Read Online Crossing the Line (The Baltimore Banners Book 1) by Lisa B. Kamps - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lisa B. Kamps
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More than a dozen sets of eyes were focused on him, including startling blue ones from up in the stands. Alec groaned again. Of course AJ would pick now to notice him.
The coach slid to a stop in front of him, showering him with ice from his skate blades. Alec straightened and lifted his helmet, bracing himself for the verbal assault he knew was coming.
Sonny stared at him for several long minutes. The silence was deafening, drawn out until Alec had to fight the urge to look away. With a quick motion of one hand, Sonny signaled the end of practice. Wordlessly, the other players skated from the ice as Sonny continued to stare at him. When there was no one left, the coach leaned forward and spoke in a voice pitched so low there was no possibility of anyone overhearing.
"Either sleep with her, Kolchak, or don't bring her to practice again. Hear me?"
Alec's jaw dropped at the blunt words. He snapped it shut then opened his mouth to say something, what he didn't know, but was stopped by a quick shake of Sonny's head.
"Don't say anything. It's obvious where your mind is. The team doesn't need it right now. What they need is you focused on your game." Sonny paused and looked toward the stands, then shook his head. "Do what you have to, but get back in your game."
Alec watched the coach skate away, still stunned into silence. He finally looked up into the stands, expecting to see AJ watching him. He clenched his jaw in frustration as he saw her typing away again on her laptop.
"But she's a freaking reporter," he muttered to himself. A reporter he had slept with. Last night was undoubtedly the most intimate night he had ever shared with a woman, at least in recent memory, and he doubted if she even remembered it. Oh, there was no doubt she had been affected by him this morning. He had seen it on her face, in the shy glances she had grazed his body with, in the faint blush that had bloomed across her cheeks. But that was completely different; Alec doubted if she even realized how intimate the night had been for him.
How could she? Even now, she was up in the stands, oblivious, immersed in whatever she was typing. The worst part was that he realized whatever she was writing, it was undoubtedly about him. That's what she had been after, right?
The thought left him chilled even as his body heated from the memory of her curled against him.
And suddenly Alec wanted to call the whole bet off. It had been a stupid idea. Not even twenty-four hours had passed and already his entire world had been turned upside down. He had no idea what she was writing and a part of him didn't want to know.
With a loud curse, Alec threw his stick and watched it slide across the ice until it crashed against the boards. He looked back to where AJ sat in the stands, watching him. Their eyes met for a brief moment before he looked away and skated off the ice. He didn't have to see her to know she had gone back to typing.
**
AJ chanced a sideways glance at Alec. His eyes were focused straight ahead, concentration—or something else—creasing his brow. His left arm rested against the door rest of the oversized, jacked-up truck while he drove with his right hand. Every few seconds or so, he would clench the leather-wrapped steering wheel—at about the same time his jaw would clench. Even if it hadn't been obvious by his expression and body language, she would have been able to tell something was wrong by the palpable tension that surrounded him. And as much as she wanted to, she had avoided asking him what was wrong for the last thirty minutes.
Her control wavered then finally snapped when he turned into the parking lot of the newspaper office with a squeal of tires. With her right hand still bracing herself against the dash, she turned in her seat and fixed Alec with what she hoped was a lethal stare.
"Just what,
The coach slid to a stop in front of him, showering him with ice from his skate blades. Alec straightened and lifted his helmet, bracing himself for the verbal assault he knew was coming.
Sonny stared at him for several long minutes. The silence was deafening, drawn out until Alec had to fight the urge to look away. With a quick motion of one hand, Sonny signaled the end of practice. Wordlessly, the other players skated from the ice as Sonny continued to stare at him. When there was no one left, the coach leaned forward and spoke in a voice pitched so low there was no possibility of anyone overhearing.
"Either sleep with her, Kolchak, or don't bring her to practice again. Hear me?"
Alec's jaw dropped at the blunt words. He snapped it shut then opened his mouth to say something, what he didn't know, but was stopped by a quick shake of Sonny's head.
"Don't say anything. It's obvious where your mind is. The team doesn't need it right now. What they need is you focused on your game." Sonny paused and looked toward the stands, then shook his head. "Do what you have to, but get back in your game."
Alec watched the coach skate away, still stunned into silence. He finally looked up into the stands, expecting to see AJ watching him. He clenched his jaw in frustration as he saw her typing away again on her laptop.
"But she's a freaking reporter," he muttered to himself. A reporter he had slept with. Last night was undoubtedly the most intimate night he had ever shared with a woman, at least in recent memory, and he doubted if she even remembered it. Oh, there was no doubt she had been affected by him this morning. He had seen it on her face, in the shy glances she had grazed his body with, in the faint blush that had bloomed across her cheeks. But that was completely different; Alec doubted if she even realized how intimate the night had been for him.
How could she? Even now, she was up in the stands, oblivious, immersed in whatever she was typing. The worst part was that he realized whatever she was writing, it was undoubtedly about him. That's what she had been after, right?
The thought left him chilled even as his body heated from the memory of her curled against him.
And suddenly Alec wanted to call the whole bet off. It had been a stupid idea. Not even twenty-four hours had passed and already his entire world had been turned upside down. He had no idea what she was writing and a part of him didn't want to know.
With a loud curse, Alec threw his stick and watched it slide across the ice until it crashed against the boards. He looked back to where AJ sat in the stands, watching him. Their eyes met for a brief moment before he looked away and skated off the ice. He didn't have to see her to know she had gone back to typing.
**
AJ chanced a sideways glance at Alec. His eyes were focused straight ahead, concentration—or something else—creasing his brow. His left arm rested against the door rest of the oversized, jacked-up truck while he drove with his right hand. Every few seconds or so, he would clench the leather-wrapped steering wheel—at about the same time his jaw would clench. Even if it hadn't been obvious by his expression and body language, she would have been able to tell something was wrong by the palpable tension that surrounded him. And as much as she wanted to, she had avoided asking him what was wrong for the last thirty minutes.
Her control wavered then finally snapped when he turned into the parking lot of the newspaper office with a squeal of tires. With her right hand still bracing herself against the dash, she turned in her seat and fixed Alec with what she hoped was a lethal stare.
"Just what,
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