Page 142 of Home Game

He was already bent over some papers. “Welcome to the team.”

Krista liftedher wineglass to my glass. “Congratulations, girlfriend.”

I felt so excited I almost couldn’t breathe. “I can’t wait to tell Ryan.”

She smiled. “How is my favorite hockey player?”

Dreamy. Sexy. Beautiful. The words slipped out before I could stop them. “I wish I could have sex with him.”

She coughed up her wine and then reached for her water. “Warn a girl, won’t you?”

I blushed. “Sorry.”

She stared at me, with a small smile. “So it’s finally happening.”

“What is?”

“Never mind. What’s the problem?”

I thought about it. “Ryan doesn’t think we should.”

“Ryan’s a boy scout.”

“What does that mean?”

“He’s mixing up his need to protect you with his need to fuck you. In his mind, they don’t go hand in hand.”

I blinked. “How do you know that about him?”

“How do you not?”

Was there really hope? Did he really want to step out of the friendship zone with me? It seemed like an impossible feat. “I don’t know how to make that happen.”

“You do what every other woman does when a guy gets in his own head.”

“Which is?”

She leaned forward. “Seduce him. I have a feeling it won’t take much to push him over the edge.”

“I don’t want him to do this against his will. I want him to want to sleep with me.”

“Sweetie, Ryan has wanted to sleep with you for as long as I can remember.”

“What?”

“He just thinks he’s not supposed to want to.”

“That’s crazy.”

“Show him that.”

I sat back in my chair. “I don’t know how.”

Her smile bordered on wicked. “That’s my specialty. Now listen carefully. I have a foolproof plan that no man can resist.”

CHAPTER 29

RYAN

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