He Shoots He Scores

by Tricia Owens

  “By necking in a public park?”

  “By not doing everything I want to do to you,” Adrian said roughly before dragging his teeth along Neil’s neck. “I’m showing restraint.”

  “Your restraint sucks,” Neil panted, but his own hands came up to grip Adrian’s broad shoulders and pull him closer.

  Adrian paused, breathing against Neil’s throat. “We could go back to your place...or mine.”

  Neil shivered. His cock was onboard with it. He hadn’t had sex in months and now that the seal had been broken he was ravenous for it. He wanted to tear Adrian apart and make him love it.

  But what the hell was Neil doing with his life and his career? He’d blown off his first game and the welcome dinner with his teammates. When had he become so selfish? Because giving in to the whirlwind that was Adrian Magnusson was all about self-indulgence at the cost of his future with the Kraken.

  Have you forgotten who the hell you are? What you represent?

  He changed his grip on Adrian’s shoulders, pushing instead of pulling. “We can’t. I mean it.”

  He was grateful that Adrian didn’t try to fight him, because Neil might have given in. The blond winger slowly sat back, his eyes glued to Neil’s mouth as though he were contemplating diving back in.

  “You said you respect me,” Neil reminded him, reading his indecision. “Respect my desire not to do this.”

  “Sneaky,” Adrian breathed. He smiled ruefully before dragging a hand through his silky-looking hair. Neil wished he’d grabbed it, mussed it, left his mark. He had to be satisfied with Adrian’s wet lips and the heated look in his eyes. “Alright, Neil. No necking in the car. I agree it’s a needless risk.”

  “No necking anywhere,” Neil said firmly. “This...connection between us needs to end. It’ll be a distraction.”

  Adrian’s grin was quick, like a snap of lightning. “You’re saying I distract you? What gets you most—my big cock or my boyish smile?”

  “Definitely not your sense of humor.”

  Familiar laughter filled the car. Neil wished he could hate it.

  Adrian settled, wearing again that fond smile that made Neil feel squirmy inside. “Alright, Neil. I’ll work on it. I admit that you’re distracting, too. But it’s okay. I’ll find a solution.”

  Neil groaned and collapsed against his seat. “We don’t need a solution. We need to stay away from each other. We need to be professional.”

  Still grinning, Adrian clipped on his seatbelt and started the engine. “Leave it up to me. I’ll take care of everything, including you.”

  Depression seemed a distant memory with Adrian’s face reflecting so much anticipation. Neil thought of arguments he could make, insults—but swallowed them all. Deep down, he hoped Adrian did take care of everything.

  Especially him.

  As soon as he thought this, blinding light blazed through the back windshield.

  Chapter 9

  It was Baltimore all over again. The same horror that had been on Neil’s face that night had found its way to his face again here in Seattle. Adrian felt terrible seeing it.

  “It’s okay,” he said calmly, as though his own heart hadn’t kickstarted once headlights filled the car. “Probably just park security checking up.”

  “Or police,” Neil hissed, staring straight ahead, his neck rigid. “What are they going to think? Because whatever it is, it won’t be worse than the truth!”

  “I’ll just find out, then.”

  “No!” Neil grabbed his arm as he unbuckled his seatbelt. “What are you doing? You can’t go out there.”

  “I think it’d be worse if they leaned in here and saw you freaking out like this,” Adrian said mildly. He patted Neil’s hand before peeling it off him and killing the engine. He tossed the car keys in the air and caught them with a flourish. “Leave it to me, Neil. I’ve got you.”

  He was talking out of his ass, but what Neil didn’t know hopefully wouldn’t come back to wreck his career. Adrian winced at the thought, but hurriedly pushed it out of his head. He’d dragged Neil into this. He’d be damned if he let the other winger suffer any repercussions from it.

  He climbed out of the car slowly, keeping his hands in clear view. The headlights ahead were angled slightly, allowing him to see the silhouette of a police car behind them. Great. Adrian plastered a friendly, bemused smile on his face as one of the car doors opened and an officer stepped out.

  “Late to be at the park,” the officer commented as he walked forward.

