The bus pulled into the parking lot at the arena and Kate’s stomach lurched. It might have been up in her throat, it might have been in her chest—she wasn’t sure. Doing a quick head count after disembarking, they followed the kids into the arena. Kate wondered if it was too late to get the bus to take her home.
The place was packed. People moved along the concourse, stopping at concession stands for food or souvenirs. The kids bolted into the rink and headed toward the boards to watch the Flyers and that night’s opponents from Buffalo, during the pre-game skate.
Kate had forgotten about hockey arenas and was unprepared for the rush of testosterone that hit her as she walked down the steps. Rock music blared from the speakers and the players moved with a combination of brute force and poetic grace. The cutting sound of their skates, the click-clacking sound of the pucks hitting sticks, the entire scene assaulted every sense. She heard, she smelled, she felt…
Then she saw David, and her hormones headed south.
Julie gave her a nudge and Kate took another step, watching his movements with intensity. If she’d never seen this man before, she still would have wanted him. He didn’t wear a helmet during the warm up and his hair caught the breeze as he skated. He was enormous, fully padded, and so handsome she had to remember to breathe. Part of the thrill for her was knowing what was beneath the equipment, and knowing what David was like when he was off the ice. It took her a moment to absorb the rest of her surroundings. Women lined the boards, many of them wearing David’s jersey, and reality slapped Kate right in the face just like it did the day she saw him in New York.
He could have any one of them.
They were young and beautiful, with perfect bodies and flawless skin. His time with her was an aberration. She took a last look and just as she was about to turn away, David glanced in her direction and saw her. He froze. His eyes connected with hers and then a smile broke across his face. Part of Kate wanted to smile back, wave, something, but she held her enthusiasm and didn’t respond in kind. She saw no reason to give his ego the boost.
“He is so hot,” Julie said, tugging her sleeve. “And he’s looking right at you.”
“Don’t read too much into it.” Kate focused on the students because it was better than focusing on David and his phony flirtation. He was used to affecting women, and Kate had no intention of being affected. She called to the third chaperone who was at the boards with the kids and told him she and Julie were headed to the seats. A few of the kids waved and Kate turned to leave, never giving David an inch.
She glanced at Julie. “Where are we sitting?
“Kate, he’s still staring at you.”
“So?” Kate glanced back and saw the smile gone from his face.
David didn’t look angry, but confused. Confused? Really? She started up the steps. Well, good. After the way he treated her, he needed to feel like crap, even if it was only for twelve seconds.
*
Normally, David never looked at the crowd. It was an unwritten rule: the only fans who got his attention during warm-ups were the kids. He’d always toss a few pucks over the glass to the little guys, but everyone else didn’t exist. The signs, the women gawking and flirting, broke his concentration. And on a game day, from the minute he walked into the arena, the thing he focused on was the game at hand. Nothing else. He couldn’t afford distractions. But tonight, something made him look into the seats.
There she was. Her fitted jeans accented every curve and her shirt was cut just low enough for David to notice a bit of lace peeking from behind. When she moved her head, her hair softly swept her shoulders. Kate raked him with her hazel eyes, and even though she was staring at him like he was the lowest form of life on planet Earth, he couldn’t do anything but smile. Like a fucking idiot, he stood there and smiled.
Kate, on the other hand, didn’t smile at all. There wasn’t even the slightest twitch at her mouth. He thought she might soften, might give him some encouragement, but after a minute of making him feel like a complete shit, she looked at a group of teenagers near the boards, said something, and then turned on a very high heel and walked up the stairs.
Cam skated up next to him and fixed his eyes on the stands where Kate had been standing. “Was that the chick from California?”
David nodded.
“She looked pissed. Didn’t you take her out to dinner?”
David tapped his stick on the ice. “Yeah, I haven’t talked to her since, though.”
Cam shook his head. “Okay, so? You didn’t click.”
David focused on the blue line embedded in the ice. The problem was they had clicked. He liked her a lot and then he put her off, lapsing into his old routine.
It seemed impossible, but as David watched her retreating form, he felt a chill. Maybe it was a good thing he’d put the brakes on the relationship. Granted she was great in bed, but knowing how old she was, and all the baggage she brought to the table…
He stopped and used his gloved hand to push the hair back from his forehead. Jesus Christ. When did I become such a dick?
Kate wasn’t like any girl he’d ever known. She was sincere and sweet and totally unprepared for what happened between them. She didn’t expect anything. She’d been minding her own business and he took advantage. On top of that, he was the one who invited her out to dinner when they got home. David thought about how happy she looked in California, when he’d left her in that big bed with a light kiss and a promise to call. How she looked when she first saw him at Piccolo’s. Thinking about her made his heart tighten and his stomach jump, and David blew out a long breath. She mattered to him, regardless of how much he fought it. After just a couple of times together, Kate mattered.
Then he remembered the look on her face when he saw her at that restaurant in New York a week ago. She looked—then it dawned on him that the look on her face a few minutes ago was the same one he had seen last Sunday morning. He thought she was angry, but that wasn’t it—it was hurt. He’d hurt her. He’d said he wanted to see her again and then she saw him with Chelsea, and that made him a slimy cheat—just like her ex. Kate didn’t know how he felt about Chelsea, that what she saw that morning wasn’t a date. No, it was the perfect storm of misunderstandings. Except for the part where he avoided Kate when he found out her age. That was totally on him. He didn’t even want to think about it because basically it made him a first-class asshole. He may not be a cheater, but he was definitely a coward. A real fucking prize. Turning away from her retreating form, he skated toward the tunnel.
Shit. This game was too important for him to think about anything else. A win against a team like Buffalo early in the season would set a tone, but how was he supposed to get her out of his head? David leaned against the wall next to the dressing room door and cursed. She was up there someplace. He wanted to get a message to her. Maybe she could meet him after the game and he could explain what she saw last week.
She’s not important to me. I haven’t been with anyone since I met you.
Like she’d believe that. Trying to see Kate was probably not the best idea he ever had, but hey, what was life if he couldn’t live dangerously?
So where was she? When he last looked, she was on her way to the mezzanine with a tall blonde. He needed to see her. David didn’t know where the attack of conscience was coming from and why this woman was giving it to him, but something told him he should listen to himself. If he let Kate get away, he had a feeling it was going to be one of the worst mistakes of his life.
*
“You really froze him out,” Julie said. “No pun intended, of course.”