She looked up at me with her big brown eyes and my heart started to melt in my chest. She could ask me for the moon and stars and if she looked at me with those big brown eyes, I would do whatever it took to get them for her.
“Hey,” she said shyly and averted my gaze.
“Hey, yourself,” I replied. I didn’t expect her to let me into her suite but I kind of wanted to see all of the flowers and balloons.
“Let me get my purse,” she stated and left the door cracked open as she walked back inside.
I took the opportunity to push open the door a little wider and peek in. The unit was small, kind of what they called a studio apartment. I’d lived in my share of those although none this upscale. She had expensive looking dark wood furniture and the place was spotless except for all of the flowers and balloons that lined every surface of the place. It was a little overwhelming. For a minute, I thought I may have overdone it, until she said, “Don’t you just love how the place feels with so many flowers? It’s almost like spring in here.”
She inhaled. “And the fragrance makes me feel like I’m in a garden. I’m sure going to miss it when they die.”
I remembered what she said about wanting to get some plants for her place and made the decision to help her fill the place with stuff that would make it feel like a garden again, if I could figure out exactly how to go about it. It’s not like I had a lot of experience with plants or even gardens for that matter. It was all concrete and asphalt in the slums and unsavory neighborhoods where I grew up.
She grabbed a small handbag from her desk then gave me a quick smile.
“Ready?” I asked.
When she nodded, I put out my hand for her to grab. She looked at my outstretched palm for a minute as if she was trying to decide whether to take it or not. Then she tentatively placed her small hand in mine. I could feel my heart start to pound again as I felt the warmth from her hand heat mine.
I’d been driving the same Honda Civic for years. I bought it when I’d saved enough cash and never had a car payment. I put aside money for repairs when they were needed but I planned on driving the thing until it fell apart. Some of the guys on the team had invested in fancy sports cars or luxury vehicles before the ink on their contracts had a chance to dry but that wasn’t me. I never needed a set of wheels to show how cool I was and I definitely didn’t need a penis extender.
Taylor’s eyes went wide as we got closer to my ride. Then she actually started to giggle.
“Is something funny?” I asked as we stood next to the passenger side of the car.
She shook her head but she was rubbing her lips together nervously like she trying not to say something.
I looked down at her and furrowed my brow. “Spill it.”
She looked up at me with her big browns and I could feel my heart skip a few beats. Then she swallowed. “I guess I just expected you to have a different car.”
“What’s wrong with my car?” I prodded.
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “It’s just—well—a lot of jocks drive muscle cars. And a lot of professional athletes spend their money on fancy ones.”
“I guess I’m not like most jocks,” I said matter-of-factly. I wanted her to get the idea that I wasn’t like the guy, or guys, from her past who hurt her.
I opened the passenger door for her and she slid into the passenger seat. I hurried around the back of the car and hopped into the driver’s seat.
As I started the engine, she asked, “So where are you taking me?”
“It’s a surprise,” I said as I backed out of the parking space and headed out of the lot.
Fifteen minutes later, we were parked outside of Jabberwockey’s. It was an all-you-can-eat pizza place that was also advertised as a family fun center. They had all kinds of carnival games, small rides and mini-golf.
I wasn’t sure if I had made a huge mistake not taking her to a fancy restaurant but I wanted to do something different and memorable. And I also felt very uncomfortable with the idea of having to make several hours of dinner conversation with a girl who was obviously smart. I wanted to impress her not make her realize she was out on a date with an ignorant asshole who barely finished high school. Not that I wasn’t smart in my own way. I had plenty of street smarts. I just wasn’t book smart. I knew I couldn’t impress her with dazzling conversation but I thought I might be able to impress her with some athletic ability in carnival games.
When I saw a small smile creep across her face, I knew I had made the right choice.
“I haven’t been here in years,” she said. “I used to love this place.”
I had only been to Jabberwocky a few times with some of the guys on the team. They liked the idea of all-you-can-eat pizza and the place liked to have the hockey players in because it was a boost for business but I think they definitely lost money when we ate there.
I jumped out of the car and hurried around to the passenger side to open the door for Taylor.
She thanked me and I could hardly contain my grin when she grabbed my hand again before I even offered. I wanted to hold her hand tight but it was so small, I didn’t want to crush it.
Jabberwocky’s wasn’t very crowded and I assumed it was because it was a school night and it was pretty late. I was glad we wouldn’t have to compete with too many kids for the games.
“Do you want to eat first then play a few games?” I asked.
She nodded as I led her over to the hostess stand. The girl seating everyone looked familiar and I wondered if she was one of the super fans. I didn’t know too many of them very well, mostly because Shawna had monopolized most of my time whenever she could.
When the girl saw me, he eyes widened. “Kian Kavanagh,” she nearly screamed. “Oh, my God!”
“Can I get a table for two,” I asked trying to steer the conversation away from the Firestorm Fan Club.
She didn’t take the hint, though. “I’m Jessie. One of the super fans.”
