Page 23 of Rowdy Hearts

“Yeah, actually I do.” He didn’t look at all offended. “But I’m the captain of the idiots, so…” He shrugged, his smile widening.

And I saw how Rowdy made all the women around him smile whenever they said his name. The guy was a charmer. Not slick, at least not in the ways I was accustomed to. Rowdy was…different. I liked him. Which was kind of shocking.

“So what do you do the day before a game?”

“Well, we all get together at the rink to give offerings for a good season.”

I blinked. “I’m sorry, did you say…offerings?

He nodded. “I know. You’re speechless at our amazing ingenuity. Or struck dumb with wonder at our incredible stupidity. It’s a toss-up, I admit.”

My smile escaped, even though I tried hard to suppress it, and I watched his gaze dip to my mouth. That heat in my core spread through the rest of my body like a flash bomb. My cheeks flushed bright red, but luckily his attention was completely focused on my lips.

I swallowed hard and drew in much needed air. But his gaze narrowed when my lips parted, and now that air got stuck in my throat.

Tell him you can’t go. Tell him you’re exhausted. Tell him you’re sick. Tell him you’re allergic to ice. Do not go anywhere with this man.

“When are we leaving?”

My inner, reasonable self smacked the Bad Girl’s forehead and called me an idiot. Yep, totally agreed.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

I looked down at my borrowed clothing. I tried to remember what I’d packed in my suitcase. Did I have something appropriate for a hockey rink? Had I packed any practical clothes?

“I’m not sure I have the right clothing.”

I caught a flash of his bemused expression before it evened out into a grin. “If you’ve got jeans, I think I can come up with something that’ll fit you on top. Just give me a sec.”

He walked away and disappeared through the door, leaving me sitting there, wondering what I’d agreed to and second-guessing everything.

I’d almost talked myself out of going when he walked back into the room.

“I guessed on the sizes but if they don’t fit, we’ve got a whole damn room full of them.”

He held out his hand, and I took the plastic-wrapped packages. A t-shirt and sweatshirt, both black, with red lettering. It took me a second, but finally, I remembered my manners.

“Thank you.”

“Welcome.”

Then I was staring at him again, struck by the dark beauty of his eyes.

Damn it.

“I guess I’ll go change.”

Then I left before I could do something even more stupid than agreeing to go anywhere with this man.

CHAPTER FIVE

Rowdy

I definitely wantedto kiss her.

I wasn’t sure why exactly, except for the fact that she was beautiful and had all the hallmarks of a damsel in distress. Yeah, yeah, I had a hero complex. I’d been told that enough times to make me think it was actually true.

And you know what? I didn’t give a shit what anyone else thought. I liked to take care of people. It was practically imprinted in my DNA. That’s what you got for having parents who’d told me practically since birth to look after my younger sister and brothers.

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