Текст книги "Faceoff"

Автор книги: Kelly Jamieson

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“I know I was away on business a lot,” he continued. “But there were a lot of trips I cut short so I could be back for your piano recital or one of Scott’s or Michael’s games. My bosses always knew that family came first.”

She gazed up at her dad, remembering those times he’d rushed in the door just in time for her jazz band concert or a playoff game. There’d been things he missed, yeah, but looking back, she had to admit he’d made a big effort to be there for them as a dad. And had still managed to climb the corporate ladder.

“I don’t think you know this,” he continued. “But I once turned down a promotion because it meant we would have to move to Germany.”

“What!” She gaped at him.

“Your mom and I talked about it. We didn’t want to uproot you and your brothers.”

“But…wow.”

“Family is most important,” he said again. “If you got the idea from me that career is most important, then…I am so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault I’m like this,” she said, voice husky. “It’s just me.”

“Ambitious,” he said with a smile, laying a hand on top of her head. “I understand that. Just make sure your priorities are straight. Need another drink?” He held up his empty glass.

“That’s okay, I’m good.”

Her dad moved on and the conversation rose and fell around her, Remi’s soft laugh, Tag’s deep voice, Emily’s nonstop chatter. Her eyes sought out Tag and watched him.

It was their last night together.

What had started as a week of fun, exploring the sexual attraction that had always been there between them, had turned into something that felt like a lot more. Maybe she shouldn’t even go to his tent tonight. Her emotions were all close to the surface today. First she’d nearly burst into tears in front of Tag’s mom, now her dad had almost made her cry again with his touching speech about family. Having sex with Tag always made her feel more, and tonight…that might not be a good idea.

He looked up and once again met her eyes, his lips quirking into a small smile, so warm, so sexy. Just for her. Her heart tilted crazily in her chest.

* * *

Much later, Tag lay in the tent, waiting for Kyla as he had every night for the past week. It was their last night. Thinking of all the things they’d done there made him realize he’d grown very fond of this tent.

Yeah, they’d tried out pretty much every kinky toy in his bag of tricks. Kyla’d proven sexually adventurous and surprisingly willing to let him take charge in bed. Submissive, but yet an active participant. They were a good match that way and he got hot all over just remembering everything they’d done.

They were a good match in other ways too, he had to admit. He liked being with her even when it wasn’t late at night in the tent. They laughed at the same things, had that easy way of talking to each other about pretty much anything. Sometimes when they were in the big family group, someone would say something and he’d look at her and know, somehow, that she was thinking the same thing he was.

It had been a good week, but next week was back to reality.

He was excited about it. He smiled up into the tent, hands behind his head lying on the bed. He’d felt overwhelmed before he’d had this week up here, overwhelmed by all the new expectations of him, the pressure of it. But strangely enough, after talking to Kyla about it, and also after talking to her about her career, he’d realized—he loved it. He loved playing hockey, but he loved everything about hockey―the business of it too. And he loved promoting it and talking about it to the whole world. It felt like contributing to the team and to the sport in a whole new way. Maybe he’d be good at it. He wanted to be.

So while this week had been great, he was looking forward to getting back to the city and jumping back into things.

A shadow appeared at the tent door and Kyla slipped in.

“Hey,” she said quietly, fastening the door.

He watched her, as always fascinated by the graceful way she moved, her slender body, her long shiny hair and her alluring smile. She sat on the bed beside him and looked at him.

Oh-oh.

“I wasn’t sure if I should come,” she said.

“Why?”

“I don’t know exactly. I just thought…maybe it was better to leave things the way they were. I know we’re both going to be thinking this is our last night and I don’t want to make it into more than it is.”

His gut clenched. He chose his words carefully. “We talked about this. We both felt the same.”

“Yes. We did.” She looked up at him and smiled, her white teeth gleaming in the dim tent. “So I’m here. For one last night. Better make it good, buddy.”

He laughed. She constantly surprised him. “C’mere, Mac.”

He pulled her down so she lay on top of him and she stretched out. He parted his legs so she fit between and she kissed him, one hand on his face, her hair falling down around them. He opened his mouth beneath hers, slid his tongue inside and wrapped his arms around her body, holding her tightly as they kissed. As always, just kissing her heated his blood and hardened his cock.

One hand slid into her hair and held her head as they kissed, long, wet kisses, and he gave himself up to it, the softness of her mouth, the feel of her breasts pressed against his chest. She moved on him in a sinuous little wriggle and he spread his legs wider for her, lifted his hips into her softness.

