Page 50 of King

King shoots her a wink and then turns to me, putting his glove against the glass. I press mine on the other side, just for a moment, but I feel the connection down to my toes. He gives me the same charming wink and affection swells within me. Then he’s off to join the drills.

“Man, that was swoony.” Brittany sighs as we sit back down. “And he didn’t even seem to mind you have mustard on your chin.”

“Oh God!” I exclaim, rubbing with my napkin. Sure enough, bright yellow stains the white tissue and I glare at Brittany. “You could have told me.”

“Yes, I could have,” she says with an evil grin.

As the warm-ups continue, we devour our snacks, cheer on the Titans and jeer when the Ottawa Cougars take the ice. I soak in the atmosphere, wondering what it feels like for King. I’ll ask him tonight as he convinced me to go out with him and the team for a beer after.

“Look at him go,” Brittany says, nodding at King as he deftly maneuvers around other players. “He’s incredible.”

“He really is,” I agree, following his every move.

Izzy is back at the glass, her eyes glued to the action. Brittany leans over her seat and says, “He’s so into you.”

My stomach flips, mostly with a touch of angst, because that speaks to emotions and we’re not supposed to be goingthere. Admittedly, butterflies also happily zoom around because I really like King.

Izzy glances back at us. “I can’t wait for the game to start.”

“Me neither, sweetie.” I laugh, my eyes looking past her once again to watch King do a two-on-one drill. “It’s going to be spectacular.”

I take a deep breath, savoring the excitement that thrums through my veins. This will be a night to remember, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

♦

The energy isstill buzzing through me as we walk into Mario’s, a popular hangout with the post-game hockey crowd who eagerly await the arrival of players coming over for a beer. The crowd is lively and loud after the Titans’ win. Watching the man I’m dating play a crucial part in that win is indescribable. The depth of pride I have in him startles me, another sign that keeping this casual might be a bit harder than I thought.

King holds my hand possessively, his strong grip reassuring as we push through the throng of excited fans just inside the doorway. The smell of fried food and beer hits me immediately, mingling with the sounds of laughter and clinking glasses.

King is a magnet for attention and I don’t know how much of that is because he’s a Titan or because he scored a short-handed goal tonight. It was in the third period and the Titans were a man short due to what I personally felt was a bad call against Rafferty for tripping. King intercepted a pass and took off down the ice with two Cougars hot on his heels. I jumped out of my seat, banging on the glass as he zipped by, and with an incredible juking move, he faked out the goalie and scored. It was one of the most thrilling things I’ve ever witnessed and my hand hurts from high-fiving all the people around me.

The best part was after his teammates finished congratulating him, his gaze swung over to me. He already had a smile in place, but his eyes lingered a moment before he skated to the bench. I felt flushed again, both with an importance that I’ve never felt with anyone and a little desire that he’d single me out.

Fans, eager for autographs and pictures, swarm us as King maneuvers me through the restaurant. I can’t help but feel a bit overwhelmed as women step into his path, some aggressively touching him to get his attention. I don’t push away the flare of jealousy as I recognize it as natural. King handles it all with grace, brushing them off nicely and promising to make himself available later.

“Thanks for coming out, everyone!” he says, his voice friendly but firm. “I’ll be around to sign autographs and take pictures, but for now, I want to celebrate with my mates.”

Surprisingly, the fans are gracious and step back to give him room. King leads me into a roped-off area in the rear of the bar where the team and their significant others are gathered. The area is slightly elevated, granting a bit of privacy from the rest of the patrons. It’s clear this is their regular spot, a comfortable and familiar space where they can unwind after games with a bit of protection from the masses.

As we approach, I see Rafferty, North and Atlas at a high-top table and they wave us over. On the way, King stops by other tables and introduces me to everyone. I know some of the players by face since I’ve become a Titans fan. I recognize the names of their significant others from the stories King has told me.

Stone and his beautiful fiancée Harlow sit with Camden and his girlfriend Danica. At another table are Bain and his girlfriend Kiera, Boone and his fiancée Lilly, and Foster and his girlfriend Mazzy. They’re all chatting and laughing, drinks in hand, clearlycelebrating the win. When King introduces me, I’m greeted with warm smiles and general statements that equal “Welcome to the club.”

As King pulls me over toward Rafferty and crew, I lean into him. “I hope there’s not a test on all the names later.”

“Just wait until I take you to a full team event. There’s a lot more of us, you know?”

Take me to a team event? That smacks of something far more than casual, though I’ll admit, it sounds fun. I haven’t had much of that in recent years.

King stops and turns to me. “Actually, there’s a team dinner next Monday. Think you can swing that with me?”

I try to envision my schedule. “I think I’m good that evening work-wise but we have an Ice Pups practice. I’m guessing now will be a good time for Brittany to put her money where her mouth is and help out. She can handle one practice.”

King then surprises me by dipping his head and touching his lips to mine. It’s a public display of affection that catches me off guard but is so genuinely sweet, I lean into it. When he pulls back, several of the players I’d been introduced to stare in shock.

Is that because I’m older than him?

No, certainly not.

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