Page 16 of Hockey Player Seeking Fan

"I want to make sure that you get home safely. I’m not going to let you deter me from that."

"You’re not going toletme?" I glare at him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," he says, grinning. "Now, do you still want that ice cream?"

"What the hell?" Elliott stares at the two of us and shakes his head. "I don’t know what’s going on here, man. This is crazy. But... peace."

I watch as he walks away, and I can feel shame burning in my face. I’m an idiot having had this happen right in front of Tyler.

"So did you guys discuss your vows before it all went south?"

"Shut up. That’s not even funny." Though I can't stop my lips from twitching.

"Did you at least ask him to take you to Tiffany’s to look at rings before the wedding?" He’s chuckling.

"Shut up," I say, pushing him slightly. I can’t stop myself from giggling either. "You are having way too much fun with this. It’s not even funny."

"I’m trying not to laugh." He leans against the light post. "Actually, I was going to get you a good wedding present if I had been invited to the wedding."

I glare at him and don't respond.

"Too soon for jokes? Does it hurt too much? Are you feeling absolutely depressed at the ending of the most magical relationship known to man?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I just want to make sure that your heart isn’t broken."

"Of course, my heart’s not broken. I just met the dude yesterday."

"Yeah, but the way you were going on was like he was the one, your soulmate."

"Fine. Obviously, I was wrong." I glare at him. "Now, are you going to get us an Uber to go home?"

"Ooh, are you inviting me to your home?"

"No!" I say quickly. "That’s not what I meant." I take a deep breath. "Obviously, I’m not inviting you anywhere."

"Not so obvious to me."

“You think you’re so smug, don’t you?”

“Not really. I just wanted to ensure you were safe. And I want to see you home safely, if that’s okay.”

“Fine. I feel like you won’t just go, so you can escort me home, even though I’ve been going home by myself for donkeys years.”

“That’s a lot of years.” He offers me a wide, devastatingly handsome smile, and I wonder if he knows how many hearts melt when he does that. I immediately want to slap myself for that thought. It is apparent to me that he definitely knows. The twinkle in his deep, warm brown eyes is magnetizing, and I can’t help but smile back at him. Tyler makes it really hard to be annoyed with him.

Chapter Six

Tyler

"So, are you ready to go home, or are you hungry?" I ask her, hoping that she wants to prolong the evening as much as I do. I’m not sure why I want to be around her, but something about her presence makes me feel like I’m at my first party: excited, exhilarated, and anxious to see what’s going to happen next.

She looks at me for a couple of seconds, and I can tell she’s weighing her options. Like she’s not sure if she wants to spend more time with me or not. I wonder if she knows that I can read her every thought on her face.

"I’m not going to bite, if that’s what you’re worried about."

"Why would I be worried about you biting me?" She rolls her eyes. "Are you a vampire? Are you trying to suck my blood?"