Goal Line (Madison Howlers #4)

by Camellia Tate

  With a smile, Annie shook her head. “I like trying new things too much.” It was true, Annie was always picking up new hobbies, hoping that she’d find the thing that was her passion. So far, she had ruled out most sports, a great many arts and crafts, a couple of careers and three college majors.

  “That’s why I’m in Madison, actually,” she explained. “I’m majoring in Spanish at college.” She grinned. “Maybe languages will be my thing!” Even through her warm jacket, she could feel Devon beside her, his hand close enough that it brushed Annie’s as they walked.

  It wasn’t until Devon smiled at her that Annie realized she had held anxiety in her stomach at what his response might be. When there wasn’t anything that seemed like judgment, that unraveled and disappeared almost instantly. It made Annie want to reach out and squeeze Devon’s hand. That probably would’ve been inappropriate. They’d only known each other for like four minutes.

  “I never went to college,” Devon commented. “I could’ve done, but hockey... well, I didn’t think taking English Lit or whatever they force you to study alongside the subject you’re interested in would help my game.” He shrugged. “And I had the Howlers,” he concluded.

  Devon looked slightly older than Annie, maybe 27 or 28. She knew that most players got drafted around 17. The Howlers were a good team. There was a pretty good chance that Devon might’ve been drafted straight on rather than going to one of their minor league teams.

  10 years in the same place, doing the same thing seemed really impressive to Annie.

  “You must know the area really well,” she observed. She blushed a little, wondering if Devon already knew about the best low-fat hot chocolate in town. The thought that he might, but had agreed to have a drink with her anyway, sent a cascade of warmth through Annie’s entire body. One that had nothing to do with her snug jacket and gloves.

  They were getting near the road for the cafe, so Annie nudged Devon’s shoulder to make him turn to their right. He seemed happy to follow her lead, even letting her walk a few steps ahead as they neared.

  “Where did you grow up?” Annie asked, wondering if it was close enough for Devon’s mom to come and watch her son play. She knew most hockey players weren’t signed by their home team. Certainly not as the first team they played for.

  “Spokane, Washington,” Devon answered. “But when I was drafted by the Howlers, my mom moved here,” he explained almost like he’d read her mind. But not quite. Devon had said it had been just him and his mom, so Annie assumed they must be close. Close enough for her to move to the same city, at least.

  “I don’t live with my mom,” he clarified, even though she hadn’t asked. Someone probably had, in the past. “I mean, not anymore. I did live with her then, but I bought her a house when I signed my second five-year contract.” Annie knew enough about hockey to know that having a long-term contract was a mark of being important to the team, as well as being paid well. It gave players some degree of stability in knowing that they wouldn’t get traded.

  It was all very impressive. Devon was clearly focused, successful, and a dedicated son. Annie wanted to know more. In some ways, Devon seemed totally unlike her. He’d committed his life to hockey, something Annie would never have been able to do. On the other hand, he clearly cared for his family, just as Annie cared for hers.

  The sticker which covered Annie’s soulmark, so strangers wouldn’t be able to read the name of her soulmate, was just under her right sleeve. Looking up at Devon as they walked, she imagined she could feel the letters under it burning into her skin.

  “We’re here,” she announced, waving her hand at the door of the cafe. “Go in and find a table, I’ll buy our drinks.”

  Devon didn’t even argue. Some men would’ve felt diminished, having a woman pay. Clearly, Devon had better sense. Annie appreciated that.

  As she watched him walk away, she appreciated his fine ass and the breadth of his shoulders just as much.

  She still had no idea what Devon might be looking for, but Annie was determined to find out.

  Chapter Two

  EVER SINCE DEVON Oakley was little, he’d loved hockey. Truthfully, Devon couldn’t even remember the first time he stepped on the ice, but his mom loved telling the story. His eyes had lit up and he’d watched the puck in fascination. And then caught it. Over and over again.

