Hot on Ice: A Hockey Romance Anthology

by Avery Flynn

  “Is it too much, do you think?” A wealth of shyness existed in her statement, and Archer would’ve traded every dime he’d ever earned to make sure no one stomped on her feelings.

  “It’s perfect.” And he meant it. She lacked ornamentation anywhere else, save for a pair of basic silver stud earrings. No necklace, no bracelets, and he double-checked, she wore no rings. Offering his elbow, he smiled. “If the lovely lady will allow me?”

  Her shy smile grew, but her eyes narrowed with a hint of suspicion. She held a small clutch purse, and she took a moment to secure her room key inside it before snapping it closed then letting her door shut. The slender design betrayed no sign of her cell.

  “Leaving your phone?”

  “Does that make me a horrible person?”

  Charmed, he leaned closer, determined to ally with her and said, “Then I must be in excellent company, because I left my phone, too.”

  Her grin went from shy to radiant and finally she slid her hand to rest in the crook of his elbow. Damn, she was so damn tiny. As they walked, he glimpsed a pair of heels, but he still had to duck his head to speak to her. He wasn’t the tallest guy on the team, but he towered over her by nearly a foot.

  Her slighter stature only increased his desire to protect her, though. At the elevator, she fidgeted a little.

  “Okay, I have to know. Is this actually a date? Or am I really filling in for a Cup?” Well, she’d done as he requested and left her filter in the room.

  “I’ll be equally honest. It started out as filler. But the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.” Like it? He loved it. His mother would be over the moon to see him dating someone so sweet, demure, and full of quick moments of mirth. “So, if you have no objections, we can call it a date.”

  “I’ll think about it.” Absolutely sanguine, she stepped into the elevator as it opened, taking her hand from his arm. Following her, he gave her a curious look then selected the button for the lobby.

  “You’ll think about it?” If that wasn’t a challenge, he didn’t know what was.

  “Absolutely, based on time of notice compounded by length of time to prepare, then divided by the sum of nerves I experience, then multiplied by the good time I’m already having… I’d say you’re already ahead, so don’t push it.”

  Bemused, he studied her. “You do realize that you just challenged someone who enjoys playing hard contact sports right?”

  Her pink tongue appeared just briefly between her teeth as though she were biting back the words she wanted to say. The urge to kiss her and free her tongue so that she could speak her mind sliced through him. However, since he only just convinced her to go out with him, she had only barely allowed him to label it a date, he was pretty sure that nookie in the elevator was firmly off-limits.

  Not to mention he had assigned himself the role of good guy who looked after her—not create more scandal for her. Giving his libido sharp rebuke, he concentrated on her expression instead of what he wanted. “Go on, hit me. I can take it.”

  “I’m aware that you can take it. I’ve heard you’re quite the player, on and off the ice.”

  Oh. Burn. He made a little click noise. “Yeah, I deserve that one.”

  “You absolutely did. On the other hand, I’m very open-minded, and you’ve been nothing but a gentleman to me. So, I choose to judge you based on my personal interaction with you and not on any other matter.”

  It was far more than he deserved, and quite a bit less than what he actually wanted, but it pleased him nonetheless.

  “Fair enough.” The elevator stopped at another floor, allowing fresh passengers to join them. They both fell silent as though through mutual consent and tabled the rest of their conversation. As more people crowded in, Hoshi drifted toward him, and he slipped an arm around her just enough to turn her slightly so that he could place his bulk between her and the others in the elevator.

  He could almost feel her questioning glance, but he kept his touch light and very polite. When they reached the ground floor, the elevator doors opened and the other passengers spilled out. Archer gave them a moment then Hoshi tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow again and he guided her out. The car waited for them as planned, so he didn’t even bother with the lobby.

  The earlier press presence seemed to have retreated outside, while the dinner crowd gathered in the lobby for drinks or waited for their tables to be called. Everything from jeans and T-shirts to ball gowns and tuxedos was in evidence. His own suit was one of his nicer ones, but it was a step down from a tuxedo. Insisting on the white gloves would have been over the top for him. Her tiara crowned their perfectly respectable appearance, and they looked ready out for an evening together in the city.

  It was a role he could embrace.

  As promised, Eddie waited for them outside, the car’s engine humming quietly. His wasn’t the only vehicle idling patiently for their passengers to arrive. Eddie opened the rear door and Archer made sure Hoshi was seated before he circled to climb into the back with her. In no time at all, Eddie was back behind the wheel and they were pulling out into traffic.

  “I hope I didn’t make us late.” A sudden nervous flutter filled Hoshi’s voice and she had a hand pressed against her stomach.

  “It doesn’t matter, they always start about five minutes after the hour, though they’ll scold us if we’re the absolute last to arrive. I don’t want you to miss the opening, but if we do, the next time we’re New York I’ll make sure you get to see it.”

  It wasn’t until after he finished the statement that he realized how proprietary he sounded—not to mention the fact he was assuming there would be a next time they were in New York together.

  “You’re funny.” She sounded as though she meant it, but without any hint of a derogatory undertone. In fact, he detected a note of compliment in her voice. “I don’t know what I did to deserve your attention today, Archer, but thank you. It’s been a really miserable last couple of days, and I don’t know how I thought was going to do this.”

