His gaze shot to hers, confusion filling him at her words. But only for a second, only until reason finally asserted itself by smacking him upside the head. Dinner. She was talking about dinner.
“Yeah, fine. We can eat.”
“Good, because I’m starving.” She opened the menu, studying it for a minute before looking over at him. “Aren’t you going to look?”
“I already have. I memorized the damn thing forty minutes ago.”
Shannon laughed, the sound rich and warm. She closed the menu then nudged the empty wine glass toward him. “Sorry. Again. Now how about some of that wine?”
He pulled the bottle from the stone holder, brushed the water from the bottom, then filled her glass. He hesitated then filled his own before putting the bottle back.
Shannon pulled her glass toward her, cradling the base with her fingers. “I really am sorry. I didn’t think I’d be quite this late.”
Caleb nodded, glanced at his glass, looked back at her. “What were you doing, anyway? I didn’t think you had anything else going on.”
“I didn’t. I mean, I did, but it ran late. It was just some team stuff.”
“Team stuff? I thought you only had practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
“We do.” She took a small sip of the wine, her nose wrinkling in a ridiculously cute way that made the last of his anger fade away. “This was a meeting, not practice.”
“A meeting for what?”
She grinned, the sight slamming into him with a force he didn’t understand. “On how to kick your asses at the exhibition game.”
Caleb choked back what might have been laughter. Did they seriously think they really had a chance? He almost told her she was crazy—they were all crazy if they thought that—but the waiter chose that moment to finally show up. Again. Probably a good thing, because Shannon would no doubt give him hell for spouting the truth.
She ordered a salad with steak and sides, almost identical to his except she opted for the loaded baked potato instead of the hand cut fries. Caleb bit back a grin, trying to remember that last time he’d been on a date where the woman had ordered anything besides a salad and a diet soda.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. I guess we have the same tastes in food, huh?”
“Well, it’s a steakhouse. What else would I order? Oh. Wait.” She sat back in the chair, an amused smile curling the corners of her full mouth. “I hope you weren’t planning on me ordering a stupid salad and calling it dinner. You weren’t, were you? Because yeah, that’s not going to work.”
“No, that’s not what I was planning on.” And he wasn’t, not if he had given it any thought. Shannon burned a lot of calories on the ice, just like he did. There was no reason to expect her to eat like a bird.
He leaned back in his chair and watched as she sipped her wine. The way her fingers curled around the stem of the glass, the way her lips touched the rim as she sipped. The way her tongue darted out and swept across her upper lip after she took a drink. His groin tightened, even as he cursed himself for being such a stupid damn cliché. Getting worked up over the way she licked her lips? Really? Talk about clichés. But damn if the sight didn’t do something to him.
He shifted in the chair, searched his brain for something to say—anything to get his mind off Shannon’s mouth and tongue and what he wanted her to do with them. “So tell me about this meeting.”
“Ha. No way. Not happening.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not spilling secrets. Taylor already accused me of sleeping with the enemy.”
A bark of laughter escaped him, the sound just a little too loud, filled with just a hint of frustration. “You told her we weren’t, right?”
“Not yet, anyway.”
Caleb damn near dropped the glass. Holy shit. Had he heard her right? Yeah, he must have, because she refused to look at him, suddenly more interested in the intricate design etched into the handle of the silverware. But he could see the blush fanning her cheeks, turning her fair skin a delicate pink. Shannon was blushing. He couldn’t believe it.
Or maybe he could, because he was pretty sure his own face was turning a little red. Not from embarrassment, but from the promise of her words.
Not yet.
Christ, he didn’t know what to think, was afraid to hope…and shit. Now he didn’t know what to do. Should he say something back? Tease her? Drag her out of the restaurant and straight back to his place?
That last option held the most appeal—that’s what he’d been wanting to do for the last few weeks, ever since he met her. Hell, he couldn’t remember ever wanting another woman like this.
He couldn’t remember ever waiting this long for another woman, either. He’d never had to, not when they were eager for his company. So what the hell was it about the woman across from him? Shannon herself had joked and said it was because she was a challenge. And she was, in more ways than one. The way she didn’t hold back, the way she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, the way she did her own thing. She was comfortable with who she was and didn’t go out of her way to impress anyone.
That must be why her blush, why that hint of embarrassment, tugged at him. It hinted at vulnerability—something he would have never associated with Shannon. She was the least vulnerable woman he’d ever met. Hell, she was one of the least vulnerable people he’d ever met. Except maybe she wasn’t. How many times had she made comments about the way she intimidated men? How many self-deprecating little jokes had she made? At first, he had thought it was nothing more than her own personal brand of sarcasm. But now…now, he was second-guessing himself.
All because she had blushed with embarrassment because of three little words.
Not yet, anyway.
Christ, he needed his fucking head examined.
That didn’t stop him from thinking about it—her vulnerability and those three little words of promise—all through dinner and dessert. While they chatted about hockey and movies and the upcoming wedding in a few days. While he paid the bill and walked her out of the restaurant, her hand held in his larger one.
While he walked her to her car, parked two levels above his own in the parking garage.
