Page 124 of Over the Moon

“Hey, Weeze,” he said.

“Hi.” I sighed, as I ran my fingers over his scruff. “You’re getting a little bold, huh?”

“No one is around, and I needed to kiss you.”

This man had a way of stealing my breath by simply existing.

I was this weird mix of elated and terrified when it came to my feelings for him.

I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I wished I could just enjoy it and be in the moment, but the fact that it was a secret and that there was a lot at risk for both of us made it so complicated.

“Yeah?”

“That’s my favorite part about knowing you’re mine,” he said, his green eyes locked with mine. “That I get to kiss you whenever I want to. But there’s so much more I want to do with you, Eloise.”

“What do you want to do?” I whispered.

“I want to take you to dinner. I want to pump your gas for you and hold your hand in public. I want to send flowers to you at work and take you to lunch in the middle of the day. And I want the whole fucking world to know that you’re mine.”

My breath caught in my throat, and my teeth sank into my bottom lip. “I like the sound of that. We just need to figure out how to do this.”

He nodded. “Agreed. Even Cutler thinks the whole thing is ridiculous.”

I chuckled. “He’s a smart kid.”

“I know you’re nervous, but we’ll figure it out. I won’t let this fall on you.”

“Randall is looking for a reason for me to leave, and apparently, he’s good friends with Duke Wayburn. So giving him anything against me is not going to fair well for me. And what if they turn this on you, and you get cut from the team after this season for violating the contract?” I blew out a breath. “This is our reality, Clark. Are you sure you wouldn’t resent me if you didn’t get to play for the team that you love? We would be forcing their hand. They’d have to do something.”

He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I’m not letting this fall on you.”

“Listen, we don’t have to decide this right now. You go grab some food, and I’ll meet you out on the ice, okay? Let’s give Beefcake a good show,” I said.

“Count on it, baby.” He leaned down and kissed me. “Love you.”

“Love you,” I said, as he leaned closer, and all I wanted to do was get lost in this man.

But this wasn’t the time or the place.

I pressed my hands against his chest, my words breathy. “Go, Hotshot.”

His lips turned up in the corners and he took a step back. “See you soon.”

I went back to my office, ate my salad at my desk, and typed in the workout from today for Randall, along with some notes about their progress.

I met Emerson and Cutler out on the bleachers and took the seat beside them. My dad came over and said hello, as he’d met them at a couple of games last season.

My father took his place down by the ice. I stayed seated beside Emerson, and Cutler stood when the guys came out onto the ice. I scanned the room and noticed Sebastian was here, but I was most surprised that Randall hadn’t shown up. He must have something going on today because he never missed practice or time on the ice.

The next hour was spent rotating players as they took turns scoring. Clark definitely stood out, and after both of his goals, he held his arm up and waved at Cutler.

His gaze always found mine.

Clark took off his skates and came over to see Beefcake and Emerson before he hit the showers. They had to head home today as Cutler had to get back to school, and Emerson needed to get back to work. It was a short trip, but I was grateful I got to spend some quality time with them.

“Listen, I want you to call me if you need to talk, okay?” Emerson whispered so only I would hear her. “It’s going to all work out. You just need to have faith in that. But I know it’s uncomfortable right now, and I hate this for you. For both of you.”

I nodded. “Thank you so much. I’ve loved having this time with you guys. Drive safely, and text me when you get home, okay?”

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