Hot on Ice: A Hockey Romance Anthology

by Avery Flynn

  While he turned to say goodbye to William, Savannah squished up her tiny nose and mouthed Rain check? All of a sudden Cooper felt a million times better about his prospects.

  “Then there were three,” Cooper said, stuffing hands into his pants pockets. He rocked on the balls of his feet and smiled at the two Scotts. “Should we drink first, or just get down to business?”

  “You had your chance,” Savannah said over William’s, “There is nothing here that concerns you.”

  Coop started with Savannah. “Actually, I didn’t.” Then to William, “When the subject concerns my father, you’re god damned right it concerns me.”

  He somehow managed to keep his tone quiet and smile on full power for the curious watchers surrounding them.

  William leaned toward him, voice practically inaudible. “You don’t want to mess with me, son.”

  “Or what? You’ll produce those nondisclosure documents I signed? Oh wait, I never signed them.”

  “It’s your word against mine.”

  “And Helena’s,” he countered.

  A spark lit up William’s eyes. “Don’t be so sure.”

  “Quit it,” Savannah hissed.

  Cooper followed her gaze to where they'd begun gathering more attention. No doubt someone had heard the word "nondisclosure," and all conversation screeched to a halt.

  Taking a deep breath, she smoothed her clothes. “Obviously, neither of you are capable of polite conversation. We need to take this elsewhere.”

  “‘We’ are doing no such thing,” William said, signaling for the check. “I have nothing to say.”

  “Look at me, Daddy.” She sounded dangerous using cool, calm tones. William must have thought so too because he froze to do as she asked. “We can continue this here, or go somewhere private. But we’re having this discussion, and that’s final.”

  Cooper had never seen this side of Savannah before, and to be honest, it turned him on in very unexpected ways. Maybe if she'd applied this method to him last night, he'd have been more forthcoming, instead of hem-hawing around for the sake of the other people involved.

  Now that he thought about it, what the hell had he been thinking? Give her parents a chance to save face? William wouldn't give Cooper the same respect, that was evident. He'd jacked things up with Savannah for no reason at all.

  A server brought William the check in a black book, and shaking his head, chuckling derisively, he motioned for the young woman to give it to Cooper instead.

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Savannah said. “I’ll pay it if—”

  "Someone's got to pay for ruining our lovely evening," her dad said. "Sure as hell won't be us."

  “It’s fine,” Cooper said, throwing a fifty-dollar bill into the book after only a quick glance to make sure the check would be covered. “Now can we—?”

  “No,” William said. “It’s none of your business, and I’m sorry Savannah, but it isn’t yours either.” He strode around the table and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”

  Savannah and Cooper stared after her father who skirted around tables set up in a pattern unforgiving to any manner of quick escape.

  “Did he…?” Savannah looked at him with wide eyes. “He just blow me off.”

  “He’s probably ashamed for his part in the whole thing,” he offered. Not that William deserved an excuse.

  “Well that’s just”—she snatched up her clutch purse—“awesome. Wasted a whole hour. Could have been home working.” She looked up at him, but it was clear by the frustrated tone that a wall would do in his place. She was pretty much just ranting at this point. “West comes home tonight. Could have had him over, but now it’s probably too late to ask.”

  Shock zipped up Cooper’s spine. “West Parrish?” The mention of his old friend—who he hadn’t talked to since their first year in college—pricked him with curiosity. Then a worse thought occurred to him. “Are you—? You’re not—? Are you dating Parrish?”

  The heel of her palm clicked against her forehead as she rolled her eyes. “West Parrish is gay. He’s also my writing partner. You’d know that if you cared to keep up your friends.”

  What the fuck alternate universe did he walk into? Parrish was gay. Savannah had grown a hot as hell backbone. Josh was turning the house inside out. All of them with goals; he could only assume Parrish’s aligned with Savannah’s. But one thing he’d noticed was that everyone had both eyes on the future that survived beyond the next week.

