Page 27 of Blindside Me (Cessna U Hockey #3)

She grins, baring her teeth. “That’s the point.”

For a second, I stare at her, memorizing the curve of her mouth, the line of sweat glimmering at her hairline from the packed bar. My throat aches with want.

I close the gap, shoulder grazing hers. “What do you want, Jade?”

Her stare penetrates deep. “Isn’t it obvious?”

I shake my head, not trusting my voice.

She moves first. The brush of her hand against my arm is quick, almost accidental, but there’s nothing accidental about the way her fingers slide down to my wrist. It’s electric. I suck in a breath, feeling the heat chase away the cold.

“Don’t make me say it,” she says.

“Say what?” I take the drink from her hand and place it on the floor.

She snorts. “That I want you, dumbass. That’s why you’re losing your mind, right?”

I nod, swallowing hard. “It’s fucking torture.”

Jade rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. “Then why are we here?”

I don’t have an answer, so I pull her in, careful not to be too rough, but not gentle either.

I’m tired of pretending. She melts into me, hands fisting in my shirt, her mouth hot on mine.

The rest of the world disappears, along with the noise, the jealousy, and the fear. It’s just us. It’s always just us.

Mirth dances in her eyes as she breaks away. “This is stupid.”

“Yeah,” I agree. “So let’s be stupid.”

She laughs, a real one this time, and lets her head fall to my chest. For a second, everything is easy.

That is, until the bathroom door jerks open, and voices spill out.

We jerk apart, almost guilty. Jade straightens her shirt as our eyes meet. The longing in hers mirrors mine. I’m sure of it. The corners of her lips quirk up like she knows exactly what I’m thinking.

And for the first time all night, I do.

She glances at the corridor, like someone’s going to walk by and catch us. It’s a real possibility. It’s not as if we’re hiding.

She shoves my chest. “This is a bad idea,” she whispers. “You know that, right?”

I run my thumb along her jaw, loving the way she shivers. “Not the first time you’ve said that.”

“Yeah, well, I’m usually right.”

I cage her in, arms braced against the wall on either side of her head. “You’re not running,” I say. “You want this as bad as I do.”

She doesn’t answer. She stares at my mouth like she’s weighing the consequences. “You don’t know how badly I want to shove you in that bathroom, drop to my knees, and redeem myself.”

My dick twitches, wanting nothing more than to see if she’s as good as she claims.

“That’s not a good idea here. It would get back to your uncle.” My reminder is a half-dare and a half-warning rolled into one. But the threat remains.

She smirks. “And what? Bench you for kissing me?”

I laugh, biting back the urge to taste her again. “Probably make me do laps. Or clean toilets.”

She grins. “You’d do it.”

“For you?” I duck closer. “I’d do anything.”

Her eyes darken as she grabs a fistful of my shirt and yanks me forward until our lips collide.

There’s a hint of desperation and urgency.

She slides her hands against my shirt until her fingers dig into my back as if she wants to mark me.

And goddamn do I want that more than anything.

I don’t know what it is about this woman, but I find myself constantly craving her.

The ends of her hair, still cool from the rink, brush my cheek as I rock against her. The small “oh” she breathes fills my mouth, vibrating down my throat and settling somewhere beneath my ribs.

“We’re not good at this,” she manages to say between pants.

“At what?” I kiss her cheek, her jaw, her throat. Because the heat between us says we’re very good at this.

“Restraint,” she says. “Not getting caught.”

“I don’t care,” I say, and I mean it. “Let them find us.”

She pushes me off with a shove that barely lands. “You’re such an idiot.”

I grin. “You like idiots.”

She rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. “Only the self-destructive ones.”

I brush a lock of hair from her face and memorize the way she looks at me: like she’s always hungry, always one second from biting. “Come home with me,” I say, softer this time.

She goes quiet, eyes flicking from my face to the floor and back. “What about your roommates?”

I snort. “Ryan’s too busy with Maddy to care. Blake’s at Amanda’s. And Easton, who knows what the fuck he’s up to these days. Place is empty.”

Jade hesitates, chewing her lip. “That would be insane.”

“Then let’s do something sane,” I say. “Let’s just be together. No hiding.”

She looks at me like she wants to say no, but then her fingers find my hand and lace through. “You’re going to ruin me.”

I lean in next to her ear, dropping my voice to a whisper. “Just wait until I put my huge cock inside you. I really will ruin you.” I smile at the shiver working through her body.

“As much as I want to, I can’t. I’ve made plans with the girls.”

I want to go all caveman and tell her to break them and be with me, but that would be an idiotic move. I may be a dumb jock, but I’m smart enough to know my limits. So instead, I nod, despite wanting her lying underneath me, all to myself.

We stand there for a minute, breathing each other in the dirty hallway and fluorescent lighting. I don’t know if she’ll ever say yes. But I know I’ll wait as long as it takes.

Finally, she lets go of my hand and brushes past me. At the exit, she turns. “Don’t take too long figuring this out, Hockey Boy.”

“Yeah,” I say, watching her walk away.

My head buzzes as I walk back to join the rest of the guys. I know our time will come. It’s just figuring out the how. But one thing’s for sure, I want her more than some dirty little secret.

We will figure it out.