Page 4 of Offside Angle

What’s not easy is the quiet truth sitting behind my ribs.

I actually like her. A lot.

Not in the casual, surface-level way I’ve felt about plenty of women before, or the easy kind of attraction that burns out after a few weeks. What gets me is how Lena teases me without mercy and somehow sees past the charming defenseman everyone else gets. She knows exactly who I am on the ice, and she still wants the version of me willing to drive three hours just to take her to dinner.

I care about her enough that the idea of this becoming something real doesn’t scare me nearly as much as it probably should.

Lena glances up as we reach the hostess stand and catches me staring. For once, the joke slips out of her expression before her mouth quirks again. “Keep staring at me that way and I’m going to think you actually have feelings for me, Rivera.”

I squeeze her waist once, light and deliberate. “Maybe I do.”

Something shifts in her smile before she turns back to the hostess and gives our name as though nothing happened.

We’re seated at a quiet table near the back, with low lighting and enough distance from the other diners to make it feel almost private. Lena slides into the booth across from me, the fabric shifting with her, and my attention follows the slit up her thigh for a second too long. She catches me and raises an eyebrow, wearing the smug little smile of someone who knows she’s already won.

We order quickly—steak for me, something lighter for her—and the waitress disappears with our menus. The second she’s gone, the teasing picks right back up.

“So,” Lena says, resting her chin on her hand and giving me that look, “tell me more about this ‘full package’ experience. Does it include carrying me over thresholds too, or is that saved for special occasions?”

I lean back in my chair, grinning across the table at her. “Only if you ask nicely. Or if you wear that dress again. I’m flexible.”

She nudges my foot under the table, laughing. “You’re so full of shit. I bet you say that to all the girls.”

“Only the ones who make it worth it,” I shoot back, voice dropping a little. “And you’re definitely making it worth it tonight.”

Lena’s eyes sparkle as she leans in slightly, her voice turning playful and a little wicked. “Careful, Rivera. Keep talking like that and I might start thinking you're getting attached. Next thing I know you’ll be offering to drive me to work every morning.”

“I would,” I say, and I mean it more than I probably should. “If it meant I got to see you in the morning looking like you do right now.”

She bites her lip, and opens her mouth to fire back when the waitress appears at our table with our drinks balanced on a tray.

We both straighten instantly, wearing matching expressions of absolute innocence. Lena’s expression is pure sweetness, eyes wide and polite, while I sit back with an easy, charming smile like we were just discussing the weather.

The server sets Lena’s drink down first, then places a glass of water in front of me without missing a beat.

“Thank you,” we both say at the same time, voices perfectly polite. The waitress gives us a quick smile and walks away, completely unaware of the charged energy still humming between us.

Lena watches her leave, that mischievous grin already back. She lifts her glass and takes a slow sip, watching me over the rim.

“No drink for you tonight?” she asks, already knowing the answer.

“Not when I’ve got a three-hour drive back and practice at eight in the morning. Damian would have my head if I showed up even slightly off.”

Lena nods and reaches across the table, tracing her fingers over the back of my hand. “Good. I like you in one piece. Even if it means I have to behave myself a little longer.”

I flip my hand over and catch her fingers, giving them a gentle squeeze. “Behave yourself? That’s asking a lot from you in that dress.”

The second her apartment door clicks shut behind us, I have her slammed against it. Her back hits the wood with a thud and her legs wrap around my waist, the dress riding up high on her thighs. y mouth is on hers before either of us can say a word, all the tension from dinner finally snapping. Her hands slide up my chest and I groan into the kiss.

Lena breaks the kiss just long enough to smirk against my lips, her voice breathless and teasing. “Took you long enough, Rivera. I was starting to think you were actually going to be a gentleman all night.”

I bite at her bottom lip, one hand gripping her thigh while the other braces against the door beside her head. “Don’t play innocent now. You’ve been winding me up all night.”

Her laugh turns wicked as she tugs at the hem of my shirt. “Maybe. Or maybe I just like watching you try to behave.” Her fingers work the buttons open one by one, pushing the fabric off my shoulders until it drops to the floor. “You’re so good at it… until you’re not.”

I growl softly and push her dress higher with both hands, bunching the fabric around her waist. My palms slide up the smooth skin of her thighs, and then I feel it—nothing. No lace, no silk, just bare skin and heat.

I freeze, then look down between us. One eyebrow lifts, a slow, dangerous smirk spreading across my face.