Page 146 of Cross Check

Mitchy

Don’t egg him on, Mav.

Me

I’m so glad you’re back in the chat, Mitchy!

And to answer your question, E, I’m still in Denver. I have a flight scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Huddy Boy

That sucks that you’re stuck, G. Are you at the airport and bored out of your mind?

Me

Nah. I’m staying entertained :)

“Let’s see what you got, Green.” I crouch low. “Is your aim as good as it is with a puck?”

“Are you taunting me, Everett?” Amelia calls out from the other side of the park with a snowball in her hands. “That’s not very nice.”

The flurries stopped coming down an hour ago, and after making a snowman together, we moved to the athletic portion of the late-afternoon.

“Just chirping,” I answer. The tips of my ears feel like they’re about to freeze off, and I shiver when a gust of wind rips through the air. “I’ll never get to do that with you in a game, so I figured before our snowball competition was the perfect time.”

“Do you want a head start?”

“Why would I need a head start? Are you planning on chasing me in the seven-inch-high snow?”

“I read that dark romance book you mentioned when I was DC. There was a chase scene in it, and I figured maybe you’d like that kind of thrill in real life.” Amelia tosses the snowball and catches it with a wicked gleam. “If you want to run, Grant, I’ll track you down.”

Hell.

My dick twitches at the thought of her reading that book alone in her room.

Did she like the chase scene too?

Is that the kind of thing she’d be into?

Does she slip her hand into her shorts and⁠—

Something hits me right in the face. I scream and paw at my eyes, panicking when my vision turns to a sheet of white.

“Oh my god. Am I dead? Is this the light at the end of the tunnel?” I fall backward, and my ass lands on a soft surface. “Where did my nose go?!”

“It’s snow.” Amelia’s burst of laughter echoes around me, and I clear my face enough to see. She’s bent over, hands on her thighs as she wheezes. “Did you really think your nose fell off?”

“Yes! I thought that was it for me.” I groan and put a palm over my chest, trying to catch my breath. “Fuck. It’s so cold. The snow went down the back of my sweatshirt, and it’s melting into my pants.”

“Please let me see,” she says.

“If you want to see my wet ass, you’re going to have to give me a hand, Lia.”

“Fine. I guess I can do that.”

I hold out my arm. Amelia walks toward me and takes my palm in hers. When her fingers wrap around mine, I tug. She falls forward with a loud squeal and face-plants next to me. Her gasping breath makes me cackle, and I roll onto my side to look at her.

“That’s payback,” I rasp. My gloves are soaked, and my hands are starting to sting. “For making me think I lost my vision.”