Rush: The Season (Austin Arrows Book 1)(28)

“Visible how?”

I shrug. The last thing I want to go into is how Amber told me that it would be good if I could be seen out in public with Kingston. I told Amber I see Kingston all the time at the Penalty Box. Amber reiterated by telling me it needs to be in a setting that isn’t related to hockey. All good and fine, until Spencer spoke up. He had the balls to tell me it wouldn’t hurt if someone would catch me leaving Kingston’s house. I’m pretty sure he even used the term walk of shame.

The asshat.

“Like out on a date?” Kingston asks, frowning.

Exactly like that. “I guess.”

Kingston’s smile is slow and sexy and I have to look away.

“So, I get to take you out in public and flaunt you around? Prove that I’m into you?”

I’m totally confused. “You make it sound like you don’t know what’s going on.”

“I don’t,” he mutters.

That takes me by surprise. “I thought…”

“You thought what?” Kingston stares up at me, pinning me in place with his intense gaze. His smile has disappeared completely.

“I thought this was your idea.”

He laughs, but there isn’t an ounce of humor in it. “Not by a long shot.”

“Hey, Mount Rushmore! You sleeping or what? Get your ass back out here, man!”

I recognize the voice of the goalie coach, Russ Putnam. I glance out at the ice, realizing there are more players out there now. Then again, this is practice.

“I…uh…” I meet Kingston’s gaze again. “I’ll let you get back to it then.”

“We need to talk,” Kingston says, his voice low, tone serious. “You and me. If this is going to happen, it’ll be on my terms. Not Amber’s. And not your brother’s.”

I nod. “Understood.” I really had thought that Kingston was the one to suggest this. I’d even been a little flattered. Now that I know my brother is behind it all, I’m not sure how I feel.

“Holler when you’re ready for me.”

Aww, crap. Even I notice how suggestive that sounds.

Kingston nods, then that wicked smirk returns. He leans closer to the rail. “Little girl, I’ve been ready for you for a long damn time.”

The ruthless flirt is out and about. Only there is something different between us this time. There’s a weird electrical charge in the air. It’s raking over my skin, and I have a feeling it’s coming directly from those piercing dark eyes currently devouring me. A flash fire ignites in my veins, and I briefly consider running out and lying on the ice just to cool off.

“Okay then.” I push away from the rail. “I’ll wait for your call.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“And I’ll try to find something more appealing to wear.”

“I’d say that’s pretty damn appealing,” he replies, nodding to my chest.

“Incorrigible,” I mutter as I turn away, searching the seats for my daughter. “I’ll make sure Bianca returns your phone.”

Without waiting for a reply, I make my way to the stairs and head up, pretending I don’t notice the way Kingston’s eyes are locked on my ass as I’m walking away.

Or how much I like that he’s looking.





Bianca

I can’t believe I did it.

While I was sitting at the rink, watching Josh Locke, it suddenly came to me. I borrowed Kingston’s phone and used his Facebook account to pull up my mom’s so I could scroll through her pictures. That was when I found a picture of her when she was twenty-one. She had posted it for Throwback Thursday at some point, so I got lucky.

I saved the photo to Kingston’s phone, then pulled up his Internet browser so I could log into my fake account. I didn’t want to tip him off by logging out of his Facebook app. He would’ve probably noticed the next time he opened it. I’m trying to be overly cautious because I don’t want him to know. If he finds out, he might tell my mom. If not her, he will definitely tell Uncle Optimus.

After I added the picture to my post, I made sure to delete the image from his phone so Kingston wouldn’t ask questions. And then, I did it, I typed up my post on my fake profile. It wasn’t hard to come up with something to say, but now that I’ve posted it, I’ve been stalking my own post. I can’t log in from my regular account since I blocked myself, so I have to keep the fake one open.

My name’s Bianca and I’m looking for my biological father, whom I’ve never met. My mom doesn’t know him other than his name is James and she met him when she was in Las Vegas when she was twenty-one. That was almost fourteen years ago. I’m not looking for money or anything, I just want to know who he is and I know she would be happy to hear from him. She told me she tried to find him when she found out she was pregnant, but never could. Here is a picture of her. Her name is Ellie. Hopefully he’ll see this and remember her. And if he does see this, he can contact her at 512-555-7874.

Every time I read the post, I remind myself that I have to be sure to log out in case my mom takes my phone or my laptop. This is making me a little edgy, even now.

I know that staring at the post seems kind of lame, but I can’t help it. When I got home and plugged in my phone, I immediately texted Gabby to let her know. She said she’s excited for me and can’t wait for when my dad actually messages me. That freaked me out a little. I didn’t think that he might message me directly. That was why I put the phone number to the Penalty Box on the post. So he could call that. What would I even say to him?