I turn my head and gaze out of the windshield. The sky is bright and sunny today, the total opposite of my cloudy brain.
“This is me telling you that it’s pointless, voicing how I feel about you, because nothing could ever happen.”
When my eyes focus back on Will’s handsome face, pieces of dark hair fall into his eyes. It would be so easy to just go ahead and lay it all out in his car and confess to my attraction.
“I’m your publicist, your coach’s daughter, and our families have been friends since before we entered this world. You’ve had some pretty catastrophic ideas in the past, but this one has to be at the top of that list.”
Brown eyes continue to hold me captive.
“Is this just about sex for you?” I ask, recalling the way he glanced at my right thigh as I drove us to the gala. I loved his eyes on me that night, and I’d be a liar to deny it. “If it is, then it would be safer to hit up Candice for another round.”
Will frowns. “That hurts to hear you say that. Not everything for me is about sex. I don’t know how to explain my attraction to you, but I know it isn’t just physical.”
So much of me wants to throw the passenger door open and run a million miles away from this situation, and I know he wouldn’t stop me from climbing out of the car and doing just that.
My butt stays fixed to the black leather bucket seat, and I drop my eyes down his body. He’s wearing an emerald Rogues hoodie with his initials stamped on the left sleeve. Black track pants hug his thick hockey thighs perfectly. Dressed in casuals or a tux, Will is hot as hell. But just like how he described with me, I’m drawn to him for more than his looks. At one time, I found his cocky smirk infuriating. Now, it makes me want to kiss him, just so he’ll grin even wider.
“The last thing I want to do is hurt you,” I finally say.
He sighs heavily and pulls his hand away from my neck.
Instantly, I feel the loss.
“I’ve fucked everything up, haven’t I?” he groans in an exasperated voice.
“They say it takes two to tango—and for good reason.”
My response sparks a flicker of excitement in his eyes, and he strokes his thumb over the top of my hand.
“You’ve caught me totally off guard, Drew.” Will pushes a spare hand through his tousled hair. “This is going to sound really conceited, but … I’ve never wanted someone I couldn’t have, and I don’t know what the fuck to do with these emotions now that I have them. I didn’t choose to be attracted to you. Before we started working together, I always saw you as the good girl and daughter of my parents’ best friends.” His forehead finds the top of his steering wheel.
“After I slept with Candice, I immediately regretted it. To be honest, I’d wanted to pull back even before we climbed into bed together. I wasn’t sure why I had been reluctant to go through with the hookup, but now it’s much clearer.”
Slowly, he swivels his head to look at me, although it’s still resting on his steering wheel. “I wanted her to be you. You make me laugh, even when you’re pissed at me for being a dick. But most of all, you fascinate me, and seeing you all professionaland serious …” His eyes move across my body, and I feel them everywhere. “Fuck.”
The single word makes me giggle, and he pulls his hand from mine, gripping the steering wheel hard.
“I wasn’t laughing at you,” I reassure him. “I’m shit at accepting compliments.”
He smiles at me. “I know you are. I’ve learned a lot about you over the past few weeks.”
More silence fills the car before some clarity finally breaks through the haze of confusion.
“I think we need some time away from each other. It’ll offer us both perspective. You can focus on hockey and won’t be tempted to post stupid stuff online …” I trail off and lift a brow at him. “Who am I kidding? You’re always tempted to do that.”
I can tell he wants to laugh, though he doesn’t. Instead, he throws his head back into the headrest and gazes at me with a burning need that should be criminal.
“I’ll be posting a statement on your X account later today. After that, things will go quiet on your socials for a while. I can use this time to work on some of my other clients, and if I need you, then I’ll reach out via email.”
Will swallows thickly. “This is you pulling back, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and no.”
Will groans, and I know it’s at himself.
“In three weeks, when you play the Blades, I still plan to travel and meet you in Brooklyn, and I’m hoping that Repeet will want to meet while we’re in town. I also wanted to gather some social media content and?—”
“Drew.” Will stops me in a soft voice. “I really fucking like you.”
