Puck Battles: A Complete Sports Romance Series

by Kristen Echo

A long stretch of silence followed. Jill clutched her phone and held her breath. She’d gambled on inviting herself over. Now, it seemed like a mistake.

  “It’s not a good time to talk. I’m on my way home for a rest, but you could come. Unless—”

  “I’d love to come to your place,” she said before he gave her a reason not to. “Give me the address and I’ll be there as quick as the taxi can get me there. I miss you.”

  The line was quiet. With each second her heart thundered and her faith in them diminished. If he didn’t want her anymore, she wished he’d just say it. Not knowing was driving her insane.

  “Jill, I will text you the address. See you soon.” He hung up.

  The abrupt ending sent her in a tailspin of doubt. Her phone beeped a moment later with his address. She stared at the device, unsure what to make of their conversation. Regardless of the fear bubbling in her gut, she needed answers.

  His place wasn’t far from the hotel. Only three minutes by foot. She practically ran, not wanting to waste a minute of time with him. Knowing he had a game to play in a few hours, he needed to rest. Her visit would be quick.

  His building was next to the river, and she waited anxiously for him to open the door. When he did, her heart raced. “Welcome,” he said, but didn’t reach for her. No hug or kiss. Nothing.

  She stepped inside and looked around. The loft was open and painted with bold colors. It didn’t look like a bachelor pad. One of the paintings in the entryway had been one she’d considered purchasing. Their tastes were so similar she smiled.

  “Your home is nice. How come you don’t live closer to your teammates? They mentioned the other night, most of them live near the University.” She sat on his couch, but he didn’t join her.

  He stood several feet away. The divide seemed as wide as the ocean. Luka stretched his arms above his head. A patch of skin poked from under his shirt.

  “I like to be at the pulse of a city. Living downtown gives me access to everything.” His hands rested on top of his head as he rocked on his heels. A nervous energy radiated between them. “Are you someone who prefers the city, suburbs or country?”

  “I’m a city girl at heart.” She stood and walked towards him. “Cutting the grass for hours doesn’t appeal to me. I like having all the conveniences within reach.” She placed her hand on his stomach and lifted his shirt, getting a better view of his six-pack.

  His hands remained glued to his hair as her fingers traced the outlines of his muscles. She followed the trail of hair to the top of his jeans. His body was so sexy. He’d told her no sex until the series was over, but surely, they could do other things. She wanted to test him and see if he still wanted her as badly as she wanted him.

  She pushed him backwards a few steps. He moved with her until his back hit the wall. She licked her lips and ran her fingers along the top of his briefs. Heat radiated from him, feeding her hunger.

  “I’m not here to steal your rest and relaxation time, but I had to see you. Did you miss me at all?” She dipped her thumb inside his underwear.

  His head collided with the wall and he groaned. “I miss you too much,” he admitted.

  “Then why are you avoiding me?” She gambled and undid his belt.

  He closed his eyes and kept his hands up. “Because you need space. After you left, I ahhh,” he moaned as she lowered his zipper and squeezed his cock. “I realized you are right. Patience isn’t my strength.”

  She loved the smooth skin in her hand. “I like hearing I’m right, but I’m not a patient person either,” she said, increasing the speed of her movements.

  “Don’t stop.” He thrust his hips against her hand. “You confuse me, and I can’t afford complications right now.”

  “What’s confusing?” She dropped to her knees, pulling down his pants and underwear at the same time.

  “Jill,” he breathed and widened his stance.

  “That I love you.” She licked the bead of precum from his tip and continued to stroke him. “That I can’t get enough of you.” Her eyes locked with his as she swallowed the crown.

  His hands dove into her hair, pulling her against him. “Keep going. More… take me,” he said, grinding his pelvis and forcing his penis down her throat.

  She inhaled and took as much as she could fit. He wasn’t even halfway in when he slammed against the back of her throat. Her gag reflexes protested but relaxed after a few minutes. She used her hands and her mouth to pleasure him. Luka shivered when she grazed him with her teeth. The harder she sucked and squeezed him, the more he moaned.

