“No.” His voice was gravelly with emotion. “I was wrong. Everything’s gonna be okay now.”
I cried. Not just for what had just happened, but for all the years of disappointment and resentment we’d both felt. I’d always loved my dad and he’d always loved me, but we weren’t close like we’d been before I got involved with John behind his back.
I wanted everything to be okay, like he said it would. I wanted my dad to talk to me, not bark at me. I wanted him to be proud of Kyler whether he played hockey or not. Now he knew John and I would never be together again. Maybe that would be the start of things getting better between me and my dad.
Chapter 11
Dell
I could almost taste the worry lodged in my throat. Luke and I had met up outside the locker room, but neither of us had said a word. He was quite a sight, wearing a tailored dark brown suit and a crisp, off-white dress shirt with a black eye swollen nearly shut, a fat lip, and a butterfly bandage over one eyebrow.
Was he mad? I didn’t know him well enough yet to be sure, and I couldn’t think of the right thing to say to gauge his feelings.
So we walked to the exit door in silence. I was relieved the post-game crowd of fans was gone. Luke held the door open and stepped aside so I could walk through. When he let go of it, he wrapped that arm around my shoulders and pulled me against his chest while we walked.
“So,” he said softly in my ear.
“Yeah.”
“You mad at me?”
I stopped and looked up at him. “Mad? How could I be mad at you? I thought you’d be mad at me.”
“You didn’t do anything.”
“Yeah, but … did you get suspended?”
He shrugged. “Just one game.”
“John’s an ass,” I said, shivering as I recalled the run-in I’d just had with him. “But … you fought with him the whole game just because he’s my ex?”
Luke shook his head and let out a single note of laughter. “I didn’t even know that. He’s the one whose knee to knee hit caused my injury. That’s why I fought with him during the game. I didn’t know why he was being an asshole to you until he told me he’s Kyler’s father.”
I cringed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was the one who hit you. And I didn’t think it mattered that he was Kyler’s father, since I didn’t know he meant anything to you.”
He took my hand and we resumed the slow walk to the curb, where he hailed a cab. “Well, this was an eventful way for us to learn those things, right?”
I smiled up at him. Even with his face a mess, he was so damn sexy. I’d actually liked seeing him fight. It was primal and masculine and just … hot.
“What should we do tonight?” he asked while we waited for an approaching cab to come to a stop.
“Well, I plan to get you on your back as soon as possible.”
He gave me a look. “Don’t fucking tell me you expect me to rest.”
I grinned and pressed myself against him. “No. There’ll be no resting for quite a while. You owe me, Hudson. You’ve made my panties very wet, and I didn’t bring extras.”
“Is that so?” He tipped my chin up and kissed me, his lips warm and demanding. We carried on like that, wrapping our arms around each other, until the cab driver sounded a long, angry honk of the horn.
We slipped into the cab and Luke gave the driver his hotel name.
He pulled me against him, nuzzling his lips against my neck. “Can I come see you on my day off?”
I laughed at his words and at the tickle his stubble caused on my skin. “A day off, huh? Like a vacation day?”
“Sure. I didn’t feel like flying all the way to Canada for that game anyway. So can I?”
“Yes, of course. I’d like that.”
His lips traveled up my neck to my ear, which he nibbled playfully. I could smell his cologne now – it was fresh and powdery in a very masculine way.
I ran my hand over the hard ridge in his pants and he bit down harder on my ear lobe. We spent the whole car ride that way – making out like a couple of hormonal teenagers. I just couldn’t keep my hands off him. Seeing him protect my honor had me hot and ready to show him my appreciation.
The cab cruised to a stop and Luke handed the driver some cash.
“Have fun,” the driver mumbled. We both laughed as we got out of the car and rushed into the hotel together. This was the kind of crazy happy euphoria I’d never had with anyone else. I didn’t want the night to ever end.
I felt his slight flinch and groan when I leaned against his chest in the elevator.
“You’re hurt,” I said, moving away.