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"So I'm the first woman who's stayed here?" she asks casually as she pours juice

"Yup" I coat the pan with cooking spray and turn on the burner "I'm what you would consider a very casual dater, and franklynever been with a woh to trust her with my home address, you knohat I mean?"

"Not really," she says "You hardly know anything about me"

"I know enough," I tell her firmly, and I don't elaborate, because I already told her all about irls who play ukuleles in coffeehouses

"That's sweet," she says before taking a long slug of her orange juice "But why no friends or fa?"

I glance at her as I turn fros, then turn back to the heated pan "My parents are in Prague They're both really busy and don't travel much outside of the Czech Republic"

"Not even to visit their son?" she says

And it doesn't bother s, but I also don't want to get into a deep discussion aboutfamily So I merely tell her, "I'm just not that close with the hockey is such a transient existence I've been living away fro teams a few times It's hard to develop relationships when you're constantly on the move"

She's quiet a s into the pan, and while they cook, I turn the bacon

"I don't buy that part about not being able to develop relationships," she says, and I look back to her to find her staring at me intently "Ispent probably less than a full day total in each other's presence You canyou're interested in"

"Now that is true," I say with a sree with

"Thus," she says as I start to scras, "I don't think you've ever really wanted to let people in or develop relationships If you're not all that close to your parents, I' you just learned early on how to be by yourself"

"So She's pretty et into any deep discussion about my family There's not much to talk about, and I'm sure she'd find that very sad, especially since I know family to be very important to her

I change the subject as I finish scras and turn the heat off for both pans "So, our ga to have to head to the arena around 4 PM or so and I've got some options for you"

"Lay the me know that she's not upset over my evasiveness about my lonesome ways

"Well, you can just stay here at my house and relax," I say "Your poon't be on until this evening, and I bet even later than that, as they never get these things done in the ties, it could take awhile, so stay hererelax and be warm"

"That's a good option," she agrees as I grab two plates from the cupboard "What's the second?"

I put the plates down by the stove, layer one with some paper towels, and start to transfer the bacon to drain "You could coame and watch it You'd have to ride in without in the friends-and-faame starts"

Looking over htly pained look "That sounds awesoht now I had to have so that off So I' the first option ork, if you don'there that is"

Setting the fork down beside the plate of bacon, I cross over to the island, round it, and co out, I take a lock of hair that's sticking out froently "I should have been ets two season tickets, and you obviously know I don't have any friends to even justify having a coffeepot inthere that are all lonely and begging to be used You can even invite a friend or soame if you want I can leave the other ticket at will call"

"A friend or souy at work I've actually got a crush on Maybe I could invite him to come"

My eyelids drop as I narrow ht be di kidding ht?"

"I can tell by that look on your face you know I'," she says with a ht in the htly, but it's like I feel the weight of her entire body, and a surge of adrenaline spikes through me I've wanted to kiss Lexi from basically the first day I saw her in the Cold Fury offices, but never ht now

But I don't, and instead lean my face down nearer to hers and ask her in a low voice, "So which option do you want?"

"Hainst my chest and hums low in her throat, and even that has a sexy, raspy quality "I think I'll take option nuame since I found out Brian was my father"