Page 66 of Mistletoe Face Off

“I can't believe it. I can't believe a coach would do that to a kid, because that's what you were. You were a kid, Harry.” There's outrage in her words, anger written across her features.

I switch off the screen. I don't need to look at what's written. I know the lies all too well. “It's all in the past. I've moved on. I went from being this scared kid whose years of hard work had come to nothing, to being a decent hockey player at a new school in a new city, way across the country from where it all went down. I haven't looked back, and I'm where I am now through sheer determination and hard work.”

She nudges closer to me and takes my hand in both of hers. “It is such a horrible story. Harry, I am so sorry that I doubted you for even one second. I knew in my heart that you are a good man, and I let doubt creep in. I’m thoroughly ashamed of myself.” She hangs her head.

“It's fine,” I say, even though it feels far from fine.

She lifts her gaze to mine, her eyes filled with tears. “It's not fine. You're the most incredible man I've ever known, and I allowed some guy in a seedy bar with his facts all wrong get in my head and make me doubt who you are.”

I lift her chin. “Hey. You're being too hard on yourself.”

A tear runs down her cheek, and she swipes it away with her fingertips. “I think I was looking for any excuse not to allow myself to fall for you.”

“Why do you think you were looking for an excuse?”

She takes a breath. “You know I've been burnt before, and I've spent the years since things fell apart with my ex making sure I don't let anyone get close.”

“But I got close,” I say softly.

She presses her lips together and nods.

I capture her gaze with mine. “I’m glad. And as for this doping scandal, what matters the most is that you told me about it.”

She pulls her lips into a watery smile. “You’re one in a million, you know that, Harry?”

I shrug, a small smile playing on my lips. “I've lived with this for years, and I'm doing okay.”

“Star defenseman for the Chicago Blizzard, probable captain next season. Yeah, I'd say you're doing okay.”

“Onlyprobablecaptain?” I tease.

“Definite captain,” she replies, her eyes soft. “I'm going to tell my boss I'm not doing the article on you first thing tomorrow morning.”

“But your promotion to National News.”

She shakes her head. “Doesn't matter.”

My heart squeezes. “You’d do that for me?”

“Of course I would.”

It doesn't feel great that she doubted me, even for a second, but I understand where she's coming from. She's been hurt, her trust broken.

I want to be the man who can build that trust back up again.

“I know we've only been on one date, but I want you to know you mean so much to me,” she says.

“Weird, because I was going to say that exact same thing.”

She leans in and places a soft kiss against my cheek, and I breathe in her intoxicating scent, the touch of her lips against my skin sending a tingle down my spine.

“You know, as nice as it is to be kissed on the cheek by you, I think we can do a whole lot better than that,” I say, that clawing in my belly being replaced by an entirely more pleasurable feeling.

“Oh, really?” Her face is lit up by her beautiful smile, her eyes flaming in intensity, and I’m sure she's never looked this beautiful. “What did you have in mind?” she asks, toying with the collar of my shirt.

Unable to resist her for one second longer, I cup her face in my hands and reply softly, “This,” as I lean in and press my lips against hers. She melts at my touch, and emboldened, I slip my hands around her waist and lift her up and out of her seat, placing her on my lap so she's straddling me, her knees on either sides of my hips as she lets out a little squeal.

“That's much better,” I say and I pull her close. Her soft curves meld against my hard edges, a perfect fit.

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