Page 47 of Playing to Win

Jayna turned, eyes narrowed.

“Should we have paid for the meal?”

“My dad can cover it.”

I nodded. “Totally agree he was a dick and deserves to do that, but is he the kind of dick that won’t leave a tip because he’s pissed off? He is, right?”

Her shoulders slumped. “Yeah.”

I held out my keys. “Why don’t you go wait in the truck and I’ll make sure the waiter has his tip.”

Fortunately I didn’t meet her parents heading out while I left the tip with the hostess. I found Jayna in the truck with the motor running, so I opened the driver’s side door and got in.

“Mission accomplish?—”

She leaned over and grabbed my face, bringing me down into a kiss. Same as at the party, it was hot from the start. She started to pull back, and I leaned into her, putting my hand on the back of her head to keep her close. Not forcing her, just letting her know I was into this. No idea why she kissed me with no one around to see us, but I wasn’t questioning my good fortune. Her lips were soft and warm and ignited a hunger in me. She opened and I slipped my tongue into her mouth, sampling the intoxicating taste of Jayna.

Her hands moved into my hair, and the tug notched the fire in me up further. She angled her head and explored my mouth in turn. I tried to slip my free hand around her waist to bring her closer, but my elbow hit the horn and the sudden noise made her jerk back.

I drew in a shaky breath.

Jayna settled in her seat and shook her head. “I only meant to thank you.”

Disappointment stabbed me. I’d hoped— Well, I had no reason to hope. We weren’t really a couple. Oh, god. Had I overstepped? “Sorry— I shouldn’t have?—”

She reached out, pressing against my lips with her hand. “I was totally on board with what was happening there.” She closed her eyes. “I have a proposal for you.”

I nodded, her fingers still on my mouth. I wanted to suck them in, taste them, but that would be too much, right?

She opened her eyes again and pulled her hand away. “I would really like to forget that whole…thing back there. And the way you stood up for me— Maybe I’m weird, but that was hot. And while we’re doing this dating thing for the club, we can’t hook up with anyone, and?—”

“Yes.” If she meant what I thought she did.

She narrowed her eyes. “Yes to what?”

“Um…more of what we were doing?”

“How much more?”

“As much as you want.” I sounded eager, like I had no game, but this woman I was getting more and more attracted to had offered something sex-related and I was totally in.

She bit her lip, staring past me. She was rethinking this, wasn’t she? I’d responded like a horny sixteen-year-old, and now she was figuring out how to let me down.

“My place, okay? Megan and Faith are away at a thing in Ottawa tonight.”

The relief made my muscles weak. I tried to act like an adult and said, “Yeah, that should be good. Um, we’re not telling anyone?”

She turned her gaze to mine again. “I don’t know. I mean, the team wants us to promote this romance, but they don’t expect us to actually, you know…shit. Maybe this is a bad idea.”

I reached my hand across the console. “How about, for tonight, we leave that out of it. For tonight, we’re just two people. You want to forget something, and I’d love to help you do that.”

She stared at my hand, and, after an eternity, put hers in it. “Okay, I’m not going to overthink it. Let’s go.”

Was she feeling this chemistry too? The way our kisses got my pulse going, arousing me just making out? Maybe not. She was logical, while I just wanted to have more of her. She was only agreeing to tonight.

She put her address in my truck’s GPS, and I checked for traffic before pulling out. I might regret getting closer to her, knowing her this intimately, but I was doing it anyway.

Hockey players weren’t known for being smart.

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