Page 20 of Shootout
If only…
The shocking truth was part of me didn’t want to change what’d happened. These last two days had been a whirlwind, and I didn’t completely regret how that kiss felt, nor did I deny I’d been aroused by Banks’s naked body rubbing against mine.
I’d had a couple opportunities to explain this entire situation. Instead, I’d buried Banks and myself even deeper. Nor did I regret my part in this subterfuge as much as I should’ve. How could I be so attracted to one of hockey’s bad boys so quickly? Maybe Banks was my late rebound from my breakup with Rick a year ago. After all, we weren’t in a real relationship, which made him safe to a point.
Doris delivered our burgers, and the three of us ate in silence in between the glares Banks and Wild shot at each other. If they kept this up, pretty soon, they’d be peeing on the table legs.
“Let me give you a ride home.” Jason tapped his fingers on the table in a gesture that annoyed the hell out of me, and he knew it.
Irritated that once again he was dictating my life, I blurted out, “Banks will take me home, won’t you, sweetie?”
Banks stared at me for a split second too long before catching on. “Sure, I’d be glad to, honeybuns.”
My brother turned a putrid shade of green as if he were going to be sick while I stifled a laugh and almost snorted beer up my nose.
Jason looked from one to the other of us. Suspicious, but not sure why.
“Run along, bro. We’ll be just fine.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
He glowered at Banks. “If you harm a hair on her head, you won’t live to see tomorrow.”
“You’ve threatened my life at least a dozen times in the past twenty-four hours. That’s a personal best even for me,” Banks said solemnly, but I caught the mirth in his brown eyes.
“Good night, big brother,” I said, shooing him along.
Reluctantly, Jason stood. After one more menacing glare at Banks, he addressed me. “See you at home.”
“Don’t wait up.” I smiled innocently. He almost snarled, and I hid my laughter with a hand over my mouth. Banks and I watched him leave. Jason was so easy to provoke. I’d been a thorn in his side my entire life, and I was a master at chirping at my own brother.
Doris returned to our table and slapped two tabs in front of Banks. She gathered up the dishes and left without a word. Banks picked them up and studied them.
“Your brother stiffed me with his bill.” Banks said. “And he has a fifty-dollar shot of whiskey on here.”
“You can afford it. I guess that’s payback for annoying him.”
For the first time, an awkward silence passed between us. Banks stared out the window, and I fiddled with the strap on my purse. What did one say to a guy she’d forced to be her pretend boyfriend? “I’m sorry” would be a good start, but I wasn’t saying those words. I wasn’t sure why, maybe because some part of me wasn’t really sorry.
We were sitting so close our thighs rubbed and sent an unexpected shock of electricity through me. I scooted away from him to lessen the effect of his closeness, not that it helped. Banks had an aura around him which seemed to envelop me whenever he was close. I wanted to bask in his warmth and succumb to his magnetism.
I closed my eyes for a moment to get a handle on things. Desperate to distract myself from his presence, I resorted to small talk.
“Tell me about yourself. Non-hockey stuff.” I leaned back and waited for him to respond.
He blinked a few times as if he hadn’t seen this coming before a slow, melancholy smile crossed his face. “I’m from Detroit. I was drafted in the first round by Detroit and played my entire career there until they traded me to Seattle. My twin and I had been on the same teams our entire life. This is the first time he hasn’t been in the locker room or on road trips with me. Braden is my best friend, a piece of my soul, and it’s been hard on both of us. I’ve also never been away from my family for an extended period. My mom and dad are still together. We’re all pretty tight. Rambunctious and argumentative, but tight.”
“Sounds like my family.”
“Really?” he said incredulously.
“Yeah.”
“You rarely run into two people who can say that.”
“I guess we’re the lucky ones.”
