her, my hands wrapping around her waist. I look down into her bright green eyes, wondering how I ever thought I could not act on my feelings for her. They’re more than just lust, than just this moment. The realization should scare me after the shit Courtney put me through this year. But I don’t feel frightened. Instead, I feel excited. Invigorated and validated and fucking happy.
“Little Indy, I can’t keep my hands off you. I’m so into you that I want to kiss you senseless and take you home with me and keep you in my bed. I want to take you out for dinner this Saturday and spend all day Sunday doing touristy shit with you again in Boston.”
Her eyes widen and her mouth falls open, a startled breath dropping from her lips.
I smile. “But you have a full day of classes and a trip that you’re planning. We’re friends and I just started the season and you don’t date hockey players. My life is messy and most of it is in the public eye. I want whatever you’re willing to give me and more but not at the expense of your commitments to yourself.”
Her eyes scan my face, dropping to my lips, coming back to my eyes, and falling to my mouth again.
Before I can ask her what she wants, she pushes up on her tippy toes and kisses me. Her mouth is sweet and spicy, raspberries and tequila. Hot and cold, sunshine and snowflakes. Her hands grip the tops of my shoulders as she falls into me, her mouth gentle for one single kiss before her tongue dips into my mouth and my entire body comes to life.
I growl, pressing her back against the wall as I slant my mouth over hers and meet her kiss for kiss. In seconds, our kiss turns hungry, needy, borderline desperate. My hand cups her cheeks to hold her head steady as I deepen our connection. She whimpers, our panting filling the silence of the small space.
I pull back, gazing down at her.
Her eyes are glowing, her cheeks flushed. She’s so fucking gorgeous. A swell of protectiveness surges through my body, making me swear. I’d want to knock out anyone, any guy on my team, who ever saw her looking the way she is right now. Her eyes are wide, her hair wild from where my fingers ran through it. She’s rocking the sexiest bedroom eyes I’ve ever seen and the only thing I can think about is getting us out of here and somewhere more private. Like my bedroom. Or her apartment.
“Tell me what you want, Indiana?” My voice is husky. Ragged.
She smirks, still clinging to that edge of sass. “Take me home, Noah. Quick, before anyone realizes we’re missing.”
I grin, licking my bottom lip. Lacing our fingers together, I drop my forehead to hers. “Indy, if we bolt, we’re outing ourselves to the team. To your cousins. Are you sure about this?”
She shakes her head. “I haven’t been sure about anything since you came back into my life, Noah.”
That causes a flare of uncertainty to spark in my chest.
Indy smiles. “But I like it. This. Feeling instead of thinking all the damn time.”
I kiss the corner of her mouth and pull back. Grabbing my phone from my back pocket, I shoot off a message to my driver and one to Torsten. Jesse replies that he’s waiting out back for us. Torsten sends me a string of emojis I can’t fucking decipher.
“Come on.” I pull her toward the back exit. “Jesse, my driver, is waiting for us here. Message Claire and Savannah so they know where you are.”
“And Austin?” she asks, her expression playful.
“Not going there tonight, babe. Not when I can enjoy my time with you.”
She laughs and follows me out into the blustering cold. “I’ll make sure my cousins grab our coats.”
I bundle her under my arm as we race to the car. Pulling open the backdoor, we both slide inside. I grin, feeling like we’re pulling off some kind of a secret mission instead of being two adults heading home together.
That’s the thing with Indy, she injects light into everything. With her, even the mundane is thrilling. “That would be good,” I agree, turning toward Jesse. “Hey Jes.”
“Hey man. Good game tonight.”
“Thanks. My house, please.”
“You got it.” He eases the car toward the street and turns up the volume on the Hamilton soundtrack he’s listening to.
I glance over at Indy who’s smiling at me. I grin