Luckily, they had the elevator all to themselves.
“Hey, thanks for having my back in there. You were like my knight in shining armor.” She wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged him. It felt right being this close to him. She wasn’t sure why she had waited so long. Well, yeah, she did.
Luc responded with his own comforting hug. His strong arms pulled her closer. “Please. You didn’t need me to defend you. You hold your own just fine against your brother.” He released his grip on her and tilted her chin up so she had to look at him. His thumb lightly slid over her bottom lip. “But if needed, I’d fight for you every day just to see this smile.”
She bit her lip out of anxiousness at having his body pressed against her. His deep eyes were trained on her. He had the cutest little dimple on his left cheek that was more noticeable when his jaw was clenched. His cologne infiltrated her senses, a sexy mix of bergamot and amber. She couldn’t place the brand, but nonetheless, it had her heart thudding against her chest and her pulse racing. Her breathing was heavy and ragged.
The faint ding of the elevator reminded her that they were still headed towards the lobby, and this intense interaction would end soon.
Everything around her stopped as Luc lowered his head to hers. She’d been waiting for this moment. Anticipating his kiss, craving his touch. She closed her eyes and held a deep breath as Luc’s soft, plump lips finally brushed against hers, gentle and warm. She returned his slow, innocent kiss with her own. Sliding her hand up to his chest, she could feel the thud of his heart beating through his soft t-shirt.
The elevator sounded with a tone that told them they’d reached the lobby, and the doors opened with a low hum. None of that mattered while his lips moved with hers. Luc cradled her jaw in his rough hand, while he pulled her body close with the other. He opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, and then—
“Um… Hey, Marcella.”
Kassie pulled back from Luc and looked in the direction of the voice of the man who had interrupted them. His face was familiar, a Renegades player. The look on his face told her all she needed to know: he knew who she was, and he knew Luc’s lips weren’t supposed to be anywhere near hers.
Luc’s face was tense with what seemed like annoyance. He ran his hand through his dark hair with an almost silent sigh, but she heard it. “Patrick. Hey, man.” Luc grabbed Kassie’s hand and pulled her from the elevator.
“Leaving the party so soon, Marcella?” Patrick smirked, but it was noticeably not as friendly as it should be. He and his wife entered the elevator.
Not waiting around to talk, Luc held on to Kassie’s hand and pulled her towards the exit. He called over his shoulder. “You know me, Dubois, I always cut out early. Can’t hang around with you old folks all night. Tell Kaden I said hi!”
Kassie, shocked and amused by the last comment, smacked his shoulder as he led them to his sports car. “Really? You needed to add that?”
Luc shrugged. “Sometimes I like to be a smart-ass.” He opened the door of his white Porsche for her. “Shall we?”
The ride home was smooth and fast, because Luc had a lead foot. Every time a rock song came on the radio, Luc turned up the volume and sang along. And each time he focused his attention on her, heat filled her chest. She wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol taking effect, but she was pretty sure it was more than that.
It was this hockey boy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Luc
Having their first kiss in the elevator wasn’t what he had planned, but he’d waited too long to make a move. It was unusual for him to wait this long to be affectionate with a girl. Bunnies weren’t the kind of girls that you got to know first; you just dove right in. But Kassie, she was different than any girl he’d met before. Take out the fact that she was his teammate’s sister, and she was perfect. He wasn’t fond of the idea of letting her go, even if keeping her caused friction between him and Kaden. He’d have to figure out how to deal with it. But first he needed to show Kassie how he really felt.
Unfortunately, Patrick had interrupted them before their kiss could turn into anything more and that flame seemed to have cooled down a bit.
Now the real question was how to fuel that same fire without coming off like a total dick. It was obvious that Kaden’s anger still hung over Kassie’s head. Luc couldn’t do anything about that now, and couldn’t help but anticipate his next face-to-face with Kaden at morning skate. This just got a whole lot messier than simply hanging out with his teammate’s sister in secret.
“Well, I delivered you home safe and sound. At least Kaden can’t be mad at me for that, right?”
Kassie shut her apartment door behind them, locking it. “He shouldn’t have yelled at me. Or you.” Her facial expression tightened. No doubt the anger was starting to boil again. Without another word, Kassie left him standing in the doorway while she went into the kitchen.
The girl had fire, and Luc liked that. Her spark just needed to be aimed in the right direction, like it was in the elevator.
After lots of noise and her mumbling things that he couldn’t understand, she returned to him with a glass that looked like it had Kahlua and ice. With a smile, she handed him a cold beer.
“What are you drinking? And why do you have beer if you don’t drink it?” His brain was focused on her, and his words weren’t coming out exactly right.
“You’re worried about that?” Kassie rolled her eyes, but added a small smile. “I’m drinking a Kahlua and cream, but I don’t have any cream, so it’s… Well, it’s just Kahlua and ice. Make yourself at home. There’s plenty of beer in the refrigerator, so help yourself.”
She slipped off her heels and walked barefoot into the living room. Luc followed. He couldn’t help but watch how her hips moved in that loose dress. She had shapely legs, which made sense with how she handled herself on the ice. She was athletic, and that was just one of the things that he liked about her.
After Kassie sat down on the couch, she patted the seat next to her. Kassie switched on the television and took a sip of her drink. Folding her legs under her, she laid her head on his shoulder.
She flipped through the television channels until she found a movie. “Luc?”
“Yeah, Kass?”
“Kaden shouldn’t yell at me. I’m not a child. The whole thing is ridiculous. Why does he have to be such a jerk about this? We’re not doing anything wrong.”
“Kass, tonight was rough. And you’re right. He shouldn’t have yelled at you. But he is your big brother, and he’s always going to try to protect you.”
Her voice was soft and eerily calm. “He can’t dictate how I live my life.”