Page 34 of The Penalty

“What was different about it?”

My lips are pressed together so tightly I think they might stay that way. It’s the only thing keeping the secret from spillingout. Him. He was the reason my attention was locked on the ice. I was tracking his movement, gasping when he took or gave a hit, cheering when he cleared the ice for one of his teammates or snatched the puck. I’ve never considered sports to be a turn on. Until now.

Finally, I can’t stand the tension anymore, so I flick my eyes over to him for a brief glance. A small grin curves up his lips. Not quite the full-blown smile I caught a couple of elusive glances of while we were at the con, but it’s there. Is he laughing at me? Unsure. The only thing I know for sure is that even the hint of a smile has a fluttery heat uncoiling low in my belly.

“Want to grab a coffee or something? Ooh! Maybe some dessert.” I could do terrible things to a chocolate cake right now. A poor substitute for the things I want to do to Dev, but maybe it would help take my mind off that.

He’s silent for so long I’m about to repeat the question.

“Probably shouldn’t.”

Heat crawls up my neck at the rejection. “Oh. Sorry. I shouldn’t have...”

Warmth climbs up my leg when his hand lands on my thigh. The thick denim is no barrier.

“I said we shouldn’t. I didn’t say no.”

“Oh.” I risk a glance at him when we hit a red light. He’s staring at me, and I can see how wrong I was. His pupils are so blown out his eyes are almost black, and his full lips havefallen open.

A horn jerks my attention back to the road and we’re jolted forward when I step on the gas a little too hard.

“Where should we go? We’re not too far from Ethel’s. Or there’s that dessert place on Main. What’s it called? Pie in the Sky. We could do a coffee shop. A little more casual.”

There’s a low rumble next to me.

“Anywhere you want.”

“Right.”Cece stop it.Babbling. One of my less stellar qualities.

My fingers are tapping out a frenetic rhythm on the wheel as I execute a perfect parallel into a spot on the street. I glance around, hand reaching up to run through my hair, but pausing on the smooth surface when I remember it’s pulled back into a neat ponytail. His hand stills the motion, and I jerk back to him.

I pull away from him. The flutters have morphed into a liquid heat and I’m going to jump his bones in my roommate’s car on a public street if he keeps touching me. Terrible plan. This man is going to be my downfall if I’m not careful.

“Dessert place is right there. Let’s hit it up.”

I leap out of the car, pressing my body against the door when another vehicle whizzes by.

“Careful,” he says, a hint of something like anger coloring his tone.

But it’s not anger that has him yanking me away from the road and back against his hard chest. I’m melting into it as his right arm presses me back. My heart is thumping in my chest as if I the doors were about to open for an art show. I’d like tothink it’s the adrenaline from my near miss, but I’m pretty sure his proximity is also sending my pulse into overdrive.

“Don’t do that again, please.” His words caress my ear.

“I won’t.” I shake my head and squirm, trying to escape his arms. Not because I don’t welcome his touch. Rather, I welcome it too much. I want his arms around me so badly I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold back. If I just tilted my head the slightest bit. Leaned in toward him, his lips...

The shock of cool air yanks me out of the moment. He’s pulled away and taken a step back. His fingers close over my arm in a softer hold than I would have thought the tough hockey player would be capable of. Especially after I saw the aggressive way he was taking down his opponents in the game earlier. He doesn’t let go until he’s dragged me away and lifted me up onto the safety of the sidewalk. I’m not sure I’ve ever had someone that concerned with my safety before. At least not someone who wasn’t getting paid to look after me.

“Good.”

He’s back to rubbing his hand over the short strands of dark hair, avoiding eye contact. “Maybe we should go.”

My stomach sinks. Not yet. I’m not ready to say goodbye. We might not get another chance. “I could use something sweet. Could we maybe stay? If it’s not too much of a hassle for you.”

He tilts his head up to stare at the sprinkling of stars in the sky, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows hard.

He mumbles something under his breath, and I take a step closer, trying to catch his words. “What?”

“Not a hassle. You’re not a hassle.”

---