Page 54 of Pucking the Team

“Lukas and Alex, they’re…we’re just friends,” I say sheepishly.

Slade’s smirk widens into a full-blown grin. “Friends, huh? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

I narrow my eyes at him, trying to play it cool even as my insides are churning with a mix of embarrassment and…something else. Something that feels suspiciously like desire. “Ha ha, very funny.”

Slade chuckles, the sound low and rumbling. He sets down his mug and leans forward, bracing his hands on the counter. “Hey, no judgment here. What you do in your personal life is your business.”

I can’t help but notice the way his biceps flex, or how his gray-blue eyes seem to darken as they roam over me. I swallow hard, trying to ignore the heat building in my body.

“It seems like quite a few of my friends are your…friends,” he says.

Okay, great. So he knows everything. But like he said, there’s genuinely no judgment in his tone or his gaze, just a piqued curiosity.

I get the sense that he’s sussing me out, looking out for his buddies, trying to make sure that I’m not going to blast through their lives like a tornado.

Always the captain, I guess.

I take a sip of my coffee to clear my throat and then say, “They are. But as we’re all mature consenting adults and everyone is aware of what’s going on, I don’t see a problem. Do you?”

He studies me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then a slow, wicked smile spreads across his face. “No, I don’t see a problem at all,” he drawls. “In fact, I think it’s pretty damn hot.”

My eyes widen at his bluntness. I nearly choke on my coffee. “You…you do?”

Slade nods, his gaze raking over me in a way that makes my skin tingle. “Hell yeah. A gorgeous, smart, funny woman like you, keeping a few of Chicago’s most eligible bachelors on their toes? What’s not to like?”

I feel my face flush at the compliment even as a thrill zips through me. So he thinks I’m gorgeous, huh? Funny, that’s the same word I’d use to describe him.

I look away, desperate to break the charged silence. “So, uh, how long have you been playing hockey?” I ask awkwardly.

Slade chuckles, the sound ringing through me pleasantly. “Since I could walk, basically. My folks put me on skates before I was even out of diapers.”

We fall into easy conversation, swapping childhood stories and bonding over our shared love of the sport. As the minutes tick by, I find myself relaxing, my earlier discomfort all but forgotten.

There’s just something about Slade that puts me at ease, even as his mere presence sets my nerve endings on fire. It’s a heady combination, one that has me both craving more and terrified of getting too close.

I take the last bite of my pancake, and Slade reaches across the counter, his thumb brushing gently against the corner of my mouth.

“You had a little something there,” he murmurs, his voice low and intimate.

I swallow hard, my skin tingling from his touch. “Thanks,” I manage to say, my voice barely above a whisper.

His hand lingers, cupping my cheek. I find myself leaning into his palm, chasing the warmth of his skin against mine. Our eyes lock, the air between us suddenly electric.

Slade slowly leans in closer, his lips parting slightly. I can’t breathe, can’t think.

All I can focus on is the heat of his body, the scent of his skin, the promise of his kiss.

God, I want him so fucking badly.

CHAPTER 25

SLADE

My hand lingers on Emma’s cheek.

Fuck.

I’ve been counseling my friends about this girl for the last few weeks, all the while trying to fight off my own growing hard-on for her. I thought I had more self-control than this.

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