Page 17 of Breaking the Ice (Denver Stampede #6)

DANI

H oly shit, Gabe sent my brain on vacation every time he kissed me, and I knew that was dangerous. I didn’t want to think about how this man made me feel. I had to just focus on doing what we needed to do to show Roger I had fully moved on.

This was just for show. We were good actors.

It would be fine.

Totally fine.

“Not to be a creeper, but I just texted you a pic.” Josie’s voice cut through my brain, and I watched Gabe take his phone out of his pocket.

“Totally Insta worthy,” Josie continued, giving me a wink when I met her gaze.

“Are you seriously taking pictures of them? Just promise not to start drawing them for your authors,” Micah admonished his girlfriend.

She put her hand on her chest. “Micahtron, I would never do that. I don’t sketch people I know and use their tattoos in my illustrations only to have them end up in romance novels.” She paused, grinning. “Except you, of course.”

“Dammit, Hurricane.” There was a slight grin on his face as he shook his head at her.

“What?” I asked.

Josie looked over at me, a twinkle in her eyes.

“Sorry. One of my jobs is doing spicy illustrations for authors to put in their books, usually special editions, or to use as reader gift type stuff. And sometimes the hero has one of Micah’s tattoos.

It’s fun trying to get him to spot them.

” Then she patted his bicep and smirked.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, and I was also grateful for the attention shifting off of me and Tucks. Micah had called her Hurricane, and I could already tell how perfect that nickname probably was for her.

“So, what did you just take a picture of?” I asked.

“Oh, just you two looking adorable together. Sometimes I wish we had more candids of us.” She batted her lashes at Micah for good measure. “We should totally take more pics of us together, sweetie.” That woman was a lot.

“Are you going to be randomly snapping pics of all of us?” Sin asked. “I’d tell you to get my good side, but I don’t have a bad one.”

A few of the people around us groaned.

Sin laughed. “What? Did you honestly think I’d let that clear lead-in slip by me? Come on, now.”

“What do you think?” Gabe said, his voice too low and gritty in my ear for my body to remain cool and calm. I tuned out everyone around us.

“What? Oh, right.” I glanced down at his phone screen.

Fucking hell, she’d snapped it right after I’d ended the kiss. My fingers were still curled into his shirt and he was staring down at me, our lips still close together. I could feel the heat coming off of that image, and my body tightened with an overpowering need.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck .

I stupidly ached to kiss him again. To do so much more than just kiss him.

“This will definitely piss off Jenzy.” He ended his statement with a slight questioning sound.

It was like being doused with cold water.

Right. That was what we were really here for, which I would do well to remember.

I pulled away from him and looked up into his eyes. “Yep. Totally. You want to post it?”

There was something in his expression that I couldn’t read, and I didn’t want to delve deeper right now. No need to go looking for trouble.

“Both of us should. Wonder which one he’ll comment on first. I have to say, pissing Jenzy off is truly enjoyable.”

I chuckled softly. “Glad I could help you find joy in this mess.”

His hand landed on my hip again, and he squeezed firmly. My breath caught in my throat.

“Pissing him off is enjoyable, but not nearly as much fun, or satisfying, as feeling my lips against yours. Even if it’s just for show,” he murmured.

“Umm,” I started.

“Was that too much? Coming on too strong? Okay, so what should our caption be? Or maybe we go with the picture saying it all without words? Yeah. Mysterious. I like it.” He tapped away on his phone.

“Okay, posted. I sent the pic to you and tagged you in my post. Did you want another drink? I’m just grabbing water. ”

“Uh. Umm, sure. Water’s fine.” But he was already turning toward the bar.

Was it possible to get a hot flash and whiplash at the same time?

What the hell had just happened?

***

“Pretty sure my phone almost burst into flames when I opened up Instagram this morning. Want to talk about it?” Belinda said the following morning as she walked into my office and handed me my second cup of coffee for the day.

“Ooh, coffee,” I said, taking a big sip. “Shit. Hot.”

Belinda quirked a brow. “Yeah, it’s coffee.”

“And delicious. Thanks. I have a crazy day,” I said. Hopefully, she’d leave me alone, but I knew that wasn’t happening as soon as she dropped down into the chair across from my desk.

She eyed me over the top of her cup. “Same, but it looks like your weekend was crazier.”

“Yeah, I went to the Center to hang out with the kids and then caught a hockey game, which you would know since you were there.”