Damn she was sweet.

She bit softly at his lips, rubbed her nose against his and breathed in. His chest expanded with warmth and the rush of emotion made him roll her over, tucking her beneath him. Both still fully clothed, he sealed his mouth back over hers and pressed her down into the mattress. His teeth grazed her jaw and she trembled. His tongue dragged up the side of her neck and she moaned. Her hands grabbed at his back, tugged his shirt up until she found skin.

It was their last night together.

He wasn’t supposed to think about that. He was just supposed to remember how much fun this week had been, how beautiful she was, how hot the sex had been. It was just sex.

He buried his face in the side of her neck and breathed in her scent, a scent he would never forget, spicy sweet and coconutty. Maybe she only smelled like that here at the lake from the sunscreen she used, but he loved it. He opened his mouth on the soft skin there and tasted her.

Her hands ran up and down his back and she made needy little noises deep in her throat. He lifted his head and raised his hand to her forehead, pushing her hair back, resting his hand there. Gazing down at her, he said, “You know how much I love foreplay.”

“Yes,” she breathed. “You’re a god. A foreplay sex god.”

He couldn’t help the laugh her words tugged out of him. Jesus. “I’m just warning you, tonight’s not about foreplay. I have to be inside you, Kyla, like now.”

“Okay, yes, yes.” She wriggled her hips against him again, sending flames shooting from his balls up his spine. He groaned.

He rose up to strip off her T-shirt, tonight a little black one that said “Lawyers do it with appeal”. He’d shaken his head in amusement earlier when he’d seen her in it. Now it was coming off.

She half sat so he could pull it over her head, her hair a wild tangle around her head once the shirt had dragged through it. Hot. He reached behind her to unfasten her bra. Another source of fascination, the underwear she wore beneath those saucy little Ts and short shorts, all silky and sheer and lacy, in colors of bubble gum and peach and lemon.

She lifted her hips so he could pull off the little shorts and tiny thong panties. His heart raced in his chest and his dick throbbed. He bent his head to kiss each thigh, drew her scent inside him, kissed the patch of curls between her legs. He slipped his hand between them as he moved back over her. “Oh yeah,” he said. “So wet.”

He yanked his own T-shirt over his head, then stripped off his cargo shorts along with his briefs. With warm eyes and a sweet smile, she watched him as he moved back over her, supporting himself on his arms while he kissed her mouth again. Her hands came up to his waist.

More emotion rose inside him, surprising him, almost choking him, and then he was inside her, her sweet heat clasping him, her hips lifting to meet his. “Yes,” she whispered. “God, yes. Tag. Fuck me.”

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. He kissed her, then moved back onto his knees, spread wide. She raised her knees for him and he thrust in deeper still, so deep, fucking her deep. He curved his hands around her slender waist and held her, bracing her for each plunge of his cock inside her. Her breasts quivered, so soft and perfect. Her lips parted and she gazed back up at him with those beautiful dark eyes, full of something…

He closed his eyes, his heart stuttering. His breath dragged in and out of his lungs as pleasure poured through him with each stroke. And then he had to look at her again, to see her face even though what he saw there made his insides tremble.

Lots of times good sex made him feel like he was in love, and maybe he was, a little, with the woman he was with at the time, but it didn’t usually last and the one time he’d let it, he’d ended up fucked over. He’d vowed that would never happen again, so sex was sex and that was all it was.

This was so much more than sex it made his heart hurt. But Christ, he couldn’t go there again. With a long shredded groan, he fell over her and buried his face in the side of her neck, sucking her flesh so gently, licking her there, his arms around her head. Her fingernails bit into his back, scraped up and down, and every nerve ending ignited. They moved together perfectly in exquisite unison, their bodies fitting together flawlessly, the drag and pull of her pussy on his dick an almost unbearable sweetness. Tension coiled inside him, a twisting flame, and he gasped her name.

She urged him on with whispers and murmurs, her legs wrapped around his hips, rocking and clutching, and once more he lifted up to kiss her, his hand on her forehead, then he looked down at her. Her eyes glowed with unspoken emotion, a connection between them he could feel pulling them together. His chest clenched, his body tightened and he was gone, all the way gone, every thought in his head lost, just feeling, feeling her around him, her hands on him, feeling love.