  “I meant what I said earlier, Hoshi.” God, he loved her name. “It really is my genuine pleasure. And thank you for going out with me tonight.” His next sentence hesitated on his tongue. For the first time, he was ready to talk about his mother with someone who wasn’t family. “When I was growing up, my mom used to bring me into the city. It was our thing. Every few months, she would pull me out of school, we would take a long weekend, and go see a show every night we were here. Whatever caught her fancy. Sometimes, if she hadn’t booked tickets in advance, she’d go to the hotel concierge, and he’d get her a block of tickets for every show still available.”

  It amazed him that he could say the words without the clog of tears or the bitter twist of regret in his gut. “Whenever I get to New York now, I make a point to see at least one show.”

  “What about your mother?” It was such an innocent question.

  “She passed away a few years ago.” Hoshi took his hand. The contact was quite sudden and so incredibly natural as she slid her fingers through his. “Cancer. We didn’t have a lot of time, and she didn’t tell anyone until it was too late. She didn’t want to bother anybody. I know that sounds ridiculous, but if you had ever met my mother, you would understand. She didn’t like to create a scene of any kind.”

  Hence, why he created as many as possible. That realization shot through him like a lightning bolt. He’d been a holy terror on and off the ice because he wanted to make as much noise as possible. The world should’ve ripped asunder when his mother passed, the detonation of her leaving should have been cataclysmic. Instead she’d made a dignified, quiet exit in the same way she had everything else in her life. “So I go for her. I always try to buy an extra seat to watch the musical, and then I imagine what she and I would’ve talked about. And now you probably think I’m a lunatic.”

  What the fuck was wrong with him? He’d just effectively cock blocked himself.

  “I actually think it’s really sweet. I
don’t have any memories like that with my mom. Everything at my house was very strict, very proper. Nobody puts a toe out of line for fear of shaming the family. Very old world.” She sighed. “I know my parents are product of their generation, and that all the pressure that they put on me and Adonai reflect the pressure that was put on them. I don’t think they’re ever going to get over the fact that I even did the show. That I won the show—that they will definitely never recover from.”

  Just like that, she smoothed the path for him, sweeping aside his discomfort and embarrassment by sharing something deeply personal and empathizing with him. It didn’t diminish the value of what he’d shared with her, merely acknowledged his feelings and made it okay.

  “Sometimes you have to shock the world. It’s good for your family. Don’t let them make you grow complacent. Never let them take you for granted.” His definitely didn’t, though from time to time his cousin Armand would cheerfully have throttled him. That said, Armand also understood him and never stood in his way. Shoving aside the thoughts of the head of his family, he focused on his date.

  His date.

  “We’re here,” he told her swallowing unspoken the other words, which had begun to bubble up. Words he thought he would never give voice to. Words that might include an invitation to enjoy a weekend away with him in Paris. “Are you ready?”

  It was just before eight, so they still had time to get to their seats. The crowd was still streaming through the theater doors. It was the most popular musical of the last five years and tickets were damn near impossible to get.

  “I’m really excited. I feel a little bit like Cinderella.”

  “Then let’s hurry you in to the ball, and, Hoshi?” He paused two steps below her, so that when she turned, she was almost eye level with him.

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you for coming with me.” He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. The pleasure in her eyes seemed to shimmer, as did her smile. Lights flashed around them and cars honked. None of it detracted from the moment.

  “What was it you said earlier?” The teasing note in her voice allowed him a graceful escape from the sudden swell of emotion. “It’s my very great pleasure. Now let’s go before we miss the opening song…”

  Laughing, he let her tug him inside.

  5

  “The latest musical sensation on Broadway is also the hottest ticket in town. Tonight, they had a pop princess in the audience singing along with them! It’s a sweet, if odd, twist in the saga of Hoshi Sato. After her recent win on This Girl’s Got Talent, particularly in light of the pending criminal charges against her brother, she’s living it up in New York.” –ACE News Clip

  “Oh my God! Oh my God!” Hoshi wanted to jump up and down, but she’d likely break her neck in the heels she wore. Instead, she settled for tucking her clutch beneath her arm and clapping her hands together. She wanted to avoid annoying the others leaving the musical or embarrassing Archer with her gauche actions, but she couldn’t resist. The performance, as a whole, had blown her away.

  “Liked that, did you?” Archer watched her with a bemused expression, though his gorgeous eyes held a smile. Throughout the performance, he’d indulged her when she grabbed his hand during the intense moments of excitement and by offering her handkerchief when she cried. Who carried a handkerchief anymore?

  When she started belting out the songs, joining the cast, and even the audience in the tune she recognized, he’d dazzled her with a pure grin. Archer Durham was a dangerous, dangerous man.

  “Loved it. I had no idea that they incorporated so many different generations of music. I heard lots of things about the musical’s writer, but nothing could have prepared me for how he took us back and brought those men forward, binding it all together in the music.” Real performances with pure tones, they resonated with her. “Hancock, unsung no more.”

