“Jayne!” He ambles over with a friendly smile, like we’re old friends. “You are good?”
“I’m great,” I say. “But did Bodi explain…?”
He frowns. “I am not sure of conversation. Is bad?”
To my surprise, Kelly starts talking to him in a low, calm voice—inRussian. She seems to speak it fluently, and I stare in fascination as Vik’s face immediately changes from lighthearted amusement to concern. Then he looks back at Bodi and West and—oh shit. Twomoreguys from the team have joined them.
He brought the whole fucking team as backup?
What the hell did he think was going to happen?
“Is okay, Jayne.” Viktor lightly touches my arm. Then he takes two fingers and slides them across his lips, hopefully indicating that they’re sealed. “I say nothing. I see nothing. I am stupid Russian goalie. No words.” He winks and ambles off.
“I’m going to go chat with Viktor,” Kelly says. “I don’t get to practice my Russian often. Text me when you’re ready to go.”She goes after Viktor while Bodi, West and the other two guys—whose names I can’t remember—come over to me.
“We’re good,” West says immediately. “The last thing any of us need is trouble with your dad, so we didn’t see a thing. Don’t worry about us, Jayne. Besides, Bodi doesn’t need the aggravation either. We’re going to take off and pretend this never happened. Take care.” The three of them smile politely and move off.
Leaving Bodi and me to stare at each other.
“I’m sorry,” I say, though I’m not sure what I’m apologizing for.
“You don’t have to apologize for anything. This is so random. And I’m being a thousand percent honest when I say that I’ve never done anything like this before. I signed up for Blind Love on a whim, figuring I was in a new city, new team, new everything, a chance to connect with someone who doesn’t know who I am. I’ve never used any type of dating site before.”
“Me either,” I admit. “I figured that was the only way I was ever going to meet a guy but I have to be careful too. Then, after what happened at the party, I was so upset and frustrated, I worked up the nerve to proposition Broderick. You.” I give him a wry smile. “And here we are.” I pause. “What now? I hate the idea that we can’t be friends.”
“I hate the idea that my coach has a say in anything regarding my personal life.” He has his hands on his hips, looking away.
“What do you want to do? I don’t want to get you into trouble.”
“I don’t want to get into trouble either, but I also feel like there’s something between us and this is fate or God or something otherworldly telling us we shouldn’t give up.”
I feel exactly the same way but didn’t expect him to articulate my thoughts.
“Maybe a few dates and it’ll fizzle out,” I whisper.
“Maybe.” He reaches out and gently lifts my chin, so I’m gazing into his gorgeous blue eyes. “But I doubt it. That kiss in the library didn’t feel like something that’s going to just fizzle out and I didn’t have a chance to kiss you at dinner.”
“It was barely a kiss,” I say, unable to look away from his gorgeous blue eyes.
“Yeah, but it could have been more. A lot more.”
“Maybe we should try again,” I say. “Just to be sure.”
Without hesitation, Bodi leans in and presses his lips to mine. Soft and chaste, just like last time, but the sizzle is there. The chemistry crackles between us as every nerve ending in my body comes to life. My stomach does a little flip, and I move against him. He slides one arm around my waist, pulling me closer, and the tip of his tongue slides between the seam of my lips. Just for a single heartbeat before he pulls away.
“This thing with us isn’t just going to fizzle out,” he repeats, staring down at me like he knows all my secrets and everything else about me.
“You have a lot more to lose than I do,” I whisper. “I don’t want you to get into trouble.”
“What your dad doesn’t know won’t hurt either of us. We just have to be careful for a while, get to know each other. Spend time together until we figure out where it’s going.”
“And if we like each other?”
“We already like each other.”
“If we start tolike-like each other?”
“Then I’ll talk to your dad, man to man.”
