Page 38 of Wildest Dreams

Fingers crossed she doesn’t have any preconceived notions about hockey players because, if she does, I’m screwed.

“Kinda,” she admits, smiling up at me.

“Then I’ve never been so happy to not play football in my life.”

She breathes out a gorgeous laugh as she leans playfully against my biceps.

“What about you?” I ask her. “What are you studying? You do any sports?”

“I’m a cheerleader,” she says, looking up at me from under her lashes.

I clear my throat hard, unable to formulate a single sentence after that.

She’s a cheerleader?

I’m in bed with a fucking cheerleader?

I can’t deny it, this is a good moment for me.

“Anyway,” she says, laughing as she draws out the word, “after I graduate from college there’s no doubt about what I’ll be doing. I’m going to join my family’s business, but I want to see if I can help expand it in a different direction. They construct premium real estate, but I want to go the small town route – house flips and stuff.”

I try to focus on what she’s saying but I’m starting to get distracted by the way she’s leaning into me. The pretty curves of her chest are brushing right up against my biceps.

“And you?” she asks, as if I have a single brain cell left, as if I can remember what the hell we were just talking about.

“Me?” I ask, my voice way too fucking deep. “What about me?”

I swear I hear her tinkle out a laugh but I’m too far gone to risk another glance at her beautiful face.

“Like, what do you do in Carter Ridge? Are you in a family business, too?”

I was about to state the fact that I’m a freshman at Carter U but her second question throws me, and I frown at the game on the screen.

“Uh, no,” I say quietly. “We don’t exactly have a family business. Like, my best friend Hunter, his dad is a mechanic, so it’s a given that some of his sons are going to help him run the joint eventually.” I clear my throat and try to rub the tension out of my brow. “My dad’s in the army.”

A soft whoosh of air caresses my chest, as if Aisling has sucked in a breath, impressed as hell. And I’m proud of that reaction, even if it’s reserved for my dad’s career, and not my own.

I can feel the moment that understanding dawns on her – the fact that, unlike my dad and both of my brothers, I haven’t followed in my father’s footsteps and taken the military route. Because I’m here in Carter Ridge, rather than being at a military school.

And I love the path that I’ve chosen for myself. Partially because I love hockey, but partially because of my mom. Seeing as she was a professional figure skater I love that I’ve continued her sports legacy, while also giving her one less man to worry about. Because, yeah, hockey’s rough but it’s nothing like having a loved one in the army – waiting around for months on end, praying that they’ll stay safe.

Praying that they’ll come home.

So the worrying that she does for my dad and my brothers when they’re on deployment? She doesn’t need to do that for me.

But even though I love my sport, I respect what my dad and brothers do, and that’s the reason why I’ve sometimes wondered if I made the right decision.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice is sweet and sincere. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

After taking a deep grounding inhale I allow myself to look back down at her.

Those big beautiful eyes knock the air out of my lungs.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.” I glance down at her lap, seeing her thigh resting against mine. “I respect my dad and my brothers for what they do, but I love what I do too.”

“So you have a job, right now?” she asks.

“It’s in the pipeline,” I admit, thinking about the four years of college hockey that I’m in for. Undeniably, the thought brings a smile to my face. “I have my training years first but technically, yeah, I’m all set.”

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