The big bruiser leaned over her, pinning her to the vehicle while blocking the wind. “You’re such a good kisser.”
“Um, yeah.”
“I’d ask to go to your place, but we did only agree to one date. I don’t want to push you or anything.”
“Um, yeah.”
She couldn’t seem to fit more than those two words together.
“So I guess this is goodbye?” He stroked her cheek, putting a spell over her. She swore she saw real affection in his bright eyes, a hint of a smile on that talented mouth. “Marlie?”
“Um, yeah.”
He sighed. “Well, I had a fantastic time. Thanks for the date.” He turned to leave.
“Wait.” Her brain finally unstuck itself. “Well, we did say only one date.”
“Yes, you did.”
She frowned. “You have to coach my brothers tomorrow. Heck, later today. We could, I guess, go out afterward. Like, to lunch or something.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m sensing a theme here. Are you using me for free food?”
She heard the humor in his words, saw the smile he tried to hide behind a glare, and chuckled. “Maybe. Is it working?”
“Sadly, yes. I’m so weak.”
She laughed harder. Then she yanked him back for a kiss. “Wow. You’re so good at kissing.”
“Have I told you how much I love when you get grabby?” His sly smile should have warned her to tread warily. “Lunch on me tomorrow. But just wait until we hit our third date, when I’ll demonstrate how a real man uses his tongue.”
It took her a longer time than it should have to get to sleep that night. And when she dreamed, Damon Sinclair and his magic mouth took center stage in all her fantasies.
CHAPTER 14
After waking up late and promising Jeff a rundown on the date at her brothers’ practice, Marlie managed a short jog around the neighborhood to work off her pizza from the night before. Satisfied she’d done something, she followed up with a shower and a terrible cup of stale coffee.
She hated K-cups but never drank enough to justify having a larger pot. And because she’d put off shopping, she had to drink old ground coffee.
At two, she met Jeff at the larger of the two ice rinks in town. The other one on the south side offered free skating for families, an especially popular pastime during the winter months.
But Ice House was normally booked for events. From birthday parties to corporate fun—because the weirdos living in Hope’s Turn viewed outdoor activities as leisure activities—to amateur hockey, the rink had a never-ending stream of customers.
Six teams made up her brothers’ league, an intermediate group. Not beginners, but not experts either. The high school was rumored to be starting up a program, and the community college already had an intramural team who met to compete against other smaller college teams in the area.
As she made her way into the stands, where Jeff waved at her, as if she couldn’t see him past the other dozen pathetic souls enduring the cold atmosphere, she noticed her brothers and their friends on the ice. But no Damon.
She joined Jeff in the stands.
“Hey, cheap date. I notice your car was missing this morning. I stayed up to wait for you to get back and finally had to turn in by midnight.” Jeff slyly winked. “Your place or his? And was it any good?”
“Shh.” She blushed when a few people looked their way. “We had a great dinner followed by ax throwing. We closed down the bar and got back to your place late. Then I drove home. Alone.”
“Ax throwing? Oh, at that bar on the north side. Nice.” Jeff’s eyes narrowed. “Well, if you didn’t break him, why is our coach not here yet?”
“Practice just started, right?”
“Yes, but he should be early.”
