Page 2 of One Good Puck (Denver Bashers #5)

Abby

I bite back what I’m certain is a giddy smile. I can’t help it, though. Gavin Porter, the ridiculously handsome head coach of the Bashers, has just come to my rescue.

He called me sweetness .

I have to take a slow, quiet breath in, then out, to keep myself from sliding out of my seat. That’s how hard the urge to swoon is hitting me right now.

Because it’s been ages since any guy has called me a cute pet name…

Sweetness .

No one’s ever called me that before. It’s so cute. And different.

I take another breath and manage to hold it together. I flash what I hope is an easy smile—a smile that reads, “You’re definitely my boyfriend, and we’re definitely not faking this”—and scoot over so he can sit next to me.

The corner of his mouth hooks up, and the look in his cobalt blue eyes turns teasing. My breath catches in my throat at his gaze. Deliciously, impossibly blue …

I had no idea he hung out at this bar. He seems way too serious and classy for a place like this. Especially the way he’s currently dressed.

I take in the color of his navy blue suit and crisp white shirt he’s wearing. No tie. I try not to stare too long. He looks so damn handsome.

And that smile. It’s not a big grin. I’ve never seen him do that. It’s just the corners of his mouth gently curved up. Easy. Relaxed. Very, very hot.

God . He’s dangerously handsome when he smiles like that.

I put aside all thoughts about how sexy and good-looking Gavin is and refocus on the moment. He’s pretending to be my boyfriend to save me from this awkward-as-hell outing with Logan, the bookstore owner who seemed like a good guy, but who actually is kind of a creep.

I watch the way Logan’s gaze on Gavin goes from shocked to confused. A second later, recognition hits.

“Oh, hey. You’re Gavin Porter. Coach of the Bashers.”

Gavin nods once. “That’s me.”

I notice his smile disappears as he looks at Logan.

“It’s so cool to meet you, man. I’m Logan. I’m a big fan.”

“Thanks,” Gavin says curtly. “How do you two know each other?”

“I run a bookstore and do a lot of events with Abby’s school,” Logan says.

“Logan’s putting on a book fair for the students this fall,” I say.

“That’s why we met up,” Logan says quickly to Gavin. “It was harmless, I swear.” He chuckles like he’s nervous.

I’m instantly annoyed at the way he’s trying to spin this.

Yeah, he asked me out for a drink to talk about the book fair, but we only spent maybe ten minutes talking about that.

The rest of the hour that we’ve been here, Logan’s treated it like a date, asking me about my personal life and trying to convince me to go out with him again.

Gavin is quiet as he holds eye contact with Logan for several seconds. It’s a pretty intimidating move, how he silently stares him down.

“The part I walked in on didn’t sound harmless,” Gavin says. “It sounded like you wanted this to be a date, and you were being pushy about it.”

Logan holds up a hand and lets out another nervous laugh. “Hey, man. I didn’t mean to put a move on your lady. If I had known she was spoken for, I wouldn’t have asked her out.”

I bite my tongue, even more annoyed. I hate that politely expressing my disinterest wasn’t enough for Logan to quit pushing our work meeting into a date. He’s only backing off because he thinks I belong to another man.

“I heard her tell you she wasn’t interested. Was that not reason enough to leave her alone? Because I also heard you brush her off,” Gavin asks.

I look at him, stunned. I’m taken aback by what he’s said—how it aligns perfectly with how I feel.

He’s always been kind and respectful to me the few times we’ve interacted. But I didn’t know he was this…passionate about respecting women’s boundaries. And it makes me like him even more.

Logan stammers. “I-I, uh…”

“You should probably leave,” Gavin says.

Logan clears his throat and nods. He slides out of the booth and barely looks at me.

“Sorry, Abby,” he mumbles before scurrying off.

It’s just Gavin and me sitting on the same side of the booth together, side by side.

The warmth from his body skims mine. I swallow, feeling hot all of a sudden.

I twist my head to look at him. “Thanks for that,” I say in a quiet voice.

The corners of his mouth curve up in another small smile. “No problem.”

A second later, he slides away from me and moves to the seat across from me.

I’m surprised at how quickly he moves. How aware he seems to be of my personal space.

The few times I’ve been around him, he’s always been like this. Never standing too close to me. Never touching me more than a handshake.

He always goes the extra mile to make sure that he doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable with his presence.

He’s a pretty big guy after all. At least six-foot-two, maybe even six-foot-three.

He’s not as muscular as the players he coaches, but he’s lean and fit.

It’s crystal clear just how in shape he is.

Even in the suit he’s wearing, I can spot the sculpted shape of his shoulders, biceps, and quads. So tall and broad. And refreshingly aware of his size, unlike some men.

Gavin’s a respectful guy. It’s a shame there aren’t more men like him.

His smile shifts to a focused expression as he looks at me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

He lifts an eyebrow, like he’s not quite sure if he believes me.

“I’m really okay,” I say .

He nods even though I can tell he doesn’t believe me. “Has that guy been bothering you for a while?”

“Kind of.” I sigh. “I’ve known him for most of the last school year.

