Hard Lines & Goal Lines (Fast Ice Book 2)

by Stephanie Julian

  “Okay, I’ll take the bait.” He wiped away the frown. “What am I thinking?”

  Her lips quirked. “That you don’t have a clue what I’m going to say.”

  She was teasing him. And because he liked it, he decided to play along.

  “Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be? Guys being clueless about women?”

  “I guess. Sometimes.” She lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug. “This is a really problematic situation.”

  “Are you talking about us here together tonight? Or are you talking about us working for the same team? Or the fact that your brother’s my best friend and he’s waist-deep in shit right now and drowning? And you’re doing everything you can to make sure he doesn’t go under?”

  She didn’t say anything right away, but her teeth caught her bottom lip and started to worry it. His gaze fell to watch for several long seconds before rising back to hers.

  “You’re dangerous, you know that?”

  Her voice created a cascade of shivers through his body as his brow drew down. “How so?”

  “You’re dangerous to my peace of mind.”

  He shook his head. “Still not following you.”

  She didn’t say anything right away, just stared at him, almost as if she could see inside his brain. If she could, she’d see just how much he wanted to pull her onto his lap and kiss her again. This time, though, he wouldn’t want to stop at kissing.

  Another sigh before she shook her head and looked away. “I shouldn’t have come tonight.”

  He knew that’s what she’d been thinking. And it made his body tense into one tight ache.

  “Then why did you?”

  He tried to keep the edge out of his voice, but he was pretty sure he didn’t manage it entirely. Another woman might’ve gotten offended. Gabby just smiled at him.

  “Because we’re friends.”

  Her tone made her statement seem almost like a question. Was he supposed to answer? Probably be smart to.

  “Yeah, we’re friends.”

  But that’s not all he wanted. She had to know that. Then again, maybe she didn’t. Maybe she needed him to spell it out for her. It’s not like he went around declaring his love for her every day. Honestly, he’d be surprised if she knew how deep his feelings for her went. He wasn’t the most emotionally available guy around. He didn’t go around wearing his heart on his sleeve.

  Most of the women he’d dated before would’ve been happy to tell her how emotionally unavailable he was.

  Her smile widened. “That’s good. I’m…glad we got that cleared up.”

  Shit. Wait a minute. “What exactly did we get cleared up?”

  “That we’re friends.”

  Aw, hell. Was she really going to friend-zone him? Again? “I didn’t think there was any doubt about that. At least, I hope there wasn’t any doubt about that.”

  Another little one-sided shrug. “You’re kinda hard to read sometimes.”

  Now or never, asshole. Say it.

  Leaning forward, he put his elbows on his knees and made sure they were eye to eye. “Then let me make my feelings totally clear.” He took a breath then continued before he could think twice. “I want you. I’ve wanted you for years, but it never seemed like the right time to ask you out.” He held up his hand to stop the words he could see forming on her lips. “Just hear me out before you start to get freaked out. Okay?”

  He waited for her to think about it, saw her consider all her options before she nodded, teeth firmly lodged in her bottom lip.

  Don’t fuck this up.

  “There’s not one damn clause in my contract that says players can’t date staff. I know because I looked. Twice. I understand why it might look bad but, frankly, I don’t give a shit anymore. I know my place on the team. I will always be the backup, never the first. Hell, everyone knows I’m not that guy. I’m thirty-one years old and my career’s winding down.”

  “No, Tim, that’s—”

  “Hey, I’m a realist. I may have another five years. I may blow out my ACL tomorrow and never play again. I won’t regret a damn thing about my career. But I sure as hell regret never asking you out in all the time we’ve known each other.”

  She swallowed hard, her eyes slightly widened, like a deer in oncoming headlights. Fuck. Had he scared her off already? He gave her a little time to digest all that, wondering if she’d have something to say or if he should just keep going. Because he had a hell of lot more to say but he needed to have this cleared up first.

  He was just about ready to continue when she finally responded.

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “What? Ask you out?”

  “What could you possibly have been afraid of? I’ve never known you to be afraid of anything.”

  “You don’t think I’d be afraid you’d say no?”

  Her head shook slowly. “I don’t think you’re afraid of anything.”

  “Maybe not on the ice. But around you…”

  She let those words hang there for several long seconds. “Why? How on earth would you be afraid of me?”

  “Do you really not know the answer to that? Come on, Gabby. You’re a smart woman. You can figure that one out for yourself.”

  Silence descended, broken only by the soft hum of barely recognizable music coming from the speakers. He didn’t recognize the song, but the low tone fit his mood of grinding desire right now.

  Their gazes locked and holding, he watched her formulate an answer. It took her several agonizing seconds, but he managed to keep his mouth shut until she finally spoke.

  “I never seem to have the right answers when you’re around. Any other time, I can come up with the perfect thing to say. Reporters can blindside me and I’ll still be able to say the right thing. With you…”

  Frustration made his jaw clench. “I don’t need a perfect answer. I just need the right answer for right now.”

  Her lips curved with a hint of a smile. “Sometimes you say the damnedest things.”

  Goddamn, he loved making her smile. “Hell, sometimes I even say the right things.”

