Laces and Lace (Assassins #6) (4 page)

“Hey, that’s mine—” she said, stopping when her eyes met Karson’s.

His eyes bored into hers as he popped the top with ease, handing it back to her. “Here you go.”

“Thank you,” she said, taking the bottle, her eyes still held by his. She didn’t know what to say, didn’t know what to do, so she just drank in the sight of him. He was wearing fitted blue jeans and a Cats tee which hugged every inch of him. She could see that the definition of his chest and his arms was just scrumptious. He was so big, so burly, that she just wanted to get lost in his arms and never leave. Jesus, he was hot. His hair fell into his caramel eyes as his mouth curved up into a devilish grin. Soon, she found herself lost in his eyes, grinning like a fool, but then she remembered that she was supposed to stay far, far away from Karson King.

Taking a step back, she muttered, “Well, thanks again. Bye.”

Just as fast as she tried to get away, Karson’s arms shot out, holding the counter to stop her. Looking from his arm to his eyes, she knew that she could push through and be gone, but she wasn’t going anywhere.

She couldn’t, not with how she was locked into his playful gaze.

Karson was feeling on top of the world.

He scored the only two goals, winning the game, and basically played the best game of his life. He was on fire and knew it. The draft was his, and he knew he would be the first pick. He was excited, ready to celebrate a winning night and his bright future. After being fussed over by his mom and dad, he said bye, promising to meet them for breakfast and for Kacey’s game before going back to the house to set up for the party they always had after games. Tonight though, the atmosphere was nuts. It was the first time in years the Cats had shut out NYU, so they were partying hard.

Girls were everywhere, his teammates were being their dumb selves, and Karson was feeling great. But when he saw Grady’s sister at the counter, he knew his night was about to get ten times better. There was something very intriguing about the gorgeous blonde, and she had Karson heading straight for her. Maybe it was her legs, which went on for days and ended at a great ass. Or maybe it was her sweet lips and even sweeter eyes. He wasn’t sure, but he had to talk to her. He had to know her. As he reached where she stood, he saw that she was trying to open a beer, which meant she was a damsel in distress… And he was all about saving damsels.

He thought once their eyes met she wouldn’t want to leave, but to his surprise, after thanking him, she tried to run off. There was no way he was going to let her escape that easily. As he threw his arm out against her stomach, she glanced up at him, her eyes wide and her lips parted. He wanted to drop his lips to hers, and he wanted to trap her in his arms and never let go. She was taller than most of the girls he went after, but her eyes captivated him. Such a pale green that shone in such an intoxicating way.

“Where’s the fire?” he asked, replacing his arm with his hip. She took a step back, and he noticed she was squeezing the bottle she held so tightly her knuckles were white.

“No fire, just need to go find my friend.”

Karson’s head fell to the side. “Oh, well, I wanted to say hi. Introduce myself.”

“I know who you are,” she said quickly, looking up at him.

His mouth curved in a grin as he slowly nodded. “Well, that’s not fair. I want to know you. What’s your name?”

Looking away, she expelled a breath, trying to act like she was annoyed, but Karson could see it in her eyes. She wanted him.

“Lacey.”

“Lacey, such a pretty name. I’m Karson. It’s truly a pleasure to meet you,” he said, reaching out to take her hand in his. She didn’t take his at first, but he could see in her eyes that she wanted to. Finally, she did, squeezing his hand as she held his gaze. When she brought her lip in between her teeth, it took everything not to groan out loud. She was sexy and sweet all in one. He could get lost in her body and never look back. He had never been completely taken by a girl like this, but Lacey was doing something to him, and he liked it way more than he should.

“So you’re Grady’s sister, right? Younger sister?”

She nodded as he got lost in depths of her green eyes. “Yes, I may be younger, but I can still make him cry.”

Karson laughed. “Good to know and, if I may add, that’s kind of hot.”

He wanted to make her laugh. When her lips curved in a smile, the laughter followed, and his dick came to life in his pants. It was such a heavenly sound, and he had never wanted to make a girl laugh as much as he wanted to make Lacey.

“You’re a dork.”

“That’s a good thing, right? That turns you on?”

She laughed again as she shook her head. Looking at him through hooded eyes, she said, “Maybe.”

“Good to know. It was great to see that you came to watch me play tonight. I’m pretty good, huh?”

She laughed, rolling her eyes. “Wow, conceited much?”

Karson grinned. “I know what I saw.”

“You’re delusional. I came to watch my brother.”

Still grinning, he said, “But you watched me.”

“You were on the ice; I was watching the game,” she protested, but he shook his head.

“Your eyes never left me.”

“How do you know?” she asked with an amused look.

“Because when I wasn’t trying to score, I was watching you.”

Her cheeks deepened with color as she looked down, playing with the label on the beer. “I’m not sleeping with you; you’re wasting your time throwing all this game at me.”

He was a goner. This girl was it. Any other girl would have fallen for his game, but not Lacey Martin.

Smiling, he said, “Who said anything about sleeping together? Are you thinking about having sex with me?”

