As he got closer, he suddenly deked left, then right, and flicked a shot toward the top-left corner of the net. My glove flashed out on pure instinct, and I smiled when I felt the impact of the puck hitting my glove.
He slid to a stop next to me and I smirked as I tossed the puck down at his feet.
There was a slightly stunned look on his face, but he quickly shook it off. “Good save,” he said. “Maybe there reallyissomething special about you.”
His words surprised me, and I felt a fluttering in my stomach. Getting a compliment from your brother was one thing, but having my game praised by a stranger, especially a talented one, was something else. And he didn’t try to come up with some list of excuses to explain why he’d failed to score on a girl. Instead, he flashed me an appreciative smile, scooped up the puck, and headed back to center ice.
“You better not be going easy on me,” I called.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied with a cocky grin. “We’re tied now, so there’s a lot riding on this final shot, isn’t there?”
“You’re not getting that kiss.” I realized I was enjoying this almost as much as him.
“We’ll see about that.”
He paused for a moment, as though planning something, but then, in a flash, he was speeding toward me again. I had to remind myself I was here to defend the net, not admire how well the guy moved the puck. It was practically impossible to keep my eye on it, but this time, when he took his shot, I almost lost sight of the puck completely. It streaked toward the net even faster than before, and I was too slow to react. This time, there was no thud of contact against my glove. But apparently, luck was on my side, and I heard a resounding clang as the puck struck the post and bounced away.
I pulled my helmet from my head, a relieved smile on my face. “You missed.”
He stopped right by me and again I was surprised by his reaction. He was smiling too. “I did.”
“You don’t seem upset.”
“I’m not.”
“And why is that?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said with a shrug. “Your kissing idea was a good one. But I don’t want you to kiss me because of some bet. When you kiss me, it’s going to be because you really want to.”
“When?”I lifted an eyebrow at him. “You’re even cockier than I thought.”
“You have no idea.”
The mischief that danced in his eyes had my heart beating faster, and now he was standing so close I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what might have happened if he’d scored.
“This was fun,” he continued. “But a bet’s a bet. I’ll leave you to your rink.”
The words had barely passed his lips when we were plunged into darkness. My heart leaped in shock. The lights had shut off, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. Apart from the dim glow of some safety lights around the rink, we were in total darkness. Were they closing the place up for the night?
He chuckled gently. “Guess we both lost.”
“No, I’m pretty sure I still won,” I replied. My heart was beating even faster now, but, as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t blame it on the sudden blackout.
“Funny,” he said, looking down at me, his eyes bright despite the darkness. “I kind of feel like I’ve won too.”
He hadn’t skated away. Neither had I. We were both staring at each other, like the rest of the world had disappeared. I wasn’t sure who reached for who first. But suddenly, we were kissing, and the feel of his lips against mine sent electricity zapping all the way down to my toes.
I’d never kissed a boy before. Though it made sense that my first time would take me by surprise. I’d always been a little reckless, and as we kissed, I couldn’t find it in me to care. My pulse fluttered, my breath stalled, and his lips were all I could think about.
When we pulled apart, he was smiling.
“You kissed me,” I whispered.
“Uh, I thinkyoukissedme.”
I shook my head. “I don’t even know your name.”
“It’s Parker,” he said, a little of his cockiness returning. “Parker Darling. And you are…”
