Halfway there, I decided on hug.
Her arms easily wrapped around my abdomen, her head pressed against my chest, the place where my heart beat.
For her.
I shut down the thought, as well as every other red-hot image flashing through my mind.
Her body fit perfectly against mine, and she smelled so, so damn good. I wanted to run my fingers through her hair, see if it was as silky as I remembered.
“Bent,” she said as she pulled back just enough to look up at me.
Whiskey-hazed eyes, hooded and inviting. An unspoken question on her lips as she clung to me.
One tilt of my head, and my lips would sweep over hers.
Lightning crackled in my skull, begging me to touch the spark.
“Chloe,” I whispered, shaking my head. “You’re . . . we can’t . . . I can’t . . .”
Fuck me what was I saying?
Every urge in my body screamed to hook my arms under her perfect ass, spin her until her back was against the car, and make her sigh my name. See how quickly I could get her off and then how many more times after. To worship her for hours with time we’d never had before.
Time we didn’t have now.
Because this couldn’t happen.
“I know.” She stepped out of the embrace, the air cold from her departure. “I’m so sorry, Bentley. I didn’t mean . . . I’ve ruined a perfectly good evening,” she chided herself. “Just when I thought I was getting my friend back.”
“You didn’t ruin anything,” I said. “I am back. I mean—” I sighed. “I’m here. We’re here. And we’re . . .”
“Going to figure it out?” she asked, hopeful.
“Yeah,” I said, blowing out a tight breath. I motioned between us. “This is . . . intense. But, we work together now . . .”
“And we both desperately need our jobs.”
“Right.” Though the longer I kept looking at those pouty lips and lust-filled eyes, I was starting to contemplate just how badly I needed to be a Shark.
Clearly, I was losing my mind.
“Friends?” she asked, offering her hand.
“A handshake?” I laughed, the motion clearing some of the tension in my shoulders. “Okay.” I gripped her hand gently, noting how she trembled slightly from the touch. “Friends,” I said, though it felt like a knife to the fucking heart.
“Goodnight, Bent.” She stepped back, spun on her heels, and clicked up a flight of stairs just inside the complex.
I watched every step she took, needing to know she made it inside her door safely, but also needing to watch the way her hips swished when she walked.
Friends.
Forbidden.
Fuck. My. Fucking. Life.
Chapter 6
Chloe
“Nice speed, Rogers,” the coach yelled as the Sharks sped across the ice an hour into their practice.
A bloom of pride swelled in the center of my chest as I watched from my chosen spot in the stands.
Sure, I had paperwork calling my name from my office, but I couldn’t miss my first chance to see the guys in action. It’d help me spot any weaknesses—if they had any—or any danger zones for certain players.
Plus, I was dying to see Bentley skate again.
He was glorious on the ice—faster than a shark and as graceful as a figure skater. Each of his muscles worked in sync with the other, pushing him faster, keeping him solid, allowing him to focus on the puck or the stick in his hand.
Our dinner last night swelled in my mind, my cheeks blazing.
The conversation had been hard, yet easy.
Stories fun and yet painful to reminisce.
And when he’d dropped me off at my place? God, I’d wanted him to kiss me so bad my thighs shook. I craved his kiss like I was that same love-struck girl from all those years ago.
But at least he’d been able to be reasonable and shut down my lust-starved mind.
Our jobs were on the line.
The coach had made that perfectly clear.
It wasn’t just about the sex though—the fact that I hadn’t had a good romp in so many years. No, it was about Bentley. About the way he made me feel. The way he’d always made me feel.
Safe.
Loved.
Cherished.
And with just enough danger in his actions to keep every day exciting.
My best friend—once.
That is what my heart missed.
What my soul cried out for.
After what had happened between me and my ex . . . I knew how much I’d taken for granted the way Bentley had treated me.
“Hi, Chloe,” Bailey’s voice sounded from my left as she climbed the stairs. “Mind if we sit next to you?”
Paige and Jeannine were right behind her.
“Of course,” I said, smiling at them and glancing at their empty arms without being able to help it.
Bailey chuckled. “Grandma day,” she explained.
“Oh how nice,” I said as they took their seats.
“How are our boys looking?” Paige asked, crossing one slack covered leg over the other.
A bit fancy for the rink but perhaps she’d come from work? We’d briefly chatted about her position at Gage’s barbecue. She was a powerhouse in the corporate world and a gold star in the charity circuit—pretty much the perfect woman to match a wildcard like Rory Jackson.
“Great,” I said, and eyed Bailey. “I looked at Gage’s shoulder yesterday, and he’s healed wonderfully despite there still being pain.” I glanced toward Jeannine. “Warren needs to take care of his left knee, but he doesn’t seem keen to talk about it.”
Jeannine laughed. “Yeah, he came home last night grumbling about it. He’ll come around, you just have to give him time.”
“I’m prepared to do that,” I said. “I know it’s tough for them, but I am really just here to help.”
“We get that,” Bailey said. “And the guys will too.”
“What about mine?” Paige asked.
I chuckled, following her gaze to Rory on the ice. “Yours,” I said, “is trouble.”
She laughed. “That’s the truth.?
??
“I’m terrified of his sense of humor,” I admitted. “I believe he’ll be the one to rib me most.”
“You aren’t wrong,” Paige said. “But his heart is in the right place.”
“I know,” I said.
“What about the rookie?” Bailey asked, sounding so much like Gage in that instant I almost laughed again.
He’s the best was on the tip of my tongue, but I pressed my lips into a line to keep from spilling my secrets.
“Uh oh,” Jeannine said. “Is he at risk for injury?” Her eyes were frantic as she found him on the ice. I didn’t need to search, I’d been tracking his movements for what felt like my entire life.
“No,” I said. “He’s in excellent shape.”
“That’s a relief,” Bailey said, the other girls nodding. “He’s become a real staple at the house. Lettie is super attached. I’d hate for him to get hurt.”
“Me too,” I said, a certain wistfulness coloring my tone.
“Uh oh,” Jeannine said again, her eyes locked on me.
“What?” I asked, my hands flying to my face. “Do I have something on my face?”
“You look like you have it—”
“Nine,” Bailey chided, cutting her off.
“Like I have it what?”
Bailey shook her head, and Jeannine shrugged. “Nothing.”
I swallowed hard.
Damn, was it that easy to tell?
No. I was a professional.
Surely they were talking about something else. Some inside joke I wasn’t privy to. The idea stung even though it shouldn’t. It wasn’t their fault I had zero friends here—well, one ex-friend who haunted my every thought. Though, we were on the road to finding common ground, but I still didn’t know where we stood.
“I almost feel bad for you,” Paige said, and I whipped my head to her as if she’d read my mind. “Because you’re surrounded by Sharks all the time.”
I blew out a breath. “Right,” I said, rubbing my palms on my thighs. “Well, I’ve been around their kind for what feels like forever. So I’m used to it.”
“Oh, I bet you have the best locker room stories,” Jeannine said. “Care to share over drinks?”
My eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
The girls shared a confused glance.