Hockey Holidays

by Toni Aleo

  She shouldn’t, but both the man and the dog stared at her with pleading eyes before Peanut buried her head under Erik’s hand.

  “Erik.”

  “I won’t let her down. I promise.”

  There was something in the way he said the words that broke Andie’s resolve. Taking care of this little dog was important to him and maybe he was even trying to prove something to himself.

  “On one condition.” She pointed her finger at him. “If you decide she’s too much or you can’t take care of her, you call me. Do not bring her to whatever shelter your phone tells you is the closest.”

  “I promise.” He grinned. “I’ll call you.”

  And he did, hours later and just as she was getting ready to leave the clinic. But he wasn’t trying to offload Peanut. He was trying to shop for her.

  “I looked online, but there’s so much, Andie. And I don’t know what sizes and what’s safe and…I need your help. Please go shopping with me, and then I won’t ask you for anything else.”

  Why did she have such a hard time saying no to this man?

  Chapter Three

  “She probably doesn’t even like hockey.”

  Erik crossed his arms and looked at the pile he’d just deposited in his shopping cart. Okay, maybe it was a bit much, but Andie didn’t know Peanut any better than she did. “She’s Erik Burke’s dog, so of course she likes hockey.”

  “If you start referring to yourself in the third person, I’m walking out right now.”

  He laughed, even though he knew she was serious. Then he held up the little doggie dress with the Marauders logo emblazoned on it in rhinestones. “Do you think this will fit her?”

  “That is ridiculous.”

  “You’re the one who brought me to a pet store with Marauders gear. I had no idea they made so much hockey stuff for dogs.”

  “First, the hockey stuff is for the owners, not the dogs. Second, you didn’t know that because you don’t actually have a dog. And third, I’m a little concerned about her swallowing any of that bling.”

  He scowled at the dozens of tiny pieces of plastic and put it back. “What about one of these purse things?”

  The idea of Erik carrying Peanut around in a purse made her laugh out loud. He frowned, obviously confused, and she laughed even harder.

  “Don’t dogs like Peanut like being carried around in bags?”

  Somehow she managed to get herself under control. “The only bag you carry is a hockey bag and as a veterinarian, I can tell you the stench would make her very ill.”

  “She liked my sweatshirt when I put it on the seat for her to curl up on last night.”

  “She was hungry, cold and alone, but I bet she still thought twice before touching it.”

  He laughed as they moved on down the aisle, without the dog purse. He’d always loved her laugh. Her looks and the way she carried herself had caught his attention at the small deli he liked to frequent on his very infrequent cheat days, but it was her laugh that had made him approach her. Being with her felt so right—so normal—that he could almost forget they’d spent the last year apart.

  Almost.

  “What are you planning to do with Peanut when you’re not home?” She asked when they hit an aisle that looked dedicated to keeping animals contained in yards. Then she turned her head to look at him, her dark gaze locking with his. “Actually, where is she right now?”

  “If I’d known she was allowed in this store, I would have brought her. Right now she’s closed in my bedroom.” When her eyebrow arched, he shrugged. “I know, it’s not perfect, but I wasn’t sure what else to do. I took her out, and then I put food and water down for her. I closed the door to the bathroom because I don’t think she’s big enough to get up on the toilet, but I didn’t want her to fall in. And I don’t have a bed for her yet, so I dragged my comforter onto the floor and made her a nest. I thought, because it smells like me, she’d probably be okay until I get home.”

  Her expression was so soft and inviting when he finished speaking, he almost leaned down and kissed her. But then her lips tightened and she shook her head. “Damn you, Erik Burke.”

  “Shit. You don’t think she’ll get wrapped up in the blanket, do you? She’s so tiny and—”

  “It’s not the dog, Erik,” she snapped, and then she started walking fast, past things he was pretty sure were on the list she’d given him.

  “Andie, wait.” He caught her elbow and spun her around to face him. “What just happened?”

  “What happened is that you’re being so sweet and adorable and it makes me forget you’re not capable of letting anybody into your life.” She snorted. “A dog, I guess. For now. But not a woman who loved you.”

  As stupid as it was, since they’d been broken up for a year, hearing her say she’d loved him in the past tense hurt more than the nasty check from Lecroix in the last game of the season two years before. “I’m sorry I’m being adorable.”

  He watched the battle on her face and then rejoiced when whatever part of her trying to resist him lost the fight and she laughed. “You should be.”

  “It just comes naturally to hockey players. We can’t help it.”

  She rolled her eyes and waved a hand at all the things she’d just speed-walked past. “Do you need yard stuff for her?”

  “I don’t think so. She doesn’t go outside unattended at all and never goes more than a few feet from me. And the girl who’s probably going to be stopping in to take her out and visit with her when I’m not home isn’t going to just stick her outside, either.”

  By the time they’d gone up and down the aisles, buying everything Peanut needed as well as a few really cute things she didn’t, Erik was starving. It was well past dinner time and he needed to eat.

  He thought about it while Andie helped him load his purchases into his car. She needed to eat, too. And she’d done him a huge favor. Even without the way her body stretched as she reached into his trunk and the ache of his body remembering how good hers felt under him, it would be rude not to offer to feed her.

