Love In Moments: An opposites attract hockey romance (Love Distilled Book 2)

by Scarlett Cole

  For a woman who had struggled to orgasm, it appeared that Anders could get her halfway there with a plexiglass screen between them. If he didn’t get to three points, she’d have to go home and make do with her vibrator for company. Again.

  When the teams came back on the ice for the third period, it was clear Florida had been given the mother of all pep talks by their coach. They came out fighting, scoring their first goal in the first two minutes of the period, the second in the fifteenth minute.

  Olivia wasn’t any kind of hockey expert, but it looked as though some of the Rush players were getting frustrated. Karl was put in the penalty box, but the Rush held it together and didn’t let Florida score.

  Olivia glanced at the clock. Less than a minute left.

  The numbers seemed to click down in slow motion. Anders’s line skated back onto the ice, along with a rotation of defensemen. Fresh legs on all of them for the last forty-two seconds.

  Florida made a play, but Karl was having none of it. Olivia watched as Karl body checked one of their players out of the way. The puck flew around the back of the goal and was picked up by the player on Anders’s right. When the puck made it to center ice, Anders took it and zigzagged toward the net. He was ahead of the two players who flanked his wings, and with determination flicked it toward the net.

  The goaltender collapsed on the ice, the puck smothered beneath his oversized pads.

  The woman next to her reached out and grabbed Olivia’s arm as she focused on the huge monitor. People stood, half suspended between cheering and fear that the goal wasn’t allowed. The referees huddled around a monitor as Anders circled the ice. He circled past a young fan, hammering on the glass near the bench and reached for a puck to toss to him.

  He wasn’t always the surly hockey player people knew him as.

  The referee skated onto center ice, but Anders never turned to watch. He stood facing her direction, but with his eyes focused down toward the ice.

  “Upon further video review,” the referee began.

  Olivia’s heart caught in her throat. There were twelve seconds left on the clock.

  “The puck completely crossed the line. We have a goal.”

  An excruciatingly loud horn went off in the arena as the crowd jumped to their feet. But Olivia’s eyes remained on Anders as he looked up at her, his bottom lip between his teeth. “Three,” he mouthed, and grinned as his teammates crowded him and blocked him from her view.

  9

  “That last play was something else,” Karl said, as he pedaled next to Anders. “I mean, I think Wyatt was waiting for you to flip it to him. Hell, I think Florida were too. Which is why you caught all of them off guard.”

  Anders half-listened to Karl’s thoughts on the game. Just as he’d half-listened to their coach, and half-listened to the offensive coach, and half-listened to his trainer.

  “I saw a shot and took it. No more complicated than that.”

  His only objective was to get to Olivia.

  But that wasn’t how a hockey game ended.

  Unfortunately, he couldn’t just shrug off his uniform, hand over his skates, and get the hell out of there. He blazed through his mandatory post-game workout. Usually, he loved the routine of it. Seeing what the athletic trainer had written on the board for him. It gave him time to process the game, to think through the plays, the results. And based on that review, he could decide whether he’d had a good game or not, in a way that was independent of the score sheet. Not tonight, though.

  And there was the issue of being half-starved. His daily requirements were over five thousand calories, and today he felt as though he was two thousand short. He rushed through his shower and, once dressed, headed to the post-game meal where he ate so fast, he practically inhaled his pasta with a rose sauce loaded with chicken and spinach, and his side order of rib eye.

  Karl placed his plate on the table and sat next to Anders just as he was finishing up. “You were on fire tonight, though. Two goals and one assist. Keep that up and you’ll be a shoo-in for alternate captain next season.”

  Normally, Anders would remind Karl that staying in Denver was not his choice. But tonight, he didn’t have the time or inclination.

  “Thanks,” he said, hoping to stop Karl’s commentary. He opened his phone and saw a message from Olivia.

  We agreed to three points, but I think I’m going to need to stipulate for future bets that you come off the ice in one piece. That’s more important to me than the points.

  By his reckoning, she’d sent it minutes after he’d been nailed into the boards. His heart squeezed a little at the thought she was worried about him. He typed his reply.

  You know what’s more important to me right now, Liv?

  Stretching? LOL!

  Three points. Three dates. You want me to come off the ice… I want you to come in my bed.

  Three little dots had hovered in the bottom of his screen for a long while before she replied. He’d thrown her off. Something that seemed easy to do.

  You’ve remembered an orgasm doesn’t always happen, right?

  Neither does three points in a game, but I seemed to have made it happen for you.

  I’m serious, Anders.

  So am I! But, yeah. I remember.

  And he had remembered. It was why he’d put on sunglasses, a beanie, and a scarf to go to the store to buy some supplies to complement the online order that had already arrived to help ensure he did everything he could to help Liv get off.

  Kämpe?

  Yes, Anders.

  Whatever we do, it’ll be fun. Sex doesn’t have to be heavy and serious. Don’t let your enjoyment of the game depend on the result.

  Says the guy who scored three points.

  I’m on a roll, Liv. I’m bound to score again tonight.

  Cocky.

  Confident.

  Karl gestured in the direction of Anders’s phone. “Liv?”

  Anders nodded.

