Page 40 of Trade Deadline

I was expecting hot and heavy, but instead it’s tender and soft. A gentle caress of his mouth over mine, the heat from our tongues entwining, and it's like time has slowed. The world pauses as we lose ourselves in each other.

I’m lost in a fantasy world, and it’s better than I could’ve ever dreamed of.

I’m having the best kiss of my life withBlaine Olsen.

He kisses me as though I’m a treasured prize. Like he’s scared if he goes too hard, too soon, he’ll scare me away. He tastes of mint and perfection, and I let out a low moan when he pushes one thick thigh between my legs. I grind against him, aware that we’re still in public, but nothing could stop me from kissing the most amazing man I’ve ever met.

When we part, we’re both gasping for air. I gently tug his bottom lip with my teeth, and his gray eyes are stormy, completely blown dark with desire.

“What are you doing to me?” He whispers, resting his forehead against mine.

I dig my fingers into the firm flesh of his side, unable to form the words to describe the emotions I’m feeling.

He’s surprising me at every opportunity, and it’s dangerous. Dangerous because there’s the potential I could fall, and that means I could get really hurt.

Blaine presses another kiss to my swollen lips, his thumb gliding in a smooth swoop across my jaw. “As tempted as I am to say fuck the golf and take you home, I promised I’d be on my best behavior, so you’re gonna need to distract me.”

A small bubble of laughter escapes me. “And how am I supposed to do that?”

He takes a step back and goes to pick up his discarded putter. “I dunno, ask me something you wanna know about me.”

“Okay.” A million and one questions run through my mind.

There’s so much I want to ask, like why me? What made him want to slam into the boards that night? Why doesn’t he date? Who hurt him?

But instead I settle on, “Tell me about your rookie year. You were drafted young, but stayed in college, right?”

I catch his eyebrows rising slightly in surprise before he nods.

“Yeah, that’s right. I was drafted before I started college at eighteen, but I didn’t sign a contract until the end of junior year, after we won the Frozen Four. So I didn’t end up finishing college.” He hits the ball, watching it bounce off the makeshift walls.

“What made you stay? I know it tends to happen, teams keeping players in for development, but did you have the option to sign there and then?” I ask.

“Yeah, they didn’t offer a contract right away, so I played in the NCAA, using it for development, which also meant I could play with Elliot for a few years because he wasn’t drafted.”

For the next hour, he tells me stories from his school years to winning the cup, and I get to relive the moment from a different perspective from where I witnessed it while I sat on my couch. We settled into this comfortable place where we laugh and listen to each other's stories, exchanging subtle touches that light my skin on fire.

Once we’re finished at the mini golf course, we make our way to the restaurant, but the closer we get, the more my nerves begin to settle in. Doubt is racing through my mind.

Will he still want to date me after he realizes I’m buried under a mountain of debt, and we’re actually worlds apart?

Will he think differently of me, that I’m not as perfect as he thinks?

* * *

Blaine

We managedto get through the mini golf course.

Barely.

Alex kicked my ass on each one, but being able to make him laugh has made me the real winner.

I should be freaking out that I feel so enamored by him, but I’m not. If anything, I’m freaking out more over the fact that I’mnotfreaking out.

Maybe this dating thing isn’t as scary as I thought it would be.

Or maybe because it’s Alex.

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