  Now that he’d won the Cup, what about Cooper? Where was he supposed to go from here? He honestly hadn’t given a single thought past returning home and getting Savannah back.

  Cooper blinked away the fog building in his head to find Savannah already on her way out. He went after her and pushed through the front doors on damn near a sprint, only to come to a halt at the sight of rain. Not just any rain. A downpour. It crashed down past the overhang, turning the day’s end a dark gray.

  Savannah stood at the far right edge, blinking out at the unstoppable weather. Nose pinched with indecision. Already her hair had taken on a mildly frizzy edge even though not a single drop had touched her.

  Cooper approached her with caution. He knew she was aware of his presence the second her shoulders tensed.

  “I’m so damn sorry, Savannah Jane.”

  A fire ignited in her eyes. "I don't think you know what you have to be sorry about."

  She turned and strode down the sidewalk. Right into the rain. Her pink silk blouse became a second skin and revealed the shape of her bra. Cooper thought he could see the tiny shape of flowers dotting white.

  He followed her into the downpour and threw his suit jacket over her shoulders. It wouldn’t shield her from the rain, but it would protect her modesty.

  “It’s not that I don’t know what I’m sorry for,” he said. “It’s just that I don’t know where or how to begin. I only know where it ends. I love you. I never stopped.”

  Savannah slowed to a standstill and looked up at Cooper, urging her astonishment to stay put. The last thing she needed was to show him any give in her exterior. Maybe she loved him, and it felt wonderful to know that he still loved her, but none of it erased what happened.

  Rainwater dripped off his nose and coated his dark lashes. His lips twitched as if preparing for a victory smile. What he had to be so smug about was anyone’s guess.

  “You have to stop, Cooper,” she said, using her levelest tone.

  “Stop what?”

  She laughed without mirth. Stuck her hands on her hips. "Stop trying to sidetrack me with charm and affection." She pointed at the glass doors leading to the bar and restaurant. "Did you see that guy I had in there? The epitome of southern charm. You? Not so much."

  “Are you trying to make me jealous? Because it’s working.”

  A frustrated groan charged up her throat. “You’re wasting my time.”

  Savannah resumed her path to the parking lot, super annoyed by the rain and her follower and the lion's den that awaited her. William Scott often forgot that his daughter wasn't the pushover she appeared to be. Yes, she'd much rather go home and curl up in bed. Binge a few feel-good romance movies. But continuing to ignore it only gave her daddy a stronger foundation.

  “Where are you going, Savannah Jane?”

  “I’m off to get the truth, of course.”

  “Your mom and my dad had an affair.”

  Savannah threw her stride into reverse, shock ringing through her so hard and fast she thought her heart might explode. “What did you say?”

  Cooper stared down at her approaching heels, hands tucked into his pockets, white shirt plastered opaquely to his incredible chest. “There was an affair. I guess it was pretty serious because it went on for a few years.”

  No wonder her daddy hadn’t wanted to talk about it. An affair like that would have been the ultimate humiliation. Yet she was still stuck on one other fact. One she wasn’t sure she could forgive. “You knew?”


  His eyes lifted to meet hers. “Keeping all this from you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, second only to leaving you behind.”

  She combed through her drenched hair and paced away. Spun back to stare blindly at his ruined shoes. “I can’t believe this.”

  “There’s more,” he said, then blinked skyward. “But can we get out of this weather?”

  Numb, she nodded. But where to? Back inside the bar wasn’t an option. His house? The scene of the crime? Or so she assumed. Her apartment seemed the only place to go at this point.

  “My car’s just over here,” she said.

  Cooper kept no more than two steps behind her. Quiet for once, letting her come to terms with all she'd just learned. How there could be more on top of that, she couldn't fathom.

  The longer she thought about it, the angrier she became at her daddy. How could he keep this from her? How had he managed to wield it in such a way that sent Cooper running? These men were supposed to be the ones keeping her safe and happy, yet she's done nothing but doubt herself. Put herself last. All for them.