Shannon unlocked the door and leaned in, jammed the key into the ignition and started the engine while he stood there, doing his best not to stare at the firmly-rounded curves of her ass. Then she was standing next to him, that same ass pressed against the back door of her car, out of his sight and his reach.
She rubbed her hands against her thighs, twisted them together for a second, then jammed them into the pockets of her wool coat. “I guess we missed the movie, huh?”
Caleb grinned and reached for her arm, tugging until her hand was freed from the pocket and safely wrapped in his. “Yeah, we did.”
“I’m sorry. I really didn’t think I’d be that late.”
“Not a big deal.” He realized he was telling the truth—it wasn’t a big deal, even though he’d been angry and disappointed while waiting for her to show up, convinced she wouldn’t. “We’ll just have to do the movie thing another night.”
She tilted her head back, her gaze meeting his before darting away. “We, uh, we could always go back to your place and catch something on television.”
Her words slammed into him, unleashing the desire that had been simmering deep inside all night. Hot, powerful. Primal. He swallowed a groan, ignored the way his cock hardened and pressed painfully against the zipper of his trousers.
Was she suggesting what he thought she was suggesting? Yeah, she was.
He cupped her chin with his free hand and captured her mouth with his own. Sweet, hot. Full of promise. He deepened the kiss, caught her small sigh as she pressed against him. Soft curves and hard flesh, a sensory contradiction that left him wanting more. Needing more. He groaned again when her hips rocked against his erection. When the tips of her trembling fingers trailed along his throat, his chest, lower. Each little touch hesitant. Teasing.
>
No, not teasing. Promising.
And fuck. He wanted her. Here. Now. Wanted her with a desperation that scared the living fuck out of him.
Caleb broke the kiss, his breath coming in short gasps as he rested his forehead against hers. He was an idiot. A grade-A fucking idiot who deserved to be shot for what he was about to do.
“We could.” And fuck, was that harsh growl his voice? He cleared his throat, took a small step back and tried not to groan in disappointment when her hand dropped to her side. “But I have an early game skate in the morning, and you have to work.”
“Oh. Yeah, sure.” She stepped to the side, her head lowered. “No prob—”
He grabbed her, pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. Hard. Fast. “Neither one of us will get any sleep if you come to my place, Shannon.”
“I—”
“No sleep. At. All.” He put every ounce of desperation and desire he felt into his voice, filling the words with promise. Her eyes widened, understanding flaring in their depths when she realized what he meant. And damn if she didn’t smile—a slow, seductive smile that damn near did him in right then and there.
“Sleep is overrated.”
Fuck. She was killing him.
“Yeah, it is. But when I finally have you in my bed, I’m not letting you out of it. And I’m going to need more than a few hours.” He pressed another kiss against her mouth, stepped back before it could explode into more—before he exploded. He reached beside her, opened the door for her. “I’ll pick you up Saturday afternoon before the wedding.”
She nodded, her thick hair falling in front of her face and hiding the blush coloring her cheeks. She didn’t say anything else, just lowered herself into the driver’s seat and fumbled with the seatbelt. He closed the door then stood back, watching as she pulled out of the parking space. Watching as her taillights disappeared around the corner as she drove away.
Fuck.
Had he just let her drive away? Yeah, he had.
What the fuck was wrong with him? He really needed his fucking head examined.
Chapter Seventeen
“I do.”
Cheers and applause erupted around the room, growing louder when Jon pulled Sammie in for a deep kiss. Shannon whistled a few times as she clapped her hands, helpless to stop the big shit-eating grin spreading across her face. The grin faded when she turned toward Caleb and noticed him watching her, his deep green eyes focusing on her with an intensity that made her blush.
Again.
She stopped clapping and dropped her hands into her lap, wondering why he was staring at her. He’d been mostly quiet the entire day so far—all two hours, since he had picked her up. At first, she thought it might have something to do with the way she was dressed, in an actual dress and heels. No, she didn’t dress up often, or do the whole hair-and-make-up thing, but she did know how to. It just caught people off-guard when she did.
Then she thought his unusual quietness might be because he didn’t really know anyone here. The wedding was a relatively small one, with Sammie’s immediate family and Jon’s sister and her husband, Jon’s former Army buddies and co-workers, and everyone from the Blades. Even TR was here, but Shannon couldn’t figure out if she was here as part of whatever she was doing for work, or as Mac’s date. They were sitting together but damn if they were acting like they were actually together. At least, Mac wasn’t. He was sitting straight up, his back rigid, his jaw clenched and his gaze focused on something straight ahead as TR leaned across him and said something to one of Jon’s other buddies.
Not that much different from Caleb. No, that wasn’t exactly true. Caleb wasn’t sitting like that, all stiff and rigid. He was sitting back, relaxed and comfortable, one hand resting on his knee and his other arm draped casually along the back of her chair. And he certainly wasn’t looking at anything in front of him. He was looking straight at her, his intense expression completely unreadable.
