Page 95 of Delayed Penalty

The feeling’s mutual.

But I don’t voice that out loud. It makes me think of all the times I’ve had to resist reaching out for him. All the times I’ve had to stop myself from kissing him when he’s extra gentle with Flora. All the times I’ve had to walk away because I almost say something that resembles me liking him.

It’s getting to be too many to count.

“We should probably get back out there,” he says after kissing me breathless again. There’s no way my lips aren’t going to be swollen when we go back to the ice. “You go first.”

“Me? Why me?”

“Um, because my dick is as hard as steel right nowand I should probably think of horrible things to get it to go down?”

I laugh, shoving him away when he tries to kiss me again.

“I think if you stopped kissing me, that would help.”

“Or,” he says, stalking closer, “I could just kiss you again.”

And because I’m weak, I let him. This time when he breaks the kiss, I swear it’s the last.

“We should probably get back out there,” I repeat his words.

“Or…” His eyes spark with mischief.

“Adam,” I warn.

I realize my mistake instantly as his eyes darken.

“Oh, honey…” he whispers before reaching for me again, and I can’t help but giggle, excited for what’s to come.

But it’s not at all what I was expecting.

A throat clears. We freeze. Hayes stands in front of me, keeping me hidden as best he can, craning his neck to see who’s there.

“Hey, Hutch,” he says calmly, like he doesn’t have his hand up my shirt. “What’s up?”

“Flora’s asking for you,” the Serpents captain says.

“Okay. I’ll be there in a second.”

“And Quinn too.”

I gulp.

Fuck.I got so carried away with Hayes just now, I forgot all about Flora for a moment.Thisis why I couldn’t be a teacher. Not because I’m incapable of doing the schooling, but because I’m too unreliable, too flighty. Too irresponsible. Just like everyone’s always said.

“Be there in a second,” Hayes repeats.

He doesn’t look back at me right away. He’s too busy watching Hutch as he retreats back toward the ice, and there’s no mistaking the panic in Hayes’s eyes. He lets me go as soon as Hutch is gone, putting far more distance between us than we have in a long, long time. I miss him instantly.

He hitches his thumb over his shoulder. “We should probably…”

There’s no playfulness behind his words anymore. He means it this time. Our stolen moment is over, and it’s back to pretending we’re strangers, pretending he doesn’t know every inch of my body or how to turn me on with one simple look.

“Yeah.” I nod, pushing off the wall and running my hands through my hair. “Let’s get back out there.”

I breeze past him, ignoring the look he’s giving me, the one that says he wishes he never followed me back here. I drop down onto the bench, reaching for the skates I abandoned. I’m slowly lacing them up whenHayes goes marching past me, ignoring me like I’m not even there.

I might as well not be. I don’t belong here. I’m not family. I’m just the nanny.

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