“Lainey.”
I look up and tense at the sight of Mike and his buddies coming up the walkway to the porch. The cat jumps off my lap and bounds to the edge of the porch.
“Mike.” Alex’s tone is as even and friendly as always, but there’s a hint of something harder lurking beneath.
“Good game.” His hard gaze slides back to me. “I guess you’re celebrating.”
“All night long.” Alex hooks his arm around me.
I bite my lip at the implication, peeking at him from the corner of my eye. He stares Mike down while kneading my hipand thigh. Some strange, unspoken masculine battle goes on between them.
“You going inside?” he prompts.
When Mike doesn’t move, Alex squeezes my hip twice to signal he’s about to do something. I’m impressed I don’t make a peep when his fingertips graze my chin to guide my face to his. He smiles before ducking down to kiss the corner of my mouth. Unlike before, his lips move to mimic a deeper kiss. I gasp, and I suppose it sells it because Alex cups my face, emitting a low, gravelly sound that pierces into my stomach.
Mike mutters something, stomping up the steps to go into the party. Alex pulls away with a smug expression once they’re inside.
“I’d say our trick play is a success,” he rasps.
“You keep doing that,” I say when my heart rate slows.
“What?”
I point to the corner of my mouth. “Kissing my cheek instead of kissing me for real.”
He grins, planting a hand behind me and dipping his head close to mine. His attention flicks down to my mouth. “You want a kiss, baby? All you have to do is ask.”
My lips part and my cheeks grow hot. I almost ask, swept up by the sound he made when he was fake-kissing me.
Then he laughs and I want to swallow my tongue.
“Do you want me to take you home?” Alex offers, holding out a hand once he gets up. “Or do you want to go back inside?”
I stare at his palm as I consider what to do. This hasn’t been as hard as I thought it would be to pretend with him. Will a little longer hurt me?
I put my hand in his and allow him to help me to my feet. “Let’s go back inside.”
If I can pretend to be Alex’s girlfriend, I can be a girl who belongs in his world for a little longer.
SEVEN
ALEX
During Monday morning’searly practice, I’ve decided I’m going to find Lainey on campus after we finish our ice time.
I’m here to work, so I should be focused on hockey and hockey only. Except that’s not the case.
Instead of envisioning connecting with the puck and putting it in the net, I keep thinking about Lainey instead. Her cute laugh. The way her dark blonde hair frames her face nicely. How she looked in my jersey cheering from the stands.
Rather than looking forward to going out with my boys or scoring the next goal against our opponents, I’m more interested in finishing the book so I can talk to Lainey about it.
Something warm stirs in my chest every time she opens up about the things she’s passionate about, and I want to know that side of her. She’s so lively behind the walls she puts up between herself in the world.
When I walked her home after the party Friday night, I got her talking about the dance she’s planning to raise funds that will keep Heston Lake’s bookstore family-owned. She grew even more animated and came out of her shell. I found myself smiling like an idiot.
Luckily, UConn didn’t have it together for our away game against them on Saturday after their loss the night before, because she occupied my mind more than I want to admit. Theo and Easton were the stars of the game, lighting the lamp relentlessly while I skated on autopilot.
Shaking my head to empty it, I peel off from the technical drill we’re practicing to get a drink. I need to get my head back in it, or my name won’t show up on the prospects list for the draft. I’ve worked too hard to lose sight of the level I need to be at to make myself an asset NHL teams want on their roster.
