Page 19 of Stick Handled

Her head snaps up, and she inhales sharply. She makes this so damn fun. I grin as I walk over to her, still in full gear, the weight of my pads making me look even bigger than usual.

Avery rises to her feet, her eyes darting around nervously, no doubt scanning the area for Rowan.

“Did you enjoy watching me?” I can’t help myself.

Not when her cheeks flush a deep pink, and she tucks her hair behind her ear, trying to look anywhere but at me.

“I was watchingeveryone,not just you,”

“Mmm,” I hum, stepping right up to her.

I’m towering over her, still in my skates, and she looks even smaller than usual, her head barely reaching my chest.

She bites her lip, clearly struggling to come up with something to say, but I’m not about to give her time to find one. I peel off my gloves, dropping them onto the bench beside me, and lean in closer, my body crowding her, the lingering heat from the game clinging to me.

“We both know I’m your favorite to watch,” I murmur, my voice low enough that it’s just for her.

“Right,” she huffs out, rolling her eyes, unaware of how red her face has gotten. She scans the area once more. “I told Rowan that I’m going out with Sarah after this,” she says, her voice dropping to a murmur.

“About that,” I start, giving her an apologetic look. I’d completely forgotten about the meeting with some of our top real estate agents.

Her brow furrows in confusion, and she looks up at me, those big, innocent eyes of hers catching me off-guard for a second.

“I gotta head over to Skyline for a meeting with the guys and some agents,” I explain, my voice barely above a whisper now. “So, looks like our little skating lesson will have to wait.”

“Oh,” she breathes, clearly disappointed but trying not to let it show. “It’s fine. We can reschedule.”

You have no idea how much I loved the show you put on for me last night, baby.

I take a deep breath at the memory, stepping in even closer. But she’s so goddamn innocent that she doesn’t even realize what’s happening. Doesn’t know how half the team looked at her the moment she and Rowan stepped through the door. And how much I wanted to rip their heads off for even looking her way.

“I’ll have your ass back on the ice before you know it.” My voice is a deep rumble.

Her mouth parts slightly, and I watch her throat bob as she swallows, clearly flustered.

“I don’t think I want my ass anywhere near the ice, actually.” She laughs nervously. “I think that’s the whole point of our lessons.”

I grin, closing the gap even more.

“Where would you want your ass, then?” I know whereIwant it.

She’s practically trembling under my gaze, her pulse quickening like a rabbit’s.

“What?” She blinks up at me, oblivious and confused.

I hold her gaze for a moment longer, savoring the way her breath hitches, the way her eyes dart to my lips and back to my eyes without even realizing she’s doing it.

But I’m out of time. Rowan’s in the locker room and could come out any second. No one’s supposed to see me this close to her, and this is dangerous territory.

“I gotta go shower and change. I’ll text you about the next lesson,” I force myself to say.

“Okay.” She nods, her eyes running wild all over me. I’d pay any price for her thoughts right now.

Reluctantly, I take a step back, letting the tension hang between us like a live wire. I run a hand through my hair, trying to keep it casual even though my body is screaming to stay.

Just as I turn to skate away, I catch sight of someone in my peripheral vision.

Jake. What the fuck is he doing here? Our game with the LA Blades is around the corner, so I was expecting someone from the rival team to come sniffing, but I wasn’t expecting their fucking captain.

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