Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 25255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
“I’m gonna… I need a…” Austin looks at his half-full beer bottle, turns, and bolts. All the guys except for Tucker laugh.
“What was that about?” I whisper to Tucker when they continue talking to Sebastian about the game.
“Just men stuff,” he whispers in his low deep voice. “The boy was sniffing where he didn’t belong.”
“Oh.”
I wonder if that has anything to do with me, but with the possessive way that Tucker is looking at me, I’m quite certain it does.
The boys move on and we order dinner. We polish off the bottle of champagne and order some cocktails to keep the party going.
People keep stopping by and talking to us, which is fun. Players on the Hyenas, but also fans and players from the other teams too. The boys are playing The Seattle Centaurs again tomorrow and some of the players are already in town.
I’ve never had a night like this before. I feel like I’m at the popular table in my high school cafeteria.
The coach stops by and he’s very nice. He’s a handsome man rocking some silver fox energy. Once he’s gone, Alina asks Sebastian if he’s married and Sebastian says no, he’s single.
Tucker loosens up when dinner arrives and starts talking a bit more. He makes us laugh a few times when he tells us about the first time he was asked for an autograph.
“The guy asked me for my signature and I thought he was trying to scam me,” Tucker says with a chuckle.
“Oh no,” Sebastian says with a laugh. “What did you do?”
“I grabbed his shirt, lifted him off his feet, and told him I’d break his hand if he ever tried to scam anyone else again.”
I shake my head and laugh despite feeling horrible for that poor confused man.
“When I dropped him to his feet, he ran down the street so fast he could have won an Olympic medal.”
We all laugh, picturing it in our heads.
“So, he got the full Tucker McKinstry experience,” Sebastian says with a laugh. “At least he got a good story to tell his friends.”
“When did you realize what you did?” I ask, smiling at him.
“He dropped the paper and when I picked it up, I saw that it was my hockey card. Oops.”
He’s shaking his head but laughing too. I like a guy who can laugh at himself. It shows maturity and inner strength. And it just makes things fun.
When we’re finished eating, the waitress clears the table and takes our plates away. Tucker doesn’t even look when she leans down with her cleavage in front of his face. I secretly like him a little more after that. It’s the respectful little things that count with me.
“Will you walk me to the bathroom?” Alina asks as she flirtatiously eyes her man.
Sebastian takes her hand and they excuse themselves from our table.
My heart picks up when we’re finally alone.
I turn in my seat toward Tucker and he turns too, although his massive body doesn’t allow him much room to turn.
“Did you enjoy the game?” he asks.
I lick my lips and nod. “It was amazing. I had so much fun.”
“Really? I was afraid you’d be bored.”
“Not at all! It was fun rooting for you. I just got nervous with the fight in the second period, but it wasn’t too bad.”
He lowers his eyes and sighs. “Unfortunately, I have to fight sometimes. My team needs me to protect them.”
“I know,” I say as I take his big hand in mine. I love feeling the strength of it. It’s like holding the hand of a giant. His eyes drift back up to mine. “It’s okay. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’ll try not to fight when you’re at the games,” he says. “If you want to come to another one.”
“I’d love to!” I say, getting excited to be in that packed arena again. “What about the game tomorrow? Alina said you’re playing the Seattle Centaurs?”
He smiles and it makes me all fluttery inside. “I’d love for you to come, Jane.”
“Then I will.”
He takes a deep breath and looks at me. “I want to tell you something. I want to be honest with you.”
“Okay,” I say, leaning forward. “You can tell me.”
“I like you. A lot. I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re on my mind all the time.”
He has such an honest vulnerable look on his face as he waits for me to respond.
My crush grows into a wildfire. I can feel my heart pounding as I look at him.
I like him too. There are no games with him. No lies. No deception. Just pure honesty and blind loyalty. I know how rare that is in a man, especially a celebrity who can have any girl he wants. I also know it’s not something to take for granted. It’s something special.
“Come dance with me,” I say as I stand up. I’m still barely taller than him even though he’s sitting.