Hammer & Nails

by Large, Andria

  “Fuck you,” I hiss at them.

  My dad chuckles and shakes his head.

  Nolan rolls his eyes. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  Nolan holds his hand out to me and I immediately take it. He leads us down into the belly of the Gardens, giving us a little tour on the way to the locker rooms, but I don’t hear a word he says. The only thing I can think of is what I’m going to say to Roman so I don’t look like a dumbass.

  We stop outside a pair of double doors. Above the door there is a sign saying Boston Bruisers Locker Room. Oh my god! I think I’m gonna be sick. No! There will be no throwing up, Harley! Oh my God, I have to take a selfie with the locker room doors in the background. I quickly pull out my phone and snap a pic.

  “Hang here a sec,” Nolan says and disappears through the doors.

  I turn to my brothers and dad. “Holy shit! Do I look okay?” I ask, frantically smoothing down my hair.

  “You look fine, sweetheart,” my dad assures me.

  “You need to relax, Har,” Nate says.

  “Relax?” I squawk. “I’ll show you relaxed.”

  I take a swing at Nate but he ducks out of the way, laughing.

  “Alright, alright, that’s enough,” my dad grunts, grabbing me by the back of my jersey and pulling me away from Nate.

  The doors open and I freeze. Nolan steps out followed by a half-naked Roman Borovsky. The guy is huge, like 6’5”, 240 pounds of muscle. His dark hair is wet and tousled; pieces of it are hanging down into his dark brown eyes. His jaw’s square and scruffy. He has a spattering of small scars on his ruggedly handsome face from being hit with pucks and skates and sticks and being slammed into the boards over the years. His bare upper body is what one would expect of an athlete - cut and toned, but not too bulky because he still needs to be able to move quickly. He has a towel slung over his shoulder, making me realize that he probably just got out of the shower. Drool.

  “Roman, these are some friends of mine…” Nolan says, introducing Roman to my dad and brothers first. “…And this is Harley.”

  Roman’s eyes land on me and he smiles the lopsided grin that he always wears in pictures. I’m struck speechless as he holds out his hand. I slip my smaller hand into his bear paw and stare up at him.

  “Hi,” he says.

  I swallow hard and open my mouth to try and form words but only a high-pitched squeaking noise comes out. Oh god, I’m fucking this up.

  “She’s a huge fan of yours, Roman.” Nolan smirks and shoves his hands in his pockets.

  Roman never takes his eyes off me. “Is that so?” he asks with a slight Russian accent.

  I nod fervently as I try to collect myself.

  He chuckles. “Well, it’s always nice to meet such a huge fan,” he says.

  He finally tears his dark gaze away from me and glances around at Nolan, my dad, and my brothers. I pull in a deep breath to try to calm myself. Come on, Harley! Stop acting like an ass!

  “You guys look like a fun crowd. A few of us are going out; do you want to join us?” Roman asks, his eyes landing back on me.

  I hear a round of excited yesses from my brothers and my dad. Nolan gives a nonchalant shrug and says that he’s game.

  “And what about you, Harley? Do you want to go out with me?” Roman asks with that damn crooked grin.

  I blink up at him. That was a weird way to word it. It sounds like he’s asking me out on a date, which is just ridiculous. It must be because he’s Russian, he probably just words things differently.

  I nod. “Yeah, sure,” I reply, finally able to find my voice.

  “Great. Let me finish getting dressed and grab the other guys, then we can go,” he says, sending me a wink before turning and disappearing through the double doors.

  I glance at Nolan to find him frowning after Roman. I don’t get the chance to dwell on the why too much before my brothers and my dad start talking animatedly about how we’re getting this once in a lifetime chance to hang out with some of our favorite hockey players. I, of course, can’t help but join in.

  ~ Nolan ~

  I am really not liking Roman right now. We’ve been at the bar for an hour already and he’s been monopolizing every second of Harley’s time. We are at a table in the back of the bar. Roman somehow stuck Harley between him and Marc Hancock, one of the teams’ defensemen. And Roman has been all over her. Flirting and teasing and slinging his arm around her shoulders. I’m sitting adjacent to him at the end of the table, biting my fucking tongue. Harley seems to be enjoying herself, so who am I to stop her? We’re not officially together. If she wants to fuck a famous hockey player then that’s her decision.