I gave her a polite smile. Then she looked over at Taylor and her eyes went wide. “Where’s Shawna?” she blurted.
“This is Taylor,” I said quickly, hoping she would drop it.
Jessie continued to stare at Taylor with a confused look on her face.
“Can we get a table?” I prodded.
She finally snapped out of her confused fog. “Yeah, sure.” She grabbed two menus and led us to a booth near the back of the eating area.
“Is this okay?” Jessie asked and I nodded. She was still giving Taylor a strange look like she wasn’t sure why I was with her and she wanted to kill her at the same time.
She placed the menus on the table and marched away as Taylor and I took our seats.
I deflated a little when I saw Taylor suddenly looked uncomfortable. I knew it was because of what Jessie had said and the way she looked at her.
“I’m sorry about that,” I said and held my breath waiting for her response.
“It’s not your fault,” she responded quietly. The joy-filled little smile I had seen in the parking lot when we arrived was nowhere to be seen and I wanted it back.
“You look really beautiful tonight.” As soon as she looked up at me I locked eyes with hers and I could feel a powerful exchange of energy between us.
“Thanks,” she replied but she didn’t take her eyes from mine. If there wasn’t a table between us, I would have grabbed her and kissed her.
God, I wanted to feel her lips on mine again. She must have read my thoughts because she bit her bottom lip and I thought I would just fucking explode.
She opened her menu and gave a little laugh.
“What’s so funny?” I challenged.
“There’s plenty of meat on the menu,” she joked.
“You mean you don’t want a vegetarian pizza?” I kidded. “Maybe we could get some avocados? Or maybe some tuna salad? But only if they have pitas. I’m not settling for a wrap.”
Her smile widened and it lit up her face. I found her so attractive it was hard for me t
o take my eyes off of her. She was gorgeous but my attraction to her was deeper than that. It was as if we had this deep connection. I wondered if it was the kind of connection people talked about when they used the term soul mates. But then I mentally kicked myself for being such a pussy. I didn’t believe in soul mates.
Did I?
Even if I did believe in soul mates, there was no way a girl like Taylor would have someone like me for a soul mate. That didn’t make any sense. Unless God was playing some kid of cruel joke on both of us.
“What about the combo pizza?” she asked. “It has meat: pepperoni and sausage and it also has veggies: peppers, olives and mushrooms. The best of both worlds.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I replied as we both put down our menus.
I was glad to see that we had an older waitress, who didn’t seem to be a hockey fan because she treated me just like any other guy who might have sat down at her table.
We ordered the combo pizza and two beers. I was a little surprised when Taylor said she wanted beer but it was a good surprise. She was a lot more down-to-Earth than I initially thought she would be and it made me like her even more.
“So,” Taylor said. “I guess Shawna is the girl from the other night.”
I swallowed but it did little to get rid of the lump that was forming in my throat. “Yeah,” I managed to get out.
“Was she your girlfriend?” Taylor asked. I could tell by the rise in her voice it was uncomfortable for her to talk about.
I gave a single laugh. “No, definitely not.”
Taylor raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”
How could I explain to Taylor the relationship, or lack of one, I had with Shawn, without sounding like a womanizing dick?
The way Taylor was looking at me wasn’t judgmental. It was more like she was curious.
Before I could respond, Taylor asked, “Is she a puck bunny?”
This time I gave a big hearty laugh. “Where did you hear that term?”
Her face turned red with embarrassment and I felt like a complete asshole for laughing at her.
“It’s nicer than hockey whore,” she stated even more uncomfortably and that made me laugh even louder.
She frowned. “I’m glad I amuse you.”
I took both of her hands into mine and looked into her eyes. “Shawna is in the past. I haven’t even thought about another girl since I met you.”
Our eyes locked and my heart skipped a few beats. Damn this table between us. I wanted her lips on mine so badly, I could have screamed.
“And what about you?” I asked. “What about all the guys beating down your door? I’m surprised you could even squeeze me in.”
This time she was the one who laughed. “I don’t date,” she stated and it took a second for her words to register. I knew she definitely wasn’t the type of girl who got around and I knew because of her friend Kyle that she didn’t have anyone serious but I couldn’t imagine someone who looked like her didn’t date at all.
“I find that hard to believe,” I challenged.
“You’re the first person I’ve been on a date with since high school,” she said.
I could feel my eyes go wide. This amazing girl hadn’t been on a date since she started college and for some reason she decided to go out with an asshole like me. It didn’t seem possible.
“Why me?” I blurted before I had a chance to stop myself.
She interlaced her fingers with mine and I could feel my heart flutter again. I felt like a freakin’ girl. Then she looked up at me with her big brown eyes and grinned. “I have no idea.”
We were both grinning at each other like fools when the waitress brought over our pizza and beers. I didn’t want her to let go of my hands but it was the only way the waitress could place the pizza on the table between us.
I don’t know why but I craved the connection between us. Once she touched me, I never wanted to let her go. I’d never gotten into heavy drugs but she seemed to be almost as addictive.
