Page 48 of Romancing the Grump
“Kiss me,” she repeats. “If you want them to know you’re spoken for, then show them you belong to me.”
Her words spark an almost visceral reaction inside me, and I pull her a little closer. I like the sound of belonging to her as much as I like the feel of her body pressed against mine. But right now, that’s not what matters. Right now, this is about doing whatever it takes to make this kind of fan attention stop.
“Fine,” I say as I lift a hand to her face, cupping her cheek. “But just remember, you asked me to do this.”
Then I drop my head and press my lips to hers.
I don’t expect to forget the crowd of people watching me kiss Summer for the first time, but the second her lips touch mine, everything else falls away.
In a flash, the kiss goes from something measured and practical to something so much bigger. My heart is pounding in my chest, my skin is alive with heat and energy, andsomething inside me is shifting in ways I can’t fully quantify.
I will nevernot knowwhat it feels like to hold her like this, to have her mouth against mine.
A blessing and a curse.
Summer finally pulls away, and I open my eyes to see her staring up at me, eyes wide. She blinks, and I blink, and then, finally, the roar of the crowd breaks through the haze of whatever just happened.
Whatdidjust happen?
Summer takes a stuttering breath, her eyes still holding mine. “Well, that’s one way to do it,” she says through her smile.
“Nathan,” Malik says from the door into the arena. “Let’s go.”
I give him a quick nod, then lift a hand to wave at my fans. They cheer again as I weave Summer’s fingers through mine, then lead her into the arena.
Parker is standing beside the door, eyes wide, phone raised like she’s filming. As soon as we’re inside, she follows behind us, pulling the heavy metal door shut with a comforting click.
The noise of the crowd is almost entirely gone now, but I hold onto Summer’s hand anyway. There are entirely too many emotions pinging around my chest right now, and her hand is the only anchor I’ve got.
“You okay?” Malik asks, his eyes dropping down to where Summer’s fingers are entwined with mine.
I take a long, slow breath and tilt my head toward the door. “I don’t know what any of that has to do with playing hockey.”
Malik lifts his hands in a placating gesture that almost irritates me. “Not much,” he says. “But it has everything todo with paying your salary. And yours is a lot higher than it would be if you played for another team in the league.”
I frown. I can’t argue with him, but a line has to be drawn somewhere, and fans bodily throwing themselves against me,kissing me—that’s my line.
“Fans got a little out of hand,” Malik says, “but we can increase security next time. Take a few more precautions.”
“Increased security would be great,” I say as my gaze shifts to Summer. She’s in this mess now, too. The last thing I want is forherto feel like her safety or privacy has been compromised.
Malik motions toward the two of us. “I assume you’ve filed everything you need to file with HR?”
I didn’t even know there was something we were supposed to file with HR, but Summer must because she answers for us. “I’ve got the form,” she says. “We’ll turn it in when we’re back in Harvest Hollow.”
My eyes shift to Parker, and she shrugs. So, I guess we’renottelling Malik this is just a publicity stunt.
A publicity stunt withexceptional kissing,but a publicity stunt just the same.
Malik nods and glances at his watch. “Good. Then we’ve got a press conference to get to, and you need to start thinking about the game.”
Summer finally drops my hand, and I turn to face her.
“Are you coming?” I ask.
She nods. “You go ahead. I’ll catch up in a minute.”
Just then, Eli and Logan, who were the only guys still outside with the fans when I came in, finally push through the door, turning to wave one last time.
