Page 20 of Cheap Shot

Her lips twitched, not quite pulling out of the frown but no longer pursed or quivering. “They aren’t idiots.”

I huffed. “I’m pretty sure they are. Especially if they want to get to Ethan over you.”

That did it. A small smile appeared, and her eyes shone when they met mine. “He’s your best friend.”

“Exactly, I know what I’m talking about.”

She dropped her head, but the tiny smile held. “You don’t know me.”

She was right, but I wanted to. I wanted to know everything about the beautiful woman the second I saw first saw her. I was drawn to her in a way I’d never before experienced. Ethan’s warning repeated in my head. How was I supposed to stay away from her when the only thing I truly wanted was to reach out and pull her into me? Although, he meant I couldn’t date her. He didn’t say we couldn’t be friends.

Was that even possible? Could I spend time with her, get to know her, and not want anything more?

She folded her arms over her stomach, holding onto herself. She was sad. Lonely. I couldn’t let anyone continue on that like, no matter who her brother was or what threats he made.

“I want to.”

My words seemed to pull her out of her own thoughts. She squinted at me for a few heartbeats, then her shoulders rose as she sucked in a deep breath. “Really?”

What happened to her to make her like this? So insecure and full of doubt? I wanted to take her into my arms and make promises I had no place even thinking. It wasn’t my place to protect her or remind her of how important and beautiful she was. I had no right to be that person in her life, but that didn’t mean I could stop myself from wanting to be.

“Maybe I should have started with that. I might have given the wrong impression when we first met.”

Her cheeks flushed pink, and I took too much satisfaction from causing that reaction. She was adorable when she was embarrassed, something I didn't expect from the confident woman I’d kissed. I couldn’t reconcile the two sides of her. Which version of her was real? Could they both be?

“I think we both acted out of character that night.” Her eyes crinkled at the corners, despite her lips remaining in a straight line.

“It was pretty impulsive,” I admitted.

She nodded but didn’t say she regretted it, and I would never utter those words, no matter what happened with Ethan. He was my best friend, more like a brother, but I knew he was protective of her, and it seemed like there was a reason for that. I doubted it would matter if it was me or another good guy, he didn’t want anyone close to her. If he found out I kissed her, he could beat me up, turn the team against me, whatever he needed to do to cope, but I wouldn’t say I’d take it back or that it had been a mistake. That kiss was perfect, and the longer I continued thinking about it, the more tempted I was to do it again.

“So,” she started, gaining my attention. “Other than you being on the hockey team and being my brother’s best friend, I don’t know anything about you.”

“What would you like to know?” I leaned my elbows on the table.

“I don’t know.” She sat up a bit, lowering her arms to her sides. “Where are you from?”

“Wisconsin. Just outside Milwaukee.”

“Tell me about your family. Any siblings?”

I drummed my thumbs on the edge of the table. “My mom is a superstar. She somehow managed to stay on top of my schedule and get me everywhere I needed to be while also making sure I was fed and had all my gear, which was a full-time job. Especially when I was on two teams at once when the school season and my competition team’s season overlapped.”

She nodded. “I remember times like that. I swear I grew up in the back of our car. I don’t think I ever actually did homework or ate at home. We were either at the rink or driving to a game.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, that’s what Jake, my little brother, says too. At least he only had a few years of that before he started playing. Then it was a logistical nightmare of making sure we were both at the right place at the right time.”

“Hockey moms are something else.” She smiled.

“Did you play any sports?”

She shook her head. “I’m not very coordinated, and I saw how much time it took from Ethan and didn’t want that. I wanted to play with my friends and have sleepovers, not wake up early for weekend games and have practice almost every day.”

“Not every sport is like that. We were the exception,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t know that when I was younger. I thought if I tried soccer or basketball or any sport, I’d end up like that.”

That made sense. If it was the only thing she was exposed to, she had no reason to think differently. “I’m surprised it didn’t scare Jake off.”