  “Where do you want to eat?” he asked, and then inwardly winced at the lack of smoothness in his game at the moment.

  “What?” She actually looked startled by the question.

  “I’m starving. And you have to let me buy you dinner after all this.”

  He hated watching her emotions play over her face, but he forced himself to be quiet and wait. If she didn’t want to have dinner with him, he’d have to accept that, but he wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her yet. “Just as a thank you. Please, Andie.”

  Andie should run. She should turn around and run to her car, drive home and then eat a gallon of ice cream while forcing herself to relive every painful detail of their breakup. And then she should make a note in Peanut’s file that she was Chelsea’s patient exclusively and never, ever see Erik again. In less than twenty-four hours, he’d turned her life upside down again and if she had dinner with him, it was only going to get worse.

  Her head was telling her no was definitely the right move. But her heart—and points south—wanted more Erik. And then her traitorous stomach, neglected since the danish that morning, growled and she knew she was sunk.

  “I could eat,” she admitted, since the twitch at the corners of his mouth let her know her hunger hadn’t gone unnoticed. “No place fancy, though. You don’t need to show off for me. I just want food.”

  “I don’t show off,” he grumbled.

  She nodded her head toward the very expensive car attached to the door he held open for her to make her point, but then didn’t get in. “I should just follow you wherever we’re going.”

  He hesitated for a few seconds before closing the door. “There’s a place up the street that’s got great pasta. We could walk there.”

  She knew it was his way of respecting her wishes not to ride together while also not taking separate vehicles, but she also knew the restaurant he was talking about and it did have damn good pasta. “Sounds g
ood.”

  By the time her fettuccine carbonara arrived, the sensation of having stumbled into a weird time warp had set in. The Erik sitting across the table from her was the Erik she’d fallen in love with. He was funny and charming and so attentive to her, she felt as if they were the only two people in the world.

  Mostly he asked her about the clinic, since that had come about after their break-up. She didn’t necessarily want to talk about her work, but she definitely didn’t want to talk about his work, since it was hard to bring him back once his brain latched onto hockey talk. And she didn’t want to rehash the end of their relationship, so the clinic was the best bet.

  And because she knew him so well, she saw the signals. The way the corners of his mouth turned up a little whenever their eyes met. The way his leg rested against hers under the table as if it was simply a lack of space because he was so damn tall. His fingertips tracing circles in the condensation on his water glass. His focus was on her, but there was a part of him already wondering how soon they could fall into bed.

  When they’d walked slowly back to where they were parked, she was ready when he made his move.

  “It’s going to take me forever to get all that dog stuff in the house,” he said after clearing his throat. The fact he was nervous made him extra adorable, she thought. “Can I talk you into following me home and helping me out? I mean, I don’t want Peanut getting out while I’m making all those trips.”

  She laughed at his attempt to use his dog to soften her up. He didn’t need to because she’d made up her mind before he even paid the bill that she’d go home with him if he asked her. She hadn’t been with anybody since leaving Erik and if she went home without scratching that itch, she was going to toss and turn every night for weeks.

  “I’d hate for Peanut to get lost again,” she said, rolling with his flimsy excuse.

  Even though Andie knew how to get to his house, she appreciated that he drove a little slower than he usually did so he didn’t lose her. Those were the kind of actions that had drawn her in the first time, showing her what a sweet and considerate man he was under all that hockey player. And he waited for her in the driveway so they could walk to the door together.

  “You know your way around,” he said as he opened it. “Make yourself at home while I check on Peanut and see if she destroyed my bedroom while I was gone. Then maybe you can watch her while I carry stuff in.”

  “Sure.” It was hard, being back in the house that had been like a second home to her during the last few months of their relationship. Her apartment was on the small side and didn’t have the big leather furniture or king-sized bed he liked, so they’d spent most of their time at his place. They’d been teetering on the brink of the moving in conversation—or maybe even a ring—when she’d had enough of trying to fit into his life.

  “She was still curled up on my comforter,” he said when he’d reappeared with Peanut in his arms. “I don’t think she even moved.”

  “I’ll take her out for a walk while you carry the stuff in.”

  By the time he was finished bringing in the haul, Andie and Peanut were curled up on the couch and they watched him struggle to put together a wire kennel. Once he was done, he fitted it with the little bed that had a very big price tag, along with a Marauders blanket.

  Then he grinned at the dog. “Hey, Peanut. Isn’t this nice?”

  She hopped down and went to him, but she was a lot more interested in Erik holding her than she was the overpriced doggy bedroom.

  “You know she’s going to sleep with you,” Andie said dryly.

  “Yeah, but…” He stood and put his hands on his hips, staring down at Peanut with an expression that might have frightened a dog who didn’t already know he was a sap.

  “But what?” Andie shrugged. “She’ll get used to it and she’ll feel cozy in there while nobody’s home. Trust me.”

  “That’s not…” He laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not really worried about that.”

  Andie laughed so abruptly she startled Peanut. “You don’t know what to do with her when you want to have sex.”

  “It’s not funny.”

  “It is, a little.”