  “I like her,” Karl said. “I like you and her. And if a night with her leads to you playing like you did . . .”

  “She wasn’t there last night,” Anders replied, grabbing his bag from the seat next to him.

  “Maybe. But the way you’re racing out of here, I’m guessing she’s there now. Night, pysen.”

  “God natt, skitstövel.” He wasn’t really an asshole, but Karl knew he was teasing.

  When he pulled into the drive, he found Olivia sitting on the step, a small bag perched next to her. She looked as pretty as a picture in a warm coat and hat, but he couldn’t wait to get her inside.

  Anders parked the car and walked up the drive until he stood in front of her. He dropped his bag and offered her his hand to help her stand.

  “You were amazing tonight,” she said. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled.

  “Isn’t that something you are supposed to say tomorrow morning?”

  “Oh my god, you’re so cocky.” She playfully slapped his arm, but he captured her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers.

  “As I said. Confident. Let’s get inside.”

  Anders picked up their two bags and let her into his house. Warmth hit him as he slipped out of his coat and hung it over the newel post.

  When she opened her coat and slid it off her shoulders, he couldn’t help but grin. As she turned to hang it over his own, he felt his heart trip a little. The number forty-six and his name graced the back of the Rush jersey she was wearing.

  “I’m glad you wore this.” He grabbed the surplus fabric at her waist and pulled her to him.

  Olivia shrugged, but she blushed a little.

  A happy quiet settled over the two of them. They were two of a kind. Happier when the outside world was just that. Outside. Anders cupped her cheeks and kissed her, slowly at first, but with a growing need.

  “Did you eat?” he asked.

  Olivia nodded. “It’s eleven o’clock, Anders.”

  He shook his head. “I forget sometimes how late it gets because this is just my
life during the season. Normally, I don’t get to bed for another hour.”

  “And tonight?” She looked at him through those thick lashes of hers.

  There was something about Olivia’s eyes, her expression when she thought about or talked about sex. There was a shyness to it that called to every instinct in him.

  “Tonight, right now sounds perfect.”

  He took her hand and led her up the stairs to his room.

  Fuck.

  How many times had he thought about another night with Olivia? Another night where they could play and explore and fuck how he wanted to. And how many mornings had he woken up alone, wondering what it would be like to wake with Olivia in his arms?

  In between the morning skate and his nap, he’d researched ways to help a woman orgasm. His search history would be fucked forever, but it was worth it. It wasn’t that he wasn’t comfortable with his skills in the bedroom, it was that he wanted to be certain he did everything he could to make sure Olivia was taken care of.

  The most important advice he’d read was to communicate frequently and slow everything down.

  When he entered the bedroom, he led her to the bed and sat her down on the edge. “Remember when I last took off your hiking boots and leggings?” he said, removing the black boots and socks she’d worn. “I remember thinking how soft your skin was, how I couldn’t wait for you to be pressed up against me again.”

  Olivia placed her hand on his beard. “I loved the feel of you against me yesterday.”

  Anders pushed her down on the bed like he’d done the previous evening, loving the way her laughter filled his room. Yeah. Sex should be playful and fun and serious and deep and every conceivable positive emotion in between.

  “It just dawned on me,” Olivia said as he reached for her zipper. “We’ve been using baseball metaphors when we should have been using hockey ones.”

  Anders grinned as he lowered her jeans down her legs. “There are none, and don’t ask me to think of any when I can see black lace and a whole lot of you.” He left the jersey on.

  For now.

  Her hair spilled gloriously over his white sheets. The tender smile on her face stopped his heart for a moment. All that soft skin he was going to get to touch was currently covered by a jersey with his name on it. Sure, it was primal but he didn’t care.

  Olivia squeezed her thighs together and he got the impression she felt the same.

  Anticipation, he’d read, was its own aphrodisiac, so he took his time hanging his jacket, removing his tie, and unbuttoning his shirt. There were times he wished the hockey league didn’t insist they wore suits to and from games, but tonight wasn’t one of them. He kicked off his shoes and removed his socks.

  “It strikes me that you personify both parts of being a man, Anders,” Olivia said as she propped herself on her elbows. She raised her knees slightly and the hockey jersey slipped up her thighs. From his vantage point, he could see her panties, and damn, if the peekaboo show didn’t turn him on.

  “In what way?” He slipped his belt through its belt loops and wrapped it around his hand before placing it in the drawer. He tugged the shirt down his arms and tossed it into the laundry basket by the door. When he turned to face her, she was staring at him, not that he minded. “Liv?”

  “Oh, right. Yes. Sorry. Well, you look all civilized and restrained in your suit, like a man you could take home to your family, who would use his manners at the dinner table. And then, on the ice. You were very . . . I don’t know . . . Neanderthal. A bit savage. Fearless.” The last word came out on a whisper.

  He dropped his suit pants, leaving his boxer briefs on. After he’d hung them, he joined her on the bed. He crawled right up in her space until he was almost lying on her before flipping them over, so she lay on top of him. He slid his hand beneath the jersey and ran his palm over her ass.

  “Which do you prefer, Liv?” His hand tangled in her hair as he held her an inch away from his lips.

