Back in Play

by Lynda Aicher

  “Sure.” He could listen to her laugh for hours. “But I like the way you’re thinking.” It was his turn to wiggle his brows.

  She shoved his arm, laughter fading. “Seriously, though. That’s great.” She laced her fingers with his. “So, what are you thinking?”

  His heart rate picked up, excitement simmering. “This is all pie-in-the sky. But I’ve been thinking about the general idea of it for a while.” Years, actually. Not seriously or in detail. Just the concept of it being needed. “I was thinking of opening a training and practice facility for teens on up. Something intimate but scalable that would include things outside of hockey. Like study habits, nutrition, injuries and pain management, agent and contract terms—that kind of stuff. A well-rounded hockey training based on age and need.”

  His voice had risen with his explanation, the idea taking root as he spoke. There was so much he could offer younger kids, including his experience with pain meds and ignoring his body. Best of all, he could picture Rachel right there with him. Involved in the education portions, working with the teens.

  “I was lucky enough to go to a high school that recruited kids in for its hockey program,” he went on. “But a lot of kids leave home when they’re fourteen or younger to play on the competitive teams. We could round that out. Offer camps so the kids are more prepared for the overall realities of hockey both on and off the ice.” His pulse raced now, both with conviction and nerves as he waited for her response.

  “That’s a big dream,” she finally said, squeezing his hand. “With lots of open pieces and variables. But,” she went on when he opened his mouth to interject, “it has possibilities. And we have time to figure it out.” She raised their clasped hands to kiss his knuckles. “My concern is for you first. Let’s get your knee figured out. Get your pain manageable, and we can work on the future while that’s going on.”

  Damn, she was too good for him. And he was never going to stop trying to be good enough for her.

  “I love you, Rachel.” He grazed his fingers down her jaw, marveling at the play of the moonlight over her skin. The way it lit up the white tips of her hair. Alive—that was what she was. Alive and free and fun and his. “I’m never going to stop, either.” He swiped his thumb over her lips. “I choose you. Over hockey. Over drugs. I choose you.”

  She sucked in a breath, eyes fluttering for a second before she leaned in, halting a breath away. Her eyes were dark pools as they met his, love flowing freely from them. His heart filled to capacity then overflowed with everything he’d resisted, forgotten and never wanted to live without.

  “I love you, Scott.” Her hand was light on his neck, warm and secure. “And I choose you, too. No matter where you want to live or what you do. I choose you.”

  Her kiss was deep and filling. She stole his breath and held his heart. And that was exactly where he wanted to stay.

  Epilogue

  “Yay! Get it, Grenick!” Rachel pitched forward, fist raised in her rush to cheer on the Glaciers’ defensemen. The crash of the boards rang through her living room, along with the resulting boos of the arena crowd.

  Scott pulled her back, chuckling at her enthusiasm and tucked her under his arm. “Easy, killer.” He grinned at her glare then kissed her lips before she could retaliate. Six weeks of living with her hadn’t curbed his desire for her at all. If anything, it’d increased it.

  He swept his tongue over her lips, traced the memorized curves and delved inside. Her moan rumbled into his mouth and had him pressing in for more. The sweet taste of her drink masked her richer flavor, which he couldn’t imagine not craving.

  “I thought you wanted to watch the game,” she mumbled against his lips when he pulled back for air. He had, but...

  “Score!”

  The excited shout of the announcer fired through the room, and his attention shot to the television. His heart skipped until he saw Glaciers players skating into a congratulatory group, gloves raised in celebration.

  “Yes!” He twisted fully around to catch the replay of Hauke’s rebound shot that whizzed under the goalie’s leg. Scott was on his feet, cheering for his friend and team the next instant. His pulse raced with the same excitement he would’ve felt if he’d been on the ice with them.

  A touch of envy was still there, twisting a bit in his chest, but the ugly beast was receding the more he settled into his new life.

  “What a great play,” Rachel said at his side.

  He glanced down. Her honest grin and enthusiasm for a sport she’d known nothing about a few months ago stunned and warmed him. She’d been an avid student, absorbing and learning everything he said about the rules and game. “It was,” he agreed, still watching her. She was the best play of his life.

  She took his hand when they sat back down, head resting on his shoulder. “How are you doing?” Her question was pitched just loud enough for him to hear it over the TV.

