Page 164 of Well Played

It dawns on me he may not have been staring at my boobs but at the logo on my hoodie. It’s the logo of the Ice Cats, or Cats for short. They aren’t the local professional team. Hockey isn’t even a sport most people around here follow. I have yet to meet another Cats fan since I’ve been at DU. I shrug my shoulders since I can’t otherwise answer his questions and return to watching the game.

“Oh sweet. Only missed part of the first period.” Is he a hockey fan, or just being friendly? He better not be trying to flirt with me. Laura would be pissed. I never know when guys are flirting with me. I wish he was flirting with me but can’t go with there. Laura got to him first. If he’s interested in her, I’m definitely not his type.

“Is Janky back in goal or is he still injured?”

Okay. Only a fan would call our star goalie, Jankovich Taylor, Janky. Poor kid. Parents gave him a last name for a first name while having a first name for a last name. There’s a joke in there somewhere.

Again, I can’t answer his question, so I raise my eyebrow at him and give him a look I hope saysI have no voice, rememberand notare you an idiot?

“Right. No voice.” Bingo. Give the guy a prize. Maybe he isn’t one of the dumb ones. Laura does have a knack for picking the dullest crayon in the cookie jar. Sam exhales slowly.

“How about I just ask yes or no questions, and you give me a thumbs up for yes or thumbs down for no?” I give him a thumbs up and smile. Problem-solver. My kind of man. Only, not my kind of man. He’s Laura’s. I could never do that to her.

He grins back. Damn, it’s a good grin. A sexy grin. Made with lips I want to touch mine. I close my eyes. Laura’s. DO NOT TOUCH. Or kiss. Crapola, stop thinking about kissing him. Think of anything else, Josie.

Do not think about his hands. His large hands resting on his thighs. His large thighs that are near his… nope. Not going there either. Fuckwatts. Did Laura turn on the furnace finally? My cheeks are burning.

“You an Ice Cats fan?” Thumbs up.

“So, do you, uh, have a boyfriend?” Odd question, but I give him a thumbs down. The edges of his lips tilt up like he’s trying to suppress a grin. Why do I find that adorable? Nope. Off. Limits.

“So no boyfriend. Good to know. Mind if I watch the game with you?” My brain is screamingabort, abort, but my lady bits are singing hallelujah. Why are my nipples getting hard when it’s hot in this house now?

What is going on with my brain?

Sam looks at me expectantly and tilts his head. Shit. He asked me a question. I got distracted think of other things, hard man things. I give him a thumbs up.

“Is that a thumbs up you do mind or a thumbs up you don’t mind?” I shrug my shoulders. The Cats draw a tripping penalty. I throw my hands up and silently yell at the TV.

“What the fuck? He took a dive. That’s not tripping.” Sam growls at the screen. Damn, that’s sexy. He took the words right out of my mouth. And now I’m thinking about his mouth and the things it could do with it. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I get my brain out of the gutter?

Laura is my sister. My ride-or-die for life. If she’s interested in this guy, it means he’s so far off limits he might as well be in outer space. Even if he is gorgeous, a Cats fan, and smells like warmth and comfort. That I can actually smell. There is no way I could betray Laura.

It’s probably a moot point anyway. The kind of guys Laura attracts are never attracted to me. He’s probably being sociable since he’s stuck with the roommate while his hook-up takes a shower.

2

Josie

It’san intense few minutes as both teams battle the puck back and forth. The game remains scoreless as the first period ends. The Cats are the worst team in the league again this year. I still love them though. Their logo is a cat. A white cat with icy blue eyes and long, sharp fangs that look like icicles. It’s adorable. I love cats.

Sam reaches into the popcorn bowl sitting in my lap at the same time I do. Our fingers touch and sparks shoot up my arm, down my back, and straight to my vagina. What the freaking applejacks was that?

Sam stiffens and glances at me. Double shit. Did he feel it too? He stares at me for a few moments, looking down at the popcorn bowl and then his hand. He exhales.

“Are you from Minnesota?” Thumbs down.

“So how did you end up a Cats fan?” I sigh and shove more popcorn in my mouth.

“Right, no voice. Here, give me your phone.” I raise an eyebrow, curious about his intentions but helpless to resist whenhe gives me another dimpled smile. I unlock my phone and hand it to him.

“There. Now you can text me your answers.” He smirks and if I wasn’t sitting down, my knees would go weak. I grab my phone to distract myself from thoughts of going down on my knees and text my answer. I know it’s been a while, but this man is stirring up all sorts of inappropriate thoughts.

Me: When I first started watching hockey, my friend gave me a hard time about not having a favorite team. I like cats. They’re cute and moody. Minnesota has a cat logo. So I picked them.

His phone pings. He reads my message and laughs. “It’s a cat with big fangs snarling.”

Me: Still a cute, little moody kitty cat.

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