There’s no mistaking that the beautiful girl swaying her ass to the music on top of the bar is the same one I locked eyes with during the final period.
Her Elmwood jersey is gone—thank fuck.
My gaze drags over her, captivated by every move she makes. She flips her hair to one side, grinning as she lifts her arms into the air and rocks her hips back and forth. The strappy black top beneath her flannel that crisscrosses over her chest rides up to flash the bar a peek of her stomach. Snug jeans hug her soft curves, and—
“Dude.” Cameron claps my shoulder, sputtering through his amusement. “You almost ate it.”
“Yeah.” My answer is distant and I brush him off absently.
“You good?” He waves a hand in front of my face when I don’t answer. “Hello? Earth to East.”
I’m not listening at all.
The girl dancing owns my focus.
She wore Donnelly’s number to the game, but I want her beneath me tonight while I make her scream. Hell yeah, she’s exactly the girl I need.
“Guess I’m finding another lucky lady tonight,” Noah says.
That gets my attention. I bunch my fists and ride the hot wave of jealousy that slams into me at the thought of her with him. This is a first. I’ve never been one to clash with my friends over a girl. A moment ago we were both admiring her before I recognized her, but now I’m gripped by an unfamiliar sense of possessiveness.
Noah holds his hands up. “Relax, man. She’s all yours. Not really my type, anyway.”
“Every girl is your type,” Cameron says wryly.
He shakes his head. “Not my friends’ girls. I’ve never slept with someone any of you have been with.”
The others follow us over as my feet continue carrying me closer to the crowd watching the girl on the bar. Half of them bob and sway with her, singing the seductive tune as a group.
“You’re missing the show,” Madden says gruffly.
He grunts behind me as if he’s been jabbed in the stomach.
Elijah mutters under his breath, “Don’t say anything or they’ll make me keep dancing for the whole song.”
Noah chuckles. “Our captain’s found a much more appealing performance.”
Some guy starts to climb up to join her. She shakes her head with a sexy little smirk and nudges him down with the toe of the knee-high boots encasing her long legs. When another guy tries his luck, she says something to Reagan and accepts the drink nozzle attached behind the bar. Sinking to a low pose as the chorus hits, she squirts him with a quick spray of water, earning the cheers of the rest of the Elmwood players.
She’s a firecracker. I find myself smiling, my shitty mood over the loss gone.
It falls when someone else moves in on her, planting his hands on the bar at her feet. I recognize Donnelly, even from the back of his head. I can’t hear what he’s saying but it’s clear he’s bothering her.
I’m moving again before I’m aware of what I plan to do.
She doesn’t listen to him. Rolling her eyes, she moves out of reach.
“Don’t just watch, you numbnuts. She’s still off-limits.” Donnelly searches his nearest teammates’ faces. “Help me get her down.”
Another Elmwood player edges closer in my periphery.
A muscle jumps in my jaw when I catch the way he looks up at her. Donnelly thinking he can take this girl home is bad enough. Curbing the strong urge to deck this guy for it, I weave through the crowd she drew, intent on making all the Elmwood guys back the fuck off.
I catch sight of his name printed on the back of his red warm up jacket when he pushes past his teammates to get to the bar.
Werner. Sounds like wiener. I smirk, overwriting his name in my head with the fitting replacement. His arm is in a cast from above his elbow all the way down. I vaguely recall playing against him last year. It clicks that this guy is benched this season because of it.
We reach the bar at the same time. I ignore him for the moment, grasping a fistful of Donnelly’s pullover to wrench him away.
“She doesn’t seem interested. I think that’s your cue to go.” I leave the unspoken before you get punched hanging in the air between us.
He gets in my face. “No one asked you, Blake.”
“No one had to. It’s obvious to the whole bar she’s not into you.”
Satisfaction floods my chest when I give Donnelly a warning shove and earn her attention. Her sensual movements slow in the corner of my eye, though she doesn’t stop dancing. Tilting my head to meet her curious gaze, I offer her a crooked smile.
“These guys bothering you, sweetheart? I can make them leave if you want.”
Wiener fucks up big time by reaching around me and grabbing at her flannel with his good hand. It causes her to wobble when he tugs. I clamp my fingers over his wrist with a forceful squeeze.
“Hey,” I grit out. “That’s dangerous, idiot. You’ll make her fall.”
If he doesn’t let go, I’ll break his other arm to match the one in the cast. He won’t ever make it off the injured reserve list after I’m through with him.
He shakes me off with a frown and releases her. “Step off. I can handle her.”
Before I get out a response, my mystery girl plants one hand on my head for balance and her boot against Wiener’s chest.
“Actually, you can fuck off forever now, Johnny.” There’s a hard edge to her fierce tone. She pushes off with her foot and he falls back a couple of steps, mouth set in a line. “If I want to dance on the bar, I will. I don’t need Ryan’s permission to enjoy myself, and I sure as hell don’t need yours.”
