Page 35 of Puck Me Back to Life

The sound of my first name in his voice nearly short-circuits my brain. Nobody on the team calls me that. Not anymore. Most people stick to Hayes. Somehow hearing Kai feels strangely intimate.

“Hi.”

Brilliant. An excellent start.

Ash leans one shoulder against the doorframe. The smile never leaves. “Hi.”

For a moment, neither of us speaks.

I become intensely aware of my own heartbeat.

Of the hallway.

Of the fact that I came here entirely of my own free will.

Ash waits.

Patient.

Like he already knows I'll eventually say what I came to say.

The realization somehow makes me even more nervous.

Finally, I clear my throat. “You said...um.”

Very articulate.

Ash's smile grows. “I say a lot of things.”

I glare at him. The expression only seems to amuse him. At least he's smiling. That's something.

I take a breath. And finally force the words out. “You said you'd show me what you meant.”

The hallway falls quiet. Ash studies me for a second. Then he nods once, the teasing disappears from his expression. In its place comes something calmer.

“Yeah.”

My pulse immediately speeds up.

Ash steps backward. The movement creates space between him and the doorway. An invitation. “If that's what you want.”

The answer should be simple. For some reason it feels enormous. Still.

I find myself nodding. “Okay.”

Ash's eyes soften slightly. Then he moves aside completely. “Come in, Kai.”

The second I step into Ash's room, I regret wearing a pullover.

And jeans.

And, honestly, existing.

The door closes behind me with a soft click that somehow sounds much louder than it should.

Ash's room looks exactly like every other hotel room on the floor. Same furniture. Same artwork. Same generic hotel carpeting. The difference is Ash.

The smile tugging at the corner of his mouth tells me he knows exactly what I'm thinking. My pulse speeds up.