Page 42 of The Final Draft

Confusion fills her face, and before I can clarify, Zac skates up and joins the other players. His scowl is anything but playful, but maybe that’s his game face. He balances a puck on the toe of his stick and tosses it over the glass. I catch it before it hits me on the head. He wiggles his eyebrows and winks at Harper.

“Looks good on you, CJ,” he says through the glass. “Come on, boys. Let’s kick some ass.” He skates away, the others fist bump the glass at Harper and follow him. The men behind us chatter with speculation, their eyes fixed on her, questioning her relationship with the players. I need them to ignore her, but that’s nearly impossible to do.

Harper shakes her head at her friend’s antics before she sits down. Before I sit next to her, I hand her the puck.

“I think this is yours.” I lean in for a chaste kiss. As the blush fills her cheeks, I know I hit the mark.

“You seem to be the most popular girl here. Quite the fan club.”

She’s still laughing. “Apparently.” She settles back in her seat while the Zamboni cleans the ice, and a staff member brings her a beverage and popcorn. Our seats are full service, and she’s enjoying all the perks. “What are you doing here?”

“This is what I do.”

“What? Hit on girls at hockey games?” She smirks at me.

“In case you forgot, I’m a sports agent. I’m working.” I give her my best business face while I brush invisible lint from my sweater.

“So glad I’ve got a front-row seat to watch the playboy sports agent work then.” She tosses a piece of popcorn into her delicious mouth, and her cheeks hollow out as she takes a sip of her drink. My thoughts go to a sexy place, and I’m momentarily speechless.

“Interesting choice of attire. How does Lawson feel about it?”

She shrugs. “He knows I’ll always be his number one fan. I don’t have one of his new jerseys and, honestly, this one is probably safer here.” She scans the arena, and everyone is in Havoc teal and orange. She’s probably right. A Renegades jersey would make her a target in this rowdy crowd. “Besides, he likes Zac. He’s the one who set us up.”

She’s got me there. And when she says it that way, I need confirmation they are just friends without benefits. I need to get that clarified for the sake of my sanity. Maybe I should tell her about the princess to end the teasing and get a solid answer from her.

She continues to eat her popcorn and take in her surroundings. The arena is filling up, the place becoming a sea of teal and orange. A girl sits next to Harper with her “Wreak Havoc 22” sign, and it’s covered in hearts. Props to her for shooting her shot.

“Burns, huh?” she asks Harper.

“Yep,” Harper responds. She continues to snack on her popcorn.

The girl leans into Harper, lowering her voice. “I heard he’s wild in bed.”

Harper laugh-snorts at this information, and suddenly I’m invested. “Yeah, he has to rub his Noodle every night, or he can’t sleep. Goalies are always a little freakish that way.”

The girl’s eyes go wide at that inside and kinda-strange information. And then I laugh. Harper smirks and goes on eating her popcorn, totally unfazed. We have the pregameceremonies, and when they introduce the starting lineup, the girl holds up her sign and yells, “I love you, Henry!” I catch Harper roll her eyes when Henry Saxton skates to his place on the blue line, looks over at them, and blows a kiss. The fangirl assumes it’s for her and jumps up and down like a crazy woman. And as annoying as it is, I realize I want Harper to jump up and down for me.

Harper leans into me. “Harvard is such a cutie, but an insufferable flirt. I should give her his number to teach him a lesson.”

She has his number? I remind myself these guys are her friends, and she’s not a puck bunny, so the brief wave of jealousy passes. I still don’t have the full picture, but I know enough. She’s not that girl.

We watch the game, but I enjoy watching Harper. She’s a rabid, vocal fan, chirping the refs for terrible calls, and cheering for her friends. When Lawson smashes into the boards in front of us, she’s surprised. She immediately goes feral, cheering him on, while beating on the glass. The Havoc and Renegades continue to fight it out on the ice. The score is tied with one minute left in the game. And with a last-minute goal, Lawson scores on Burns, giving the Renegades the win. In a show of good sportsmanship, he taps Zac with his stick. The fans don’t like it, but from my vantage point, Zac calls Lawson an affectionate name, and they both chuckle.

“What are you doing after the game?” I ask her. I’ve been making plans in my head for the past few hours, and I hope she’s up to them.

“What do you have in mind?” she asks skeptically.

“Anything you want?” And I mean it. All I want with her is more time.

After a thoughtful pause, she holds her hand out. “Come on, I’m gonna let you take me home where I will consult my friends Ben and Jerry and figure out what the hell I’m doing.”

She might not be jumping into my bed, but I’m so desperate for her, I’m willing to take whatever she’s willing to give.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SEVEN

JULIAN

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