  Adrian nodded. “That was the appeal, actually. Wanted to enjoy the view in peace.”

  The officer came close enough for Adrian to see his face. The guy was a handful of years older than himself. He stared at Adrian for a few seconds before his eyes widened.

  “You’re Adrian Magnusson.”

  There went the chance of squeezing out of this without being recognized. But hope wasn’t lost.

  “You follow hockey, Officer?”

  The officer smiled widely. “Since I’ve been a kid. Used to root for Vancouver since we didn’t have a team, but now... Wow! You have no idea how excited I am that we have a team to call our own.”

  Adrian laughed. “I think I have an idea. Everyone I’ve met in the city has been happy to tell me. I’m really glad to hear it.”

  “You’re glad? Man, you’re incredible. I can’t believe you’re on our team!” the officer gushed. He came closer, his eyes bright. “I followed your career when you were with Chicago. Watched every game of the playoffs. You had a hell of a series, Mr. Magnusson. You deserved that Cup.”

  “Call me Adrian.” He extended his hand.

  The officer’s eyes bulged before he grabbed Adrian’s hand and shook it firmly. “Thomas Hilke. Great to meet you, Adrian. My girlfriend won’t believe this. She’s a hockey fan, too. She has your jersey!”

  “That’s amazing. Tell her I said she has great taste.”

  Hilke shook his head in wonder. “She’s never gonna believe I ran into you.” He hesitated. “Would you mind taking a photo with me? Just a quick one?”

  Adrian had hoped to avoid proof of his presence here, but there was no way he was going to refuse such a request from a city public servant. “I’d love to. Always happy to show my support for our officers.”

  He posed with Hilke for a selfie, then autographed the back of a parking ticket for the man to give to his girlfriend.

  “Never thought I’d run into Adrian Magnusson in a park,” Hilke said with a laugh. His eyes flicked, for the first time, to the back windshield of Adrian’s car. “Your friend in there?”

  Adrian nodded, keeping his smile wide. “Just came to the city today. Wanted to give ‘em a tour,” he said, deliberately using a vague pronoun. “Sorry to give you extra work to check on us.”

  The officer leaned the side, trying to see in the passenger window. “I should—”

  “Appreciate if you didn’t,” Adrian spoke up, aiming for casual in his voice and expression but his heart pounded. “Trying to keep it on the downlow. Doesn’t want any publicity.”

  Hilke eyed him. “Ah. I see. So it’s like that.”

  Adrian inwardly cursed. He hadn’t wanted it to get this far.

  “Must be tough getting privacy,” Hilke said.

  “You have no idea.”

  The officer chuckled and held up the autographed ticket. “I don’t, but I can guess. I won’t give you any grief. I just have to let you know that the park is closed after eight. That’s why there aren’t any other cars here.”

  “Ah, shoot. Sorry. I must have missed the sign for that.”

  “Not a problem, Adrian. Now you know. Anyway, it was great to meet you and thanks again for everything. The guys at the precinct are all Kraken fans, too, so they’ll get a real kick out of hearing that I ran into you.”

  “Sounds like I need to have the team stop by for a meet and greet.”

  Hilke gaped, and then laughed. “Okay, I need to go before I embarrass myself. But, uh
, if you guys do feel like stopping by, you’ll meet a pretty enthusiastic bunch of cops.”

  They parted ways with another handshake and Adrian’s promise not to sneak into any more parks after hours. He was smiling as he climbed back into his car and waited for the officer to back his vehicle out of the way.

  “See?” he said as he started up the Volvo’s engine. “Not a problem. I knew it wouldn’t be.”

  “You got lucky,” Neil muttered as he craned his head around to watch the progress of the cop car. “He should have asked to see who I was. You could have been conducting a drug deal or hooking up with a prostitute.”

  “Good thing he was starstruck by the great Adrian Magnusson. I knew my dashing good looks and incredible hockey skills would pay off someday.”

  Neil palmed his face as Adrian drove them out with the police car following a polite distance behind. Adrian could tell Neil didn’t breathe again until they were out on the main road, heading back into the city.

