Crashing the Net

by Jami Davenport

  “Riley’s upstairs,” she pointed out, but he didn’t seem to hear her.

  “I want you back, and I’ll prove it,” he murmured as he cupped her face in his big, rough hands. She stared into eyes as deep and blue as a wind-tossed sea, while waves of desire rolled over her, cresting like twenty-foot waves.

  She opened her mouth to point out that he’d never really had her. Their on-again, off-again relationship had spanned little more than a month. The first two hours they’d met she’d gone down on him, and he’d gone down on her. Then they’d gone their separate ways. When they’d gotten back together days later, she’d insisted they take it slow, rather than jumping right back into the deep end.

  Izzy didn’t trust easily, and while she’d never been a prude, her instincts told her that sex with Cooper would be more than sex. It’d be downright dangerous to the most vulnerable part of her—her heart. And she guarded that heart as jealously as she guarded her sisters, and Cooper hadn’t earned her trust. In fact, he’d turned it inside out with his caveman behavior.

  Sex with Cooper Black would ruin her for any other man. Did she dare chance it?

  If Cooper didn’t want to keep his own nephew around, why would he keep her around once he got what he wanted?

  Despite it all, she was going to kiss him.

  His distinctly male scent of soap and man filled her nostrils. She reached up and laced her fingers behind his neck. He pressed his hips against hers, his hands splayed on the counter on either side of her body. His erection pressed against her crotch, and she fought to catch her breath.

  “Oh, God, Izzy,” he rasped against her neck. “I need you.”

  This big, strong man needed her?

  Well, dammit, she needed him, too. Or his body, at the least. God, she was a weak woman when it came to this particular sexy hockey player.

  Cooper’s lips touched hers, and her eyes fluttered shut. He was gentle, careful, as if he were afraid he’d break her, or even worse, that she’d run. She didn’t push him, just enjoyed the moment, enjoyed his warm, moist lips covering hers, as his tongue traced a circle around her mouth. He tasted so good. So very, very good. And so very, very right.

  His strong hands cupped her butt, and he lifted her onto the counter. He settled his hips between her thighs with a groan and rubbed his erection against her. She buried her fingers in his shaggy, overly long hair, savoring how it felt sliding through her fingers.

  He licked at the seam of her lips, enticing her to open for him. She didn’t need a second invitation. She let him inside and twined her tongue with his in that age-old dance. Wrapping her long legs around his waist, she lost herself in the taste, smell, and feel of him.

  Cooper affected her like no other man she’d ever been with, and she hadn’t actually been with him—yet. At least not completely. But she wanted to be. And against every bit of better judgment she possessed, she wanted it to be tonight. She didn’t want to wait.

  She had to be the most fickle woman on earth. She’d ended it. Now she wanted to start it again.

  Well, okay, so maybe with a little help from Cooper.

  His warm hands slid under her T-shirt and caressed her bare back. He dragged his mouth from hers and kissed a trail down her neck, pausing for a nip here and there. Izzy tilted her head back to give him better access. Her body was shameless in its response to him. She fisted his shirt in her hands, ready to rip it off him at a moment’s notice.

  Cooper pushed her shirt upward until her lacy bra was visible. He cupped her breasts in each of his big hands and squeezed them. His face softened as he stared at them reverently. He bent his head as he slipped her bra cups below her nipples. Taking one in his mouth, he gently sucked and swirled his tongue around her sensitive nub, while his thumb rubbed the other nipple.

  “Cooper,” she hissed. “You’re killing me.”

  “Not yet. But I’m getting there.” He chuckled, but sounded strained, as if holding back were killing him, too.

  “Take me to bed.” She begged without thinking. And once she’d spoken those words, she honestly couldn’t recall her reasons for not sleeping with him. Whatever her concerns had been, she didn’t care about them tonight.

  “Fuck, yes,” he croaked, his voice breaking.

  He picked her up, his mouth hungrily on hers as he carried her toward the entryway, which featured two sets of stairs, typical of a split-level. The master suite in this home was on the ground floor.

  Izzy wrapped her arms around his strong neck and kissed him right back.

