I blink.
Whoa.
At six-four, Kaz towers over me, but with skates strapped to his feet, he’s a freaking skyscraper.
I come to stand in front of him and drop the bag at my feet.
“Give me a twirl,” he says.
I oblige.
“The sight of you in my charity jersey is doing something to me, Goldilocks. You look pretty hot with my name and number on your back.”
I turn around.
His eyes flash with so much desire, it nearly topples me over. “No other woman has ever worn my jersey before.”
“What about all the female fans?”
“I’m always flattered when a fan buys my jersey and wears it, but that’s different.”
What about Devlyn?
“I’ve never even offered my jersey to my ex.”
It’s like he can hear my thoughts.
“Not that it would’ve mattered had I offered, because she would’ve worn her son’s. So yeah, you’re the first, Goldilocks.”
His words cause chaos in my head and in my heart. They’re too intense for a fake relationship. I want to lunge at him and kiss the hell out of him for making me feel this desired, but I refrain. There’s PDA and then there’s too much PDA. “Enforcers Number 22.” I brandish my fist in the air. “Go, team, go.”
He frowns like a teacher would frown at a student who blurted out the wrong answer.
I dance from one foot to another. “Are you going to help me put my skates on?”
He holds my gaze for a beat and offers a slow nod. “Sure, let’s get you geared up.”
My eyes drift to the ice. “That’s a lot of people who are going to witness me landing on my ass in an embarrassing way.”
“The rink is practically empty,” he says. “And trust me, all the kids out there landed on their assfirst time on the ice.”
“When you’re a kid, you can bounce back from anything. Not the case when you’re an adult.”
He places his hands on my shoulders. “It’s all a mental game, Goldilocks.”
Must work on my mental game, I guess.
“Sit on that bench over there.” He points.
I obey and plop my ass on it. I bounce a few times on the bench. “This butt pad is a lot more comfortable than I imagined.”
Kaz kneels at my feet and rummages through my bag. “It’s a godsend for beginners.”
He pulls out elbow pads and hands them to me. I slide them on. Then, he pulls out knee pads and places them on the bench. He removes my Converse and slips on the knee pads. Next, he pulls out the helmet and places it on my head before snapping the strap under my jaw.
“Your joints and ass are protected.” He taps my head. “And this ensures you won’t crack your skull. Nothing ruins a weekend faster than a trip to the ER. Protection is key.”
I square my shoulders and give him a little salute. “Yes, coach.”
