Page 2 of Arresting the Hockey Player
I love my bestie, Amber, but I wouldn't trust her with an eyeliner pen to save my life. She prefers little to no makeup. She can wear the natural look well. Sometimes I envy her. The girl can roll out of bed lookinggirl-next-door-sexy. Me? I work for it.
There's a knock at the door.
"I'll get it!" Amber chimes and jumps from the bed, hurrying out of my bedroom. It's not a far jog. I have a one-bedroom apartment. It costs a pretty penny to be near NYU, but I don't have to pay for any of it, which makes it worth it.
My dad owns the Island Bruisers, theotherprofessional New York hockey team. Not even my best friend knows who my father is. She's never met him. I've made a conscious effort not to mention him, especially when we went to Ice Dragons games and she started dating a player on the Ice Dragons team.
"Hey, handsome," Amber's voice echoes through the landscape of the small one-bedroom, and I suck in a shaky breath. Why is Amber flirting with Noah?
I chance a glance out of the bedroom door, and Noah is standing beside Jasper.
Jasper, Amber's boyfriend, pulls her into his embrace and wraps his arms around her waist. "Hey, sweetheart," he whispers, and I glance away as they share a kiss.
I sneak back into the bedroom.
"Is she almost ready?" Jasper's voice carries across the hall.
"Yes," Amber says. "Let me just help her lace up her boots."
Her soft feet pitter-patter against the wood floor as she rejoins me in the bedroom. I'm seated at the edge of the bed, tying up my boots that take ages to get on.
"Ready for your hot date?"
My eyes widen. Does she realize they can hear us? "Keep your voice down," I whisper.
Amber shrugs and smiles. "I approve," she says, glancing me over. "He'll like it."
I glare at her to keep her voice down, but she doesn't seem overly concerned. I stalk out of the bedroom and pause, catching sight of Noah standing by the door with Amber's boyfriend, Jasper.
"We'll get out of your hair," Amber says and snags her purse on the way to the door. She and Jasper head out, leaving Noah and me momentarily alone in my apartment.
He smiles the boyish grin, his brown eyes, bright and speckled with amber, shining back at me. "You look nice," he says, glancing over my body.
My insides warm as his gaze rakes over me.
"As do you," I say and wrinkle my nose. Nice doesn't do his good looks justice. He's cleanly shaven, smells amazing, and is dressed to the nines, in black slacks and a dark blue dress shirt. "You look handsome."
Thisjust coffeedate feels a lot more formal, with him picking me up at my apartment and seeing what he's wearing. It doesn't feel as casual as I was led to believe. "Should I change?" I ask, tugging my bottom lip between my teeth.
"Whatever you feel most comfortable in for coffee," Noah says and gives me that boyish smile. "But I think you look amazing."
I'm certain that I'm blushing. "Thank you." It's rare that a guy compliments me and isn't looking to bump uglies.
"Are you ready?" he asks, and I grab my keys beside the door along with my clutch that contains my cell phone, wallet, and a few dollars cash.
I'm unsure what to expect, and we walk to the subway. There's no waiting car downstairs, no fancy transportation. It's very normal, and for a professional hockey player, I suppose I expected something more extravagant. But it isjust coffee.
We switch trains, and I'm curious as he leads me around town through the subway system. "You do know there are good coffee places on campus?" I say with a wry smile.
"Yes, but I can't impress you at those places."
I'm unsure what he means until we exit at the next stop and realize we're at the ice arena. We exit the subway station, and he takes my hand, leading me up the stairs and to the main street. "Is there a really good coffee shop near the ice rink?" I ask.
He smiles and laughs under his breath. "Something like that." Noah leads me around the hockey arena to a back entrance, where he retrieves his identification, and we're granted access inside.
I don't ask if this is allowed.
Obviously, the security team let him in because he's one of the Ice Dragons players, but he's not here for practice or to retrieve something from the locker room.
