Page 76 of Scores Of The Heart

“That you’re secretly wearing my jersey.”

I run a hand over my face. Yes, there is that. “How do you know it’s your number?” I joke.

He gives me a dark look for a moment while nudging me. “You know, it better be my number, baby girl. That’s all I can say.”

CHAPTER 16

Tyler

I love the fact we’re doing this and going against the grain. Opting to spend the rest of tonight together instead of partying over the Stanley Cup.

I’m still on a high and feeling so fucking proud of myself, and of the team, that I would probably agree to anything right now. But deep down, she’s the one I want to spend the last few hours of tonight with.

Now here she is, sexy as sin, joking about wearing another guy’s number.

Not gonna fucking happen. Not on my watch.

“If it weren’t mine, whose number would it be?” I ask her, flipping a piece of her long, dark hair over her shoulder. I love brushing my fingers against her, even if I only get a second’s contact. I want so much more, but I meant what I said — I’m willing to hold out until she’s ready. I respect that about her if it’s what she wants.

She laughs, shaking her head. “Nobody else’s, I’m just teasing.”

“Phew for that.” I sigh. “At least I don’t have to go beating anyone up tonight.”

She shakes her head. “You wouldn’t do that, off the ice at least.”

“You sure?” I give her a lopsided grin.

“You’re not the real bad boy they make you out to be, you know.”

“You clearly haven’t seen some of my past footage,” I muse. “Or my tattoos.”

Her eyes grow. “I have seen some of them in those sexy ad campaigns…” she trails off. “On your arms and chest.”

“That’s not the only place I have them, baby.”

She glances at me in the darkness, biting her lip. “Maybe you are the Seattle Hawks bad boy after all?”

“I would never do anything bad to you.”

She lets out a breath. And again, I wonder what that’s all about and what is going on in that pretty head of hers.

“What is it?” I ask when she’s quiet.

“Just thinking about how I haven’t had the best run of relationships,” she says, keeping her eyes on the road. “They’ve been few and far between.”

“How long has it been since you were dating anyone?” I ask.

“A few years since there was anyone serious,” she says.

My eyes are wide now. Wow. “Really?”

“Yeah. My last serious relationship was back in college. Then I threw myself into working for the Hawks and proving myself as an undergrad fresh out of college. I wanted to make it on my own merits, not just because of my dad.”

“I can totally understand that.”

“Then when I dated here and there after that, things never really went anywhere. I started to just get more and more career focused, and less social, I guess. I didn’t mean it to happen that way, but I lost hope of finding someone.”

“There’s a lot of douchebags out there,” I say.

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