  Savannah let Cooper into her apartment ten minutes later, flipping a switch that turned on the lamps bookending her love seat.

  He glanced curiously around her cozy apartment, and she filled with anxiety. She tried to keep it clean and welcoming. Even if she hadn't been raised otherwise, tidy in a small place like this was a must. Of course, there was no telling what she'd left lying around before she left. She'd been known to toss a bra or two around in a fit of discomfort and profound laziness.

  She breathed easy at the sight, though. Just a china mug of now-cold herbal tea on the coffee table in front of the love seat. The small couch took up half the room and barely left room for the ginormous matching chair in one corner. Her throw blankets were folded neatly and pillows arranged in corners. Everything in soft shades of pink and lavender on white. The occasional green to liven things up.

  The only items out of place were the keyboard and acoustic guitar on the stand. Things her daddy casually dismissed during every visit to her home.

  Cooper cleared his throat, drawing her attention to their wet clothes. They were dripping all over her carpet.

  “Shoot. To the bathroom with you,” she said, ushering him through her bedroom to the full bath. “You can toss your clothes in the dryer.”

  His voice echoed in the tiled room on the other side of the cracked door. “What should I wear in the meantime?”

  She should have thought this through better. “Clean towels in the cupboard.”

  He passed her one through the slit in the door. “I don’t have a single color in my apartment,” he said, probably commenting on the rainbow of colored towels. “It’s totally not me.”

  Savannah didn’t know why, but this made her sad. Color was a necessary ingredient in her life.

  Making sure he was safely behind the door where he couldn’t see her, she stripped out of her wet clothes to dry off. “Is your life in New Orleans as colorless as your apartment?”

  “I don’t go out much,” he said. “I do a lot of takeout and reading.”

  She turned to her closet and yanked her favorite pair of James Perse linen pants off their hanger. “But you date.”

  It wasn't a question. She'd seen and heard the stories having kept up with his career. But now that she'd said it, she wasn't at all sure she wanted the details. The few times they'd been "off" in school, she'd been insanely jealous. He had too for that matter. It never took long for one or both of them to realize they'd rather be together, and after high school had ended, they were a constant thing. Until he left for New Orleans, that is.

  “I date,” Cooper confirmed. “Sometimes they’re even real.”

  “As opposed to…?”

  “Being photographed in the same room with a supermodel pretending to laugh at my jokes.”

  Standing in front of her closet in nothing but her undergarments, she flushed with fresh ire brought on by just the mere recall. Savannah remembered that particular model shot perfectly. It had her steamed up for at least two weeks. She could watch his games and read his interviews, and everything else… His dating life? She just couldn't employ the grace she wished she could.

  “You decent?” he asked.

  “Hold on.” She focused her attention on her fingers as they tied the drawstring on her pants. Another half-minute later, she tugged on a white camisole. “Okay. Decent.”

  Cooper exited the bathroom limned in vanity lights, swathed in nothing but a cream-colored towel. He paused in the doorway, giving her ample time to take in what the years had done to his chiseled, bare chest and arms. That V-shaped torso was far more pronounced than she'd originally thought. She'd loved the suit, but... She had never seen anything like this. Not in real life, anyway.

  With a sheepish grin, he waggled his wet clothes. “Show me where the dryer is?”

  Picking her tongue up off the floor, she rushed forward to take his things. "It's just back in here," she said, pointing in the bathroom.

  He never left the doorway. Instead, he turned to allow her by, eyes focused solely on her lips. And lower to her cleavage. Finally coming to rest on her eyes.

  She took her time scooting by, taking in the smell of rain on his warm skin. Enjoying the way their bodies gave off an almost electrical charge. Wondering briefly if he wore anything under that towel. Praying he did. Hoping he didn't.

  “Sorry,” he breathed. “Didn’t occur to me that the dryer would be in the bathroom.”

  She shrugged and opened a second cabinet containing a small stackable washer-dryer combo. "This is how us little folk live."