Chapter Twelve

Kyla had the hour-long drive back to Winnipeg to do a lot of thinking. A lot of thinking about Tag. About what had happened last night between them. She’d come so close to telling him she loved him and she didn’t even know where the words had come from. They just seemed to rise up inside her, uncontrollable. It was ridiculous. She had no intention of falling in love or messing her plans up with a relationship. Guys expected too much—they wanted all her attention, didn’t want her working sixteen-hour days, expected her to be free on weekends.

Who the hell was she kidding? Who wanted that kind of life forever? She wasn’t stupid, but she’d definitely been blind. Or blinkered. Or stubborn. Whatever. The closer she got back to the city, the tighter her stomach got and the more her head began to ache from clenching her jaw.

She had time to think about her career and all the questions Tag had asked that she didn’t want to answer. She had time to think about her dad’s words to her, about family being first. The truth was, when she really thought about it, she hadn’t been entirely happy for a while. And looking into the future, even if she did get what she wanted, which was making partner, she wasn’t so sure now she’d be any happier. A heaviness filled her.

Her BlackBerry, plugged into the charger, chimed on the seat beside her. It was against the law to talk on a cell phone while driving, so she just glanced at it. Then it chimed again. And again. Shit.

She grabbed the phone, hoping there weren’t any RCMP cars out patrolling to see her, and thumbed the track ball. Christ. A ton of missed calls, starting Wednesday. All from the office. That iffy cell-phone coverage up at the lake had let her down.

She tossed the phone down and bit her lip. What was she going to do about it now, on a Sunday evening?

But she found herself parking in the small loading zone outside the Richardson Building. She could run into the office and her car would be okay there on a Sunday night for a couple of hours.

She turned on the lights in her office and powered up her computer. She surveyed the folders and documents that had piled up in her week’s absence.

Three hours later, she’d checked emails, found out what all the calls were about, done some research and had solved the problem. Now she was ready for Monday morning. Sure she was.

Her condo felt empty and cold when she walked in even though she’d turned down the air conditioning before she’d left. She didn’t bother with lights, just grabbed a pair of pajamas out of a drawer, washed her face and climbed into bed.

Alone.

For the first time in a week, she slept alone, her bed cold and empty, especially after last night, after the impassioned, heated way she and Tag had come together. She’d felt so cherished, so cared for, so free to be herself without judgment, only respect. Admiration and affection had emanated from the depths of his dark eyes as he watched her with steady eyes while they made love. She rolled, turning her face into her pillow and closing her eyes, an ache of longing spreading through her body. Tag.

Hell. If she needed an orgasm she could give that to herself. She slipped her hands under her shorts and between her legs. But it only took a few seconds to realize she wasn’t in the least turned on. She just…missed him. She was in big trouble because she didn’t need sex…she just needed Tag.

* * *

Tag and Jase left Twin Pines Country Club after finalizing some details for the charity golf tournament the four brothers were hosting the next day. They climbed into the Jeep Cherokee Tag had just bought a week ago and Tag reversed out of the parking spot.

“Looks like we’re good to go,” Jase said.

“Yeah.”

“You did a lot of work on this.”

“Yeah. You guys weren’t here, so someone had to do it.”

When Jase said nothing, Tag glanced sideways at him and caught his pissed-off look. “What?”

“We couldn’t get here any sooner, Logan or me. Matt was here and he said he helped.”

“Yeah, he helped a little.” Tag shrugged.

“What the hell’s your problem?” Jase demanded as Tag pulled out onto Highway #1 just outside the Perimeter.

“I don’t have a problem.”

“Yeah, you do. You’ve been snarly all week, with everyone. Ever since we came back from the lake.”

“I’ve just got a lot on my mind. There’s a lot of stuff going on with the team and this golf tournament.”

“Yeah. And what else?”

Tag shot him an annoyed glance. “Nothing else. Lay off, all right?”

Thick silence filled the Jeep and Tag stabbed at the button for the radio. The music of Eminem filled the Jeep, the expensive sound system creating a deep booming bass. Jase reached over and cranked the volume down.

Tag glared at him again.

“What’s bugging you?” Jase asked again.

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit.” Jase sighed. “Jesus. Are you really that pissed off that you had to do most of the work for this tournament?”

Tag sighed. “No.”

“Okay, I’m gonna go out on a limb here. Does this have anything to do with Kyla?”

Tag’s chest tightened. “Kyla? No.”

“Huh.” Jase was silent. “Because we knew what was going on in that tent last week.”

Tag’s stomach jumped. “Who knew?”

Jase grinned. “Me and Matt and Logan. And Scott. And, well, Jessica.”

