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Kassie, shocked and amused by the last comment, smacked his shoulder as he led them to his sports car. “Really? You needed to add that?”
Luc shrugged. “Sometimes I like to be a smart-ass.” He opened the door of his white Porsche for her. “Shall we?”
The ride home was smooth and fast, because Luc had a lead foot. Every time a rock song came on the radio, Luc turned up the volume and sang along. And each time he focused his attention on her, heat filled her chest. She wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol taking effect, but she was pretty sure it was more than that.
It was this hockey boy.
***
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Luc
Having their first kiss in the elevator wasn’t what he had planned, but he’d waited too long to make a move. It was unusual for him to wait this long to be affectionate with a girl. Bunnies weren’t the kind of girls that you got to know first; you just dove right in. But Kassie, she was different than any girl he’d met before. Take out the fact that she was his teammate’s sister, and she was perfect. He wasn’t fond of the idea of letting her go, even if keeping her caused friction between him and Kaden. He’d have to figure out how to deal with it. But first he needed to show Kassie how he really felt.
Unfortunately, Patrick had interrupted them before their kiss could turn into anything more and that flame seemed to have cooled down a bit.
Now the real question was how to fuel that same fire without coming off like a total dick. It was obvious that Kaden’s anger still hung over Kassie’s head. Luc couldn’t do anything about that now, and couldn’t help but anticipate his next face-to-face with Kaden at morning skate. This just got a whole lot messier than simply hanging out with his teammate’s sister in secret.
“Well, I delivered you home safe and sound. At least Kaden can’t be mad at me for that, right?”
Kassie shut her apartment door behind them, locking it. “He shouldn’t have yelled at me. Or you.” Her facial expression tightened. No doubt the anger was starting to boil again. Without another word, Kassie left him standing in the doorway while she went into the kitchen.
The girl had fire, and Luc liked that. Her spark just needed to be aimed in the right direction, like it was in the elevator.
After lots of noise and her mumbling things that he couldn’t understand, she returned to him with a glass that looked like it had Kahlua and ice. With a smile, she handed him a cold beer.
“What are you drinking? And why do you have beer if you don’t drink it?” His brain was focused on her, and his words weren’t coming out exactly right.
“You’re worried about that?” Kassie rolled her eyes, but added a small smile. “I’m drinking a Kahlua and cream, but I don’t have any cream, so it’s… Well, it’s just Kahlua and ice. Make yourself at home. There’s plenty of beer in the refrigerator, so help yourself.”
She slipped off her heels and walked barefoot into the living room. Luc followed. He couldn’t help but watch how her hips moved in that loose dress. She had shapely legs, which made sense with how she handled herself on the ice. She was athletic, and that was just one of the things that he liked about her.
After Kassie sat down on the couch, she patted the seat next to her. Kassie switched on the television and took a sip of her drink. Folding her legs under her, she laid her head on his shoulder.
She flipped through the television channels until she found a movie. “Luc?”
“Yeah, Kass?”
“Kaden shouldn’t yell at me. I’m not a child. The whole thing is ridiculous. Why does he have to be such a jerk about this? We’re not doing anything wrong.”
“Kass, tonight was rough. And you’re right. He shouldn’t have yelled at you. But he is your big brother, and he’s always going to try to protect you.”
Her voice was soft and eerily calm. “He can’t dictate how I live my life.”
“No. But he can try to help you make the best decisions. That’s his job. If I had a little sister, I’d do that for her. And I can’t say that I wouldn’t try to protect her from guys like me.”
Ironically, Luc knew he was just the type of guy he would want to protect a girl from. But he wasn’t that same guy with Kassie; she was different. She made him want to be different, too.
“You would?” Kassie’s brow wrinkled, then a small, meek smile crossed her beautiful lips. “That’s sweet.”
“Of course, I would! I mean, I have no experience since I have no siblings, but I think I would. The only problem here is that you not only have an older brother who wants to kick my ass—as all older brothers should—but he also plays on the same team as I do.”
Kassie sighed quietly. “Luc?” Her shoulders were now low, and her appearance reminded him of a scared animal. Maybe it was the effects of the Kahlua, maybe it was because she was hurt by her brother’s reaction tonight. Maybe it was both.
All he wanted to do was comfort her, pull her into his arms, hold her and make it okay. But he wasn’t sure he would be able to stop there. His jeans were already tight. He finished off his beer and set it on the table next to her empty glass.
“Funny thing.” Kassie focused her stunning brown eyes on him. “I don’t see anything I need protection from.”
