“Talk to you then.”
“Night.”
“Good night, Tim. Sleep well.”
At least he’d go to sleep with a smile on his face.
Ten
“Good game, Tank.”
“Woulda lost it without you.”
“Good job.”
Tim acknowledged every compliment from his teammates before they left the ice with a nod and a tap of helmets, but he knew the praise wasn’t warranted.
They’d won, but it hadn’t been pretty. If only a couple of bounces of the puck had gone the wrong way, they would’ve lost to the worst team in the league. Boston was having an awful year, but the Colonials could’ve easily lost the game if not for Boston’s two hottest players being on the IR.
After saluting the fans, who were even cheering half-heartedly, Tim waited at the gate to the bench as the rest of the team filed down the hall to the locker room. As an assistant captain, RJ was the last man. He slapped Tim on the back before following him off the ice.
“You saved our asses tonight, Tank.”
“No, I really didn’t. But thanks for the ego stroke.”
“Whoa. Hey, you okay?”
Stopping before they entered the subdued chaos of the locker room after a game, Tim pushed up his mask and nodded. “I’m fine. Just not happy with how I played.”
“Well, you should be. We won. And you were a big part of why we won. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing. It’s just me being stupid. I’m fine.”
“I’ve known you a long time. I’ve never seen you like this.”
“I’m fine.”
“Then prove it.” RJ leaned in to make sure no one else could hear them. “You need to go in there and act like we had a fucking great game. You’re a goddamn hero right now because that last save handed us the game. Act like it.”
Tim was grinning by the time RJ finished his little speech. “Why the hell aren’t you wearing the ‘C’ yet? Hell, I’m gonna start an ‘RJ for captain’ campaign.”
Sighing, RJ shook his head. “I’m not sure I want that damn letter on my sweater right now.”
“That’s bullshit. No one else dared to talk to me like this. And you’re right. I need to do exactly what you just said. Because the team needs to see it. They need to know I’m not falling apart on them. And you knew that. Like I said…captain.”
RJ shook his head, but he’d started to grin as well. “You’re a dick. How the hell’d you turn that around on me?”
“Guess I’m just that good.”
RJ didn’t speak for a few seconds. “You are. Even if you don’t believe it all the time.”
“You don’t want to hug me, do you?”
“Only if you let me kiss you, too.”
Tim laughed and RJ stepped out of the way so he could enter the locker room and tell his teammates what they needed to hear.
Knocking on Gabby’s door, Tim rolled his neck, trying to work out some lingering stiffness and trying not to let his restlessness show.
He’d called her a half hour ago, just after his mom and sister had declared they were taking Tim’s car and heading to the King of Prussia Mall for some mother-daughter retail therapy. Sunny had taken great pains to tell him they wouldn’t be back until at least ten o’clock. And then they’d probably go right to bed so if he “wanted to, you know, like, be somewhere else,” as Sunny had so delicately put it, she and their mom wouldn’t “notice.”
They knew exactly what he was going to do the second they left. Which was probably why they’d told him they didn’t need him to drive. He’d offered. They’d declined.
Thank God. If there was one thing he did not want to do on a Monday afternoon in December, it was fight the crowds at the mall. Just thinking about it made his jaw ache. He couldn’t imagine his mom would love it, either. Then again, she spent most of her time stuck between the same four walls for weeks on end. Sure, she gardened, went to the grocery store and church, but he wasn’t sure she ever really spent time with friends. And since he’d left home all those years ago, he wasn’t even sure she had many of those.
He really should ask, really should know more about his mom’s life than he did. Especially since he wanted her to upend her entire life and move here.
Pretty fucking high-handed of you, isn’t it?
Yep.
Shit.
The door opened at that moment and Gabby smiled up at him, driving out all the other thoughts in his head except one. This was where he was supposed to be right now.
“Hi.”
“Hey.”
They spoke in perfect unison, which he hoped was a sign of better things to come.
And when her smile widened, instinct took over.
Reaching for her, he wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her until her feet were off the floor and her lips were level with his. Her eyes widened but her arms had already slid around his neck and she met him halfway.
Their lips met in a rush of heat that felt like a bomb detonated in his gut. Adrenaline crashed through his veins, sending sparks through his nervous system. Need swamped him, threatening his control as she opened her mouth and kissed him hard and deep.
Her taste flowed over his tongue as her hand slid into his hair and tugged, hard enough for his cock to stiffen into an iron rod in his jeans. Moving one hand to her ass, he urged her to wrap her legs around his waist and splayed his other hand across her back to press her even closer.
Her breasts flattened against his chest, the heat of her body seeping through the thin cotton of her shirt. Her weight barely registered as he spun around so he could press her back against the door and angle her body so he could grind his cock against her mound.
She moaned into his mouth, clutching at his shoulders, legs tightening around his waist. The form-fitting leggings she wore were warm against his palms. But he knew her skin would be even hotter against his.
