“Onassis,” he says, and his use of my last name pulls me back to the moment.
After all this time, I know how to break through his act, but in the middle of the expo, I’ve got to refrain.
I keep my chin up. “Frisk,” I say, a cocky smile on my face. “Fancy seeing you here.”
He stays a good couple of feet away from me. “Two goals last week,” he says. “And no penalties after.”
“That’s right,” I tell him, pleased that he noticed. “You had your eye on me?” I ask, letting suggestion color my words, but resisting the urge to flirt more.
Troy tightens his brow, not having it. “I had my eye on your game, yes.” He lowers his voice as the murmur of the crowd picks up around us. “Unless you have business, I should keep moving.”
I tighten my jaw, annoyed that he’s shooting me down so completely after we had such an easy time at the baseball game. With a hand through my hair to keep my composure, I lock his gaze and push back. “Okay. But you’re the one with an offer sitting on the table.” I glance around. “I hear you’re decisive. Well, make a damn decision, Troy,” I tell him, smile confidently, and walk away.
Shit. Was that a good idea?
When I find Stace, she’s slipping a couple of business cards away. “That looked like it went well,” she says, deadpan.
I wince. “Not a home run. Maybe not a strikeout, though.”
We step off to the side, a quieter spot next to a giant cutout of a Nike shoe. “I feel like I should remind you that you’re supposed to be avoiding antics right now. Wouldn’t be fair of me to reap the benefits of corporate espionage without trying to encourage your career goals, too.”
“Is this an antic?” I glance over my shoulder, looking for Troy, but he’s already gone. “It’s arguably not detracting from my game,” I point out. “My skill is only improving. If anything, Troy is anti-antic. He scratches my antic itch, but I don’t get in trouble.”
“Yet.”
I know she’s right, but when I see Troy, I’m sucked right back into his orbit. He walks out from between two booths, a towering figure in an already intimidating crowd, and a shiver goes down my spine.
He’s so hot. And powerful.
And when we watched the baseball game together, he relaxed in a way I didn’t expect.
“Okay, it’s an antic,” I agree, turning back to her. “But that’s his fault. It’s like I just told him—he needs to make a decision about what he wants. Yesterday.”
“He just looked at you, glared for about two seconds, and turned away again.”
I light up. “He did? That’s good. It means I got under his skin.”
Stace glance around the booths. “I’ve just got one place I want to introduce myself, and I’ll be done. How about you really get under his skin and take off now without saying goodbye? We can split a ride.”
I consider her offer. “It’s worth seeing how Troy responds to evasion. But I am going to make sure he sees me leaving.”
While Stace introduces herself to a tech company she likes, I notice Troy, standing in the distance. I think he’s looking at me, but just as quickly, he’s gone.
I slowly walk in his direction, not sure if I should evade him or chase him, my heart pounding.
If the people here knew what’s happening between us, we’d be the biggest news of the expo.
Right when I pull myself back together and decide it’s time to leave, Troy rounds a corner. He’s talking to a couple of pro hockey players, dominating the conversation, but his eyes find me.
I slowly, subtly drag my tongue across the back of my teeth, giving him something to think about before I disappear. Even with a hundred feet between us, I swear I can feel his reaction, rumbling deep in the core of him as he tears his eyes away.
I realize that a part of me is starting to wish everyone here could see us. That I could walk up to Troy right now and claim him as mine. We’d be a power couple.
If only I could skip the needing to come out part and ignore all the consequences for our careers, that is.
Troy’s glare intensifies as he keeps talking to the hockey players.
Somehow, I manage to pull away. My heart pounding, I turn and walk back to the tech booth.
