Page 63 of Offside Devil

Even the brussels sprouts taste good. I force down greens for my health, but I’ve never enjoyed them. “When did you have time to do this?”

She winces. “Sorry, but we left the game early to beat the crowds. Evan was worried about keeping track of us in the crush of people and I didn’t want Aiden eating nothing but licorice ropes and nachos for dinner.”

“Don’t apologize to me. You didn’t miss much. I played like shit.”

She wraps her hands around her mug. “I don’t know anything about hockey, so I’m no expert.”

“You don’t need to be an expert to know the puck should probably go in the goal,” I drawl. “Keeping it away from the other team is a good start, too.”

“Oh. Then, yeah, maybe not your best night.” She gives me a sheepish smile. “I’m sure you just had an off game. I can bring Aiden to another one and?—”

“No.” Mira flinches at the force I put behind the word and I blow out a harsh breath before rephrasing. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to have him there.”

She frowns. “Evan was with us the entire time, just like I promised. He even glared at the guy behind us until he took the hint and stopped screaming every curse word he knew right over the top of Aiden’s head.”

“It’s more about the media,” I explain haltingly. “I’ve been in front of crowds like that for years. I’m used to it. Or, I was. But as soon as I looked around tonight, it looked different. All I could see were the cameras and the lights.”

“You don’t want anyone to know about him,” she guesses softly.

“It’s not that. I want people to—I want some people to know about him. But not everyone. Not yet.”

Her voice stays hushed. “I get it. I almost didn’t take this job because I didn’t want to be photographed with you. I’m obsessive about my privacy, even when I’m not fake dating a super hot hockey player.”

“As opposed to an ugly hockey player?” I quirk a brow.

“I meant super hot, like, in the social conversation. A famous hockey player.” Her cheeks flush the same color red as the jersey she’s wearing.

When she turns around, my blood boils. PATTERSON is printed across her narrow shoulders where WHITAKER should be. “Why in the fuck are you wearing Daniel’s old jersey?”

She settles back into the couch, my now-former best friend’s jersey brushing against her bare skin. “He let me borrow it. I didn’t have anything to wear. But it’s actually really comfortable.”

Will she wear it to bed? Does her skin flush everywhere when she’s nervous?

The thought of her wearing Daniel’s jersey to bed twists something deep and primal in my core.

I want to demand she take it off, but my cock is aching against my zipper as it is. I wolf down another bite of pasta instead. Bury my anger with carbs, or something like that.

“All I’m saying is, I get it. I know a super smart genius told you to make space for Aiden in your life” —She smirks at me, the tilt of her full lips sending more blood flow in the wrong direction. “—but you don’t have to do it all at once. It’s good to pace yourself and wait until you’re comfortable. I’ll take it as slow as you want.”

All I can see is the slow crawl of Mira’s body over mine. I’ll take it as slow as you want. The problem is, I don’t want it slow. I mean, well, yes, I do—partly. But I also want it fast and hard and relentless and repeatedly.

I blink and she’s staring at me, a worried look on her face. “Are you okay?”

“I short-circuited. I’m not used to you being agreeable.”

She rolls her eyes, and God help me, I could make her do that again if she’d let me. I could fuck a million different expressions out of her.

“Well, I’m not used to you being honest with me about what you need,” she says with the fire I’m used to.

She doesn’t want to know what I need right now. Honestly, I barely know what I need. Except for…

“I need time,” I admit. “I thought maybe I was figuring this all out, but tonight was proof I haven’t. I could barely focus out there.”

“So Aiden won’t come to the games until you’re ready,” Mira concludes like it’s as simple as that. “That’s fine. I’ll send you a picture of him wearing your jersey before every game. We’ll have our own watch parties from the living room.”

Something about that feels even more dangerous than letting Aiden go to the games.

I blink again, trying to clear the fog from my head.

---