Her cheeks colored more before she looked away, laughing louder, making him think that maybe she was. He liked that. A lot. “Oh my God, shut up!”

“I never once brought up sex, and you did.”

“Whatever,” she said, a grin still pulling her lips.

“You are really beautiful when you do that. I like that half smile thing. Really hot.”

Meeting his gaze, her smile fell as she looked away, shaking her head. “You’re wasting your time.”

“Let me be the one to decide that, and aren’t you supposed to thank me? I did just say you are the hottest girl in the world.”

Her cheeks still burned with color as she nodded. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

She brought her beer up to her lips, and he smiled as he watched her take a sip before asking, “Are you old enough to drink?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Are you going to tell on me if I’m not?”

He shook his head. “Nope, I was just trying to figure out how old you are.”

“Eighteen,” she answered, a smile pulling at her sweet lips.

“Cool, I like my girl legal.”

“Your girl?” she laughed, her eyes wide.

As she giggled, her eyes bright, he admired the long lashes that framed her beautiful eyes. “Yeah, you didn’t get the memo that I find you incredibly sexy and want to know every single thing about you?”

She shook her head, taking a step toward him. Her body was close; he could feel the heat of her and knew he’d miss it once space was put between them again. Karson craved to press her against the counter and kiss the living hell out of her, but before he could, she said, “Obviously, you didn’t get the memo that said I’m off-limits.”

With his eyes locked with hers, his mouth came up at the side. “Off-limits, why?”

“You don’t want me. You think you do, but I promise you’ll return me the minute you have me,” she said sadly as she looked away. “This was fun. You’re insanely hot, and any girl would be lucky to have you ruthlessly flirt with her, but believe me, you don’t want me.”

“I disagree,” he said, taking a step toward her, closing the distance between them. Her breasts touched his chest, and it took everything out of him to form words as he got lost in her eyes. “I think I’d treasure you. I think it would surprise you how much I do want you.”

She gasped for breath as she took a step back, putting distance between them. Her eyes told him that Karson had her, but soon she was shaking her head as she whispered, “Don’t waste your time, Karson.”

She went to walk away, but he took her wrist in his hand, stopping her. Bringing her hand up, he placed a kiss to the inside of her palm and looked deeply into her eyes as he said, “I’d be wasting my time with anyone but you.”

Her eyes softened, but still she shook her head. “Just let me go and don’t look back. Believe me, you’ll be thankful later.”

“I don’t know if I can let go. I’m sprung.”

Her eyes went wide as she shook her head. “You don’t even know me!”

He smiled confidently as he held her gaze. “I know that if I let you go, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

“How do you know that?”

“’Cause I know what I want, and you’re it.”

“You’re crazy,” she accused, shaking her head. “All you know is my name, and you are going to regret getting to know me. Please, let me go.”

“So let me get to know you, prove to you that what we are both feeling is real, and let’s see what happens.”

She only blinked as she tore her hand from his. Her eyes narrowed as she slowly shook her head. “I don’t know what you are doing, but this is crazy. So just stay away from me, okay? Don’t waste your time.”

Turning, she walked away from him but, like he knew she would, she looked back. He could see every emotion in her sweet eyes and knew that she wanted him. He didn’t know what was holding her back from him, but he was going to do everything to make her realize he was it.

As he watched her walk away, he knew that even though he could score on the ice with no problem, scoring with Lacey Martin was going to be a challenge. When she reached her brother and a short brunette, she looked back at him, her eyes wide as they locked with his. His heart lurched in his chest, and a slow grin curved his lips as he whispered, “Challenge accepted.”

K
arson King was following her.

That was all there was to it. As much as she wanted to think it was creepy, she couldn’t because she liked it. She liked him. No matter how much she wanted to be mad at herself for it, she couldn’t. Call her an idiot, but there was something invigorating about someone as hot as Karson King chasing after her. Something about his cockiness just turned her on, and she wanted to know more about him, but she knew it was a bad idea. Nothing could come out of it, and she knew the minute he had her, he’d run, but nothing said she couldn’t enjoy seeing him all over the place.

For a week, he didn’t say anything. He’d just show up at the places she was. It wasn’t a big deal, but then he started showing up and saying little things. Like
hi
, or
how are you
,
funny seeing you here
. It was mind-boggling. Maybe it was a coincidence, but she was pretty sure she had never seen him at the library or coffee shop before, and she went to both places religiously.

Like now, she was sitting there, enjoying her mocha coffee, and he just strolled in like he owned the damn place. As she watched him, he made his way to the counter and placed an order, never once looking at her. However, she knew that he knew she was there. Drinking in the sight of him, Lacey found herself breathless. He was beautiful. He wore a dark red beanie that covered his hair with a pea coat that fit him perfectly. In her head, Lacey imagined them cuddled up next to each other, walking through downtown as the snow fell. It was sad, but she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be wrapped in his arms. She could know. He had made it plain and clear that he wanted her, but it was just too scary.