Page 14 of Your Kiss Is On My List

Dangerous thinking, Dani girl. Or maybe not. Maybe it’s exactly what’s going on and all I need to do is keep going all the way until the end of the semester and then I’ll either have my wish or I’ll drive off a cliff because I’ll never see him again when he runs off far and fast to his future without me. Again.

Ignoring all the chaos churning my gut, I go with my instincts that never fail me—not counting that one time we kissed. I blame it on the irresistible scent of him, some kind of wildly effective and erotic pheromones he exudes that no mere mortal woman can handle. Not me anyway.

“Let’s go for a walk.” I look up into his eyes and let myself get lost there, lean into him and feel him tense up. I ignore his tension because it could be the good kind, right? He takes a deep breath and his exhale nearly makes me faint as his breath fans my face.

“Jeez, get a room,” Emily says.

“What are you waiting for, Eagle-eye? Go for a walk with the girl,” Bane says.

“So you can be alone with—” Trey waves a hand toward Emily and Heather. Is he protective of every girl he knows or is it because of Bane?

“I see nothing wrong with that plan,” Emily says and I laugh as I take his free hand and tug on it.

“Shelby isn’t here?” Heather says and Trey shakes his head.

“Not until Thursday.” Her face brightens. “The house will be full by then. Nate Garino should be moving in tomorrow and I’m psyched.”

“Nate your teammate? Another hockey guy?” Bane says, shaking his head. “You better guard the girls from him if he’s half as bad as his reputation—”

“He’s not. You know better than to believe gossip,” Trey says. “He’s a good friend of mine. That’s all you need to know.”

“Yes sir.” Bane salutes with a half chortle. Hmmm. I wonder what the deal with Nate is. I tuck the question away for another day.

“Let’s go,” I say. “It’s a beautiful starry night and I want to see the Big Dipper.” We used to stargaze at night when we’d walk home from Friday night football games or stay out too late in the summers or skate on the pond in the winters when it got dark early. I catch his eyes and hold them.

“Like old times?” he says in a reverent whisper like they were the best of times for him too. I nod and he relents.

“We’ll need our coats. It’s damn cold out there.”

“You kidding? You two are sizzling hot,” Dooley says.

“Cut it, Dools,” Trey says, but he’s smiling and my tummy flips around like it hasn’t done in a long time—until yesterday seeing Trey again. Why do I never get this feeling with any other guy I’ve been around?

I grab my hoodie from the back of the kitchen chair and slip it on.

“That’s not going to be warm enough,” he says as he leads me upstairs. My heart pounds hard as I follow him. Stop getting all excited. He’s only going up to get his jacket.

Then why am I following him and why is he still holding my hand? The giggles and laughter fade behind us and I don’t care if they’re joking about us. Whatever they think doesn’t matter anymore because this is just between me and Trey now. That much I know. I feel it.

“Welcome to the lair, the den of iniquity. Don’t faint with excitement,” he says as he opens the door and lets me inside his room. I take in the sheer alpha maleness of it all, from the navy comforter, strewn on his bed, to the leather high-back chair with nail-head trim that looks like a throne. He lets go of my hand and reaches into his closet then pulls out a jacket. It’s his high school letter jacket and a flood of nostalgic longing brings me back to those tortured years I spent pining and trying to get over him. He tosses me a North Face fleece jacket big enough to feel like a coat as I wrap it around me. I watch him as he shrugs into his high school jacket, a wry smile on his face.

“The old jacket comes in handy sometimes.”

“Don’t you have an SPU jacket besides the hoodie?”

“Nah. They don’t give out letterman jackets in college—at least not here.”

“How will all the girls know to swoon over you then?”

“Somehow they manage to figure out a way,” he says, his eyes going dark and hooded. “You wouldn’t know since you’re not a swooner.”

“I’m not?”

“I never saw you swoon over a guy once. Probably because you were too good for them all in high school. Now here there might be some guys worthy, but you’ve tied yourself up with me in this fake girlfriend arrangement. You sure you want to do that and maybe miss out on Prince Charming?” His smile doesn’t reach his eyes and I know the answer he wants to hear. It happens to be the answer I have.

“Positive. That’s what’s so brilliant about our arrangement. I won’t have to worry about being hit on by random guys while I focus on school and get myself established in the broadcasting department. You won’t have to worry about ex-girlfriends or other random chicks throwing themselves at you, so you can concentrate on hockey, on making your NHL dreams come true.” I give him my true smile, pleased and almost convincing myself of the innocent nature of our arrangement. Nothing I said isn’t true. But it’s only half the story. With my heart beating too fast, I add, “Let’s get out of here, baby.” He chuckles and backs up a step.

“Whatever you say, doll.”