Page 35 of The Penalty

I’m swallowing hard and blinking away the burning behind my eyes. I shake it off. “Good. Let’s go. It’s on me. A thank you for saving my life.”

He shakes his head. “I didn’t save you. And you don’t have to thank me.”

“Who knows what could have happened if you hadn’t grabbed me? That car could have skidded and slid into me. Escaped elephant could have come pounding down the street and flattened me. Iron Man might have swooped down to fight crime and knocked me into the multiverse. The possibilities are endless. Accept the thank you already.”

This time, the full-blown smile creeps up his face. It’s a slow bloom. Takes its time curving up his cheeks as if it’s rusty from lack of use, but it’s worth the wait if you’re paying attention. No missing teeth. One of the advantages to college hockey. They’re required to wear the helmets with cages, so not as many missing teeth as the pros. But I think he’d be hot even with a few gaps in his rare smile. It’s so rewarding when I tease it out of him.

“Welcome.”

“Since we’ve got that settled, come on.” I grab his hand, pulling him toward the little cafe.

Two diminutive trees frame the front door, twinkling lights glowing from their branches, and it gets worse as I duck under his arm to enter the place. Everything in here has been carefully curated to create the perfect ambiance for a date. Dim lighting. Check. Bud vases with multicolored carnations on each table.Check. Soft jazz in the background to set the mood, and a flickering display of candles on the hostess stand. Check and check. Great idea, but I’d look like the crazy person I am if I backed out now, so I step boldly up to the hostess.

Her smile is all for Dev, eyes trailing across his shoulders and down lower. He hunches forward as if he’s trying to make himself look smaller under her hungry gaze.

“For two?” she asks his abs.

“Yes, please.” I step into his side, sliding an arm around his waist, and turn to gaze up at his face in what I hope is an adoring way. Although, in all likelihood, I look more like a serial killer sizing up her next victim. “It’s our first anniversary. We’d love that private little table in the back corner if that’s okay.” I bat my eyelashes at him. “Right, sweetums?”

All the discomfort on his face is gone, replaced by bemusement. His lips are twitching. “Yes, cupcake.”

When I turn back to the hostess, she’s hiding her disappointment behind a bright smile. “Aw, that’s so sweet. Of course. Follow me.”

We trail behind her, weaving through the crowded tables to reach my requested one. There are only a handful of occupied tables, anyway.

I’m staring down at the laminated black menu she handed me when Dev leans in. “Sweetums? What was that all about?”

“I don’t know, cupcake.” I put a little extra emphasis on the ridiculous nickname. “I was trying to get her to stop ogling you.”

“Oh.”

He sounds surprised. Why does he sound surprised? Surely, he knows half the campus must be lusting after him. He is a star of the hockey team, and hot as the devil he was nicknamed for. “You didn’t notice?”

“Yeah, I’m used to that. I don’t love it. The attention. The thought of people prying into my life is the one part of playing hockey professionally I’m not looking forward to. But it’s part of the gig.”

My stomach drops. He doesn’t like the attention. The publicity. He’s uncomfortable in the spotlight. The kind of spotlight that would be amplified by having me in his life.

“Right. I don’t like it either. Sometimes I wish I’d been born into a different family.”

“Me too.”

I reach across the table, dropping a hand over his and giving it a squeeze, and he flips his over, closing his fingers around mine to return it.

“So, if you noticed her checking you out, why were you surprised?” I circle back.

“I’m just not used to anyone stepping in for me.”

The honest confession hurts my soul, but I try to lighten the mood, not wanting to drag him back into whatever weird place we were sinking into. “Do you need me to kick my brother’s ass? Isn’t he your best friend? Best friends are supposed to stand up for each other.”

Epic fail. The laugh I was angling for never makes an appearance. Instead, his brown eyes widen, and he leans back inhis seat, going so far as to inch it back as if he needs to put that extra bit of distance between us.

“Right. Your brother. Yes, he looks out for me.”

He leaves me hanging there, waiting for him to expand on his thought, but the invisible shield around him has snapped back into place again. Shut himself off from me and I know exactly what it was. The giant brick wall named Beau that stands between us went incognito for a moment, but now it’s back in full force. Fantastic. Great thinking, as always. I sigh, turning my face down to study the menu full of things that sounded amazing before. Now I’m not so sure I’ll be able to choke any of them down.

Chapter 12

Like A Cheap Jersey

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