Page 31 of Frozen Play

He grinned, but the smile faded away. “Maybe you don’t want that, and I won’t let it affect the business stuff. But come summer, I’m going to give it my best shot to convince you to go out with me.”

“You want to go out with me.” My voice came out flat, because I’d pushed my brain onto theit’s business not personaltrack and now thoughts were flying scattered through my head.

He bit his lip. “Do I have a chance?”

Chapter 13

Have you cootied this couch?

Phin

I didn’t thinkI’d imagined the connection between Skye and me, but she didn’t look thrilled. Or upset. She looked…shocked.

“But if it didn’t work out?”

Maybe she was just worried. “Not gonna change the investment. You say there’s no chance, I still want to invest with your family. If we try this and we break up, it won’t change the contract. I mean, I have to be a kind of remote partner till I’m done playing anyway.”

Her forehead creased as she thought, teeth tugging on her bottom lip. “This isn’t just to, you know…”

“Get in your pants?”

Her cheeks flushed, but she nodded.

“First, I would never do that. Second, thanks to hockey, I can find someone for a hookup if that’s all I want. I’m not one of the fuckboys on the team, but I don’t have to work this hard just for sex.”

Her eyes dropped. “Sorry, but I haven’t had the best experiences with boyfriends. Some of my insecurities are coming out.”

That was a real concern. “I can’t help with that. I like you. A lot. But you have to believe that I’m honest about how I feel. We spent how long stuck with nothing but each other and a deck of cards for company and I enjoyed it. I’d happily do it again, preferably with heat and water.”

She sighed. “You’re right, about all of that. I had more fun snowed in with you than I can imagine with anyone else. And yeah, I want to get my hands on you naked.”

I really liked the sound of that.

“But I need to know, before we start anything, where you think this could go? Are you looking for something casual, a girlfriend, a friend with benefits, what?”

This was Skye protecting herself, making sure she didn’t get in too deep if I wasn’t planning on something serious.

“If it was casual, I wouldn’t be this invested. And I don’t want to have sex with a friend.” I took a breath, risking looking like an idiot if I was wrong about how she felt. “I want a girlfriend, something long-term. Hopefully permanent.”

Her eyes rounded. “You’re sure? Because I don’t have the instincts you do. And starting something this quick is kind of scary.”

I stepped closer to her and gripped her hands. “My instincts have never led me to a woman before. So yeah, I’m as sure as I can be.”

She glanced around us, then smiled. “Well, you have your instincts and I have two brothers. If your instincts are bullshitting me, then you’ll face the wrath of the Duvalls.”

“Understood. So, I have a chance?”

“You have a chance.”

I grinned. “Glad to hear it. Can I kiss my…girlfriend?”

“Mr. Garfield is watching us, so prepare for the news to be all over town before nightfall.”

I slid a hand into her hair and tugged her closer.

“This kiss will get the news spread before dinner time.”

I was concernedabout how her brothers would respond. Some guys were really protective about their sisters. But by the time we got back, Rowan had woken up and there wasn’t a chance for anything more than teasing for a while. Cause yeah, they knew. News had definitely spread.

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