Chapter 5 Challenge Accepted
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Shaw
She’s nervous. Distracted, maybe, as we head out into the Manhattan night.
I reach for her hand. But she’s been fidgety since she met me near the players’ exit after the game.
Hmm. Fidgety won’t do. I want her to have a fantastic time with me tonight.
This is the chance I’ve been waiting for since last season, and I don’t want it to slip through my fingers again.
Trouble is, outside the arena is not the place for a blunt conversation.
Half of New York is here it seems, and the sidewalks are packed with fans in purple and gold Ice Kings jerseys. As it should be.
I usually take a subway home to the West Village after games, and that’s fine when it’s just me. This woman is far too lovely to sully with a subway ride at night. She deserves a limo, so I ordered one.
“I got a limo.”
“For our—”
“Date,” I supply.
She swallows, like something is throwing her off. “Okay.”
Did I misread that kiss? The coffee shop flirtation? The wearing of my jersey? “Was that too presumptuous? This is a date, isn’t it?”
She licks her lips. “Yes.”
“Yes, it was presumptuous?”
“Yes, it’s a date. No, it’s not presumptuous,” she says as we weave past a pack of drunken guys. “It’s just—”
But right as she’s about to say something, one of them stumbles toward her. I haul her close, keeping her out of the line of fire.
I hold her hand tighter. “The car’s not far from here, but the traffic’s too bonkers to have the driver pick us up at the arena, so I asked him to meet us a couple blocks away.”
I’m vaguely regretting that. Idling in traffic would be better so we could talk easily, but a block later, I spot the limo. The driver hops out to open the door, but I wave him off. “I’ve got this.”
I open it for Jane, then slide in, following her. When I shut the door, I tell the driver to head downtown. But I don’t offer my address. I don’t want to presume. I hit the partition for privacy then turn to her. “You seem out of sorts. Want me to take you home?”
She blows out a breath. “I’m not Jane Smith.”
I laugh. Is that what’s got her so flustered? “I figured as much.” Then I lower my voice. “Also, I never thought you were.”
But she doesn’t breathe a sigh of relief. Instead, she seems to take a soldiering breath. “I’m Camden Tinsley,” she continues. “I’m a singer. I go by Camden on stage.”
Oh.
Ohhh.
I’ve heard of her, seen her name pop up, but I pass most music by. “I knew you felt sort of familiar. I have to confess I don’t know your music though. I’m more of an audiobook bloke.”
She smiles, but it vanishes quickly. “It’s okay. Most of my fans are young women. But what I really wanted to tell you is…” Her tone sounds serious. “You might also know me as Erik Karlsson’s ex.”
I sit up straight against the seat, my smile erased. “You were involved with that prick?” My lower lip curls, and I can’t mask the distaste in my mouth.
“Yeah,” she says, wincing, like she’s embarrassed.
And…I’d better rewind. I set a hand on her bare thigh.
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not saying you chose badly.
I’m not blaming you because he’s a prick.
We all tend to get involved with the wrong people at some point.
So let me amend that. I’m so bloody glad you’re not with that arsehole anymore.
” I squeeze her thigh. She shudders. “Since it means you can go out with me.”
Now I’m really being presumptuous, but I’m okay with that.
A smile shifts her lips. “Really? I was so worried you’d think I’d tricked you.”
I roam my hand down to her knee, savoring the way she trembles under my touch as I counter with, “Well, did you? Trick me?”
I expect an immediate no.
What I get is a shrug. A guilty one. An admission. But it’s kind of a sexy shrug. It’s chased with a sparkle in her pretty eyes. “How did you trick me, Camden?” I’m intrigued, and maybe a little wary. But mostly curious.
She tilts her head, holding my gaze straight on. Her lips are parted, but she takes a beat before she finally answers. “I didn’t tell you who I was because I didn’t want it to ruin my grand plan.”
“Okay, now I’m really intrigued. What’s your grand plan?”
She doesn’t look away as she says, “I have to admit, I thought it’d be really hot to fuck Erik’s rival.”
My jaw drops.
I’m not normally surprised. Being quick on your feet comes with the territory of being an athlete. But I’m not sure how to take that invitation at first.
Until she slides a hand up the buttons on my dress shirt, coasting toward the collar. “Especially since your kisses make me so much hotter than his did.”
And now I know how to take her invitation since I can’t resist a competitive challenge.
I cover her hand with mine, haul her close. “Then by all means, let’s make this grand plan of yours happen right fucking now. And I can show you exactly how much better I am than him. At everything.”