"You had an assist on Celek's goal in the third period. How did it feel to get a point so soon?"
He glanced down at her. At about five-foot-ten, she wasn't short at all, but in his skates, he topped six-foot-seven. Her questions were easy, designed to let him talk about positives. Maybe she wasn't ambushing him after all. "I'm glad I was able to help out the team. But the credit really goes to Celek, Kreider, and our defense."
Then she turned her mega-watt smile on him. "And last question, have you tried our city's famous chicken wings yet?"
Her smile left him breathless. He fought through the fog of lust to process her question. "Not yet. Maybe you'll check them out with me?"
Her delicate brows arched. "It's a date." She shifted her focus to the camera. "Fans, send in your suggestions for where I should take Leo for the wings. You'll see our adventure on an upcoming segment of Kelsey's Corner."
The camera's light turned off and Kelsey lowered the mic to her side. "Thanks. That was brilliant. I'll let you know what places the fans suggest. Asking for their input is always a good idea."
"Maybe they'll just be hoping I choke on a chicken bone." He couldn't help the dark thought. Sports radio had been ripping him for the past two days, and too many fans were chiming in with their agreement.
Kelsey laughed. "Stop. It'll be fun. I promise."
"If you say so." But he was smiling too, and couldn't stop, not when she looked at him with laughter sparkling in her eyes.
"I'd better let you get into the locker room." She backed up a step then came forward again and motioned for him to bend down until they were nearly eye-to-eye. "I've been around this game my whole life. I know how to talk around a real answer. You said what you're supposed to say, giving all the credit to your teammates, but if you hadn't made that screen in the crease and tipped the puck, there's no way that Celek or Kreider could have scored that goal. You're the reason we won. The fans know it too."
Surprise stole through him. "Uh, thanks."
"Now, I'll let you go." She headed off, camera crew in tow.
Leo stared after her. Her tone and words had been fiercely in support of him. It seemed like her personal opinion of him was thawing, and if so, that would make not allowing thoughts of more with her so much harder to control.
CHAPTER FOUR
TUCKED INTO A QUIET corner at Duff's, Kelsey set up her laptop on the gleaming wooden table and logged onto the Bedlam's site for the live chat with the fans. The scent of chicken wings and beer had hit her as soon as she'd walked through the door and her stomach growled in response as she waited for her order and for Leo to arrive.
In the five days since he'd walked into her office, he'd been on her mind... constantly. Telling herself to stop thinking about him hadn't worked. Shifting her focus onto other things hadn't worked. Throughout her weekend and work days and spending time with her family, he'd lingered in her thoughts. Especially when she'd visited Dylan.
She glanced at the customers spread throughout the room. Not too crowded for five o'clock on a Tuesday night, so the room wouldn't be too loud.
But, the live chat was supposed to begin in a few minutes, and Leo had yet to arrive. She pulled out her phone to send him a text and found one waiting from Rod.
Want some backup for your interview?
Sighing, she responded. No. But feel free to watch it with Dylan so you guys can give me feedback. Tell him I'll stop by tomorrow.
Not surprisingly, Rod wasn't thrilled about Leo. He lived with Dylan, looked up to their older brother as much as she did, and was having a hard time compartmentalizing his anger over Dylan's injury. But Dylan himself had a far better attitude. His only frustration was directed at the length of time it was taking him to return to the ice.
The server arrived with the wings and pitchers of beer and water. Kelsey arranged the small wooden bowls in a line. In the corner of her vision, a large figure moved toward her. Leo cut a path through the tables, large and a hint dangerous in a dark wool coat, dark jeans, and navy cap.
Her stomach fluttered and her breath quickened. "Hi, just in time."
"Sorry." He yanked off the cap and shoved his fingers through his hair. "After practice ended, Vince and I were watching film of the goalie we'll be facing in tomorrow night's game and I lost track of time."
"No worries." She resisted the urge to smooth her sweater or to ask about his day. This wasn't a date. This was business. "Sit right here next to me so we're both in the picture. I'll get the chat going and then we can dive into the wings while you answer the fans' questions."
"Sounds easy enough." He draped his coat over the back of the chair and the movement sent a wave of his aftershave, clean and fresh, her way. His black sweater showcased his muscles. He pushed the sleeves to his elbows. "I'm ready."
Determined to ignore the way his forearms flexed, Kelsey set the camera and angled the laptop to include Leo in the frame then hit the record icon. "Hey Bedlam fans, we're live here at Duff's with Leo Brennan, the newest addition to the team. He's going to sample the different chicken wings and we're going to get to know him a little better. You know the drill, send in your comments and we'll answer them right here."
Leo waved at the screen.
