Page 54 of Pucking Secret

Once Millie is with her friends, Owen turns to Gram and offers her a charming smile. “You must be Stacey’s grandmother. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you, ma’am. It’s good to meet you. I’m…”

“Owen Scott,” Gram replies with a knowing grin. “Trust me, I’ve heard plenty about you, young man.”

Owen chuckles, his cheeks going slightly pink. “Hopefully it’s mostly good things you’ve heard.”

“It’s definitely been interesting.”

I hold back my amusement at the baffled look on Owen’s face. He lets out a bashful laugh.

“Let me help you to your seat,” he says, offering Gram his hand.

“Thank you,” she replies brightly.

He helps Gram into the empty seat at the end of the row, and then I take the one next to her and Owen sits on my other side.

“Hey,” he says softly, grinning at me.

“Hey,” I murmur, blushing.

“It’s so nice of you to come for Millie,” Gram suddenly says, leaning over me to look up at Owen.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” he replies. “She’s a cool kid.”

Gram glances up at me with an arched brown and a little grin before resting back in her seat. I bite back a groan.

This is going to be a long evening.

A few minutes later, the performance begins. The kids skate out onto the ice and begin their routine. Millie is front and center, beaming as she performs the moves confidently, if not always perfectly, but she’s one of the strongest skaters in the group. She hits her toe jumps and crossovers with no issues, and skates backwards at one point with a big smile on her face. Then, she and a few of the other kids, who are a little more advanced in skill, perform a series of small jumps. Cheery, fast-paced music plays as they all skate together, having a wonderful time.

I’m painfully aware of Owen sitting next to me throughout the show. As hard as I try to focus on watching the kids, his heat seems to wrap around me, and his spicy scent tickles my nose. My blood heats and my stomach clenches with need. I want to reach out and touch him — even just to simply take his hand — but I don’t. Instead, I curl my hands into fists and keep them firmly in my lap.

That doesn’t stop him from touching me, though. The feel of his thigh close to mine is almost too much to bear. An innocent brush of his arm against my own. Not on purpose…I don’t think. But as he leans over me to say something to Gram — putting his face so close to mine, I could just lean forward an inch and kiss his cheek — I can’t take it anymore.

This is torture.

When the show finally ends, I’m tense as can be. My mind can barely focus as I try not to think of Owen’s hands on me,even as we all stand up, clap, and cheer. This is a family-friendly event, and yet my mind is firmly in the gutter.

“That was wonderful,” Gram says as we stand up.

“Yeah it was,” I agree. Owen bends down and grabs something from under his seat. My jaw drops when he pulls out a teddy bear dressed as a figure skater.

“Did…did you get that for Millie?” I ask, though I know it’s a stupid question. He obviously got it for her.

He gives me a sheepish grin. “Yeah, I did. It’s not too much, is it?”

I slowly shake my head. “No…no, it’s not too much. She’ll love it.”

We make our way out of the stands and Millie comes rushing up to us. Her face is flushed and her hair frizzy, but her eyes are bright with adrenaline as she continues to ride the high of the performance.

“Did you see me?” she asks breathlessly, rushing straight to Owen. “Did you see me, Owen?”

Chuckling, Owen nods and picks her up, giving her another tight hug. “You did an amazing job, kiddo. You really are a pro skater. Here, I got you something for doing so good.”

He gives her the bear and she gasps in delight.

“It’s so cute!” she exclaims. “Take a picture, Owen! You, me, and teddy!”

Laughing, Owen pulls out his phone and Millie squishes her face against his, holding her teddy bear tight to her chest as he snaps a picture of them.

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