The Definition of Icing: A Dallas Demons Hockey Romance (Dallas Demons Series)

by Ellis, Aven

  Another car moves up, and now there is one BMW between me and complete humiliation.

  My throat is dry. I feel dizzy. My heart is racing so fast I can see my white tank top flutter.

  Nate waves goodbye to the car in front of us, and now it’s our turn.

  “Eeeek!” Amanda squeals. “Go time!”

  “Ahhh!” Lexi yells. “So exciting!”

  “Yaaaay!” Claire chimes.

  Bella lets out a big squeal, and everyone laughs except for me.

  Amanda eases up to the drive-through window. I can’t hear anything over my heart pounding in my ears.

  “Good Lord, he’s perfect,” Amanda murmurs before lowering her window.

  I gather every inch of courage I have to look at Nate.

  And he already has his espresso-colored eyes locked right on me.

  “No curry flavored chocolate today,” Nate says, passing my drink to Amanda. Then he flashes me an amazing smile, one that sends my whole body into tingles.

  “Hello, Nate,” I say, taking my coffee from Amanda. I anxiously fidget with the cardboard holder on it.

  “Did you get my messages last night?” Nate asks, leaning over the window to get closer to the car.

  Messages? He sent me messages?

  “Uh . . . I haven’t been online today,” I admit.

  Nate grins as he passes the chocolate milk to Amanda.

  “Okay. Well, I’ve sent you a couple so check it when you can,” Nate says. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Nate Johansson. Here’s the iced mocha.”

  Amanda takes Lexi’s drink from him. “I’m Amanda, Kenley’s sister. And back here is Lexi.”

  Lexi leans in between the two front seats, and I think she’s going to pass out from seeing Nate so close.

  “Hi,” she squeaks.

  “Hey,” Nate says, smiling easily at her.

  “And these are my nieces, Claire and Bella,” I say.

  “Puck Sluts!” Claire screams at the top of her lungs.

  Nate wrinkles his brow for a second, and I want to melt into the floorboard. Then he roars with laughter. Okay, could it be any more obvious what we were just talking about prior to lowering the window?

  “No, sweetie, we’re going to aim higher for your future,” Nate says good-naturedly.

  “May I get a picture, Nate?” Amanda asks.

  “Oh, sure,” Nate says. He leans out the window and flashes her a model-perfect smile.

  Oh he’s beautiful.

  Amanda snaps a picture with her cell. “Thank you, Nate.”

  “Hey, I’m going to be switching to the counter in ten minutes. Kenley, can you come inside?”

  My heart springs to life. Nate’s asking me inside. Does that mean he wants a few moments with me in the middle of this fan madness?

  Or does he want to grill me about that stupid status?

  And that thought sends my springing heart into my stomach with a loud crash.

  “Of course we can,” Amanda says, handing him her credit card.

  Nate waves it away. “Nah, this one is on me.”

  “Nate, no—” I begin to protest.

  “See you inside,” Nate grins, cutting me off.

  “Thank you,” Amanda says. “We’ll be in shortly.”

  Then she hits the button to raise her window. After it’s closed, and she pulls forward, the second freak out in the car begins.

  “He’s into you,” Lexi declares. “Nate’s so into you.”

  “I just got a picture of my future brother-in-law,” Amanda teases.

  “Stop it,” I beg. “What if Nate is inviting me in to ask what my problem is? What if his message was to re-affirm he’s not interested?”

  Amanda groans as she begins hunting for a parking space. “Yes. That’s exactly what he thought when he couldn’t take his eyes off you just now.”

  “We’re customers. Nate had to be nice.”

  “Kenley, if you don’t stop this nonsense, I swear I’ll scream like Pinkie Pie,” Amanda threatens.

  “Talk like Rarity, Mommy,” Claire demands, asking for the voice of another pony.

  “Auntie Kenley needs Scream Voice,” Amanda responds.

  “There’s a space,” Lexi says. “Up on the right.”

  Now there’s a weird feeling of dread and excitement coursing through me. We all get out of the car, with Amanda holding Bella on her hip and Claire grasping my hand.

  “Why is your hand wet, Auntie Kenley?” Claire asks.

  Lexi snorts. “Nervous much?”

  I feel my cheeks burn, and I ignore Lexi.

  “It’s hot,” I say simply. “I’m sweaty. I’m sorry.”

  We enter the coffeehouse, and it’s complete madness inside. There’s a huge cardboard cutout of Nate, explaining the promotion, and people are taking pictures with it. Then there’s a line of people at the counter, snapping pictures of him handing out drinks in the drive-through lane.

  And there are lots of Puck Sluts, all filling out forms and jamming them into the box to win a Date With Nate.

  “Oh, wow, this is a fundraiser for animal rescue,” Lexi says, reading the cardboard cutout with Nate’s image on it. “It says all the proceeds from today will go to a no-kill shelter.”

  Animals must be a passion of Nate’s, I think.

  “Ladies, time to fill out forms,” Amanda declares, waving a handful in front of me and Lexi.