  Of course, now - years later - Devon knew that there was a lot more skill involved than that. But at its core, his job was still following the puck and catching it. That thrill he’d felt as a kid? That was still there. Every single time Devon caught that puck, whether it was in a game or in training, it delighted him. Being a goalie was the best job in the world, he was certain.

  Devon’s focus and fascination with hockey kind of had foretold his focus on other things, too. Whatever Devon approached, he tended to give it his all. Well, as much ‘all’ as he had left after giving his all to hockey. He’d been lucky to have a mom who supported him. In fact, Susie Oakley had gone out of her way to give her son the things he wanted.

  They had never been rich. In fact, Devon would say he’d grown up quite poor. But his mom had always made sure he could play hockey. In turn, Devon had tried to be the best son he could be. It seemed to have worked out pretty well for both of them.

  Devon’s focus extended to relationships, too.

  His soulmark had come in when he was twelve, the name ‘Antonia’ settling neatly right on Devon’s ass. Whenever any new teammates saw the sticker against his left buttock, they laughed. Devon liked it, though. It was funny in a way he often wondered if his soulmate would be.

  At first, Devon had worried that it wasn’t a very common name. But he’d quickly learned that there were more Antonias out there than might be useful to him. Devon exclusively dated women with his soulmate’s name. It was a thing and yes, his teammates teased him about it a lot.

  In his twenty-seven years of being alive, Devon had dated five different Antonias. Two had gone by Ann, one by Toni, another by Tony and finally Devon’s last girlfriend hadn’t bothered to shorten ‘Antonia’ at all. Most of them, apart from Ann Too, Devon had met through matchmaking services.

  It had come as a bit of a shock to discover just how many Antonias were matched with Devons. He didn't dare to think about how hard people with more common names found the search for their soulmate.

  As much as his teammates thought it was funny that Devon only dated his soulmark matches, he figured it was more efficient. Devon wanted to find his soulmate. His mom had never had one. She didn’t seem too sad about the fact - Susie often said Devon and his sister were the only loves she needed. But Devon still wanted... he wanted someone to give all the things his mom hadn’t had.

  So when Devon was in a relationship, he tried hard. Some of his exes had appreciated that. And others hadn’t. With some of them, Devon had pretty quickly known they weren’t going to be a soulmatch. Toni with an I had been the one who Devon thought might be his actual match - at least until she met a cuter, more female Devon.

  Still, Devon always reminded himself that the heartache must be worth it.

  That, too, some of his teammates teased him about. Being a romantic wasn’t very... professional NHL player or whatever. But Devon thought it was fine. His mom had always raised him to be open about how he felt. So, Devon didn’t care much about the teasing. Especially because his mom also had told him people teased because they didn’t understand.

  When the pretty brunette in the Howlers reception area had told him she was an Antonia, Devon wanted to get to know her more. To have her then ask him out... that had been pretty great. Devon did sometimes get asked out, but it always felt a bit like it was because he was a hockey player not because... well, he was him.

  Annie’s invitation to have hot chocolate felt different. Even if Devon couldn’t quite explain it.

  He let her pay for their drinks, picking a table by the window. She seemed... interesting. Devon found the extroverted nature a nice change from
how he was. And Annie was yet to declare him weird, which was also refreshing.

  When she returned with the drinks, he gave her a smile, taking a small sip. “So, Spanish,” he said. “How long have you been in Madison, then?” She’d said she was there for college but Annie hadn’t specified what year of college she was in.

  “A few months,” Annie answered, wrapping her fingers around her mug before she lifted it to her lips. “Long enough to make some friends, but not so long I’ve learned when the public skating days at the ice rink are. Apparently.” She grinned. Devon liked that she could laugh about it, that she didn’t take herself too seriously. Some women would’ve been embarrassed to have got the day wrong. Annie seemed to simply accept it.

  There was the smallest of pauses while Annie appreciated the surprisingly rich taste of her hot chocolate. “I’m twenty-six,” she offered. Devon had been wondering. She certainly didn’t look like a college student fresh out of high school. “I’ve had a few different jobs, but none of them seemed to fit, so I thought I’d come back to college.”