  Just before the stairs, he pushed her against the wall, his breathing coming in short, desperate gasps. “I don’t think I’ll make it to the bedroom.”

  “This wall seems like a good place.” She unwrapped her legs and slid her feet slowly along his thighs and calves until they were resting on the floor. Cooper’s eyes glowed in the dark light of a nearby lamp.

  “Any place is a good place as long as you’re there.” He panted and ran his hands down her sides, stopping at her zipper. She milked his erection through his jeans.

  With a tortured growl Cooper sank to the tiled entryway floor, taking her with him. Izzy didn’t care that it was hard and cold because Cooper’s body against hers blocked out any other sensations. He rolled her onto her back and tugged on her zipper, yanking her jeans and underwear down to her knees. A second later, he pulled down his own jeans and his big cock sprang free. Izzy licked her lips and smiled up at him.

  “You are beautiful,” she said.

  “That’s my line.” He winked at her, as he positioned himself between her spread legs. The head of his cock rubbed her wet pussy, and she whimpered, arching her back to take him inside.

  One minutely sane part of her managed to speak. “Condom?”

  “Oh, crap.”

  He scrambled to his feet, tripped over his jeans, and sprawled on the floor. Izzy couldn’t help giggling. Muttering several creative obscenities, Cooper struggled to his feet, pulling his pants up and started downstairs.

  “Is everything okay? I heard a crash,” Riley said from the top flight of stairs.

  Izzy froze as did Cooper in mid-step. Holy crap. In their horny frenzy, they’d forgotten all about Riley. Izzy quickly crawled out of sight into an alcove under the stairwell and pulled up her jeans. She crouched on the floor and straightened her clothes in case Riley ventured down the stairs to see for himself.

  “I’m fine. Just slipped on the tile. Someone must have spilt something. It’s a little wet,” she heard Cooper say.

  That wasn’t all that was wet.

  Despite being horrified that Riley almost caught them humping like animals on the entryway tile, she covered her hand with her mouth to muffle her giggle.

  “Are you sure?” Riley said.

  “I’m positive,” Cooper answered, his tone tense and distracted.

  “Is Izzy gone?”

  “Yes. Go back to bed.” Cooper’s voice sounded like a drill sergeant giving orders.

  “Why can’t Izzy stay with me when you’re on road trips? I don’t like Mrs. McCullum.”

  Cooper cleared his throat. “Izzy has her own career. Now. Go. To. Bed.”

  Izzy heard footsteps then a door slamming. A few seconds later, a disheveled Cooper peeked around the corner.

  “Izzy?”

  “Over here,” she whispered, as she crawled to her feet. She held a finger to his lips and led him away from the stairs. “Do you know how close we came to—”

  His look said it all. “Another good reason why I need to find that kid’s mother. I’m a single guy. Having a kid here isn’t working out for me.” He studied her pointedly. “Or you.”

  Izzy didn’t want to be the reason Cooper kicked Riley out. She turned and grabbed her zip-up sweatshirt. “I need to go.”

  “Are you sure?” Equal parts of frustration and disappointment were reflected in those blue eyes.

  “You told him I was gone. Do you want him catching you in a lie? What kind of role model would
that make you?” She headed for the door with Cooper hot on her heels.

  “I’m a crappy role model anyway.”

  Izzy turned and put her hands on his shoulders. “No, you’re not, but you could go a little easier on him. He has it pretty tough. His mother is missing. You’re making it clear you don’t want him here. He’s in a new school and trying to fit in.”

  “Izzy, I—”

  She cut off his protest, standing on tiptoes and brushing her lips across his, while resisting the urge to do a lot more than taste him. That’d almost gotten them into a load of trouble.

  “I have to go.” She hesitated as Cooper’s intense gaze held hers.

  “This isn’t finished. Not yet.”

  She nodded. “I know.”

  “I can do this. I can meet your challenge. I can change. Preseason starts tomorrow. How about a late dinner? I’ll have tickets waiting for you and the kid at will call tomorrow night.”

