Stand and Defend (Lakes Hockey, #4)

by Sloane St. James

“What the hell was—” I look up to see Cam, he hooks his arms over the side of the barrier with it digging into his armpits. Fans around us clamor to get a puck, stick, or autograph, anything. The security below is talking him down, but he’s ignoring them completely. A few of the other players stand gawking, one of them being Barrett Conway. He’s ignoring everything around him. “Hey, birthday girl.” “Hi?” I laugh. How did he know it was my birthday? My eyes glance to the security below, instructing him to get down. His coach yells his name, but he doesn’t respond. “I think your coach wants you.” “Come here,” he says it so casually. I scoot closer, and he high-fives a starstruck young boy sitting behind me. “Teller! Let’s go!” one of the coaches bellows from the other side of the plexiglass. “Cam, what are you doing?” “Kissing you.” He grabs the back of my neck and pulls me in, doing exactly that. His mouth presses to mine, and he slides his tongue over my lower lip. It takes my breath away. After that, he drops from the board onto the padded floor below. The coach smacks him with a clipboard. “Jesus, Teller. The fuck is wrong with you? Lockers, now!” He looks up at me and winks again, and I press my fingers to my lips. My cheeks flare red and nervous laughter bursts out of me. What the hell was that about?