Page 25 of Body Checked By the Defenseman

His eyes drop to my chest. His teeth dig into his lower lip. I look down to see my nipples sharp enough to cut glass through my bra and shirt. Damn.

“But you’re hot for me,” he says like he knows. He isn’t wrong.

I nod. What is the point of hiding now?

“I need to tell Hayden, I’m feeling guilty, and I can’t go behind his back,” he says once again. I get he is loyal to my brother, but this has nothing to do with him.

“This is a me problem. I don’t want you telling my brother about my sex life. Let’s forget about Hayden for a bit. This is just me and you. You’re helping an old friend,” I tell him.

“We don’t kiss like old friends,” he points out, challenging me.

“Yes, we do. There is a sense of comfort and trust between us,” I argue.

“And fire,” he adds, the pupils in his gray eyes blazing.

“I can’t deny that,” I admit.

“Okay, back on the ATV, Periwinkle,” he orders with that deep voice of his. I don’t think I could ever get tired of being around him.

We place our helmets back on and I get on after Macklin and wrap my arms around his waist. This time I press my face to his shoulder and it blocks the wind a little. We continue to ride up and down the hills and through the dirt paths. I wish I could tell him I’ve had feelings for him longer than I care to admit, but I know that isn’t what he wants to hear. He’s a good guy, and he’s helping me out because clearly there is a strong attraction between us.

When we finish the course we are on, we collect our bags from a locker and then Macklin is calling an Uber.

“What are we doing next?” I ask him.

“It’s a surprise,” he says mischievously.

“This whole day has been a surprise,” I retort.

“Just wait, it gets even better.” He waggles his brows. He said we wouldn’t be having sex today. I wish we were, but on some level, I like just hanging with him. Being able to touch him and hold him feels so freeing. Like I don’t need to hide my feelings.Even though to him this isn’t about feelings, it’s about helping me with my V-card predicament.

We get into an Uber, and I stare out the window of the car because this place is so picturesque.

“It’s really nice here,” he says like he can read my mind.

“It’s so beautiful and serene,” I tell him. As we were driving on the ATV, I took in all the beautiful colors of the leaves. It’s fall and all the yellows, reds, and oranges are breathtaking. We arrive at a marina and I give Macklin a curious look.

“Shane has a boat docked here,” he explains.

“Wow, you really thought this day through.”

“Not really, I knew Shane would lend me his boat and the ATVs are just fun,” he says with nonchalance.

“Cool.” We leave the Uber and Macklin takes out his phone to read Shane’s instructions on how to find his boat in the marina.

We walk down a boardwalk and on to a dock. “It’s the second boat on the right.” Macklin points.

“Um.” I pause. “That’s huge.”

“Shane makes good money,” he retorts. “It’s what your brother and I have been working for all these years.”

“Wow, I just. . .”

“Come on, Periwinkle.” He takes my hand and leads me to the boat. He gets on first and then offers me his hand to help me on board.

“This is. . .”

“I know. When Shane brought me here over the summer, I was speechless too.”

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