Page 52 of Pucked Together

"We were broken, Izzy. And one by one, I've lost them to something. Drugs, abusive men...prison," I look over at her to catch her reaction, but she doesn't move. Just watches me and waits for me to give her more.

"Anyway, that's why I'm not much of an open book. Hockey is my way to turn all that around. It's all I wanted. I mean, until you got here."

This woman's touch must be infused with truth serum by the way my words are just pouring out of me. She reaches for my hand and places it in her lap, intertwining our fingers again.

We're pulling up to the front gate of the neighborhood now, and I reach for the clicker above my head. Izzy chuckles next to me.

"You were such an ass," she says, smiling. "But the moment I saw you, I knew I was in trouble."

The gate opens, and I glance over at her. Our gazes hold each other, and I feel it. I feel it in my soul the moment we both realize we've become something more to each other.

I pull forward and weave down the long street to get to Keelan's house.

"You can take my picture," I tell her. She smiles even wider.

When we park in the curved driveway, she jumps out and goes to the hood of the car, pulling out her phone.

What the hell is she doing?

She looks back at me, phone in her hand, and waves me over. I get out but hesitate at the door of my car.

"Get over here!" She orders.

I shut the door and go to her. She pushes me onto the hood of my car and situates herself in front of me so that she's almost sitting in my lap, and lifts the phone up in front of us.

"Smile, Goalie-zilla. This one's for the fans." She snaps the picture, and I look at the phone as the flash goes off.

She leans into my touch and drops her hand just enough for me to reach for the phone, snatch it out of her hand, and position it in front of our faces. I pepper her neck with kisses as she flushes at the contact, and I snap a picture of us.

"And that one's just for me," I whisper into her neck.

She turns to face me from between my legs and wraps her arms around my neck. Her eyes rove over my face.

"What?" I ask.

"It's you. You're the thing I didn't see coming."

I pull her into me and take her lips to mine. Claiming her and tasting her. And even though I don't say it. It's true for me, too. She came into my world and, like a wildfire, swept through it. I could've run. I could've closed the door.

But instead, I let myself get consumed by her fire.

And now, it's all I want.

Chapter 17

Izzy

Ryker drops me on his bed, and I bounce slightly, unable to contain the giggle that erupts from me.

"You're sure about this?" He asks from the end of the bed.

I sit up to meet his gaze and nod as I say, "I am."

He bites on his bottom lip slightly before nodding and going to his dresser. He rummages through it for a bit before dropping his arm, defeated.

"What's wrong?" I ask him.

He turns to me, "I don't...I don't have any protection."