Page 7 of Daring the Hockey Player

There's a smile adorning her face. It's cute. Her cheeks redden, but the air outside could be to blame. "She does mention ice hockey a lot. We never watched it as kids growing up, but I've got into the sport lately."

"Do you play?" I ask. We stand at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change.

She's bouncing from one foot to the other in an attempt to keep warm. She's got a black wool coat that's buttoned and reaches halfway across her thighs. She shoves her hands into her pockets and retrieves a pair of bright purple gloves, slipping them on as we wait to cross the street.

I don't have to ask if she's cold. We can see our breath, and she's shivering beside me. I grab my winter hat from my pocket and secure it on her head.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping you get warm," I say. Emerson will kill me if her little sister catches a cold, especially before the wedding. Not that I know when Em and Kyler will be getting married. He hasn't officially proposed yet.

I mean, officially, he did on the ice during a game, but it wasn't real. They've been pretending to be in love, and somewhere between pretending and spending time together, they fell in love.

"Thanks," Amber says, and this time, I'm sure she's blushing. "The light," she gestures, and we stroll alongside one another as we cross the street and walk another block down to the coffee shop.

I open the door for her, letting her inside where it's toasty, and I follow behind. We order three hot coffees, and once our order is up, she grabs her drink and a cup of water and heads for the door.

"Where are you going?" I ask, slowing her down. I'm carrying my coffee and my brother's.

She points with her gloved hand at the door. "Back to the shop."

"Kyler will find us. And I don't think they'd appreciate open beverages in their store."

Amber presses her lips together. "You're right." She relents and follows me to an open table in the corner. Before she sits, she places her coffee on the table and then slides off her gloves and the winter hat, handing the black beanie back to me.

"Thanks."

She runs a hand through her messy hair. Amber looks absolutely adorable, like she's got messy bedhead after a wild night, but I keep that thought to myself.

I have half a mind to tell her to keep it, except it's cold, and after we part ways this morning, I may want it back. I was planning on doing a little practice on the ice rink and prefer to be nice and warm.

"So, your brother and my sister," Amber says, sipping her coffee. She's wearing a light blue scarf that matches her eyes and a cream-colored wool sweater that hugs her down to her knees.

"Is this your first-time meeting Kyler?" I ask.

"It is," she says with a laugh. "Honestly, I thought my sister would introduce me to him before he called me up to ask me to go ring shopping with him."

I smirk. My brother never does things by the book. "That was bold. And you said yes."

"I wanted to meet him before the wedding."

I can't help but laugh. "There are other ways to do that, like have dinner together."

Amber shrugs. "This is more fun than some lame-ass dinner where everyone is on their best behavior. This way, I get to meet him and his brother." She clasps her hands together on the table, staring at me. "So, spill the dirt. You're his brother. What's wrong with him?"

She's grinning, and I sit back and laugh, glancing up at the ceiling. That could be a very long list. "Aside from him being stubborn and a pain in my ass?" I ask.

"Aren't all siblings? What else? I want the juicy details."

"Honestly, he's a pretty great guy, and from what I've seen, the two of them make each other happy."

She dips her fingers into her water cup and flicks it at my face.

"What was that for?" I laugh, wiping away the wet drops from my cheeks.

THREE

AMBER