As we ate the pizza and drank our beer, Taylor told me all about her research internship and how important it was for her to be published in a journal. I didn’t get some of what she was saying but I could tell it was important to her so I tried my best to keep up. There weren’t many times that I regretted not doing better in school and going to college but this was definitely one of them.
She asked me what it was like to be a professional hockey player and I told her how hard it was, how I didn’t get to have much of a life outside of the game and how weird it was to have people recognize me wherever I went.
“I know how famous actors feel,” I joked and she laughed.
I was surprised at how easy the conversation was between us. Even though we were from two completely different worlds, it didn’t seem to matter when we were together.
After I paid the check, she got a competitive gleam in her eye and it completely intrigued me. “What are you thinking right now?” I asked.
She got up from the table. “I’m thinking I’m going to completely kick your butt at Skee Ball.”
I rose from the table and looked down at her. “You think so?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Think nothing,” she boasted. “I know so.”
I leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips and it seemed to render her speechless. “You’re on,” I said. “Care to make a wager?”
She was still just staring at me, her hand held to her lips. “Okay,” she said finally.
“Here’s the bet. If I win, you have to go out with me on Sunday. And if you win, I’ll take you on a date Sunday. How does that sound?”
She frowned. “So either way, we’re going on a date Sunday. What kind of bet is that?”
“One I don’t mind losing,” I said as I grabbed her hand. “Come on. Skee Ball awaits.”
Ten
Taylor
I was kicking Kian’s butt. He could have been the worst Skee Ball player in the history of Skee Ball and I just happened to forget to mention that I played a lot of Skee Ball when I was a kid. Apparently the muscle memory was still there because in a little over an hour I had won over a thousand tickets and Kian had three.
“I can’t believe it,” Kian said after his third consecutive ball rolled into zero point hole. “You’re killing me.”
I shook my head. “Nope, you’re already dead,” I teased as I held up the roll of tickets I’d won. “I think it’s time to cash in our tickets and get our prizes.”
Kian held up the three straggly tickets in his hand. “What kind of prize do you think I can get with three tickets?” He was actually pouting a little bit.
“I’m sure you’ll be able to get something,” I assured him even though I wasn’t sure at all. “Don’t be a baby.”
He pulled me close and I could feel the heat from his body on mine. “Maybe you can help me ease my bruised ego,” he whispered in my ear.
“How would you suggest I do that?” I was nearly breathless with anticipation.
He placed his lips on mine and when my body responded, he deepened the kiss. My tickets all dropped to the floor as his thrust his tongue into my mouth and I gasped in delight as his tongue danced with mine.
“Are you done playing Skee Ball,” a little voice asked.
We broke from our kiss and both turned to see a little boy of about six or seven staring at us.
“We’re done,” Kian said as he grabbed my tickets off the floor.
“Wow,” the boy exclaimed. “You won a lot of tickets.”
Kian smiled. “It wasn’t me. It was my girl.”
My heart skipped a few beats when he called me his girl. It was unexpected but not unwanted.
“How many tickets did you win?” the boy asked.
Kian held up three fingers and the boy frowned. “That sucks.”
“It certainly does,” Kian laughed.
“You must not be very coordinated,” the boy continued and that made me laugh. It was hard to believe I outscored a
professional athlete at anything that required eye-hand coordination.
Kian and I took the tickets over to the redemption area. There were a lot of prizes, like portable DVD players and iPods that were totally out of reach. They were worth tens of thousands of tickets.
In the thousand ticket range, there were several stuffed animals that looked somewhat appealing. I took a liking to a wide-eyed, long-eared stuffed dog that looked like a bloodhound.
“That one,” I stated pointing to the dog.
Kian placed all of my tickets on the counter and the young guy behind the counter started counting. I had 1272 tickets and the stuffed dog was 1275.
Kian waved the three tickets he’d won in the air. “Good thing I earned these,” he said excitedly. He added his three tickets to the already counted piled.
“Thank you for your tickets,” I whispered and grabbed Kian’s hand. The first time I held his hand, in the bar the night we met, I was a little intimated by its massive size. Now that I was used to holding it, I longed for that connection, I wanted to be as close to him as I could at every moment.
When I gave it more than a fleeting thought, however, it scared me. If I felt such a tremendous connection by just touching his hand, I wondered how I would feel when we became more intimate.
I had to smack myself back to reality. We were only on our first real date. It would be a very long time before we became intimate—if we became intimate. I was still scared out of my mind to think about being that vulnerable again—completely bared and giving of every part of myself. I had to be sure, 100 percent sure, that Kian was deserving of such a gift, especially after everything that happened with Austin.
The young guy behind the counter grabbed the sad looking floppy eared dog from the shelf and handed it to me.
“That dog has big beautiful eyes just like you,” Kian said.
I held the dog up so it was next to my face for a side-by-side comparison. “You think so?”
Kian nodded. “Definitely. Let’s see if the ears match. He lifted my hair away from my ears. “Nope, your ears are longer.”
Fire on Ice (Fire on Ice Series) Page 9