Page 12 of Ice Daddy
Lance followed his teammates in and quickly surveyed the establishment. His excitement quickly waned. The weather must've kept the lunch crowd from going out. The place was nearly empty. Only a few suit-and-tie types were sprinkled throughout the dining area, and not a single person sat at the bar.
And of course,shewas nowhere to be found.
Lance shrugged. Disappointing, but not at all surprising.
The teammates took their place at the bar. They were huge men, and sitting elbow-to-elbow, they nearly spanned the entire length of the bar. The bartender, a college-aged girl in a white dress shirt and black tie, curiously eyed the athletes as she set lunch menus in front of them.
The boys grew quiet as they perused their options. When everyone knew what they wanted, the bartender swooped in with perfect timing and took their order.
“Okay. We'vedefinitelybeen here before,” Ilya said with more certainty as he looked around the bar.
Radar laughed. “You guys don't remember? Lance brings us hereeverytime we come to Nashville. And we go through this every time. Only question is what Lance likes about this place so much. He won't even tell me. It's some kind of mystery.”
“So what's the story with this place, kid?” Shea grabbed the back of Lance's neck and gave him a shake. “Meet a girl here once before? Can't get her out of your mind?”
Lance laughed it off. “Yeah, that'sexactlyit, Shea.”
While his teammates noisily bantered and speculated about his connection to Zickell's, Lance stared off into the distance, lost in thought.
All he could think about was her. He glanced at the far bar stool, the same spot she'd sat at two years ago. He could still remember exactly how she'd looked from across the bar. A petite babe in a black dress. Her tight curves demanded his attention. Her auburn-hair cascaded over her shoulder in springy locks. In the dim light of the bar, her fair skin shone like porcelain.
The more he looked, the more he liked. She was breath taking, really. He couldn't look away.
The only thing that didn't fit was her distinct lack of a smile. That's exactly what made him approach her—the fact that she looked like she was having a bad night. He'd walked up to her, planning on making an ass out of himself—just to see if he could make her smile.
And then, she did.
And something inside him clicked.
Her smile was gorgeous, and her spirit shined right through for just a moment, like the rays of the sun stabbing through a dreary sky full of gray clouds.
And then he realized, she wasn't so impressed with him.
He still remembered the strange sensation he felt when he met her that day. Thissensethat he was meeting someone important for the very first time.
Which was sort of funny, considering he never even got her number. They only spent a couple hours together.
The hottest couple hours of my life,Lance thought with a bittersweet fondness.
He could still remember the coolness of the hotel's silk bedsheets on his bare chest as he spread that girl's legs, sprawled out before her, and licked at her pink, glistening folds. He could still taste her creamy tang on his tongue. God, she was delicious, like honey—hot and sticky and deliciously sweet.
That night, he gave that girl everything he had. It was the best sex he'd ever had. When they were finally too exhausted for more, and the sheets were damp with their fluids, Lance hopped in the shower for a quick rinse off. But when he emerged with a bath towel wrapped around his waist, he was surprised to see that he was alone.
She'd dressed and left. No goodbye. No note. Nothing.
Normally, that'd be perfect. He'd been with plenty of women, and the hard part was always getting rid of them afterward …
But something about this one got to him. He didn't know what it was. All he knew was that no girl had ever gotten quite so stuck in his mind like her. The girl he met one night in Nashville.
Paige.
Chapter 5
Paige
Paige had hoped it'd be a slow day at The Burger Stand. Sure, it was a Friday, and Fridays were almost always crazy busy—but then again, the streets were slick and dangerous, and traffic was an absolute nightmare. The freezing cold wind would surely cut down on the foot traffic, too.
And for the first few hours of her shift, she got exactly what she hoped for: a slow but steady pace. Not too busy, but not so slow the day drags by. Perfect for a Friday, really.