Tag was silent while he processed that. They couldn’t know. “Nothing was going on.”

Jase laughed. “Riiiiight. You two were just playing Rummikub out there every night.”

“How’d you know she was there?”

“We saw her a few times between the three of us. One night Logan was coming to see you, and when he heard some noises from inside the tent, he…uh…decided not to bother you. One night Jess went to check on Emily and Kyla’s bed was empty. We put it all together. Plus, everyone noticed the way you two were acting.”

“Everyone?”

“Yeah. Especially Mom.”

“Shit.”

“So…why are you pissed? Kyla doesn’t want to continue the sleepovers now you’re back in the city?”

“Neither of us do.”

“Really.” Jase rubbed his chin. “Why not?”

“Neither of us is into relationships. She’s too busy with her high-powered law career. Even though it’s killing her,” he added with a touch of bitterness he couldn’t disguise. “And you know why I’m not.”

“Jovannah.”

“Her and every other woman who just wants to get with a pro athlete.”

“Not every woman is like that.”

“Okay, you found one who’s not.”

“Yeah.” Jase smiled. “Remi wanted nothing to do with me when she found out what I do for a living. Of course, I felt the same about her.” He made a face. “She’s not into money or status at all.”

“Women like Remi are rare.”

“Oh yeah.” Jase’s heartfelt agreement both annoyed Tag and made him envious. “She’s pretty special, all right. But I don’t know that it’s that rare. I mean, the real women are out there. Somewhere. I believe it. That’s pretty damn cynical to think all women are like that.”

“Well, I haven’t seen it.”

“So you’re saying the reason Kyla slept with you last week was because you’re an NHL hockey player?”

“No! She’s not like that.”

“You do know that you’re not making a lot of sense, right?”

“Fuck off.” Tag’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel and his jaw clenched.

“Seriously, man. You can’t say all women are like that in one breath and in the next say Kyla’s not. So what was it last week then?”

“It was just…sex.”

“Well, nothing wrong with that,” Jase said. “Sex is good. And you always did have a thing for her.”

“I did not.”

Jase’s laugh grated on his nerves. “You’re in bad shape, dude. Look, deal with it. If you want to see her again, call her.”

Tag could think of a lot of reasons why he couldn’t do that. They’d agreed, no relationship. She was too busy with her quest for partner. He was too busy with his career. They couldn’t risk the friendships between all their family members on something that could go horribly wrong. And…probably the biggest…he was terrified of being rejected by her. No way was he confessing that fear to his little brother.

His little brother, who seemed to have grown up a lot lately.

“There’s nothing to deal with.”

“Okay. Whatever. I tried. Just don’t take out your frustrations on the rest of us, okay?”

Tag turned the music back up. They were into the city now, cruising along Portage Avenue, another gorgeous summer day. Hopefully the weather would hold for the tournament. It would be a major pain in the ass if they got rained out.

He sighed. Jase was right. He’d been pissy all week, with everyone. And it was nobody’s fault but his. Since he and Kyla had parted at the lake, his mood had dropped like a puck at faceoff. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, which was driving him crazy.

She’s not like that.

Okay, so fine. She wasn’t the type to use him. She remained unfazed by his success, unimpressed by his money, oblivious to his celebrity. Yeah, she was obviously happy for him, the way she was happy for Jase and Matt and Logan, the way she celebrated their successes like she did her own brothers’. Clearly her feelings for him weren’t brotherly, thank Christ. But he knew she wasn’t one of those women who just wanted to sleep with him so she could say she had. He knew she wasn’t looking for a rich and famous husband. If there was any woman in the world he trusted, it was Kyla. But all that didn’t mean there was anything more to what had happened last week than just some fun.

Except…

He flicked on the blinker and changed lanes to turn onto the Charleswood Bridge.

Except something more had happened. He was falling in love with her.

What was he going to do about that? They lived in the same damn city now. Chances were pretty good they were going to run into each other. He could deal with that. But suddenly his single, no-strings-attached life seemed pretty dismal. Especially after seeing what Jase had with Remi. Especially after being with Kyla, so much fun, so undaunted, so unimpressed, but…so admiring, respectful and…loving.

“That’s the third time you’ve let out a big heavy sigh,” Jase said. “For god’s sake, go talk to her.”

Tag took in a deep breath. Yeah. Maybe he was going to have to do that.

