Alex (Cold Fury Hockey 1)

I have two weeks.

“It doesn’t matter,” Sutton says quickly. “I called him the other night and told him that I didn’t ever see us making it past friends and if he was harboring hope for something more, I needed to let him know that it was probably a waste of time. I told him that I didn’t want him trying to prove me wrong. I told him…”

She drifts off, almost embarrassed to say what I think she’s getting ready to say.

“Told him what?” I urge.

“That I was seeing someone else. That I was very interested in someone else. ”

“And just so I’m clear on the matter, you are talking about me, right?”

She laughs merrily into the phone, causing my smile to flare bright again. “Yes, I was talking about you. ”

“Can I see you after the game Saturday afternoon?” I ask her, completely changing the subject.

“What did you have in mind?” she asks, her voice slightly husky and I know she’s thinking of something slightly indecent.

“Well, I was thinking of taking you and your family out to dinner after the game. Then maybe we could do something…together. ”

“Like what, together?” she presses.

“Hmm. I do have something specific in mind. ”

“Define specific,” she says, her voice light and breathy.

“I think it might involve me putting my hands all over you,” I murmur, and I love the intake of her breath that is loud enough that I can hear it through our phone connection.

She clears her throat. “Anything more specific than that?”

A low laugh bubbles up in my throat. “You’ll just have to wait and see. ”

“I can’t wait,” she sighs with a bit of frustration that has my man card elevating from gold to platinum status.

We talk for a bit more, a little of this and a little of that. We find we have a mutual love of B-rated horror movies and fried dill pickles. We are widely divergent in our musical tastes— she’s all hearts and sweet pop and I’m heavy metal and grunge. It is an easy agreement we make that whoever’s car we are driving in gets to pick the music. Which implies that we will be riding in each other’s cars in the future, and probably on more than one occasion.

I’m not exa

ctly sure what is happening here, but I suppose an outsider would say I’m developing a relationship with someone.

My first.

Sadly, my only, and I hope I don’t screw it up.

Chapter 14

Sutton

“You seriously want to take the boys out with us?” I ask Alex for what I think may be the third time.

“It’s a little too late to change my mind,” he says, looking in the rearview mirror of his Suburban to check on Glenn and his two friends in the backseat. “I’ve already invited them. I’m pretty sure they’d riot if I canceled. ”

Looking over my left shoulder, I can’t help but grin at Glenn and his two neighborhood buddies, Mickey and Tyrone. Glenn is sitting in the middle, wearing the Cold Fury jersey that Alex gave him. They are all three looking at the game programs they got when we arrived at the arena earlier this afternoon to watch Alex play. Alex had given me four tickets and the original idea had been to bring Glenn, Mom and Jim-Dad. However, my parents backed out the minute they realized Glenn would be happier bringing two of his friends, a move that was sure to earn him cool points and bump up his street cred—especially since the tickets were given to him by Alex Crossman himself. Alex suggested that the boys and I take a cab to the game and he would shuttle us around after, an offer I was all too happy to take him up on—and Glenn and his buddies weren’t complaining either.

Glenn glances up and catches me looking at him with what must be a dopey look on my face, because he shoots me back a toothy grin and actually winks at me. Rolling my eyes, I turn around and face forward.

Turning slightly in my seat to face Alex, I take in the surety with which he is driving the huge SUV, his left wrist casually resting across the top of the steering wheel while he leans his elbow on the center console between us. His profile is as stunning as his front view—it’s a view that I don’t ever tire of looking at.

“It was really nice to invite the kids. I hope it didn’t mess up whatever it was you had planned,” I tell him, turning back to look out the window. We had originally made plans to get something to eat with him after the game, but as soon as we were done eating, I figured we’d bring the kids back to Mom and Jim-Dad’s house because Alex had teased me with the prospect of putting his hands all over me. Instead, Alex had leaned across the table and said, “You guys want to hang out with me and Sutton the rest of the day?”

And of course, the boys screamed in excitement that they did.

Yeah, that was the sweetest thing ever and all I could think was, Just great. How can he put his hands all over me with three kids tagging along?

“It was no biggie. Didn’t change my plans any. ”

My head snaps over to his and he doesn’t miss my sudden movement. He glances at me, eyebrows raised in innocence and lips pursed in amusement.

“Where are we going?” I ask with unbearable curiosity. Where is he taking us that the kids can tag along and he can have his way with me? I must admit the suspense is killing me.

He doesn’t answer but turns on his blinker as he slows to make a right-hand turn into the parking lot of the Cold Fury’s practice rink. I had learned during our first lunch date after I watched Alex’s practice session that this is actually a privately owned rink that is open all week for a variety of ice-related activities such as recreational league hockey and figure skating. Alex told me that it closes only when the Cold Fury need it to practice, although most often they practice in the team’s arena.

The parking lot is only about half full and the boys are bouncing in excitement when they see where we are.

“This is where you practice, right?” Mickey asks.

“Sometimes,” Alex says as he opens the car door and I follow suit. Once we are all standing in front of Alex’s SUV, he asks, “Okay, everyone here know how to ice-skate?”