Page 62 of Empty Net

“Stop, stop! I was kidding!”

I level her with a faux glare. “Come on, Lilah. Don’t be a tease.”

“But teasing’s my favorite,” she says, winking at me, and I think she might be serious. I think Lilah likes to tease.A lot.And I like it far more than I probably should.

We’re close. So close I can smell her perfume—that same light floral scent from New Year’s Eve I have burned in my memory—and feel the warmth radiating off her. Her lips part just slightly, her breaths uneven as her gaze flicks between my eyes and my mouth.

You can kiss me if you want to.

I remember my words from the other night, and I wonder if she remembers them, too. If she were to kiss me right now, I’d let her. I shouldn’t.Weshouldn’t. But I’m not sure I’d be able to stop myself.

Her eyes drop lower to where her hands arestillon mine, dangerously close to my cock that’s pressing against my zipper, and I’m sure she candefinitelysee I am not mad about our proximity.

Fuck. How pathetic am I that I’m getting a boner because I’m sitting close to a beautiful woman? It’s like I’m sixteen all over again.

I clear my throat, and she rips her hands away, scooting as far from me as possible, ducking her head. The tension in the room is palpable, our silence deafening. It’s easily the most awkward things have been between us, and I’ve seen her naked ass.

Shit. Why’d I have to go and think about that? Picturing her perfectly pert ass does nothing to help thegrowingsituation in my pants.

Think about something else, Fox. Anything else. Think of your save percentage this year. Think about how you let in that soft goal last night.

That’s enough to help calm my cock a little as we turn back to our meals. We eat silently for a long time, both plates nearly empty when Lilah asks how practice went this morning.

I reach up and massage my neck, which tightens with tension at the mention of hockey. “It was fine.”

“Just fine?” she asks, popping a meat-and-cheese-loaded tortilla chip into her mouth, a little moan escaping her.

I do my best to ignore it.

“Yeah, just wasn’t entirely up to par. I’ve, uh, been a bit off my game lately, even in practice.”

“Aren’t you guys like third in your division?”

“Fourth.” We slipped a spot, and it was all thanks to my shit goaltending, which meant we gave up a two-goal lead with less than five minutes to go. Keller sold himself out to try to save us, but it wasn’t enough.

“Then what’s the big deal? I mean, I know I’m new to the game and all, but isn’t that good?”

“It’s not bad, but we could be in a better position, especially with the playoffs coming up so soon. Need to pad points now while we can because other teams will be pushing.”

“There’s still a lot of hockey left to play.”

I grin. “You sure you’re new to the game? That sounds like a seasoned approach right there.”

She shrugs. “I might have picked it up watching a game or two this week.”

She’s been watching my games? So much for my cock calming down. The idea of Lilah sitting in her apartment, curled up on her pink couch, watching my games, excites me far too much.

“Have you been keeping tabs on me, sugar?” I tease.

She startles at the nickname, dropping her perfectly good chip right back onto her plate, and I grin, really liking that it affects her.

She recovers quickly, pushing her shoulders back. “So, what are you going to do to fix it?”

I like that she doesn’t try to talk me up and tell me I’m doing fine and to get over it. She sees it’s a struggle for me and me alone, sees that no amount of kind words will make me play better.

“I don’t know, honestly.”

And I truly don’t. I know how I usually try to loosen up, but sex isn’t exactly on the table right now, not with me “dating” Lilah. We don’t need to complicate this thing between us any more by throwing sex into the mix.

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