Frozen Barriers by Sara Shirley Read Free Book Online Page A

rink. Most of the time, he’s covering the Boston area with his cruiser, but he’ll swing up to the Andover sector on occasion.
    “I’ll see what I can do for you guys,” Jeremy says.
    Evidently, I missed something here. Why would they need tickets for games if he’s only at the Forum? Sue must have sensed my confusion. “He’s been playing for the Manchester Monarchs for a while,” Suzanne states quietly into my ear.
    Shit, really? Of course, this big cocky ass plays for a minor league hockey team. Me and my big mouth just made me the laughing stock of this table. They all probably think I’m completely full of myself. I honestly should have never agreed to come over here with Suzanne. Jeremy must have somehow heard Suzanne, because the minute she goes back to talking to Courtney, he leans his face my way and gives me a look and a smug smile that says, Who’s the ass now?
    I shake my head and look up from my beer as my eyes start to mist. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think…I really ought to…Can I squeeze by you? I need to use the restroom.” Jeremy moves out of the way, giving me a questioning look, but there is no way I’m making eye contact with anyone at the table now.
    “Em, are you ok?” I hear Suzanne ask, but before I know it, I’m already in the ladies’ room locked inside the stall. Why do I even try to be in social situations? I was never able to have normal friends to hang out with and talk to my entire childhood. Now, look at me. I’m so socially awkward that I’ve become a sniffling mess because I tried to be funny and fit in. I’ve completely embarrassed myself and now I’ve got to figure out some kind of excuse to get out of here as soon as possible.
    After about five minutes, I make my way out of the bathroom doors only to walk right into a tall wall of a muscular man. His arms wrap around my elbows, and I look up into the same big, brown eyes that I was running away from to begin with. I step away quickly, trying to make my way back to the table and then the hell out of here.
    “Emily, stop,” Jeremy says firmly. I turn around and look to the floor since I’ve managed to not only insult him, but also embarrass myself. “You all right? You took off really quickly from the table. I thought maybe that rim job didn’t exactly agree with you.” Jeremy laughs as he crosses his arms and leans back against the hallway wall. “Tell me something. Did you run off because you can’t handle your booze, or because you tried to have a comeback line and instead made your face look like Christian Grey’s red room of pain?”
    “How do you…”
    “Seriously, I have a twenty-one-year-old sister, and have you met Sue? I know all about those books you girls are reading these days,” he replies. Of course, he does. He’s quick to respond to my inquisition. “Now, how does someone like you know about the red room of pain?” Okay, we need to seriously get off the topic of the only form of romance in my life, not that BDSM screams romance, but a girl can dream. Now’s not the time to admit to him that I occasionally dabble in erotic romance novels.
    “Listen, Jeremy. I’m sorry for being so quick to judge you back there, but you have to understand, I’m not like the rest of you. I’m not used to being in social situations a lot where the television cameras aren’t involved, and even then, everything I am supposed to say is scripted. I should really get going. If you don’t mind, I’m just going to settle the bill with Suzanne and head out, but it was nice to see you again.”
     

    Why am I so completely wrapped up in this shy little skater chick? One minute she’s licking cinnamon sugar off the rim of her beer causing more than just a stirring in my pants and the next she’s embarrassed to the hilt because she wasn’t aware of my hockey career. She might have gotten away once eight years ago, but I’ll be damned if she thinks she’s spending the next eight stuck in the same