Page 71 of The Puck Stops Here

‘It’s my job to read people. It’s what I’m good at.’

‘No one’s ever called me vulnerable before.’

His hand hovered beneath her chin, his eyes drawing her ever closer as they dipped to her lips. She felt them part under his gaze, felt the space between them shrink with every breath they took…

‘Astrid?’ Blake said softly, their noses almost brushing.

‘Yes?’ she breathed.

Bam! The door flew open. ‘Sorry, I forgot?—’

‘Aiden!’ Astrid gasped, launching to her feet. ‘What are you— why are you…?’

‘Jeez, bro, ever heard of knocking?’ Blake said, easing back in his seat.

‘I wasn’t aware I needed to.DidI need to?’

‘Of course not,’ she blurted on a laugh, nudging Blake’s foot. ‘Tell him, Blake.’

Blake looked at her, a question in his gaze she had no desire to answer.

Especiallyin front of his brother.

‘I forgot to give you these,’ Aiden said, his eyes flitting between them.

‘These?’ she squeaked, wiping her palms on her jeans as she took the cards he was holding out.

‘Your tickets for our home game in a couple of weeks. I’ll get an electronic version sent over too but nothing beats the real thing in your hand. You might want to save them as a memento when we win.’

‘Oh wow, great, thanks.’

Then sound it, Astrid!

‘They’re rink side. You said you wanted to be in the thick of it… you can’t get any closer to the action than the glass seats.’

Though the way his eyes were still assessing them, he clearly sensed there’d been enough ‘action’ going on prior to his interruption and heat flooded her cheeks anew. ‘Unless you’ve changed your mind and would prefer to be up here with the execs, I can?—’

‘No no, these are perfect. Thank you!’ She leapt forward and planted a smacker on his cheek, gave him the tightest hug too… only registering the OTT action when he froze in her hold. What onearthwas she doing?

There was gratitude and then there wasgratitude.

She shot back, fanned her flushed face with the tickets and held her smile. ‘Really great!’

It was only a hug and a kiss to the cheek. Nothing incriminating. Nothing like the kind of kiss she’d wanted to plant on his brother moments before…

‘You’re welcome.’ He cleared his throat and raked a hand through his hair. ‘I’ll let you get back to it.’

He fled, the door swinging closed behind him, and Blake filled the abrupt silence with laughter.

‘It’s not funny.’

‘Oh, it is.’

And she didn’t know what had him so amused. The fact that his brother had walked in on them, her reaction to him walking in, or that she’d squeezed the air out of his brother’s lungs while slamming a kiss on his gobsmacked jaw.

She wasn’t about to ask him to clarify though.

‘Shall we get back to the interview?’

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