Page 35 of Snapping the Ice
After lifting the card from the bin, he opened it, and his jaw muscle flexed. He tossed the card in the bin. “I’m not putting shit in your head, and I don’t have a girlfriend back home.” He drew a deep inhale. “And I don’t think I’m straight.” His attention drew to me. “Ezra, I don’t…I don’t know what’s happening to me.” His eyes glistened. “You’re all I dreamt about last night. You’re all I think about.” He worried his lower lip and then murmured, “I wanted you in my bed last night.”
My pulse pounded in my temples, and I gaped. “Lucas…” Holy shit, this might be a bad idea given the situation, but I wanted him too.
“I know you’re going through a lot right now. I don’t mean to make things worse.” His gaze darted across the floor. “I guess I thought you should know the truth, since Tate?—”
“Tate can fuck himself.” With my heart hammering against my ribs, I stomped to him, seized his cheeks and planted a searing kiss on his mouth, the taste of him infecting me, a fire lighting inside me.
With a whimper, he hooked his arms around my waist and yanked our bodies flush, his hot cock pressed to mine through our clothes. He slanted his mouth, his tongue sneaking between our lips and gliding across mine.
A shiver rolled over my skin, and my dick woke, thickening against his. His kisses became urgent as his powerful arms held me flush against him, his hips rocking into mine. Sensation rippled up my spine. It was as if he unlocked emotion and desire that had lain dormant since meeting Tate. This was real. Tate was not. I broke the kisses, taking deep breaths. “Shit, sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” He cupped my cheek and brushed his thumb across it. “Don’t you dare be sorry.” He set his foreheadagainst mine. “I’ve been thinking about kissing you for a few days now.”
“You have?” I lifted my gaze to his. Would he freak out at some point? “Are you sure you want this?”
He slowly nodded, his gaze fixing on mine. “I’ll admit, I’ve been fighting it. This is new to me. But God damn, no one has ever kissed me like that. Holy fuck, you have a nice ass.” He chuckled. “I’ve been thinking about that, too.”
A soft smile worked my lips. “It’s, uh, one thing guys usually like about me.” And why I mostly bottomed, even though I was vers. “We should talk, Lucas.” Starting something now wouldn’t be easy. Work could wait. This was too important.
“Agreed.” He pursed his lips. “Sit on the couch?”
“Yeah.” Grabbing his hand, I led him to my sofa, and we both dropped in. There was so much to talk about. Where to start?
“I don’t have a girlfriend.” He tsked. “The girl on my Insta is a puck bunny I went out with a few times and she’s a little overboard. I’d un-tag myself from her posts, but the team’s PR people don’t want to piss her off. She has a large following and they’re afraid she’ll start a shit show.”
I nodded. “But she said something about you being her hockey boyfriend and there was an image of you together.” I could trust Lucas, right?
“The picture is from one of our dates.” He glowered and threaded our fingers together. “I don’t have any feelings for her, besides being a little creeped out if she shows up at the rink when I go home.”
“She hangs out at your rink?” I stared at him. Could she be a problem for him?
“When I go home.” His gaze met mine. “I’m not inConnecticut very often.” He lifted the corner of his mouth. “Are you jealous?”
“No.” I wrinkled my nose. “Maybe.” I chuckled. God, I was in trouble with him.
He shifted, angling toward me. “Ezra, let’s talk about Tate.” His brows knitted. “Are you really over him?”
Rolling my eyes, I said, “I’m so over him I felt nothing when I read his note. I don’t even feel sorry for him anymore.” If I started dating Lucas, would it be a rebound relationship? I didn’t want to hurt him. But I didn’t think it would be the case. There was a connection between us, a spark that I hadn’t felt in a long time, or perhaps ever.
“So, you don’t think you’d go back to him, no matter how many gifts he leaves at your doorstep?” He eyed me.
“No, God no. He can’t buy my love. He may have succeeded in the past, but I’m wiser now. I know him too well and what he’s capable of.” And hitting me was the last straw. “I’ve considered leaving him for a long time, but I’ve been working so much. I never had time to deal with it and I let things go.” I gazed deeply into Lucas’s blue eyes and focused on his lips. They’d been so soft and hungry for me.
He nodded, peering at our entwined hands resting on my thigh. “I’ve never kissed a guy before. I don’t know if I’ve ever been attracted to a guy before, either.” He sucked in a breath. “My brother says sexuality is fluid.”
“I’d have to agree.” Did he talk to his brother about me? Warmth spread through my chest. “What do you want, Lucas?” I couldn’t force him into anything. The situation was already a dumpster fire.
“I want you.” He fixated on me, his gaze falling to my mouth. “I want…” Leaning in and grabbing the back of my neck, he pressed a hard kiss on my lips and then broke it. “Would you date me, or is it too soon for you?” His gaze shifted across my face.
A smile quirked my mouth. “We could go on a date.” I’d never let this opportunity pass. Yes, the timing sucked. But how could I not try? People cheated on their spouses and had successful relationships afterward. I wasn’t even cheating. This could work, if we were careful. And it was only a date, even though it felt like the start of more.
“Okay.” He rocked once. “Tonight? I mean, I leave for away games Sunday afternoon, so…”
“Yes, tonight.” My heart tripped and melted. For the first time since I could remember, I was excited to go on a date. I kissed the back of his hand. “You’ll have to be up front with me, Lucas. Let me know if anything we do makes you uncomfortable.”
“Like what?” He cocked his head, a grin teasing his lips.
“Anything.” I squeezed his hand. He might not want to show affection in public. How would his PR people react? “I’m assuming we have to be careful around other people. You have fans, right?” And stalkers, like the puck bunny, no doubt.
