Page 59 of Cole

“Worse,” she whispered. “Anyway, too late.”

Greetings went up around me from my friends to Arianna, who was settling down behind us.

I could feel his eyes radiating into my back. I shivered.

Eve caught my eye, widening hers dramatically. I shot her a quelling look, but she just laughed, and twisted right around to face behind us.

“Hi, Cole. How’s it going?”

A deep rumble sounded that I could hardly make out. He was right behind me. Heat washed through me.

“We were just talking about you,” Selena added. I shot her a murderous look.

“Oh, really? Complimentary, I hope?” Cole asked.

Selena smirked. “We were only just getting to the compliments part. Someone was being very bashful.” Ok, it was official, I was going to kill her after the game.

The team had been warming up, and had now moved into their starting positions. Thankfully, the buzzer sounded, and the noise of the stadium drowned out any answer Cole might make to Selena’s statement.

I tried to concentrate on the game, I really did, but it was impossible. I could feel Cole just behind me. I wanted so badly to turn around and look at him, but it felt impossible. What if he already regretted what had happened?

The Hellions scored, and everyone jumped up, cheering. I hugged Lily, then a tug to my jersey sent me spinning around. I swayed forward, right into Cole’s chest.

“No hello, Goldilocks?” he murmured, looking down into my eyes. God, he was even hotter than I remembered, even just from earlier.

“Hi,” I squeaked out.

He smirked. “Hi.”

Everyone in our section was sitting down again. Cole held me against his chest for a long moment, until everyone around us had seen us standing, locked in an embrace, then released me. It felt territorial somehow. Possessive. I didn’t hate it.

I sank into my seat. Selena leaned over and slapped my knee as Eve gave me an “I’m dying” look.

I tried to ignore them, but it wasn’t easy. Clearly, I wasn’t going to hear the end of this for a long, long time.

When the buzzer sounded for the intermission, conversation sprang up around me. I could feel Cole just behind me. Before I knew it, I was turning in my seat to see him.

He was lounged back against the plastic green seat like he was in a booth at The Clutch. The effortless power that seemed to seep off him drew eyes. He looked like a man who knew how to take care of things. A man other men bowed down to, and he was, after all. A real man’s man, who couldn’t take his eyes off me.

No one had ever looked at me the way he was.

I shivered, the cool of the rink working through my borrowed jersey.

“Whose number is that?” Cole asked, his eyes straying down to my chest. I flushed at the hungry look in his eyes.

“A retro one. He’s the coach now... Lily’s dad, you know.”

Cole nodded, a grin playing around his lips. “Always had a thing for older men, Issy?”

I scoffed. “Hardly. I just didn’t want any current players to get any ideas that I’m into them.”

Cole nodded approvingly and leaned forward, shrugging off his heavy cut.

“You could wear Marcus’ jersey, I suppose. Here.” He stood up to swing the leather vest around my shoulders. It was so warm inside after the chilly air of the rink, and it smelled like Cole. I wanted to roll around in it.

“You look cold.”

“I wasn’t,” I protested, for no reason other than to have something to say.