  Archer held up the shirt that he’d purchased for her. The black shirt with the blue lettering delighted her—it had the scrawl of Hancock’s signature along with the words unsung no more.

  “I can’t believe you bought that for me.” A blush heated her face, but his generosity electrified her.

  “When a lady squeals at seeing something so simple, and it offers her such delight? How could I not buy it?”

  Flummoxed, she pressed two fingers to her lips, then winked. His attention overwhelmed her, but she had to keep playing it cool. “That’s what they all say.”

  Chuckling, he checked his watch and she glanced toward the street. They’d stepped out along with the crowd as they spilled out of the theatre. Rather than following them to the street, he’d drawn her back into an alcove away from the doors.

  “I don’t see the car.”

  “Give Eddie a minute. He’s really good at this. He’ll wait till the bulk of the crowd has cleared before he pulls up.” It seemed as though Archer might be sharing another moment of sage wisdom with her, but she wasn’t sure what he meant.

  “Is this another one of those be casual but not informal moments?”

  With a snort, he shook his head. “It’s actually more an avoid traffic snafu moment. If there’s going to be any kind of press presence looking to snag a photo, they are going to be near the curb and around the vehicle. If we head down with the bulk of the pedestrians and other audience leaving, we run the risk of creating a road hazard. It’s better that we wait and hope that the thinning crowds take some of the press with them.”

  How ingenious. “You’re really good at this.” She couldn’t help but be impressed. He thought through every action, reaction, and possibility. Thought them through, then planned for it, as though it were as natural as breathing. She could barely remember to schedule her monthly bills.

  “Many, many years of experience.” He sounded so weary. As though the experience he referenced left him exhausted.

  Would the same weariness happen to her? The attention drove her crazy, as did the nonverbal accusation, and lack of understanding in the eyes of her friends and family. “When I auditioned for the show, nobody told me what would happen afterward. Everyone encouraged me, my friends, and my brother. They all said do it, go have some fun and stretch your skills. Imagine if you get on TV, think of all the stories you’ll have to tell. But no one told me what would happen if I won. I didn’t think I would and I don’t think anyone else believed in me either, then I did. Now I have reporters calling me, trying to interview me, photographers, guest spots on talk shows and obligations for a tour, and television appearances. It’s—insane.”

  He cupped her elbow again as the main doors opened, then positioned himself between her and the rest of the world. It was easy, considering how much larger he was. In fact, he blotted out everyone filling in her view.

  “Fame is difficult for anyone to fathom until they have it. Some actors for example, people recognize them in movies and television, they know them, and have an instant and visceral reaction to them, but they aren’t famous. No one stalks them or wants to get their photograph eating a messy Italian dinner. Fame isn’t about how you perceive yourself but how others perceive you.”

  “Sounds great.” Maybe she wasn’t screwed. Maybe the public would forget her.

  “Practical. What they’re after isn’t what you have, but what you represent to them. What you tell them about themselves—your talent is great and it’s entertaining, but they feel like they could be you, they could inhabit your life, even if only for a short time. That’s what they hunger for, that and what they think you owe them.” His last words carried a wealth of bitterness.

  “Did that happen to you?”

  “You could say that.” He scanned the diminishing crowd. When he glanced at her, his expression gentled. “Be careful who you trust. A lot of people are going to come at you, if they aren’t already. They’ll all be offering you something, making promises they can’t keep. They’ll offer it because they want something from you, a piece of you. The ones you trust, they need to come from the people you know. Don’t
believe in someone you’ve only known for five minutes.”

  Maybe he had a right to be jaded, but she refused to view the world through such a harsh lens. “You might have a point, and you’ve given me stellar advice so far, Archer. It’s a good thing I’ve known you longer than five minutes.” At his faint scowl, she raised her hand as if asking for patience. “What do you think I’m going to ask you to do? Walk over hot coals? You didn’t have to rescue me from the reporters and you didn’t have to take me out tonight. You did both, so maybe I am all right with trusting you a little.”

  “Just because I’m nice doesn’t mean I’m trustworthy. Nice people smile, say all the right things, make all the right actions, but the moment your back is turned, they stick a knife between your ribs.”

  Smarting from the reprimand, Hoshi crossed her arms. “I don’t want to live my life that way. I like thinking people are basically good. Sure, some are misguided and some are—some are simply selfish. I understand your cynicism, I just don’t want to be a cynic.” She hesitated, then chewed her lip. “I’m sorry if disagreeing with you spoils our night somehow. I’ve had so much fun, so is it okay to agree to disagree?”

  . The corner of his mouth kicked higher into a grin. “You’ll have to work a lot harder to spoil anything. It’s your choice and your life, you get to decide how you approach it. Besides I like it when you stand up to me. You get all feisty.”

  Feisty was not a word she would’ve ever considered a compliment before he said it, but the way he shaped the syllables stroked her like a caress. “So you’re having a good time, too?”

  “Hell yes,” he touched a finger to her nose, it was an absent yet affectionately chaste gesture. “I’m having a blast. There’s Eddie. You ready for this?” Because the rapid exodus for the patrons left them without their camouflage and below, the press waited.

  Dammit.

  “Maybe they’re not here for us.”