“Right, yeah. Me too.” I forced a smile, hating how it felt like a rejection. I liked his company, and I was pretty sure he liked mine too. But he just said he could kiss me...did friends say that to each other?
Maybe I had the wrong friends then.
“Here’s the real question though.” He wiggled his eyebrows with his typical playful smile. “What are you going to buy with the extra cash?”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I jutted my chin toward the warm pretzel booth, then the ice cream station. “We could have several rounds of treats?”
“God, this is the best night.” Michael held out his arm. “Come on, Klutzy, let’s stuff our faces with your hard-earned money.”
I wrapped my arm around his waist and breathed him in, accepting the fact that we were just friends. He was a touchy-feely guy, and I’d just have to be okay with the fact I was lusting after a friend, hard.
Plus, I knew better than to fall for a guy who was going to be a hockey coach. Hello! It ruined my dad’s marriage and his relationship with me. I should be running far away from Michael Reiner, yet I squeezed him a little tighter as we waited in line to get pretzels.
When our fingers brushed not once, but twice as we waited in line, I repeated the word friend over and over in my mind.
That was all it ever could be.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Michael
I wanted to kiss her. It was simple. Easy math. The way her tits pressed against the tight shirt in that small bathroom, shit, I wanted to yank her against me. Even the anxiety about talking to Coach after the game wasn’t enough to pull me from my attraction to Naomi. She sat next to me now, the third period starting, and my skin felt too small for my body.
“Helsing is having an off night,” I said, unsure if I needed to distract myself or Naomi. “He’s not making clean passes, and he’s unfocused.”
“Oh, I couldn’t tell.” She jotted something on her clipboard and furrowed her eyebrows. The gesture made my lips twitch because she had so many facial expressions. It was hard to keep up with them all, but I liked studying her.
Whenever she watched the game, her eyes narrowed and she leaned forward, like sitting closer would make it easier to study. I bet she sat like that in classes too.
“This might shock you, but I don’t watch a lot of hockey. I know the rules and understand the game, sure. I couldn’t tell you if a player was having an off night though.” She tapped her pen on the metal part of the board and frowned at me. “That’s bad, huh?”
“Bad? No.”
Me thinking about her mouth and what’s under her jersey is bad.I picked a nonexistent piece of lint of my jeans. “I’m surprised you’re agreeing to do this as your project. Don’t get me wrong, I love hanging out with you. But with the stuff with your sister and dad, it seems like the sport leaves a gross taste in your mouth.”
Yes, distract yourself with her problems. Way to go, man.
I shook my head, hoping to clear my thoughts.
She stilled, and my stomach tightened with regret. I was being a jerk because I couldn’t get my attraction to chill out. “Don’t answer that,” I said, too quickly. “If you don’t want to.”
“No, you’re right. My roommates would appreciate you calling me on my shit,” she said, a hint of a smile on her face. “Also, way to ask about the situation with Cami in a very smooth manner.”
“I did ask earlier but then there was a beer fiasco, a shopping trip, and the game.” I waved my hand in the air and cheered when Erikson scored. I stood up with my fist in the air, the only person to do in our section of the bleachers. I spun around, cheering louder, and smiled at the pointed glares from the home fans.
Tie game.
“I haven’t talked to her yet,” she said, her voice small and lacking what I now referred to as theNaomi energy. N-energy, if you will.Her posture went slack, and she scrunched her nose. “Tell me I’m being a chicken.”
“I’d flap my arms and bock like a chicken if I thought it’d be helpful, but it’s not.” The same surge of protectiveness I got around her the last time had me leaning back and putting my arm on the back of her chair. I wasn’t touching her per se, but it felt right. Like what a good friend would do to support. “Being afraid to have a hard conversation with someone you love isn’t being a chicken.”
The opposing team amped up their offense and were playinghard.Our goalie was on guard, and it felt like ten years before we cleared the puck. No one was stepping up on the ice. Not even Cal. I never thought I’d be able to watch a gameandhave a conversation with someone since hockey seemed to push everything else out of my mind.
It was nice being able to do both.
Naomi brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, holding the clipboard with her fingers and letting it dangle in front of her. “She’s my sister, so obviously I love her. I just… don’t like her. This makes me sound bitter, so please don’t judge me.”
“Hey, this is a judgement free zone.” I put a hand on her shoulder for one second and squeezed. She let out a little moan, and I had to let go because I started thinking about that damn sound and how sexy it was.
