Page 36 of Expose on the Ice

"Well, you’re notexactlywhat I had in mind, either," I say, breathlessly. "Killer bod. Good at hockey. A bit of an asshole. But…"

"But what?" He smirks, repeating my words back at me.

"But… well… every time you look me in the eyes, I feel like you’re boring into me. And every time you look me up and down, I feel…"

The air between us is thick with tension. We’ve drifted closer without realizing it, close enough that I can smell the whiskey on his breath, and feel his heat as much as I can feel the chill of the ice beneath my feet.

I lean in, just an inch, drawn by some invisible force, my heart pounding in my chest. Knox’s eyes flicker to my lips, andbefore I can process exactly what’s happening, he closes the last of the distance between us.

And, at that moment, he’s no longer ‘Knox’, my subject.

He’s ‘Carter’, my… who the hell knows?

His lips crash into mine, hot and urgent. I freeze for a split second, but then instinct takes over, and I kiss him back with equal fervor. The world falls away. There’s nothing but the press of Carter’s mouth against mine, the taste of whiskey on his tongue.

A small, desperate sound escapes me as I grip his shoulders, pulling him closer, like a drowning woman holding on to a life raft, wanting to keep a grip as I pass through the fury of the storm and find its eye.

He pulls back for a second, eyes locked onto mine, searching them, asking a million questions in one glance. When my eyes give him the answer he clearly wants, webothwant, he claims my mouth again with the same ferocity he plays with on the ice.

As we engulf each other, one of his hands curls around the back of my neck, the other sliding down my spine to rest at the curve of my ass. Electricity zings through me, pooling in places I’d tried to ignore for weeks now.

I snake my arms around his neck, my fingers combing through his hair, and press my chest against his. His scent – clean laundry, male sweat, and a hint of the whiskey we’d shared – fills my lungs, fueling my lust.

His tongue dances with mine, teasing and tempting. Slowly, my fingers trace the hard planes of his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath my palm, then I slide my hands down his lean, sculpted abdomen.

We break apart for air, both gasping. But Carter doesn’t stop. His lips blaze a path along my jaw, down to the sensitive spot just below my ear. I shiver, tilting my head to give him betteraccess. It’s like he knows exactly how to navigate my body, like he does defenders on his way to goal.

"Carter," I breathe, barely recognizing my voice.

He growls in response, the sound sending a jolt of electricity straight through me. I gasp as his hand slips under the hem of my shirt, calloused fingers finding my panties, threatening to expose me like I had him.

I moan, my hips rocking forward instinctively. The movement seems to snap us both back to reality. Carter jerks away as if he’d been burned, his eyes wide with shock. We stare at each other, chests heaving.

"What’s wrong?" I say, the sudden absence of his touch leaving me cold.

"Shit," he mutters, running a hand through his hair. "I shouldn’t have?—

I open my mouth to respond, but no words come out. My mind is reeling, a whirlwind of conflicting emotions threatening to overwhelm me. Desire still courses through my veins, my body aching for his touch. But confusion quickly follows.

What the hell had just happened?

How had we gone from baring our souls to… this?

I search Carter’s face, hoping to find some answers there. But his expression has already closed off, that familiar mask of indifference sliding back into place. His walls are back up, and I’m back on the outside, no matter what we’d just shared.

"Carter," I try again, my voice shaky. "I?—

"Forget it," he cuts me off, his tone brusque. "This was a mistake."

Before I can react, he’s already skating away, leaving me alone on the ice. I watch helplessly as he disappears into the locker room, the sound of the door slamming echoing through the empty arena. I stand there, frozen in place, my lips still tingling from his kiss.

What thehellwas that?

ACT 2

CHAPTER 14

LILY

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