  I sit back in my chair, drink my beer, and brood. This is not what I expected to happen when I decided to introduce her to some players. I thought that it would get me some brownie points with Harley, not have her stolen from me. She’s barely looked my way since we got here, which fucking hurts more than I would like to admit.

  Roman laughs heartily at something Harley says then plants a kiss on her cheek. Harley flushes bright red and I’ve had about enough. I shove out of my seat, snatch up my beer and head for the bar. I feel multiple eyes on me as I walk away, but I don’t really care at the moment.

  I find an open space at the bar and clunk my bottle down. I lean against the bar, my back to the table where my woman is being schmoozed by a guy I can’t compete with. I finish off my beer and order a couple of shots.

  A hand claps me on the back after I down my second shot. I glance to my right just as Nate leans against the bar next to me.

  “What are you doing?” he asks.

  “What does it look like? I’m drinking,” I grumble.

  “No, I mean, what are you doing letting Roman hang all over Harley like that?” Nate says.

  “Not really my place to intervene.” I shrug.

  “Bullshit,” Nate snaps.

  I shake my head. “We’re not really together, Nate. And if she doesn’t want him hanging all over her then she will tell him. But it’s obvious that she’s soaking in all of the attention he’s giving her.”

  “That’s because she’s being a stupid star struck girl. We both know what he really wants.”

  I grit my teeth. Yeah, I fucking know exactly what he wants. And knowing Roman, he usually gets what he wants.

  “That’s Harley’s decision,” I murmur, praying like hell that she doesn’t leave with him.

  “Dude, what the fuck? You were just talking about how much you like her and you’re just going to let her go?” Nate asks angrily.

  I turn to face him. “It doesn’t matter how I feel, Nate. If she doesn’t feel the same way about me then what is there to fight for?”

  “Man, I know she feels the same. She’s just a little blinded right now because she’s had a crush on him for years.”

  “And now he’s giving her the time of day, so where do you think that’s going to lead?”

  Nate frowns and glances toward the table. “Just because you guys haven’t talked about being a couple, doesn’t mean that you can’t put your foot down and put a stop to this nonsense.”

  I shake my head and motion to the bartender for another shot. “I’m not going to make a fool of myself because she obviously doesn’t care as much about me as I had thought.”

  Nate makes an aggravated noise before stomping away and leaving me to drown my sorrows in the bottom of a bottle.

  ~ Harley ~

  I excuse myself from the table, saying that I have to use the bathroom, but in all honesty, I’m feeling completely smothered and overwhelmed. I find the bathroom at the back of the bar and down a little hallway. I shut myself inside and sigh heavily. I go over to the sink and look in the mirror. What the hell am I doing? I’ve been so caught up in Roman’s flirting that I’ve completely blown off Nolan, who was thoughtful enough to introduce me to my favorite player. His storming away from the table with that hurt expression on his face was like a bucket of ice water over my head.

 
; Roman is nice and all, and it’s kinda crazy that he seems to like me, but I’m not stupid. I know that he just wants to get another groupie in bed. I know all about his prowess off the ice. When my brothers said that I stalk the guy, well, I do. Or should I say - did. Ever since Nolan came along and stole my heart, I really haven’t kept up with Roman like I used to. I think I should leave. Yeah, I’m gonna grab Nolan and tell him to take me home.

  I straighten my shoulders, fix my hair a little bit, and head for the door. When I step out into the hallway, I see Roman leaning against the opposite wall. When he sees me, he pushes off the wall and comes toward me.

  “Hi.” He smiles.

  “Hey,” I reply.

  He stops in front of me. He’s so freaking tall that I have to crane my neck back to look up at him. His fingers brush my cheek as he tucks a piece of hair behind my ear.

  “I was thinking that maybe you and I could get out of here,” he murmurs softly.

