Page 29 of Hooked
At last, I blurted out, my voice panicky and lilting, “So what's this commercial shoot you mentioned to Madison?”
Hunter smiled. “Oh. Yeah. We have a local sponsor. A car dealership. They always make these wacky TV commercials. And for their next commercial, they said they had this idea where the ice girls would play a game against the Blizzard men. And so, the way they want it, you girls are supposed to totally school us guys. Pretty cheesy, but whatever—you know how local commercials can be. Thing is, they want it to look 'realistic.'”
“Okay … but why do you want me to be there?”
“Oh, a few reasons.”
“Let's hear 'em.”
Hunter smiled, his teeth glowing white in the dark cabin of his car. “First of all, you mentioned before that your brothers played hockey. And you knew enough about shooting mechanics to suggest that I should change sticks. A younger sister like you, I bet, has spent a lot of time on the ice with a stick in her hand, because she wanted to be like her big brothers.”
“Yeah, you're right,” I admitted as a smile emerged against my will. “It almost always ended in tears—mine,of course—because they played against me like I was a boy their age.”
“That's what I figured.”
“So … what were your other reasons?” I asked, wanting to hear what elseHunter had deduced about me.
“Second. Your skating. It's gorgeous. You didn't learn to skate like that in the backyard pond.”
“Hm,” I laughed softly. “You're right again. Five years of figure skating.”
“It shows. The way you move, Honor?” He made a frustrated grunt. “You're so elegant. I bet you were great. I would've loved to have watched you.” Hunter trailed off, his voice growing husky.
“Mm.” A satisfied, soft moan. It wasn't lost on me that Hunter had more to say about my figure skating career than my ex-boyfriend ever had. “You've done a lot of thinking about me, haven't you?”
The hell am I saying! Don't flirt with him, Honor!
“Maybe.” A devilish twinkle appeared in Hunter's eye. “Third. You rocked that outfit tonight, and I can'twaitto see you wearing whatever skimpy thing that car dealership has in mind—”
Thwack!My hard fist slammed against the meat of his muscled shoulder.
“Oh my God,” Hunter howled with laughter. “It's almost like you hate being told you're attractive.”
“Byyou,yeah,I sure do.”
“Why?”
“Because we're not supposed to—” My mind froze as I searched for the right word.Flirt? Find each other attractive? Keep stealing peeks at each other's mouths like we can't wait to make out?“We're not supposed to fraternize! I'm not even supposed to be in this car with you.”
“I told you, no one's gonna find out.” Hunter rubbed his shoulder with the palm of his other hand. “Man. Honestly, you hit kinda hard. Did your brothers teach you how to be so violent?”
“Me? You're the guy who punched someone in thefacetonight.”
“Ha.” Hunter laughed off my joke. But with each second that passed, I realized my joke had perturbed him. He blew out an irritated gust through flared nostrils, and his hands tightened on the wheel until the leather creaked beneath his fists.
“Oh. Er. Sorry to bring that up?” I mumbled, sheepish.
“No, it's okay. It's my fault. I lost my cool. It sucks, but it happened.”
“Can I ask what happened out there?”
Hunter paused. “Nothing.”
“Oh.”
He let out a sigh. “Okay. He kept whistling this country song at me all night. Got to me. That's all.”
“Acountry song?” I cracked up with laughter. “God, the things that happen on the ice between you guys are so fascinating. So is that your ultimate weakness? Sing a country tune to Hunter Rockwell and he goes berserk?”
