Page 19 of Beautiful Devil
CHAPTER 18
“Here’s to Hayes sealing our win,” Finch bellows with his bottle of beer in the air. “One hell of a hockey player and an even better friend.” Everyone clanks their bottles and glasses in the air and I just coyly sip on my bottle of water.
I’m not a fan of attention, unless I’m on the ice, and I certainly don’t want any praise unless it’s coming from an NHL scout.
Glancing to my left, I look at Brogan who’s got her body turned to Avery beside her. Her head leans back as she laughs at something comical.
I wonder if she realizes how beautiful she is. A lot of girls know they’re hot and they use their looks to their advantage. Girls like Sierra and Gabby. Brogan is different, though. Her beauty seems almost incidental to who she is.
Suddenly, it hits me. I could be anywhere I want with this girl right now because she’s on my watch, and we’re sitting in a crowded bar with a bunch of drunk idiots.
Yesterday I was trying to think of the best way to use these next couple days with her, and I came up with some pretty good ideas. One of which, I think she’s going to love.
Getting to my feet, I lean down into her space and steal her attention. She peers up at me with wide, curious eyes. “Let’s get out of here,” I tell her.
While I enjoy coming to Legends after the games, the loud noise and crowds grow tiresome after a while and right now, I want to be anywhere other than here with her.
She sets her empty glass on the table and just when I think she’s going to put up a fight, she says, “okay.”
I grab the back of her chair as she tells Avery she’s leaving then I pull it away from the table so she can stand.
Taking her hand in mine, I shoot two fingers in the air at my boys, and before they can ask questions, I lead Brogan out of the bar.
When we step outside, I move my hand to her waist, keeping her body close to mine. Legends is in the heart of the nightlife district, so the sidewalks are always bustling with people.
Brogan shivers in her leggings and Devils sweatshirt and I feel like an ass for not bringing a jacket for her to wear. I pull her closer, tucking her body under my arm to shield her from the cool night air.
“So where are we going?” she asks as we walk against the crowd and away from the string of bars.
“I have a surprise for you,” I tell her as I look down at her reaction.
She looks up at me, her eyes sparkling. “Have I ever told you I hate surprises?”
“Honestly.” I laugh. “I’m not surprised by that in the least. But I think you’re gonna like this one.”
We approach my bike and she stops walking. “Are we getting on that?”
“Yeah. Why not?”
She gulps. “I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle before.”
“Technically, it’s not a motorcycle,” I tell her as I open the top box on the back of my bike. I’m happy to see I've got a heavy flannel shirt in there. I take it out and hand it to her, hoping she’ll wear it without putting up a fight. I’d hate her to be any colder on the ride. “This old girl is much faster. I’ll take it slow for you, though.” I wink.
To my surprise, she slides her arms in the sleeves of my flannel and tugs the opening closed. Knowing it’ll blow in the wind, I reach out and begin snapping the buttons on it. “If you kill us…” she begins.
“Then you’ll kill me. Got it, Legs.” I slide my spare bucket helmet over her head and tighten the strap under her chin, pausing to admire her for a second. She looks cute as fuck right now.
“I can’t kill you if you’re already dead.” She adjusts her straps until the helmet is sitting comfortably on her head. “I was going to say something more along the lines of, I’ll haunt the Devils hockey team and make them lose every single game.”
“Ohhh,” I groan teasingly. “You’re pure evil.”
I swing my leg over my bike and settle onto the leather seat. “Now climb your sexy ass on and hold on tight.” I grab my own helmet off the handle and slide it over my head before slipping on my leather riding gloves.
Brogan takes her sweet time sitting down, but once she’s nestled behind me, I reach back and grab her arms, knowing she won’t wrap them around me of her own free will. Then I bring the engine to life.
Her hands grip so tightly around my waist I feel her fingertips press through the fabric of my shirt. With her chest flush against my back and her chin touching my shoulder, I hear her voice over the roar of the bike. “You think I have a sexy ass, huh?”
I roar a laugh. “I was waiting for you to mention that.”
Twisting the throttle, I speed up, feeling the wind whip past us. Brogan’s grip on me tightens as she clings to my body like her life depends on it. “Hayes!” she shouts with laughter. I like having this sort of control over her. Even more so, I love the way she holds on and how she says my name with joy and excitement. Something about it just makes me want to go even faster, to show her what it feels like to fly. But I’m going to be careful with this one.
As we cruise down the roads, my grin stretches from ear to ear. Taking a longer route crossed my mind because I’m not ready for Brogan to let go of me, but I’m a gentleman and don’t. I know she’s cold, and I’m anxious to see her reaction when she realizes what I have planned.
Pulling into an empty parking space in front of Hallstrom Hall, I kill the engine and help Brogan ease to the ground before flipping my leg over the bike in a smooth move I’ve practiced way too many times. After taking off my helmet, I unfasten hers and hook them on my bike.
“My dorm, huh?” She smirks. “What exactly are you up to, Hayes Madden?”
“You’ll see.” I take her hand and lead the way to her room.