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"Want something to drink?" Will asked.
"I'll have hot tea."
He took off his coat and slung it on the back of his chair. "I'll be right back."
Her phone pinged, so she pulled it out of her coat pocket to see who had messaged her. It was Lisa.
You disappeared. Where R U?
She typed a response. Went for ice cream with Will.
Her fingers hovered on the keypad. She thought about telling Lisa where they were now, but she honestly wanted more alone time with Will and she wasn't sure whether or not Lisa would drag the entourage of friends into the great room.
She pressed "send," then chewed her bottom lip in indecision. What kind of friend was she to lie to Lisa like that?
Lisa sent a response. Will is hot. Have some fun! We're off to sneak in some ice bowling.
She smiled, shook her head and also sighed in relief, realizing she shouldn't have worried. Lisa would never pass judgement on her, and she should have been honest and told her she wanted some time alone with Will. She'd be sure to talk to her about it when she got back to the room.
"Here's your tea." Will set the cup down in front of her, then slid into the chair next to hers. He had a glass of ice water.
"Aren't you cold?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Not now that I'm in front of the fire."
She sipped her tea. "Oh, Lisa texted wondering where I'd disappeared to."
"Did she think I kidnapped you?"
"No. Also, she said they're going to sneak in some ice bowling."
He laughed. "She's always up for adventure."
"This is true." She took another swallow of the tea, letting the warmth of it ease the last of her tension away.
"So . . . you wanna go ice bowling?" he asked.
"Not really, but you can feel free to join them if you'd like."
He cocked his head to the side and studied her. "Trying to get rid of me?"
"Trust me, I'd tell you outright if I wanted you to go away."
"Good to know you have no problem getting rid of men who annoy you."
"None at all."
He sipped his water and she found herself watching his mouth. Probably smooth and hard at the same time. She might not be all that experienced, but she had a very rich fantasy life. And now that she was by the fire and fantasizing about kissing Will, she suddenly felt very hot. She had to stop staring at his mouth and wondering what he'd taste like.
So she foolishly took another sip of tea, because fueling her internal fire was such a brilliant idea.
"Do you kick a lot of guys to the curb, Amber?"
She blinked. "What?"
"From what you told me, it sounds like you have a lot of guys chasing after you and you have to fight them off."
She let out a short laugh. "Oh. That's not what I meant at all. But at competitions sometimes they'll hit on me as if I'm a sure thing. And I'm not."
"So you're not a fuck-and-go kind of woman like a lot of people are here at the games?"
"No. Sorry."
He frowned. "Why are you sorry?"
"Because if that's what you're looking for from me, I probably wasted an hour of your time just now when you could be getting next to someone else."
"So you think I'm that kind of guy?"
She shrugged. "Most of the guys I've met are that kind of guy."
"I'm not. Okay, I have been, but trust me, any woman I've been with has been on board and just as eager to get down as I was."
She enjoyed watching him squirm and try to explain himself. "Oh, I believe you. Otherwise we wouldn't have gone for ice cream. You wouldn't have wanted to waste your time doing something so innocuous when you could have been coaxing me into your bed instead."
He frowned. "I never coax. Women go willingly."
"Of course they do."
He sighed, then downed the rest of his ice water in one swallow. "I'm not helping my case here, am I?"
"I wasn't aware you were trying to make one."
"You are tough, Miss Sloane."
Her lips curved. "That might be the best compliment any guy has ever paid me."
"Is it?"
"Yes. Usually they only mention one of my body parts."
"Well, most guys are assholes."
She laughed, then set her empty cup of tea on the table.
"Did you want another?" he asked.
"I'm good with just one, thanks. But if you're getting another for yourself, I'll take a tall ice water."
"Okay."
She watched him walk away. Halfway to the bar he was stopped by a woman, a petite brunette Amber didn't recognize. The woman hugged Will and they chatted for a few minutes before she walked away and Will continued to the bar.
She could imagine Will knew plenty of women who'd like to be sharing his bed right now. He stood at the bar talking to some guy. He was extremely outgoing and friendly, so it didn't surprise her that he knew a lot of people.
She wished she'd had more opportunities to meet people growing up. Of course, there'd been competitions, but her mother had always discouraged her from getting too friendly with her competitors. Mom had been afraid friendship could be used against her, so Amber had typically kept to herself. She'd been polite, but not outgoing enough to form close friendships.
She'd always been so lonely at events. Just like now. Until four years ago when she'd met Lisa, who'd forced her to leave her room on occasion and socialize. Not a lot and no partying. But still she'd been introduced to others, eaten meals with them. That had melted the ice somewhat and she'd felt a little better about herself once she'd actually made a few friends. Not that she'd continued those friendships bey
ond the games, which she'd felt awful about.
Will made his way back to the table and laid the water in front of her.
"Thanks."
She saw he also had another water for himself.
"I noticed you didn't drink a lot tonight, even at beer pong."
"Nah. I'm trying to hold back on the alcohol. Last games I partied a little too hard. Not that it affected my game play, of course."
"Of course." She gave him a knowing smile.
"But it's easier on me if I stay clearheaded."
"I totally understand."
She saw the dark-haired woman approaching their table.
"Hey, Will, I just wanted to give you my number." She handed Will a piece of paper. "And thanks."
"Sure, Helene."
The brunette nodded and smiled at Amber, then walked away. Okay, that was interesting.
"One of your former conquests?" she asked, feeling like an idiotic jealous girlfriend as soon as the words left her mouth.
"No, that's Helene. She hooked up with one of my teammates last time we were here. He didn't come this time and she was asking me about him. I think she's got it bad for him."
"Oh. And how does he feel about her?"
Will shrugged. "I have no idea. But I'll pass her number along to him."
She took a sip of her water.
"Were you jealous?" he asked.
She knew she should have kept her mouth shut. "I figured it was someone you knew. Maybe dated or slept with or something."
She was just making it worse. She should shut up now before she embarrassed herself further.
"I'm not the man whore you might think I am, Amber. Get to know me and you might find I like making a lot of friends, but I'm pretty selective about who I fuck."
She'd asked for that. "I'm sorry. You're right, I was assuming and I lumped you in with all the other guys who've hit on me. And you haven't even hit on me."
He shot her a devastatingly sexy smile. "Yet."
She laughed, relieved that he didn't take her for some jealous stalker type. "Okay. Yet."
"So what's on tap for you tomorrow?" he asked.
"They're opening the ice arena. I can't wait to get a feel for it."
"Same here. Which means we should probably get in bed."
When she arched a brow, he laughed.
"Separate beds," he said. "I still have some jet lag to sleep off."
"And I have to get up early tomorrow morning to hit the gym before I get on the ice."
"Isn't skating enough of a workout for you?"
"It warms up my muscles, so I'm not trying to do jumps cold."
