Page 6 of Hot As Ice

“I just –”

“You want his number? You want to go out with him? You want to climb him like a tree?”

I roll my eyes playfully. “No. None of that. I just wanted to know more about him.”

“Yeah, wanna know more about him so you can climb him like a tree.”

Deciding I might as well play along and pretend I have a crush on Hunter (what red-blooded straight woman wouldn’t?), I smile and nod. “Okay, yes, I might have a little crush on him after last night.”

“Join the club, sister.”

It’s our turn to order. I get a vanilla latte for me and a caramel latte for Melanie. We sit down at an empty table by the window. “Do you, um, would you happen to know where Hunter hangs out?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Mel says. “If he’s not at the arena, which is most of the time, he’s at Finnegan’s with his teammates. Oh, and they usually party at Club Madness after a win.”

Finnegan’s is the most popular bar in town. I’ve never gone because 1) I don’t really drink, and 2) I’ve heard rumors that it gets extremely rowdy most nights. I prefer peace and quiet, and I’ve never been a partier.

Melanie eyes me with interest. I realize I’m staring at my drink, my lips pressed together, and I probably seem so weird to her right now.

She takes a sip of her drink and says, “Did you want to ask him out or something?”

“Oh god no.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve never asked out a guy. And he’s so intimidating.”

She nods. “He is, but, like, YOLO, right?”

“You only live once?”

“Yep.”

I shake my head. “I’m not interested in dating him.”

“It’s okay, you know,” she says. “Just because I’m into him doesn’t mean you can’t have a go. And if you end up dating him or become one of his fuck buddies, I’ll get to live vicariously through you.” She beams, looking more excited by the prospect than seems healthy.

“If you like him, why not just go after him yourself?”

Mel’s eyes widen in horror. “Are you nuts? I would melt into a puddle and forget every word in the English language if he ever looked at me. Those eyes, Stevie. They can see into your soul.”

A laugh bursts out of me.

“But you,” she reaches over and puts her hand on mine where it rests on the table. “You’re gorgeous and you’re honestly his type. He loves blondes. You can snare him.”

Her words send a frisson of excitement through me. But they shouldn’t. I have almost zero experience with men, and Hunter exudes a type of effortless confidence that would give lesser mortals a profound inferiority complex. All I want to do is thank him, anyway. That’s it. I’m not trying to “snare” him. If I were to date someone, it would be a nerdy sort of guy, quiet and unassuming, someone who would never make me feel uncomfortable.

“I’m not trying to snare him, Mel.”

“Right. That’s why you had me meet you today to talk all about him.”

I sigh. She has a point. “I actually kind of owe him a thank you.”

Melanie leans forward, intrigued. “What? Why?”

I play with a lock of hair between my fingers, wondering how much I should tell Mel. And even though she never complained about Joe coming onto her or anything, she needs to know what he’s capable of.

“Last night when I was closing, Joe came onto me. Hunter happened to be there, and he scared Joe off.”