Forcing himself not to overwhelm her all at once, he took the intensity of the kiss down a notch and finally, after a few more long seconds, allowed them both to come up for air.
Her smile and bright eyes made him want to rethink his plan for taking this slow.
“Nice to see you, too.”
“Sorry.” Not really, but… “How was your day?”
“Okay. Better now.”
“How much better can I make it?”
Gabby’s smile widened and she squirmed a little closer. She’d been restless all day, and when Tim had finally knocked on her door, she’d known why.
Because of Tim. Because she’d known she was going to see him tonight and she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
She’d managed to concentrate enough to get through work and not make a mess of things but now… Tim was a huge, hot wall of hard muscle and sleek flesh and the faster she could get her hands on him, the sooner he’d be naked and in her bed.
“You could make it great if you kiss me again.”
When he did, she swore little sparks ignited under skin, making her body tingle from head to toe. And every place in between.
When he pulled away the next time, she sighed, feeling happy for the first time today. She should probably be a little worried about that, but right now…
“You wanna sit down?”
Tim appeared to consider his options, but the look in his eyes clued her in to his ultimate goal.
“Not really.”
“Are you going to get tired of standing here holding me?”
“No.”
“What about if I offer to give you a tour?”
“Only if it includes the bedroom.”
“You’ve got a one-track mind.”
“My mind’s got a lot of tracks but right now, they all lead to the same place. Your bed.”
Grinning, she rubbed the tip of her nose against his and ran her hands down his back.
“Well, you’ve already seen the kitchen and the living room so there’s really only the bedroom left to check out.”
<
br /> “Good to know we’re on the same wavelength.”
Hitching her closer, he turned and started walking. She figured he was a smart guy. He could figure out where her bedroom was. She focused, instead, on putting her mouth on his skin, wherever it was exposed. The first three buttons on his flannel shirt were undone so she started there.
His breath hitched but his stride never faltered. Except…
“Are you limping?”
“Tweaked something in my side today—”
“Oh my god, put me down right now.”
He stopped and looked down at her, eyebrows arched. “You’re joking, right?”
“No, I’m not. Put me down. Now.”
He did, but only after he gave her another look. “You do know I played two months with a broken toe and a bruised tibia last season.”
“No, I didn’t.” She smacked her hand against his rock-hard abs. “And it wouldn’t matter. I am not going to be the reason you throw out your back and can’t play.”
“Okay, then I’ll just lie there and you can be on top.”
Taking Tim by the hand, she grinned and led him to her room. “I think I can work with that.”
“How did I not know you had a cat?”
Gabby laughed as Tim and Princess stared at each other. Tim was propped up against the headboard and Princess sat at the bottom of the bed, staring at him like she wanted to eat him.
She had no idea where Princess had been hiding the other times Tim had been here, but obviously her finicky pet had figured Tim must be okay.
“Princess must have decided she likes you, otherwise you probably never would’ve known.”
“She’s huge. And is she missing part of her ear?”
“Yes and yes. She’s a warrior princess.”
“Looks like she’s been living the good life lately.”
“Are you calling my cat fat?”
Tim chuckled. “I wouldn’t dare. Besides, I think Princess might eat my face. Hey, if I ask you to check in on my mom and sister this week while I’m gone, is that overstepping? This three-game road trip comes at a bad time.”
“Of course. But…”
“But what?”
“Have you told them about us?”
“No.” He paused. “Do you want me to?”
“Do you want them to know?”
“I guess it depends on you. Are we supposed to pretend that we’re not sleeping together? You know that’s not gonna work, right? I can’t look at you and not want you, Gabby. Anybody who knows me is gonna figure out what’s going on.”
“I know. It’s just…this whole thing is complicated.”
“Yeah, but we knew that going in.” Propping himself onto his elbow, he gazed down at her, eyes glued to hers. “And I think the word you’re looking for is relationship.”
“Is that what this is?”
“What word would you use?”
That was the problem. She didn’t know.
“Gabby? Do we have a problem?”
“No. We don’t have a problem. This isn’t a problem.”
“Then why do you have that look on your face?”
Instead of answering the question, she let her gaze slip to his naked chest. She could still see the marks her nails had made on his pecs as she’d dug them into his skin as she came around his cock.
And even though she was still trying to catch her breath, just being this close to him made her chest tight and her thighs clench. She wanted him to put his hand between her legs and stroke her clit until she came. Wanted him to press his thick fingers inside her and stroke that spot that made her shudder. She wanted him to slide his thigh against her aching clit before he spread her legs with his and thrust inside her again.
“Jesus, the look in your eyes.” His voice held a sexy rasp. “I don’t care what you call this thing between us. I don’t care who you tell. Because the next time we’re out in public, everyone’s gonna know because I will not be able to pretend not to want you.”
Good. She wanted everyone to know this man wanted her. Wanted him to think about nothing but her, to concentrate on making her lose control. Because for a few seconds, she’d felt her walls try to rebuild, brick by brick. It was self-defense, automatic. The breakup with Rich had her second-guessing every move she made.
