Alex (Cold Fury Hockey 1)

With a sigh, I move a little faster, wondering if I can possibly break out into a run and lose my new shadow. Wouldn’t matter, though. Without thinking, I told her where I was meeting Alex, so I know she’s going to just show up come hell or high water.

Oh, well. Maybe I can make a quick introduction, they’ll fall instantly in love and exchange phone numbers, and then we can get to work.

Except…just the thought of Alex hooking up with Monica gives me belly rumblings and I have to wonder why. The guy has been nothing but a jerk to me. Sure, he’s given me some intense stares and he’s like the most perfect specimen of a man I’ve ever seen, but that alone shouldn’t cause me to have any feelings for him.

Besides, I need to focus on whether or not I actually have any feelings left for Brandon from which we could possibly build something again. Dinner the other night was nice. We spent a lot of time just catching up on each other’s lives, and the conversation was light.

“So, tell me about the work you’re doing at the crisis center,” Brandon had said in between bites of the spicy tuna roll we were sharing.

“It’s really rewarding,” I had told him after a sip of warm sake. “The center provides free counseling for low-income people. Of course, I adore the kids I work with. ”

“Of course you do,” he said with an affectionate smile. “It’s your passion. ”

He knows me…knows all about my fat

her and what drives me to do what I do. We had no secrets between us when we were together.

“Are you seeing anyone now?” he asked casually, giving nothing away as to whether my answer was even important or not.

Shaking my head, I told him, “No. You?”

“Completely single,” he confirmed for me, a fact that did not cause a flood of pleasure to course through me. In fact, I didn’t feel much at all in response to his revelation.

We didn’t discuss our relationship, or lack of one, but at the end of the evening, Brandon gave me a warm kiss on my forehead just before he hugged me, and asked me out again, to which I said yes.

I have no clue what it all means. At dinner, I had expected to be hit with a rush of warm feelings based on years of wonderful memories. Instead, I didn’t really feel much at the end of the evening other than a general fondness for Brandon. He was my first love—and I do know it was love. But I’m not sure it was the type of love that was destined to last through the ages. I’m thinking it was maybe more of a “young love” type of thing. That would surely explain the way I moved past it fairly quickly and why I’m not filled with joy to reconnect with him.

So, I’m not having the strongest of feelings for Brandon, but I most definitely should not be having any feelings about Alex Crossman. Not only was he a prick—the most valuable, if the rumors are to be believed—but I might have a chance to reconnect with a lost soul mate. No way am I going to ruin that over some silly celebrity crush.

Not a crush.

A definite appreciation of the male species, but not a crush, I correct myself.

With Monica pushing and prodding me the entire way, we make it out of the arena and to Hoolihan’s in ten minutes. We’re able to get a booth in the back and order drinks, despite the huge crowd that has filtered over after the game. Monica is sipping on a beer, me a sweet tea, patiently waiting for Alex to show up.

“So, how long have you known Alex?” Monica asks, her head turning every two minutes to the door to see if he walks in.

“Just a few days. This is only our second meeting,” I tell her as I sip my tea.

“I cannot believe you are not going to tap that,” she says in wonder. “You already have a boyfriend?”

“No. Yes. I mean, maybe. I’ve reconnected with an old boyfriend recently and we’re working on things. ”

“Ah,” she says in understanding. “First love?”

“First and only,” I tell her softly. “We’ve sort of been on a break over the last year. ”

“Well, lucky for me because I swear I thought Alex would be taking you home tonight. The way he was looking at you from out on the ice. ”

“He wasn’t looking at me from the ice. Just that one time to say hello and acknowledge me,” I say with exasperation.

“Girl, you are either absolutely clueless or absolutely blind,” she says while rubbing her finger along the rim of her pint glass.

“What do you mean?” I ask skeptically.

“That boy couldn’t keep his eyes off of you. He looked at you every time he skated by, and half the time he was on the bench he kept looking over at you. ”

“You’re mistaken,” I tell her confidently. Besides, I was watching Alex during the game. He didn’t look at me at all.

Except…the only times I was looking at him was when he had the puck, and then, there was no way he could have looked at me because he was concentrating on the play. But I didn’t look at him past that. I followed the puck and the game, not even thinking about staring at Alex the way Monica apparently was.

“Scoot over. ”

I hear the man of my thoughts before I even see him, as I have been staring pretty intently at my sweet tea. Raising my head, I see Alex standing there wearing a charcoal gray dress suit paired with a crisp, white business shirt opened at the collar. I assume he dresses up for game days, but he must have forgone putting a tie on.