Page 36 of Face Off
I just need to bite the bullet and tell him the truth.
I reach for the door handle, the cold metal resting in my hand as I swallow down the nerves building within me. “You can do this, Hayley,” I whisper to myself in a mental pep talk.
I turn the knob, opening my door where I crash into a hard chest. I stumble back, almost falling to the ground when two large hands grip my waist, pulling me close to their chest. The fuck. I glance up after steadying my feet on the ground to see Brooks with a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. Those godforsaken full, plush lips.
“Going somewhere in a hurry?” he says through a chuckle.
“Uh-huh.” I freeze, pulling out of his grasp. “Um… Hi. Sorry about that, this. Um… Actually, I was on my way to see you,” I say though nervous breaths. “Uh… Look, I really should apologize for earlier today. I got nervous when Mr. Richards’ wife showed up at the house with Camden. We were indisposed,and I freaked. And now you probably want to end things with me before we even really began and… Oh God, I’m rambling.”
His smile bright spreads across his face as he leans against the door frame. His long-sleeve Skipjacks shirt pulls across his hard pecs. God, he’s so good looking.
“Hayley… it’s fine. I was coming to check on you,” he says, stepping into my office and shutting the door behind him. “You don’t have to tell me, but why was Mr. Richards’ wife at your house?”
Shit.
Here it is. Just spit it out, Hayley.
“She helps me out every now and then. She’s friends with Gram, sorry… my mother. Gram is my mother. Camden calls her Gram.” Smooth, Hayley. Smooth. “I was just afraid she would tell Mr. Richards about us. I didn’t want to risk both our jobs.”
He nods in understanding, his gaze drifting to my lips every so often. “God, I want those lips right now.”
Grabbing my hand, he pulls me close, his lips finding mine in an instant. “I’m falling so hard for you,” he murmurs against my lips before his tongue brushes along my bottom lip; my lips part, giving him access. Our tongues fight against one another for control.
We break apart, our breaths heavy as he presses his forehead against mine. Me too.I’m falling for you too. I want to say it aloud, but I don’t. I revel in the moment.
“I should go,” he says, pulling back and walking toward the door, leaving me wishing I had more time with him.
Just as he goes to turn the doorknob, I shout his name in excitement. “Brooks… wait. I have something for you.”
Bending at the waist, I reach underneath my skirt, gripping the sides of the hot-pink lacey thong, sliding the fabric down my toned legs before stepping out of them. Crumbling them up in my palm, I walk over to him, standing on my tippy toes to whisper in his ear as I slide the fabric into his athletic shorts pocket. “Something for you to think about between periods. Now go out there and kick some ass.”
I place a gentle kiss on the side of his mouth before backing away. A devilish smirk plays at his lips as he pulls the lace from his pocket, bringing it to his nose and inhaling deeply.
Yup.
I’m thoroughly turned on and will be paying for it now as I’m standing alongside the ice, bare down below, extremely wet with arousal and freezing my ass off. And even though I’m feeling slightly better about everything that happened with Brooks this morning, I’m still plagued by the truth.
???
“I couldn’t tell him,” I say to Cassidy as we wait in the tunnel for the players to take the ice. “I was going to tell him who my father was, and I couldn’t. The lie slipped right out.”
I’m becoming a liar. Something I never was. The secrets. The lies. They’re piling up, and I’m afraid I’m going to crack.
Cassidy extends her fist out as the team anthemLegendby The Score fills the arena. The players are pumped, walking out and tapping fists. It’s a tradition we’ve done forever. “It’s not technically a lie. I mean you—”
She pauses as Miller approaches us, fist bumping Cassidy before stopping in front of me. I hold out my fist for a bump, waiting for him to continue on his way. When he doesn’t, Islowly lower my hand just as he lowers his head and places his mouth over mine. My body stiffens in surprise, then relaxing as I kiss him back. Pulling away, he gives me a devilish smirk with a wink and walks out onto the ice. Fans erupt in cheers as my knees feel like they’re about to give out.
He kissed me.Yes, he’s kissed me several times before, but this time, it’s in front of fans and co-workers. Ugh… I’m so royally screwed.
I turn around to see Cassidy cheesing at me like the Cheshire cat. “I mean… I think he won’t care regardless of who you really are. He’s made that pretty clear that both you and him are off the market,” she whispers, walking toward the team bench.
“Let’s just hope Daddy Dearest didn’t see what everyone else had seen,” I murmur, walking behind her to the team bench, taking my place next to Coach Stevens.
The first period goes by in a breeze, and though we’re up by two during the intermission period, Coach Stevens seems pissed. He’s been chewing the guys a new one ever since they stepped foot in the locker room. Particularly Brooks, saying he looks sloppy and sluggish, when he’s none of those things. In fact, he’s having one of the best games in his entire career, being that he scored the two goals so far tonight.
The guys all gear back up and walk back out to the ice for the second period. I follow the last player, but a large hand wrapping around my elbow stops me. “Hayley,” Coach Stevens says, spinning me back toward him. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Okay.