  “I don’t see any little folk.”

  The admiration—and dare she say it?—desire in his tone brought the hair to standing on the back of her neck. Jesus, she had to shake him off. With all the talking they still had to do, the last thing they needed was to get physical.

  Savannah got another look at him on the way out and decided the only way she’d survive the night was to cover his chest too. It was too much. Much much too much.

  Tearing through a T-shirt drawer, she found what she was looking for and tossed it over. “It’s yours.”

  And she hoped he’d let her keep it. It was her favorite sleep shirt.

  Cooper held out the blue Top Gun shirt and grinned. “I wondered where this disappeared to.”

  She probably should have headed out to make tea or something, but watching him shove his arms into the sleeves and thumb the neck over his head held her rapt. The way his muscles flexed and lengthened made her mouth water and throat go dry as a desert.

  It was obvious about a quarter through the endeavor that all the added muscle ensured she’d get the shirt back.

  Laughing, he tugged on the hem. She could still make out every line of muscle. “I think it’s about two sizes too small now.”

  Not that she was complaining. Swallowing a sigh of appreciation for the view, she started by him. “Drink? Is tea okay, or should I break out the heavy stuff?”

  Cooper grabbed her by a wrist and pulled her into his arms. Before she could voice a complaint, he cupped her head and slanted his hot mouth over hers.

  The kiss was like coming across a scent that reminded her of her grandmother’s fresh cut grass or the gardens she used to hide in growing up. Coming across those things were new to the moment, but also filled with happy memories. That’s what it was like kissing Cooper.

  It was also confusing. She was still angry, and never felt more at odds. She incorporated those feelings into the kiss. Using the anger in the stroke of her tongue against his. In the hard press of her mouth. But loved him in the gentle kisses in between. The soft moans of pleasure.

  He pulled away first, leaving her with one final, soft kiss. “Sorry. I’m not sure why I did that.”

  She knew why. It was pressed against her hip and answering the question of what lay under that towel: nothing at all.

  Cold splash of reality time.

  Easi
ng out of his arms, she said, “So. You were telling me about how much of a huge dick you were for leaving. How you kept a huge family secret from me. And how it only took you three fucking years to get up the nerve to explain.”

  6

  Cooper let Savannah put a great distance between them as she sat across the room in an oversized chair, clutching a hot cup of tea. It was all he could do to keep his hands to himself after that kiss. His heart still pounded, but worse, he was rock hard under his towel. Getting the truth out was sure to take care of that in no time.

  He sat on the couch, carefully arranging the folds of fabric. "Where would you like me to start?"

  Savannah frowned and dropped her gaze to the mug gripped in her lap. With her wet hair up in a makeshift knot, her neck looked longer. “The fight you walked in on. What did you hear?”

  “At first, nothing but raised voices. Then your dad accusing mine of trying to break up his family. Dad said something about how there hadn’t yet been a family to break up but his own.”

  Her brows drew together in confusion, so he explained further. "Josh was already born, but you and I weren't conceived until right before the affair ended. I guess everyone was having their cake and eating it too."

  He hated that part for his mom. She’d gotten a raw deal out of the whole thing, that was for sure. Finding out only a few years later about the affair, and the timing of it had made her too sick to stay. On top of all that, she couldn’t give her children enough financial stability to take them with her to Savannah, Georgia where she lived with her parents until she met her second and current husband.

  “Then what?” Savannah prompted, setting her mug on the ground beside her chair.

  “Then I walked right in and demanded to know what the hell they were talking about.”

  “And they told you? Just like that?”

  "Dad did. I think mostly to piss William off. Somewhat to get it off his chest. And at that point, he had nothing left to lose. He was quite literally on death's doorstep.

  “William must have seen an opportunity to finally tear us apart. You remember how it was; no one could stand to see us together, my dad included, although he’d always kept that to himself. The resemblance to Helena and Dad was just too close to home. And because of us, they literally couldn’t get away from each other.”