Page 85 of The Flirty Forward

I frown, but I feel Stephanie tense next to me. “What do you mean?” she asks.

I swear he puffs out his chest. “You’re looking at Green Thunder’s newest attorney.”

I stare at him and then look down at Stephanie. She, somehow, doesn’t look nearly as surprised as I feel right now. The man has the audacity to grin. “I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other,” he says to Stephanie.

“Actually, I don’t think we will,” she responds stiffly.

“If I have anything to say about it, we will,” he says with a wink.

I step right up to him. “Actually, if she doesn’t want to, then you won’t. I’m pretty sure she made that extremely clear.”

It makes me satisfied that he has to look up slightly at me. “As your legal counsel now, I would advise that you back away and don’t make a scene. It wouldn’t end well for you.”

A hand on my arm gets my attention, and I take a step back, putting a hand at Stephanie’s back. “Yeah, we’ll see about that,” I mutter, not looking away.

“Hart,” Gunner says, joining our conversation. He looks between the idiot and me, and his eyes flick to Stephanie and then back to the idiot again. “Who are you, and why are you here? This is a private event.”

“Which is why I have an invite,” he says and turns on his heels and walks away, leaving all three of us staring after him.

“Who the—” Gunner glances at Stephanie and catches himself. “Who was that?”

Stephanie sighs, and we both turn to her. She has a look on her face that I don’t like at all. “I have a feelingthatwas my father’s doing.”

“Do you know that guy?” I ask, irritated.

“Yes.” At her admission, I feel my chest tighten. “He works for my father.”

Gunner puts a hand on my shoulder. “I’m going to head back in. You should probably come soon; we’re starting the game in a few minutes.”

I nod, and he leaves us. “You okay?” I ask gently. She looks flustered as she looks up at me.

“Welcome to my family dynamics. I would understand if you want to run while you can.” She gives a humorless laugh, but I can see the worry behind it.

“Hey.” I reach out and take her hand. “That guy? He doesn’t scare me at all.”

“It’s my father who’s behind it,” she argues.

“Okay. Well,hescares me a little bit.” I give a mock shudder, causing her to smile...which is what I was after. I nudge her chin up with my thumb. “But if they’re looking to scare me off; it’s not going to work.” I can see her expression change, and my chest settles at the hope in her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere, Beautiful.” I step closer and wrap my arms around her and pull her close.

“You’re so tall in those skates.”

I smile at her words. I lower my mouth to hers. “Tall is good, right?” I say in a low voice.

“I love tall,” she whispers back.

Just as I’m about to touch my lips to her, I see William stride into the lobby from the corner of my eye. I pull my girl closer and touch my lips to hers. At the same time, I lift a finger and let him know exactly what I think of him. Is it childish? Yes. Do I care? Absolutely not. Nobody gets to treat my girl like she’s not absolutely amazing, and nobody gets to talk down to her like that! Not on my watch.

All my thoughts fade at the softness of her lips and her body as she melts against me. I deepen the kiss, knowing I will never get enough of this woman. When she makes a small moaning sound, my restraint is kicked to the curb. I maneuver her backwards into the small alcove without taking my lips from hers. I rip my lips from hers and kiss down her neck. “Sebastian,” she whispers and shivers as she turns her head to give me better access. She lets me kiss her neck for a minute before she grabs the back of my head and pulls my lips back to hers. I groan low in my throat when she opens for me, and my tongue twines with hers. I’m pretty sure I’ve died and gone to heaven.

“Uh, Hart?”

The sound is like cold water. I freeze, and Stephanie does the same in my arms. I give her one more gentle kiss and then pull back. My eyes run over her quickly before I move away, making sure she’s presentable. I reach for her hand as I turn around and give it a quick squeeze to reassure her. “Coach sent me to get you,” Scott says, uncomfortable, to say the least.

I bite back a smile. “Thanks, Scott. I’ll be right there.”

He turns and walks away quickly; I can’t help but chuckle softly as I turn back to Stephanie. “You good?” I ask gently and tuck a hair behind her ear. Her lips are red, her skin is flushed, and her eyes are full of life...basically my favorite look on her.

“That was embarrassing,” she says, brushing off her shirt like it’s one of the blazers she usually wears.

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