The noise level was deafening, screams and shouts echoing from the high ceiling, bouncing off the ice. Adam was on his feet, clapping and cheering with everyone else after the Banners evened the score—again. The game had gone back and forth all through the first period, ending with Columbus up by one. That changed in the second period…and kept changing as each team shot the puck into the net. The crowd was energized, the excitement so thick he could almost taste it.

The downside was that the noise made conversation almost impossible, unless you felt like shouting. Adam wasn't a shouter, which meant he was saved from trying to talk.

Which was a good thing, because he didn't feel like answering questions. He had to be blind to miss the looks he received when he walked in with Beth—looks he was still getting. Curious. Questioning. Thoughtful. Even one that was less than complimentary from Dale.

Did Beth notice them? Christ, he hoped not. How the hell would he even begin to explain them if she did and asked what they were for? It wasn't like he could tell her the reasons for them.

Not like he could admit that he'd pretty much told everyone that she was nothing more than a casual date that first night and that they'd never see her again.

Dale had pulled him aside earlier and actually came close to cussing him out. Accused him of using Beth. Told him he needed his fucking head examined. Adam hadn't bothered to reply, just turned and walked away.

What the fuck did Dale know? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And it wasn't like Adam had planned on bringing Beth when he said he needed a second ticket. He hadn't, not even close.

But he hadn't figured it would be so hard to find anyone else to bring. Where the hell did normal people go to meet dates, anyway? Adam didn't date, had never needed to go out and try to meet women. If he wanted some action, he simply logged onto his computer or phone and set something up and that was it. Quick, easy. Painless.

He couldn't do that for a date, though. Not a real date, one that involved actually going somewhere in public. After banging his head against the wall in frustration, he finally broke down and sent Beth a text, asking her if she wanted to go.

A fucking text. Because calling her had been out of the question. Calling her would have made it seem too much like an actual date.

No way in hell was Adam going there, even if he had expected her to say no. Part of him was still surprised she said yes.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, trying to watch her without being obvious about it. It still took a few seconds for his mind to register that she was the same person he had met close to three months ago. Had it been that long already? It didn't feel like it.

And she really did look different. The new hairstyle completely changed her appearance. The long thick waves of dark hair were gone, replaced by a loosely-swinging asymmetrical cut that draped her shoulders. The dark hair was lighter now, more of a deep blonde with bold streaks of copper that ended in tips that were almost white.

But it wasn't just the hair that was different. She seemed…lighter, somehow. More confident. A little bolder.

So what the hell had happened to change her? And why the hell had he experienced an insane flash of jealousy when a few of the guys lavished compliments on her? He'd had an unexplainable urge to ram his fist into Jay's face earlier—which made no sense considering how head-over-heels in love Jay was with Angie.

Beth leaned to the side, listening to whatever Angie was saying, then tossed her head back and laughed. Jay said something as well, which only made Beth laugh harder.

What the hell was up with that?

Adam shifted in the hard seat and tried to pretend he didn't feel like an outsider. Fuck. Beth was his date. Why the hell should he feel like an outsider?

Enough of that bullshit.

He draped his arm around Beth's shoulders and pulled her closer, leaning down so his mouth was close to her ear. "Having fun?"

Beth gave him an odd look then nodded before easing away from him and turning to say something to Angie.

What the fuck?

Adam dropped his arm and reached for the large plastic cup of beer. Did she just blow him off? Really?

The horn sounded again, long and loud. Everyone around him jumped to their feet, including Beth. Her elbow bumped his arm; beer sloshed over the rim of the cup and splashed across his shirt and jeans.

"OhmyGod. I'm so sorry."

Adam looked up, saw the look of genuine horror on Beth's face as she grabbed a napkin and tried to sop up the mess. The paper napkin disintegrated, leaving a trail of white shreds wherever it touched.

Adam reached for her hand and removed the napkin before she could do any more damage. "It's fine. Really. My fault."

"I should have watched—"

"Really. It's not a big deal. I'll just go—"

"I'll get more napkins." Beth was already threading her way down the aisle before Adam could say anything. He stared after her for a confused second then shook his head and pulled the wet shirt away from his stomach.

