Scoring Off The Ice (Ice Kings #2) - Stacey Lynn Page 0,75

play. Then I throw a pillow on the other side of them to ensure he can’t roll off.

“Mama.” Paisley drawls the word.

I should have known that’s who she was speaking to as soon as I heard her voice. Her southern accent always thickens when she talks to her parents. Her hand falls from her hair and onto my lap. She immediately starts drawing a circle on my thigh with her thumb.

“I know, Mama. I know. Don’t be mad.” She blinks at me and her green eyes clear in a second. “No. No, not today. That’s… he’ll think y’all are crazy!” Her hand on my thigh digs in until I flinch.

Damn, this girl has strength behind her thin frame, and now I’m more worried. Are they talking about me?

I arch my brows in question and Paisley makes a face, crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out of one side of her mouth. She’s so ridiculous, hair messy, cross-eyed and being goofy all while I can now hear her mom’s raised voice come through the phone.

“I said it’s because it’s new, Mama. Tell Dad to calm down.” She winks at me. “And no, he doesn’t need to bring his shotgun.”

I fight back a laugh. She’s told me her dad’s protective.

With a heavy sigh, she unwraps my leg and brushes away the half-moon marks she’s made, cringing. “Sorry,” she mouths to me.

“I like them,” I whisper back. “Give me more.”

Her cheeks flush hot pink and she sighs again. “Mama, let me talk to him, okay? I’ll call you back. But I’m warning you now that the answer is no. You can’t come today.” She scowls at the phone and yawns.

She laughs softly. Shakes her head, but even with her faces, there’s no real annoyance or frustration, apart from possibly being woke up too early.

“Love you too. Tell Dad I’ll call him at nine… fine, eight. Bye, Mama.”

She tosses her phone to the nightstand, shoves both hands through her hair and thumps her head against the headboard. “Apparently, my father was channel surfing last night trying to find information about a NASCAR driver who was injured in a race and saw a picture of us with Angelo leaving the game.”

“Oh.” We walked out from the arena together and there are always cameras. “Is that… bad?” My worry from earlier sparks.

“Well, no, not for me, I guess…” She meets my gaze and nibbles on her lip. Ah, she is worried too. “For you, maybe? It’s my parents. And she called because now she says they want to meet you. Or rather, are insisting. Angelo, too. We don’t have to.”

“You haven’t told them about me.”

She makes a face that doesn’t please me. “It’s not that I didn’t want to. At first, before you gave the interview about Angelo, I didn’t know what to say and I wasn’t sure what we were, so…” She shrugs.

I’ve made a mistake. I haven’t told her how much I care about her.

“Do you want me to meet them?” It’s possible I’ve gotten carried away with myself and my feelings for her thinking this is more than it is.

She grabs my hand in the air and kisses my knuckles. “I want. Trust me. I want. I want more of what we did last night, well, early this morning, and I do want them to meet you. They’ll love you and Angelo.”

“After your father shoots me.”

“He’ll only scare you.” She leans forward and kisses me, laughing as my mouth drops open.

She scoots down on the bed, and I fall on top of her, her thighs widening to make room for me. We kiss until Angelo interrupts, babbling and grunting.

I push off Paisley, kissing her nose. “I want everything, Paisley. Anything and everything you want to give me.”

Her look softens, more than just from the kiss.

“Call your parents back. I’ll grab my schedule. Figure out a time when we both have a day off and I’m happy to have them come here and meet us.” I slide off the bed. I keep the schedule printed and on my refrigerator for both Viola and Paisley even though they’ve both downloaded it onto their phones. “And I don’t want you worrying about us. I’m all in. I care very much about you.”

I’m rewarded with a dazzling smile that almost blinds me as I leave the room. That and the fact she’s snuggling Angelo with as much love as a mother should.

And it hits me. If this lasts between us, she will be the only mother