Shannon pulled her gaze from his and stood, watching as everyone slowly made their way to the other side of the room where the tables and a small buffet had been set up. Sammie had said they were originally going to have the wedding at her parents’ house but once they counted up the invitees and their plus-ones, they realized that even the small guest list was just a little too big for that. So they had it here instead, in a ballroom at one of the few hotels in Hunt Valley. There would be the buffet dinner and dessert, the cake cutting, some dancing, and then…
Shannon stumbled and almost tripped but Caleb caught her by the elbow and steadied her. He probably thought it was because of her shoes and the ridiculously high heels. Heat filled her face because the stumble had nothing to do with the heels…and everything to do with the and then part of the night.
She already had a room here at the hotel, had checked in as soon as they got here. They had gone up there already, dropped their overnight bags on the huge king bed that sat so conspicuously in the middle of the room. Well duh, of course it was conspicuous. It was a hotel room, not like there was really anything else in it besides the bed.
Just the remembered sight of their two small bags, sitting side-by-side on that huge bed, was enough to heat her face. And dammit, Caleb was studying her again, probably wondering what was wrong with her, wondering why she was suddenly blushing every five minutes. Not that she’d tell him. Oh hell no. No way would she ever admit to being nervous and excited about what was to come later.
Or worried that he might change his mind, just like he’d done the other night after their date.
“You okay?”
“Hm?” Shannon turned, nearly bumping noses with Caleb. “Yeah, fine.”
He didn’t say anything, just watched her for a long minute before pulling the chair out and holding it for her. She sat down and reached for the glass of water at her place setting, drained half of it in two long swallows. And great, now even Taylor was watching her. “What?”
“I didn’t say anything.” Taylor’s whiskey-colored gaze darted to Caleb, her brows lowering just a fraction of an inch as she nodded in his direction. “Caleb.”
“Tay-Tay.”
Shannon rolled her eyes and nudged Caleb in the side. “No fighting, children.”
“Who said we were fighting?”
“Yeah. We’re not fighting.” Taylor reached for a roll from the basket in the middle of the table and for a second, Shannon was convinced she was going to throw it at Caleb. Chuckie must have thought the same thing because he reached over and snagged the roll from Taylor’s hand.
“Behave.”
“I am behaving.” Taylor took the roll back, pinched off a piece, and popped it into her mouth. “I’m not going to waste food by throwing it at him.”
Dani dropped into the seat next to Shannon and snorted. “Yeah, right. Sure you weren’t.”
“I wasn’t.” Taylor slid a sideways glance at Caleb, her mouth widening in something that might be called a smile. “I’ll just wait until the exhibition game to kick his ass.”
“Taylor! Enough. Not tonight, okay? No hockey talk. At least, not about the exhibition game.”
“Since when don’t you want to talk about hockey?”
Shannon shrugged, trying to ignore the astonished looks from her teammates. Even Caleb was watching her—again. Except his mouth was curled in a devilish grin. He draped his arm around her shoulders and leaned closer, his breath warm against her cheek. “I can handle Tay-Tay, don’t worry.”
“I know you can.” She darted a glance at Taylor then rolled her eyes. “Well, you can try. But I’m putting the ban in place because we’re here for Sammie. No arguing about ass-kicking during the exhibition game. Especially since we’re so kicking your ass.”
Everyone started laughing, even Caleb. Some of the tension and worry drained from her, tension and worry she hadn’t even realized she’d been feeling. Nervousness, yes. Excitement, absolutely. And okay, maybe just a little worry since she still wasn’t sure what had happened the other night, why Cal
eb had turned down her not-so-subtle offer.
She probably shouldn’t be worrying, not with the way Caleb’s arm was still draped around her shoulder. Warm, comforting. His thumb traced small circles on the bare flesh of her shoulder, prickling her skin with awareness, filling her with need. Good Lord, just that little touch and she was ready to climb into his lap and beg him to take her upstairs.
She reached for her water and took another long swallow then turned to Dani. “Where’d your date go?”
“He’s not my date. And he went outside to make a phone call.”
“Who ditches his date at a wedding to make a phone call?”
“I told you, he’s not my date. Harrison is just a friend. And he’s a detective so he’s always on-call, even when he’s out.”
Maddison leaned across the table with a teasing smile. “I call bullshit. That hottie is way more than a friend.”
Dani frowned and glanced over her shoulder then turned back and shook her head. “Just friends. He lives next door to my mom. We’re talking total friend-zone here. Trust me, there’s nothing there.”
Shannon didn’t miss the disappointment in Dani’s voice, or the hint of regret. Even in the candlelight from the table centerpiece, Shannon could see her blushing. Friends? Maybe, but it was obvious Dani was hoping for more.
“You should put the moves on him if you want him.”
Chuckie choked on his water, grabbed his napkin and blotted his mouth before shooting a glare at Shannon. “I’m not hearing this.”
“What? It’s a wedding. People get all crazy romantic and do stupid shit at weddings. I’m just saying if she wants him, now would be a perfect time to put the moves on him.”
Now Caleb was choking, too. Shannon turned toward him, her face heating when she realized what she had just said. “Um, I didn’t mean—”
“And on that note, I think I need a drink.” Chuckie pushed away from the table and stood. “Anyone else want anything from the bar?”
Playing Hard: A Chesapeake Blades Hockey Romance (The Chesapeake Blades Book 3) Page 13
