“Either you can put it on,” he says, his voice dropping to a whisper, “or I can put it on for you. Don’t think I won’t. Believe me, I’d love to stake my claim on you in front of every person here, especially with the way they’re all looking at you.”

The burning look in his eyes tells me he means every word. My breath catches as I imagine his hands on me, adjusting the jersey over my shoulders in full view of everyone. The thought sends a thrill through me, even though I know it would only invite questions I’m not ready to answer.

With a quick glance around, I take the jersey from his hand, my fingers brushing against his in the process. “Fine. You win.”

The fabric is soft and warm as I slip it over my head, and as I tug down the fabric so that the oversized jersey drapes over my dress like a tunic, the raw desire and satisfaction in Declan’s eyes makes my skin tingle.

“Perfect,” he says, his voice a low rumble. “And if anyone comments on you wearing my number, you can just tell them I was being a gentleman and helping you stay warm.”

My stomach flutters. “Funny,” I whisper back. “Because the way you’re looking at me, I have a hard time believing you’re thinking gentlemanly thoughts.”

His eyes flash. “Oh, hummingbird. You have no idea.”

He steps away from me with what looks like some effort, then retrieves another jersey for himself from his bag and tugs it on before returning to my side.

“Now…” He grins. “Are you ready to meet my mom?”

I nod, even though inside I’m more than a little anxious, especially now that I’m wearing his jersey and will probably have to walk past my parents and the entire team. There’s no doubt in my mind that they all know it’s Declan’s mom, and that means there’s likely going to be questions about why I’m wearing his jersey and why he’s introducing me to his mom at all.

But like he can read my mind—or more accurately see the anxiety all over my face—Declan guides me the long way around the rink to his mom so we can dodge them all. The gentle pressure of his hand at the small of my back steadies me, and it helps knowing that I won’t directly cross paths with my father or the rest of the team.

Anyway, like Declan said, we can always say that he was just being a gentleman, making sure the coach’s daughter stayed warm.