  She studied him for a moment, her palm on his chest. “Fearless,” she said breathlessly. “Watching you skate without holding back. It was beautiful.”

  Beautiful wasn’t a word he’d been called often, but the sincerity that radiated from Olivia’s face struck something inside of him. Her words were tinged with envy. His little kämpe knew what she wanted in the world, but didn’t know how to go about claiming it.

  He’d managed to wait until three dates had passed, and fuck, he’d have waited five, but he was relieved he didn’t need to. The feel of her body against his was everything he’d remembered and more.

  The scent of her, the warmth of her breath against his lips, the anticipation of having her again buzzed through him. He tugged her mouth to his and, barely breaking for air, he poured everything he felt into the kiss.

  With both hands gripping the hem of her jersey, he pulled it tight around her and held her close.

  When she began to move above him, seeking what she needed, he rolled the two of them over and rose above her before settling between her thighs. The sigh that escaped from her lips reassured him she was okay with what was happening, but he needed to be certain.

  “We made an agreement about dates and things, but you need to know you could get up and leave right now if you wanted to. I’m glad you are here, but I don’t expect you to be. Not yet, not if you aren’t ready.”

  Olivia ran her hands down his arms and back again. “I’m ready for you, for this. And even if I’d had any last-minute jitters, the fact you just checked that I was okay would likely have won me over.”

  When she wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him, he couldn’t help but smile a little against her lips. “In that case, we’re going to need some things.”

  He reached for the bedside drawer and tugged it open. Rising up onto his knees, he pulled the supplies he’d bought for this night.

  “Condoms. Obviously. Lubricant, because we know this might take a while, and you know, it helps. And I don’t know how you feel about this, but you mentioned at Christmas that you used one on yourself and it always worked.”

  He’d left the small vibrator in the package so she’d know he got it just for her.

  Olivia looked away for a moment and took a deep breath. Worry flooded him that he’d been too prepared. That perhaps the vibrator had been something for her own personal pleasure. But when she looked back, tears hovered on the edge of her lashes.

  “Liv. I’m sorry. We don’t have to use any of it, obviously, I was just trying to make things easier, less stressful for you. I did some research and it said—”

  She reached for his face and pulled him down to hers, their kiss putting a stop to his words.

  He’d remembered.

  He thought ahead to get things that would make it easier for her to orgasm.

  He’d freaking researched what to do to put her mind at rest. And for that alone she could love him.

  “Thank you,” she murmured against his lips. She felt the stress release from his body. “This is incredibly thoughtful of you.”

  Anders shrugged as if it had been no big deal. But for her, it was major.

  “I just wanted you to enjoy this as much as we did at Christmas. And I thought this might be a way of taking pressure off you.”

  “You have. You did. I’ve never used a vibrator in front of someone else, but there’s a first time for everything, right?”

  He ripped into the packet and opened the vibrator to slip a battery in, before placing it on the bedside table along with the other things he’d bought. “Toys can be fun. And . . . stimulating. I like that you are open to playing with them together.”

  “It’s not a mood killer?” she asked

  “Definitely not a mood killer, Liv.” He lay down next to her. “Come here.” She moved into his arms, and he slid his thigh between hers. Surely he noticed her panties were damp.

  Her skin tingled as he placed a row of soft kisses along the side of her neck, and she wiggled in his arms, pressing her core mor
e firmly against his leg.

  Anders encouraged the action by gripping her hip and gently pulling her back and forth. “Feel good?”

  “Very,” she murmured against his mouth.

  He bit her lower lip, teasing her. His dick throbbed against her thigh and she thought about all the times they’d gotten wound up around each other. He must be hurting too.

  She slid her hand between their bodies and reached for him, capturing his groan with her mouth when she squeezed him through his boxer briefs. His head breached the waistband and his abs flinched when she brushed it.

  “Liv,” he growled and gripped her wrist.

  Olivia grinned. It felt good to tease him.

  “As much as I like this on, I need it off.” In one swift move, he tugged the jersey over her head. Her bra swiftly followed, leaving them in their underwear. “Mmm. There is seriously nothing better than the feel of your skin.”

  Anders ran his fingertip along her collarbone, down the valley between her breasts, past her navel to the waistband of her panties. When he slid his fingers beneath the elastic, she shivered with need. “It was so hot watching you do this to yourself yesterday. I drove home and couldn’t even make it out of the hallway before I jerked off. That’s what you do to me, Liv.”

  As his fingers slipped between her legs, her back arched off the bed.

  “Anytime something I do to you isn’t enough, you tell me. You know what works. Until I know you well enough, I might get it wrong. Tell me if I’m too high.” He pressed his finger into her but rubbed closer to her clit.

  Olivia groaned, aware that he watched her every reaction.

  “Tell me if I’m too far back.” His fingers moved closer to her butt, a finger skimming over places she’d never tested before.

  “Tell me if it’s too shallow.” He added a second finger but didn’t go anywhere near as deep.

  It was almost embarrassing how wet she’d gotten for him.

  “Tell me if it’s too deep,” he said, and slid his fingers in so far, the rest of his fingers were pressed against her.