  Before I can reply, his lips cover mine. Holy shit! Roman Borovsky is kissing me! If this had happened about three months ago, I would have been over the moon. But now, all I can think is that he’s not Nolan. His lips are not as soft as Nolan’s. And the height difference is just ridiculous! His tongue slides along the seam of my lips, asking for entrance. I quickly break the kiss and back up a couple of steps.

  Roman looks at me in confusion.

  “I’m sorry, Roman. I can’t.”

  “Why not?” he asks.

  “You’re not the one that I want.” I sigh, shaking my head.

  Roman frowns. “You have a boyfriend?”

  “Technically, no. But I’ve been seeing someone, and I really think that I’m falling for him. I’ve been a real bitch to him tonight.”

  Roman’s eyebrows shoot up. “Who are you talking about? Nolan?”

  I nod.

  Roman barks out a laugh. “What are you doing with Nolan? That guy is a pompous dick. Daddy’s little bitch.”

  My angry boils up so quickly that I don’t even have time to think about what I’m doing. My fist shoots out and connects with Roman’s crotch. Air whooshes out from his lungs as he doubles over and grabs himself.

  “Don’t you ever talk about Nolan like that in front of me again. Got it fuckface?” I bark.

  He groans and nods.

  “Good,” I sneer.

  I turn on my heel and stomp back to the table. All heads turn to look at me when I stop next to the table. I look at Roman’s teammates. “I punched Roman in the balls; you might want to get him some ice.”

  Their stunned glances at each other soon turn into roars of laughter. I turn to my dad and brothers who are also laughing.

  “I’m gonna go before he comes back to the table. See you guys later,” I say and give them each a kiss on the cheek.

  “You taking Nolan with you?” my dad asks, giving me an expectant look.

  I smile. “Yes.”

  He nods. “Good girl. Get outta here.”

  I give his shoulder a squeeze before making my way over to the bar where Nolan is leaning heavily against it. I’m actually kind of surprised that he stuck around. He throws back a shot and hisses as he sets the glass back on the bar. I come up next to him, placing my hand on his lower back. His drunken gaze meets mine.

  “Oh, hey, baby, can you see me now?” he drawls.

  I sigh. “I’m sorry, Nolan.”

  He scoffs and shakes his head.

  “Can we get out of here?” I ask him.

  He lifts an eyebrow in surprise. “What about Roman? I figured you’d be leaving with him.”

  I frown. “No, Nolan. I want to leave with you.”

  He watches me for a minute as if he’s trying to decide what to do. Finally, he pulls his wallet out of his back pocket, pulls out a hundred dollar bill, and places it on the bar. He shoves his wallet back in his pocket and motions for me to lead the way.

  When we get outside, I hold my hand out. “Keys.”

  Nolan looks at me like I’m crazy. “What? No.”

  “You’re drunk.”

  “Fuck,” he grunts and digs his car key out of his front pocket. He slaps them into my waiting hand.

  “Thank you.”

  He just hums in response.

  We climb into his BMW and I start the car. I look over at him through the darkness of the car. “Want to stay at my place tonight?”

  Nolan sends me a small smile. “Sure.”

  The thirty-minute drive to my house is silent except for the sound of Nolan’s soft snoring. I’ve barely pulled out of the parking spot and he is out like a light. The whole way home, I debate with myself about whether or not to tell Nolan about Roman kissing me. I pull into my driveway and shut the car off. I turn slightly to look over at Nolan. I have to tell him. It will bug me to no end if I don’t. Mind made up, I pat Nolan’s thigh. He pulls in a deep breath as he rouses.

  “We’re here,” I tell him.

  His sleepy eyes blink at me through the darkness. “Where?”

  I smirk. “My house.”

  Nolan nods. “Oh, right.”

  We get out of the car and I lock it. As we walk up to my front door, Nolan’s hand finds mine. I can’t help but smile. I was afraid that I might have messed things up between us tonight. I can’t believe I got so…blinded. It’s not every day a guy you’ve fantasized about for years actually flirts with you and shows interest in you. Especially someone like me, who usually gets seen as just one of the guys.

