Page 40 of The Puck Stops Here

‘Imayhave coaxed one of our rookies into sending out an SOS that only my brother as the captain of the team can respond to.’

She lost her breath. ‘And why would you do that?’

‘Because I get me a firecracker all to myself.’

‘You… you orchestrated our alone time?’ She struggled to pull air into her lungs as Blake’s glittering gaze held hers. She could feel his heat and his interest andgood God, she wanted to shift on over and put the connection to the test. But she couldn’t, she wouldn’t, which meant…

‘It’s probably time I got home too.’

He straightened up. ‘You still have your drink to finish.’

‘Not any more.’ She threw the last of it back and got to her feet, pulling on her suit jacket and picking up her coat. ‘Thanks for the drink.’

‘Wait up, let me sort us a cab.’

‘There’s no need, I only live a few blocks away.’

‘Even better, we can walk and talk.’

‘You know for a guy that wouldn’t talk,’ she said, shrugging on her coat, ‘you really are turning into quite the chatter box.’

‘When the company is worthy of it’ – he got to his feet, his eyes locked on hers and setting off butterflies – ‘I can be very engaging.’

She pressed her lips together, trying to trap the rising heat inside as she grabbed her bag. ‘So long as you keep that in mind for Tuesday.’

‘Sure thing, Twinkle Toes.’

And why oh why did her age-old, utterly humiliating pet name make her sizzle when he said it?

She started to flee…

‘Hey, are you forgetting something?’

‘Huh?’

He plucked her glasses off the table and handed them to her. ‘Can’t have you leaving these behind, can we?’

Bugger. She’d taken them off the second they’d steamed up indoors and forgotten all about them. She gave a tight smile. ‘Thank you.’

‘After you…’ he urged.

She walked ahead of him, trying to think up a reason for him not to walk her home and coming up blank. Every reason just sounded petty, or worse, ungrateful. It wasn’t that she didn’t feel safe with him, she just… she wasn’t safe from herself. She couldn’t trust herself not to do something completely unwise and karma-ending.

They stepped out into the night and the icy wind slapped her in the face.Hello wake-up call!

‘I really need to get a job in the sun,’ she grumbled.

‘And yet you chose anicehockey team to get up close and personal with.’

‘I know, what was I thinking?’ She was only marginally teasing.

‘Don’t look at me, I’ve no idea. And this morning, I would’ve told you to go to hell.’

‘You pretty muchdidtell me to go to hell.’

He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and bowed his head to the cold. ‘Yeah, I’m sorry for that.’

‘Youare?’

---