Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
CATALINA
"When you said 'restaurant,' this wasn't what I was picturing," I admitted.
"You were expecting fish and chips?” Easton teased.
"Well…" I shot him a cagey look across the table.
He laughed. "I would never take a woman to a fish and chip shop on a first date."
I smiled. "That's definitely third or fourth date stuff."
"At least." He looked uneasy for a moment. "Is this okay? You're probably used to fancier than Penny's."
"Not really," I said. "I don't go out to eat that often. I've always liked this place though. It's very Opal Springs."
I thought he'd be pleased at my response, but he seemed irritated for some reason. It only lasted for half a moment, before he was smiling again.
"It definitely is. When the Ghouls go pro, I'll be able to afford better than this place."
"I'm paying for myself," I said firmly. I got the feeling this was about more than where he brought me. "You seem uncomfortable here. Would you prefer to go to O'Reilly's?"
His jaw clenched and he chewed on his thoughts for a moment. "When I was a kid, this place seemed like… Like luxury. Only rich people could afford to eat here." He exhaled half a breath. "I thought only rich people could eat at Penny’s.”
He let out the other half of his breath and looked like he expected me to laugh at him, but I nodded.
"It's all relative," I said. "My parents were both doctors, but they had me and my sister not long after leaving uni.
We didn't have much when I was little. My mother used to refuse to buy food, even from a café.
She used to say we have plenty of ingredients at home and could go and eat there.
I thought she was being mean. It wasn't until years later I realised we couldn't afford it. So yeah, I get it."
He stared at me, then seemed to shove away his dark mood. His usual smile was back on his lips if not in his eyes.
"That's something else we have in common. I guess that's why we're both so determined to succeed. We have those memories of missing out on things and won't ever let ourselves go back to that again."
"No we won't," I agreed. I picked up my menu and started to read.
"Can I ask you something?" He also held his menu, but lowered it to raise his eyebrows at me.
"That depends," I said. "On what you want to ask."
"Is it true you're a qualified vet?"
I shrugged one shoulder. "Yeah. After I finish my clinical hours and final exams. Why? Do you have an animal that needs treatment?"
He grinned. "I know a few of them. Cruz, Shaw, Dean, Jagger…"
I laughed. "They're more my father's kinds of animals."
Easton laughed too. "The reason I'm asking is because I'm wondering why you skate? Why not stick to taking care of animals?"
"Why not stick to hammering nails?" I asked back. "Why play ice hockey?"
He frowned briefly. "Because hockey can take me places being a chippie can't. Carpentry got me out of the hole I grew up in, but it can't do for me what hockey can. It can't do for the community what the Ghouls can. But being a vet is better for the community than ice racing."
A prickle of annoyance travelled through me.
"I won't be skating forever. Not on the world stage anyway.
You know how it feels to get out on the ice and compete, it's addictive.
So is caring for animals, but dogs and cats don't make my blood race.
I'm passionate about animals, but racing is like nothing else.
I want the hit I get from it, for as long as I can. "
"I can think of one cat that makes my blood race," he said smoothly. "How long will you keep racing?"
"Until I can't anymore," I said. "Then I'd like to open my own clinic and work for myself.
Maybe skate for fun on the weekends." My face was warm and probably pink from his words.
He was making my heart race faster than I expected he could.
He was right when he said I was attracted to him.
How could I not be? He was a good looking, athletic, charming guy.
One who knew all the right things to say.
I glanced down at the menu. "You won the bet. I guess that means you won't ask the team to stay out of my way when I'm practising."
"I'll still do that," he said. "Even though you lost, it seems like the right thing to do."
Did he really mean that? Either way, I was going to accept.
"If you can do that, I'll appreciate it," I said. "I only ask for the time I paid for. Nothing unreasonable."
"Right." Something passed over his face, but once again he quickly rallied back to his smile.
"Are you getting shit from your teammates for this?" I nodded down to the menu. I had it narrowed down to the quiche, but couldn't decide between the spinach or the bacon. They both sounded delicious.
"Nothing I can't handle," he said lightly. "Just a bit of petty jealousy, that's all."
"Jealous of me or you?" I teased. "Are you guys close?"
There it was again, a hint of unease or something I couldn't put my finger on.
"Sometimes," he said. "When they're not being assholes."
"So, rarely," I said dryly.
He chuckled. "Basically. You have them pegged pretty quickly, don't you?" He didn't seem annoyed by that. Did I imagine a slight emphasis on the word pegged?
"I like to keep an open mind, but when you get glared at for long enough, you have to come to some kind of conclusion.
I don't want to get between you and them, but I'm not going to let them worry me either.
" I had no time in my day to deal with assholes and people who caused trouble.
I liked Easton, but I didn't want to complicate either of our lives.
"Definitely don't be worried about them," he said. "Sooner or later, they'll pull their heads out of their asses. And don't worry about me. Like I said, it's nothing I can't handle."
The server came to take our orders and the menus, and leave a jug of water and two glasses on the table.
"I didn't figure you for a quiche person," I remarked.
"After you ordered it, I thought that sounded good so I'd have some too." He shrugged. "I would have preferred the bacon version. But—" he patted his flat stomach, "I have to keep my figure."
I hummed. "Curious. If you asked me, I would have thought you were the kind of guy who enjoyed another half hour in the gym to make up for eating bacon."
"Because that's what you do?" he asked. "Rather than denying yourself something yummy, that maybe you couldn't have as a kid?" He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Now who has who pegged?" I used the word deliberately to see his reaction.
He swallowed hard. "I'm a good judge of character." His voice was slightly higher on the first couple of words. "You might not agree, given some of the characters I fraternise with."
I laughed. "You said it, not me."
He shook his finger at me. "I'm starting to think I need to be careful what I say around you. I might end up with them biting me in the ass."
He lowered his hand to the table. "For the record, I don't mind if you want to bite my ass.
Or lick or suck. I am down for pretty much anything.
In fact, if you want to go under the table while we wait for our food and—" He stopped in the middle of his sentence, his lips apart, smiling slightly and side eyed a server as they walked past the table.
I held back a laugh until the server was safely away, in the back of the restaurant. "Polish your shoes?" I asked sweetly.
He laughed too and leaned forward. "I'd prefer you to polish my cock with your mouth."
"I had a feeling that's what you meant," I whispered. Our faces were close together, breath mingled, sending tingles up and down my spine. "You really are forward."
"Sweetheart, you were the one who pointed out I go after what I want and deal with the consequences later. Life is too short not to live every minute of it as hard and fast and messy as possible." His voice was a low, husky growl.
I couldn't ignore the effect he had on me and my clit certainly couldn't. I looked him right in the eye and said, "I'm not bacon."
"I bet you taste even better," he whispered. "That's what I'm going to be thinking about through the rest of dinner and the movie. How delicious your pussy is going to taste."
It was my turn to swallow hard.
Before I could say anything further, the server appeared with our meals. We jumped apart like a pair of guilty teenagers and let him place plates in front of us.
We both shared a smile before thanking the server and starting to eat.