Page 21 of Offside and Off-Limits (Love in Maple Falls #2)

CLARA

Veronica's directive was clear. Create content featuring me interacting with Cade on camera, oozing the “chemistry” she insists she sees between us.

Well, her and half the social media commenting population, that is.

I admit, it’s hard not to agree with her when I look at the accidental livestream that started this whole thing.

There’s a certain tension between us when we look into one another’s eyes.

It’s intense, the moment stretching for a beat too long as he holds me close to him, my limbs melting like honey against his firm frame.

If only I hadn’t agreed to the dance in the first place. If only Joel hadn’t mistakenly thought I’d told him to livestream it.

But these things happened, and I need to step up and do what my boss has told me to do—even if it feels a lot like walking right into the lion’s den—and the lion is most definitely Cade Lennox and that flirty grin that zips straight through me like a live wire.

Just to confuse things more, there’s Veronica’s second directive ringing in my ears. Watch out for Cade Lennox with his heartbreaker rep.

I blow out a breath. This is like walking a tightrope. One wrong step and I’m done, either losing my job or losing my head with Cade.

Neither of the things are on my To Do list right now.

“So, Hockey 101. What do you want to know?” he asks.

“Well,” I manage, trying to sound like a serious content creator rather than someone whose professional objectivity always seems to melt around this guy. “How about we start with something basic? Like the rules of the game, but not in a dry way.”

“Triple, there’s nothing dry about me.”

I swallow, the way his eyes bore into mine raising my temperature. “Good to know. Let’s start with what a faceoff is and then move onto other terms.”

“Happy to.”

I set up the tripod, my fingers fumbling with the equipment, intensely aware of his eyes tracking my every move. “Why don’t you grab your stick and a puck and skate out onto the ice a little and I’ll get you in frame?”

“Sure thing,” he replies as he rises to his impossible height, stepping through the door, and gliding across the ice. He turns to look at me. “Is here good, Triple?”

“A little closer. And don’t call me Triple on camera, okay?”

“Sure thing, Clara .”

He shifts closer to the camera, and I call out, “Stop! Perfect. Let me get my skates on, and I’ll join you in a sec. Don’t move. Got it?”

He salutes me, his grin wide. “Yes, ma’am!”

I tilt my head to the side and throw him a look.

“Too soon?” he asks with a shrug, his boyish charm oozing right out of him.

“Too soon,” I reply as I sit down and concentrate on lacing up my skates.

A moment later, I press record, step onto the ice, and cover the short distance to him.

“Hey, you’re good at this,” he says.

“Not my first rodeo. I grew up around this arena. I spent many hours here skating around to music with my friends.”

“Tell me it was in a little figure skating costume with one of those tiny skirts at your hips.”

I roll my eyes at him. “Seriously, Cade?”

He holds his hands up. “What can I say? Flirting with you is too fun to resist.”

“Try harder.”

“I make no promises.”

I turn to the camera and begin. “I’m here with Cade Lennox, star winger of the newest team in the League, the Ice Breakers, and a player I know you all love.

Cade’s going to take us through some hockey basics in this, our first Hockey 101 video.

” I turn to him. “Cade, tell us about the tools you use as a hockey player.”

“This,” he says, brandishing his stick at the camera. “This is a hockey stick. It’s what we players use to push a little black disc around the ice.” He holds up the puck. “And this is that little black disc, aka the puck or the biscuit, as we players tend to call it.”

His personality shines through and I know we’re off to a good start.

“So you push a puck around the ice, trying to get it into your opposition’s net to score points. Correct? ”

“There’s a little bit more to it than that, Clara,” he says with a laugh.

“Nice segue to some of the questions I’ve got from the public.

” I pull a folded piece of paper from my jacket pocket and read the first line.

“Selena from Seattle says she knows nothing about hockey and only watches it for the hot guys.” Cade laughs.

“She wants you to explain the positions on the team.”

“Happy to, Selena. There are three forwards, two defensemen, and one goalie on a team. Forwards are centers and wingers, like me, and we make things happen on the ice.”

“So you're saying you’re a troublemaker?” I ask.

“Me?” he asks innocently. “Centers are like the quarterbacks of hockey. They take the faceoffs and distribute the puck. Wingers like me support the center and try to create scoring opportunities. So yeah, it’s kinda our job to create trouble for the opposition as we try to get the points on the board. ”

“What about the defense?” I ask, happy with the direction the interview is going so far.

“The defense is like the responsible older siblings. They keep us from getting into too much trouble. Like you and me.” He waggles his brows at me, and I can’t help but smile.