  As he listened, Devon took a sip of his own hot chocolate. He had to give Annie credit where it was due - the hot chocolate was delicious. “That’s cool,” he commented. “I hear that it’s nice to learn new things,” he added. Truthfully, Devon wasn’t someone who learned new things. Unless those things were hockey related. In general, Devon just learned the same thing only better.

  “I know hockey,” he added as an explanation and then shrugged. “I like hockey.” Which was certainly an understatement. Devon adored hockey. He loved the coldness of the rink, the sound of skates and sticks against the ice, the whooshing noise that a puck made as it flew towards him. And Devon’s very favorite sound was the puck hitting the inside of his glove. Quickly followed by the ping of the puck hitting the post.

  Truthfully, Devon’s list of his top ten favorite things in the word was almost exclusively hockey-related. Almost. Mac and cheese also made the top ten.

  “I admire that,” Annie said. From her frank tone, Devon suspected she was being honest. Nothing about Annie so far had given him the impression she was at all chasing him because of his celebrity. “My dad and my brother are both focused like that,” she added, with a soft smile playing on her lips. Her tongue darted out, gathering a spot of chocolate. It made Devon swallow reflexively.

  When Devon didn’t reply, she clarified, “They’re not athletes.” Devon nodded. He remembered Annie saying her brother had played football in college, which did kind of imply he wasn’t still playing. “Sawyer’s following dad into business. It’s his greatest passion, after his wife.” She blinked at him, and the light caught in her long dark eyelashes.

  “Are you married, Devon?”

  “No, of course not,” he answered almost immediately. “I wouldn’t be here with you if I was married.” Devon wouldn’t be here with Annie if he was in a relationship either. Devon very strongly believed that if he was to one day get married it was going to be someone he was certain was his soulmate.

  Even if Annie wasn’t his soulmate — which she very well might not be, Devon knew that — it would be pretty shitty of him to go out with her if he had a wife. “Are you?” he asked with a frown.

  Annie shook her head, dark curls brushing against her cheeks, drawing Devon’s attention to how pink they’d gone. “No,” she assured him. It surprised Devon how relieved he felt. It shouldn’t have bothered him as much, not when he hardly knew this Annie. “I’m single,” she elaborated, with a shy smile.

  “Some people wouldn’t think there was anything wrong with a little hot chocolate and flirting,” she pointed out. “I’ve known couples like that, who don’t mind getting their engine going elsewhere, as long as they always drive home to park.”

  She gave a small shrug. “It’s not how I’d feel, but as long as they both agree to it, I don’t think it hurts anyone.”

  Devon, too, knew people who did that. It really wasn’t for him. Some people made that sort of relationship work. But Devon knew he really couldn’t. He liked committing to one person, focusing on them and being good at that. It was hard to imagine being that for two or even more people.

  “So I’ve got the hot chocolate,” Devon said, raising the cup in a tiny toast towards Annie. Then, a teasing grin tugged against the corners of his mouth. “When does the flirting start?”

  Annie pouted, her full lower lip pushing out for a moment before she spoiled the feigned disappointment with a giggle. Setting down her hot chocolate, she reached out, brushing her fingers lightly over the back of Devon’s hand. He felt an electric tingle travel up his arm, the first frisson of attraction.

  “You probably get women flirting with you all the time,” Annie said. “Hot, famous, a family man. I can see I’m going to have to flirt hard just to be in with a chance.”

  That startled a sudden laugh from Devon. He really didn’t get flirted with all that much. The other players on the team did. Most actively welcomed it. In all honesty, Devon didn’t particularly enjoy being hit on. Not in general. He wasn’t the kind of man who enjoyed one night stands. And he didn’t date women who had no chance of being his soulmate. So in most cases, he just had to turn women down.

  It was a bit heavy to open with ‘well, I only accept invites to hot chocolates from people who match my soulmark’. So Devon didn’t say that.