She knows them? I guess that explains why she wore Donnelly’s jersey. Irritation simmers in my gut. She might know them, but she doesn’t want them harassing her.
“Stop making a scene and get down,” Donnelly argues.
He reaches for her. I shove him back again, blocking him by standing between him and the bar.
“Try that again, and I’ll lay you out flat on your back, asshole. She said no.”
He stares at me with his features twisted in a mix of disbelief and anger. I smirk when I catch sight of my teammates squaring up behind him. They’ve got my back.
“We’re not on the ice now, Donnelly.” The warning is evident in Cameron’s words. “You won’t get any more cheap shots in.”
“Says the losing team,” Wiener replies.
Noah eyes the cast. “Didn’t see you out there, pretty boy. Best pipe down.”
“Pretty boy? You wanna go? I’ll still kick your asses.”
Wiener—no fucking way am I ever calling him anything else again—takes a threatening step toward my teammates. His buddies hold him back with placating protests.
While my friends distract Elmwood’s team, I turn my attention back to my mystery girl.
“Feel like getting out of here?” I ask.
She stares at me for so long, I believe she’s going to turn me down. Her gaze bounces between me and the guys arguing behind me.
Finally, she nods. “If it gets me away from them? Yeah.”
I offer her my hand. She holds out on me for another beat, scrutinizing me before she slips her hand in mine.
Grinning, I haul her off the bar and catch her over my shoulder. A surprised shriek escapes her, but she clutches my hoodie while my grip settles on the back of her lower thigh to keep her steady.
A laugh leaves me when Donnelly realizes I’m halfway across the room. His shouts follow us as we make our getaway.
I forget the sting of losing the game because this win tastes far sweeter. Having a hot girl over my shoulder puts me in an excellent mood. Even better, she left with me instead of Donnelly. She’s not cheering for him now. Satisfaction expands in my chest because soon I’ll have her screaming for me instead.
We’re approaching the square at the center of town three blocks away from the bar when she taps me on the back.
“So, are you going to let me down soon, or what? I’m just hanging over your shoulder.”
Chuckling, I pretend to think about it for a second. “I hadn’t thought about it, no. I like you where you’re at.”
She hums sardonically and pokes me in the side. I grunt when she prods at a tender bruise above my hip.
“Put me down.”
Reluctantly, I stop walking. “Alright.”
I guide her carefully, hovering my hand over her back ready to catch her as I bend to let her slide off my shoulder. Her feet dangle, wiggling in search of the ground while she keeps an arm hooked around my shoulders to stabilize herself. Her body drags against mine when she drops the last few inches to the pavement.
“There.” I clear my throat and ruffle my hair to distract myself from how good she felt pressed against me so I don’t pull her back in. “Better?”
“Much.”
Oh, damn. It was hard to tell when she was standing on the bar while I was too busy enjoying her dancing, but she’s shorter than me. Most people are when I stand at six-foot-five. I’ve got almost a full foot on her. In her heeled knee-high boots, the top of her head barely reaches my chin.
I study her long legs, guessing she’s around five-seven give or take an inch. Her body is banging with flared hips that look perfect for grabbing, and the strappy shirt beneath her flannel provides a tempting peek of her mouthwatering cleavage.
She brushes herself off, shivering against the crisp breeze.
“Are you cold? We got out of there without getting your jacket.” I tug at the neck of my hoodie. I don’t usually give my clothes away, yet I offer anyway. “Want to wear this?”
She tucks her brown hair behind her ear. “No thanks. I’m fine. I like the cold. It’s still bearable for me to go out without a coat. At least for another couple of weeks.”
We fall into step together and continue through Main Street square. She’s heading for campus, though I’m not sure if it means she has a car parked at the arena or if she goes to school here.
“Do you live on campus?” I ask.
“Is that your way of asking if you can come over?” she counters in a teasing tone. “I do. I’m in the apartment suites in Montgomery.”
I breathe easier knowing she isn’t about to disappear after tonight. “So you go to Heston. I haven’t seen you around before.”
She seemed to know Reagan back there. Me and the guys are in The Landmark at least twice a week and I can’t say I’ve seen her. I would’ve noticed.
“I keep a pretty loaded course schedule. I’m working hard to finish my degree within three years instead of four.”
“But you came out tonight.” The corner of my mouth lifts in a slow grin. “Looked like you enjoyed yourself.”
“Taking breaks is important for your mental health,” she says airily.
My heartbeat stumbles at the bright smile she flashes me. I rub at my chest, chuckling.
“I’m sorry your night got cut short since that guy was being an asshole.”
“Well, my brother’s always been overprotective.”
My grin falls. Shock arrows through me and I stop in my tracks. She shrugs, unaware of my brain imploding on the word brother.
“Ryan didn’t want me to get up there. He thought I wouldn’t do it when his buddies dared me, and I love nothing more than proving him wrong. The look on his face was totally worth it.”
I open and close my mouth, brows furrowing. “Wait—you’re Donnelly’s sister?”
All the years I’ve played against him in junior league and the NCAA I had no idea he had a sister. A seriously hot sister, jesus.