* * *

By the end of the week, Kyla had done a lot more thinking about her career. She still hadn’t made a decision, but she found herself online looking at employment websites, perusing jobs in the legal field. Her mind was starting to open to the idea that maybe she needed to explore other options. She’d left the office at five o’clock every day, had had dinner with a couple of girlfriends she hadn’t seen for a long time and had laced up her running shoes and gone for a run along the river walk at the Forks.

Today, Friday, was the Heller brothers’ charity golf tournament, which she’d signed up for a long time ago. Seeing Tag again made her both nervous and excited.

So she’d never gotten over that little crush on Tag Heller. Sleeping with him had probably been a mistake because she’d gone all female and gotten emotionally involved. Why that hadn’t happened with other guys she’d slept with, she wasn’t sure, but in any case, she would be in control and friendly and polite when she next saw him.

The golf tournament wasn’t fun. She hated doing things she wasn’t good at, and despite a lot of expensive golf lessons, hours at the driving range and a lot of business tournaments, she wasn’t exactly a great golfer. She was decent at best, at least not humiliatingly awful, but it wasn’t fun for her. She put on a good face, though, especially when she ended up in a foursome with one of the new owners of the Jets, Mike Glendower. Tag’s boss.

“So, congratulations on finally making that deal to buy the team,” she said with a smile as they prepared to tee off. “You must be so happy.”

“Yeah, we’re pretty pumped. Thanks.”

They discussed some of the complicated business and legal issues that had dragged on for months, the frustrations, the delays. “I’m an attorney,” she explained to Mike, seeing the look of surprise on his face.

“Yeah,” he said slowly. “I think I knew that. You’re Greg MacIntosh’s daughter, aren’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re an attorney at Ingram Howell Grant.”

“Yes.” She blinked. “I am.”

“Ted Ingram is a good friend of mine.”

Of course he was.

“I’ve heard good things about you,” he added.

“Really.” She smiled. “Thanks. That’s nice to know.”

They next chatted at the second hole as they waited for their companions to tee off.

“You’ve done a lot of work for the AHL,” Mike said. “I remember talking to Craig about that. Craig Pearson.”

Craig was the other owner of the team, and yes, he’d been involved with the city’s AHL team, and yes, she’d worked with him. “Yes. You have heard a lot about me.”

“Craig was impressed with you.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. “That’s nice to hear.”

“You know,” Mike said, “we’re rebuilding our team here, the off-ice team as well. We’re looking for new legal counsel.”

“Really.” What was he saying?

“You’re probably not looking for a change, but if you’re interested in talking about employment with the Jets, I’d love to talk to you more about it.”

She didn’t answer, thoughts running wildly through her head. She’d been thinking so much about her career this week, especially after talking to Tag. Especially after that week at the lake where she’d realized how her work was making her literally sick. The firm hadn’t made the decision on partner yet. She’d probably get it. But Tag had asked her the question and she was now asking it of herself—was that what she really wanted?

“That’s interesting,” she said slowly. “Very interesting.” She was fascinated by pro sports. She loved hockey.

“Great! Here’s my card. Call me at my office Monday morning and we’ll set up a meeting next week. No pressure,” he added with a sincere smile. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions too. I’ll introduce you to some of the other personnel and we’ll just have a chat.”

“That sounds great.”

After eighteen holes, she chatted with other people she knew there, a few clients, people she’d gone to school with. Then she spotted Tag across the lawn, standing near the clubhouse entrance, surrounded by three gorgeous girls smiling up at him. She stood there and watched him for a moment as he talked and laughed, his wide smile flashing charm all over the place, and her heart turned over in her chest. She began walking toward him.

She felt as though her heart reached out to him and he seemed to sense it. He looked up and spotted her. He kept talking, but he didn’t take his eyes off her. As she neared the group, he said, “Excuse me, ladies,” with another charming smile, and detached himself from them. He moved toward her, his gaze still fastened on her face, making her heart tremble and her skin tingle.

“Hi,” she said when they stood face-to-face, a little breathless.

“Hi.”

They stared at each other.

“Um,” she began. “I was just talking to Mike Glendower.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mmm. He um…wants to talk to me about a job.”

Tag lifted one eyebrow. “A job?”

“Legal counsel. He says they’re looking for someone here.”

Tag’s slow smile had her pulse fluttering. “Huh. That’s true.”

“I just wanted to mention it to you…I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m not even sure I’m interested. Although it is intriguing. And I’ve been thinking a lot about my career this week. Thanks to you.”

His lips quirked.

