Page 16 of For Pucking Keeps

“Well, that was unexpected and refreshing,” she says as she reaches behind her and closes the door. She wiggles the doorknob to check to see if she’s locked it then turns and walks past me down the stairs. I’m so stunned. I watch her move. I can’t take my eyes off her; my eyes follow her easily, like they’re tethered to her.

“What’s unexpected and refreshing?” I ask, already knowing what she’s referring to. Am I fishing for a compliment? Why yes, yes, I am. I need her to see me. All of me. Not the world-famous hockey player, just Torrance. The man my momma raised me to be.

“Honesty is hot, Mr. Bailey. You keep it up, I may have to keep you around.”

She looks over her shoulder and smiles. My breath catches, my heart skips a beat, and I may have swooned a bit. I, Torrance Bailey, am a swooner. Who knew? For a man whose been emotionally closed off most of my life, I am surprising myself. I catch up to her in two steps. Pulling my keys out of my pocket, I press the key fob and start up the car. The door locks disengage with an audible click, and I reach her door before she does.

“I’m going to be all kinds of cliché today, Miss Starr.” I open her door and swing my arm inward. “Your chariot awaits.” I smile, because I can’t help myself, and bow at the waist. It’s cheesy, ridiculous even, but I find I don’t care. I don’t want to hold back, not even for a moment. I want this experience, our first, well, I wouldn’t consider this a date, but I want our first outing to be a memorable one. No one is around to see my crazy but her.

Jaz stands at the bottom step, tilting her head to the side, studying me. In this moment I wish I could read minds, I really want to know what she’s thinking. When she straightens, she seems satisfied with whatever she sees because she stops before climbing into the SUV, her eyes catching mine. “A gentleman too, my-my-my, Mr. Bailey, more than just a hockey player with a handsome face. I really didn’t see you coming.”

She slides into her seat without another word, leaving me whirling and wishing she would say more. I lean in quickly, folding my body over hers, I pull the seat belt over her chest. Once secure, I turn my head and hold my breath as I stare into her ever-changing pools, the browns, golds, and greens of her irises fighting for dominance, leaving me frozen in this spot, captivated. Our lips, a breath apart, ache to touch. She exhales, breathing for us both. It’s only then I remember to breathe. This close, her scent engulfs me, vanilla and cocoa butter, like freshly baked cookies. If Jaz is affected by our proximity, she doesn’t show it, staying completely still. Does she see something primal in my depths? Does she sense my barely there control? One move and I’ll pounce. I want to taste her, pull her from the car, cradle her in my arms until I have her screaming out my name from the first surface I can find. Okay, no.I pull away so fast my head bumps the top of the car, making me suck in a sharp intake of breath.

As much as I want to kiss her, now is not the time, and besides, we have all day. A lot can happen in one day. I assure Jaz I’m okay, rubbing the now sore spot on the top of my head. It takes all my willpower to close the door and walk around the car to finally climb in beside her.

Should I have kissed her? The opportunity presented itself. Would it have been too forward? Easy flirting is one thing, but what if she’s not in the same headspace. No, there is definitely something there. I won’t second guess my decision now, so I start the car and pull away from the house.

We drive in silence for a while, and I steal a few glimpses of her profile while she takes in the world around us.

“So,” she finally says as I hit the highway and head away from her neighborhood and outside the city. “What am I learning today?”

I glance over quickly as she waits expectantly for me to answer. “It’s a surprise.”

“I think I’ve had enough surprises for one morning, Tor,” she replies. I can hear the humor in her voice. “As long as this surprise has coffee on the menu, then I am up for just about anything.”

I laugh. “Coffee, it is, Miss Starr. I will make sure I remind you of your words later.”

“I can’t take back what I just said, can I?” She groans. I can only assume she has realized what she just said.

“Nope. Not at all. Don’t worry, I use my powers for good, not evil.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she grumbles, folding her arms over her chest in a playful pout.

I’m absolutely giddy as she pokes her bottom lip out and laughs at her own antics.

Is it too soon to fall for this woman? Because it will be so easy.

TWELVE

JAZ

Ihave my eyes shut; my hand enclosed in Tor’s firm grip, his calloused paw pressed against mine as he leads me to my surprise. Before we arrived at our destination he asked if I would keep my eyes closed, or would I prefer a blindfold? He left the door open for me to flirt with him, but I didn’t take the bait this time. Opting to promise to keep my eyes shut instead. You know, you have to keep men on their toes, one can’t always be predictable. So, here I am letting him lead me, his steps slow, mindful of my own as I try not to peek at my surroundings. No matter my curiosity, I am keeping my word.

I love surprises. Tor’s honesty and playful nature, the biggest ones of the day so far. He’s endearing, deliciously handsome, considerate, with a great sense of humor. Plus, I don’t mind him taking control; the fact Iam willing to give it to him so easily is something to examine later. For now I am along for the ride. I can feel he’s holding back, well, we both are. I wonder if our internal battles mirror one another, determined to keep this professional, yet fighting the urge to get pulled into each other’s orbits. It would be so easy. . .

“Open your eyes,” Tor says, making me stop abruptly. His body collides with mine, my eyes pop open in shock on impact. My hands find his back, but clumsy wins and I stumble. Tor turns quickly, grabbing my arms to steady me, brows pinched in concern. “Are you okay? I’m sorry, I should have warned you sooner.”

“I’m fine,” I assure him and take a wide-eyed look around. We are standing in the entrance of a large tunnel, behind us the lights are off, but I catch a glimpse of the concrete walls on either side with posters tacked to them. We’re at a community center, perhaps, I wonder as I turn around and take in the room.

As if he can read my thoughts, Tor confirms my musings. “Yes, this is a community center,” he says almost shyly, he shoves his hands in his jean pockets and rocks back and forth from his heels to toes, as if he’s expecting me to protest my disapproval. I remain silent, intrigued and stunned as I stare out at the ice rink behind him.

“I wanted to take you somewhere special, private, of course, no need for unnecessary attention from the press. In the off-season I hold hockey camps here for disadvantaged children, who, due to their circumstances, don’t have access to a sport like this. This is a venture close to my heart, even my agent keeps this project secret. The last thing I need is for the press to catch wind of this and descend upon this place, spinning the story somehow and taking the focus away from what’s important.”

“Noble, Mr. Bailey. But what’s the most important thing about what you’re doing here?” I ask, curious about his response. His simple act of charity only endears him more to me, but let me be honest here, it won’t take much. This man.

“The kids, what they get out of the experience. It keeps them off the street and out of trouble. It opens their eyes to possibilities and if one of them wants to pursue hockey further, then I will consider it a job well done. It’s the least I can do, you know,” he says.

I nod my head slowly, more than satisfied with his reasoning. I want to ask more questions, but instead, I let my eyes travel all around the arena. It’s silent and empty, except for the loud hum of the Zamboni driving towards us. Score one for me for getting the name right. An older man sits behind the wheel, when he spots us, he takes his baseball cap off and waves it enthusiastically.

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