Page 16 of Hooked
“Is he a Florida fan?” I asked, my eyes narrowing at her.
“No.”
“I'm not following you, then.”
“Nevermind. The point is, he can be mean-spirited about stuff.” Honor laughed softly. “I really thought you were going to score that goal. You had the goalie beat.”
“Yeah. Me too.” I could've, andwould've,left it at that with anybody else. But I kept talking. “Three years ago? That goal was automatic for me.”
Honor caught my eye. “What happened three years ago?”
“I got traded.”
“Why?”
My fingers tightened like a vise on the steering wheel. “Eh. I don't wanna talk about it.”
“I understand,” Honor said quietly.
And then a funny thing happened: the two of us fell silent and drove the rest of the way listening to the sound of the road instead, thepatterof rainfall, and theswip-swoopof the car's wipers. I guess we didn't feel the need to talk anymore. But it wasn't uncomfortable. It was almost like being silent together was more enjoyable.
“Sorry to make you drive all the way out here,” she said.
“I don't mind.”
“Do you have a long drive back home?”
“I live downtown, at a hotel, actually. Right by the arena.”
“A hotel?” she asked. “Isn't that a lot of money?”
I looked at her and gave a chuckle.
“Oh. Right,” she said quietly. “I guess that wouldn't be a problem. But, you know, you could really save some money by getting your own place.”
I smiled. “Yeah. That's true. But then, I wouldn't live on the 35thfloor and get to see the sun set behind the mountains every evening, you know?”
She thought that one over. “Hm. That does sound nice.”
I took the highway exit to her neighborhood, and she guided me to her building. I bet she shared that apartment with her moron of a boyfriend.
I pulled up to the curb outside her apartment. “This it?”
“Yes. Thank you, Hunter,” she said softly. “I really appreciate it. Sorry I was a pain.”
“You weren't a pain.” I kept my fist wrapped over the stick-shift knob. Her knees weren't pointing away from me anymore—they were pointing towards me, and only inches from my hand.
Ugh.Seeing her bare flesh so close to my hand—the sight ignited an uncontrollable desire inside me. A carnal hunger demanded that I slip my hand off the shifter and over to her knee. My finger-tips would softly glide up the inside of her lovely legs, inching up her bare thighs, until I made her mine.
Yeah, I knew she had a boyfriend. Didn't seem likehewas worth very much, though, and he certainly wasn't her knight in shining armor tonight.
But then again? This chick? She seemed different, after all. All concerned about breaking the rules that no one else gave a fuck about. She didn't even know what a Maserati was, and wasn't at all impressed once she found out how much I paid for it.
Hm.
For the first time in a long time? I found the strength to resist that animal urge—this time, anyway. But I can't make any promises for the future.
She reached for the door handle, and started to pull, but stopped just shy. She turned back to me. “Sorry—one last thing.”