“Would it be a problem for you if I worked for the team? Because I don’t want to make things uncomfortable, and if it would be, I won’t even call him to set up the meeting.”

He didn’t answer. His eyes roved over her face. Her heart beat even faster, but she kept a cool smile on her face, her hands steady on the tote bag she held over her shoulder.

“It wouldn’t be a problem for me,” he said finally, his voice low and smoky. “If it’s something you’re interested in, go for it.”

“It might be.”

He moved a little closer. “Kyla…”

She tipped her head back to look up at him, so tall, so broad, so handsome.

“I missed you this week,” he said quietly.

Everything inside her melted into liquid. Her mouth went soft and her eyes closed briefly at the surge of emotion inside her. “Oh.” She looked at him again, saw her own feelings reflected back in his brown eyes. “I missed you too.”

“Tag Heller!” A man stopped beside them. Kyla didn’t know him, but Tag did.

“Hey, Norm. How are you?”

“Great! Just wanted to say hi and tell you how happy we all are the team’s back in town.”

“Thanks.” Tag’s smile held charm and enthusiasm. “Glad to be here. It’s going to be an exciting year.”

“Yeah, definitely.” The man glanced at Kyla.

Tag introduced them and Kyla shook hands and smiled.

“Great turnout this year,” Norm said.

“Definitely.” Tag grinned. “The team moving back brought a lot of attention to our little golf tournament. I think we raised a good chunk of cash for Children’s Hospital today.”

“Sure hope so, it’s a good cause. Nice to see you again. Good luck this season.”

“Thanks.”

And Norm moved on.

“I wish we could get out of here,” Tag muttered, sliding his hand around her arm. “But I have to stick around for a while.”

“I know.”

Their eyes met and held again in a connection of heat and longing. “I know what we said,” he murmured, his face so close to hers she could see the glint of whiskers on his jaw, the flecks of gold and cinnamon in his eyes. She could breathe in his scent, that fresh clean scent. “Up at the lake. How neither of us was looking for a relationship.”

She nodded, holding his gaze.

“I wasn’t looking for one,” he added, touching her cheek, fingertips grazing her jaw. “But I think it found me.”

A tremulous smile tugged at her lips. “Oh yeah?”

He bent and touched his nose to hers. “Yeah.”

“Well, I wasn’t looking for one either. Didn’t have time. But this week…I seem to have freed up some time in my life for other things. Thanks to a very smart man who annoyed me with some tough questions.”

He smiled. “That’s good.” He paused. “I’ve been burnt a few times, Kyla. I kind of have a hard time trusting women.”

“Me?” she asked quietly.

“No. Not you. Never you. That’s why…I―”

“Jesus.” Someone slapped Tag on the back and Kyla looked up to see Logan standing there grinning. “Would you two get a room?”

Heat scorched her cheeks, but she smiled back at Logan. His grin held warm affection.

“Shaddup,” Tag said mildly. His hand slid down Kyla’s bare arm until it clasped her hand in a warm grip.

“Or should I say a tent,” Logan added with a wicked little lift of one eyebrow that reminded her of Tag.

“Uh…” Bereft of words, she looked at Tag, who was grinning broadly. He shrugged as he met her eyes. Logan moved away to talk to someone else.

“I said nothing,” he murmured in her ear. “I can’t help it if people noticed things.”

“Like your mother,” she added. She bit her lip. “Tag…”

“I know. I’m not taking this lightly, Kyla.” He regarded her seriously, turning to face her, holding both her hands with his. Once again, he seemed to know what she was thinking.

“Your mom talked to me,” she said. “Up at the lake. I felt horrible because she thought there was something between us and she was all happy about it. I had to tell her it wasn’t really anything. If we mess this up…”

“I know. I hear you. I’m picking up what you’re putting down.”

She laughed reluctantly. “Seriously, Tag.”

“I am serious. As serious as a game misconduct. No, as serious as a full-season suspension. I know what this means. I know the consequences of things going wrong, believe me. But Kyla…I need you.” He paused and she saw the vulnerability in his eyes, the same as she felt. “I never thought I’d say this. I want a relationship. It’s true, I wasn’t looking for one, but…well, I want one with you.”

The vulnerability she saw somehow reassured her and made her want to reassure him. “Oh me too,” she said in a rush. “I never realized what it would be like…”

They were both dancing around it, like two players squaring off for a fight, both knowing it was too soon to be talking about love and forever, but knowing they both felt it.

“This isn’t the place to be talking about this stuff,” she whispered.