AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Or at least work for it,” she replied teasingly. “Let me help you out here. ‘I was just being one of the guys.’”
“Check.”
“‘We don’t wear emotion well.’”
“Check.”
“‘It was false male bravado. Psych 101.’”
“Check again.” He took her hand. “I’ll take it from here. I’m frustrated about not being on the ice. Getting grief about you from my teammates was heaping—”
“Insult onto injury?” she asked drolly.
He looked sheepish. “Yeah. I didn’t want to go there with them...about you. Because it was you, and you’re special.”
“I’m going to have to get tough with the Razors crew.”
Jordan smiled. “They already know you can kick ass on TV.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Forgiven?”
“I ought to make you take cooking lessons live for a season.”
Jordan shuddered. “Please. The last episode nearly did me in.” Then he sobered. “Anyway, this isn’t about some asinine bet or tit for tat. The truth is I’ve lost track of which one of us owes a favor to the other. Because somewhere along the way, I stopped caring. Except about being with you.”
Wow. She wanted to believe those words. His bet had cast doubt on what she’d thought was something genuine and true and beautiful. She still had faith in him, but it had been nicked. But then, she hadn’t expected him to crack open with emotional honesty tonight.
“I had this germ of a plan to make a major donation to Welsdale Children’s Hospital,” Jordan went on after a pause. “Thanks to you, I might still have a career that’ll make that possible.”
She blinked.
“It’ll be a hospital addition for rehabilitation facilities. Because I understand how important physical therapy is.”
Sera parted her lips on an indrawn breath. She’d started out annoyed and ready to teach him a lesson, but somehow they’d ended up in a place where he held her heart.
Jordan caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. “I have a meeting with hospital management in the next few weeks. I’d like you to be there.”
She blinked again. It wasn’t a marriage proposal, but this was heady stuff. He was asking her to weigh in on a major life
decision—one that would involve millions of dollars. “Why?”
“You’ll have a perspective on things that I won’t. I value your opinion.” He gave a lopsided smile. “You’re important to me.”
His words were sexier than any underwear billboard. On impulse, she cupped his face and kissed him, heedless of the other diners scattered through the dim restaurant.
When she sat back, Jordan laughed.
“Hey,” he said, “I wasn’t joking earlier when I said we needed to get out of here fast. Any more PDAs and—”
“—we’ll be putting on an R-rated performance?”
“Anyone ever tell you that you have a knack for finishing my sentences?”
“We’re on the same wavelength.”
“That’s not all I’d like to be,” Jordan growled.
