Page 107 of In the Danger Zone
EVAN
“Jeez, calm down,” Hudson said with a chuckle.
“Huh?” I mumbled out. I was pushing guys out of the way so I could get to the shower. The last thing I wanted to do was waste Daisy’s time, so I was moving fast. She had been out there watching. And I was so desperate to have her back in my arms again.
Paying no attention to the other guys, I quickly jumped in the shower and cleaned myself up. I was the first one in and the first one out. Murph clapped me on the shoulder, screaming out a “good job, kid!” at me, but all I did was mutter out some nonsense in response as I rushed to get changed.
There was something much, much more important waiting for me than Murph and the boys. I practically ran out to the empty rink with my bag, quickly zeroing in on the spot where Daisy had been sitting. But the seat was empty. So were all the other seats. The rink was deserted.
I had fucking missed her.
Disappointment hit me fast and hard and any of that excitement I had felt building up quickly disappeared. “Dammit,” I hissed loudly.
“Good job tonight,” a soft voice said behind me. Her voice.
I turned around to see Daisy. God, it was good to see her up close again. Seeing her in the stands was one thing. But seeing those big, brown eyes right there in front of me?Nothingcould top that.
“Hey,” I said with a smile so big my cheeks hurt a little. It was probably too big. Fuck, I was probably staring at her like a psycho, but I just couldn’t stop smiling. “I thought you left.”
Her head shook. “I wanted to see you. And congratulate you on your win. So… congrats.”
“Thanks. I thought… I thought maybe you wouldn’t show up. You weren’t here at the start of the game.”
She tucked some hair behind her ear. “I didn’t know if I should come or n-not. I had a lot to think about. I got here a little late.”
“What were you… What were you thinking about exactly?” My voice lowered, not quite sure if I wanted the answer.
“Can we talk about this somewhere m-more privately?” she asked, her eyes moving to the left.
My head turned, and I almost threw my bag when I saw what she had been talking about. Half the fucking team were standing there watching. Fuck, even Murph was there.
“Go away!” I called out. “Really, Murph?”
“Sorry!” Murph called out, tugging on Hudson’s arm. “Boys, give him some privacy. Come on.”
I heard someone call out a “sorry, man”. A couple guys wished me luck and Tanner gave me a thumbs up before turning back around. I watched as the guys made a very slow exit back to where they came from before I looked back down at Daisy.
“I’m sorry about that.” I nodded to where they had been standing. “Do you wanna go for a drive? Maybe… Maybe Shell Beach? It should be nice and quiet there. There won’t be anyone to spy on us.”
“That sounds n-nice,” Daisy said with that sweet smile I had missed so damn much.
I was determined to make sure that I’d never go another day without seeing that smile again.
Chapter 48
EVAN
“So… What were you thinking about?” I asked, leaning back further on the hood of my car. “Earlier, I mean.”
I had done what I said I would do and drove me and Daisy out to Shell Beach. It was where we had shared our first kiss, and I so badly wanted to recreate that memory. But didshewant that?
Daisy looked down at the sand below us. “I’m so used to people hurting m-me. M-Making fun of m-me. Disrespecting m-me. And when I first m-met you and I found out who you were – the popular, cool guy that everybody loves – I really thought you’d be like everyone else. B-But then I got to know you, and you showed m-me a really sweet side.”
There was a tiny, little smile on her face when she said that. It made me wanna kiss her, but instead I smiled right back at her, taking in every detail of her gorgeous face. But then that smile dropped just as quickly as it had showed up.
“B-But thenthathappened,” she murmured. “The Asher thing. And you said… You said all that stuff about m-me, and I just kept replaying it in m-my head over and over. And I felt so stupid for ever thinking a guy like you could like someone like m-me…”
“You’re special, Daisy. A guy like me? I’m not…” I hopped off the car, standing in front of her. “I play hockey. And I’m good at it. And yeah, I’m…popularor whatever. I’ve had a lot of things handed to me. I won’t deny that. But you’re not just some girl, Daisy. You’re sweet and kind and perfect. I mean that. I do.”
