Page 17 of On Thin Ice (Calgary Mounties #1)
Chapter Sixteen
ALL TINGLY
Lincoln
This is way more fun than I expected when I booked this axe throwing session.
Between winding Adele up about my concerns she’s going to murder me and competing with her to see who can hit the target the most times, we’ve spent the last half an hour laughing more than anything else.
Especially when, after her first fluke of a throw, she’s barely been able to get another axe to stick to the wall, much less the target.
“I take it back, this sucks,” she says with a pout as her last axe bounces off the wall and hits the ground.
“I’m having a great time,” I reply, stepping up to the line to take my final go. I let the axe fly through the air, and it buries itself in the centre of the target. “Yes!” I throw my arms up, turning to flash her a grin.
She glares at me, which just adds to my joy.
“Whatever. This was dumb.” She stomps over to her handbag and yanks it over her shoulder.
“Aw, come on Addie. You can’t be good at everything,” I tell her, moving to stand in front of her and lift her chin with my finger, forcing her to look me in the eye. “You’re still cute. ”
Honestly, if looks could kill, I’d be dead in an instant. It’s adorable.
“Do you have a death wish?” she asks.
“Nope. But I am looking forward to being serenaded later.”
She cracks a smile. “You say that now, but you haven’t heard me sing. You’ll be begging me to stop, trust me.”
“We’ll see.”
We say goodbye to the guy behind the desk and head back out to my car via the reception area, where the woman who checked us in is still sitting behind the counter. I give her a polite nod while I hold the door open for Adele.
Once we’re outside, Adele turns to me, shaking her head. “Seriously, who does that?”
“Does what?” I ask as I press the button on my car remote to unlock the doors.
“Checks out a guy when he’s on a date with another woman.”
“Um… What?”
She raises an eyebrow. “How did you miss that? She was clearly ogling you every time she saw you.”
I snort, shaking my head. “No, she wasn’t. She was just being polite.”
“Oh Linc. My sweet, summer child.” She reaches up to pat my cheek. “So naive. It’s charming.”
I turn to face her fully, pulling her in close to look down at her. “Aw, are you jealous, Addie? Do you feel threatened by the goth chick who can probably throw an axe like a pro?”
She pouts again, peeking up at me through her long eyelashes. “No.”
I grin. “Liar.”
“Does this charming act always work for you?” she asks after a moment .
“It certainly does. Is it working on you?” I tuck a lose curl back behind her ear while she continues to look at me.
“Sadly, yes. Now come on, I’m hungry and craving the hot wings at Buck’s.” She pulls away and moves back towards the car, leaving me standing alone, with a great view of her perky little ass in those tight jeans.
This is honestly feeling more and more like a real date, and I’m surprised that it doesn’t bother me at all. I mean, if this is what going on a date with Adele feels like, maybe dating isn’t so bad after all.
Or maybe it’s just because I know this isn’t going anywhere and is all just for show…
“So, when I said I wanted hot wings, I didn’t mean the hot wing challenge,” Adele says, watching as our waitress, Naomi, places multiple plates down on the table.
I may have gone a little crazy with the order, but I’m hungry after all the axe throwing.
“Relax. Most of this is for me. I’m a growing boy, after all.”
Naomi snorts. “You’re a walking garbage disposal, O’Malley.”
Naomi has been working at Buck’s almost as long as I’ve been coming here with Seth and some of our other teammates, and she treats us the same as everyone else, which is refreshing in a town as hockey obsessed as Calgary. Except when she says things like that.
I place a hand on my chest. “I’m hurt, Naomi. I thought we were friends.”
The waitress grins and shakes her head. “You are a pain in my ass, that’s what you are.”
“Have I told you lately that I love you, Naomi?” Adele asks while I pretend to pout .
“At least one more time, gorgeous.” Naomi winks at Adele, who blushes.
“Hey, quit hitting on my date,” I tell her.
Naomi raises an eyebrow. “Since when do you date? And since when do you date Adele?”
“It’s new,” Adele says.
I straighten up, puffing out my chest. “Yeah, what she said.”
Naomi looks between us with a confused expression before shaking her head. “I have no idea what’s going on here, but I feel like this is a prank.”
“Nope, no prank. We’re just madly in love,” I reply, earning myself a kick under the table from Adele.
“Sorry, Naomi. I can’t take him anywhere.”
“Hey, I’m right here,” I protest, before reaching over to pick up my first chicken wing.
Adele sighs and shakes her head. “Yes. Yes, you are.”
“Okay, I see it now,” Naomi says, crossing her arms.
“See what now?” I ask before taking a bite of spicy deliciousness.
“You two. I can see it now.”
Adele and I exchange a look.
“What’s that mean?” My lips have started tingling from the hot sauce, so I dunk the next bit into the blue cheese sauce to try to take some of the bite out of it.
I don’t mind hot wings, but I usually go for the less spicy ones. I must have picked up one of the super-hot ones that Adele ordered.
“The flirting. The chemistry. I’ve never noticed it before, but you two have been like that for years, and it totally works.”
She walks off, leaving us to stare at each other in confusion.
“What chemistry?” Adele asks.
“I don’t know. And what flirting? Clearly, Naomi is confused.”
Adele picks up one of the super-hot wings and takes a bite. She doesn’t even flinch, devouring it in four bites.
“Jesus. Doesn’t that burn?” I ask, impressed.
“I love spicy food. Why? Is it too much for you?” She watches while I reach for the milder wings on the plate beside it.
“It made my lips all tingly,” I reply.
“Yeah, that’s part of the fun.”
I shake my head. “You are just full of surprises, Addie. I never had you pegged as a spicy food lover.”
“Oh yeah, and what type of food did you think I liked?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Vanilla ice cream.”
She raises an eyebrow slowly. “Are you implying that I’m vanilla, O’Malley?” There’s a dangerous edge to her voice.
I grin. “Maybe.”
She leans her forearms on the table, crooking her finger for me to lean in, our faces close together. “Let me assure you, Linc… I’m anything but vanilla.”