Page 117 of Daring the Hockey Player

Amber's eyes are sullen as she stares up at me. She's tugging at the hem of the shirt she's wearing,my shirt. With one hand, I reach for her fingers, threading them together as I speak to Emerson on the phone. "I know. We'll figure it out together. You don't need to protect your little sister."

"I'm not little," Amber protests, standing on her tiptoes to make sure that her sister can hear her on the phone.

She's certainly not little, but I'm six-two, and Amber is just over five foot. Her tenacity is adorable, and I lean down, planting a kiss on her nose. "I'm done talking about it. It's late; we're going to bed." I end the call and silence my phone, not wanting to be interrupted.

"And now you see why I'm not particularly close with my sister," Amber says, slumping down at the edge of the mattress.

"She's looking out for you, but she's being a tad bit overprotective," I say, agreeing with Amber that Em needs to mind her own business on this one.

"That's putting it mildly."

"Do you want to shower?" I ask. She's already in my T-shirt for bed, but after our little romp in the sheets, I could use another shower, and it gives me the opportunity to fulfill one of many fantasies involving her.

Smiling, she tilts her head to the side. "Are you trying to get me naked? Because it's working."

"You still look pretty clothed to me," I say and reach for the hem of the shirt that she's wearing. She lifts her arms, and I let my fingers dance over her hips and up her sides as I gradually tug the cotton material over her head. I toss the discarded shirt onto the floor. "That's better."

My fingers roam over her bottom. "How sore are you?" I ask, suspecting that she might still be aching from what we did earlier.

"Throbbing," she laughs into my neck, "I think you bruised me."

"Shit." I tense and run a hand through my hair. My fingers glide up her back as I pull away slightly to meet her stare. "I need you to tell me if I'm going too fast or too rough with you."

"I'm kidding," Amber says, and her fingers tease down my stomach. My cock twitches to life. "It was perfect, but I am a bit achy down there."

"How about we just take a shower, get cleaned up, and curl up in bed together?" I suggest, brushing my lips against her neck.

"That sounds fine, but if you keep kissing that spot and doing that thing with your tongue, you're going to get me soaked before we even step into the shower."

I groan at her words. She's going to kill me with her sexy talk, but at least I'll die a happy man.

* * *

"Where are we going?" I ask as she drags me to the subway, not so much as giving me a hint of our destination.

"I can't say." The grin on her face is wide, and I can't help but wonder what she's scheming.

"A date?" I'm hopeful. It's my day off, the first one in quite a while. Although I spent the morning downstairs at the gym in the building, I didn't have to meet up with the team for practice or training.

Her tongue darts out the corner of her lips, and I want to kiss her and taste her, let the world know that she'smine.

But the words her older sister said keep replaying in my head, and she is right. Amber has never been in a relationship, and her first real boyfriend is in the spotlight. I want to shield her from unwarranted attention, protect her like the innocent little dove that she is. But hiding our relationship from the media and the news will only make it more dramatic.

I take her hand, giving it a squeeze. "You do know dating me doesn't come with anonymity. One photo posted on social media, and everyone will be gossiping about us," I say, leaning in and bumping her arm with mine.

I need to know that she's okay with that part of my life. It's not always shiny and perfect.

"Let them talk." She leans up on her tiptoes and kisses me. "I have nothing to hide."

"Good, then you can tell me where we're going," I say as she leads me down the stairs to the subway station. We cross through the turnstile, and she glances at the map briefly before leading me to the correct platform.

"As long as you tell me what's in that bag you've been hiding under your bed." She smirks all too knowingly.

Did she peek inside and see the dress that I bought her?

I still haven't given it to her, mainly because I can't stand the thought of another man laying eyes on her while she's wearing it.

"Did you look in the bag?" I ask.