Page 37 of Branded
“Why do you keep calling me that?” she asked, then promptly waved a hand away. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter right now. You are beautiful and masculine and give me total lumbersexual vibes. I could not believe that you liked me enough to approach me that first day, that you thought I was attractive enough to pursue. And see?” she added when I felt the furrows on my forehead dig deeper. “You don’t like it when I talk bad about myself, so don’t do it either.”
My heart began to pound. “Look. I’m just a normal guy who plays hockey and knows my role. I’m big. I’m strong. I’m funny. That’s it, and that’s enough for me,” I said. “I promise. It’s not talking shit about myself. I know I deserve to be here. I work hard to pull my weight with the guys and fulfill my role. But I’m not?—”
“Funny and protective and sweet and caring? Smart even though you have challenges? Persistent in the face of those?”
Now my heart thudded, pounded against my rib cage. “Kailey,” I began.
“You’re all of those things.”
Fuck.
This woman was going to undo me.
Her hands came to my face, and she kissed me hard and fast and just long enough so that I had a fucking tent in my pants.
“So just deal with the fact that I think you’re fucking cool,” she snapped.
I bit back a grin then tugged a strand of her hair. “So just deal with it?”
Dropping back onto her heels, she nodded (and let it be noted that the nod was also paired with a glare). “Yup.” The P was a pop.
“And are you going to just deal with the fact that I want you?”
She rocked back slightly, eyes going a little wide. “I…” A breath, her shoulders straightening. “I can accept that you think you do.”
“Kailey,” I warned.
Her smile was tremulous. “Hey,” she said softly, “I’m a work in progress, right? Consider it a win that I didn’t deny it outright.”
This time I couldn’t hold back my grin. God, I liked her. “Okay.”
“I’ll take that win.” A curl of wickedness crept through me, something she seemed to detect because she sighed, started to shake her head. “Don’t say it.”
“Say what?” My grin widened.
“Whatever is making you smile like that.”
“What?” I feigned innocence. “I was just thinking that if you’d take that win, you’d take?—”
She groaned, dropping her head back.
I pressed a kiss to that exposed throat, tilted my head so that I could whisper, “You’ll take it all, little bird?”
Another shiver, her hands clenching into fists.
“Not promising anything,” she murmured.
I leaned closer. “I am.”
A soft moan that nearly undid me.
Hazed green eyes blinking up at me.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?”
A nod.
My knuckles running down her throat, soft skin, curves that begged to be touched.
