Tripping (Iced #2) - Kristine Allen Page 0,76
five hole to get stopped only by the back of the net. The light flashed. My arms went above my head, and I roared in the victory of knowing we were twenty-three seconds from winning the game.
We changed lines. The second line simply needed to play tough defense to hold Boston off until the clock ran out.
A second win in the bag, we were flying high by the time the final buzzer sounded.
“Hell, yeah!” Jordan roared as he plowed into me as we were heading off the ice. I laughed and pushed him off me.
“Jesus, you stink!” I told him as I reared my head back and grimaced. Alex laughed.
“You think you smell like roses?” Jordan asked with a laugh of his own.
“Fuck yeah, I do,” I replied with a grin. Those of us selected went through the obligatory brief interviews with the press. Once that was out of the way, we continued razzing each other into the locker room.
Coach gave us the congrats speech and cut us loose. I shot off a quick text to Bleu. Showered and dressed, several of us opted to walk over to a 24-hour diner after returning to the hotel. During the walk, I read Bleu’s text messages. I grinned at seeing her name after I’d changed it in my phone.
Angel Bleu: Congratulations!
Angel Bleu: I’m so excited to see you tomorrow night
Angel Bleu: Never thought I’d say that, huh?
Angel Bleu: Call me when you can
The last one had a little kiss emoji at the end.
Crazy ripples shot through my abdomen at the thought of seeing her again. It was a feeling I hadn’t experienced in years and definitely not to that extent.
It had me thinking.
And feeling a little crazy.
“Damn, baby, you look good. I’ve missed you,” I said as I lifted my girl from the ground and spun her in a circle. Ignoring the few people who were snapping pics or videoing with their phones, I stared into her woodland eyes.
Her laughter was beautiful, and I couldn’t quit smiling.
“It’s only been three and a half days,” she said with a brilliant smile before she pressed a kiss to my lips. I wanted to do so much more to her than that, but not in the middle of the St. Louis airport. I grabbed her bag and we walked arm-in-arm to the cab I had waiting.
“I don’t care if it was three and a half minutes. I’d still miss you.”
Unable to keep myself away, I kissed her after I set her bag in the trunk. Once we were ensconced in the car, I kissed her again.
“Cameron,” she quietly chided. A bright pink flushed her cheeks, and I nuzzled into her neck before pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.
“Fine. I’ll be good. For now.”
Like a kid in high school, I held her hand the entire way. My thumb drew soft circles over hers.
We pulled up to the hotel, and her eyes widened. “Swanky digs,” she said as she leaned over my lap to see out the window and her wide eyes took in everything she could.
“Eh, it’s a hotel.” I shrugged. When you stayed in a hotel an average of ten or more days a month, it lost its luster. We stopped at the desk to collect the keys to the room. I’d booked the room myself, because I wasn’t sharing a room with Alex when my girl was there. It was frowned upon, but no one would rat me out as long as nothing stupid happened and I was on my A game the next day.
Before the elevator arrived, I turned her to face me and cupped the back of her neck. Heart pounding, I stared into her eyes. She gave me a curious grin as she canted her head.
“I love you,” I breathed. Her eyes widened, and a wondrous smile lit her face.
“I love you too, you know,” she assured me.
“Just don’t ever forget it. Okay?” I asked, and she nodded before kissing my lips with the softest of touches.
We stepped into the elevator, and I braced my arms on either side of her, caging her in. When I dipped my head to steal a real kiss, she hummed appreciatively. That stoked the fires, and I dropped an arm to pull her closer. As I ground into her, I lost myself to her taste. I didn’t realize we’d reached our floor until the door dinged and opened.
“Cameron!” she whisper-shouted. After I adjusted myself with a wicked grin, I turned around and