  He gave her the same scowl he’d given the dog. “This is a real problem.”

  “No, it’s not. Put her in there, give her a pat and tell her goodnight. Or that you’ll be back later.”

  “I’ll worry she’s lonely. Or crying.”

  “If you’re worried your spoiled dog is crying in her luxury memory foam bed, you’re not doing sex right.”

  His eyebrow arched as he gave her a wicked grin. “Is that a challenge?”

  Ten minutes later, Andie was naked in Erik’s bed and she was fairly confident the dog was the farthest thing from his mind.

  “I’ve missed you,” he growled against her bare breast, and she squirmed because the vibration tickled. “And I should warn you, nobody’s going to write songs about tonight because it’s been a freaking year and I have as much self-control as a teenager right now.”

  His words answered a question she hadn’t dared ask—even in her own mind—and she ran her fingernails up his back. “I’ve missed you, too. And this.”

  Erik did his best, she had to admit. He stroked every part of her. Tasted. He kissed her so thoroughly she forgot everything except his mouth on hers. And when he finally took her, his gaze locked with hers and all the emotions they weren’t expressing were there for her to see.

  I love you. It was in his eyes. In his touch. In the way he made sure every stroke pleased her. And she wanted him to say it—wanted to say the words to him—but she closed her eyes and focused on the sensations as they both found a much-needed release.

  When he’d disposed of the condom and hauled her into his arms, she scratched her fingernails lazily over his chest. He’d never been much of a talker after sex, but the way he held her and kissed her hair made her smile.

  But as his breathing slowed and his muscles started relaxing, Andie knew it was time to go. She didn’t want to spend the night because it would be awkward in the morning. They hadn’t talked about their relationship—past or present—and she didn’t know what this meant. They’d missed the sex. They’d missed each other’s company. But coming together again didn’t magically solve the issues that had driven them apart in the first place.

  When she pulled away, he stirred. “You should stay.”

  “I have to be at work early tomorrow.” She dropped a kiss on his shoulder before sliding out of bed. “I’ll take Peanut out before I go and then put her back in her kennel.”

  He made a sleepy sound. “I think she wants to sleep with me. Just let her back in and she’ll find me.”

  But she knew that once Erik fell asleep, he slept hard and Peanut couldn’t jump that high, so after taking her outside, Andie carried the little dog into the bedroom and set her on the bed. Peanut immediately went and nestled against Erik’s side, and Andie smiled and scratched her ears before dropping a kiss on Erik’s mouth and leaving.

  She was in so much trouble.

  Chapter Four

  “Tell me everything.” Chelsea leaned against the door jamb of Andie’s tiny office, holding her coffee mug. “And the first patient’s due in five minutes, so talk fast.”

  “Tell you what?”

  “Tell me about the giant bouquet of flowers on the reception desk addressed to you, from Erik Burke.”

  Andie didn’t really want to talk about it yet, if ever. Her body was still sore in all the best ways, but her heart was sore, too. Sleeping with Erik again was definitely a mistake. But it was a delicious mistake she was having trouble regretting.

  “We’ve gotten flowers from clients before,” she hedged.

  “Not flowers like that. And I saw the smile when you read the card. That was an I had great sex smile.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Talk faster.”

  “Fine, but if it leaves this room, I’ll never trust you again.” When Chelsea cro
ssed her heart, Andie sighed and then told her a very abridged version of the Erik Burke story.

  “Holy crap,” Chelsea whispered when she was done. “I can’t believe you almost moved into his house. Is it nice? I bet it’s nice.”

  “Since we have about forty-five seconds left, maybe focus less on his decor and more on the fact he broke my heart and yet I appear to be going back for more.”

  “Okay, I’m going to put the whole hockey thing in a box…for now.” Chelsea gave her a warm smile. “Are you going back for more because the sex is great and why not? Or are you going back for more because you’re not over him and maybe you still love him?”

  “I’m not over him. And I still love him. I don’t see myself ever not loving him.” Andie paused. “But also, the sex is great.”

  “I’m going to walk away now because I have a picture of the man on my wall. I wear his jersey. There’s no way this doesn’t get weird.” Chelsea straightened. “Also, I hate you a little bit right now.”

  Andie laughed as her friend walked away, not taking it personally. She’d had sex with a man half the women in Boston lusted after, so it was to be expected. But she was sure they didn’t fantasize about the reality of loving a professional athlete. It wasn’t all fast cars and orgasms.

  “Speak of the naughty devil,” she muttered to herself when her cell phone rang and his number showed on the screen. “Hello?”

  “Are you busy?”

  “I have a few minutes. Mrs. Coleman’s always late because she always thinks this is the day her cat won’t hide and will go straight into the carrier without a fight. What’s up?”

  “I got a little distracted last night and forgot, but I need to ask a huge favor of you. I wouldn’t, but I don’t have anybody else to ask except Kristen and she won’t do it.”

  “Do what?” His own sister not doing whatever it was for him sounded ominous.

  “I’ve got a road game—just an overnight—and I just found out the girl Kristen found to dog sit for me doesn’t do sleepovers. Is there any chance you can take Peanut for me? She really likes you.”