  “Oh no,” I say, shaking my head. “Absolutely not. This is mortifying enough.”

  Lexi rolls her eyes. “Hello, Nate would be thrilled if you won.”

  “Mommy! Can I have a muffin?” Claire asks.

  “Sure, baby,” Amanda says.

  “We’ll get in line for the muffin,” Lexi says. “You can fill out forms.”

  “Great,” Amanda says. “Oh, Claire, see those people leaving up there? Let’s get that table.”

  Then Amanda takes the kids and races to the open table. I turn to Lexi, who is grinning at me.

  “You’re going to be dead to me after this day,” I tease.

  “I’m going to be your bridesmaid after this day.”

  “Would you please stop with that?”

  Lexi laughs. “Just calling it like I see it.”

  We get into the long line, and I watch as Lexi casually sips her iced mocha.

  “What on earth do you see, anyway?” I ask. “Nate gave us drinks. So what?”

  Lexi sighs. “Oh, I don’t know. The way Nate got on the mic the second he heard your name? The way he teases you? Paid for our drinks? Oh and stared at you the entire time we were in front of his face?”

  I begin blushing. “But he turned me down.”

  “Sometimes we all do things we don’t mean,” Lexi says slowly. “Because his eyes don’t match his words, that’s for damn sure.”

  We inch up in line, and Nate is chatting and taking photos with the drive-through customers. I watch how he interacts with his fans, and he genuinely seems to be enjoying himself.

  When we are about fourth in line, Nate switches to handing out orders at the counter. I shift my gaze to the menu board, trying to act cool.

  “He’s looking,” Lexi whispers in my ear.

  “Did I just flashback to high school?” I quip, thinking of how many times we whispered that to each other over a boy.

  “Trust me, Nate’s looking.”

  Butterflies shift through me at that thought. I don’t know what to think. Nate doesn’t want to date me, but he can’t stop staring at me?

  Now it’s our turn. I smile nervously at Nate as we stand face-to-face.

  “I didn’t know you were coming today,” Nate says.

  “I didn’t either,” I say.
I turn and nudge Lexi on the shoulder. “This one here knew about it and suggested we go.”

  “Lexi, right?” Nate asks.

  “Yes, hi,” she says, her voice reflecting surprise he remembered her name.

  “Well I’m glad you came,” he says, shifting his attention back to me.

  Okay. Okay. He’s not acting like a guy who is disgusted and freaked out about my status from last night.

  The jazzy coffeehouse music cuts off overhead.

  “Hello, my name is Andy Gregson, the owner of The Roast and Grind,” a man up front with a microphone says. “Thank you to everyone for coming out to support Purr & Wag Rescue, and to welcome our newest member of the World Champion Dallas Demons, Nate Johansson, to our city.”

  A big cheer goes up and Nate smiles and waves to the crowd.

  “A few things: Nate will be finishing up here in an hour, so we’re cutting off the line right now for service,” Andy says. His announcement is met with boos, which makes me smile. “Second, Nate has generously offered to match the total raised today dollar for dollar to aid Purr & Wag Rescue.”

  Another cheer goes up for that, and Nate simply smiles.

  “And lastly, it’s time to see who has won a Date With Nate!” Andy says, which makes every Puck Slut in the coffee shop squee with excitement.

  An employee brings up the box, and Andy reaches inside and withdraws a slip of paper.

  “Okay, here we go,” Andy says, handing the paper to his female employee and letting her read it.

  “The winner is Amanda Parker,” she says.

  My mouth falls open as I see my sister walking up with the kids in tow.

  Amanda has won a Date With Nate.

  Is this for real?

  “Amanda, you’ve won a coffee date with Nate,” Andy says excitedly. “What do you think?”

  “Well, Andy, as you can see I’m married with kids,” Amanda says, a gleam coming into her eyes.

  Oh no. No, no, no, no.

  “So I’m giving this date to my little sister,” Amanda says, taking the slip of paper from Andy and putting it in my hand. “So Kenley Hunter, you’re now going on a date with Nate Johansson.”

  Chapter 8

  Assist: A pass made right before a goal is made. One goal can have up to two assists — Nate

  I stare down at the piece of paper in my hand.

  The piece of paper that is giving me a Date With Nate.

  My hand begins to shake. Everyone is applauding, and Andy goes on to thank everyone for coming out today, blah, blah, blah, but I’m freaking out.

  This is the last thing he wants, I think, my panic returning full force. And now he’s stuck with me.

  There’s only one thing to do.

  I have to let him out of it.

  I make myself look at him, and Nate’s eyes lock with mine. He runs his fingertips across his stubble—damn it, that move is so sexy it makes me weak—and calls Andy over.

  Oh shit. Shit. He’s going to tell him he wants out of the date. I have to stop him before this goes any further.

  “Nate,” I say, forcing the word out, “I—”

  “Andy,” Nate says, ignoring me, “I’m going to take a break for five minutes to talk to the winner, or winners, of this contest.”

  Oh no. I can feel my face flooding with warmth, and I know what’s headed my way.

  A second rejection from Nate Johansson.