  “Get ready,” he announced seconds before the first splash hit her tongue. “Yes! Don’t stop.”

  She had no intention of stopping. Watching him come undone was heady. His body shook as he poured himself into her mouth. She swallowed every drop. Luka stared at her, pulling her hair in all directions while she licked him. His pleasure mingled with hers and she smiled.

  “Damn. That was amazing.” He smiled back and let go of her hair. “You realize if I win tonight, you’ll have to do that before each game.”

  She chuckled. “Gladly.”

  “If I lose, you won’t be coming near my cock until I have the Cup.” He pet her head, smoothing the rats nest he’d created.

  “Then you better not lose.” She lifted his pants and kissed his cock before tucking him away. Rising to her feet, she winked.

  He spun her around so her back hit the wall and then he kissed her. He devoured her lips. She opened, and their tongues circled and danced. His kiss filled all the silent moments they’d shared. He loved her. There was no more doubt and no more fear.

  “I love you,” she panted. “Please, don’t take my need to move slow as me not wanting you. That’s not the case.”

  He leaned on his forearms, caging her in. His dark eyes drilled into her. “This confuses me. Slow meaning what? Don’t touch you. Don’t tell you how I feel. I don’t—”

  She kissed him. Clutched his head in her hands and kissed him hard, bruising her lips and his. “Touch me. Love me. I want it all. By slow, I mean integrating our lives. Telling the world we’re together.”

  He closed his eyes, shutting her out. “I won’t be your secret.” Luka pushed off the wall, leaving her stunned.

  “I don’t want to keep us a secret.” She licked her lips, hoping to find moisture. There was none. “I need time to plan the best way to tell my family. I’m struggling with Rianne. She’s in a fragile place right now. I’m afraid what your introduction would do.”

  He shook his head. “The best plan is to be honest.”

  “You’re right.” She crossed the room and hugged him. “I’ll tell them. I promise. After the game, we’re heading home. But I’ll see you again in Montreal tomorrow. If you want to?”

  “Yes. Thank you,” he said, holding her close.

  Jill left a few minutes later with a spring in her step. There were many hard conversations ahead, but once it was all out in the open things would improve. They had to. These thoughts rooted in her brain for the next few hours as she hung out with her family.

  They made their way to the game. The same exhilaration and excitement filled the arena. Once the game started, her heart jumped into her throat. She watched as Luka pulverized Terry.

  It was a bloodbath.

  Each time the puck hit his stick, Luka slammed him into the boards. At one point in the third period, the two dropped their gloves and went at it. She couldn’t hear over the roar of the crowd. They exchanged words and were both sent to the penalty box. Both men stared at her as the minutes counted down. Her eyes bounced back and forth between them. Luka smirked, and Terry grimaced.

  It was his job to secure the puck and stop the opposition. Luka was an enforcer. He used his size to his advantage, but that was personal. The way he went after Terry was hard to stomach and Jill felt responsible.

  Winnipeg won. Luka was one step closer to the Stanley Cup. Only, his actions in the game caused her anguish. For the first time si
nce they’d met, she found something she didn’t like about him. She wasn’t sure what to do about that. It’s not like she could tell him to leave Terry alone. They were both fighting for the championship. She didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing.

  Chapter 15

  At the hotel, her life took another unexpected turn. Jill was rushing to get their bags in order when she accidentally knocked over her daughter’s backpack. Rianne hadn’t closed it all the way. Nothing fell out, but Jill noticed the box of condoms. Her eyes bugged out as she unzipped the bag and found even more disturbing things.

  Condoms were bad, but the bag of pills was horrific. Granted, there were only two pills, but her daughter had drugs in her possession. She scrambled to figure out when and how she might have come into possession of drugs. They’d been in the city for less than twenty-four hours.

  Other than the hour she’d left to see Luka, her teenager had been with her. “What are you doing?” Rianne closed the door to the hotel bedroom where the boys were playing with their grandparents.

  They were alone in the living area. Jill held up the two items with shaking hands. “What are you doing?”

  The girl’s face turned white as she snatched the items from her hands. “You’re going through my stuff. That’s so not cool.” She dropped to her knees and stuffed them back in her bag. “Why do you have to be so nosy?”

