Hard Lines & Goal Lines (Fast Ice Book 2)

by Stephanie Julian

  “It’s what makes your dad a good GM. He tries to do what’s right for the team. I don’t always agree, but then I’m just the backup goalie.”

  Glaring at him, she set aside the rest of her dinner. “Why do you do that?”

  His eyebrows drew together, his confusion apparent. “Do what?”

  “Why do you say you’re ‘just the backup’? Do you really not know how important you are to the team?”

  He gave her that look again, the one that made her think he knew more about her feelings for him than she wanted him to. Then, after a few seconds of silence, he sighed and ran a hand through those unruly curls, shaking his head and jumbling them around a little more.

  “I know my place. I know my job and I know I do my job well or I wouldn’t still be here. But there’s a reason I’m the backup and not the one who steps on the ice first most nights.”

  “But if the guys didn’t know they could count on you in the clutch, they wouldn’t play as well in front of you as they do. Hell, your goals against average is near the top of the league. I know you’ve gotten offers to play for other teams, to be the top goalie. Why haven’t you taken one?”

  “Wasn’t the right fit at the time. The money wasn’t there.” He shrugged, his gaze sliding away from hers for a few seconds. “I’m happy here.”

  “Why?”

  Damn. There went her mouth again. She probably shouldn’t have asked, should’ve let this one go. Except…she couldn’t. She wanted to know. Needed to know.

  From the look on his face, she could tell he was struggling to find the right words. But she didn’t need the right words. She wanted the truth.

  “Because I like the people here. I like my teammates. I like my coach. I like the organization.”

  Something in his expression made her think he wanted to say more.

  “Is that it?” she prompted.

  Jesus, what was with her tonight? These weren’t the questions she should be asking. Not now. Not with him here, with her, alone in her apartment. Not when his gaze remained on hers and a silence descended that became harder and harder for her to take.

  Her heart had kicked up its pace again and was beating its way into her throat. They should talk about the upcoming event he was involved in.

  “I told you. I like the people I work with.”

  Did he include her in that list? Is that what the look he was giving her meant? The two beers she’d downed certainly wanted her to believe that. Her fast-beating heart wanted to believe, as well.

  “Everyone here likes you, too.”

  He paused. “Everyone, huh? You include yourself in that list?”

  “Of course.” She didn’t stop to think about her answer. It was a no-brainer. Or maybe the alcohol had loosened her tongue. Either way, it was a truthful answer. “You’re a nice guy, Tim.”

  She could tell by the expression on his face he’d taken her response as an insult. She certainly hadn’t meant it as one. He was a nice guy. He was a sweet, hunky, hot, totally fuckable, nice guy she couldn’t have. A guy she wanted more with each passing second. A guy she could kiss if she only closed the inches separating them and pressed her mouth against his.

  Shit.

  Blinking, she looked down at her hands, resting on her thighs. Okay, maybe clutching her thighs would be more accurate because all she could think about was grabbing him and yanking him right up against her mouth.

  Drawing in a quick breath, she released her thighs, pushed off the couch, and headed for the kitchen. When she reached the fridge, she called over her shoulder.

  “You want another beer?”

  “No, thanks. I’m good.”

  Startled, she realized he’d followed her into the kitchen again and stood only a few inches away. Closer than they’d been on the couch. Close enough for her to want to draw in a huge breath laced with his scent.

  Danger. Danger. Danger.

  Staring into his eyes, she couldn’t tear her gaze away. He looked straight into hers, searching for something. What?

  “I think I better go.”

  It took a second for her brain to understand what he’d said. And not because she was drunk. She could hold her alcohol. No, it was how close he was and how much she wanted to kiss him. Her desire to throw herself at him made her swallow hard, her throat dry. She didn’t want him to go. She wanted him to stay and…do more than kissing.

  She tried to think of something, anything, to say. Well, anything that wasn’t “Kiss me.” Because if she said that, she wasn’t sure he wouldn’t take her up on it. The look in his eyes said he would.

  Isn’t that what you want?

  “Gabby.”

  “Yes.”

  Did he hear her answer the question he hadn’t asked?

  She saw a muscle in his jaw jump and her gaze dropped to watch. His jaw was as rugged as the rest of him, square and covered in dark stubble, except for the area where an old scar kept the whiskers from growing. She wanted to run her fingers along the length of it, feel the stubble against her skin. Maybe against the inside of her thighs—

  Blinking, she took a step back. And found herself pressed against the edge of the counter. Tim stayed where he was, but his gaze held a smoldering fire that elicited an answering warmth low in her body.

  Her core clenched, and her panties would be wet in seconds. The urge to give herself permission to kiss him was a constant drumbeat in her skull.

  No one would have to know.

  If she asked him to, Tim wouldn’t tell a soul. The man had stonewall down to an art, on and off the ice.

  Could we really have this one night?

  She knew the answer to that was no because she didn’t want just one night. If she had, it would’ve been easy to find a night over the past five years and scratch that itch. Get it out of their systems.

  Except she knew it wouldn’t have been enough. The heat in his eyes suggested he knew exactly what she was thinking. Heart pounding against her ribs, she drew in a breath—

  Tim took a step back, blinking and breaking their connection.

