Page 51 of Face Off
“That’s assuming you’ll still see me 495 days from now. I could get traded. Or sent back to the AHL or ECHL.”
“You could also get hit by an anvil falling from the sky when you walk out of your apartment tomorrow morning, but consider me optimistic.” Maverick stares at me, his eyes locked on mine. “I’d find a way to track you down.”
Awareness blooms in me with his attention. With the proximity of his body to mine and the careful way he’s watching me like he can’t wait to hear what I have to say.
It’s a line,I tell myself.
A ruse he uses on all the women that come in and out of his life.
I’m not special.
But maybe you’d like to be.
I lean back, needing some distance from him.
He’s distracting when he’s this close. I keep wanting to look at the fading bruise on his cheek. Examine the tattoos on his arm and ask what they all mean. Learn which one is his favorite and trace it with my fingers.
I sit on my hands.
“I wanted to be a vet,” I say. “My dad’s distant family has a ranch in Colorado, and one year when I was younger, we went out to visit in the summertime. I saw all the horses and cows and the six dogs that lived with them, and I wanted to find a way to work with animals. A vet seemed like a logical choice. That winter, I picked up a hockey stick for the first time, and I never looked back. The veterinary dream went on the back burner to make room for being a professional athlete, and here we are.”
“A ranch in Colorado? I’ve only ever been in cities and can’t imagine that much open space. It sounds like heaven.”
“It is. We moved around a lot when I was a kid. My mom kept finding jobs in different places, and my dad worked for the postal service, so he could have a career anywhere. I remember pulling up to Rolling Green Ranch and thinking,This isa place I’d never leave. I’d lay down some roots and stay there forever—and I’ve never thought that way about anywhere else.”
“What makes it so special?”
“It’s one of those places that’s so stunning, it’s hard to describe. Do you know what I mean? There are mountains and trees everywhere. Sunsets made of colors I haven’t seen anywhere else. But saying that seems silly, because it doesn’t do it justice. Even a picture doesn’t fully capture its beauty.”
Maverick nods, and his eyes haven’t left mine since I started talking. “I've never had a place like that before,” he says thickly. “But lately, I think I might be experiencing it for the first time.”
My heart beats wildly in my chest, and I take a deep breath. “That’s good,” I say.
“Maybe I need to buy a ranch out in the middle of nowhere and go off the grid.”
“Women are loving cowboys in romance novels lately. They probably love them in real life too.” I take a sip of my water. My skin is warm and my vision is blurry from sharing so much personal information with him. “Not that you need help in attracting women, according to the TMZ article I read last night.”
“Thinking about me when you’re in bed?”
“Dart practice, remember?”
“Wow. You printed off an article about me? Do you want me to sign it for you? Make it out to Maverick’s Biggest Fan?”
I flip him off. “I read it on my phone, you asshat. You know what I meant.”
“Asshat, huh? You need to stop flirting with me, Red. I’m not that kind of guy.” His smile makes me want to throw another napkin in his face, but it also makes my stomach swoop low. “You read romance books?”
“Yeah. They’re a nice escape from reality. You’re going to make fun of me, aren’t you?”
“I’d never make fun of you for liking something. I’d give you shit in different ways.”
I frown, unsure of where to go from here. I’m so used to having to defend my reading choices, and his easy acceptance throws me off. “Oh.”
“Have people made fun of you for that in the past?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does if it’s important to you.”
