Page 52 of Cross Check Hearts

Irritation is clear in her expression, and as she stands waiting for an answer with her arms crossed over her chest, her stomach suddenly gives an audible growl. She blinks, looking surprised, then rests a hand over her stomach.

I smile knowingly as comprehension clicks into place in my brain, and I hold up a hand to pause the conversation and walk over to the gym bag I brought with me. I tucked a protein bar into its pocket on my way out of my apartment, planning to eat it after our lesson, but she clearly needs it more than I do.

“Peace offering?” I say, holding the protein bar out to her. “I bet you haven’t eaten anything all day, have you? I know you don’t always get the chance when you have back-to-back classes and teaching.”

Something I can’t quite read passes across her face, and the little line between her brows smooths out. She lets out a breath, the irritation melting away from her features as she takes the protein bar from me. She tears it open and takes a small bite, and I start doing some warmup stretches while she eats so she doesn’t feel like I’m watching her. A few minutes later, I hear a crinkling sound as she crumples up the wrapper and tosses it in the trash nearby.

“Thanks. Sorry I got cranky,” she says softly as she joins me in stretching. A few quiet moments pass before she turns to me again as we’re both bent over and reaching for the floor. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything you want.” And I mean it.

“Why are you so adamant about pursuing me?”

I laugh quietly and slowly right myself. She follows and looks into my eyes, watching me and waiting for an answer. I know exactly what I want to say, but I’m not sure how she’s going to take it, so I wait. But she keeps going. “I mean, you lived in San Diego, so I’m sure you went to Opal and Oak more than once. You must’ve met plenty of other women there, so why are you so caught up on me?”

She thinks this is all just about sex.

The realization hits me like a punch in the gut. She must think that’s all I want from her, and that it’s the only reason I’ve been chasing her since we saw each other again in the locker room. But she couldn’t be further from the truth. Would I love to have more sex like we did that first night all those months ago? Abso-fucking-lutely. But it’s so much more than that to me. The more I get to know her, the more she lets me see of who she really is, the more I want her. And I can’t go another second without making sure she sees that.

“You’re right, I did go to Opal and Oak several times after our night together,” I start carefully.

Disappointment flashes on her face, but she tries to hide it by looking away. I duck my head, catching her gaze again.

“It’s not what you’re thinking, hummingbird. I did go back there, but not because I was looking for a hookup. I went because I was looking for you. Hoping to find you, to see you again.”

She stares at me wide-eyed, stunned. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” I reach for her hands and take them in mine. “I never hooked up with anyone else at that club.” I grimace, huffing a laugh. “Actually, I haven’t been with anyone at all since the night we spent together.”

A charged moment passes between us as her eyes rake up and down my face, looking for the smallest shred of evidence that I’m not telling the truth. But I already know she’s not going to find anything, so I just hold her hands and wait for her to reach the same conclusion.

“You’re serious,” she finally whispers, and I nod at her, stroking my thumbs across her knuckles.

“More serious than I’ve ever been about anything, even hockey. I haven’t had any interest in anyone else since then. I knew it that first night we spent together.”

“Knew what?”

“That you were going to ruin me for every other woman. And you did.” I don’t try to hide the rough edge in my voice.

Hannah’s eyes widen, and she inhales softly like she’s struggling to breathe. But I keep her hands in mine and move even closer to her, so close that I can almost feel her heart pounding against mine. I watch her chest rising and falling rapidly, see her pulse racing in her neck, and it takes everything I have not to kiss her there—not to put my lips all over her fucking amazing body. She’s so close now that with every breath I take, I inhale the soft, sweet scent of her freshly washed hair.

And the way she’s biting her lip like she’s trying to hold back the desire that’s burning in her eyes makes my cock twitch. She’s squeezing my hands so tightly that her knuckles are turning white, making me think of how they did the same thing when they were all twisted up in the sheets. Or when they were digging into the skin of my back while I was buried inside her for hours that night.

“You’re incredible, and the wildest part is that you don’t even see it. Or maybe you can’t,” I tell her and her breath catches. “It’s so amazing to watch you teach these classes. The passion you have for it radiates in everything you do, and it lights up this whole room. There’s a reason why all your classes are full.” Hannah laughs, but her cheeks are pink with pleasure. “But it’s more than that for me. So much more. Even the little things about you blow me away.”

“Like what?” she asks with a trace of disbelief.

“Like the way you sang in the car the other night on the way home from the bar. You didn’t give a damn who heard or who was watching, you were just in it and having the time of your life.”

“To be fair, I’d had a couple of drinks,” she counters, but a smile plays at the corners of her mouth.

“That doesn’t change the fact that you were enjoying yourself. And that I loved hearing your voice. So did the driver.”

“Oh, god. I forgot about the driver singing along. That’s so embarrassing.”

“What’s embarrassing about it? You loved that song, and it brought out the real you, the one that only slips out every now and then when you’re disarmed enough to let it. But it’s exactly that side of you that I love seeing, that I love learning more about when you let me. That’s why I’m so adamant about pursuing you.”

She stares at me, her lower lip trembling, and I think she’s going to cry until I bring my finger to it. I drag the tip of my finger across the soft, plump skin there until it stops moving.

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