  “I’ll make us something to eat,” Adrian said cheerfully.

  “You must be joking. You’re taking me home so I can sleep and pretend this night never happened.”

  Adrian bit back a laugh. Neil’s attitude amused him. Hell, he thought Neil was hilarious, which was slightly dangerous because if there was a way into his heart, it was through humor. Granted, Neil wasn’t intentionally trying to be funny, but that only meant that he was naturally perfect. Few things were sadder than a guy who tried too hard.

  Not that Neil was trying at all. That was sort of a problem, Adrian reflected. But not an insurmountable one.

  “I basically kidnapped you tonight and nearly got you arrested,” he said. “The least I can do is whip up something incomprehensibly Swedish for you.”

  “I control what I eat. My previous team supplied me with meals.”

  “Yeah, the chefs do that here, too, and I eat them and enjoy them. But sometimes you have to splurge, Neil. Otherwise there’s no point in living.”

  “Tell me that again when you get dinged for an unknown substance during drug testing.”

  Adrian glanced over at Neil, watching light paint across his face. “I admire a man who takes care of himself and is committed to his job. But I have to admit, you’re the most rigid guy I’ve ever met.”

  “I’m not rigid,” Neil muttered. He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m disciplined. There’s a difference.”

  “You don’t need to be disciplined all the time. You’re allowed to be human.”

  “I’ve tried that.” Adrian felt his glare. “It’s been a disaster.”

  “Now let’s not exaggerate. So far nothing bad has happened yet a whole lot of good happened.” Adrian smirked. “I, for one, have happened to you. And that was a whole lot of good. About eight inches of it, if I’m being modest.”

  Neil just shook his head. Adrian tried to check to see if he’d gotten a smile out of him, but the darkness worked against him.

  “I’d like to go home and try to organize my place,” Neil muttered. “I feel like I wasted the entire day.”

  “You spent part of it with me, though.”

  “No comment.”

  Adrian smiled. He’d take that.

  After another twenty minutes, Neil asked, “Are we nearly at my place?”

  “Something like that.” Adrian pulled into the underground parking garage of his own condominium.

  “I don’t remember this garage.” Neil didn’t move as Adrian stopped the car in his assigned spot. “This is your place. Isn’t it?”

  “You need to familiarize yourself with your neighborhood, otherwise someone unscrupulous could drive you to their home and force you to eat dinner with them.”

  Neil pinched the bridge of his nose. Adrian waited him out. If Neil pushed for it, he’d take him home. But the longer he spent in Neil’s company, the better Adrian believed he was getting at telling serious Neil from bitching-just-because Neil. He had a hunch who was in the car with him now.

  “You’re a lot, has anyone ever told you that?” Neil lowered his hand to glare at him. “You won’t take no.”

  “Only if it’s warranted, but in this case it definitely isn’t.” He unlocked the doors. “Come on up. I want to show off my place. I want you to see what my huge contract bought me.”

  “I doubt it’s good taste,” Neil said, but to Adrian’s delight, he got out of the car.

  As they headed to the elevators that would take them up, Adrian pulled out his phone and sent a few quick texts.

  “I’ve invited the guys over.”

  Neil’s jaw clenched, but he nodded. “Okay.”

  “Figured it’d be more relaxing to meet them here. It’ll also make it harder for me to drag you into my bedroom and ravish you like you’re imagining right now.”

  “I was hoping, but you went and cockblocked me,” Neil said dryly as they began riding up the elevator.

  His shoulders rose and fell with a sigh. He looked handsome but worried, as though he couldn’t shake off what had nearly happened at the park. It sparked sadness in Adrian, but he knew he wouldn’t need to feel it for long. Once the guys were over, he was confident Neil’s mood would lift. They had a great group and Neil would be happy to be a part of it.

  Adrian was proud of his place and eagerly ushered Neil through the door while calling out for the lights to come on and music to begin playing. Hooking everything up to smart systems had been the best idea he’d had. He felt like he lived in the future.

  In the living room, Neil turned a slow circle. “This...is not what I expected.” He looked faintly confused, making Adrian feel a twinge of self-consciousness.

