Page 90 of Pinkie Promise

He drops his head, trying to hide his smile from me. “You saw it?” he asks, his voice low but hopeful.

“Yeah,” I nod.

His smile gets a little wider. “Did you see me look for you in the crowd straight after? We were at the other side of the rink but I pointed at you.”

My cheeks ache because I’m smiling so hard. “I saw,” I whisper, pushing into him more intimately as I try to get him to meet my eyes.

When he does, he looks excruciatingly shy. “Never wanted you to see me like that, Fallon. A little brawling on the rink is fine but, as much as I hate to admit it, Benson was right. We were just plain fighting.”

“Why were you fighting?”

A muscle rolls in his jaw and he clutches me tighter.

“He was talking about you,” he murmurs, and my lips pop open.

“I’m sorry, what?” I ask, disbelieving what I’m hearing right now.

He doesn’t even know me. Why would he be talking to Hunter about me?

“He could tell that you were a cheerleader,” he continues, lifting a hand so that he can stroke at my hair. “He was smack-talking and, uh, he started to talk about the whole cheerleader-football player kinda stereotype and…”

I thud my forehead against Hunter’s chest, immediately understanding what the other player must have been insinuating without Hunter having to tell me anything else. He kisses the top of my head and squeezes his arms around me tighter.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs. “I shouldn’t have gotten all… possessive.”

That word makes me grind my forehead against him harder.

I like it, Hunter. I know I shouldn’t, but I do.

“I… don’t mind,” I whisper, and he turns his head away from me, hissing through his teeth. His heart begins pumping harder against me.

“Don’t say that,” he murmurs quickly. “It isn’t okay for a guy to lose his composure when his girl is around.”

“You were defending me,” I reply, nuzzling further into his chest. He smells intoxicating, and his hoodie is soft and warm. I want to pull it over his head and rub my palms over his heaving chest.

“Yeah,” he says hoarsely, his jaw flexing hard as he lowers his hands to grip my behind. He lets out a rough exhalation and curses as he palms me.

“Why did you bring me here?” I ask him, my own voice becoming husky too.

I don’t specify whether I mean why did he bring me to this beautiful rustic house or why did he bring me to watch his away game in Larch Peak in general because, deep down, I think I know that there’s an invisible string tying all of these pieces together.

“I, uh… I used to come here every summer with Tanner,” Hunter explains. “This was his family’s summer house.”

“Was?” I ask, and Hunter finally looks down at me.

“All of the kids are grown up now so Tanner’s parents were gonna sell it. I knew that once I signed to a team – got an NHL contract – I’d be able to afford it, so I asked them to hang onto it, just for another two years. And as soon as I’ve got that paycheque I told them I’ll pay them the same damn day. Larch Peak’s college team might be crazy, but the Larch Peak pro team? Their NHL team? That’s where Tanner and I want to sign. Since we started coming here as kids we knew that Larch Peak was where we wanted to be. Larch Peak’s pro team is killing it in the league and, on top of that, this place is kinda special to us.”

He breathes out a laugh and shakes his head.

“It’s stupid and sentimental, I know. But Tanner’s parents are holding onto this place for me and pretty soon I’m gonna take it off their hands. Have it as my home base for a while, while I’m pro at least. Maybe when my hockey years are over I’ll head back to Carter Ridge, but right now this – here – is where I wanna be.” He squeezes me until I’m nuzzling against him again and then he murmurs, “Righthere.”

I stifle a gasp as his fingers suddenly slip beneath my skirt, fingers massaging me over my underwear as his eyes burn darkly into mine.

“That’s why I brought you here,” he finishes, dipping his head so that he can press our foreheads together. “That’s why this place is important to me. This is where I’m going to have my hockey career. That’s why I needed you to come.”

“To see if I like it?” I pant as he begins kissing his way down my cheek.

“To see if you’d be happy to move here,” he clarifies in a murmur. My belly suddenly overflows.

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