  “I should go.”

  Swallowing hard, she shook her head. “You don’t have to.” Her brain spun like tires trying to get purchase. “We haven’t had dessert yet.”

  His jaw clenched and the desire in his eyes smoldered hotter. The heat in her core spread outward, warming her blood and making its way through her entire body, until she wanted to fan her face, which had to be flushed by now.

  “You promised me pie.”

  She forced the words past the lump in her throat. They sounded ridiculous. A little pathetic. But she was stupidly prepared to beg him to stay. She hoped to hell she wouldn’t have to. That he’d put her out of her misery.

  A split second passed that seemed like forever. She had herself convinced he was going to turn and walk away, leaving her alone.

  Instead, his lips quirked into what she thought was a grin and, finally, he nodded.

  “Yes, I did.” His voice, deep and strong, struck a chord low in her body. “You want it now?”

  She did. She wanted the pie. She wanted him. And every second that passed, she convinced herself she could have her pie and her cake. Prime beefcake.

  “Yes. Please.”

  Four

  Tim was pretty sure Gabby had just opened a proverbial door for him to stick his size-twelve foot through.

  The look in her eyes burned with a heat he’d never seen before and her body language invited him to put his hands on her. He’d never gotten the sense from her before that he’d been welcome to do it. To put his hands on her shoulders and pull her against his body. To watch her eyes as he lowered his mouth to hers, watch them flutter closed as their lips touched.

  Then he’d kiss the hell out of her and deal with the consequences tomorrow. And there sure as hell would be consequences. Because of who he was and who she was.

  Not that he was worrying about that now. No, he was more worried about a severe case of blue balls. Stomping down hi
s desire for her for so long had given him a natural immunity to her. Or so he’d thought. Right now, his need for her consumed him from the inside out.

  “Gabby.”

  Her breath hitched as he spoke her name, then she drew in a long, deep breath. Her chin came up and her lips curved with the hint of a smile.

  “Pie first.”

  His grin widened at the implication and he caught a teasing warmth in the brightness of her eyes and the smile on her lips. Good thing she didn’t know she could wrap him around her little finger with that smile.

  “You wanna be civilized and use plates or you just wanna eat it out of the box?” he asked. “I got no problem with either one.”

  He wanted to feed her. To pick up a fork and slide it between her lips—

  Argh. Just stop.

  Tearing her gaze away from his, she nodded and sidestepped him on her way to the cabinet behind him.

  “I’ll just get some forks.”

  They wound up back on the couch, NHL Tonight droning away in the background. There were only two games tonight and both were on the west coast and wouldn’t start until ten. She’d put them on later.

  The pie sat on the cushion between them as they took turns digging in. Actually, the slice looked like half the damn pie and it was so good, Gabby couldn’t help giving a contented sigh when they’d finally eaten it all, down to the last crumb.

  “Oh my god, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

  “Georgie does make the best damn pie in the tri-state area.”

  “Maybe in the world.” Gabrielle shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever had anything this good.”

  “I’m going to need to run a couple extra miles to get rid of the calories, but it was totally worth it.”

  Tim lifted a hand and rubbed it over his stomach, drawing her gaze down his body. And just like that, she was undressing him with her eyes again. Imagining what he’d look like without the t-shirt that stretched taut across his broad shoulders and the track pants that gave her a glimpse of the bulge at his crotch. Which she totally shouldn’t be looking at, but now she totally was.

  “Gabrielle.”

  His use of her full name grabbed her attention like nothing else could. It also stole the breath from her lungs and her will to deny herself the one thing she really wanted after this entire shitty day.

  Him. She wanted him.

  “Gabby.”

  Caught in his gaze, she couldn’t look away.

  “Are you okay?”

  She wanted to scream and stomp her feet like a toddler having a temper tantrum. She didn’t want to talk about how she felt. She wanted him to take her mind off what had happened, not rehash it.

  “I’m fine.” Getting to her feet, she grabbed the empty beer bottles off the table and headed back to the fridge. “You want another?”

  He paused for a second. “No. I’m good. I’ll take a glass of water instead.”

  This time he didn’t follow her, so she had a few seconds to wrestle her emotions back under control. Her desire bubbled like acid in her veins, threatening to overwhelm her and leading to disaster.

  Overdramatic much?

  God, yes. Way too much. Time to act like an adult.

  When she returned, she noticed he hadn’t moved, except to shift in his seat to watch her.

  Setting his water and her beer on the table in front of them, she eased back onto the cushion farthest from him.

  And found herself sinking into his gaze. Dark and intense and filled with heat. The desire he no longer tried to hide called to her and loosened her tongue and her inhibitions. Honestly, how could she resist him? The man had been her hero today, not just once but twice. Okay, maybe doing a friend a favor by dropping off her dinner didn’t count, but this afternoon, he could’ve walked away, minded his own business, and left her to deal with Rich herself.

  “If I ask you a question, will you give me an honest answer?”

  Tim didn’t look surprised by her question, but he did take several long seconds to respond.

  “I wouldn’t lie to you.”

