Page 59 of Heartless Pucker in Love

“What?”

He pointed to the stands. “That pretty lady that was here with you last time is one of them. Shit, the other three look like her. Are they related? You must teach me your ways, Julian.”

I was too busy gawking at the small group of Bennet women waving at me to respond to Jake. Cassandra gave me a mock salute. She held up a sign that read: Hey, Grayson! Ruby, standing beside her, held one that said: I love you. Tessa held the last one that said: I’m sorry.

I just stood there in the middle of the rink with my mouth still open. Ruby lowered her hand with the sign and looked down at it with a frown. Then she shook her head vigorously, as she pointed to herself. I squinted to see what she was mouthing. Not me, April. April loves you.

Laughter bubbled in my chest as Ruby pointed to her left. My eyes moved down the line to see April waving her arms frantically. Ruby handed her the sign and she hopped up on the bench to hold it up. I love you.

My heart felt as if it expanded in my chest because the joy and relief I felt were almost too much for the organ. I laughed heartily. Now that was an entertaining profession of love. A hard clap on my shoulder made me stagger forward.

“Look at that, you’ve won more than this game tonight.”

I glanced at Jeff with a frown. “What? We haven’t won yet.”

“No, but we have to now,” he smirked, “to impress the girl.”

“Shit, Jeff, you’re right.” I was going to win this one for April.

* * *

The game couldn’t end soon enough. I tore through the crowd like a raging bull to find April. There were plenty of stares and calls from fans but I didn’t stop. I had abandoned my celebrating teammates and ran off to find her. Finally, I saw her struggling through the sea of bodies.

“April!”

When she looked up, her entire face lit up. “Julian!”

I had to cover the rest of the distance between us because her tiny frame was being carried away by the crowd. The sheer annoyance on her face made me smile. She was so adorable when she was pissed. I reached for her and lifted her off her feet into an embrace then swallowed whatever she was about to say with a kiss. She relaxed against me and kissed me back. When I pulled away, she panted, “You’re not angry with me?”

“Hell yes, I’m still pissed. Doesn’t mean I don’t still love you. What, are we supposed to break up every time we argue?”

Her lips parted. “Break up?”

“Yes, April, break up.” I stared at her daring her to deny that we were a couple. “I was going to come right back to Oakland to let you know I wouldn't stand for you pushing me away. I don’t give up easily on what I want.”

Smiling, she sighed. “Oh, thank God. I thought I ruined everything. I was only trying to make this easy for you Julian, I swear. I didn’t want to risk you blaming me for giving up your life here in case you regretted,” she looked around and lowered her voice, “retiring.”

I chuckled. “I had it in mind before we happened so blaming you wouldn’t be possible. And I won’t regret a thing. I’ve made up my mind, April. I miss home, my mom, Andy, and now I have you to miss. I want to be closer to you.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay, but you have to finish this season first. Do it properly. I’ll wait for you. We can talk on the phone often. I’ll get a cardboard cutout of you to hold on to at night...or something.”

Throwing my head back, I laughed. She was delightful as always. “That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

She buried her face in my neck and groaned. “Maybe, but I’ll miss you so much. I won’t ask you to travel back and forth so often. That’s too much for you. You need to stay rested and focused.”

I still hadn’t put her down and my hold on her tightened. I’d miss her too. I’d have to endure six months without her by my side every day. It was tempting to just quit now and go home with her, but I couldn’t abandon the team. Six fucking months. “I can’t believe you came all the way here.”

“I love you,” she said as if that explained it all, and it sure did.

“I love you too.”

“Aren’t you going to put me down?” she asked, although her arms were still wrapped around my shoulders.

“Not yet,” I sighed.

“People are taking pictures.”

“I don’t care.” I buried my nose in her hair and inhaled as if I could take in enough of her scent to last me for six months.

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