  She paused then took an audible deep breath. “What if I told you I only date men who don’t remind me of you?”

  Lust made his gut clench. “I’d ask what you’re running from.”

  Blinking, she tore her gaze away from his and took a sip of her beer before she set it back down with a decisive chink.

  “We’ve known each other a long time.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, we have.”

  “I think of us as friends.”

  Well, fuck. There it was. Might as well just chalk up Tuesday night’s kiss to a momentary mental break and—

  “But that’s only because I haven’t allowed myself to think of you as anything but a friend.”

  Hope rushed through his veins like acid, burning into his body as his cock thickened painfully fast. His cheeks burned and her gaze slipped from his for a second before locking back again.

  “When I first started here,” she said, “there was no way in hell I was going to get involved with a hockey player, especially one on my team. I already had to deal with people thinking the only reason I got my job was because of my dad. Then to be accused of screwing around with the players… I would’ve been roasted. And then they hired you.”

  His brows rose as her lips twisted into a half-hearted grimace.

  “It was like the hockey gods were taunting me. And the fact that you’re friends with RJ…” She shook her head. “Can you imagine what people would’ve said? The gossip would’ve been insane. But none of that meant I didn’t want you.”

  The heat in his gut radiated south until his cock pounded against the zipper on his jeans. He wanted to shift and relieve the pressure. But he also kinda liked the bite. He played hockey. His body could take a lot of punishment.

  She went quiet again and his lips parted to prompt her for more, but she leaned forward, mimicking his position. Bringing her that much closer.

 
“I’m still not sure this is a good idea but…” a tiny muscle in her jaw ticked, “the breakup with Rich made me realize I’ve been fooling myself.”

  He wasn’t sure his voice would cooperate, but he tried anyway. “How so?”

  Her gaze darkened. “I’m never going to find what I’m looking for in any of the guys I’ve been dating.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because they’re not you.”

  His hands clenched into fists as he tried not to reach across the table, pick her up, and settle her on his lap. If he did, she’d know exactly how he felt about her, and he wasn’t sure that wouldn’t confuse the issue even more. Because she didn’t look happy about her pronouncement, while he wanted to beat his chest and roar in victory.

  That was something his dad would’ve done. He’d seen how his father’s overbearing dominance had affected his mom, how her personality had seemed to shrink until she’d become a quiet mouse who rarely stood up to the man who was supposed to be her biggest supporter.

  He refused to be like his father in any way. So, no way in hell would he push Gabby into anything she didn’t want or try to influence her decision in any way. She had to come to him willingly.

  But it was torture to sit here and wait for her to continue.

  After what seemed like a lifetime, she shook her head, her lips curving in a self-deprecating grin.

  “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

  Nodding, he leaned forward a tiny bit more. “Yeah, I will. I just want to make sure you have your say first.”

  Another amused huff as the doubt cleared from her eyes. “I’m pretty sure I’ve never met another guy like you.”

  His forehead wrinkled. “How’s that?”

  “Most guys would be falling over themselves to convince me to get into bed with them.”

  Just the thought of her naked body under his while he slid inside her took his breath away. “I’m not most guys.”

  Her head cocked to the side. “I know that. I just… How long have we known each other?”

  He frowned, not following her train of thought. “We met at the first game I played with RJ. In Michigan. So… fifteen years. You didn’t want to be there, but you had some competition in Chicago, and you and your mom were gonna fly there after the game…”

  He trailed off as she stood.

  “What’s wro—”

  She came around the table then surprised the shit out of him by putting her hands on his shoulders and pushing him back into the cushions. When she put her knees on either side of his hips and lowered her ass onto his thighs, every muscle in his body seized.

  “Gabby.”

  Looping her arms around his shoulders, she leaned forward, her nose almost touching his. He froze, waiting for her to make the next move. No way in hell did he want to do anything to screw up what he hoped would be a really good night.

  “I can’t believe you remember that.”

  “Remember what?”

  His mind went totally blank as she pulled back so he could see her smile. Heat zinged through his gut, building in intensity until he thought he might melt into a puddle. Christ, he hoped like hell he didn’t literally start to sweat. How fucking embarrassing would that be?

  “The first time we met.”

  “Why wouldn’t I? Wait. Don’t you?”

  Her smile widened. “You seemed huge at fifteen. Tall and wide and all this black hair.”

  She slid her hands in the hair at his nape and, holy shit, his cock pulsed like he might actually come.

  “You looked pissed off most of the time and I don’t think I ever saw you smile that entire time.”

  “I needed to nail that game for a draft spot. I had to get the hell away from my dad.”

  Goddammit. Why the fuck had he mentioned his dad? He expected her to draw away again, because why the hell would she want to talk about his dad here and now.

  “Shit.” He shook his head, carefully so he didn’t dislodge her hands. “Sorry. That’s not—”

  “Tim. Stop.” Her hands tightened in his hair, the motion more erotic now than if she’d put her hand on his cock. “I thought you were the hottest guy I’d ever seen. Of course, I was only thirteen so you were in pretty good company with Justin Timberlake.”