“What if I asked you to give me some time? To give us some time to figure out our relationship without everyone watching?”
His eyes narrowed and he stilled, reminding her of a big cat stalking its prey. She never thought she’d enjoy being hunted. Guess you just needed the right man with the right look in his eyes.
“I’d say okay because I want you. I want this.”
She didn’t have to ask what he meant. She knew.
He wants me.
“I want this too. I want you so badly sometimes I can’t breathe because every cell in my body wants me to wrap myself around you. Is that what you want to hear? Because it’s all I’ve been thinking about for the past week. But you already know that, don’t you?”
“I don’t like to guess. Just be honest with me. And yourself.”
“Honestly, I’m not sure I’m ready to go public.”
“Because you work for the Colonials? Or because of something else?”
“There are just so many ways this can go sideways because we work for the same club.”
“You want to keep this private? Fine. We’re adults. We can have a relationship and no one else needs to know the first damn thing about it. Is that what you want?”
Did she? Did they never go out? Did they hide their relationship from everyone? “It’s just…we work together.”
“No, we don’t. You work for the company who employees me. Don’t make this a problem.”
That one made her back stiffen. It was already a problem. Couldn’t he see that?
“Shit.” Tim’s softly spoken curse ripped through the air like a blade. “Goddamn it. I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“No, it wasn’t. And you’re not wrong. Do you want to know why I said yes to dating Rich?”
His brows arched, surprise clearly written on his expression. “Do I? Is it going to make me want to punch him more than I already do?”
She couldn’t help it. Her heart did a little jig at the thought that he wanted to go after Richard on her behalf.
“Because I couldn’t have who I really wanted.”
A little muscle in his jaw started to tic and she lifted her hands to run her thumb along it. “And who was that?”
“You’re a smart guy.” Her voice held an edge she couldn’t restrain. “Figure it out.”
“I already have. I just wanted to make sure you did.”
He bent to kiss her, sealing his mouth over hers and chasing every rational thought out of her head except thoughts of him.
Eleven
“Hey, I’m home. Mom? Sunny? You here?”
Closing the door behind him, Tim dropped his bag and turned toward the living room.
The road trip had been a mixed bag of wins and losses for the team and for him. He’d come in to save one game, lost his start in a game that could’ve gone either way, and watched from the bench as the team battled back against a three-goal deficit to win two points against the hottest team in the central division.
He wanted to get some food, take a nap, spend some time with his family then visit Gabby. She’d been on his mind every moment he hadn’t spent thinking about hockey.
Expecting to see his sister and mom sitting together on the couch, watching TV, he wasn’t prepared for the gut-punch waiting for him as he watched his father rise from a chair at the dining room table to face him.
Blood rushed to Tim’s head in a lava flow of anger.
“What the hell are you doing here? Where’s Mom and Sunny?”
His father’s expression remained a calm mask of civility. “Hello, Tim. I’d ask how you’re doing, but apparently nothing has changed since the last time we spoke.”
Tim’s
anger made it almost impossible for him to speak, but he took a couple of deep breaths to try to contain it. “Since that was almost three years ago, you’d be wrong. Where are Mom and Sunny?”
His dad’s chin tipped up, his gaze direct. “They went out to get something for dinner.” He paused, as if he knew his next statement was going to piss Tim off. “And to give us time to talk.”
Tim crossed his arms over his chest before he realized it was a classic defensive posture. Fuck it. “I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“You’ve made that pretty clear for the past three years. But I have something to say to you.”
“I’m pretty sure I don’t want to hear it.”
His father showed the first signs of frustration, which was amazing because his father’s usual state was frustration.
“Well, that’s too bad, because you’re going to listen. Because it’s what your mother wants.”
“Mom knows how I feel about you. She wouldn’t force me to talk to you—”
“Obviously, you don’t know your mother that well, because she’s the one who asked me to come. I’m starting a new job in New York tomorrow morning.”
“You must want something. When do you ever take into account what Mom wants?”
Tim saw his dad’s temper rise in the color of his cheeks. But instead of flying off the handle like he normally would, he held his tongue. Which was more than Tim could say for himself.
“Yeah, I want something. I want to see my wife before I take a three-month job halfway across the country from her.”
It was on the tip of Tim’s tongue to ask if he wanted to see his daughter, too. Or was she just an afterthought. But his dad continued before he could.
“And since both of my children are in the same place at the same time, I thought I could say hello. But since you’re loaded for bear, I guess I can forget that.”
Tim opened his mouth to fire back at his dad, but some safety switch clicked on before the words escaped. It’d been years since he’d seen his dad, years where he’d tried to put the fighting and the misery and the anger behind him.
He couldn’t remember a time when they weren’t fighting. It was just what they did. And not even a minute after he and his dad were in the same room, even after three years apart, they were at each other’s throats.
Hard Lines & Goal Lines (Fast Ice Book 2) Page 15
