Page 40 of Arresting the Hockey Player

At least, I did.

Noah turned me into the girl who wants a boyfriend, and I want to hate him for it, but he's sweet and cute. Not to mention, easy on the eyes, and that body, oh my gosh.

She pushes me toward the house.

"Now?" I squeak.

"Well, I mean, you could wait, but then you'll have to find someone else if he says no."

"Maybe he'll be out of town for a game," I say.

"Are you seriously talking yourself out of bringing him?" Amber asks.

I don't answer her because if I don't bring him, then my father wins. And the only thing worse than having to do what I'm told is doing it and bringing the enemy.

Dad is going to hate Noah Reece.

Solely due to the fact that he plays for the Ice Dragons, and Dad is an Island Bruisers fan. After all, he owns and manages the Bruisers. He ought to be their biggest fan.

Noah doesn't have any inkling about my family or my father. I haven't told him. There hasn't been reason to bring it up, well, except for that night at the bar with the photographer.

And I shied away from telling him because it would complicate things between us.

Not that I think Noah will care. But I can't deal with the drama and my father. My father is the drama.

My schoolwork and studies should be my focus. Not the paparazzi and press hounding me with questions and following me to class.

I dealt with that in high school after getting caught kissing one of the younger brothers of an Island Bruisers player. Charlie Hayes wasn't on the team yet. But he played hockey and had a promising career ahead of him. The press caught us playing tonsil hockey behind the bleachers, and Dad forbade me from seeing the boy again.

Which was impossible since we were attending the same school.

So, he pulled me out of the local private school he had me enrolled in and sent me to a boarding school in London.

I'm still sour about the whole ordeal. Not that Dad had any say in who I dated or kissed in London, but I liked the boy he tore me away from.

But it's neither here nor there.

Charlie and I haven't spoken since the night I left for London. And that says a lot since he plays for my father's team.

Dad won that battle.

But he won't win the war.

I head inside, out of the cold and through the entrance, stalking my way in a rush toward Noah. "We need to talk," I say, interrupting his conversation with Kyler.

He glances back at me, his gaze moving over my body and lingering a little too long on my breasts.

I cross my arms over my chest and notice what he sees. My nipples are standing at attention from the cold.

Whatever. It's not like he hasn't seen them before, naked.

He bites his bottom lip and nods. "We do," he says, and my stomach flops.

I know what I have to tell him, but what does he think that we need to speak about?

I glance over my shoulder at Amber, who followed me into the house, and she gives me a nod and gestures for me to go with Noah.

Noah leads me down the hallway and opens a pocket door, leading me inside. He flips on the light as I enter, and he closes the door after him.