Page 11 of Netting the Goalie

Smiling, I turned back to Bliss and found her watching me.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

Her question barely registered because her expression made every muscle in my body tense in anticipation and a strange hum sounded in my ears.

Then her adorable nose crinkled.“I know I’ve been monopolizing your time and—”

“Please.”My smile disappeared, replaced with deadly serious intent.“Monopolize me.All night.I’m begging you.”

Her smile faded but I saw the heat in her gaze increase.

Leaning closer, she put her hand on the cushion between us, almost touching my thigh but not quite.“I’m going to take you at your word.”

“I really fu—hope you do.”

Her smile returned, slowly, and with enough sexual heat to make my heart pound against my ribs.

“Um, I think my fiancé needs me.”The woman who’d been talking to Bliss also had a smile on her face as she rose to her feet.“Nice talking to you.”

Bliss’ nose wrinkled as the other woman walked away but did nothing to stop her.

And when she turned back to me, her lips had curved in a tiny smile that made my heart race.

Okay, maybe I really had gotten banged around at practice and this was a hallucination.And wouldn’t that totally suck.

Then Bliss put her hand on my knee and a jolt of electricity poured through me.Nope, definitely not a hallucination.

“So how many are on your team?”

Amazingly, I could still talk.“We’ve got twenty-two guys on the roster.”

“Does everyone get along?I can’t imagine that many guys spending that much time together and getting along all of the time.My brothers were always fighting over something and there were only four of them.”

“For the most part, yeah.We’ve got a good group of guys.”

And that was no bullshit.I really enjoyed the hell out of my teammates.At least, the ones that’d been around for most of the season.There’d been a few guys who’d been traded or moved up or down but mostly, we’d hung together.And were a stronger team because of it.

“Sounds like you enjoy what you do.”

“Can’t imagine doing anything else.Even when—” Shit.Probably better not to finish that sentence, especially to a girl I’d just met.She didn’t want to hear about all the gross shit guys did to one another in the locker room.“Even after we’ve lost three straight on the road and the coach is chewing our asses and we’ve got a seven-hour bus ride home.”

She laughed, low and soft.“You’re right.That sounds like hell.”

“Yeah.You don’t want to be in a locker room full of hockey players after a losing game.We’re barely human.”

Bliss laughed and I swore every guy in the room turned to look.I knew if I wasn’t sitting here with her, I would have looked because, damn, her laugh made my gut clench with lust.

I was pretty sure I could fight off anyone who attempted to poach her.I was one of the biggest goalies in the league.I looked like a brawler and I wasn’t afraid to take a hit if I needed to.

And if I had to move someone out of my crease…

“I’m sure that’s an exaggeration.Some men look great sweaty.”Bliss leaned closer, her voice dropping into bedroom territory.“Makes a girl want to lick him.All over.”

I had to fight hard to swallow my groan but I couldn’t do anything about my rock-hard erection.That bastard refused to stand down.

Staring into Bliss’ beautiful hazel eyes, I said the first thing that came to mind.“You can lick me anywhere you want.”

Jesus Christ, I hoped like hell no one else had heard that.Not exactly dinner party conversation.

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