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He had tried to be a gentleman last night, but he felt as if she was purposely playing him. The reality was, he liked it. And he liked her. A lot.
“Oh yeah?” Luc grabbed the biscuit and began to stick handle back and forth in front of him, showcasing his fancy moves and total puck control. He ignored her attempt to get a competitive upsurge out of him, but she did get a rise. His focus was on the ice in front of him as he spoke. “Now I’m up by one. You wanna call it now?”
“Now? No way!”
“You did say best of out five, and I won that.”
A glint of anger, or maybe jealousy flashed behind her big brown eyes. She shook her head. “No. No. First one to reach five wins.”
“Changing the rules, Kassie?” Poking the bear was proving fun. She was finally showing some irritation, even if she was fighting it.
“I’m a woman; changing my mind is my prerogative.” Her hand went to her hip again in protest.
“So, I just need two more to beat you, then we skate.”
“Unless I get three more and beat you. Then…”
“Then I have to do what?”
“I’m still working on that. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know as soon as you lose.” Her words had a slight amount of snark in them, but he liked it. She stole the puck and raced down the ice, touching up at center ice and hurrying towards the net.
Luc chased behind her, refusing to sit back and let her win. She’d have to work for this. It didn’t take him long to catch up to her, his strides larger and stronger than hers. As he closed in on her, she deked left, but the little glance she gave over her shoulder told him she was faking him out.
Luc paused before he went right. Kassie spun right to get around him, and they ended up face to face. Her breathing was hard. Her chest rose and fell at a quick pace. The puck sat in the corner.
The intensity of the moment was over before he could make a move. Kassie pushed off the ice and tried to skate around him. But he wasn’t going to make it that easy. Her eyes stayed on his as he mirrored all her moves and skated with her. His focus was with her, and his senses guided him around the rink. It was as if they were ice dancing, and it was hot as hell. I’ll never bag on figure skaters again.
“You’re a pretty good skater,” Kassie said, her voice low and her breath warm against his face.
“You’re not so bad yourself.” Luc made a mental note to thank his skating teacher for making him proficient in backwards skating. They moved together flawlessly, until she had his back against the glass.
Her glove-covered hand was at his waist, and her lips were inches from his. Stay cool. Luc repeated the words over and over in his head, hoping to keep his stiffie from grabbing her attention. Kassie’s eyes slid to his lips. Luc watched her mouth in eager anticipation, and when she licked at her lips, his heart pounded and his body heated even more.
Kassie whispered at a volume that took him a moment to register. “You’re going down.”
The words went in to his brain, taking on a whole other meaning, one he preferred. Then she tore off across the ice, taking graceful, large strides towards the puck. Luc was unable to move, and watched her take off towards the net and bury the puck, bringing the score even at three apiece.
But in the end, she had him beat. Physically and mentally. Maybe he was too busy watching her, or maybe she really was just that good. A better bet was that this girl had him where it counted. His heart was still pounding as he watched her skate around, celebrating her win. She could score on him all day long if it meant the chance to be up close and personal with her.
“You won. So, what’s your request, princess?” His mind wandered as he hoped her request was one of the many wild ideas he came up with, all requiring one-on-one attention and full contact.
“Dinner.”
He let out a deep breath as if the air was let out of him. Damn. “Dinner? You sure that’s all?”
Kassie quickly skated off the ice. Without turning her attention to him or his question, she put her gear away and fixed her ponytail. “No. I do want one more thing.”
Luc grinned and tossed his own gear into his duffel bag. Yes, this is more like it. Leaning against the wall, he folded his arms across his chest in his best macho stance that made the ladies swoon. “And what’s that?”
Kassie was still turned away from him, taking off her pads and skates. She slid on her shoes before looking up to meet his stare. “Coffee.”
“Coffee?” What the hell? Coffee?
“Coffee. There’s a coffee shop down the street. Meet me there in fifteen minutes and buy me a coffee.”
Luc wasn’t thrilled with her prize. She was playing him. He had so much more to offer than coffee and dinner. “Why not just get it right here at the café? They sell coffee.” His tone was rough, he didn’t mean to sound disappointed, but he was.
“Nah. I like the shop down the street.” She grabbed her purse and tossed the strap over her shoulder. “Meet you there in fifteen? Grab us a table out in the courtyard.”
