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“It shouldn’t have been you to back out. I should’ve insisted.”
“But you love hockey.”
He turned to face me with a hardened expression. “And you’re his girlfriend.”
I blinked twice. The word carried such animosity, it felt like a slap. I lowered my voice, ashamed of needing the reminder. “I’m so sorry I watched you.”
“Are you?”
I looked down, my hands twisting. “I don’t want things to be weird between us.”
Rafe was quiet until I looked up. “Tell me. Did you like what you saw the other day?”
“Wh-what?”
His gaze was so intense, so filled with anger, but there was also something else—and it looked a heck of a lot like desire. “It’s not a hard question,” he said. “A simple yes or no will do. Did you like what you saw?”
I should’ve said no. I should’ve shut this conversation down, owned my mistake, and put an end to whatever this was spiraling into. Instead, I dropped my eyes, swallowed, and nodded. “I loved it. I can’t stop thinking about the sounds you made.”
The arena roared around us, but in that moment, everything went eerily still. “Look at me, Talia.”
My gaze snapped up.
“I knew you were there,” he said, his voice full of grit. “I knew you were fucking there, and I didn’t stop. I wanted you to watch.” His eyes dipped to my lips.
My pulse kicked up, and the space between us seemed to shrink. I could feel him—every inch of him—close enough that it would only take the slightest movement…
I leaned in before I could stop myself. Enough that I felt his warm breath. Enough that if either of us moved an inch, there’d be no coming back from it.
And then—
“Got beers and pretzels for everyone!”
I jerked back so fast, I was sure Calder would know what had almost happened—what would’ve happened if he’d come back just two seconds later. But nope. My boyfriend stood there with an ear-to-ear smile, juggling three oversized cups of beer and three giant pretzels. He was completely oblivious, yet again, and seemed to be having the time of his life.
He leaned over and handed one of each to Rafe. “Here you go, buddy.”
Rafe’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he took the beer and pretzel.
“And for my girl…” Calder shot me a wink.
He dropped into his seat and started telling us about the guys from work he’d spoken to. Apparently one of them had been to every home Rangers game since he was seven. The best I could do was nod along. Rafe didn’t even seem capable of that. Thankfully, a few minutes later, the game started, and we at least had a reason to be distracted. I clung to that, staring straight ahead at men skating around, while my mind was somewhere else.
Every so often, Calder would lean over and explain what was happening on the ice. I nodded when appropriate, but my thoughts were never far from the man sitting on my other side. Rafe’s body language was like nothing I’d ever seen before. He was usually such a loose, easygoing person. But now, every inch of him was tight with tension. I worried he might snap if someone breathed wrong.
It all came to a head when the crowd around us suddenly got louder. I glanced up and froze. My face—our faces—were splashed across the massive screen above center ice, and the words Kiss Cam started flashing.
“Ohhh!” Calder laughed and stood. He held out his hand. “Come on, babe, don’t leave me hanging.”
Before I could even think, he’d grabbed my hand, yanked me out of my seat, and planted a big kiss on my lips. The crowd roared, fueling the showman in Calder, which led him to continue the kiss and dip me dramatically. The last thing I saw as I bent back was Rafe’s face on the screen, watching it all go down.
People had barely stopped cheering when Rafe was on his feet. “Bathroom,” he muttered before disappearing.
Ten minutes went by. Then fifteen. When the first period ended and the guys seated in the nearby section came over to talk shop with Calder, I excused myself to go to the restroom. But really, I went looking for Rafe.
I found him sitting on the steps that led up to the next level. His elbows were on his knees and his head hung between them.
“Rafe?” I said softly. “What are you doing? Are you okay?”
