Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
A punch of jealousy hits me square in the gut and nearly steals the breath from my lungs.
Oh.
Hell.
No.
Before I realize it, my hands wrap around Darcy’s waist and I hoist her up, setting her on her feet before jumping to mine in one swift movement.
“Ford? Where are you going?”
This time, I don’t bother glancing in her direction. I’m afraid if I take my eyes off Carina for one damn second, she’ll disappear with this asshat before I can run interference.
And if that happens…
I don’t even want to think about what I’ll do.
Probably rip this town apart until I find them and beat him to a bloody pulp.
Fuck.
I drag a hand through my hair.
“There’s someone I need to talk to. I’ll catch you later.”
And then I’m gone, pushing and shoving my way through the crowd. A few people call out my name, trying to catch my attention, but I ignore them.
I’m solely focused on Carina.
With the exception of the dick who’s touching what belongs to me.
I wince. That thought is almost enough to stop me in my proverbial tracks.
But not quite.
As soon as I reach her side, I slip an arm around Carina and pull her close. I glare at the guy before reaching for his hand and tugging the thick strand free.
How dare he fucking touch her?
He blinks in surprise before his attention settles on me.
I give him a chin lift in greeting. It takes every ounce of self-control not to bare my teeth like a wild animal.
“What’s up?” The question comes out sounding way more chill than I’m currently feeling.
“Ahh…nothing.”
He’s right about that. Absolutely nothing is going to happen here.
Eyes widening, he peers more closely at me before nearly shouting, “You’re Ford Hamilton!”
My muscles loosen at the blatant hero worship that lights up his face. “Yup.”
“You had one hell of a game last week! Didn’t you score a hat trick?”
“Actually, it was just two goals,” I correct modestly.
“That last one was sick! The way you deked out that defenseman and then hit the five hole.” He shakes his head as if mentally reliving the play. “That shot won the game.”
He’s not wrong. That point was a tie breaker.
A slow smile curves my lips. Especially when I see the frown that morphs across Carina’s face. He doesn’t stop there either. He gives me an in-depth analysis of the last three games along with my stats and highlights. I should hire this guy for PR. He makes me sound fucking amazing.
Except…the more this guy gushes, the more irritated Carina gets. Her body has turned stiff as a board, which is a real contrast to how she felt lying beneath me the other night.
Unable to help myself, I turn my face just enough to catch a whiff of her floral scented hair before whispering, “Are you getting all this? Told you I was impressive.”
“Please,” she says with a grunt, attempting to untangle herself from my embrace. “You probably paid him to sing your praises.”
My grip intensifies. If she thinks I’m going to release her now that I finally got my hands on her again, she couldn’t be more wrong.
The look in her eyes confirms exactly what I suspected all along.
She’s on the prowl.
Yeah, there’s zero chance of that happening. I’ll cockblock the shit out of her all night if I have to.
She turns her head enough to give me a full-on glare. “Can you please let me go?”
I slant a look her way before dropping a kiss against the crown of her head. “Absolutely not, pretty girl.”
The guy glances at Carina in surprise as if he actually forgot she was standing with us before holding up both hands as if in surrender. “Sorry, Hamilton. I didn’t realize she was one of yours. My bad.”
Carina’s eyes widen to the point of looking like they might fall out of her head as she opens her mouth to blast this idiot into next week. How it’s possible for any guy to forget that this smoke show is standing next to them is beyond me. I couldn’t be more attuned to this girl if I tried. All she has to do is breathe and I’m laser focused on her.
“No worries,” I say, cutting in before she totally loses her shit.
Not that I wouldn’t enjoy seeing her rip this guy a new one, but the last thing I want is Carina frothing at the mouth. She’s already pissed that I’ve crashed her little party of two.
He shoots her a frown. “Why didn’t you tell me that you’re with Ford Hamilton? Not cool.”
My grip tightens to hold her in place when her muscles stiffen. I’m half afraid she’ll leap at him. “No worries, my guy.”
That being said, he spins around and takes off, leaving us alone as a growl emanates from deep within her chest.
I rearrange her in my arms so that we’re facing one another. “Now baby, you know I don’t like when you flirt with other guys in front of me. It’s disrespectful and hurts my feelings. We’ve already discussed how tender they are.” I flick the tip of her nose with my finger. “Got it?”