“And then almost set what looked like a bar on fire,” she teased.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t. The way you were looking at each other, I bet you even forgot where you were.”

I waved my hand at her. “Pssh.” I’d been going for nonchalant, but the sound that came out of me was some weird squeak-squawk noise.

“Want to try that again?”

“Stop it. It’s just fake and you know it. All for show, doesn’t mean anything. Of course, Gabe’s post did earn another snarky comment from Roger, which is why we’re doing this anyway.”

“If that’s how you want to play it.”

“I’m not playing anything.” I paused, still trying to unrattle myself from the kiss and that photo from last night.

I shoved down a shudder. That man had no business kissing so spectacularly.

It was categorically unfair that he’d seemed unbothered when he’d stepped away to get us waters from the bartender—a water that had taken everything in me to stop myself from dumping over my head.

The night had ended shortly after, and he’d been nothing but polite when he’d dropped me at my door.

I shouldn’t have been so disappointed that he hadn’t asked to come in.

Shit.

“Earth to Dani.” Belinda’s voice pulled me out of my head. “Are you drooling?”

“ No . It’s just coffee.”

“Sure. So, what happened last night?”

“I met him at the team bar after the game, he introduced me to a bunch of his teammates and their partners. A few know about the ruse and were very nice. Then we kissed for show, posted a pic online, and that was it.” I needed it to sound so clinical.

She narrowed her gaze at me. “That’s all?”

I nodded. “Yup. Just your typical fake date. All for appearances. Nothing else.”

“If you say so. But would it be so bad if it turned into more?”

“It’s not going to. I just ended one relationship, I’m not looking for another one. Especially with another hockey player. I just want to be single, focus on work and the youth center and having fun.”

“Okay, I’ll lay off, but you know you can talk to me about anything, right? I just want to see you have some fun and not get hurt.”

Her kind eyes killed the bite in me. She meant well, but I just didn’t know what the hell was going on, and it was an uncomfortable feeling.

“Me too,” I murmured.

“Alright, So let’s switch gears. I didn’t have a chance to ask at the game. How did it go at the Center this weekend?”

I felt myself smiling already. “Mason demanded to do my makeup and had some skin-care tips. Said I looked tired.”

She chuckled. “Of course he did, and I bet he was spot on. He still loving his new job at Pamper Me?”

“Yes, he filled me in on how he gently guided a tragic older woman—his words, not mine—into trying a new look with her makeup. He helped her find the best color palette for her skin tone.”

Belinda’s shoulders were shaking.

Mason had been going to One Center since he was twelve and had really come into his own already at sixteen.

Belinda had hooked him up with a part-time job helping out at a salon her friend owned, and he was thriving.

I loved seeing the kids flourish, and now Mason was a great help with the younger kids who came to the Center.

“I can absolutely picture him telling this story. Did you see Jodi there?”

“Connie said she hasn’t been in for over a week, but I know her father is on the road for a while, so I think it’s easier for her to be home with just her mom.” I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice, but it wasn’t completely absent. Every kid deserved loving and supportive parents.

Belinda and I finished our coffees while catching up on our weekends and general office stuff before we both had to meet our first clients of the day. Thankfully, she didn’t ask me anything else about Gabe.

I spent the rest of the day focusing on my clients and trying not to think about the charity event coming up later that night. The event where Gabe would no doubt be attentive and kiss me again while I questioned what the hell I’d gotten myself into.

It would be fine.

Totally fine.

***

“’Bout time you called me back,” my brother said when he answered his phone later that afternoon.

I’d just wrapped up my last client, but Mal had texted me multiple times during the day to freaking call him already. It’s not like I was avoiding him, but I’d been busy. With work.

“I had clients,” I huffed. “Some of us are not on vacation.”

“I can’t believe we’re flying home tomorrow afternoon. I’m not ready to leave paradise,” he grumbled.

“It looks like it’s been amazing.”

“Stop stalling and fill me in on just how serious you are about that goalie.”

“Don’t you have a mai tai to get to? Or yoga on the beach or something?”

“Rick is taking a surfing lesson right now, but I stayed back just to talk to my favorite sister.”

I could easily picture the exasperating smile on his face.

“I’m your only sister,” I grumbled.

“So, tell me all about Gabriel Tucker. Seems like it’s more serious than you let on the last time I actually got you on the phone.”

“That was two days ago. And I gave you the basics. You make it sound like we haven’t communicated in ages.”