Page 72 of On Thin Ice

Imagine if the world figured out that I was falling head over heels for Morgan Reynolds’ son? What kind of chaos would that cause?

Jacob could only fucking imagine how invasive everything would get then. Every frame of every fight between Jacob and Morgan would get dredged up. Every set of ugly words they’d exchanged. The last time they’d met publicly, at his last All Star Game, when he’d had to be held back from punching Morgan in the face.

Then because Morgan was Morgan, he wouldn’t be able to keep his trap shut, and he’d say something designed to piss Jacob off. Maybe even designed to piss Finn off, too. That wouldn’t surprise Jacob, particularly.

It would get so ugly, their private business played out for a salivating public.

“Alright,” Jacob said, clearing his throat. Hating how tight it had suddenly gotten. Why did it only feel like there were two choices:the one that got awayandbecoming the hottest gossip in the NHL?

It wasn’t fair at all, but then Jacob knew life wasn’t particularly fair.

The wine arrived then, and Jacob, aware of Sophie’s knowing gaze falling on him, tried to pretend like everything was normal.

But nothing was normal.

Finn was next to him, looking and smelling so good Jacob wanted to cry with it.

“Why do I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me?” Sophie wondered when Finn excused himself halfway through dinner to use the restroom.

“There’s nothing,” Jacob said.

“Youlikehim. A lot. And I guarantee he isn’t going to wear that suit for just anyone, Jacob,” she said.

“It’s just a suit.”

A suit designed to bring me to my knees.

“No offense, but that’s notjusta suit,” Mark said. “I asked him where he got it. That’s a custom Burberry suit. Do you have any idea what that costs? How hard it is to get them to make you one? And he wore it to dinnerwith you.”

Jacob’s throat felt dry and tight. “Maybe he likes it.”

“Maybe he wantedyouto like it,” Sophie said, not surprisingly hitting the nail right on the head. “Do you have any idea what you’re playing with here?”

Fire. Red-hot fire.

“Morgan is going to lose his mind,” Mark said.

“It’s not his business. Finn is a grown man.”Not a kid.“An adult.” He’d laughingly produced his driver’s license to prove he was of drinking age when the waiter had asked.

“It’s cute that you think the age has anything to do with how pissed off Morgan’s going to be,” Sophie said. “You didn’t want us tomentionanything about the foundation to his people. You forbade us to even bring it up. And then the next time we meet, you show up withhis son, and it’s clear something’s going on between you. Jacob, you need to—”

But she never got to say what it was he needed to do, because Finn arrived back at the table again, and she covered up her concern with another throwaway comment in his direction.

Finn shot him a questioning look, but didn’t say anything.

Not until they’d wrapped up the meal and Sophie and Mark had gone their separate ways—after Sophie trading numbers with Finn, under the pretext she’d take a look over his social media—Finn turned to him, his curls gilded by the golden light hanging above the table.

“What was that Sophie was saying before I walked back in?” Finn asked as he stood, reaching for his suit jacket.

Jacob didn’t know if it was better or worse when he gracefully slid it on. The jacket covered up thepecs-chest-absthat clingy polo revealed, but then once it was on, it accentuated the gorgeous slope of his shoulders.

“Not sure what you’re talking about.” He grabbed his own jacket.

Jacob looked away. It had been easier when Sophie and Mark were here—as a buffer or maybe a distraction? Now that they were gone and it was just him and Finn, the air had thickened and he was reminded, painfully, of every time that had come before. Of how close they’d been to kissing on Saturday.

Last night had been easier, or had that just been a comfortable lie he’d told himself? Jacob didn’t know.

But he did know that once it happened, there was going to be no way to pretend it hadn’t.

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