  Nolan follows me inside. I turn on some lights as he shuts and locks the door. He looks around with a pleasantly surprised look on his face. “This is nice.”

  “Thanks,” I say.

  My house is small; it’s a two-bedroom ranch style, but most of it has been completely reno’d. I only have a few things left that I want to do. It’s just me, so I don’t need a huge space. And I’ve been taking my time with the renovations, working on it whenever I have some free time.

  I go into the kitchen and grab a bottle of water out of the fridge. I bring it out into the living room to Nolan, who has gotten cozy on my favorite brown leather recliner. I hand him the water. He takes it and cracks it open. After taking a long swig, he looks up at me.

  “Thank you,” he murmurs.

  I nod then take a seat on the coffee table in front of him. “Nolan, I need to tell you something.”

  Nolan’s brows furrow. He definitely doesn’t look as drunk now. “Okay?”

  I take a deep breath and put on my big girl panties. If we are going to be together, then I want there to be no secrets between us. Only honesty. I’m not good at lying or hiding things from people I care about, even if I don’t know how the other person is going to react.

  “Back at the bar…when I went to the bathroom, Roman was waiting for me when I came out. He proposed that we leave and then he kissed me.”

  I hold my breath and wait for Nolan to respond.

  ~ Nolan ~

  “Roman kissed you?” I ask, making sure that I heard her right.

  I’m not as drunk as I was when we left the bar, but I’m still feeling the alcohol in my veins. I grip the arms of the chair as the fury over another man putting his mouth on my woman’s mouth builds.

  “Yes,” she whispers.

  I can see that she’s scared and nervous of my reaction. I take a minute to think about this. It’s not like she cheated because we’re not together, we’re just fucking. And yet, she felt like she had to tell me when she could have easily kept this to herself and not had to worry about how I would react. She also left with me, not him.

  “Did you kiss him back?” I ask quietly because I just need to know.

  Harley frowns. “Not exactly. I just kinda stood there until he tried to stick his tongue in my mouth then I pulled away.”

  I white knuckle the arms of the chair. “Goddammit!” I shout and shoot to my feet, unable to hold it back. I pace away, one hand on my hip while I shove the other into my hair. That fucking asshole! Who the hell does he thi
nk he is? Does he think that every woman is going to just fall at his feet? When I turn back around to face her, I’m caught off guard by how upset she looks. She actually looks like she’s on the verge of tears. My anger diminishes slightly.

  “Shit, I’m not mad at you, Harley. I’m just pissed off that some other guy had his hands and mouth all over you.”

  “Why?” she asks quietly, her green eyes lifting to meet mine.

  “What do you mean ‘why?’” I reply incredulously.

  What the hell? Does she not know what she means to me? Obviously not.

  “I mean exactly what I asked. Why does it piss you off that some other guy kissed me? You’re not my boyfriend. Why do you even care?”

  I grit my teeth and advance on her. I grab her by her upper arms and yank her to her feet. Her beautiful green eyes widen and her delicious pink lips part as she gasps. I lower my face to hers so that our eyes are locked on each other’s and my lips brush hers when I speak.

  “That changes right now. I care a lot about you, Harley. You’re mine and no one else can have you,” I rasp then fuse our mouths together.

  Harley moans and grips the front of my shirt. She pulls me closer and I slip my arms around her as our kiss becomes more heated. We stumble our way over to the couch as we rip each other’s clothes off. We fall naked onto the couch with her under me. I quickly put on a condom then go back to kissing her. Harley cries out against my mouth as I bury myself deep inside of her. Her hands claw at my ass and thighs, trying to pull me deeper, but I don’t think it’s possible.

  I drag my mouth down her neck and chest until I get to her breasts. Using one hand, I cup the soft flesh and push it up so that I can pull her nipple into my mouth while I pound into her, taking her hard and fast. Harley lets out a strangled cry and arches her back. Her hand finds my hair and she holds my head to her breast. After a minute, I move to her other nipple.

  “Nolan!” she cries and it’s like fucking music to my ears.

  She yanks my hair, forcing me to bring my face back up to hers.

  “Fuck.” I gasp and capture her lips again.