  His grin broke free. “Well, damn. Lucky me.”

  Her smile matched his. “You were nothing like the other hockey players I’d met before. And I grew up around hockey players. But you…”

  Since he had no idea where she was going with this, he gave her a little bump with his legs. “Me what?”

  “You were…interesting. Mysterious.”

  He snorted. “I was pissed off most of the time.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you know that’s catnip to teenage girls? I didn’t think you knew or cared who I was.”

  “Are you serious? You were Doug Mitchell’s daughter. Trust me, everyone knew who you were.”

  Her pout was adorable. “Nobody wanted to date me. Especially not the hockey players who hung around my brothers and my dad.”

  “That’s because no one wanted to piss off their idol. You were totally out of my league and off limits. And you were thirteen. No one was gonna touch you.”

  “Yeah, I was a little slow to figure that out, but finally, when I was about fifteen, I realized why all of the hockey players I smiled at ran the other way. Until then, it put a dent in my self-confidence.”

  “Trust me, if you had been older, I would’ve asked you out.”

  “By that time, I probably would’ve said no. I gave up on hockey players by the time I was sixteen. There were other fish in the sea, and most of them had no idea who my dad was. Besides, I’d already decided I wanted to work for the NHL so there was no way I was going to date a player.”

  “And when you decide what you want, you get it.”

  Her brows arched in a way that made him wary. “Obviously, not everything.”

  “So what changed?”

  “Are you asking me why I’m sitting on your lap right now?”

  “Sure. Let’s start there.”

  “Because I never stopped wanting you. I just convinced myself I couldn’t have you.”

  She wanted him. Goddamn, he really wanted to believe that. But first… “And how much does this have to do with your recent breakup?”

  Her fingers twisted into his hair and tugged again, causing his balls to tighten. He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to keep himself from leaning forward and kissing her. But he needed to hear her answer.

  She didn’t drop his gaze for a second. “Some. But only because I realized I kept dating guys who were so obviously wrong for me.”

  “Anyone who knows you could’ve told you that.”

  Another arch of her brows. “Then why didn’t they? Why didn’t you ask me out in any of the past five years?”

  “Because you made it clear you weren’t going to date hockey players. And I didn’t want to get turned down by you.”

  “Did you want to ask me out?”

  “Hell, Gabby, I told you. I’ve wanted to date you since the first time I met you. And when we ended up here together, I thought I’d finally get my shot. But you always had a date. Some guy with an MBA and a perfect haircut and no visible bruises.”

  Her laughter rang out, hitting him square in the chest, as she released one hand from his hair to stroke her fingertips along the purple skin beneath his eye.

  “I think your bruises just add to your sex appeal.”

  His turn for his brows to arch. “Bruises are sexy?”

  “Everything about you is sexy.”

  He’d never had a woman say anything like that to him before, and his brain stuttered for several seconds before he could think of a response. She watched him, blue eyes locked on his as he tried to figure out what to say in response. He felt he had to respond, had to say something. But what he really wanted to do was cup her face in his hands and kiss her.

  For the past two days, his bra
in had flashed memories of Tuesday night at the worst possible moments. On the ice at practice. At the gym during workouts. Lying in bed trying to get to sleep.

  But now that he had her exactly where he wanted her for the second time, he hesitated. He never hesitated on the ice. If he hesitated, he could let down his teammates and lose the game. He’d be pissed that he’d lost the game, but there was always another.

  He had so much more to lose here. Couldn’t make a mistake because he could lose her. And he’d just gotten her.

  She’s not really yours.

  Then he’d have to make her his.

  Unclenching his hands from the cushion, where he’d had a death grip, he lifted them to her shoulders. When she continued to stare at him and not move, he let one slide up to cup her chin while the other pressed against her back, urging her forward.

  “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”

  Her cheeks flushed with color and her lips curved a second before he tugged her forward and pressed their lips together. Like Tuesday, she tasted sweet and hot and forbidden. But now there was an added layer to their kiss. She tasted like his.

  His lips moved against hers for long seconds before he slid his tongue into her mouth to tangle with hers. Tonight, there was no hesitation, no sense that they shouldn’t be doing this. He’d had a taste of her, and he wanted more. So much more.

  The hand cupping her jaw urged her to tilt just a little to the left and she obeyed without hesitation. Her easy submission fueled his already flaming desire, and in the next second, the hand on her back pressed her forward. Again, she let him do what he wanted.

  And it loosened his last restraint.

  Releasing her chin, he wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and his right around her lower back and pulled her tight against him. Her breasts pressed, lush and full, against his chest as her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Her tongue played with his, her hands spread against his back, her fingers digging into the muscles.

  He wanted to wish away their clothes, but he didn’t want to rush this. He finally had the woman of his dreams on his lap and he was going to make it last all fucking night. Even if it killed him.

  Because the way Gabby was kissing him right now was pushing him hard and fast toward total meltdown. She kissed him with the same intensity as Tuesday night. Her fingers kneaded at his back, her mouth hot against his. When she scooted closer, she made him groan when she brushed against his erection. He swore he felt the heat of her core through two layers of denim.