Page 70 of Brace and Chase

I might be delusional thinking we can get the conversation over within that small time frame, but it’s not impossible, is it?

Standing by the sink in the kitchen, I hear the front door open, then close with a harder bang than normal, and I have to press a hand to my stomach because the nerves are alive and well, wreaking havoc in there.

He comes in, face set in a stubborn, hard expression, and I feel suddenly lightheaded, but that feeling has never stopped me on the ice when I need to keep pushing, and it doesn’t stop me now.

“We—”

“We need to talk,” he interrupts me, saying the exact same words I was about to. My mouth hangs open as he takes three more steps and stops at the opening between the island and the counter. “I know I said all those things about us having to focus on the team and all that,” he starts rambling, and I realize when I look more closely that he seems nervous.

He’s pacing then... three feet to the left, then back.

“But fucking hell, Charlie, there’s no way I can forget about that kiss.”

His eyes meet mine for only a fraction of a second, and though I want to tell him I’m on the same page, he just keeps talking.

“I went to Bear’s to talk about all of it. I’d told himabout the kiss before.” This time, when he looks over, he must see my bug-eyed stare because... does that mean Bear’s known about it since it happened? “No,” he shouts and his feet finally stop. “I didn’t tell him it was a kiss withyou,just that a man had kissed me. And so he knew, and I just wanted his advice on what to do now, how to approach this, because I’m pretty sure I’m the first man you’ve kissed... I am, right?” he asks with a fierce scowl. One of the ones he uses on the ice.

“You are,” I confirm quickly.

“Okay. And you’re the first man I’ve kissed just the same. So I have no fucking clue what I’m supposed to do now. And then Drew just said talk to him, and I realized...” He takes a huge breath, and this time, when his eyes land on mine they don’t move. “I have no fucking clue what the rules of the NHL are for this kind of... thing. I doubt there evenarerules because fuckers probably never imagined something like this could happen. They probably never anticipated two players would... get involved,” he settles on after hesitating.

“I know the risks, believe me. I’ve been reminding myself of them this whole time. But the way it felt to kiss you, Charlie.” He shakes his head and looks away for only a moment before continuing. “We’ve been playing like legends these past few games. And when we’re out on the ice we... talk. About everything. Everything except those kisses. But I still feel like I can talk to you about anything and you’ll understand.

“Even though it feels wrong to not tell the guys thatyou’rethe man I kissed, I really don’t have a problem with that lie as long as I get to do it again, Charlie.” There’s a desperate need I understand all too well in his eyes. “I feel like we’re actually becoming friends and not just teammates. And yes, maybe it’s the fact that we’ve barely spent a second apart, but I don’t think that’s it. Just a while ago, when I was at Bear’s place and I understood I had to come here and talk to you to regain any kind of peace, I couldn’t wait to come back. I realized that even if you tell me no, even if you don’t ever want to kiss me again, all I need right now is to keep talking to you.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s about hockey, about the team, about your family, or even if you decide it’s time to do what Gab asked and talk me into retirement. Hell, it could even be about the kiss—kisses, whatever. I just wanted to get back here and talk to you and yes, kiss you maybe, and just...”

He trails off, and it takes me about a millisecond to decide he’s said enough. I walk up to him, and in three quick strides my body’s pressed to his, I grab the back of his neck and pull him down, and thenfucking finally, his lips are back where they belong.

TWENTY-FOUR

SANTA

At that firstbrush of lips, my body somehow tenses and relaxes at the same time. When Charlie’s lips move against mine and his tongue traces a line over my lower lip, stars explode behind my eyelids.

How can a simple kiss have this effect on me when even sex never has?

How will I ever stop wanting?—

“Shit,” Charlie hisses and steps back when an alarm starts beeping loudly behind him. I’m dazed, confused as to where I am, and what else could possibly be more important to Charlie than kissing some more. But I watch him rush over to the oven and he twists some knobs and pushes a few buttons until the alarm stops blaring. “It’s okay,” he says, almost to himself.

“What is it?” I ask, maybe letting my annoyance show.

Charlie’s head snaps to me, and he winces. Why is he wincing?

“I made you lasagna.”

“You did?” I ask in wonder, all the annoyance forgotten. Forever. The man can do whatever he wants becausehe makes the world’s best lasagna.

“Yes,” he whispers, turning shy on me. “I know you love it, so.” He shrugs.

“I do love it,” I tell him softly. He nods as if to himself and turns back to the oven.

“Let me just get it out of the oven and we can eat—” I know he’s speaking but I can’t focus on the words because he’s wearing a pair of sweatpants I’ve never seen before and I...

Well, I’ve always been an ass man, let’s just say that.

“Or,” I start with a voice scratchy from the pure horniness I’m feeling. “You could take it out and leave it on the stove so we can kiss some more.Thenwe eat after?”

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