1. Kane #2
“You make it sound like we’re going to see each other again,” she says. She’s not looking at me, but when I glance down, her cheeks are pink again.
That’s becoming my favorite color.
And I think again about where else I’ll find sweet pink…
I clear my throat. “Oh, we’re definitely going to see each other again.”
She seems to be concentrating on the floor, possibly to keep from tripping again, but I sense it’s actually to avoid looking at me.
So she’s a little shy.
That’s not a problem. My best friend, Dash, comes off the same way.
Introverted, a man of few words. Quiet and a little awkward doesn’t intimidate me.
And Abby will make Dash feel very comfortable.
He sometimes gets annoyed by women who are too bold and flirtatious, especially the ones who are overly enamored with hockey players.
I am also not surprised or bothered by the idea that I’m thinking of my best friend and his reaction to Abby or my presumption that they will meet.
Abby is going to be around. Dash and Benjamin are the two most important people in my life. Of course they’re all going to meet. And of course they’re going to get along.
“Are you asking me out?” Abby finally asks softly.
Yeah, she’s sweet. That doesn’t seem like a flirtatious question. It’s just a question. One that’s almost befuddled by the idea. And how does she not know that I’m definitely flirting?
“I guess I said it as a statement didn’t I,” I say. I stop right before the doors that will lead out into the main part of the arena. “Would you consider going out with me sometime?”
She looks up at me, those big blue eyes sucking all the oxygen out of my lungs. “I don’t know. I don’t really date.”
“I’m really happy to hear that.”
Her brows arch. “You are?”
“It means I’m not going to have to fight a whole bunch of other guys and break their hearts when I tell them that you're now spoken for.”
Those pretty lips drop open again, but her pupils dilate slightly.
She doesn’t hate that. She’s not tempted to slap me across the face or tell me to fuck off.
“You’re really sure of yourself,” she says.
I actually laugh out loud. Full of myself is my default setting. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”
She presses her lips together. “I’m sorry,” she finally says. Her cheeks are pink again, but this time it’s definitely embarrassment.
“What are you sorry about?”
“I don’t know that much about hockey. And I don’t really know anything about the Mutts.”
Our team, the Mutts, are the pride and joy of this town.
Willow Bay doesn’t have much else going on, to be fair, but the fact that our team has developed and sent several guys up to the pros is something everyone brags about here.
And since it’s small-town Wisconsin, and because the only other real social events going on here are sporting events, music programs, and plays and stuff at the high school, pretty much everyone in town is a hockey fan.
But I shake my head. “That’s okay. I can teach you anything you need to know.”
She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, studying me.
I have to actually fist my hand to keep from reaching up and freeing that lip then running my thumb over it.
“Really?” she asks.
“Anything you need.” I’m shocked by how much I mean that. Not just hockey. I will do anything this woman needs.
It is the strangest instinct I’ve ever had for any woman, especially one I just met.
But I’m a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. There’s no way I’m going to fight this.
“I really believe in Stick It To Cancer,” I tell her, instead of asking her to marry me right now. “My stepmom is a survivor.”
Her eyes flicker with surprise, and then I see the corners of her mouth finally relax and curve just a teeny tiny bit.
“Oh, wow. I’m so happy for her and your family.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
“Well, I love the organization and everything it does,” she tells me with more conviction and strength in her voice than I’ve heard since meeting her.
“And this event is really important to them. I want it to go well. But I kind of…um…fudged how much I know and love hockey when I requested working on this particular event.”
I give her a smile. “You wanted it bad, huh?”
Her eyes widen as she realizes what she just confessed. “I can’t believe I just told you that. I don’t even know you.”
I reach out and take her hand. Again, it’s a strange instinct, but I have given up on questioning them, and I’ll take any chance to touch her. “Your secret is safe with me. What do you need?”
She lets me hold her hand. She even tightens her fingers around mine. “So far it’s been okay. I’ve been able to get by with just what I’ve read. But if I could actually have some real hockey knowledge, and real knowledge about the team. Maybe some behind-the-scenes stuff…”
“I’ve totally got you covered there,” I assure her. “Even better, what if you were friends with a couple of the players? Guys that you could call at any time for any last minute thing you might need?”
Her brows are nearly to her hairline now. “Really? Why would you do that?”
That is a good question. Because fate put her right in front of me and I might be a goofball, but I’m a smart goofball. “I like you,” I tell her honestly.
“You don’t even know me.”
“I know,” I finally admit. “It’s kind of weird. But I feel drawn to you.” I take a deep breath and confess, “And you seem sweet and yes, you’re beautiful. I’d love to spend more time with you. Get to know you.”
Her cheeks now match her sweater.
I go on before she can respond. “And helping people learn about and love hockey is one of my favorite things in the world.”
She presses her lips together, then nods. “I like you too. So far anyway.”
I chuckle. “Is that a yes, that you’ll let me teach you about hockey?”
She takes a breath but still seems hesitant.
I reluctantly let go of her hand to reach into my pocket for my phone and swipe across the screen pulling up my page on the team website. I turn it to face her. “I’m legit. Not a serial killer. No criminal record at all.”
She peers at the page then looks up at me.
“You said a couple of guys? Who else?”
Grinning, I swipe to Dash’s page. “My best friend,” I say, showing her. Her eyes scan my phone screen, and I see them widen slightly.
Dash looks grumpy as hell in his photo. He’s a goalie, so he has to look mean. His full beard and huge body add to the effect. But he’s a teddy bear.
Still, I think I’ll let Abby find that out for herself. That could be really fun.
“What do you say?” I ask.
Before she can respond, her phone chimes with a text. Frowning, she pulls it out then her face falls. “Oh my God,” she says.
Instantly, I step closer, that urge to comfort and take care of her surging through me again. “What’s wrong?”
She sighs. “My coworkers aren’t here,” she says. “They’re, uh…not coming.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Yeah.” She gives me the most adorable, abashed look when she says, “I’m here on the wrong day.”
I don’t even have a chance to fight the urge. My hand is up and cupping her face before I even think about it.
“It’s okay, Lollipop. That’s not a problem at all. Just means I get to keep you all to myself.”
She swallows hard. “Lollipop?”
I grin. “Yep. Pink. Sweet.” I let my voice get a little gruffer. “I’m guessing delicious.”
This is the pinkest her cheeks have been.
But holy shit…I finally get a smile. A full curl of her lips that nearly sends me to my knees.
“You’re…a lot,” she tells me.
I nod. “Yep.”
Her tongue darts out and she wets her bottom lip. “Okay, yes.”
I have so many questions I want her to say yes to: Can I kiss you? Can I put you up against my locker and make you scream my name? Can I take you home and keep you? Will you marry me?
She must sense that something crazy is spinning through my head because she clarifies, “Yes, you can teach me about hockey.”
Right. Hockey. Got it. “Great.”
Her smile grows and…fuck, I’m a goner.
“What the hell, Kane?”
The grumpy voice behind me pulls my gaze from hers.
I turn to find my best friend and roommate stomping toward me. My body is blocking Abby’s petite frame from his line of sight.
“I’ve been waiting by the truck. Let’s go,” Dash says with a frown. “I’m starving.”
“I got caught up in something,” I say.
“Something like what?”
I step to the side so he can see Abby.
He stops mid-stride.
I grin.
Yeah, this is going to be fun.