“I know,” I grin. “They call it fiction for a reason. It makes damn good entertainment, though.”
“The real deal is better.” He slides the book back and grins before following the guys out of the office.
“Not going to argue with you there,” I softly add under my breath.
I feel my cheeks warm as memories of Knox appear. He puts every man in my library to shame and has ruined all my favorite fictional men for me. Just another thing he’s done to piss me off as the list continues to grow.
Walking to the front with them, they sign a few autographs for the staff, and Miss Dorothy even gets them to take a group photo so she can frame it and hang it in the waiting room.
We say our goodbyes, and even though I strongly think their plan is going to blow up in their faces, I promise them I’ll be there Saturday night.
I’ve somehow managed to turn my pain from him leaving into anger. I would be lying, though, if I said I didn’t miss him. There’s a constant ache in my chest that, no matter how much I throw myself into work, doesn’t seem to ease.
Sighing, I walk back to my office and collapse in my office chair. Picking up the jersey, I finger the material and run my hand over the Bolts logo.
I have no idea how this is going to play out, but at least I’ll get some answers I need one way or another.
“This is so exciting!”Wren exclaims, practically jumping up and down as I look for the seats that match our tickets. “I’ve never been to a hockey game before. Do you think there will be a fight tonight?”
Unsure of how Knox is going to react to seeing me, I chuckle softly.
“I think your chances are pretty good tonight.”
I find our seats and stop when I see how close we are to the ice.
“Theseare our seats?” Wren asks, dropping her jaw. “We’re in the front row and practically at center ice!”
Hayes definitely set me up. I’m like a neon sign for Knox. There’s no way he won’t see me every time he skates by this way.
“It looks like it,” I murmur, double-checking the tickets and seeing that the numbers do indeed match. I take a seat next to Wren and try to relax. I don’t know why I’m so nervous all of a sudden. Taking a sip of my beer, I place it in the cup holder and do my best to keep up with her conversation.
The lights finally go out as the multiple spotlights dance across the ice. The scoreboard starts showing highlight reels just as their signature song comes on to amp up the crowd.
It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the energy as I find myself standing with the rest of the fans as they announce their starting lineup one by one. I watch Colton’s name and picture flash onthe screen as he hits the ice, followed by Hunter, Thane, and Jett. Cayden steps out in his goalie gear, and the crowd goes wild as his blades touch the ice, but it’s nothing like the roar of the fans when number twenty-two flashes on the screen.
Knox hits the ice, and the sound is deafening in the arena as his name is announced.
One by one, I watch his teammates tap their sticks to the glass as they skate by me with a grin. Hayes mouths that he loves my jersey as he blatantly points to his own that matches, and I can’t help but laugh at the craziness of it all.
Goosebumps appear on my arms as I feel his eyes land on me. When I finally turn and make eye contact with him, the whole arena disappears as I’m thrown into this intense energy that surrounds us in a bubble. His eyes glance down and darken into slits. Ice flies as he comes to an abrupt stop right in front of me.
I’m frozen in place and unable to break away from the heat being thrown my way. The people around me start to notice he’s standing there as they get excited and try to get his attention, but it’s all focused on me.
He’s breathing hard and gripping his stick like he wants to break it in two. Thane appears behind him and says something in his ear. Knox finally snaps out of it and skates away. He glances back once more as an onslaught of emotions crosses his face before turning and skating toward center ice for the anthem.
“Jesus,” Wren breathes. “What the hell was that all about? For a minute, I thought he was going to break through the glass and throw you over his shoulder to take you back to his cave.”
“I might have left a few things out about tonight,” I say, when I can finally breathe again.
“A few?” She laughs. “You could have warned me how hot these hockey players are. It’s like a boy aquarium loaded withgorgeous male specimens in a glass tank that we get to stare at all night long.”
“Boy aquarium?” I giggle. “That’s a pretty good one.”
“Thanks, it just came to me, but don’t change the subject. Youknowthat guy. I’m not talking about as a hockey fan. I mean, like,reallyknow him. Number twenty-two. You know, the sex on skates that stopped in front of us and looked like he wanted to devour you whole…that one.”
“I know who Knox is,” I sigh. “The shortened version is I’ve known him since I was a child. We’ve always had a love/hate relationship. Since he moved back, things have been complicated between us. I came here tonight because his teammates seem to think I’m a lucky charm for him, and he needs me here to win. Based on the look he just gave me, I don’t think he agrees with them,” I softly chuckle as the sound of the anthem playing cuts off her response as we stop to listen.
Once seated, the players get in their positions as they wait for the first drop of the night.