  If that had come from any other man other than her family, she’d roll her eyes. But she knew Tim. He wasn’t kidding.

  “Why are you here? And I’m not asking why you brought my food. I’m asking why you stayed.”

  Another short pause. “Do you really not know the answer to that?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked if I did.”

  His gaze intensified, eyes such a dark brown, they looked almost black. Such a beautiful color.

  “Because I want to spend time with you. Because I’ve wanted to spend time with you since the first time we met. Because I can’t think of anyone I want to spend more time with.”

  Every word struck at her heart like a tiny hammer, trying to carve out a little chink so the next one could dig deeper. Her lungs tightened until she had to tell herself to breathe. It took every ounce of her control to keep from reaching for him and dragging him close.

  She could say she was shocked, but that’d be a lie. Even if she hadn’t wanted to admit it, she’d known this attraction had been here for years. An attraction she’d ruthlessly ignored for her own self-preservation.

  They worked for the same company, and although there was no written rule that said they couldn’t be together, she’d believed a relationship between them would never work. But every one of the words he’d just said had turned a key in a lock she didn’t know existed.

  He’d had the courage to say those words out loud. Now she had to have the courage to make sure he hadn’t said them for nothing.

  “Don’t say no. And don’t move.”

  Her breathless, almost inaudible words made him suck in a breath, his chest expanding as she shifted across the cushion separating them until she was kneeling so close to him, she could feel the heat rising off his body.

  “Why would I say no?”

  His deep voice hit her low in her gut.

  “Because I’m about to do something I shouldn’t.”

  He shook his head slowly. “You’re not gonna get a fight from me. Hell, you can tie me to the couch if you need to. I’m not going anywhere. But…I don’t want you to regret whatever you’re about to do in the morning.”

  “I won’t regret a damn thing.” But she needed to lay everything on the table now that she’d started. The beer with dinner had loosened her tongue and the more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to jump his bones. Literally. She wanted to climb across his lap, straddle his thighs, and take his face in her hands. Then she’d press her mouth against his and kiss him until neither of them could think straight.

  Staring at him from only inches away, she couldn’t wait any longer.

  “The only regret I have is not doing this sooner.”

  Reaching for him, she cupped his jaw in her hands, his stubble a sensual shock to her system. The warmth of his skin filtered into her body, seeping into her bloodstream like a drug. She let her fingers trail along that hard stretch while his gaze, heavy-lidded and burning, remained locked to hers.

  Now that she was actually here, this close to fulfilling a fantasy she’d rarely dared to think about, she had to silence the doubts that had started to creep back in. There was no going back from this. No returning to how they were now.

  You’ve wanted him for years. Maybe after you kiss him, you can get him out of your system.

  Exactly. Sure. Right.

  When he put his hands on her hips and urged her closer, she felt another layer of resistance crumble. He tugged, and she did what he wanted, inching forward until she could easily rest her hands on his shoulders.

  From his jaw to his shoulders, she let her hands smooth over him, her fingers making lazy caresses all the way. Once she reached his shoulders, she spread her fingers and let them curl over the tight muscles and dip down his back.

  He made a sound low in his throat that elicited goosebumps on her arms. Needy, growly. Purely masculine. Her gut drew into a tight ball,
her throat dry as their gazes connected and held. She saw no hesitation, no doubt. Only desire.

  She wasn’t sure who moved first. In the end, it didn’t matter. Their lips met, melded together with heat and want. She thought for a second that she’d be the aggressor. That he’d let her take control.

  Of course she was wrong.

  The second she opened to him, let his tongue invade her mouth and stroke along hers, she gave up all thought of shouldn’t or should. Because this, right here, was what she’d been missing from her life.

  Tim kissed her like she’d never been kissed before. And what a sad commentary that was on her life. He kissed her like he wanted to do so much more than just kiss. His lips moved over hers with a skill that momentarily shocked her. Where had he learned to kiss like this? Like he’d been practicing all his life for just this moment.

  Her muscles melted like chocolate in the hot sun, her hands going slack for several seconds before clutching at his shoulders. As rock-hard muscles flexed under her palms, her body aroused and her every nerve ending fired into almost painful attention.

  Kissing him after all this time was even better than she’d allowed herself to consider. Their mouths found an immediate rhythm, her tongue dancing along his before he slid one hand to her nape, gripped her tight, and took over.

  Her heart skipped a beat at the dominance in that move, in the strength in his hand and the roughness of his skin. The warmth of his body acted like an aphrodisiac, enticing her closer. She went willingly, arms wrapping around his shoulders, breasts meeting the solid wall of his chest.

  She couldn’t contain the low moan of excitement that rose in her throat. Or the way her nipples tightened into hard peaks. The man had muscles to spare and right now, every one of them was rock-hard. She wanted to run her hands over every inch of him, pet him until she’d gotten her fill then strip him naked.

  Getting a little ahead of yourself. And what if you never get your fill?

  The thought was enough to make her pause, to pull back. Tim let her go without a fight, but not without making her regret it. Her eyes blinked open, and she found him staring back at her, his gaze intensely focused and heavy-lidded.