Quick Trick (Rough Riders Hockey 1)

“Just your favorites.”

She shook her head. “Jemma wouldn’t tell you my favorites.”

“The way she wouldn’t tell me about her reserve collection?”

She smirked.

Man, he was having way too much fun. He opened the bag and peered in at the chocolates. The rich, intoxicating scent hit him, and he closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. “Mmmm. Damn, that’s better than a drug.”

“Tease,” she muttered.

He opened his eyes. “I do have Tease in here. Not too sweet, not too rich, but just right to leave you wanting more.”

She sighed as if she were barely tolerating him.

“I also have Long, Slow, Deep, Wet Kiss.” He let his gaze fall to her mouth and licked his bottom lip. “Mmm. This chocolate couldn’t compare to the real thing with you.”

She took a deep breath, ready to blow him off. “Grant—”

“Let’s see.” He returned his gaze to the bag. “I suppose it would be appropriate to move on to Nip, Tug, Suckle. Mmm-hmm. And oh, wow, then we dive into the really good stuff.”

Lifting his gaze from the bag, he met her eyes directly, deliberately, and was a little surprised to find her lids heavy, her eyes lusty. He’d begun to believe she was truly unaffected by him.

“This is a little quick for my taste,” he murmured. “I’d rather build slower, savor longer, explore in depth, but I also aim to please, so let’s skip to your next favorite—First Penetration.” He closed his eyes as the idea slid through him in a heat wave. “Mmmm. Damn. Always so good.”

She heaved a sigh. “All right, Saber. You’ve had your fun for the day. I really have to—”

“Long and Slow, one of my favorites, right along with Deep and Hard. Both have so much pleasure potential, don’t you think? All leading to the Peak, the Break, and…Ecstasy.”

He was pretty sure he’d done nothing but turn himself on and reached into the bag with the intention of torturing her by eating the chocolate himself. He held out one little dark square decorated with a single yellow flower petal. “But wait, what’s this?”

“Bareback,” she said, her gaze hot, almost challenging, on his. “The ultimate sweet ride.”

A lightning strike of lust cut him straight down the middle. “Ah. Right.”

He pulled another. This square a little lighter and topped with a purple pansy. “And this?”

“Fling.” Her lips curved a little. “Leave your chocolate-commitment fears behind. This bold baby is here to satisfy when you’re interested.”

He laughed softly and held the chocolate higher, like a gem to the light. “I should have known you’d have these memorized.” Lowering the square, he dropped it into the bag and shook his head. “Oooo, so much possibility. Too bad it will all be wasted.”

She was grinning, the look a little smug. “Wasting Jemma’s special reserve will earn you a fate worse than death.” She pushed off the shelf and, with one quick swipe, grabbed the bag from his hand. “I’d hate to see something like that happen to a guy as thoughtful as you.” She turned toward the back of the store. “Thanks, handsome. Have a great day.”

Grant opened his mouth to argue and took a step after her.

“Faith!” They both turned toward the voice. “Faith, Faith, look.” The kid they’d been messing with jogged up to her, carrying a handful of large sheets of paper. His wide eyes darted between Grant and Faith. “George just dropped these posters off, and look.”

By the way the kid was pointing at something on the page while giving Grant those starstruck eyes, Grant was sure those were the posters announcing his participation with the festival and the hockey team.

He grinned, his ego inflated. The anticipation of Faith finding out he was a sports star filled him with a ridiculous level of excitement and satisfaction.

“What?” she asked, looking over the poster before telling the kid, “Just put them up in the window where we always put the local promotions.”

“No,” the kid said, then pointed to Grant. “It’s him. He’s…look.”

Faith laughed, the sound light and bubbly and truly humor filled. “God, you are adorable,” she told the kid. Then to Grant, she said, “Give him an autograph before you leave, will you?”

She turned and continued toward the back room. Confusion shocked Grant’s brain still for a long second. He looked at the kid, said, “I’ll catch you on my way out,” then caught up with Faith and slipped his hand around her elbow. “You wait just a damn minute.”