Page 108 of A Little Complicated

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether or not you’re still bugging me.” I give him a cheeky grin and rest my gloved hands on my hips. I ditched the mask an hour ago, along with the majority of my pads. Now I’m in a slim black jacket, my gloves, some leggings, and my skates, yet I still feel warm. “Why are you here, anyway?”

“Wanted to take you home.”

“Only to turn back around so you can practice with your team?”

He tucks his hands in the pockets of his athletic joggers and shrugs. “I was thinking of skipping so we could hang out.”

My eyes widen. “You want to skip practice? Mister eat, sleep, and breathe hockey?”

He chuckles dryly and squeezes the back of his neck, looking boyish and way too tempting for my own good if I have any hope of finishing my workout.

“Maybe I found a better way to spend my time,” he murmurs.

“And what’s that?”

With a smirk, he steps further onto the ice. “By appreciating how hot you look right now.”

“Smooth, Mav. Real smooth,” I note, starting another set of dips on the bar. My triceps are screaming before I even reach my tenth rep while Maverick watches from the center line with folded arms. Once I’m panting, he questions, “Are you pushing yourself too hard?”

“Always,” I reply. “Now stop distracting me. I wanna keep my heart rate up and finish strong.”

“I can think of a few ways to keep your heart rate up.” He glides toward me, his skates half-laced. The same devilish smirk is still firmly in place and cranks up the heat with every slice of his blades through the slush.

When he reaches me, I grab onto the edge of his fleece jacket, toying with the material while fighting the ever-present pull between us. But it’s weird. How much his presence affects me. Makes me want to wrap myself up in him. Delve under his skin and stay there forever.

“So that’s why you’re here,” I note. “Hoping to get lucky on the ice, Maverick?”

He lifts one of his shoulders. “I could use a bit of luck.”

“Oh, you could?” I cock my brow. “Where were you this morning, anyway?”

“You came looking for me?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, here I am, Opie. How can I be of service?”

“Not gonna tell me, huh?”

His eyes dip to the ice. “I had an appointment, but I like the idea of you looking for me.”

“I’m sure you do.”

“Now, how can I be of service?” he repeats.

“For starters, you can head back to the bench so I can finish my workout.”

“Or…” He holds onto my hips and starts spinning us around on the ice. It’s slow and leisurely. Comfortable. And it makes me want to lean into him.

“Or what?” I push.

“Or you can let me give you another little morsel to tide me over until after practice.”

“To tide you over?” I laugh. “What about me?”

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