Chapter 3 #2
Her shrug was so much like the feisty woman. Noncommittal. “I don’t like to follow rules, even my own.” At least her eyes were twinkling when she offered the statement.
“You know, I never asked you about yourself.”
This time her laugh was strained. “That’s because I was asking the questions. That’s my job.”
“Does it need to be that way? I answered everything you wanted to know. It’s only fair I’m allowed to ask you a few questions.”
As she wrapped her long fingers around her martini glass, I grabbed a beer to try to pull my attention away from my very lurid thoughts.
“Alright. Fair enough. But I should warn you. I don’t pull any punches.”
“Duly noted.” I shouldn’t like this girl in the least. She was edgy all around, but I’d sensed a softness she was determined to hide.
As if I should be interested in picking her apart. The chances of me seeing her again were next to zero. Maybe I liked or even preferred those odds. With no chance of getting close, I could enjoy the moment of intellection stimulation. Boy, wouldn’t my mother be proud.
“What do you want to know?”
“Why a reporter?”
“As a profession?”
I nodded while taking a long pull on the beer. “Is that too personal?”
When she laughed, I was thrown by how provocative the sound was.
She was definitely uncomfortable around me, perhaps even more so than before.
I suspected the reason could be as simple as interviewing an athlete was her form of wearing a mask.
Or maybe when interviewing a bunch of sweaty guys, her armor.
With a drink in her hand and after having let her hair down, she was more vulnerable in both appearance and personally.
“Not really. It’s just that no one has asked me that question before.”
I sidled closer, daring to invade her space. While she didn’t bristle exactly, her breath hitched and she switched her attention back to the glass. “Should I start with something easier like how long does it take you to get the ugly images of a bunch of naked guys out of your mind?”
Sloane snapped her head in my direction with the swiftness of a woman in shock.
My question caught her completely off guard, and she spewed the sip she’d taken just as I’d refined my question. Instead of being embarrassed, her laughter became more boisterous and her eyes lit up in a way that I’d only seen once.
When she’d managed to jerk the towel from my body. I’d had women see me naked before, even being impressed or faking it to the best of their abilities, but her expression had been one I’d never forget.
Raging hunger with pheromones that had been off the charts.
We both reached for the stack of cocktail napkins at the same time, our fingers touching. The moment our skin made contact, a stark, white-hot static snap crackled between us. She flinched, jerking her hand away, her lips forming an O while her eyes opened wide.
The stinging jolt was undeniable, pulsing current racing straight up my arm, locking underneath my chest. What was worse than the fact my cock was also now pushing against my jeans was that a low, husky, and unwanted growl left my throat.
While the sound should be imperceptible to most humans, there was no doubt she captured the primal release.
With her fingers curling, she waited until I pulled my hand away before grabbing a handful of the napkins, pushing several across the bar in my direction. While her smile slowly faded, her eyes never left mine.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shower you with vodka.” Her voice was different than before, lacking the formal edge that had demanded my attention.
My skin continued to tingle with a magnetic pull, a restless buzzing energy that made me acutely aware of every inch of space between us. All I could think about was how I wanted to bridge the distance.
“My fault. I shouldn’t have teased you.” On the contrary. I loved teasing her.
“Well, you certainly captured my attention.”
“Then I’m glad I’m wearing vodka instead of gin.”
“Hey, Devil man. Where are those drinks?” Doc called from behind me.
She leveled her eyes on their table, the edges of her upper lip curling as she did. “The answer is simple. Because I peppered people with questions from the time I started talking.”
While I was pulling out my wallet, I stopped mid-action to study her face. “Did you ever get the answers you hoped you’d receive?”
Her expression fell flat, the mask returning. “No, which was why I kept asking. Finally, a teacher in high school told me that I should become a reporter.”
“Good call.”
With a slight huff, she blew hair from her face. “I assure you he wasn’t being nice or mentoring my capabilities at that point. He was tired of me finding mistakes and pointing them out.”
We both laughed and I nodded to the bartender when he took the credit card.
“Well, for what it’s worth, he was right.”
“A compliment coming from the Devil himself. I’ll consider my night a success.”
“Contrary to what you might have seen earlier, I’ll always compliment a beautiful lady, especially one who could light up an entire city with her smile.”
“Hmmm…” she murmured.
“Laying it on a little too thick?”
“Afraid so. I assure you I’ve seen and heard it all.”
While the moment was suddenly quiet, all noise in the bar fading, I found myself unable to look away, every nerve ending in my body painfully alive in her presence. How long had it been since I’d felt a stirring from my wolf?
A long time. Years in fact.
But he was suddenly awake.
And he was very hungry.
The gravitational pull left a heavy, deep ache that took every ounce of control to deny.
When she looked toward the team again, I sensed my longing had done little more than drive her further into a darkened space where she was more comfortable.
“Would you like to join us?” Idiot. What the hell was wrong with me? Whatever the connection we’d just shared, I’d blown it. The reality was easy to see by the shift in her expression.
“No, I have an article to finish, but go enjoy. You certainly earned it.”
Nodding, I shoved my credit card into my wallet. “Good luck on your article.” I grabbed the beers first with both hands, preparing to walk away. “I’m sorry Ford couldn’t talk to you. He’s the star of the team.”
“Don’t worry. I have everything I need for the article.” She glanced down to my boots and for the first time in my life I felt as if I was being undressed with a woman’s eyes.
And I liked it.
“One last question,” she said more softly than at the arena.
“Sure.”
“Why the Devil?”
It took me a few seconds to realize she was talking about my name on the ice. “From what I heard, from my devil-may-care style.”
“Not your terror on the ice.”
“I think you’re talking about my brother.”
The closeness made me off kilter, the desire creating wave after wave of white-hot fire. While the idea of touching her wasn’t forbidden, fucking a reporter who had an opportunity to help shape or taint my career was frowned upon.
Maybe so, but ultra-filthy images continued to roll through my mind.
So did the thought of possession.
“Interesting. However, that’s not why you think the name suits you. Is it?” She lifted her chin, her question more of a challenge than based on interest.
The lady was far too smart for her own good. “No, it’s not.”
“But you have no intention of telling me the real reason.”
Leaning in, I did nothing more than to take a deep whiff of her perfume, but my lips were so close to her skin I could almost taste her. The fire was suddenly burning out of control, my hands coming close to having a mind of their own. “Not now, but maybe later if you ask very nicely.”
The subtle yet pronounced innuendo was provided on a silver platter, an offer that had my balls tightening.
She didn’t back down, shifting her head just enough our lips were less than the three millimeters of the width of a blade away. Her soft whisper was sultry, inviting yet undeniably in full control whereas I was losing mine.
“Don’t bet on it.”