Page 18 of Pucking Flames of Love

I need to be professional; I don’t have any choice in the matter. I can’t stop thinking about Jace and Rich and the way they’d react to all of this. Theylovewinding me up and treating me like a second-class citizen. They already think that I somehow managed to get this opportunity by sleeping around. The last thing I need to do is make that worse.

“So, just short-term flings, then?”

“Ah, don’t put words in my mouth, Riley,” he chuckles. “That isn’t what I said at all. I just said I haven’t had anything long-term, not since my ex.”

I nod understandingly. I understand why that might not be a subject that he wants to touch on. I wouldn’t either. I don’t think it’s relevant. Who cares what happened in high school? I don’t want people barking on about what happened to me when I was a teenager.

“So, is it just because no one has caught your eye then?” I take a sip of my wine, wondering if I’m teetering on dangerous subjects here. For myself more than him.

“I guess I’ve been too busy worrying about hockey. I haven’t thought about dating. I have been too busy trying to perfect my game, that’s all.”

Hmm, well, that gives me nothing at all. “And do you think you’re there yet?”

He cocks a knowing eyebrow my way. “I don’t know if I will ever feel like I’m ‘there,’ you know? But I keep trying every single day.”

I like it when he’s like this, showing me the softer side to him. I know he gives off hard energy, and he’s all closed off all the time, but there is definitely a lot more to Alex. It’s cool to get to know him on a deeper level.

The waiter brings over our food, which interrupts us for a moment. The food is about as delicious as I imagined it might be, considering the ambiance, which allows me to forget for a little while that I’m supposed to be interviewing him.

“Are your friends the same?” I ask as I chew.

“Friends as in teammates? Nah, not really. Some of them are more focused on the game than on their social lives, but not all of them.” His eyes twinkle with delight. “But I’m not about to snitch on my friends, so you can’t expect that.”

I hold up my hands in a surrendering gesture. “I wouldn’t dare ask you to talk about other people. Not a chance. This is all about you.”

He sighs. “Yeah, and that’s what I hate about things like this. I don’t play hockey to talk about myself. I don’t know why anyone would be interested in me.”

“Well, I’m interested in you.” I shrug, trying to play down what I just said, but I really am interested in what he has to say. Having a couple of days without talking to him definitely made me more intrigued. I spent that time researching him and trying to work out what I could write about him, but of course, Alex Barrett doesn’t give much away. “I would like to know more about you, and I know there are a lot of fans who feel the same way.”

“Okay, then I will try to be open and honest with you. Like I said to you, I will do my best to behave right now so you can learn it all.”

“Why don’t we start with silly things? Your favorite movie? Book?”

“Obviously, the Rocky movies. What sort of man would I be if I didn’t like the training montages? Plus, that soundtrack… epic. As for books, I actually like the works of Haruki Murakami.”

My eyes light up as he says this. “Really? I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who likes those books as much as me. What did you think about the 1Q84 series?”

I didn’t think I’d find something that I have in common with Alex Barrett, except maybe our love of sport, but this really gives us something to chat about. He must be a big reader to have gone through all of Murakami’s books, which makes me way more excited than I should be.

I lean in closer to hear Alex’s opinions on the books, which are always open to interpretation, but that I’ve never had a chance to talk about with anyone before. Tonight is definitely going to be interesting…

***

My chest actually hurts from laughing so much. I can’t remember the last time I had as much fun as I’d had at dinner with Alex. I don’t want the night to end, but we’ve eaten everything on the menu and spent hours talking about everything and anything.

The lines between personal and professional have definitely been blurred tonight, which means I’ve learnedsomuch about Alex. Some things I might turn into a story, others I might keep as little tidbits just for me to know. Who knows. Right now, my feet are barely touching the ground because I’m so giddy.

“I can’t believe I ordered all that ice cream,” Alex groans as he grips his stomach. “I definitely have eyes bigger than my belly.”

“I did try and tell you, but you justhadto be right.”

As another couple on the sidewalk head towards us, Alex automatically reaches out and takes my hand. It’s just a small gesture that might not mean a lot to him, but I can’t help the way my heart skips about five beats.

I’mnotAlex’s girlfriend, but this must be what it feels like. It’s incredible, especially when he tugs me closer to him so I can inhale his delicious, masculine scent. A sizzling of desire races through my entire body, fizzing passion through me. It’s hard for me to keep moving in the right direction.

Thankfully, Alex knows where he’s going.

“So, this is you, right?” He spins me around until I’m facing him and smiles. “Thanks for tonight. It was awesome. I hope you managed to get everything you wanted from me.”

---