Page 58 of The Flirty Forward

Chapter 21

Stephanie

I realize he’s flirting with me, but I smile anyway. “Okay, if you’re sure.”

We push through the crowd of people. It gets a little better once we’re back in my section. “I didn’t catch your name,” he says as we begin walking down the daunting set of stairs to get down near the ice.

“Stephanie,” I tell him as I glance back.

“Shawn,” he supplies.

“Thanks for helping me, Shawn.”

“Are you from around here, Stephanie?”

“I live about an hour away. What about you?”

“I’m a local.”

“That’s great,” I tell him. “You must catch a lot of games.”

“I try to,” he says. “And I’ll be willing to catch a lot more now if I know you’re going to be here.”

I smile but don’t say anything. We reach our seats. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” Shawn says. “Hey before I go, can I get your number, in case you need an extra hand again?”

“She’s not interested,” a voice says from behind me, like right behind me.

“Shawn, this is Sebastian,” I say, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice as I glare at Sebastian.

Shawn’s eyes glance behind me and widen. “Sebastian. LiketheSebastian Hart?”

“Yes,” Sebastian says before I can say anything.

“And yes,” I say, turning to Shawn with a smile. “You can have my number.”

Sebastian steps close to me and puts a hand on my waist, something that he’s only done once before…for a picture. “What are you doing, Doll?” he asks in a low voice. There's something to his voice that isn’t exactly giving off welcoming vibes.

Shawn glances between the two of us uncertainly. “Are you two dating?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Sebastian and I both speak at the same time, confusing poor Shawn even more. I step away from Sebastian, giving him a warning glance. “We are only pretending to date because of his psycho fans. It’s a long story. Anyway—” I give him a bright smile.

He returns the smile. “Can I put my number in your phone?” I dig my phone out of my pocket and hand it to him, ignoring Sebastian’s gaze. Shawn finishes a moment later and hands it to me. “I’ll text you, Stephanie.”

“Sounds good.”

He nods at Sebastian and then leaves. I turn to go into our row right as the lights dim, and the crowd goes wild for the team introductions. I slip into my seat, and Sebastian slides in next to me. I dutifully clap for each of the Green Thunder players; Sebastian doesn’t. The lights come back up, and both teams get ready to play. It’s weird being this close, and it’s weird that I know who most of the guys are. I see Aiden and Gunner. Rico’s over by the net, obviously. There’s two guys I don’t recognize, but I don’t ask Sebastian because one of them is taking his spot. Right before the puck drops, Sebastian leans towards me. “Do me a favor and lose his number.”

I turn to argue with him and find that he’s right there. Right in front of my face. I turn back towards the ice. The puck drops,and we’re off. I settle back in my seat with my popcorn and soda, already swept into the game. I don’t know if I will ever get over how fast this sport is. I try to watch the puck, but it’s almost impossible to keep track of. Sebastian's at the edge of his seat the entire period. I’m not certain he’s breathing at this point. I don’t say anything to him because I don’t want to take his focus from the game.

One of the guys I don’t recognize from the Green Thunder gets slammed against the boards right in front of us, and I nearly jump out of my seat. “Who was that who got hit in front of us?” I turn to Sebastian and ask when the intermission starts.

He’s scowling. “That’s Travis.” He doesn’t have to say anything more for me to know that Travis is taking his spot tonight.

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