Page 74 of Daring the Hockey Player

"Umm, yeah, sure." It's the first time I don't know what to talk about. I don't feel like rambling. My teeth are chattering, and I'm regretting wearing this ridiculous skirt when it's cold enough to snow.

"Where's Charlotte?" Jasper asks, keeping the conversation going. His voice sounds more distant, and I hear the rev of a car engine.

I'm hoping he'll be here soon, but I know it's going to take a little while. So far, the sidewalk is abandoned. I haven't seen anyone since the party, and the streetlamps flicker overhead as I pick up my pace.

My feet are growing cold and numb from the chill outside. So much for Charlotte's boots keeping my feet warm.

"Charlotte? She is probably sleeping with some guy she met. I don't know, she disappeared at the party and ditched me. Typical Char."

I swear that I hear him growl at my answer.

"It's fine. I'm used to being her wingman. I just couldn't take any more of the guy who was hitting on me."

"Hitting on you?" His responses are short. Curt. Rough.

"It's nothing." I don't really want to talk about it with Jasper, or anyone, for that matter. I don’t know what Atlas was thinking. Why bring up his brother at all? Did he honestly think that having Knox Storm as a brother would impress me? Because it doesn't. And calling meIce Queen? What the hell was that about? Because I wouldn't give him a blow job or fuck him?

"You're dodging my question," Jasper says.

"Can we talk about something other than the party?" I wince at my tone, not wanting to snap at him. None of this is his fault. "Sorry."

"Don't be," he says, his voice calm and collected. "I'm almost there. I've got the heat on in the car for you."

"If you put the air conditioning on, I think I'd have to murder you, Jasper."

"A woman with a vengeance," he teases. There's a lightness to his tone, and I see a Porsche at the next light, his blinker on, waiting to turn down the street where I'm walking.

The chilly air tickles my skin, and I shiver, wrapping my arms around myself.

As soon as the traffic light changes, Jasper rounds the corner, and the roar of his engine approaches as he hits the gas before coming to an abrupt halt.

He pulls across the empty road and idles the vehicle. I hurry to the passenger door, yank it open, and climb inside. The welcome blast of heat is refreshing against my tingling skin.

Jasper doesn't move. His gaze rakes over me.

"I should have brought a blanket," he says, taking in a long look as he does another once over, making sure to get a nice glance at my bare legs.

Any other guy, and I'd make a snide remark about his lingering stare, but instead, it heats me to the core, and I exhale a nervous breath.

"Nice car," I say, trying to direct his attention away from my body without actually telling him not to look. Because the truth is that I don't mind his attention, I like it.

"Yeah, I borrowed Kyler's car. I can drop you off at home before returning it to him."

He runs a hand through his hair, shakes his head like he's trying to get focused, and pulls back out onto the road.

The silence stretches between us for only a few seconds. "I don't feel like going home," I admit, changing a glance in his direction. "Can I hang out with you guys tonight, or is it like, no girls?" I don’t want to crash his night if it's like a guys' night out thing with the team.

"There are always girls, even when we don't invite them," Jasper quips. "Unless we're hanging out at someone's house or something. Sure, you can come." He glances at me, his gaze on my short skirt, before returning his attention to the road.

"Thanks for picking me up," I say, fiddling with my hands in my lap. The butterflies are always there around him, but they're tamed, and my desire for him is insurmountable. It's probably the rum punch from the party letting me act out of want, and I'm okay with that. If this is what it takes to make it known how I feel about him, so be it.

I reach across the car, resting my hand on his thigh.

He's wearing jeans. They're tight, and he's warm as I stroke my fingers against his pants. I'm cautious not to just go right for his cock, which I want, but I caress his leg, my fingers moving inward toward his inner thigh.

Jasper's breathing deepens. Each breath grows louder as his lips part, and I swear the car begins to fog from the heat between us.

"Amber, what are you doing?"