14. The Catch

FOURTEEN

THE CATCH

CAM

T hankfully, we turn back to where we started, and this torture can end. I don't think I've managed to convince her to drive the Zamboni; by this point, I'm not even sure this is a good idea anymore.

I turn off the vehicle. "The last thing is to release the snow like this," I explain and show her, releasing the little bit of ice and water behind us. "Well, what do you think?"

She sighs and shakes her head as she leaves me, climbing down off the machine.

I take it as a no, but I'm preparing other persuasive arguments, when suddenly her shoe slips on the last step. It's all a blur, and the next thing I know, I somehow act fast and jump off, catching her before she hits the ground.

I hold her steady on the step, her body against mine. Our faces are only a few inches apart, and the step gives her the height she needs to be even with me. The adrenaline rush has my chest heaving; my eyes drop to her parted lips where shallow breaths leave her. Only they're thin and blue from the cold air. I can't help but desire them to be the pretty plump pink ones I saw the first night at the club.

Unthinking, I lean in and cover her lips with mine, swiping slowly along them with my tongue. Only to warm them, of course. This isn't a kiss, more like a medical necessity; I ignore the pang of my heart and the tingles heading down to my cock.

Then her lips part more, exposing the tip of her tongue, seeking and tickling mine. Her hands curl around the back of my neck, pulling me closer. Now this is a kiss. I know because she moans, and it drives me crazy.

Greedily, forgetting everything, I deepen things between us, taking what I want from her. It's a storm of lips and tongues I wasn't prepared for. The flavor of her sweetness is like hunkering down with a good glass of bourbon and waiting for the rain to pass. I want to ride it out, intoxicated by her.

Her tight body in my arms trembles again, but I doubt it's from the cold this time. This kiss is too damn good to be frightening, so she must feel things, too. And this from the chick I had long ago thought despised me. This from the beautiful ballerina who caught my eye during one performance, the unattainable girl who was too good for me.

The cold must have made her delirious. I'll take what I can get. I work my hands under the sweatshirt and up her back, wishing for fewer clothes between us next time.

Next time?

My brain suddenly wakes up, my eyes snap open, and I pull my lips away, leaving her gasping for air. I always wondered what it would be like to hold this princess in my arms and kiss her senseless. And here we are. Only now, those fucking guilt pangs hit me.

I'm taking advantage of my old best friend's little sister. What kind of creep does that make me? Before I can dive too deep down that line of thought, I hear footsteps from down the hall, heading our way.

I quickly take her by the hand and lead us out of the arena, and don't stop until we reach her car. There, I drop her hand and stuff mine in my pockets. Things are awkward now.

"Oh, here." She pulls up the hem of the sweatshirt, the pink on her cheeks again.

"Keep it. We get a few of them as players." I clear my throat. "So, about the job?"

"Are we not going to talk about the kiss?" She point blank asks with a raised brow, the issue being like a huge elephant between us. We might as well address it, get it out of the way.

"Can we just chalk that up to the heat of the moment?" That's all I got. I'm not about to tell her I want more. Or that I've had plenty of fantasies about her pussy dancing on my cock. Or how I'd like to drive her to my place and fuck her so good to see if reality matches up to my dream.

Besides, I'm a playboy, and I don't do relationships. She's Becca, and by the way she's peering up at me, I'm guessing she's innocent enough where she'd expect more from me than I'm willing to give. I need to keep myself in check around her.

"Okay." She gives me a twerk of a weak smile with lips that have returned to warm and tender-looking in the morning's sunshine light. "I appreciate you doing this, Cam, really, but the job's not for me. I'll keep looking."

She dives into her driver's seat, where she's plenty more confident than she would be on the Zamboni. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea I had.

"Keep me posted on how the job hunt goes." I order.

"Yep." She doesn't look at me again, and starts the engine. Is she upset? My hand prevents her from closing the door. I know she wants to leave, but I can't let her go yet.

"Hey, our regular season begins next weekend so I'll be gone playing a few games in Portland. Keep your chin up in the job hunt. I'll check in with you when I return."

"Sure." She pulls the door and slams it closed. As she drives away, I know I did the right thing, playing off the kiss like it wasn't a huge deal. But it's like I have an out-of-body experience. I might be standing in the middle of the parking lot, denying what just happened, but my lips are back with hers at the Zamboni.