Page 17 of Breakaway

Strangely, as soon as he drew his hand away, she missed the solid warmth of it. It had been a long time since anyone had made her feel so secure and grounded. “Great. Thanks. Well, now I’m in Pittsburgh.” She attempted to change the subject without him noticing. “I hope to get into journalism.”

“And Sam couldn’t get you into the organization?”

Success! Subject changed. Talking about losing her mom on a date was not her idea of a good time. She wasn’t sure it was anyone’s idea of a good time, actually.

“Nothing available, but I’m looking. That’s why I’m working at the front desk. At least it’s a job. I know I’m staying with my family, but I also like to pay my own way. It’s just how my mom raised me.”

“True. But I’m sure something will come up.” He grinned.

“Why are you smiling?” she asked.

“I’m just really glad you agreed to meet me for coffee.”

“I am, too.” He was a better listener than she thought he’d be. Most guys cut her off before she could finish her story, and they just wanted to talk about themselves. Travis wasn’t like that. “So, how are you adjusting to the Renegades?”

“Good. The guys are great. And the city is very cool. I’ll explore a little more when I have a chance, depending on how long I’ll be here.”

And that was the only downfall: how long he’d be here. Giving her heart to someone who might be gone in a week or two seemed like a poor decision after all she’d been through already. Not that she was anywhere close to that stage with Travis... but there was definitely something special about him. Something that gave her stomach flutters just thinking about him. Something that made her dare to think of a future with him.

Travis stared at her and smiled. “You really are beautiful.”

“Yeah? Even in the dull florescent lighting of a hockey rink?” she teased.

“Absolutely.” He leaned over the table and placed a soft, kiss on the lips.

Welp, too late. Her heart had already taken up residence.

The alarm on her phone buzzed annoyingly. She wanted to ignore it and keep kissing Travis. Eventually, she pulled away and turned the buzzing off. Her break was almost over. “I, uh, better get back to work.” She silently cursed the fact that she had to work.

“Yeah, sure.” Travis stood up and pulled out her chair for her. He held out his hand. “Maybe when I get out to explore the city, you’d like to come with me?”

She nodded. He was so sweet, and it warmed her heart. “Yeah, we could discover the city together.” She slid her hand into his. They walked through the rink back to the front desk.

“Then it’s a date.” Travis smiled at her, slowly closing the space between them.

Her stomach twisted with nervousness, and she couldn’t help but grin back at him. She had to admit, she was really falling for this guy.

He gently cupped her jaw in his strong hand and pressed his lips to hers.

She wasn’t a big fan of PDA, but as he wrapped his other arm around her waist, she didn’t really care about her rule. Morgan melted under his touch. Being in his arms was a comfortable feeling, something she hadn’t felt in months. New city, new home, and new people had made her feel out of sorts, and she was still adjusting.

Moving her lips against his, she kept it PG, since they were in a public place, but she didn’t want the kiss to end. She was beginning to like these impromptu kisses. The moment was absolutely perfect—

“Morgan!” Uncle Sam yelled, enraged.

Almost perfect.

Morgan looked up into her uncle’s very red face.

“What are you two doing? And in the middle of the rink, no less!” he scolded.

“Unc, it’s fine. Look.” She pointed around the almost empty lobby. “There’s not that many people around. The crowd left as soon as you guys were done with practice. And the next group doesn’t come in for another—”

As she was about to say for another few minutes, the next groups scheduled to be on both rinks—twelve and thirteen-year-olds—came through the doors.

“Morgan, your uncle is right. We wouldn’t want twelve-year-old kids to know that adults kiss,” Travis teased, making it painfully obvious that her uncle didn’t scare him.

“You better watch yourself, Anderson,” Sam warned, puffing his chest out.