  “I mean, you’re pretty well in already with your hot chocolate thing,” he told Annie instead, his smile widening. “What else are you going to offer to buy me? I like kittens,” he teased.

  Kind of.

  Devon did like kittens.

  Annie’s eyes briefly widened, before she crinkled them closed with another giggle. “You don’t have time to look after a kitten,” she pointed out. And, really, she wasn’t wrong. Between training and away games, it wouldn’t be fair to get such a young cat only to leave it home alone most of the time.

  Giving Devon a thoughtful once over, Annie hummed. “Maybe I have an idea for what else I can do,” she said. “But it can’t be today. Do you have an afternoon free next week?”

  Devon raised an eyebrow at Annie. When she didn’t clarify what she had in mind, he nodded. “Alright.” Honestly, he was more than happy to free an afternoon for her. Annie was chipper and carefree in a way that Devon definitely wasn’t. It was quite refreshing.

  Taking another sip of his drink, Devon enjoyed the sweetness of it against his tongue. He very rarely got treated to a hot chocolate. Especially by someone as hot as Annie. “Will your friend be upset that you didn’t go skating with her?” He assumed probably not since Annie was here with him. Devon wasn’t sure if he was better company than skating. But then, his opinion on skating probably differed from Annie’s.

  Annie gave him a grin. “She’ll understand,” she promised. “I already told her we could skate tomorrow. It’s as much her fault as mine that neither of us checked the rink was actually open.” Again, Devon noted how Annie accepted her share of the blame. She didn’t try to push all the responsibility onto her friend, as Devon knew a lot of people would have done. It felt like Annie wasn’t trying to impress him. She was just being herself.

  Delving into her handbag for her phone, Annie unlocked it and slid it across the table. “Give me your number, and I’ll text you once I’ve made arrangements.”

  Devon couldn’t help but admire how confident Annie seemed. Maybe, he supposed, she asked a lot of people out. If that was the case, he wasn’t sure why she was still single. Annie was attractive, her bright green eyes standing to stark contrast against her dark brown hair. She dressed well and Devon definitely had a chance to appreciate how good her figure looked once she’d taken that coat off.

  Her personality seemed bubbly and welcoming, too. Inviting in a way where Devon wanted to get to know her more. So he took the phone, keying his number in before handing it back to Annie.

  “You’re very determined,” Devon told her and then smiled. “I like it.” Because he really did. It wasn�
��t often that someone took so much charge around Devon, especially not when it came to dating. It felt refreshing.

  For a moment, the comment seemed to stop Annie in her tracks. There was a flash of some emotion across her pretty face. It was gone before Devon could figure it out, replaced by a wide grin.

  “I just recognize a good idea when I have one,” she told him. “And I have a great idea. You’re going to love it.” She seemed so sure, it was impossible for Devon not to look forward to whatever she might have planned.

  Lifting her hot chocolate, Annie took another sip. “Now that’s out of the way,” she said, with a chuckle. “If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be?”

  Devon laughed at that. The way Annie flickered between conversation topics was kind of adorable. He could see how some people might not enjoy it, but Devon actually liked being offered a different conversation regularly. He wasn’t very good at that sort of thing, so it was nice to talk to someone who was.

  As for her question, he had to actually pause to think about it. Devon didn’t read very much. And most of his TV watching included hockey. That meant that there weren’t that many fictional characters that he knew.

  Finally, an answer came to him and Devon smiled widely. “I’d have dinner with Merida from Brave and invite my little sister. She’s obsessed with her, so she’d be thrilled.” Serena loved Merida so much that Devon had paid for her to take archery classes. Something his sister was now genuinely very good at. He’d love to see how excited she was to meet the Disney princess.

  Annie’s smile softened, her green eyes gazing at Devon with so much warmth. It made Devon’s heart give a sharp tug inside him. “I hope that’s not just a line you use to get women to fall for you,” she said, her candor making Devon laugh. “I don’t believe it is.” Devon wondered what he’d done to deserve such immediate faith in his basic human decency. He figured it must be something right.