Page 82 of Against The Boards

He nosed across my neck. “For what, angel?”

I smiled at the pet name. That was growing on me, even if he made a joke about me being a demon the first time he called me it. In retrospect, it made me laugh.

“For the way I treated you in the past. I wasn’t fair to you,” I said.

“Please stop apologizing. It was my fault too.”

“Still, it wasn’t right.”

“Angel—”

“I’m sorry.”

“Jesus, have you been hanging out with Noah too much? Stop apologizing! It’s in the past.”

I nodded, and he wrapped his arms around me tighter, pulling me into his lap. I closed my eyes and snuggled further into him. I loved the feel of this big man and how he made me feel so secure and loved.

“Benny?”

“Hmm?”

“How are we gonna tell my brother?”

He sighed. “Fuck.”

“Yeah…”

“I want to tell him in person.”

“Okay. Over a drink, maybe?” I suggested.

“Definitely. Maybe three. Don’t worry, though. Nothing’s gonna keep us apart. I don’t care what your brother thinks. You’re mine, and I’m yours.”

This man... I was pretty sure I loved him right then. “Damn right, you’re mine. I own you,” I said.

He grinned and held me closer. “I think you always did. Even when you screamed that you hated me.”

“You always screamed right back at me.”

“Every time, I thought, ‘What if I pushed her up against the wall and shoved my tongue in her mouth? That would shut her up.’ But I never thought I would actually do it.”

I laughed. “You should have done it sooner.”

His laughter rumbled again in his broad chest. “Hey, do you want to go out and buy new hockey gear?”

I lifted my head up. “Wow, you say the sexiest things to me.”

He chuckled.

“No, I’m serious!”

“Really?”

I nodded vigorously. “You encouraging me to play hockey again and compiling a list of leagues for me to join is romantic to me. It shows you really care and want the best for me.”

He grinned. “I’ve never seen you happier than when you’re on the ice. You deserve that, and I want to give that to you. Even if you lob a puck down the ice and want to throw your stick at me.”

“I mean, sometimes I want to drop the gloves too.”