He asked me out a couple of times, and I always told him no.

I thought he finally got the hint when he asked if we could meet up to plan the book fair, but then I realized pretty quickly that was just an excuse to get me to have a drink with him. ”

“Sorry you had to deal with him.”

“It’s okay. I’m just really glad you came along.”

He flashes that not-quite-smile again, and I take in the gentle set of crow’s feet flanking his eyes. I don’t know how old Gavin is. Late forties, maybe?

He runs a hand through his thick, short hair. It’s dark blonde with a bit of gray. He could be older and just look young for his age.

I’ve always thought older guys were hot. And Gavin is the hottest older guy I’ve ever met. I try not to stare at him for too long and look down at my empty glass.

He glances at the cocktail napkin next to my glass. “Did you draw that?”

I smile down at the detailed mountain scene I scribbled while Logan was droning on and on about himself. “Yeah.”

“You’re a really good artist.”

“Thanks. I did that to try and show how disinterested I was with Logan, but he didn’t pick up on it.”

“Do you draw a lot?”

“I did as a kid. I wanted to be an artist.”

A gentle smile pulls at his lips. “Oh yeah?”

I nod. “I was even planning on going to art school for a while.” I clear my throat. “But then life got in the way.”

“I know how that goes. It’s good that you still draw, though. You’re incredible at it. ”

I grin wide, flattered at his compliment.

“I like drawing, but oil pastels are my favorite. I haven’t worked with them in a while, though.

They can get kind of expensive. Scribbling on napkins is about all I have time to do these days.

Single mom life, you know? Having a seven-year-old keeps me plenty busy. ” I chuckle.

“I don’t mean to keep you,” Gavin says. “I overheard you say that you had to pick up your daughter. Emma, right?”

I smile, heartened that he remembers her name even though I think I’ve only mentioned her once or twice when I was around him.

“Yeah. But actually, I don’t have to get her. She’s staying the night at her friend’s house. I just said that so I could leave.” I pause, feeling the tiniest bit ashamed. “That’s terrible, isn’t it? Using my kid as an excuse to get out of a bad date.”

“Not at all. I used to use Sophie as an excuse to get out of stuff all the time when she was little.”

I laugh. “Really?”

“Oh, yeah. I’d get out of boring meetings at work all the time by saying I was busy with her.”

I laugh again. “Okay, I feel a lot better now.”

He smiles, bigger this time. “So do you come here a lot?”

I shake my head. “Logan suggested it because it’s down the street from his shop. How about you? This doesn’t seem like your scene. You’re the best-dressed guy in here by a mile.”

He lets out a low, rough chuckle that gives me goosebumps. Oh . I really like the sound of that.

He shakes his head. “I was meeting some of the guys from the team here for a drink. ”

“You must be a cool coach, enjoying happy hour with your players,” I tease.

Again with that low, rough chuckle. It rumbles across my skin, making me hot all over.

“It was a rough day at the office, and they were just being polite, inviting me out,” he says.

“Oh shoot, sorry to hear that.”

“It’s all fine now.” His deep blue gaze focuses on me for a quiet moment. He clears his throat. “Would you maybe want to?—”

Just then, his phone rings, cutting him off. He digs it out of his pocket, frowning at the screen. He lets out a heavy sigh.

“Sorry, I have to take this.”

“Yeah, of course,” I say.

“Hello?”

I sip my water and try not to eavesdrop, even though I’m right across from him and can hear everything he’s saying.

“…I’m not sure…only if you really need to…okay…I’m on my way.”

He ends the call and looks at me. “I’m sorry, but some work stuff came up. I have to go.”

“Oh, sure.” I stand up with him. “I should get going too.”

“Let me walk you to your car. Where are you parked?”

Together we walk out of the bar and head down the street to my car a couple of blocks away. I notice that he walks on the side of the sidewalk closest to the street. Such a protective thing to do.

I think back to earlier, when he started to ask me something before he was interrupted by that phone call.

Part of me was wondering if he was going to ask me out.

I hoped that’s what he was about to do. The few times I’ve spent time with Gavin, I noticed he’s always smiling when he talks to me.

He’s not like that with most people, and the hopeful part of me wonders if it’s because he likes me.

It would make my crush on him seem a little less sad.

We make it to my car. “This is me.” I unlock it, and he reaches over to open the door for me. Once more, I’m fighting off a swoon.

Such a gentleman. When was the last time a guy opened my car door for me? I can’t remember.

I turn to him. “Thanks again for saving me earlier.”

The corner of his mouth hooks up. “My pleasure. It was good running into you, Abby.”

The hope that he’ll ask me out starts to fade. Maybe I misread everything. He’s just a good guy.

I keep my smile up, hoping my disappointment isn’t obvious. “You too. Hope to see you again soon.”

I hop in my car, and he closes the door for me. He rounds the front and offers a wave and an easy smile before walking off.

I wait until he’s out of sight before I lean back against the headrest and let out a groan, feeling silly at the schoolgirl crush I’ve developed on a guy who clearly isn’t into me.