"Careful." Another step. We're close now. Too close. I can see the pulse hammering at the base of her throat, smell that floral perfume mixed with something darker.Sweat. Adrenaline. Her.
"Or what?" She tilts her head, those hazel eyes locked on mine. "You'll bench me?"
A laugh escapes me, harsh and humorless. "You've got a mouth on you."
"You have no idea." She smirks.
Fuck.
The words hang between us, loaded with something neither of us should acknowledge. Her lips part slightly and my eyes drop to them. Pink and soft, I remember exactly how they taste. Her breath hitches, she notices me looking.Good.The anger is still there, burning in my chest, but it's tangled up with something else now, something hotter, more dangerous. My fingers twitch at my sides, aching to reach out, to grab her hips and pull her against me, show her exactly what she does to me.
"Stay out of my way," I say instead, the words scraping out of my throat.
Her eyes flash with fury. "Gladly."
Neither of us move. The air between us crackles, one inch closer and I'd feel her body against mine, one more word and I'd snap. I take a step back, then another, putting distance between us before I do something we'll both regret. Her shoulders dropslightly.Relief? Disappointment?I can't tell. I turn and walk away, forcing myself not to look back. But I can feel her eyes on me the whole way down the hall. All I can think about is how easy it would be to turn around, push her against that wall, fist my hand in her hair, and yank her head back. To kiss her until she's moaning into my mouth, until those sharp words turn into whimpers, until we both forget why we're so fucking angry.
But I don't.
Because Pierre's voice is still echoing in my head."You're probably one of the only guys I fucking trust with my sisters."
Fuck.
24
JOELLE
The team plane is loud with the usual chaos. Music blaring from someone's speakers, cards slapping against tray tables. The endless chirping that seems to be a requirement of professional hockey players. I'm tucked into a window seat near the back with Sarah, reviewing injury reports on my tablet. Then I feel it, a prickle at the back of my neck. I don't have to look up to know he's watching me. So, I keep my eyes on my tablet.
"Are you okay?" Sarah asks. Not looking up from her own notes. "You've been staring at the same page for five minutes."
Shit. "I'm just tired," I lie.
"These away games will do that."
I risk a glance down the aisle. Emmett is three rows up. Aisle seat. Long legs stretched out. He's not looking at me anymore. He's laughing at something Sully said. That deep rumble I can hear even over the noise of the plane.God, that laugh.That deep rumble that he does. I remember what it sounded like against my throat. Against my ....Stop it.I force my attention back to the tablet, but the words blur together. This is ridiculous. I've worked with athletes my entire career. I don't get flustered bybroad shoulders and sharp jawlines and hands that know exactly how to ...
"Jo."
I jolt. "What?"
"I asked if you wanted anything from the drinks cart," Sarah asks.
Oh. "Water. Thanks."
She flags down the flight attendant, and I use the moment to compose myself. Three more hours until we land in Boston, then we can check into the hotel, have a team dinner, and an early night before tomorrow's game. I can avoid Emmett Black for three hours. Probably.
The hotel lobby is controlled chaos. Players mill around with their bags while our travel coordinator sorts out room assignments. I hang back with Sarah and Mike, waiting for our keys.
"St. Pierre, you're with me," Collette announces, appearing at my elbow with two key cards. She's grinning like this is Christmas morning. "Corner suite," she whispers.
"You work in social media. How do you get suite privileges?" Not that I am complaining.
"I'm charming." She links her arm through mine. "Also, I may have promised the travel coordinator exclusive behind-the-scenes content for his dating profile."
"That's ... actually impressive."
"I know." She steers me toward the elevator bank. "Come on. I need to shower off the plane before dinner."
