Page 88 of Ice Bet

“Wh–what if I was actually using the restroom?” I stuttered, pressing myself farther onto the sink.

He smirked, flipping his hat backward.Does he know how hot he is when he does that?“I knew you weren’t.”

“I’m surprised you showed up,” I said, shifting my attention away from his dangerous smile. I traced the letters of the words Bexley University in the center of his shirt to distract myself.

He took another step toward me, but it was more like a prowl. Dark lashes outlined his glittering eyes, and instead of seeing the familiar battle between right and wrong that always followed his slip in restraint, I saw something that made my stomach knot. “I live here. Of course I’d show up.”

“Why are you late?” I teetered around my real question:What the hell did my dad say?

“Your dad pulled me into his office.”

I waited for him to tell me more. Aasher’s hands found my waist, and he dropped his eyes to my mouth, which did nothing but tighten the knot in my belly.

“Not going to ask why?”

“I’m afraid to know the answer,” I whispered, tilting my head back to get a better look at his face. Damp ringlets of his hair stuck out beneath his hat, and the smell of his shampoo made me feel tipsy.

“Are you?” he prodded.

“Well,” my voice croaked, but it wasn’t out of fear. I was feeling something much more potent than fear. “I guess not anymore since you’re standing here with your hands around my waist with that look in your eye.”

“What look is that?” Our mouths were getting closer and closer, and this time, instead of Aasher acting like he was out of control and unable to stop himself from touching me, he acted like he was in charge. This moment seemed premeditated.

“Like you’ve been thinking about what you want to do to me since leaving me in the hallway after stripping another guy’s jersey from my body.”

Aasher dragged his hand up my side, brushing over the curve of my heavy breast before cupping the side of my face. “You know me better than I thought.”

My mouth opened willingly when his lips fell to mine. Chills blanketed every inch of my skin at the slip of his tongue, and suddenly, I forgot all about his aggression on the ice when it came to Gray. I didn’t really care to know what my dad said to him either.

When he pulled away, I blinked several times, trying to right the room. I was left breathless.

“I meant what I said earlier, Riley. You’re mine, and I’m going to prove it to you.”

My voice was hardly above a whisper. “And here I thought you were proving it to me by putting Gray in his place.”

He smirked. “That was just an added bonus.”

“But—” I swallowed his minty taste. “What about my dad? What did he say to you? Does he…know?”

Aasher threw his head back and barked out a laugh. I peeled my fingers away from the sink and crossed my arms at his laughter. I wasn’t sure what was so funny.

“Does he know that I couldn't stop thinking about his daughter wearing nothing but my jersey as I made her scream my name during that entire game? No. Otherwise I’d be thrown off the team and likely be in a six-foot-deep hole.”

I rolled my eyes. “That is not true.”Is it?I’d been burned by two hockey players, and any normal father would be leery of their daughter dating another. Roy Lennon took “normal” to an entirely different level. His protectiveness was downright lethal at this point.

“Wanna bet?” he asked, peeling my crossed arms away from my chest and wrapping them around his torso. “You’re O and 1.”

My lips twitched. “Okay, I’ll tell him. It’ll soften the blow.”

Aasher’s head snapped so quickly I heard the crack in his neck. “And what will you tell him? That in the midst of me keeping you away from the rest of the team, I decided to just keep you for myself? That I decided to spread you wide on the ice and watch you come all over my fingers? Or maybe we should start with what we did in the sin bin?”

I went to move my arms, but his hands landed on my forearms, and he kept me there.

“Fine,” I snapped. “Then what? You’re going to go back to avoiding me after you've gotten your fill?”

Aasher’s eyes hardened. “I’ll never get my fill of you, Riley.”

That shut me up.

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