  “Is that in a good way or a bad way?” he asked with a smile, but he was nervous. It shouldn’t, but it mattered what Neil thought of his personal taste. This condo was the best representation of Adrian outside of his boyhood home in Sweden. Actually, it was more accurate, since his parents hadn’t decorated a single inch of the place.

  He watched as Neil ran his fingertips along the back of the beige sectional that was Adrian’s pride and joy. It was huge, with three sections, and took up most of the room, but what he loved most about it were the Scandi-style throw pillows he’d used to replace the ones that had come with the sofa and the colorful lap blankets he’d tossed into the corners. The sofa screamed ‘lay on me!’, or at least it did to Adrian, and the brilliant colors suggested happiness. He never failed to smile upon seeing this sofa.

  Beneath it lay a faux sheepskin rug. Not the wisest choice when it came to keeping things clean—chip crumbs were a bitch to dig out of the thick fur—but Adrian loved the softness against his bare feet and the cozy transition it provided between the sofa and the thick hunk of polished tree trunk that served as his cocktail table.

  “Hygge,” Neil murmured as he gazed down at the tableau.

  Adrian stood up straighter. “What did you say?”

  “Hygge. Isn’t that the term for ‘cozy’?”

  “I’m impressed,” Adrian said, and he meant it. It told him a lot about Neil that he was aware of the word and the concept. “It’s a Danish term.”

  “What’s the Swedish term?”

  “In the way that you mean, I was aiming for lagom here, a balance between the high intensity in hockey and my personal life. This is my retreat.”

  Neil came around the end of the sectional and sat down carefully. He made a sound of surprise when he sank into the soft cushions. Adrian smiled to himself and watched Neil pull over one of the pillows, which was decorated with folk art-inspired deer and botanicals in bright shades of coral and turquoise.

  “I was expecting a typical bachelor’s pad,” Neil said as he traced the deer with his fingertip. “Something modern and hip. Sophisticated. Obviously expensive. Something that showed off your new status as the highest-paid player in the league.”

  Adrian snorted.

  “Or,” Neil went on, “I was expecting a boy’s playroom. Grownup toys, lots of gadgets, graphic posters, and cr
azy metal lights.” He looked up at Adrian, as if unsure what he was seeing. “I didn’t expect something this soft from you. This really is your home.”

  Adrian was afraid he’d begin blushing, not that there was anything wrong with showing vulnerability, but he didn’t want Neil to get the idea that he was embarrassed by his observation. He wasn’t. He was grateful that Neil understood what he was going for.

  “I told you,” he said, after clearing his throat. “I like it here. I want to see if this becomes home.”

  Neil nodded. “I believe you now.” He hesitated. “Thank you for showing me.”

  “Of course,” Adrian said, because that was how it felt to him. Of course he’d show Neil what mattered most to him. Of course he’d let Neil see what made him happy. Adrian knew he was falling hard and fast, but he wasn’t afraid of it. It wasn’t like he’d only noticed Neil recently. This had been a long time coming.

  “Would you, uh, like a coffee?” he offered, realizing he’d forgotten to be hospitable in his eagerness to see Neil’s reaction. “Or wine? You like wine.”

  “Do I?” Neil looked amused. He looked perfect sitting on Adrian’s sofa.

  “You like reds, but not reds from France.” Adrian shrugged at his shock. “You think I don’t read articles about other players? Or maybe you think I don't read?”

  Neil looked away, but not before Adrian caught the beginnings of a smile. “Something like that.”

  “Little do you know, Neil, how easy you’re making this for me. Your low expectations mean I’ll clear every hurdle by a mile. You’re making me look good.”

  “Just get me the damn wine.”

  Grinning like a fool, Adrian went to pour them some wine. He was privately proud of himself for picking up the bottle of California Syrah from the store earlier in the week. His optimism had paid off.

  Neil accepted the glass with thanks and raised an eyebrow after tasting it, but he didn’t comment on the choice. He knew what it was and it was all Adrian could do to keep the smug grin off his face as he relaxed into the sofa beside him.