Darkroom: A Moo U Hockey Romance Kate Willoughby (read full novel .TXT) 📖

A little wary now, I said, “I’ll do my best.”

“In my EDT class—”

“EDT?”

“Emotional Development and Temperament. Last week, in my EDT class the professor was talking about something called Imposter Syndrome and I think you have it. Listen to what my book says.”

She got out one of her huge textbooks and opened it to a page she’d marked with a pink Post-it.

“‘Imposter Syndrome, or imposterism,’” she read, “‘is a psychological pattern in which individuals doubt their skills, talents or accomplishments and have a persistent, internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud. It can develop because someone grows up in an environment where self-worth is tied to accomplishments. Or perhaps praise was offered in the form of helpful criticism. People with imposterism often feel they do not live up to the expectations of their friends or loved ones.’ Doesn’t that sound exactly like you and your dad?”

I frowned. “Let me see that.”

There wasn’t much more about imposterism in the book. I even checked the index, but it was disturbingly on the nose.

“Huh. I’m not sure that really describes what’s going on with me. My anxiety attacks happen before the games.”

“And the self-doubt hits you afterward. Don’t even try to deny it. I spent hours in the car the other night witnessing it.”

I didn’t say anything.

“Now here’s where the coincidence comes in. Look at this.” She showed me an article on imposterism on her phone.

“See there? It says it can be helpful to identify someone you admire and find out what their challenges are, what they struggle with. So have you heard of Booth MacDonald? He plays for the Barracudas in San Diego. You know, where they make Hat Trick beer.”

“Isn’t that a weird coincidence. Yeah, I’ve heard of him. He’s a goalie.”

“Right. Well, I found this interview of him where he talked about how he had pregame panic attacks when he was a teen and I thought, maybe through your dad’s connections, you might be able to talk to him about what you’re going through.”

“Interesting theory. I’ll give it some thought,” I said.

“Great. I’ll text you a link to the interview. Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

“You’re just really intuitive, is all. And thoughtful.”

I liked that she cared enough about me to spend time trying to find a solution to my stress problem.

We turned to our books then and managed to study for quite a while before the sound of Deke at his water bottle broke the silence.

“Deke’s awake!” she exclaimed, dashing over to pick him up.

Indi had long since made friends with him by bringing him bits of parsley or carrot and, as a fair-minded rodent, he’d allowed her to handle him without biting her. It was fun watching her stroke his head with her finger. For his part, Deke stared blankly into the distance as she cuddled him and cooed about how cute he was.

It is a testament to our bond that I endure this, his expression seemed to say.

“It’s a pretty sad state of affairs when a guy is jealous of his hamster. I think Deke’s gotten more loving from you than I have tonight.”

“What can I say?” she said as she eased Deke back into his habitat. “I’m a sucker for bulging cheek pouches.”

“Okay, now, you can’t dismiss me until you’ve gotten a load of my cheeks.” I puffed out my cheeks as I walked toward her.

“Those are pretty sexy,” she said with a laugh as I took her into my arms.

Deke ignored us as we stood right in front of him and kissed. Indi melted against me as our mouths met over and over. So soft, so warm, her lips caressed mine as I slid a hand down her lower back to her gorgeous ass.

She arched her back and my cock stiffened. My bedroom was three feet away. I wanted to walk her in there and get her into my bed, but I didn’t want to stop kissing her. Then she surprised me by taking my hand and placing it on her breast.

Fuuuuck.

I felt her nipple harden against my palm even through her sweater. Her breast filled my hand and I squeezed and massaged it so eagerly, I must have seemed like a teenager copping his first feel. When I couldn’t stand it anymore, I slid my hands under her sweater and unhooked her bra.

Our eyes met as I thumbed her taut nipples. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back, so I took the opportunity to feast on her neck. She tasted like husky laughter and lazy afternoons in bed, and I reveled in every soft moan that came from her throat.

Heat and hunger pooled in my groin as I inserted my knee between her legs and pulled her closer so that she was riding my thigh. She took the hint and put her hands on my shoulders, rocking her hips back and forth, getting what she needed. I was content to just watch her pleasure herself. The heat from her pussy burned through my jeans and for a dangerous moment, I imagined what it would be like to be pressed against her, skin to skin, my cock head poised at her tight entrance.

Groaning, I put my mouth to her ear. “How about we take this to the bedroom?” I asked. “We’ll have more privacy.”

She stilled, her breathing a little ragged.

“I’m sorry. I can’t,” she said with a sigh. She reached behind to refasten her bra and gave me an apologetic smile. “In fact, I should really get going. Early day tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?” I leaned forward and nuzzled her neck again.

She giggled but pushed me away. “I’m sure.”

“One of these days, you’re going to say yes,” I said, as she gathered her things and put her coat and scarf on. “And when you do…watch out. It’s going to be outstanding and you’re going to wonder why we wasted so much time.”

She gave me a kiss and a cheek caress as she passed me on the way