Chapter 135

The atmosphere in the car was tense, almost palpable as we drive toward the stadium for the championship game.

The lingering awkwardness from our argument the previous day still hung between Lucas and me.

It didn't help that Lucas was still slightly annoyed about the professor asking for my contact information. And I still couldn't shake the feeling that he was keeping something about his father, Kendrick, a secret from me. The both of us were lost in our own heads, letting our thoughts consume us.

However, it seemed like more was on Lucas's mind. His normally confident demeanor was replaced with a sense of unease. He gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles whitened. He stared out of the window, chewing on the side of his cheek, and I could tell he was overthinking the game.

The Dragons have been working hard all year for this. The possibility of losing must be playing heavily on Lucas's mind right now. I could only imagine the kind of pressure he was feeling. I doubted that it could be easy.

I cleared my throat, breaking the silence that had settled in the car. "You feeling okay?" I asked quietly.

"What? Yeah, I feel fine," Lucas said absently, barely glancing my way.

It sounded more like a knee-jerk answer than a genuine response. He clearly wasn't fine. He was just saying that to get me to stop pressing him on it.

I placed a reassuring hand on his arm, hoping that my touch would be able to calm him. "Lucas, you've got this. You guys have been playing so much better thanks to all of the practice you've been putting in."

"I missed our last practice yesterday," he said. "What if they went through one of our drills wrong and I wasn't there to correct it? Or what if—"

"Lucas, I'm going to stop you right there," I cut him off. "Your players have been diligent and consistent with their improvements. James is also an excellent player, and I'm sure he didn't steer the team in a wrong direction yesterday at practice. You need to take a couple deep breaths and re-evaluate this. Going into it all stressed out isn't going to help you, or the team."

Lucas didn't respond and instead left his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

I didn't want him to think that I was being harsh with him, I was just trying to offer some words of encouragement to get him to stop feeling this way.

I tried again, speaking with more determination. "You're the best player on that ice. Don't let anything distract you. Just play your game and play it as well as you do."

Finally, Lucas glanced at me, but the worry still clung to his eyes. "I know, Shana. It's just... it's a lot of pressure."

Lucas pulled into the parking lot of the stadium, and I could feel the excitement in the air surrounding it. That only intensified the tension that was currently building in the car.

As Lucas began to park the car, I decided it was time to address the unease between us. I knew that whatever was bothering him couldn't be solved on the ice, and we needed to clear the air.

But doing it in the car wouldn't work.

We both hopped out of the car and as we neared the building, I turned to Lucas.

"Lucas, come here for a moment," I said, tugging his arm and guiding him away from the bustling crowd.

He furrowed his brow but followed me to the side of the building, out of sight from prying eyes. "What are you doing, Shana? The entrance is in the opposite direction."

I took a deep breath, realizing that this was the right time. "Lucas, I wanted to talk to you, and maybe..."

Before I could finish my sentence, I leaned in, pressing my lips against his. The kiss started sweet and gentle, a simple connection meant to ease the tension between us.

At first Lucas seemed to be caught off guard, but as I stepped into him, drawing my hands up his chest and pulling him toward me, he reciprocated. His large frame pushed my back against the wall of the building and his fingers found themselves tangled in my hair.

As the seconds passed, the kiss grew more, a fiery embrace that couldn't be denied.

Lucas's mouth started to trail down my jawline as he left kisses all over my skin. He reached my neck and the combination of his hot breath and wet tongue made me screw my eyes shut.

When a whimper came out of my mouth, Lucas's lips were back on mine again. He placed a hand on my shoulder, and it travelled down, squeezing and teasing as he went.

As soon as I felt his hand graze the bottom of my stomach I pulled away, laughing softly. "We're in public, Lucas. We shouldn't go too far."

Lucas remained serious, his eyes locked onto mine. "Nobody's around," he insisted, and I couldn't help but laugh even harder.

He had a point there. We were completely secluded from any prying eyes. However, I could hear the crowd of people not even a hundred feet away from us. Anyone could easily spot us here if they walked a bit farther.

A smile took on my face as I thought about the prospect of us being caught. It was exciting but also unwanted.

Lucas watched my expression with a puzzled look, and I couldn't help but widen my grin.

"What was that kiss for, Shana?" Lucas asked seriously.

"Can I not kiss my boyfriend?" I teased.

"You've never just had me throw you up against a wall and kiss you like that."

I bit my lower lip, feeling the heat in my cheeks. "I've just been wanting to kiss you again."

"Well, if you want to kiss me like that then you can kiss me whenever you want." Lucas flashed a playful smirk. "If I win this game, do I get another kiss?"

I pretended to ponder this for a moment. "Maybe… Or maybe I have something else up my sleeve that you might like even more."

His eyes sparkled with determination as he took a step closer to me. "Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"Shhh." I put a finger over Lucas's mouth while batting my eyelashes in exaggeration. "I can't tell you. It's a secret."

Lucas growled as he wrapped his hand around my wrist, drawing my finger away from his face. "That's only going to make me want to win more."

"Well then best of luck to you... Captain," I said with a playful wink. I pushed myself off the wall and brushed past Lucas, not before giving him a lingering look over my shoulder. "Are you coming?"

As we made our way into the stadium, I couldn't help but notice that Lucas seemed visibly less stressed. It was funny though, how he kept staring at me when he thought I wasn't looking.

I hoped that the kiss wasn't too distracting for him. I just wanted him to be rid of negative thoughts, not change the course of thoughts to solely focus on me.

"What?" I asked him when I couldn't take his staring any longer.

"Nothing," he said with a silent smirk. "I'm just so excited to win the game now."