  Jill exhaled, trying to remain calm. “It’s my job as your mother to be nosy, but you make it easier when you leave your bag open. Talk to me. Please tell me you’re not using.”

  “Those aren’t what you think. It’s prescription; not X or anything dramatic,” she huffed, zipping her bag closed.

  “It’s not your prescription. Where did you get them?” She crossed her arms over her chest. This wasn’t something she could let slide. This was a cry for help. “I don’t care if we miss our flight. You will sit and tell me everything.”

  Rianne plopped down on the couch and buried her chin against her chest. “I made a friend here. When I complained about a headache and the flight home, he gave me those. It’s two little pills; not fifty. I wasn’t going to take them. Relax, Mom.”

  Relax. The word sounded foreign to her. She’d been on edge from the game and this only added to her stress. “My girl, it’s not okay to take pills.” She sank onto the cushion next to her daughter. “Who is this boy? Tell me about the condoms.”

  “Shouldn’t you be happy I’m being safe,” Rianne mumbled.

  Jill’s eyes scrunched shut at the thought of her daughter having sex. “The box wasn’t full. Have you… are you sexually active?”

  Crickets sounded as Rianne chewed her nails.

  “No judgment or punishments will follow this conversation.” She tucked one leg under her and faced her daughter. “Be honest with me. Do you have a boyfriend?”

  “No. Not right now, but…” Rianne dropped her hands to her legs and rubbed them. “I mean, Rex is a friend. We haven’t known each other long, but I like him. He’s a little older, but it doesn’t matter. He makes me feel special. How do you know when it’s the right time to… like give someone something?”

  Never. It would never be the right time, she wanted to scream but didn’t. “Like how much older? You are only sixteen. When you’re in love and graduated college, I am pretty sure—”

  “Mom, I’m not a virgin,” she exclaimed. “It’s been over a year. I was asking when the right time is to offer help without offending.”

  This fact cut her like a knife. A year. Probably around the same time she’d kicked Terry out. She swallowed hard, trying to digest this information. “Okay,” she exhaled. “What kind of help are you offering and why would this person be offended? You need to give me more details.”

  Rianne sat back. “He’s probably the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. His situation is tragic, and I want to help him. He lives on the streets. Like homeless. He wants to get out of Winnipeg, like yesterday, but has nowhere to go.”

  “And you want to offer him a place in Montreal? That’s not a wise move,” she answered honestly.

  Rianne was always bringing home stray cats as a kid, but this was very different.

  “Maybe. I don’t know.” She knotted her fingers. “We met earlier this week, and I saw him again today. He’s hiding. He looks so lost and sad. It’s like I know exactly how he feels.” Her long hair hung like a veil, covering her face. She huffed and blew some strands away from her eyes. “I’m sorry I said those things to you. I’m just so frustrated with my life.”

  Jill hugged her. “I love you so much. You have such a big heart. We need to get out of here and catch our flight, but next time we come to the city, I promise we’ll find him. Together, we’ll see what we can do to make his living situation better.”

  “Thank you.” Rianne smiled and stood. “You can throw the pills out. I swear I wasn’t going to swallow them, but it was rude not to accept them.”

  Jill grabbed the bag off the floor and snatched the pills from inside. “I’ll get rid of them. Anytime, and I mean any time, you want to talk I’m here for you.”

  “Fine. That game was brutal. How do you think Dad is holding up?” Her daughter asked, changing the subject.

  They joined the rest of the Manor family in the bedroom and discussed the beating they’d witnessed on the ice. She wasn’t the only one who’d noticed, and that made it even worse. How the hell was she supposed to tell these people the man who attacked Terry was her new boyfriend? Without knowing it, Luka had made her job impossible.

  Jill turned her phone off and avoided everyone.

  When she arrived home in Montreal, there were over a dozen missed calls. Terry needed to speak with her and so did Luka. She was too tired to deal with them. She turned her phone off again and exhaustion lulled her to sleep.

  The next day, she left her phone off. Nothing good would come from answering those calls.

