Page 24 of Rowdy Hearts

But when Tressy had fallen into my arms last night, that protective instinct flared into immediate life, along with the need to kiss her. Now I just had to figure out how to make her want to kiss me back. She definitely had the look of a woman who’d been hurt and built hundred-foot walls around her heart. Apparentlytalking about what she was running from wasn’t the way through those walls.

And she was running from something. I wanted to lock her and her daughter in my house and make sure no one could get to them. But that was called false imprisonment, and I should steer clear of that. At least for the first half of the season, anyway.

My dad would appreciate if I didn’t land in jail again this season, although the Devils’ attendance had jumped last year after me and a few of the guys had been caught?—

“It’s a little big, but I think it’ll be okay. I guess.”

Tressy walked back into the kitchen, head down as she examined the clothing I’d given her. I guessed she wore the t-shirt under the sweatshirt, which meant my name and number were plastered all over her back like a brand. I liked that a little too much. And she definitely didn’t need to know that.

I’d purposely chosen the most sedate Devils sweatshirt ever made just so she wouldn’t balk at wearing it. It had the STDD logo of the devil with a leer and across the back it said, “Let mayhem reign.”

Not their best slogan ever but still one of the most accurate.

Don’t know why you’re getting yourself all worked up. She’s not going to stay. This is a bad idea, dude.

Nah. I never hadbadideas. Maybe they weren’t all exactly the best ideas, but spending time with this woman was not a bad idea. Besides, this is what my mom wanted. Raffi didn’t have to speak to get her point across most of the time. She just had to look at you a certain way. Hell, the goddamn president would do my mom’s bidding if she stared at him long enough. I was sure of it.

“Looks pretty good from where I’m standing.” And before she could take that exactly how I’d meant it, I added, “You ready to go?”

She hesitated for a second, and I geared up to go full charm on her. Full-charm mode was usually a last resort. Then she liftedher head and smiled at me. Not even a full-blown, happy-to-see-you smile. Just a little hesitant grin that made her full pink lips curve and her blue eyes crinkle at the corners.

And holy hell, my gut clenched, and my blood sizzled like she’d lit a fire under my balls. The hair actually rose on my arms.

I couldn’t remember the last time a woman had made me feel like this. Like I’d been awakened after a long sleep. Damn, did I really just compare myself to Sleeping Beauty? That was kinda weird.

Then she took a deep breath and nodded, like she was going into battle, or at least headed out to take on a seriously pissy elementary school principal.

“Sure.”

“Then your chariot awaits.”

I thought about holding out my hand and waiting for her to take it, but I didn’t want to push my luck. I waved her toward the mudroom at the back of the kitchen that connected to the garage and to the driveway where I’d parked my truck.

It’d been years since my brothers and sister and I had made that mudroom our first stop after practices, so it didn’t smell like rancid teenage sweat and disgusting hockey equipment anymore. Must’ve taken my mom years to get rid of that odor.

My mom was a freaking saint. I knew that now.

“What about my car?” she asked when I opened the passenger door of my truck for her.

“We’ll run by garage, tell Donny what happened.” I did offer my hand now, because the Bronco was jacked up enough to make it hard for her climb in. When she stopped for a second to assess the situation, I realized she only just came up to my shoulder. Probably weighed half of what I did. She looked a little underfed, like a model. Or an actress.

She was certainly pretty enough to be one, with her shiny blond hair and bright blue eyes, the sharp angles of her high cheekbones and the lushness of her lips. The woman wasstunning. Hell, she looked even better without all the makeup she’d been wearing last night. Not that she’d looked bad. She just looked amazing now.

Or maybe that was my little head doing the talking.

Didn’t matter. I was already halfway to being gone for her. I didn’t know her middle name or her favorite food. But she didn’t take my shit and she loved her daughter with the ferocity of a mama lion.

When she took my hand to let me help her into the seat, heat seeped into every nook and cranny of my body. Even my scalp tingled with it. But yeah, I felt it mostly in my cock. Christ, I hoped she couldn’t tell. She’d probably run like hell in the opposite direction. Frankly, I’d been shocked as shit that she’d agreed to come with me.

She released my hand as soon as she slid onto the bench. Shutting her door, I hustled over to the driver’s side and hopped behind the wheel.

I saw her glance at me out of the corner of my eye, but I got us on the road instead of getting lost in her eyes again. I turned down the radio before Springsteen, singing about a barefoot girl, spilled out of the speakers at a deafening volume. I patted myself on the back for not forgetting my gear in the back. If I had, the stench could be sickening. My stuff was already at the arena waiting for tonight.

The first game of the season.

For the first time in forever, that thought didn’t bring the buzz of excitement it usually did. And I couldn’t figure out why that was. I couldn’t blame it on Tressy. I’d realized something was different with me at the end of last season. And now…

“So these offerings… You’re not going to, like, sacrifice a chicken or anything like that. Are you?”

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