The Sweet Talker (Boston Hawks Hockey #1) - Gina Azzi Page 0,42

back, knowing we’re both being goofy and silly.

But it feels right. Being with her feels good.

And there’s no way in hell I’m questioning that. Not when I’ve got Indy beside me, her hand in mine.

17

Indy

As soon as the door to Noah’s brownstone clicks closed, the reality of the situation descends over me. I’m in Noah’s home again. But this time, it’s different.

I know it. He knows it. And the realization makes the moment seem significant. If I take this step with Noah, it’s going to be more than just casual. More than just a fling. I don’t know how to do casual well to begin with but clearly, I really don’t know how to do casual with a man like Noah. A hockey player. A sweet talker. A heartthrob who makes my body burn with one smoldering glance.

Jesus. I falter, my breath stuttering in my chest as I acknowledge just how much I like Noah.

Already, in the span of a few weeks, my feelings for him are real and complicated. I feel too many things in his presence, want too many things for the future that I know I shouldn’t.

He steps toward me, his fingers gripping my chin and tilting my face until I meet his eyes. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Panic grips me for a second as I drown in the dark pool of his gaze. He’s already too much. This is too much. And the last time I let myself go there, it ended with my self-confidence shredded and my heart shattered. “You’re making me break all my rules,” I whisper, my eyes pleading with him to understand. The Indy I’ve been since I’ve met Noah again, the Indy I am when I’m in his company, is so different than the woman I’ve been for the past five years. The thing is, I really like her. But can I be her without Noah in my life?

What if things between us go sideways?

What if they don’t?

The thoughts collide in my head, warring for consideration.

“I’m not trying to change you, Indy,” he swears, his face pained at the thought.

“It’s not that. It’s that I like who I am when I’m with you.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“What if things go badly between us?”

“Why do you think that?” he asks, more curious than hurt.

I shrug. “You’re a professional hockey player.”

“You’re a professor.”

I smirk. “You travel a lot.”

“You don’t.”

“Noah!”

He grins, brushing some of my hair out of my eyes. “Babe, none of those details matter. I like you. You like me. Things between us are good, fun. But if this is too much, if you’re not feeling me or this or whatever, then say it. If you want to leave right now, I’ll take you home. We’ll be friends and we’ll be cool. The only thing I don’t want you to do is make a decision you’ll regret.” He scrapes his teeth over his bottom lip, shaking his head. In a lower voice, he adds, “I don’t know if I could handle you regretting me, Indy.”

I swallow, mentally weighing the pros and cons. Suddenly, it all seems like too much. My racing thoughts, my knotted stomach, my desperate heart. Should I just tell him my feelings for him are more than casual? That even though I said I could do this, I was wrong? But if I tell him, will I lose everything I share with him? The thought makes me feel nauseous and unsteady.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, Indy.”

I open my mouth. On the tip of my tongue are a thousand confessions. Truths that resonate in every fiber of my being but something holds me back from saying them aloud.

I glance up into Noah’s chocolate eyes and concerned expression. I clear my throat. Just say it, Indy. Own it. He frowns, his hands cupping my cheeks. He peers at me with such intensity that I…chicken out. What if I scare him away?

I shake my head and force a smile. “I want to stay, Noah.”

He studies me for a long beat. “You sure?”

I nod, leaning toward him.

I don’t have to lean far because Noah closes the gap, wrapping me in his arms and dropping his mouth to mine. My eyes flutter closed as I fall into the heady sensations his touch provides. His kiss is hot and passionate. He intoxicates me as his scent wraps around me and his touch drags me under. Ripping his mouth from mine, he trails kisses down my neck and I moan, arching my back to give him more