  “Of course, Nate,” Andy says.

  “Let’s go in the back room,” Nate says.

  “Here,” Lexi says, taking Bella from Amanda. Then she gazes down at Claire. “I’m getting your muffin, and we’ll go eat while Mommy talks to Nate.”

  Claire nods, and then we leave Lexi with the kids. My heart is pounding again, my nausea has returned, and I vaguely hear Andy organizing customers into two lines: those who will wait for Nate and those who want to simply order.

  Nate greets us on the other side of the counter and takes us back to the storage area of the store. He opens the door for us, and I brace myself for Nate to reiterate his lack of interest, tell me he’s not accepting my given win from Amanda, and he’s going to file a restraining order as soon as he can contact his attorney.

  I brace myself for my impending humiliation. I lean against a shelving unit filled with flavored syrups and boxes of exotic teas. Then I fold my shaking arms across my chest and gaze at Nate, expecting to see him staring at me with an expression of annoyance on his face.

  But much to my shock, he’s not.

  In fact, Nate’s grinning.

  My heart springs back to life the second I see the expression on his handsome face.

  “Thanks for the assist, Amanda,” Nate says, nodding at her. “You successfully helped me avoid a date with a Puck Slut.”

  Amanda smiles back at him. “You’re quite welcome. But you still have to take Kenley out, that’s part of the deal. Otherwise you’ll have to take me out with two kids, and that’s not nearly as fun as going out with my sister.”

  Gah!

  “Amanda, stop it,” I say, embarrassed. I turn to Nate. “You don’t have—”

  “Don’t have to what?” Nate interjects. “Take you out?”

  “Um, I’m going to check on the kids,” Amanda says. “Nate, it was a pleasure meeting you.”

  Nate nods at her. “Likewise. And thank you for letting me down so gently, Amanda.”

  Amanda throws her head back and laughs. I can tell she likes him.

  Of course, it’s kind of impossible not to like Nate.

  “Bye,” Amanda says, stepping back out into the coffee house.

  And now it’s just me and Nate.

  “Kenley,” Nate says, “I want to go out with you.”

  I stand still, stunned by his words. “You . . . do?”

  Nate rakes his hands through his chocolate-brown hair. “I know I don’t make any sense. I know I’m contradicting myself.” He stops and exhales loudly. “Shit, how can I expect you to understand when I can’t even make sense of it?”

  I don’t say anything. I feel like Nate is wrestling between keeping me at arm’s length, as a casual friend, or possibly letting me get closer to him.

  Nate gazes into my eyes. “I know I told you I wasn’t interested last week. And trust me, that wasn’t easy for me.”

  “It wasn’t?” I ask, hope surging through me.

  “No, it wasn’t,” he admits. “In fact, it was the exact opposite.”

  Where is Nate going with this?

  “But when I talked to you last night, I kept wishing I could spend more time with you. I want to know you better. I . . . I want to know everything.”

  My heart beats wildly at this admission. Before I can stop myself, I find myself being honest with him, too.

  “I feel the same way about you,” I admit.

  Then I see it. Nate’s eyes light up from my words.

  “Yeah?” he asks, a slow smile spreading across his face.

  Damn, this man is sexy as hell.

  “You betcha,” I tease, grinning at him.

  Nate cracks up, and I join him. Then he clears his throat.

  “Okay. But I need to reassure you of something. I promise my change of position has nothing to do with reading that status you posted last night,” Nate continues.

  My face grows hot. Oh no. I need to address that. Now.

  “Nate, I—”

  “No, I only have a minute left,” Nate says, sticking out his palm to stop me from speaking. “But I assure you this is about me wanting to get to know you better. That’s all I’m asking. I would like the opportunity to get to know you.”

  I study his face. Nate isn’t promising me anything. He’s not saying whether his feelings are
romantic or platonic but right now, I don’t care.

  Because all I want is to spend time with him.

  “I’d like that,” I say.

  Nate glances down at his watch and makes a face. “I have to go back out there.”

  “Right,” I say.

  “So we should plan something,” Nate says.

  Excitement zips through me. “Yes, we should.”

  “How about tonight? Can I see you tonight, Kenley?”

  Chapter 9

  Carré: It’s like a little sample square of chocolate — Kenley

  “You want to take me out tonight?” I repeat. Because I need to hear those beautiful words escape his full lips again before I believe he means it.

  “I’m done wasting time,” Nate says, his eyes locked on mine.

  Oooooh! I have no hope against this man. None. Nate hasn’t even kissed me yet, and I’m already in over my head.

  “Okay then,” I say, nodding.

  “Yeah?” Nate asks, smiling at me. “So is that a yes?”

  “Yes,” I say, smiling back at him. “It’s a definite yes.”

  His smile spreads across his face. And all I can think about is what it would be like to cup his face in my hands, feeling the roughness of his stubble against my fingertips. To inhale that woodsy cologne up close on his olive skin, to have those powerful arms around me as his lips were to touch mine . . .

  Nate takes out his cell phone and hands it to me, interrupting the best daydream I’ve ever had.