Page 45 of The Grinder

Aly wanted that kind of love. Where all you had to do was look at the person and you knew. And that didn’t happen over a weekend. That took months. Sometimes it took years.

Riley emerged from the locker room at that moment. He spared a quick grin for Bliss and Shane then turned that grin on her. And that grin did weird and wonderful things to her body.

Easy, girl.

She smiled back, unable to do anything else.

And then he reached for her and pulled her against him. She had a quick second to appreciate how much bigger he was than her. And then he bent and kissed her and it was almost as intensely passionate as the kiss Shane had laid on Bliss.

“Get a room.”

The taunt filtered through the open hall and Aly heard laughter. Maybe she should be embarrassed by the PDA, especially because Riley held nothing back. He kissed her like they’d been dating for years, not just since two nights ago.

But she couldn’t be angry at him. She didn’t want him to stop.

And he didn’t, not for a good minute, while he fried her brain with his lips and his tongue. Hell, he only had to put his hand low on her back and she was ready to slide her hands down his pants and cup his ass.

Good thing she had some common sense left.

A second later, Riley pulled back, gave her another smile then hustled her toward the exit.

“Glad you could make it tonight. I’m starving. You mind if we get a drink somewhere that has decent food?”

“Of course not. You—”

“Hey, Riley. Good game tonight.”

A woman Aly didn’t recognize smiled at Riley as they made their way through the hall. He nodded at her but kept moving.

“Thanks a lot.”

But she wasn’t giving up that easy. “Will I see you at the Spruce?”

“Not tonight.”

This time he didn’t even bother to look at the woman, just gave a vague wave as he spoke over his shoulder. Dismissed her as if he hadn’t even seen her. And maybe he hadn’t.

Had he slept with her? Is that how he’d treat her one day?

Jesus, when did you become such a whiny, needy bitch?

“So where should we go?” Riley steered her around the maze of cars in the small parking lot next to the rink where the team parked. “I haven’t been around long enough to figure out more than a few decent places.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go out with the rest of the team? I wouldn’t have a problem with that.”

“I’d rather spend the time with you.” His frank answer drew her gaze up to his, and she found him staring intently down at her. “If that’s okay?”

She couldn’t help but smile back at him. “I’m fine with that. What are you hungry for?”

“Red meat.” His grin made a reappearance and he leaned a little closer. “And later, some a little more…pink.”

She couldn’t help it. She blushed. “Riley.”

He looked so damn innocent. “What? What’d I say?”

Shaking her head, she kept walking. “Are you always like this?”

“Like what? Hey, where’d you park? Do we need to drop your car off at home before we head out?”

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