  Terry wanted her to soothe his aches and pains. After a big loss, he got increasingly needy. His ego needed stroking, but she wasn’t prepared to do it. He’d have to find something else.

  She avoided Luka because she’d broken her promise. He didn’t want to be a secret, and he deserved more. She was too much of a coward to face him. He had a game to play the next night, and he was due to arrive within the hour. She had no idea what to do.

  Using the house line, she called her best friend. She closed the door to her office and sank into the chair. “Talk me off the ledge,” she said.

  Leonora laughed. “I don’t hear from you for days and this is my greeting. Well, hello.”

  “I took your advice and I’m freaking out. So, that guy I told you about, Luka.”

  “Refresh my memory,” her friend teased. “Is that the young stud who rocked your world?”

  “That’s him.” She leaned over her desk and smacked her forehead against the wood. “Well, turns out he plays in the NHL. Did you catch the game last night?”

  “OMG. You’re dating Luka Pedlanski.” A sharp intake of air followed. “FML. That man is gorgeous. Boy, did he have it out for your ex. Did you guys break up or something? Is that why he was so aggressive?”

  “Fuck! You noticed that too,” she huffed. “No, we’re still together. For now.”

  “Hold up. Give me a second to create some privacy.” A door closed, and Leonora sighed. “Why for now? Tell me your issues and I’ll sort them out.”

  Jill checked the clock, and it was mid-day. “Sorry to bother you at work.”

  “No bother. I love helping you,” she said. “For the record, Luka Pedlanski is so much hotter than what I pictured when you described your twenty-something hottie. Bravo. Now, dish.”

  “He wants me to tell Terry and the kids about our relationship.” She kept her head down as she spoke. The cold surface did little to cool her. “A reasonable request. I promised I’d tell them, but after last night how can I do that? Oh, hey everybody, that hockey player who came close to ripping daddy’s head off, yeah so I love
him and want to have his babies.”

  Her friend coughed. A short choking fit ensued. “You love him?”

  “I do,” she sighed. “It’s ridiculously sudden and unexpected, and I am beyond smitten. When I’m with him, I know he’s the one. His intensity is exactly what I’ve been missing. It’s insane right. Like I said, talk me off the ledge because I’m going to jump.”

  Laughter filled the line. “Jump! Go ahead, jump,” Leonora yelled. “I haven’t heard you sound this alive in… well let’s not go there.” She tapped her nails against her desk and chuckled. “Of all the men in the world, you would find another driven, insanely hot, millionaire. Where is the justice?”

  Jill laughed. “You’re the richest woman I know.”

  “How so?”

  She had to move. Rising from her chair, she paced the office. “You are madly and crazy in love with your husband. He looks at you like you are the most important person on this planet. That’s exactly how Luka looks at me. I don’t understand what he sees in me,” she admitted.

  “As far as love goes, yeah I’m a lucky bitch. With great love comes great responsibilities,” she said in a mocking tone, but Jill didn’t laugh. “In all seriousness, you’re ready for this. You’re a single, successful business woman whose ready to bring a partner into her world. It’s not ideal that your ex, repeat ex, and your new man are battling one another. But that’s not your problem. Don’t own that. You are only responsible for you and the kids.”

  “Me and the kids,” she repeated. If she removed hockey from the equation, her hesitation lessened. It wasn’t gone completely, but it wasn’t a mountain to overcome.

  “I bet they’ll all love him after they get over the whole rivalry thing,” she joked.

  This time she laughed with her. “I love you. You’re right; as always. The hockey season is almost over, then I’ll sit everyone down and spill the beans. Gotta go and tell my boyfriend the good news.”

  What he did on the ice had nothing to do with her. Once she put that into perspective, she couldn’t wait to see him. She called her in-laws. They’d moved to every city their son played. Having them around had always been a blessing. They were great people, but they catered to Terry’s whims a little too much. They had created a monster who never heard no and always got his way. Spoiled was one word to describe her ex. On the plus side, they mostly said yes to her as well and agreed to come over and watch TJ. He was mid-nap. The other two wouldn’t be home for another hour. She called Luka next.