The horn sounded again and everyone around him started standing. Adam looked around, wondering if he had missed another goal, then realized it was nothing more than the end of the second period.

He muttered to himself, wondering if he could use being drenched in beer as an excuse to leave early. He'd had that thought earlier, thinking maybe he could convince Beth to go somewhere else—somewhere a lot more private. Now, after the way she had just acted, he wasn't so sure.

Adam didn't like the feeling.

No, he was probably reading too much into things. Beth wouldn't have joined him tonight if she wasn't looking forward to the alone time later. Right?

Maybe.

Then again, maybe not.

And Christ, if this was what dating felt like, he wanted no parts of it. Give him the sure thing any day and he'd be happy.

"Way to impress your date, asshole."

Adam looked over, saw Dale scowling at him. Not just Dale—Jay as well. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You've been sitting there all night acting like you'd rather be anywhere else."

"What are you talking about? I haven't—"

"Yeah, you have." Jay moved into Beth's empty seat the same time Dale moved to stand in front of him. Great, they were ganging up on him. Just what he didn't need right now.

"If you didn't want to be around Beth, why the hell did you even bring her?"

"What makes you think I don't want to be around her?"

"The way you're sitting there, with all that attitude, looking like you'd rather be anywhere else but here."

Adam frowned. What the hell was Jay talking about? He hadn't been acting like that, not at all. "Beth is the one acting like she doesn't want to be here, not me."

"Probably because she can sense it."

"Oh, bullshit. There's nothing to sense, so I'm not buying it."

Dale folded his arms across his chest, a frown on his face as he studied Adam. "Why'd you bring her, anyway? I thought you said there wasn't anything between you two."

"There's not."

"Then why bring her?"

Anger went through him, sharp and brittle. "What the hell do you care? Seriously, it's none of your damned business."

Dale stepped back, his hands held up in mock surrender. "Whoa. Excuse the piss out of me."

Fuck. What the hell was his problem? What had caused that flash of anger and the unusual outburst?

He ran one hand over his face and blew out a deep breath. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I don't know what the hell got into me."

Jay leaned closed, shoved Adam in the shoulder, then stole his beer. "Well whatever it is, you need to get over it if you want to see Beth again."

"It's not like that. We're not dating."

"Really? This is the second time you've brought her to a shift outing. What the hell do you call it?"

"Nothing. We're just hanging out. I don't date. You know that. And you know why, too." Jay, of all people, should understand exactly why. He had walked in on his wife years ago and caught her with someone else. The divorce had been quick and brutal—apparently as quick and brutal as the marriage—and ended with Jay swearing off relationships. Yeah, he was with Angie now, but it had taken him years to get to that point.

And maybe Jay hadn't been hooking up like Adam did, but he hadn't exactly been a monk, either. If anyone could understand Adam's position, it had to be Jay.

Only he wasn't looking at Adam with understanding. He saw more pity than anything else in the other man's gray eyes—pity he didn't want or need.

"Yeah, I do know why. Take it from experience—you can't let getting fucked over in the past rule your whole life."

"I'm not."

"Then stop acting like an asshole. Don't lead this girl on."

"I'm not leading her on. It's a mutual thing. You wouldn't understand."

"Mutual, huh?"

"Yeah. Mutual. We're just having fun. That's it. I probably won't even see her after—"

Dale kicked him in the shin, hard. Adam jerked his leg back, ready to read the other man the riot act. Dale simply shook his head and pointed at something over Adam's shoulder. Adam turned, his heart dropping to a point somewhere below his stomach. Angie, Melanie, and Beth were walking down the aisle behind them.

Fuck. Had Beth heard? Had any of them? No, they couldn't have. They were too far away to hear, especially with all the other noise. No way did they hear.

Adam shot a desperate glance in Jay's direction. The other man shared a quick look with Dale then shook his head. "I think you're good. For now."

Relief flooded through Adam but it was short-lived, replaced by guilt. What the hell would he have done if Beth had overheard him? How the fuck would he have explained that?

Things had gone too far. He should have never brought her tonight. He should have never taken her back to his place the other week.

And he sure as hell should have never told her she was the only woman he'd had in his own bed in the last eight months.

