Page 69 of For the Win

“I’d be happy to take you home later,” I say.“If you’re okay with that.”

Her fingers go still on her phone.“Okay,” she says slowly.

“Don’t worry, I’m not a stalker,” I joke.

She stares at her phone, and once again I feel like I just said the wrong thing.But she smiles and says, “Good to know.”Then she taps in a message to her friend.

A while later, she sets down her chopsticks, pats her stomach, and groans.“I am so full.”

“Yeah.”I lean back in my chair.“So worth it, though.”

“I love food.”

I grin.“Me too.What’s your favorite food?I know it’s not shrimp.”

She laughs.“I have too many faves.Pizza.Cake.Ice cream.”

“Oh hell yeah.Iloveice cream.What kind of ice cream?”

“I’d eat pretty much anything, but there’s a little place not far from Prana—Leo’s Creamery—and I love everything they make.English toffee.Lemon curd.Matcha green tea.They make everything themselves.”

“Sounds amazing.”

“I’ll take you there.”

I fucking love the sound of those words.I want to pump a fist in the air and cheer.“Sounds good,” I say casually.“What are other favorite foods?”

“I love burgers and fries.And...okay, you might think this is weird.”Sparkling blue peeps up at me through long eyelashes.

“What?”

“My favorite comfort food if I don’t have ice cream is sweetened condensed milk.Out of the can.”

I stare.“What?”

She grins.“Don’t knock it until you try it.Just open up the can and get a spoon.It’s delicious.”

“I’m open-minded.I’ll try anything once.”

“That’s good to know.”She sounds flirty.

“I hope you’re thinking about the athletic sex positions I’ve been fantasizing about us trying out.”

She chokes.“Uh, well.I wasn’t, but...”Her lips twitch.“I’m open-minded too.”

I lean forward and say softly, “Good to know.”

I reach for her hand and pull her out of her chair.“I think we need to start researching.”

She laughs and lets me tug her down the hall and back into my bedroom.

* * *

We practice Tuesday,and it’s a pretty laid-back, easy practice with lots of joking around.Everyone’s feeling good as we head into the playoffs, even though we got our asses handed to us last game.

I laugh my butt off when Scotty and Eddie are bitching at each other, apparently about Eddie’s lack of dental hygiene, but then it’s my turn to get pranked.I pick up a bottle of Gatorade, tip my head back, and squeeze it to direct the beverage into my mouth.We don’t touch the bottles with our mouths, since we all share them.But when I squeeze it, the cap pops off and Gatorade spills all over my face and down onto my practice jersey.Some asshole had loosened the cap.

This cracks up a bunch of guys, of course, Nicky falling down on the ice he’s laughing so hard.“Come on, that’s not even original,” I grouse at him.

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