what I first assumed her to be—she’s so much more. I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure of anything.
“Why do you ask?”
At first, she shrugs, then glances to the side as if she’s embarrassed.
I lift her chin and wait for her eyes to meet mine. “Tell me.”
“I’m not good at this.”
“At what?”
“Romantic relationships.” Even in the dim light, I can tell her cheeks are darkening with that adorable blush of hers.
“I find that hard to believe, considering what you want to write about in that column of yours.”
“It’s not mine yet.”
I trace her lips this time. “Just a matter of time, I’m sure.”
“Thank you, but you need to know that when it comes to relationships—the romantic kind—I’m jinxed.” Her eyes widen as if she hadn’t meant to say that. “Or rather, I’ve been told I’m a bit much at times.”
Again I brush away the silky strands the breeze teases across her face. “And who told you that? An old boyfriend?”
She tips her head down. “A few, actually.”
“Hey.” I lean to the side until she looks at me. “Those guys were idiots.”
The smile she brandishes settles the urge in my gut to find those jerks and ask them what their problem was. Sophie is the brightest, most caring and compassionate person in this sometimes dark world.
She tugs one side of her bottom lip between her teeth.
I study the fascinating display of emotions running across her face .
“You really think so? I mean, I do tend to spew words like a can of snakes. Especially when I get nervous, in case you didn’t notice.”
Soft laughter rumbles up from my chest. “Oh, I noticed.”
She cringes.
I rush in to reassure her. “I like it when you do that. It’s your tell.”
“You sure about that?” Her eyes dart back and forth as she searches my face, as if she wants to believe me.
I kiss the tip of her nose. “Surer than sure.”
I think I’ve searched for Sophie in the bleachers at least a dozen times during practice. She said she’d be here today, so maybe she’s just running late. I’m sure she’s fine, right? Probably had to check in with her editor or feed her cat—does she have a cat?
She’ll be here any minute—that’s what I keep saying to myself to stave off the panic. But the pressure building in my chest tells me another story. What if something happened to her? Memories of the night of my mother’s accident flood back in a torrent that makes breathing difficult. I thought…hoped that fear was limited to my sister, but my head and heart are more wrapped up with Sophie than I realized.
Jayce skates up next to me. “Your shot, old man.”
I grunt at his dig at my age, which I find hilarious. I’m not the oldest player on the team. Plus, I’m only twenty-six, but I noticed Jayce grins when he says it. So I’m taking it as a sign that he’s accepting my leadership as captain.
Moving the puck back and forth, I skate toward the crease, do my signature turn to make a slapshot, and miss. Several of the guys snicker.
Ethan and Payton glide up alongside me as I circle behind the net.
Payton hands me a water bottle. “Drink up. You need a boost.”
Hot and frustrated, I yank my helmet off and douse my head while I try to figure out how to get my figurative one back into the game. Losing focus now would be a definite setback.
Ethan narrows his eyes at me. “Anything you want to share with the rest of the class?”
I glare at him. They’ve thrown comments at me all day, trying to finagle details about what happened after the game last night because they know I drove Sophie home. By the time I got back to Gabe’s place, the string of texts waiting for me was nearing almost fifty. I ignored all of them and went to bed.
Derek blows his whistle, giving us the signal to transition from drills to scrimmages.
Wade skates over and pulls his helmet off as he stops. “Well?”
Ethan and Payton shake their heads in unison.
Wade’s thick brows dive together over his nose. “Ah, come on, man. Give us something to hang our hats on.”
Payton flatlines his mouth. “He’s an absolute vault.”
While taking a long slug from what’s left of my water, I catch a glimpse of movement up in the seats behind the net. Sophie’s perched on the back of a seat with her camera trained on us. The tightness in my chest loosens, allowing me to fill my lungs with air again.
I stare right at her, knowing she can see me way better with that telephoto lens than I can see her. She lowers her camera and smiles at me.
Unfortunately, I forgot I’m surrounded by a bunch of nitwits who have followed the direction of my attention and are now ribbing me with light shoves and comments.