She stopped and leaned down, a thick stack of napkins in one hand and a fresh beer in the other. A small smile teased the corners of her mouth as she handed him the pile of napkins. "It'll probably be less messy if you do it."

"Yeah. No problem." Adam grabbed the napkins and absently wiped at his shirt and jeans, quickly mopping up most of the damage. It didn't matter, it was just beer. Not like it wouldn't wash out, anyway. As long as he didn't get pulled over on his way home and have to explain why he smelled like a brewery, it would be fine. Hell, everything would probably be dried by then anyway.

He placed the used napkins in the cup holder to his left then glanced up at the large screen suspended above the ice. Only a few minutes left in the intermission. He shifted in the seat, wondering why Beth was still standing behind him, ready to ask her just that. She leaned down, that small smile still on her face, and whispered in his ear.

"Would you mind if we left early?"

Adam froze, guilt and confusion swirling inside him. Had she heard him earlier? Is that why she wanted to leave? He studied her face, searching for anger or hurt or disappointment. The only thing he saw was a hint of barely concealed desire and excitement.

He hesitated, blinked a few times, wondering if he was seeing things that weren't there. Why the sudden change, after she seemed so…so aloof earlier? Or maybe he had been reading into that instead. It didn't matter, not when his body was already reacting to the heat of her breath against his skin, to the desire in her eyes.

"Uh, no. No, that's fine."

She rewarded him with a sultry smile that heated the blood pounding through his veins. Adam cleared his throat and pushed out of the seat, nearly knocking over two cups of beer. He muttered something to Dale and Jay, ignoring their pointed looks as he brushed past them. He stopped long enough to kick Jay in the ankle when the man called him an ass, then kept going, meeting Beth at the end of the aisle. He grabbed her hand and hurried up the concrete stairs, fighting against the swarm of people coming down to take their seats.

His heart was racing with anticipation by the time they reached the parking garage. The sound of their footsteps against the cracked concrete floor echoed around them, oddly loud in the surrounding emptiness. Adam pressed a button on his key fob, heard two short beeps from the horn of his SUV as it unlocked.

He stopped in front of the passenger door, pulled it open for Beth. She was about to climb in when he pulled her into his arms and caught her mouth with his. The kiss was deep, hungry, filled with a need that made his stomach clench in anticipation. Hot, potent, primal.

Beth sighed, a throaty little moan that sent even more blood surging to his cock. She leaned against him, her hands digging into his shoulders as he deepened the kiss. And fuck, he needed to stop. Now. If he didn't, he'd turn her around, shove those curve-hugging jeans down past her ass, bend her over, and fuck her right here.

The image of her bent over in front of him seared his mind. Fuck, yes. He could see it now, imagined the way her tight pussy would clench his cock as he pounded into her from behind. Deep, so fucking deep. Filling her—

Adam pulled away with a groan, afraid he'd do exactly that. Right here. Right now. He couldn't. Hadn't their last time in a parking lot taught him anything? He blew out a sigh and looked up, saw the small security cameras attached to the ceiling above them.

Yeah, not going to happen. Not here. Not now.

He took another step back and offered Beth a crooked smile. "How about we continue this somewhere else? There's too much of an audience right now."

"Audience?" Her voice was low, just above a whisper, a little dazed. He nodded and motioned toward the cameras overhead. Her gaze followed, her eyes widening in surprise when she noticed them. A flush spread across her cheeks and she took a hurried step back, looking everywhere but at him.

Adam bit back a chuckle and helped her into the SUV. "So. Where to now? We, uh, we could go back to my place and—"

But Beth was shaking her head already, interrupting him. "I have to work in the morning. That's why I asked if we could leave early. Could you just take me back to my car?"

Adam blinked, quickly schooled his face to hide his disappointment. Was she telling the truth? Had she heard what he'd said to Jay and Dale? Was that why she wanted to leave? Or was she merely trying to get rid of him?

No, this was Beth. Maybe he didn't know her that well, but he didn't think she would lie. At least, that's what he tried to tell himself.

He finally nodded and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, sure. No problem." He made sure she was belted in before he closed the door then hurried around to the driver side and climbed in.

And tried to convince himself that her rejection meant nothing.

Nothing at all.