Page 16 of Slap Shot Surprise
She sighed, her posture deflating. “Never mind.”
“No, wait—I’ve got something.” I took a deep breath, like this was a dramatic announcement. “My real name is Giuseppe.”
Her jaw fell open. She had an adorably round mouth with shiny, strawberry-red lips. “That’s it? That’s the most embarrassing thing about you?”
I shrugged.
“I think I feel worse knowing that.” She tossed back the rest of her champagne. “I have to go throw myself in the lake now.”
When she tried to walk past me, I laughed and grabbed her arm. “Hang on, hang on. I thought of something else.”
“I’m listening.”
I kept my hand around her forearm. Her skin was warm. “When I was a senior, I made this big sign to ask my girlfriend to prom, and I spelled her name wrong.”
That strawberry mouth twitched. “Did she still say yes?”
“Yeah, but she put that sign all over social media and I felt like a dumbass.”
“How long had you been dating her?”
“Long enough to know how to spell her name if I’d been paying attention.”
“What was her name?”
“Lindsey. With a fuckingE.”
She laughed, her head falling to one side, and I hadthe urge to press my face into the curve of her neck and brush my lips across her throat. I wondered what she smelled like. How she kissed. What sounds she’d make in the dark.
Whether that one-night stand with a stranger was still on the table.
Dammit, IknewI could give her that orgasm if she’d give me a chance. It might take some time, but I was patient. I was skilled. And I was competitive as fuck, so the opportunity to succeed where others had failed was eating at me.
But despite what she’d said on the plane, Mabel Buckley did not seem like the type of girl to jump into bed with a guy she’d only just met, so I took my hand off her before my mouth said something my brain would regret.
“I could use another drink,” she said, glancing at the bar across the room. “What about you?”
“I could, but I’m afraid if I go over there, I’ll be swarmed by people who want to talk to me.” I met her eyes. “And I’d rather just talk to you.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “I could go grab us a couple drinks, and we could take them out on the balcony,” she suggested. “It’s not raining yet, but I bet not a lot of people are out there because of the heat.”
“Works for me.” I grabbed a five from my wallet and handed it to her. “Here. Tip the bartender.”
She nodded. “I’ll meet you outside.”
As Mabel had predicted, we had the balcony all to ourselves.
Leaning my elbows on the railing, I looked over at her. “You know, I almost missed that flight yesterday.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I was coming from a charity event that ran over. I’m glad it was delayed.”
“Me too,” she said, tucking her hair behind one ear.
“So you don’t follow hockey, huh?”
She shook her head. “No. I mean, I could follow a game. I know the basics, I just don’t know any player names or team standings or anything.”
