Page 6 of Three Pucks and a Baby

I laughed. “Sadly no. It’s my dad who is the fan, and he’s dragged me along to some of the home games.”

After placing his hand on the top of the bookshelf, he leaned in closer to me. “I must’ve made an impression if you remember me.”

“Let’s just say you made an impression on my dad. He was a Southeastern defenseman back in the day.”

Grayson’s brows popped in surprise. “No shit. That’s cool. Did he pursue hockey after he graduated?”

“No, he hung up his skates,” I mused.

“Why?”

I shrugged. “He met my mom and wanted to settle down. His heart belonged to her and structural engineering.”

“Whatever floats your boat,” he replied diplomatically.

“True.” I eyed him curiously. “So, Grayson, was there something you needed from me?”

A strangled noise came from deep in his chest before he succumbed to a coughing fit. “Are you okay?”

He waved his hand dismissively. “Fine,” he croaked.

Once he seemed to have cleared his throat, I asked, “Did you need me?”

For a moment, something flashed in his eyes that I would’ve almost taken for desire. But it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. In its place was a desperate look. After licking his lips, he shuffled anxiously on his feet. “Actually, I’ve got this macroeconomics paper I’m struggling with.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Hmm, as much as I’d love to help, macroeconomics isn’t really in my realm of understanding. But you’re in luck because one of my colleagues is ridiculously knowledgeable.”

He frowned. “Well, maybe you could just let me bounce some ideas off of you. Tell me if they make any sense for the direction of my paper.”

With a laugh, I replied, “Trust me. You might as well be speaking Latin, which isn’t the best analogy since I actually can read Latin.”

“But I wantyou,” he blurted forcefully. Okay, that wasn’t the response I was expecting. At my furrowed brows, he shook his head. “I mean, I want you to help me because I feel comfortable with you.”

“I’m sure you’ll feel just as comfortable with Jan.” As I saw her wheeling around a cart of books to be restocked, I motioned to her. When he followed my gaze, his eyes bulged almost in horror. I’m not sure why he would possibly be threatened byher. Jan had been at Southeastern since the late 90’s. Everyone considered her the library’s unofficial grandmother.

“She’ll be more than capable of taking care of your needs,” I assured him.

Grayson paled slightly. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s happening.”

“I’m sorry, but I–”

After gently taking my hand in his, Grayson pulled me down the aisle away from Jan and the others. I tried ignoring the zing that radiated up my arm at the feel of his skin on mine. “What are you doing?” I demanded.

“I lied.”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t need help with a macroeconomics paper. Surprisingly, I’m not a dumb jock, and I have an A in the class.”

I furrowed my brows at him. “Then why did you ask me for help?”

“Because I wanted to talk to you longer.”

“Why?”

“Do I have to have a reason?”

“Considering we’re standing in the middle of a university library, I would assume so.”

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