  “Good.” He squeezed her hand, pressed a kiss to her head. He inhaled just to catch her scent and let it weave through him. This was the Glaciers’ fourth game of the new season, and she’d watched every one with him from this exact spot.

  The game flashed by on the flat screen, but he found his thoughts drifting. Yet another indication that he was truly moving on. The Glaciers would always be his favorite team to root for, but the sport no longer consumed his life.

  Walking away had ended up being immensely easier with Rachel’s help. Going to a local rink to teach her to skate had brought laughs and rounds of new memories to build upon. Ones that included him being recognized and her joking along with the boys who’d wanted his autograph. The news of his official not-so-surprising retirement had rippled through the hockey world with little fanfare and unexpected praise for his contribution to the sport. It’d confirmed that he’d made the right choice both for himself and his career.

  “Thank you,” he said out of the blue, his love for her spilling from his chest to constrict his throat.

  She frowned, eyeing him beneath lowered brows. “For what?”

  Everything. “Being you.”

  “That’s not very hard to do.”

  “I didn’t say it was.” He kissed the tip of her nose, which she instantly wrinkled, and had him wanting to kiss it again.

  There were still bumps and hitches in their relationship, little things they worked out quickly and bigger ones they were still negotiating. Like his dream of opening a hockey camp that’d taken firm hold and was growing clear with his weeks of research.

  Her short harrumph was cut short when she yanked him down to take his mouth in a hard, plundering kiss. He put up zero resistance as she shifted to lie back, mouth never leaving his. He followed her down until she was spread out beneath him, fingers digging into his hair, one leg wrapped around his hips.

  How in the hell had he almost passed this up? Her up?

  “Thank you back,” she said against his lips before taking a stinging nip out of the bottom one.

  He shifted around, seeking better leverage, but a sharp knife of pain dug into his inner knee hard enough to make him wince. Shit. The fire shot up his thigh, and he paused to breathe through it. Instead of ignoring pain, he acknowledged and worked to absorb it. The craving marched up his spine, but Rachel swept it away with a soothing brush of her palms.

  It was a few moments before his muscles relaxed and the throbbing decreased to a shallow ache. One long exhale, another, and he lifted to rest his lips on her temple. “Well, that was a mood killer.”

  She moved under him until his back was against the couch and she was nestled along his front, using his arm as a pillow. She searched his eyes, hers dark with lingering passion. “But I’m glad you didn’t ignore the pain.”

  He brushed a lock of hair off her forehead, still awed by his luck and the changes she’d brought to his life. “I really wanted to.” For so many reasons, pride being the biggest. The damn emotion that’d almost cost him this happiness and so much more.

  “We’re going to have
to try some new positions after your knee surgery anyway.” She wiggled her hips to rub over his groin, a devious smirk in place.

  “Hmm.” He stared at the ceiling in a show of contemplation, palm sliding down to cup her bottom. “Maybe we should practice those beforehand.”

  She leaned in to nibble up his jaw. “I like the way you’re thinking.” Her hand drifted down to graze his hip before sliding between them to cup his growing erection. “We should probably get started though, since we only have a week to practice.”

  A week. He tried to get his thoughts around that, but his mind was scrambled by the hot slick of her tongue around his ear. Yeah...major knee surgery didn’t seem important right then.

  “What—” His voice cracked when her hand slid beneath his track pants. He cleared his throat and bit back his groan when she gripped his hard dick. “Fuck.” His hips bucked into her hold, thoughts scattering.

  “But if you’re not up for it,” she teased, her warm breath tickling his ear, “we can just watch the game.”

  Game? What game? The drone of the sportscasters came into his consciousness and he immediately shut it back out. Rachel’s soft murmurs were so much better than any damn game.

  “We could,” he agreed, air hissing between his teeth when her thumb swiped over the sensitive crown of his dick. An instant later, he had his hand down her shorts, finger braced on the metal barbell over her clit. He held it right there though, waiting.

  Her pelvis pitched forward but he followed her arc, withholding what she sought. Her groan rumbled against his neck, the tickling buzz distracting him from her counter maneuver. The sudden hold on his balls jerked a gasp from him.

  “Should we continue?” Her taunting question was reinforced by a quick pulse of her hand that shot a jolt of pleasure/pain through his groin and up his shaft. “Or go back to watching the game?”