  She should’ve said no but obviously she wasn’t that strong or that smart. With a nod, she ran out the door like a cat escaping a dog kennel. Cooper stood on the porch, watching as she drove down the driveway.

  Chapter 7—Blindsided

  One night later, Cooper stood before his team in the locker room of Seattle Arena, the Sockeyes temporary home. Not the best place to play hockey, but it’d do for now. The place had seen better days, despite the money Ethan had put into it earlier this summer. The building had been erected for the Seattle World’s Fair back in the early sixties, and it looked every bit that old.

  Yet, Cooper didn’t care. Playing in Seattle didn’t dampen his enthusiasm one bit for the game itself. Ice was ice, and skating was his passion.

  Anticipation fueled by adrenaline thrummed through his veins like it always did. Only this time, he sensed a difference. This was a new town, a new team, a new era for him and his teammates. As much as he wanted to hate Seattle, and despite his every intention to leave when his contract was up, he couldn’t deny that Ethan Parker ran a class act from the coaches to the support staff.

  He looked around the room at each man, every face lifted toward him expectantly waiting for words of wisdom or inspiration from their team captain. Cooper didn’t feel particularly inspirational or clever with words tonight.

  The Seattle Sockeyes’ first preseason game—a game which meant nothing and everything—sold out within a few hours of the tickets going on sale. Cooper, who’d spent his entire NHL career playing for Gainesville didn’t know how to handle the pressure of instant popularity. In Florida, they’d faded into obscurity except for the few faithful, battling for sports fan attention with the local college football and basketball teams.

  Seattle’s football team, the Steelheads, had sucked for a long time. Seattle’s beloved basketball team left town years ago amid a scandal that still pissed off Seattleites. The baseball team finished with a whimper, not a bang.

  Suddenly all eyes rested on the Sockeyes, the new kids on the block.

  Cooper was used to playing for himself, for his coaches, and for his teammates. He wasn’t used to playing for a city with expectations and high hopes, and it was damn weird.

  The team’s best defensemen, Matt LeRue and Jason “Wildman” Wilder, watched him like they watched the puck when they were on ice. Alert and ready to do battle, the guys vibrated with pent-up energy.

  Martin “Brick” Bricker, their third-year goalie with a propensity to overheat, as usual was the only guy not suited up. In fact, he was stark-ass naked as he diligently taped his stick with the same precision he guarded the net. Brick liked women, minimal clothes, parties, and he loved hockey. In fact, Cooper forgave the kid’s sins because of their mutual passion for the ice.

  Next to Brick, sat Alex “Rush” Markov, a second-year guy, from Russia who loved everything American, especially the women, which made Brick and him the perfect duo off the ice. Rush loved to fight, which landed him in the penalty box more than any other player.

  Cedric sat to the right of Cooper, giving a rookie shit to the point the kid was groveling at his feet. Cooper tried not to laugh. Ced already had the poor guy bringing donuts to every practice.

  Coach had already given the traditional pre-game speech then he’d stepped back to allow Cooper to have his say.

  As the captain, Cooper always said a few words before his team took the ice. He cleared his throat and focused his steeliest gaze on rookie Jasper Flint whose dark head was bent as he tapped a text message on his phone. Jasper had talent to spare but no discipline. The room grew quiet until the tapping was all you could hear. Jasper’s finger froze mid-tap. Slowly, he looked up to see every head turned toward him. At least he had the decency to turn redder than an ugly Christmas sweater.

  “I don’t have to tell you guys that we have a packed house for a preseason game.”

  “No shit. When’s the last time that ever happened in Florida?” Cedric grinned, ignoring Coop’s murderous glare.

  “Ced’s right. Hell, we could barely sell out playoff games,” Matt LeRue, the defensive captain, added, not the least intimidated by Cooper’s irritation. Cooper didn’t like them dissing their old team—it was like speaking ill of the dead.

  “Okay, okay.” Cooper held up his hands to silence them. “Ladies, listen up. This is the League’s debut in Seattle, and a local TV station is interrupting prime-time programming to broadcast this game. The league is setting this game up as the birth of a new rivalry with Vancouver. We’re going to give the fans something to talk about while waiting in line at Starbucks tomorrow morning.”

