22

Book:Yours till hell Published:2024-9-6

I lifted a brow. Yeah ?
Of course. He smirked. I’ve already got my eye on the pretty little blonde at the end of the bar.
And sure enough, when I glanced in that direction, the same blonde was looking our way and checking him out.
Then I’ll be sure to give you a heads up when we leave, I mused before finally weaving my way through the crowd.
Coming up behind Lia’s chair, I saw one of her friend’s eyes widen as she spotted me. Using all the strength I could muster, I plastered a smile on my lips. Hey.
Lia leaned her head back to meet my eyes and grinned, reaching for my hand. Hey, we were just talking about you.
All good things I hope ?
You’ll never know, now will you ?
I hoped none of them caught the half-heartedness of the laugh that escaped me as I said, I guess not. And to further distract from the fact, I turned to greet her friends. I’m guessing the two extra tickets tonight went to you two ?
They did, the woman with shoulder-length brown hair said, and thanks for that. Being in the arena was ten times better than watching the game from our living room.
A live hockey game always takes the cake in my books, I commented. Though I may be a little biased.
The three women laughed, and when they began to quiet, I felt Lia’s hand squeeze mine. Derrick, this is Esme- Lia pointed to the woman with a pink pixie cut first before moving over to the brunette. -and Harper. And you guys already know this is Derrick.
Sure do, Esme replied with a wide grin.
Well, it’s nice to meet you guys. I looked down at the table to see most of the glasses were nearly empty. Did you all want another round ? My treat.
I’ll come with, Lia said as her friends nodded and began to rattle off their orders. You’ll need an extra set of hands to carry everything back.
Not dropping my hand, she began pulling me in the direction of the bar, but after only a few steps, I leaned closer to her. You sure this isn’t just some ploy to get me alone, I teased, my teeth scraping the edge of her ear to cause a visible shiver.
Stopping next to a pillar, she took a step backwards, leaning up against it. And if it is ?
Well, I said, stepping closer, my eyes dropping to her lips, how do you feel about PDA ?
So far, all of our kisses had been behind closed doors or away from prying eyes, and before planting one on her in front of everyone, I wanted to make sure she was comfortable with that.
And by the way she stood on her toes, cupped my cheeks, and closed the remaining distance between us, I figured she was.
Molding my mouth to hers, I gripped her hips, more than appreciative of her curves as she parted her lips, inviting me in deeper. As our tongues tangled, I felt a rush of heat sweep through my veins, wanting this to last a whole lot longer than a handful of moments.
Especially when she began to pull back, a small hum of excitement falling from her lips.
I wanted to do that after you scored tonight, but better late than never, right ?
Totally, I agreed, pecking her lips once more.
She grinned as her hands trailed down my arms, intertwining with my own when she reached them. But really, I know I already texted you, but the game was awesome. You played great.
Damn right I did.
And management needed to recognize that.
The thought was immediate, killing off any vibe our kiss had created as it popped into my head without any prompting. Unsurprising given the festering anger after the press conference, but it was true. I was a Knight, had been for years, and I wanted to stay in this city. I wanted to stay with this team, and I’d do anything in my power to do so.
The heartbreaking thing, however, was I didn’t know if it would be enough.
When I opened my eyes, it was immediately obvious I wasn’t in my own bedroom. For one, the blackout curtains succeeded in blocking out the early morning sun, whereas my cheap set of blinds would’ve had the room pouring with light. Secondly, there was a digital clock with large red letters staring back at me that I certainly didn’t own. Then there was the hockey equipment pushed into the corner, and to top it off, the pillows and sheets-and let’s be honest, the entire room-smelt like Derrick.
Far from overpowering or off-putting, it was fresh and intoxicating. A subtle mix of pine and citrus that had me turning my nose into the cotton and inhaling deeply. Only to exhale slowly as I was brought back to how I’d ended up here.
Being in the stands for the game had been unexpected, especially on a night I’d promised to spend with the girls, but the fact that Derrick had been open to extending an invite to them had made it impossible to say no. After all, Esme and Harper might have revoked my friendship card if I had. And even though we’d been to a handful of games over the years, there was something different about being in the middle of the pumped up crowd, watching everyone on the edge of their seats, ready to cheer for someone I knew. There was an added level exhilaration-even more so when that person ended up being the star of the show.
Derrick had rocked it out on the ice last night, his goal and assist propelling the team to a hard-fought win, yet after it all, he’d chosen to celebrate with me. My friends hadn’t been able to stop directing sly, knowing looks my way as the four of us sat at the table in the back of the bar, Derrick more or less ignoring the rest of his teammates to spend time with us. And while it’d certainly had me feeling giddy and affectionate as the night wore on, it also left me feeling a bit confused.
This ‘thing’ between us was meant to be casual, and on my side, it was. I had no delusions of grandeur. We got on great, and yes, the chemistry was off the charts, but to actually be together ? In a relationship ? I couldn’t see how two incredibly busy and career-focused people could make something work.
It was a have-fun-while-it-lasts type connection, but last night, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a voice in the back of my head that Derrick was possibly beginning to think of it as something more.
Hence the confusion.
Though it hadn’t altered how the night ended.
Which led to where I was now : sprawled beside him in bed, my clothes strewn across the room, and feeling satisfied after another night together. Admittedly, very similar to that first morning back in San Francisco. Except this time, the urge to sneak away before he woke up was nowhere to be found.
I was, however, debating whether or not to get up and scour the apartment for a cup of coffee when there was a shift from the other side of the bed and a muscular arm snaked its way around my bare waist.