Any concern I have over my teammates’ witnessing our flirtation flies away faster than a puck on an icing call, and I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face. I’ve fought the distracting memory of her tracing my lips, calling them sculpted, and the way she felt in my arms all day. But now, I let them have free rein in my head.
One of the guys makes kissing sounds—real mature. Good thing I didn’t see which one because he’d be making out with the plexiglass right about now. Wade waves at Sophie, then points to me, shaking his head. Then he gestures to himself and gives her a thumbs-up. I smack him in the breadbasket with my mitt.
He smirks at me. “Someone’s testy today.”
Sometimes this guy has the rizz of a rhino. “Give it a rest, Wade,” I growl.
Ethan leans in and whispers, “Glad to see you quit fighting it.”
I appreciate his discretion, but that doesn’t stop me from giving him a hard shove, propelling him backward toward the center of the ice.
He laughs as he glides away. “You know I was right.”
When I glance up to where Sophie was taking pictures, only empty seats greet me. Now I’m paranoid she’s upset about the way the guys were ribbing me about her. I wouldn’t blame her either. They were being total goofballs.
Before I shove my helmet back on, Gabe waves me over to the players’ bench.
He doesn’t say anything at first. That’s when I realize he’s waiting for the rest of the guys to join Derek by the net, putting them out of earshot.
“What’s up, Coach?” That tightness is back in my chest. This feels way too similar to how things went down that night when my last coach waved me over during the game to tell me about my mother’s accident.
He grins, sending a wave of relief through me. “I’m going to tell the rest of the guys after practice that it’s official—we’re a farm team for Tampa Bay Lightning. I wanted you to know first.”
“Because I’m the captain? ”
He shakes his head. “No, because they’re looking at you.”
“Seriously?” This could be huge for Kinsley and me. We’re getting by on my ECHL salary, but just barely.
He pats me on the shoulder. “Keep pulling hat tricks, and you’ll get bumped up by the end of the season.”
Caution slides in, tempering my first reaction. “Is that definite?”
“No, but I believe in you, Luke. You’ve always had what it takes.”
I swallow and give him a curt nod. “Thanks.”
After practice, I get cleaned up, then head toward Sophie’s office to see if she might be free for dinner. Or something. I just want to see her. Get a feel of where we stand in the daylight. That kind of thing, you know?
But she’s not there, and when I asked a couple of the trainers, they said they hadn’t seen her.
I pull out my phone to text her but find she beat me to the punch.
Sophie: I’m heading to the beach to take some pictures. Want to tag along?
LUKE: Where are you now?
SOPHIE: Parking lot.
Pocketing my phone, I head out the exit. She’s leaning against her car, eyes closed with her face tilted up toward the sun. Her jean-clad legs are crossed at the ankles, and she’s wearing a light pink T-shirt.
Because I want to memorize every detail about her, I slow my steps, but the crunch of my shoes on the asphalt alerts her to my presence.
She smiles at me. “Does this mean you’re coming along?”
I hold my hands out from my sides. “That’s why I’m here.”
She smirks. “Think you can take a little heat, Iceman? ”
No one’s ever called me that, and I think I like it…coming from her, that is. “It’s not that hot out.”
“Then let’s go.”
Once we’re in the car, my phone pings with multiple texts. My first thought is what Gabe told me during practice. Maybe he has an update already? Or it could be Kinsley. When I check, I find several messages from the guys.
PAYTON: Did I just see Jammer with Sophie?
WADE: Yes. I’m here to say I was a witness.
ETHAN: Way to go, bro!
MATHéO: What did I miss?
WADE: Luke’s got it bad for the camera girl!
MATHéO: You mean Sophie? Really?
WADE: Yeah, man. Get your head out of your bucket. Practice is over.
ETHAN: Take it easy, guys. Let’s not ruin the glow of his hatty.
PAYTON: …
At least Ethan’s trying to control that Gongshow.
Sophie glances at me. “What’s all that about?”
I turn off my phone and shove it into my pocket. They can find their entertainment somewhere else. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”