Page 113 of Facing Off
One of them clutches his chest, crestfallen as if his world has come crashing down. “Are you sure? This could be a night that you’ll never forget,” he tries to convince me enthusiastically. “We’ll fall in love!”
Wow.
Behold the power of this dress.
But also his words make me picture someone else entirely. My pulse jolts imagininghimsaying the same words to me tonight, about how we’ll fall in love. Why does that make me blush all over? Why does his husky voice loop in my head like that scenario is stuck in my mind?
Seeing how zoned out I am, the group of guys leave. It takes me a few more minutes to fully snap out of my thoughts. By the time I do, I’m taking a deep inhale in. I fiddle with the hem of my dress, and fuss with the top knot I pulled my hair in as if needing to look as amazing as I can. Then my eyes lift, casually scanning across the line of VIP booths on the second floor until I find ours and spot?—
Adrian.
I go rigid as my heart seizes. Cracks. Splinters.
He’s not alone, but surrounded by so many women. One is touching his arm. I can’t see his expression since his head is bent down, but I can only imagine what happens next.
Why had I started to think—I don’t know what I had started to think. He’s a fuckboy. There’s nothing between us. We don’t owe each other anything. I have no reason to be in such pain.
Tell my chest that.
If I could force that spot into stasis, I would. But it’snot frozen. It’s imploding, being broken into brittle bits I’m afraid I won’t recover. What is this? Am I feeling…completely devastated?
Apparently so. The cup of water I was drinking topples to the floor at some point.
I pick it up and slam it down on the counter, before blindly moving away. That’s when I run into Mikael Saros.
44
ADRIAN
“By my count,there are at least three women currently eye-fucking you,” Quinn observes, looking at me with curiosity as if waiting to see what I’m going to do about it.
I don’t say anything. What he’s describing doesn’t interest me. Not even a little bit.
A few minutes ago, I was looking through drinks, wondering what would appeal to Sonya more. Fancy champagne or a can of regular beer? Before I could guess, these other hockey players invited a group of gymnasts up to our booth. One had come straight towards me, getting close enough to graze my arm, but I’d quickly separated myself from her. Now there are so many more. We’re surrounded.
I go to the railing and look outward, wondering where Sonya is.
A woman comes up behind me to palm my bicep. “The infamous Adrian Hughes. How do you feel about joining us?”
I pull away, crossing my arms in front of my chest. “No. I’m—rather?—”
Coming up the stairs is Kavi. Her pink hair is hard to miss. I flee, exclaiming, “My friend’s calling me!“
Of course, Kavi is stepping into the arms of Lokhov. But that’s not enough to stop me. I go insert myself between them.
A lesser man would shrivel at the black cloud emanating from my defenseman, at how I’m separating him from his beloved wife. But then Kavi looks over my shoulder and laughs. “It has to be an emergency. He’s running away from incredibly attractive women.”
I shoot her a relieved smile, then glance around.Kavi came up here alone? Where is…?
I go back to the railing. My eyes scan everywhere.
“Have you told her how you feel?”
I startle. I assumed it would be Kavi coming over to talk, but it’s Lokhov.
“Toldwhohow I feel?” I quip as nerves shoot inside me.
Lokhov stares at me with a cocked brow, the tattoos on his forearms twitching as he crosses his arms. “You knowwho.” He pauses. “I’ve been watching you flirt with her for years.”
