[-Chapter 8-]

Kailyn's POV

I sit through Kris's morning skate the next day, holding onto the pass he had given me a day earlier that can supposedly get me anywhere in the arena. They guys huddle up, so I get up out of my seat and head toward the locker room.

I come down a hallway and see the guys shuffling through a door, so I walk up around the corner they were coming from and see him bringing up the rear of the pack. He smiles as I approach him, and I find myself smiling uncontrollably as well.

"Hey," he greets, shifting his weight from one leg and skate to the other, and it's then that I realize just how much taller than me he is with skates on. "You gonna come to the game tonight?" he asks, taking one of his hands out of his gloves and tucking the hair that hand been hanging in my eyes behind my ear, and I can feel the way it feels like a electric current flowing from him to me, can feel the way I automatically lean into his touch.

"I have to meet with my professor," I reply, backing away from him a little bit as some of the guys come out of the locker room, shifting my gaze to the ground in front of me as I can feel my cheeks turning color, waiting for them to leave before I continue. "Sorry," I add with a shrug of my shoulders, suddenly wishing I hadn't scheduled that for tonight.

"It's okay. Gonna wish me luck?" he asks, a smirk crossing his face.

"I suppose I can manage that," I say with sighing dramatically and rolling my eyes before smiling up at him, standing on my tip toes to press my lips to his cheek. He wraps his hand around the small of my back, and I pull away a little, but we are still dangerously close. I look up at him, and as soon as I do I feel him bending down, pulling me closer at the same time until his lips touch mine. His kiss is passionate in a soft, delicate sort of way, but I feel light headed all the same. I push my lips harder to his, but he pulls away, a huge smile on his face. "Good luck..?" I manage to squeak out, noticing it sounds more like a question than a statement, which makes him chuckle.

"What time will you be done?"

"Probably around 10," I reply honestly, but he is still looking at me with a curious look on his face.

"Is this with a young, hot professor?" he asks with a laugh while cocking his head to the side.

"No, promise," I respond, "but I've actually got a class I need to get going to," I continue while starting to back down the hall.

"We are going out tonight after the game if you want to," he offers while walking toward me and to the locker room.

"What time?"

"Pick you up at 11?" he asks while opening the door a little, standing halfway in it.

"It's a date," I reply with a smile before turning and walking away.

Kris's POV

I pick her up at 11 as planned, and she looks amazing coming down the stairs that lead to her dorm room. She slides into my car, her smile as big as ever.

"Nice game," she comments as I pull out onto the road.

"I thought you were with your professor?" I ask, wondering if she ended up watching it or not. She holds her blackberry up in response, indicating she kept up with the score on her phone.

"Two assists and a power play goal, not bad," she jokes and I can only shake my head at her as we ride the rest of the way in silence.

We sit around a table, chatting with the rest of the guys that came out tonight. Kailyn's had a drink or two, and I can tell that Max thinks she is a light weight.

"Okay Kailyn, lets play a game," he says while sitting down across from her, sliding a glass of beer her way. She crosses her arms on the table and leans toward him, and I can only think that this isn't going to go well. For him, that is. I've seen that face before.. It's the face she gets when she is thinking seriously and being crafty and conniving.

"What game would that be?" she asks, giving him a smile that could fool anybody, but I know better. By this point, everybody around the table is listening.

"First one to empty their glass wins."

"Max," she says while shaking her head. "What are we playing for? There has to be stakes for losing."

"Loser runs around the bar?" he asks while looking around the bar, which is quite full for a Wednesday night.

"Naked," she adds with a smirk, Max's eyes going wide as I almost choke on my drink myself.

"Deal," Max agrees with a smile. They count down the start, but Kailyn doesn't start drinking right away, and I only pray she chugs it fast because I definitely don't want every guy in here getting a good look at her, but then she picks up her class and pours in into one of the empty ones on the table, and everyone starts laughing hysterically. Max sets his down half full, and just stares at her with a 'are you kidding me?' look.

"What?" she asks with an innocent smile this time. "You said empty my glass, you never said anything about drinking anything."

By this point, all the guys are pushing Max, shoving him out of the booth to uphold his part of the deal.

"My smart girl," I laugh while she laces her fingers with mine, leaning back in her seat to watch as Max strips down, all eyes on him.