Page 52 of The Save

"My stomach." Heat flashed in my face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't?—"

"That's a perfect answer," he murmured, and that heat turned molten as Chase's fingers left my hand and reached for my shirt. Normally, this was where I would shut down. Where my skin would go cold and I'd grit my teeth and nod and say I liked it when really, I was spiralling. Hard. Was my skin soft? Was my stomach flabby? Did he like what he saw? What were myhands doing? I probably looked like a zombie. Was I supposed to be touching him?

"No, thank you."

Chase's hand froze. "Do you?—"

"No! Sorry, I was saying it. To my thoughts." My face screwed up with embarrassment, but before I could apologize again, Chase's lips brushed my cheek. "You're so good at this already."

Then his hand was back at the hem of my shirt. He lifted before I could process what just happened. Was he . . . complimenting me? On making a complete fool of myself?

"You're beautiful, Maddie. You don't need to worry so much about what men think." I gasped as his hand flattened over my stomach. "But maybe they've just never told you, so I'll give you some examples." He moved over my skin, his fingers rising and falling over my ribs. "Your skin looks silky, and now I can say officially that it feels better than it looks, but it's so smooth and golden."

The mattress shifted, and by the angle of his arm, I could tell he was lying on his stomach.

"And your hips, how they curve into your waist. It's like a—" his breath tickled my skin, making it prickle with gooseflesh. "What do you call it? A parabola?"

Okay. He got major points for that one. I couldn't keep my hand on the quilt for a second longer. I lifted it, feeling for him. When I found his shoulder, I moved up until my fingers were in his hair. My exhale shook as his hand curled around my waist and his lips brushed my stomach. "Thinking anymore?"

"Hm." It was more a whimper than a word, and Chase smiled against my skin.

"You'll have to try that again. I couldn't hear you."

"No," I said, breathless. Again, it was the truth. Somehow, my world had shrunk. Everything beyond this cocoon where heand I existed had faded, leaving only the heat of his hand, the moisture from his breath cooling on my skin.

He pressed up, moving further up the bed. My hand followed, still splayed through his hair. "Then this was a successful lesson." He settled next to me on his side and pulled my shirt down, then draped his arm over me.

I opened my eyes even though it was still pitch black and I couldn't see anything. I wanted to thank him, but the words felt final, and I wasn't ready for this to end. "Can we just lie here a minute?" I whispered.

He nodded against my hand, then settled in on the pillow next to me, and my arm found residence in the space between his shoulder and jaw as I turned to face him. He slipped his leg between mine and pulled me closer. I shut my eyes, curling my other arm into my chest as Chase's hand left my waist to run over the knuckles of my spine.

I drew in a long breath, exhaled, then drew another, barely catching his, "Goodnight, Maddie girl," before I dropped under.

Chapter

Eighteen

“I promise,I didn’t sleep with him,” I hissed. The stands were packed for the final Saturday night. The Outlaws had made easy work of the team from Prince Rupert that afternoon, and now they were in the championship game.

Shar didn’t look convinced. “You say that, but I see the way you’re looking at him.”

“I’m just . . . looking.”

“Uh-huh.”

I’d already filled her in when I snuck back to our room that morning. She was skeptical then, too.

I nudged her with my elbow. “It was totally innocent, and, by the way, this was all your idea.”

She unwrapped a cinnamon bun from the concession stand then licked the icing off her finger. “I am pretty proud of that, actually.”

“You should be.”

“I didn’t think you’d actually do it.”

I smiled, watching the warm-up skate and allowing my eyes to flit to the bench every few seconds where Chase, Blakely,and Assistant Coach Kaplan—I’d finally gotten his name—stood discussing something.

Shar and I hadn’t gotten much time to talk since Tim and Bear’s girlfriends had been with us most of the day. But right now, they were still out in the hall buying snacks.

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