  Every head in the room nodded enthusiastically, even Brick, who was busy yanking on his uniform and lacing his skates in a last-minute flurry. Cooper never messed with a guy’s pre-game rituals, no matter how weird. Guarding the goal was hot, hard work, and he didn’t blame Brick for keeping cool until the last minute.

  Cooper motioned to the door. “Let’s get out there and kick some Canuck ass.”

  Everyone stood and cheered, filing out of the locker room with the eagerness of a new season ahead of them. Cooper took up the back of the line, preferring to be the last on the ice. Well aware of his captain’s one little quirk, Brick hurried to the door, pulling on his sweater as he disappeared down the hall.

  Cooper paused in the long tunnel under the bleachers, shocked at the noise. The entire place rocked from the sounds of stomping feet and one continuous cheer. Somewhere in those stands sat Izzy with his nephew. The thought gave him extra incentive, not that he needed it, but Izzy’s presence filled him with this weird, warm feeling which nestled somewhere beneath his breastbone. He wasn’t sure he liked it, and he should fight it, but for now he let it be, and enjoyed this moment—a moment he was sharing with her even if they weren’t physically together. He could feel her nearby, knew she’d be watching.

  Cooper stepped into the opening of the arena. Despite his dislike of his new home, he had to smile. He couldn’t help it.

  Spotlights waved across the ice in the Sockeye colors of blue and green. His teammates stood in a circle at center ice, waiting for him, while the fans in the packed stands rocked the place.

  “Cooper Black, your Sockeye team captain,” the announcer literally yelled to be heard over the crowd.

  “Welcome to Seattle,” Cooper whispered under his breath as he took the ice to a deafening roar.

  * * * *

  Riley sat in the seats Cooper had provided on the glass near the bench. He wasn’t up on hockey like he was football, but he’d followed Uncle Cooper enough to pick up the basics of the game.

  He was starving so he bit into his hot dog and crammed a few fries in his mouth. Izzy shot him a disapproving look, and he smiled sheepishly. She probably thought he had the manners of a starving stray dog.

  “Did you get your homework done like Cooper asked?” Izzy said, but she never took her eyes off his uncle skating around on the ice with more coordination than most people had on dry land. He made it look easy, but Riley knew enough about skating to
know it wasn’t.

  “Yeah, the old hag made me,” he said between bites.

  “That’s my aunt you’re talking about.” Izzy levelled him a chastising glare.

  “Sorry.” Damn, he’d screwed up twice in less than five minutes, and he really wanted Izzy to like him.

  “Riley, give her a chance.”

  “She’s mean.”

  “She’s not mean. She’s firm.”

  Izzy didn’t know what she was talking about. Every day he inspected his food for glass and made sure the old witch hadn’t poisoned his milk. Okay, so maybe he was exaggerating a little. But not much.

  He flipped the subject to something that’d been nagging at him since last night. “Did I hear you with Uncle Cooper last night after I went to bed?”

  Izzy’s mouth pressed together in a way that reminded him of her aunt. He guessed they were related after all. “I finished cleaning up then I left.”

  “I heard something else.” Riley was pretty good at reading people. He’d needed that special skill for survival on the streets, and she wasn’t being straight with him.

  Izzy stared straight at him, as if daring him to say any more.

  He wasn’t an idiot, and he knew shit when he stepped in it. He also knew when he should let stuff go and mind his own business. Uncle Cooper didn’t want him, and he’d better do everything he could to not give the man a reason to send him to foster care. He’d never find his mother then.

  “Sorry.” Riley shrugged one shoulder and turned his attention back to the ice. Loneliness swallowed up all the good feelings inside him.

  Nobody wanted him. At least his mother needed him, and that was kind of like wanting, wasn’t it? He felt hot tears welling up in his eyes and swiped at them with his napkin. He hated crying, but he did it a lot lately when no one was around but Joker to hear him.

  “It’s okay,” Izzy patted his arm and smiled at him. Her voice softened like his mother’s did when she was clean and being a mother instead of an addict.