How the fuck had I managed to ask a random stranger to kiss me and he turned out to be another goalie? I still questioned that bad luck. Not that Gabe wasn’t a truly nice guy, it just would’ve been better for so many reasons if he wasn’t a hockey player.
Shit. I probably needed to tell Gabe who my father was.
TUCKS
Was it weird to be nervous about a fake date? I tugged on my collar as I stood outside the restaurant and waited for Dani. Should I have picked up flowers or chocolates or something? I should’ve asked if she wanted me to pick her up, but she’d suggested to just meet here before I could even ask.
It’d been a while since I’d been on an actual date since I stuck to keeping things casual during the off-season and then focusing solely on hockey during the season. I never wanted anything to distract me from my game, which was why this could end upmessy, but there was no real doubt in my mind that I did the right thing by offering to help Dani.
My anger had lowered to a simmer over the last few hours, but I’d been overwhelmed with the urge to show up at Dani’s office and knock Jensen on his ass when she’d called me earlier. The audacity of that fucking piece of shit. Take a goddamn hint. Hear her fucking words. She had clearly ended the relationship, and Jensen was being an absolute douchebag about it.
I took in a deep breath. I did not want to ruin our date by having my anger build all over again. Dani seemed like a nice woman. Hot as fuck and a bit prickly, but fun.
“Hi,” her voice said from behind me, and I turned to see her just steps away. She looked amazing. The green in her sundress made her eyes pop, and her auburn hair was brushed in waves over her shoulders. The dress hugged her body like I suddenly had the urge to. I clenched my fist at my side.
“You look stunning,” I said without thought.
Her cheeks tinged pink, making me want to lean in and kiss her. And it had nothing to do with for show.
Shit.
“Ah, thanks.” She smiled. “It’s my favorite and it has pockets.”
“Well, it’s very nice and pockets are always important.” My voice sounded stilted, and she paused, a small smile playing on her lips.
Yeah, I couldn’t wait to kiss her tonight.
For the ruse, of course. I forced back the snort that threatened to burst out of me.
“You look nice, too.” She wrinkled her nose. “This is weird.”
I linked my fingers with hers and she stiffened for a moment before relaxing slightly.
“This okay?”
“Of course. We’re dating, after all.” But she was still tense, and I wanted to help her relax a bit.
“Yes, we are.” I lifted our joined hands up like a fist pump. “And I have no idea why I did that.”
She shook her head at me, but I didn’t miss the tension still in that smile of hers.
If she couldn’t feel comfortable with me, this wasn’t going to work. And while I understood, a big part of me really wanted to make this work.
“Should we go in? I’ve actually never been here before,” I said.
“The fresh burrata is amazing. It has pesto and crispy prosciutto on top with grilled sourdough. So good,” she said.
“That sounds incredible.” I unlinked our fingers, putting my hand at the small of her back, and opened the door with my other hand. “After you.”
I felt a slight tremor under my touch, but I wasn’t sure if it was from her or me. Taking a steadying breath, I followed her into the dimly lit restaurant.
The place was quaint, with small tables scattered down the center and booths lining both walls. I gave the hostess my name and she led us to a booth in the back, near a window.
“Should we get a table so we can be more on display?” she murmured, but her tone said she did not want that at all.
“No, the booth is perfect.” I guided her toward one side and took the other, saying thank you to the hostess when she said our server would be along shortly.
“Thanks. I like booths so much better. Uh, should you sit next to me?”
