Except when you want me to follow you around. Except when you ignore my desire to pay my own way. Except when I can’t say no to you. Jimmy was right—I had underestimated him. He was young, but he was a force. He had leadership and persuasiveness, and it was all too easy to go along with his plans.
“I’m trying to explain, but I’m not good at this.” I reached into my wallet and took out a twenty and put it on the table.
Jimmy handed it back to me, and grabbed my wrist. “What are you doing? Stop.”
I opened my hand and let the money drift to the floor. Then I pulled my wrist away and stood up. “No. We’re done. I’m really sorry, but I can’t do this anymore.”
I walked out of the restaurant, gaining speed as I went through the lobby and then outside. I pulled on my jacket and made my way down the half-empty sidewalk. I inhaled the fresh, moist air, but I still had this horrible twisted feeling in my stomach.
“Kelly!”
Jimmy grabbed me and spun me around. “Why are you doing this?”
Why could I not express how myself and make him understand? I was frustrated. “I don’t know. I just can’t—”
“How can everything we had be gone in a few days?” His face was shadowed in sadness.
“It’s not gone. Of course I still care about you.” I reached up to smooth away the lines on his face, and he caught my hand in his.
“I love you. We should be together.” He pulled me close to him and kissed me. His lips were hard and demanding. Although a light rain was falling on us, I was remembering the sultry heat of the New Brunswick summer. I kissed him back and put my arms around his neck. I was drowning, falling back into the passion that always surrounded us. Jimmy held me so tightly I could hardly breathe. He kissed me everywhere, on my forehead, my cheeks, my hair, and my throat. “I need you, Kelly,” he muttered between kisses. It was too easy to relax in his arms and go back, but something inside me protested. I pushed him away with all my strength.
“No, stop it, Jimmy. I can’t—we can’t—do this anymore.”
He looked down at me with eyes half-closed. “Why not? It’s what we both want, right?”
“I can’t think straight when you’re around me. You were totally right, we distract each other. We do crazy things because we’re so… in lust.”
“What?”
“You and me—at the lake, in the restaurant, at GM Place. Totally insane. If we got caught… I can’t make a sane decision when we’re together.”
I walked away as fast as I could. This time he let me go.
* * *
Jimmy
I was getting fed up with people coming up and telling me how lucky I was. For everything I had, I had to give up something. I got a full-ride scholarship to a U.S. college, but I had to leave my family and friends at fifteen to go away to boarding school. Sure, I was a high draft pick, but I worked really hard in the gym as well as on the ice, and sacrificed marks and social life. And now I had two gold medals, but I lost a girlfriend that I really cared about.
I tried not to think about the stuff I gave up, because focusing on negatives can drain you. But today it was pretty tough. There was a crowd waiting for us at the Fredericton airport, so I smiled and put on my medal. I even said a few words. I was getting better at that public speaking stuff, and my parents seemed impressed.
Once I got to the baggage carousel, everything started coming back to me. I remembered seeing Kelly across from me, her beautiful face bright and smiling. When I walked over to special handling to get my hockey gear, I looked down at my stick bag and for a moment, I felt like someone had winded me. Was it only six months since I’d met her? So much had happened since then. Maybe Kelly was right when she said we met too soon, but I knew what we had together was something special—something intense and real.
There was a lot going on for me right now, but I could see through to a time in the future when I’d be able to focus on stuff in my life besides hockey. And maybe then I could get Kelly back.
The End of Part Two
Afterword
Thanks for choosing this book. I hope you enjoyed it.
Hockey Is My Boyfriend is a trilogy. Part Three is available now. Also upcoming is a box set of the complete Hockey Is My Boyfriend series and paperback versions for your reading pleasure.
I am always happy to hear from my readers at [email protected]. Please join my mailing list. I send out news, deleted scenes, and special offers. You can find me on my blog, where I write about hockey, books, and books about hockey.
If you enjoyed the book, I would appreciate an honest review on your favourite book site, since that helps other readers to discover my writing.
Acknowledgments
I used to write in solitary splendour, but these days I have tons of help. Cheers to my fellow writers. To Jaymee Jacobs, for her calm and rational advice when I’m freaking out. To Kate Willoughby, for her great feedback and for making me laugh. To Amity Lassiter, who lives in Fredericton, and made sure my Maritime slang was authentic. Thank you, ladies. Your help is invaluable.
About Melanie Ting
When not dodging raindrops in beautiful but wet Vancouver, Melanie Ting is inside watching hockey. She began writing hockey romances during the 2010 Olympics, inspired by both the extraordinary athleticism and the crazy party atmosphere. Her aspirations include meeting more hockey players—for research of course, breeding non-shedding cats, and making her readers laugh.
@MelTing21
www.melanieting.blogspot.com
[email protected]
Also by Melanie Ting
Hockey Is My Boyfriend, Part Three
What if you had only loved two guys in your life—and then you got to choose?
It’s crunch time for Kelly Tanaka. Now that she’s graduated, her life in competitive hockey is over and all she wants is a career that’s related to hockey. She’s going to have to start at the bottom, but before she can climb the first rung of the corporate ladder, her love life explodes.
James Frechette is playing in the NHL now. He has money, great teammates, and his choice of willing women. But what he really wants is the one person who got away.
Phil Davidson has also graduated and wants to get his life in order. Travel and a good job are already checked off, so now he can focus on reuniting with the woman he’s loved forever. But he’ll have to battle some competition for that goal.
Will Kelly decide that her first job is her priority? Will Phil get a chance to prove that first love is the best love? Or will James make good on his vow to win her back?
Hockey Is My Boyfriend, Part Three is the concluding book in this trilogy about love, hockey, and a love of hockey. The only guarantee is a happy ending.
How the Cookie Crumbles
She’s champagne and cupcakes. He’s beer and burgers.
Frankie Taylor has a perfectly organized life—including a checklist for her ideal man. Just when she thinks her dream boyfriend is going to propose, he dumps her instead. Heartbroken, she impulsively flees across the country. She lands in a small town where her only romantic prospect is unshaven, unsophisticated, and definitely not her type.
Jake Cookson likes living large. After the grind of playing hockey eight months of the year, he wants to party in the off-season. And while he doesn’t do commitment, he’s more than willing to have a summer fling with the curvy brunette who’s new in town. To his surprise, she’s unimpressed by his NHL fame, money, and athletic prowess.
Can Frankie throw away her plans for the future and appreciate what’s in front of her now? And can Jake even pronounce the word relationship?
Fresh Air
Late one night, a tall, athletic stranger bursts into a veterinary clinic with a terribly injured kitten. Veterinary tech, Janet Samson, rushes to his aid and her priority is saving the kitten’s life. But as the animal recovers, Janet gets to know more about Max Mattlin. He’s not only an animal lover, but he’s also a professional hockey player. On th
e surface, these two don’t have much in common—but sometimes romance can grow from the most unlikely beginnings.
Hockey Is My Boyfriend: Part Two Page 24