“Moving onto the next question. Lauren from Tacoma wants to know what a faceoff is, and why it’s got that name.”

“A faceoff is where two players line up, face to face, sticks on the ice.” He positions his stick between us.

“The ref drops the puck right between the two players like this.” He drops the puck onto the ice, the dense rubber landing with a sharp click .

He lifts his head, his eyes locked on mine with an intensity that seems to have absolutely nothing to do with the rules of hockey.

“And then it's all about who wants it more. Who can read the other person's intentions and react faster. It’s about knowing exactly when to make your move.”

I press my lips together, his low voice rumbling over me. Why does this feel like it’s about more than just hockey ?

“Because if you hesitate, if you second-guess yourself for even one second, someone else wins control.”

I clear my throat, like that’ll help me pretend his words didn’t just knock my equilibrium sideways. “And what happens when someone wins that control?” I ask.

“You get to decide what happens next. You get to make all the plays. Of course, sometimes the real strategy is letting the other person think they're winning, right up until you make your move.”

His words drip in innuendo, and I’m beginning to wonder why I ever agreed to doing this with him.

“So, Lauren,” I say, facing the camera, which feels way safer than looking into Cade’s eyes as his words roll over me. “It turns out faceoffs are super strategic.”

“Everything in hockey is strategic. You need to read the other players, know when to be patient, and when to be aggressive.” He pauses for a beat. “When to go for what you really want.”

Oh, this is definitely not just about hockey anymore.

I should have known he’d be like this, all suggestive and… Cade . But I’ve got to give the people what they want, and they want to see that chemistry between us once more. So, I steel myself to ask my next question from the list.

“Deanna from Spokane wants to know what a slapshot is,” I ask, noticing that all my questions seem to be from women.

“That’s easy. A slapshot is when a player winds up and whacks the puck with major force instead of just nudging it around the ice. It’s a definitive move and can change the play in a second.”

That’s better. A straight answer. No innuendo, no flirtation.

We are back on track.

“And of course a slapshot could create a scoring opportunity,” he adds.

A aaaa nd we’re back to flirty again.

“Creating scoring opportunities are all about patience and positioning,” Cade continues, this time looking at the camera. “ You can't force it, even if you want to. You have to wait for the perfect setup.”

“How do you know when the moment's right?”

He nudges the puck with his stick skillfully on the ice as he speaks. “You learn to read the signs, you know? The defense might shift, and maybe an opening appears at the perfect time. Sometimes you get just one shot, and other times you get a bunch in a row. It’s unpredictable like that.”

“And when you finally get that perfect opportunity?” I ask, quite possibly against my better judgment.

“You put everything you've got behind it.” His gaze is positively smoldering now as it lands on mine. “Because missing a perfect scoring opportunity is something you regret for a long, long time.”

Lord, have mercy.

I’m going to have to edit this video to within an inch of its life.

That’s it. I’ve reached my limit with this flirty talk that’s sending tingles through me and making me think of things other than hockey. “Cade, can you be serious for even one minute?”

“You know me. I’m always serious, Triple,” he says with a grin that says the exact opposite.

“You’re being all flirty and suggestive. Let’s just concentrate on hockey, okay?”

He opens his mouth to speak, and I hold my finger up. “And don’t tell me you were concentrating solely on hockey, because we both know you weren’t.”

He nudges me with his elbow. “Come on. Even you can admit this is fun.”

I twist my mouth. With his easygoing and playful nature, Cade can make me feel like I’m seriously uptight, too strait-laced to have fun.

Which isn’t true. I can have fun along with the best of them.

The problem is, letting go of this tight control I have on myself around him could lead to places I don’t want to go.

Places I can’t go, not if I want to honor the non-fraternization clause in my contract and keep my sanity.

Because I know I could so easily give in to this man with his sexy grin and smoldering eyes. Because Cade is so much more than that. He’s got substance. Depth. He’s kind and patient and cares deeply for those people lucky enough to be in his life.

I could fall for a man like Cade Lennox, and I can’t let that happen, even if the terrible truth is, I think I already am falling for him.

The plan was simple: do my job, create engaging content, prove I belong in this professional world I've worked so hard to be a part of. It didn't include developing feelings for a player whose reputation precedes him like a warning siren.

Except I know that’s only part of who he is, and getting to know the real Cade, the man behind the carefree, flirty facade? Well, that might just be my undoing.

Even if the way he's looking at me right now suggests he’s worth the risk.