Page 83 of Pucked Together

"Breathe, Izzy."

She shivers and shakes her head.

"Are you okay?" I ask, shifting my eyes from the road before me to her and back.

"Yeah," she says, waving it off and holding Wednesday closer to her.

We're not far from the arena, and Izzy doesn't say anything else about it as we park, and I swipe my access card to enter the building.

I hold the door open, and she slips in under my arm, still holding Wednesday, who is looking around the building, intrigued by the adventure.

"Pretty sure dogs aren't allowed," I say, shutting the door behind us, and we walk down the hall toward the ice.

"Oh, yeah? Then why are you here?" She says smugly, her eyes roving up and down my frame before rolling.

I do a horrible job of trying to hide my amusement.

"Look," she says, stopping halfway down the hall and gazing up at me. "I don't know what this thing is that we have going on between us, but it's got to stop. It's just too weird. So if we're like a thing or something...let's just end it here. Be just friends, ok?"

Just like earlier, I feel the air leave the room.

"Just...friends?" If she only knew we were too far gone for 'just friends.’

"Yes. Friends. Like the guys at the house. You guys are Keelan's friends. We work together, for goodness’ sake...it's inappropriate." She shrugs her shoulders so matter-of-factly as if there's no arguing with it.

She wants just friends. We'll be just friends. But I won't make it fucking easy on her.

I look around to make sure nobody can see us and open the door to Rina's office.

"What are you—"

I step inside and pull her in by the waist with me.

"Ryker!"

"Izzy..." I rasp. I can almost hear her heart beating in her chest as I take her chin and make her look at me. "We are so past just friends it's not even fucking funny."

She licks her lips and looks up at me with those siren eyes I've fallen so hard for.

"Well, I don't recall so..."

"Then let me help you remember." I dip my head low enough that I can taste her breath on my tongue. She's shaking, but before I can pull away and regain control of myself, her lips land on mine.

And she's not shy.

Her mouth opens to me. Wanting me. And I claim her right back. Wrapping her loose hair into a fist, I pull it back so her neck is open to me. I release her lips and taste her, running my tongue down the smooth skin there, and watch as I leave a trail of goosebumps in its wake.

Mine. This girl is mine. Whether she knows it or not. Her body knows. Her body remembers. And I'll be damned if another man thinks he can come in and take her from under me.

She moans at the sensation and reaches up to wrap her arm around my neck. On instinct, I pick her up, and her legs wrap around my hips. I walk her the few feet it takes to hit Rina's desk.

"Whose...office...is this?" She asks between kisses.

I chuckle low and dark and send the objects atop the desk onto the floor.

Izzy leans back, and that perfect body is sitting before me. God, I want to bury myself inside of her. Make her remember what we are. Who we are to each other.

I gulp. Nervous to make another move.