Page 28 of Rowdy Hearts

And when he realized I’d locked the door on him, meaning he had to go around to the front, Bones lifted his hands and gave me both middle fingers.

At the same time, Bones yelled, “Sorry, ma’am,” through the glass, giving Tressy a smile that made him look like a kid due to the missing front tooth. Then he glared at me and made a gesture with his arm that was universally understood to not be a compliment.

Tressy made a strangled sound, and I glanced over my shoulder at her. She had one hand over her mouth, covering a laugh. And damn if she didn’t look even prettier. I would’ve continued to stare if I hadn’t seen Bones snap his head around to look over his shoulder. Following his gaze, I saw Dryden Hollowell, one of the rookies, cruise into the parking lot.

I immediately unlocked the door, let Bones saunter through, then locked it again when Denny ran up to the door.

“Hey, man, how’s it going?” Bones said as he shook my hand, his smile trained on Tressy. “Hello, ma’am. Sorry for the language just now. Heat of the moment and all.”

Tressy’s smile had widened until her eyes were almost closed. “Not a problem.”

“I’m Bobby. Nice to meet to you.”

“Tressy.”

After she’d shaken Bones’s hand, she turned to me and that smile grabbed hold of my gut and twisted. “Are you all so…?”

Vaguely, I heard Bones laugh, in a way that should warrant some type of retribution. Like an elbow in the gut. But honestly, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. When she smiled like she was now, I felt bathed in warm light.

Of course, that was probably the lust pumping through my veins, but it all kinda went hand in hand. And honestly, lust had never felt like this before. This…soft.

“So what?”

“Crazy”

She said that word like it could infect her, like she wanted nothing to do with it.

“Hell, this isn’t even bad.” Bones offered helpfully. “Just wait until the season actually starts. Then it gets insane.”

I wanted Bones to disappear into the floor, the wall, the next dimension. Anywhere away from here. Because Tressy looked like she suddenly wanted to be anywhere but where she was.

“Um, hey, guys? The door’s locked.”

The rookie knocked politely, looking confused as all hell. Bones started to laugh, which made me laugh, which made Tressy shake her head, probably because she thought we were all insane.

Then she turned to me and Bones and said, “I’ll give you to ten, then I’m opening this door.”

I snorted out a laugh while Bones whooped and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder.

“Thank you very much. You’re a true lady,” Bones said before sprinting down the hall.

Leaving me smiling down at her, her grin doing weird and wild things to my insides. Without thinking about it too much, I leaned down and pressed my lips to her cheek. I carefully didn’tget too close to her mouth, even though I desperately wanted to kiss her, hard and deep and heavy. And I didn’t linger.

But, damn, her skin was soft, and she smelled amazing.

The fucking rookie knocked on the door again, and I pulled away, my gaze locked with hers. She didn’t look angry.

“Uh, Rowdy…?” the kid said from the other side of the door.

Tressy’s lips twitched at the corners.

“Ten,” she whispered.

“Come down to the ice after you let Denny in.”

“Nine.”

I gave her one last grin and took off, before I said, “fuck it,” and kissed the hell out of her.

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