She snorts, her hazel eyes crinkling at the corners. “Yup. You know technically that makes me Donnelly, too?”
Her gaze travels over me, sizing me up the same way she did earlier. The radiant smile that’s making my heart thump hard fades. I want to bring it back right away, debating which of my best lines to use on her to revive it. Instead, those beautiful full lips purse in a cute little frown.
“Don’t tell me you’re a fan? No.” She cuts off my scoff of disbelief, squinting. “Damn. Tall as hell, muscles on muscles, hanging around The Landmark like you own the place. You’re a hockey player.”
There’s zero recognition.
Is she serious? She doesn’t know me?
I scrub a hand over my jaw, hitching a shoulder. It throws me to not be recognized when I’m used to every girl on campus knowing exactly who I am. People rush up to me to take selfies between classes even when I’m not wearing the team’s hockey jacket. I haven’t had to actually introduce myself in a long ass time.
“I’m Heston’s starting center. Team captain,” I say proudly.
“Shit.” She blows the word out on an unimpressed laugh. “Yeah, that’s not gonna work for me.”
I step into her, dipping my chin to stare her down. “Is that so?”
“I don’t do hockey players.”
She says that, but the little hitch in her breath when my chest brushes against her tells a different story.
“Then why hang out at The Landmark? Everyone on campus knows it’s where you go to chase jerseys.” My head lowers along with my voice, my words coming out on a rasp as I watch her carefully. “Why get rinkside seats to the game? Didn’t seem like you were so against hockey players when you were cheering with every other fan in the arena.”
Her eyes widen. “How did you—?”
“Hard to miss you, babe. You were the only one wearing an Elmwood jersey in the Heston student section. Ballsy move. Red looks great on you.” I swipe my tongue across my lower lip. “Bet you’d look even better in blue and green.”
Her eyes glimmer beneath the glow of the lamp lighting the path, and she puts on an innocent expression. “I do happen to look great in those colors. But I don’t cheer for the Heston Knights.”
The thought of her in my jersey crosses my mind, rewriting what happened at tonight’s game to have her in the stands wearing my number instead of her brother’s. “You’re the reason I got checked before your brother stole possession of the puck from me.”
“So you’re not as much of a hotshot player as you think. Heston lost to Elmwood tonight.”
Another smirk curves her full lips. Instead of pissing me off for ragging on my game, heat pools low in my gut. What the hell?
Usually the girls I talk to go for a flirtatious approach, like getting into my pants is already a done deal when they lean in too close to tell me what a big fan they are. Everyone on campus worships the ground I walk on, but not her. This beautiful girl insults me and it turns me on. I trace my bottom lip with the tip of my tongue, confused by how refreshing I find her. Refreshing and seriously hot as fuck with that exasperated, mildly amused tilt of her tempting lips.
Knowing she’s Ryan Donnelly’s sister only amplifies how enticing I find her.
“I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding someone to help you cope, captain,” she says with mock sympathy in her tone.
Someone else? My usual routine after a game doesn’t even register in my mind at the suggestion of finding another girl. It’s what I should do. It would be easy—it always is—but it wouldn’t be her. This intriguing girl who doesn’t give a single shit who I am or what my reputation on campus is.
Time to show her why I’ve got most girls on campus wishing for the chance of one night in my bed.
“Your name is the only one I want on my lips tonight, baby. Tell it to me so I can whisper it against your skin between the hundreds of kisses I’m going to lay on every gorgeous inch of you.”
She lets out a breathy laugh and shakes her head slowly as her stunning smile returns. It gets my pulse going into overdrive again.
“Go try that line on one of the girls back in the bar.”
She retreats, backing away step by step. I’m struck by an irrational urge to reach out and hold on before she slips through my grasp.
“See you around, hotshot.”
“You’re really walking away from me, just like that?” I call.
She smirks over her shoulder. “Just like that.”
“You have no idea what you’re missing out on.”
My chest puffs out when she pauses to face me once more. I take my time dragging my eyes over every inch of her, loving that the longer I admire her, the pinker her cheeks turn.
“Let me take you somewhere.” My voice lowers to a soft rasp that drives girls crazy, each word deep and rough. “I know how to make you feel real good. So good I’ll have you screaming, baby.”
She licks her lips, cutting her gaze to the side. “I bet.”
A shadow crosses her beautiful features, there and gone in a moment. My fingers curl into my palm to keep myself from striding over to her and cupping her face until I earn her smile again.
Huffing, she props her hands on her hips and squints at me. “You know what? I dare you to try.” She lifts her brows. “I’ll never say yes to a hockey player.”
My head jerks in surprise. First she rejects me, then she throws down the gauntlet? Another slow smile tugs at my lips.
“Challenge accepted.”
The corners of her mouth curl. “Bye, captain.”
My rival’s sister leaves me alone in the lamp-lit square. I watch her until she’s out of sight with a strange burn of anticipation tickling the inside of my chest.
