Page 81 of In the Defensive Zone with My Enemy

And she rewards me more than I could have hoped. We’re like two people starved and our only sustenance is each other. The kiss is frantic and passionate, and I’m completely lost in the feel and taste of her. The blaze between usfinally simmers to a low burn, making our embrace and kiss more tender and affectionate.

I’m acutely aware of how much I want more of this with her. A lifetime of fiery kisses after some playful teasing. I want her eyes to be the last thing I see at night and the first thing I see every morning as I reach out and brush long tendrils of hair out of her face. To see her smile and know it’s just for me.

Ethan’s whistle breaches our bubble and grabs my attention. He, along with Payton and Wade, are standing ten feet away, watching us. Mathéo walks over and joins them, flashing a wide grin.

I catch a brief glimpse of Sophie’s deepening blush before she buries her face against my shirt. No doubt I’ll have mascara stains there as well. But I don’t care. I’ll create a favorite shirts collection and rotate wearing them on days I don’t get to see her.

Ethan gives me a pointed look. “Glad to see you quit fighting it, Cap.”

I shake my head at them and growl, “Good night, guys.”

Ethan grins, slipping his hands into his pants pockets as he steps down from the sidewalk. Wade makes a clicking sound in his mouth and points at me with a grin that reveals too many teeth. Payton dips his chin and gives me a subtle salute. And then there’s Mathéo, scurrying after them as if he was late to get the message.

I kiss the top of Sophie’s head. “You can come out now. They’re gone.”

She snuggles in closer and slides her arms underneath my jacket and around my waist. “Don’t wanna. You’re warm.”

Wearing a suit made me oblivious to the chill in the air. I wrap my jacket flaps around her and use my arms to hold them—and her—in place. “That better?”

“Uh hmm.” Her muffled reply is so cute, I can’t help but smile.

“Does this mean youforgive me?”

She tilts her face up. “Look at you, asking questions and not making assumptions.”

Since I have access, I tickle her side, making her squeal and wiggle against me, which ignites the spark between us again. I dip my head to devour her lips, then move on to kiss her neck in a slow and languid manner until a soft moan rises from her delicate throat.

When I lift my head, her eyes are hooded with her own desire, which does crazy things to my insides. I don’t want this moment to end, but we’re out in the open in front of a sports arena and though most of the team and fans have left, there are still enough people around to watch us.

I shrug off my jacket and wrap it around her, then take her hand and lead her down the sidewalk.

“Where are we going?”

“For a walk.”

She crinkles her nose at me. “Around the arena?”

“Everything is closed this time of night, and I haven’t gotten a date with you yet.”

She glances up at me, tugging her lip between her teeth on one side and making me want to restart our make-out session. “Would you be interested in being my date for a rehearsal dinner and wedding?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“Who’s getting married?”

“Mia and Ethan.”

“I’m already invited.”

“But not as my date.” Her voice takes on a flirty, sultry quality that I’ve not heard before.

There are definitely more layers to Sophie Adams than meets the eye, and I’m looking forward to peeling back each one as I get to know her better.

“Well, since I’ll already be there…”

She returns the side tickle, but I grab her hands before shecan get very far and pin them behind her back. We’re in between pavement lights which affords us a little more privacy, so I plan to enjoy this to the fullest.

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