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Or how she’d love nothing more than to wrap him in a hug and tell him it would all work out.
Or maybe how she wished she was brave enough to take him up on his offer.
“Can I ask another personal question?”
“You’re on a roll tonight, so go for it.”
“What happened in that bar? Was it because of the game?”
He inhaled deeply. “He and I know each other from early days playing hockey and we’ve never really gotten along. He was being abrasive to this woman he was with. Calling her names. Saying she was no good, and it hit a nerve with me. I can’t stand to see anyone being cruel to someone else, especially a guy being rude to a woman. It’s not something I’m prepared to put up with so I stepped in and told him to stop being such a jerk. Then it all went south pretty quickly. He threw the first punch, but no one saw that in the video.”
“But surely people will come to your defense. The woman you stood up for?”
“Maybe. The lawyers are working on it, gathering witness statements, but the video evidence seems to override everything. Makes me look like the aggressor.”
She’d seen it. He was on top of the guy, whaling on him, even when it was clear he’d gotten the upper hand.
“You went all in.”
He rubbed a hand over his mouth. “I know. I screwed up.”
She squeezed his arm. “Yes, you did, but you’re working on making it better. The guy’s okay, isn’t he?”
“Hughes is fine. His lawyers are looking for a settlement and an apology, so I expect I can pay it off. Listen, Ashley, I’m not proud of myself. I know I messed up and I also know that a guy like me with a past like mine is not what you want in your home. Near your family and your kid.”
That was interesting. He knew this, yet he still came over for dinner. Also, those words made it sound like he wanted more than just a quickie behind the cattery. He was conscious of how disruptive his presence was for her and her family.
“Why did you accept Vera’s invitation?”
“I wanted to see you again.”
She swallowed. “You’re on shift the day after tomorrow.”
“It’s not the same. There’s no privacy.”
Her breathing had picked up.
“There’s none here.” Why had she said that?
“Yet here we are. And you have every right to question it, my presence in your home, whether being in your family’s orbit is a good idea.”
“I just wanted some more context about all this drama in your life.”
He tilted his head. “And you want this context because?”
She could lie and say it was sheer curiosity about a famous person in her immediate orbit, just a random looky-loo into his glamorous, salacious life.
But he deserved the truth.
“Because I think there’s more to you than the guy who attracts the attention of gossip sites and paparazzi like honey to a bear.”
Surprise lit up his eyes. Had he really gone his whole life without any form of validation?
“Ashley, don’t go thinking I’ve got hidden depths. I’ll just disappoint you.”
“I know disappointment.” She could feel herself drawing closer to him, her hurting heart reaching for his bruised one. “Yet I don’t think you could ever make me feel that.”
His hand dropped to her hip and cupped it gently. “This would be the moment where I warn you not to put me on a pedestal. Not to have any expectations. All the usual things I tell women I want to fuck.” He swallowed quickly. “Sorry, that was crude. I shouldn’t?—”