  He groaned around the smile plastered to his face. This lighthearted fun was just one more place where they’d seamlessly meshed. He’d been worried that it’d diminish or disappear completely over time, but so far it’d only grown.

  In answer, he pressed down on her piercing, rotating the jewelry over her clit in that slow circular way that seemed to draw out her pleasure. Her quick inhale and flex of her hand sent another spark through his dick and reconfirmed his mental note on that topic.

  It was just one of many he had locked away about her. “One thing hockey taught me—” he said, nudging her face until she met his gaze. Solid, sure and packed with love, “—is practice only makes you better.”

  A devious, sexy smile curled over her lips, mischief dancing in her eyes when she released his sac and stoked his erection. “I really like the way you think.”

  “Great minds think alike, right?” He choked out the last word around the rush of desire blazing through him.

  “So they say.” Her silent gasp belied her attempt at casual, much like the roughened texture of his response.

  He gave up on the banter after that and took her willing mouth in a kiss that gave him more than hockey had ever provided him. With Rachel he’d found his real home. One that had infinite possibilities and no looming end date.

  It was a future he embraced—bumps, hitches and unknown included. He had no doubt that together, they’d get through everything life threw at them.

  * * * * *

  About the Author

  Lynda Aicher has always loved to read. It’s a simple fact that has been true since she discovered the words of Judy Blume at the age of ten. After years of weekly travel as a consultant implementing computer software for global companies, she ended her nomadic lifestyle to raise her two children.

  Now, her imagination is her only limitation on where she can go and her writing lets her escape from the daily duties of being a mom, wife, chauffeur, scheduler, cook, teacher, volunteer, cleaner and mediator. If writing wasn’t a priority, it wouldn’t get done.

  To learn more about Lynda, you can find her at:

  www.lyndaaicher.com

  www.facebook.com/lyndaaicherauthor

  www.twitter.com/lyndaaicher

  Meet Dylan Riley, Minnesota Glaciers defenseman in GAME PLAY —available now !

  GAME PLAY

  Power Play, book one

  “The characters had insane chemistry right off the bat, and all of the characters appealed to me and my love of rough and tumble athletic men.” —The Romance Reviews

  One night, one time, nothing more. That’s all it was supposed to be. They’d agreed their first night together would be their only night together—and Minnesota Glaciers defenseman Dylan Rylie was fine with that. Giant hickeys and claw marks on his ass had never been his style, even if the very memory of Samantha Yates’s merciless sexual energy gets him hard within seconds. He needs to focus on getting a better contract, not mind-blowing orgasms.

  One night, one time, nothing more. Fresh off representing the US at the Games and with nowhere else to play, Samantha gave in to one night of frantic passion with the Glaciers’ brawny hotshot. She couldn’t get hurt--not if she controlled the outcome. And she planned to leave Minnesota soon, anyway. She didn’t expect to be recruited to coach Dylan after they’d gotten down and dirty.

  When brutal on-ice workouts lead to kinky locker room sessions and “one night” falls by the wayside, Samantha insists on keeping things casual, despite Dylan’s quiet hope for more. But when Dylan goes down--hard--and his career is in jeopardy, Samantha is the first one by his side. What will it take to keep her there after he’s healed?

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  Craving more hockey romance?

  Meet the San Diego Barracudas in Kate Willoughby’s In the Zone series!

  Venture into the locker room and onto the ice with the San Diego Barracudas, a team of intense, competitive and all too human athletes as they discover that it’s possible to love something more than hockey.

  ON THE SURFACE

  In the Zone, book one

  Pediatric nurse Erin Collier thinks all Tim wants is another notch on his hockey stick, when what he’s really shooting for is forever.

  ACROSS THE LINE

  In the Zone, book two

  She’s a restaurateur. He’s a hockey player returning to the ice after being injured. Committed to their jobs and with thousands of miles between them, they don’t stand a chance.

  OUT OF THE GAME

  In the Zone, book three

  Alex Sullivan plays the field as hard as he plays hockey, but being the team Cassanova isn’t floating his boat anymore, especially after he shares a kiss with Claire Marzano that he can’t forget.

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  ISBN-13: 9781426899416

  Back in Play

  Copyright © 2015 by Lynda Aicher

  Edited by Kerri Buckley

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any informat
ion storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.

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