Page 89 of Breaking the Ice

“Sure you do.” Her deep brown eyes bore into me. “You deserve all kinds of good things. And I want you to know I appreciate you.”

I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so loved in my life. I want to devour her whole, swallow her down and keep her with me forever.

“Do we have time for me to appreciate you properly before we leave?” Cupping her jawline, I brush my lips across hers, relishing the full-body shiver that runs through her. She snakes her arms around my neck, deepening the kiss.

I walk her back until we fall onto the couch, tangled together, and she comes up for air. “I mean, how long do you need?”

My entire life. Instead of saying that, I bob my brows. “I’ll make do with what I have.”

The Wings-Preds game was a blast, even though the Predators won two to one. I sleep great in the world’s most comfortable bed, although I have to roll over twice before I find Isabella in the morning.

After we take full advantage of space to maneuver in the bed and the sturdy headboard, she glances at the clock. “Oh, it’s later than I realized. We’ve gotta get you back to Lafayette so you’re not all worn out for the hockey games this weekend.”

“Regionals are gonna be tough. They always are.” Groaning, I grab her wrist and pull her back into the bed, settling her weight on top of me.

“But you’ll get to play. My dad needs his strongest line on the ice.” I struggle to focus on her words as she traces patterns on my chest with her tongue.

“Uh-huh. How about you don’t mention your dad when we’re in bed?”

She giggles. “Fair enough. What should we talk about?”

I nuzzle her neck. “How much I’ve loved this weekend. This is the best birthday gift I’ve ever had. I don’t want it to end.”

What I don’t say is, I don’t want anything with you to end. Please, let’s stay together.

She bites her lip, eyes flashing with something serious before they clear. “I mean, we still need to shower. We could save time and do it together.”

“And conserve water.” I wink at her, gratified at the smirk that spreads across her lips.

“Race ya!” Isabella leaps off me and heads towards the bathroom, and I’m powerless to resist.

How did I get so lucky? I let her win, since she’s done so much for me this weekend.

We shower until the hot water runs out, then pack our bags and toss them in her car.

“Oh, wow.” As she starts the engine, she glances at the dashboard clock. “I guess we took longer than I thought to get ready. But it’s okay. It’s about five and a half hours back to Lafayette, so if we minimize our stops, we should be fine.”

Shifting in my seat, I pull up Google Maps. “Yeah. It will be close, but I’ll still have time to throw my gear in a bag and meet the team.”

“Before you head to Toledo?”

“Our regional spot is in Fargo.”

Isabella’s eyes widen. “I must have mixed it up in my mind. For some reason, I thought it was closer. Toledo is East, and⁠—”

“That’s one of the regional sites, but not ours. They put us in the West this time.” I reach over and rub her shoulder. “The assigned locations don’t make a lot of sense this year. So we’re flying, not taking the bus.”

“I’ll have to—” She stops speaking as the car makes a clunky, knocking noise. Her glance meets mine across the console. “What was that?”

I don’t have an answer for her. Anxiety rises in my chest and makes the back of my neck prickle. Car problems always stress me out. Why am I supposed to know about this stuff just because I’m a dude?

The noise continues, and the car lurches.

“Pull over,” I tell her, my voice laced with tension.

Isabella grips the wheel, her knuckles white. “Stupid car.”

I can’t argue with that. She finally maneuvers us to the side of the road, which is good because the car dies. Her freckles stand out on her cheeks, stark against her pale face as she peers at the dashboard alerts.