Page 83 of The Mistake

“Seriously, John, what the hell? We can’t walk two feet without some girl coming up to you andfondlingyou and saying,ooooh, I had such a good time with you last year, you big stud, we should do that again, wink wink, nudge nudge.”

His mouth falls open. Then understanding dawns, and aslow smile stretches his mouth. “Wait, this is about you beingjealous?”

I bristle. “No.”

“Nuh-uh. You’re jealous.”

My jaw sets in a tense line. “I just don’t appreciate all these girls hitting on you when I’m standing right fucking beside you. It’s rude and disrespectful and?—”

“Makes you jealous,” he finishes, and I feel like smacking that stupid grin off his face.

“This isn’t funny.” I attempt to shrug his hand off my arm.

But not only does he hold on tighter, he brings his other hand into play, planting both on my waist as he backs me into the wall. Then I’ve got six-feet and two-hundred-plus pounds of sexy hockey player pinning me in place.

His lips brush mine in a soft kiss before he gazes into my eyes, earnest, amazed. “You have nothing to be jealous of,” he says in a husky voice. “All those girls who came over to us? I don’t even remember what they look like. I don’t remember half their names. You’re the only one I see tonight, the only one I seeever.” Those warm lips touch mine again, firm and reassuring. “PS? I never hooked up with Sandy.”

“Liar,” I grumble.

“It’s true.” He grins. “She plays for the other team.”

I narrow my eyes. “Really?”

“Oh yeah. She and her girlfriend came to a party at our place last semester and fooled around on the couch the entire time.”

“Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”

“Nope. It’s true.”

I find myself relaxing, my previously tense muscles now loose and tingly from the feel of his hard body pressed up against mine. God, I didn’t like feeling that way downstairs. Prickly and peeved, ready to fight any girl who so much as looked at Logan.

“This is hot, by the way.” A seductive note thickens his voice.

“What’s hot?”

“You. Jealous.” Those blue eyes go molten hot. “I’ve neverbeen with anyone who’s gotten all possessive over me. It turns me on.”

He’s not joking. His erection is poking into my belly, and the feel of it sends a streak of satisfaction through me. I move my hips, just enough for my pelvis to rub that hard ridge, and his eyelids grow heavy.

“That turns me on even more,” he mumbles.

I hide a smile. “Yeah?”

“Oh yeah. Trust me, baby, you’re the only woman I want. The only one who gets me going.”

Raising my eyebrows, I reach up to lock my hands around his neck. “I don’t know… I’m still jealous. I think you might need to reassure me some more.”

Chuckling, he tips his head toward the door beside us. “Want me to make you come in the bathroom?” My thighs clench,noticeably, and he laughs again. “Is that a yes?”

“God, no.” I lean up to nibble on his neck. “It’s ahell yes.”

27

LOGAN

For the fourth time this week, I skate off the ice after practice wanting to pound my fist through a wall. The sheer lack of skill and common fucking sense I’m seeing from some of the other defensemen is appalling. I’m willing to cut the freshmen recruits some slack, but there’s no excuse for the way the juniors have played this week. Brodowski literally stood motionless in the defensive zone looking for someone to pass to, and Anderson lobbed pass after pass to covered forwards instead of cross-passing to me or carrying the puck so the forwards had time to get open.

The hinge plays we ran were a disaster. The freshmen skated in slow motion. The upperclassmen made stupid mistakes. It’s becoming painfully obvious that our roster is weak. So weak that the chances of making it to the postseason are looking slimmer and slimmer—and we haven’t even played our first game yet.

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