She leans closer.Did you know that the hockey team goes to the pub after games?You’re missing your big chance to meet them.
Actually, I’m not, but I can’t admit that.It was a fun night,I reply, changing the subject.
That hockey game was the best one I’ve ever been to,she says.The final score had been 6–2, and Viktor scored a hat trick.
I agree, and not just because I’m going to meet the first star.
At the coffee shop, five of us drink tea or lattes and play board games.It’s low-key and enjoyable, but I’m distracted by nervous anticipation.Any doubts I had about V’s identity were dispelled by his bossy instructions on exactly where and when we should meet.When I finally get there, I’m early, so I’m surprised to see a tall figure leaning against his car.With his collar flipped up against the October night, he looks both stylish and daunting.
I’m magnetically drawn to him.Just the brush of his hand against my skin created a warmth that I’ve been reliving for the past two weeks.All my life, I’ve opted for safety, but now I’m drawn to a man who feels dangerous.
Hi, Viktor.
Evie.His deep voice thrills me.Then he looks me over from head to toe, his gaze hungry.
Wordless, he opens the car door.I slide by him and get inside.The door slams shut, and I’m once more cosseted in the luxurious safety of his car.
Or am I trapped?I shiver, which Viktor notices as he gets in.
You should be more warmly dressed,he chides.
Well, I had a hat but I threw it on the ice,I explain.
Finally a smile cracks his stern face.Thank you.But you can reclaim your hat.There’s a bin by the main entrance.We don’t want our fans to freeze once it gets really cold.
You must know all the hat trick etiquette.You’ve probably scored more than anyone else on the team.
He doesn’t confirm this, but his smile widens a little.You’re a hockey expert?
Not an expert, but I’ve watched a few games.My father attended a lot of KHL games, both because he likes hockey and because they are the perfect space for clandestine meetings.At least that’s what I suspected when he would disappear and leave my mother and me watching the game alone.
There’s so much I don’t know about you.The scowl is back.Why do I find grumpy Viktor so attractive?Perhaps because heisattractive regardless of expression?Or because I want to make him smile?
He turns on the ignition.Are you hungry?
I rub my tummy, which is full of tea and arena fries.Not really.
He checks his mirror and eases onto the quiet street.Then let’s go for a drive.
I still have no idea what’s going on, but I decide to relax and enjoy just being in Viktor’s company.The streetlights flicker over his face, outlining his high cheekbones and deep-set eyes.My gaze stops on his mouth, the fullness of his lips in contrast to his habitually stern expression.How soft would his mouth feel on mine?Or maybe his kiss would be hard and demanding.
When I tear my eyes away from Viktor’s mouth and back to the road, we’re cruising along a dark two-lane highway.
Don’t get in a car with a stranger.Don’t let yourself be taken to a second location.Stay in bright, populated areas,I recite the woman’s safety checklist because I’m such a brilliant conversationalist.
Am I a stranger?You’ve slept in my bed,he replies.
But not when you were in it,I point out.
Yes.A shame, really.
For a moment my mind blanks.I have honestly not been able to imagine what it would be like to have sex with Viktor.My fantasies are limited to kissing and what his bare chest looks like.Even there, I had the advantage of a dressing room photo from last season where he is wearing only hockey pants and sandals.Let’s just say that Viktor’s chest is incredible: broad, muscular, well-defined—in short, the body I wish I could have seen for my first bare male chest.
His expression isn’t suggestive but his words are.I’m caught between anticipation and fear.
I try to swallow.In all fairness, I should warn you that I’m trained in self-defence.It’s hard to believe I’ve also been trained in flirting.I forget everything as soon as I’m in Viktor’s presence.
He chuckles, like a lion threatened by a kitten.And I should let you know that I’m very big on consent.
