Page 17 of Hat Trick (Titans Hockey #1)

Chapter fifteen

Gabe

I resist the urge to curl my fingers. I want to dig the tips of my fingers into her hips. I knew she would be a distraction. A temptation. All smooth curves and soft skin and pouty lips. The problem with living with a temptation day in and day out is eventually you just give into it.

I'm tired of fighting her. I'm tired of resisting my attraction to her. My eyes always find her. My body gravitates towards her. My fingers itch to touch her. And fuck - she's a good person underneath her tempting exterior. I think maybe that's what scares me the most.

It's one thing to be physically attracted to a woman.

That happens every day. It's another thing to be attracted to who she is inside as well.

The itch of physical attraction can be scratched in a night.

The itch of personal attraction makes me want to be around her, talk to her, hear her laugh. I'm addicted to everything about her.

That scares the shit out of me.

I've caught her watching me too. I know she's attracted to me. And now that I'm done fighting my attraction to her, what does that mean? How far will she let me take this?

I slide my finger up her stomach underneath her sweatshirt and test the waters a little.

She sucks in a breath and holds it, but she doesn't push me away.

So, I slide a finger of my other hand up to the warm skin of her stomach and smile, full of male satisfaction and pride at the full body shudder she gives me.

I decide to push my luck. Emily's not the shy, scared little mouse the others think she is.

This kitten has claws. If she didn't want me touching her, she'd have no problem telling me to fuck off.

I look around and find Carter and Luca being goofy with Annie and some of the other parents on the team. My chest expands at the knowledge that I'm touching their precious little plaything without them knowing.

I spread my legs and drag her hips to mine, bracketing her skates with my own.

"You cold?" I whisper into the shell of her ear. She shivers again. I know she's not cold, but I want to know if she'll lie to me - lie to herself.

She simply shakes her head 'no'. A low, satisfied growl bubbles up from my chest. "Good girl."

The arena is loud, pop music playing and people talking, but I swear I hear a whimper come from her. Her hands cover mine on her hips and for a second I'm worried I took it too far. Instead, she laces her fingers through mine and leans slightly back into me.

I know we're in public. I know people will talk, but it's the closest I've gotten to her, it's the first time her walls have come down and fuck if I'm going to let a little bit of the rumor mill ruin this moment.

The boys will give me shit for a week or two, but they're all really good about keeping it in the family.

The gossip columns won't hear about it. And I know for a fact Carter's gotten close with her too this past week.

After our away game, I caught him leaving Emily's bedroom in the morning.

A pang of jealousy ripped through me. I hadn't heard them have sex, so I don't know exactly what they did, but I also wasn't going to cockblock our Captain and my best friend.

He needs someone and if that someone is his nanny?

It's not the smartest idea, but it makes sense.

"Gabe," she groans. "What are we doing?"

"We're skating." I say in a teasing, light-hearted way. I don't want her overthinking things. We're just skating.

"I can feel your dick on my ass."

I chuckle, slightly embarrassed and pull my hips away from her.

"I didn't say I minded it."

Little minx. Oh, hell fucking yeah. I pull her hips back to me, which causes her to throw her hands out again at the loss of balance.

"I told you, Ems, I'll never let you fall."

After another lap I feel her tense beneath me. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Teasing me? I thought you hated me?"

"I never hated you, Em." I growl. "I didn't trust you. There's a difference."

"So, this is you, trusting me?"

"Yeah, baby. This is me trusting you." And wanting you.

She tenses again. "Please don't call me that." The strain in her voice has the hair on the back of my neck standing up. "My ex used to call me that."

I tense, my blood simmering with anger. But I ignore it and press on. If I go all alpha male on her now, it'll just scare her away. "Alright, what should I call you?"

"My name?"

"Nah, that's not fun. Friends call each other nicknames."

"Is that what we are? Friends? "

"Yes." No! "Emily, we're friends." She's silent for a beat so I press. "Everyone on the team has at least one."

She snorts. "Like Guardian Gabe?"

I dig my fingers into her ribs causing her to jump and squeal. "You know I hate that nickname. No one but the press calls me that. The boys call me Ice Man."

I think about it a moment longer. "How about Princess?"

She snorts in response. It's probably the most offensive nickname I could call her, and as far from the truth as possible. She's absolutely nothing like the stuck-up, back-stabbing woman I thought she was.

"I could call you Bunny?" I'm already flexing, prepared for the elbow she throws into my gut.

I laugh, loudly. I haven't felt this light in probably years. "Princess it is, then."

"Who's a Princess?" Luca asks, patting me roughly on the shoulder. I check his vibe to see if he's angry I'm so close to his girl, but his smile is genuine. Interesting.

"Our hot nanny." I reply.

"Oh yeah?" Luca asks before picking her up in a bear hug and spinning her in a circle. She squeals and grips his shoulders tightly.

I can’t help but laugh at the sight of Emily being spun around by Luca. Her hair flies in all directions, and her laughter is infectious. When he finally sets her down, she stumbles a bit, still giggling.

"Put me down, you big oaf!" she says, playfully swatting at Luca. He’s looking down at her with a look of genuine affection, and for a moment, I feel a pang of something unfamiliar.

Jealousy? No, that's not quite it. Jealous of how easy she is with Luca.

How he brings out her playful side. I want that with her. I want more with her.

It's time to let her know that.