Page 35 of Better Watch Out
“Bishop!”
Her warning was too late as the three boys rammed their tubes into Andrew’s, sending him gliding sideways in a dizzying spin that had her laughing so hard her eyes teared. She wiped at her eyes in time to see she’d somehow become the new target. Grabbing for her controls, she sent her tube backward and accidentally bumped into a grandfather whose glasses slid to the tip of his nose.
“Sorry.”
“Get Bishop’s girlfriend!”
She turned her head to see the boys closing in but if she moved, they’d hit the grandfather, who was still struggling with his gloves to push his glasses back up. Bracing herself for impact, she was ready to take one for the team when Andrew’s tube slipped in at the last second, catching two of the three tubes, causing them to spin sideways and bump into the third one, sending them slipping in different directions.
Andrew flashed a grin at her. “There’s a reason I’m called The Beast.”
When she narrowed her eyes on him, Andrew’s own rounded. “Let’s get him, boys.”
“Charge!”
It was then that Andrew noticed the three boys had circled back and were coming at him from three sides, and her tube would close in, essentially trapping him. He shook his head and sent a pleading look to Frannie, who smiled innocently before pushing her joystick forward.
All four tubes crashed into Andrew, bouncing everyone around like a pinball machine. Frannie was laughing so hard she began to hiccup. Andrew narrowed his eyes on her in confusion, which only made her laugh harder, happy tears streaming down her cheeks and freezing against her skin. Finally, the horn sounded and everyone’s tubes slowly came to a stop.
The boys crowded Andrew’s tube as he got out. He told them something that sent them off the ice as he headed her way. Still hiccupping, Frannie stepped out of her tube but forgot she was still on ice. She started to slip but Andrew was there and weaved his arm around her waist, saving her from a fall.
His firm hold helped her find her balance. “You okay?”
“Yeah, thank you.” Her gratitude came out on a puff of air between them. Was her heart pounding because she almost ate it or because Andrew Bishop had his arm around her? She hiccupped and blushed. “I get the hiccups when I laugh too hard.”
Keeping his arm around her waist, Andrew walked with her off the ice and toward a bench. “I saw the look in those kids’ eyes—I was trying to protect you.”
Frannie looked up at him. “It was the look inyoureyes when we targeted you.” Frannie laughed on a hiccup. She looked up at him. “Besides, you protected me yesterday. You’re off-duty, Beast.”
Her teasing attempt to assure him seemed to float right over him like the smoke spiraling from one of the food kiosks. Andrew’s hold tightened on her and his gaze turned pensive. His jaw locking made her wonder what had changed the mood. Why his gray-blue eyes pinged back and forth like the tubes they were just on.
ChapterFourteen
Heat pulsed hot beneath Andrew’s wool coat, making him want to shed it, but how would he explain that to Frannie?Sorry, but I can’t seem to get a grip on the teenage emotions I thought I had outgrown.
Thankfully, the boys had found them after the bumper tubes, bringing paper and a pen for him to do autographs as he’d promised. It had been more than a year since he’d signed anything for anyone. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been asked. He’d run into fans occasionally and chatting with them about his time on the ice was fun, but as time passed, it was becoming rare.
“I think you made their year.”
“They’re good kids.” Andrew followed her gaze to where the boys were showing off their copies of his message to each of them. He’d made sure to praise them for their team work on the ice.
“I take it you were pretty good to earn the name Beast.”
He gave a shrug. “It was a fun season of life.”
Frannie’s blue eyes squinted up at him. “How long did you play?”
“A few years.”
Her brows scrunched together beneath blonde bangs hanging loose beneath her pink knit cap. She pulled out her cell phone and began typing on it. A second later, her blue eyes flashed up at him and he knew what she was reading.
“According toUSA Hockey Magazine, you were named one of the NHL’s top defensemen.Andone of hockey’s most eligible bachelors.”
Her tone was teasing, as was the coy look she was giving him. He pulled off his cap and ran a hand through his hair, unsure which topic he wanted to avoid more, his career in the NHL or the unexpected way he was drawn to the woman sitting next to him.
You’re protecting her. It was his job to be drawn to her, to keep her safe.
“Are you hungry?”
