Page 57 of Rinkmates

His cheeks are faintly pink, and he avoids my gaze while I do my best to hide my own blushing. In a swift move, he snags a blanket and wraps it around himself. It’s hot like a sauna in here, why would he need—oh.Oh.

We both turn our attention to the TV.

He didn’t just get a boner because I massaged him, right? Right?

I swallow.

Just the thought gives me a drumbeat pulse between my legs.

Don’t think about Riley’s dick. Don’t.

“Thank you,” he says, and this time it’s me clearing my throat. “That was one amazing massage.”

I smile awkwardly.It would have been if I didn’t get off on groping your fucking muscles.

“Thanks for rescuing me,” I whisper, keeping my eyes on the TV.

“Anytime,” he replies, doing the same.

We don’t say much during the show—we’re both too caught up in what’s happening—but as the second episode wraps up, I turn to face him.

“Do you think it was his brother?”

“Wanna find out?”

I check the clock; we both need to get up early, but the show is so good, I just have to keep watching. “Turn it on.”

We watch three more episodes, and by the end of it, I’m sprawled on my belly while he lies next to me as if we’re used to watching TV together. We’re so close that our limbs touch—something I only now realize. We sneak glances at each other, and I have to admit, I really like the way he looks at me.

It makes me feel beautiful. Desired.

“Oh, I’m jealous about the plants his wife has. Speaking of which, why don’t you have any plants in here?” I ask him during a cliffhanger moment when the credits start to roll. I love plants. If I had the money, I’d live in a jungle.

“Plants? Me? Nah,” Riley says, shaking his head.

I glance at him, he has his arms draped behind his head and I see the abs pressing through his shirt. I’d love to lie on those. Okay. No. I don’t. Absolutely not. They are hard. Hard as fuck. “I could kill a cactus just by looking at it.”

“Really?” I laugh. “Cacti are pretty resilient.”

“Not resilient enough for me, apparently. Can’t share your obsession but it’s cute.”

“I guess I really am obsessed,” I say, feeling a warmth spread through my body at the memory of all the plants I grow back home. Summer is my favorite—I love trying to grow the veggies and fruits we eat, and more often than not, it works. I’m over the moon whenever I manage to make something grow. “Plants arelittle pieces of nature you can keep close by and with just a bit of care, they give so much in return. It’s calming. Oh, and I think they make the rooms so much prettier and— Shoot. Sorry, I’m totally babbling.”

“Don’t be sorry. I enjoy listening to you talk about the things you love. You’re eyes light up, and it’s…well, it’s kind of adorable.”

I catch myself smiling at him, my heart doing a stupid little flip.

Dangerous. This is definitely dangerous territory.

“You know, you’re different than I thought you’d be.”

“Different how?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, I always saw you as this driven, no-nonsense athlete. But here you are, not wanting me to tear apart the idiot who keeps bullying you, talking about plants like you’re a gardener instead of a skater, and spending all night watching TV shows with me,” he says with a crooked smile. “You’re…softer. And I mean that in a really good way.”

“Yeah, I think I’m softer off the ice,” I admit, biting my lip. It’s because I have to pretend to be hard to keep on going. “But you’re not exactly what I expected either. It’s really great what you do for those kids, Riley.”

“Yeah, I love it,” he says, his face softening. “Working with them keeps me grounded, reminds me why I love hockey in the first place.”

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