by Lily Harlem
“What, little old me? You really expect me to believe that?” I dropped back down to my heels and gasped as a hard rod of flesh nudged into the hollow of my back. “Raven?”
He hissed in a breath. “Now do you believe me?” He pulled me tighter against him. “Damn it, Fiona, I thought I was all grown-up and in control of my dick, but just sitting out there thinking of you stripped down to your underwear in here has got me turned-on.”
I spun in his arms, looped my hands around his neck. His erection dug into my stomach. I couldn’t resist a little wiggle against it.
His jaw clenched and his nostrils flared.
“But why me? You’re a hotshot hockey player, rich, successful, you could have any woman. Why me?”
“Why the hell not you?” He spoke with his teeth gritted as he tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.
“I’m not asking why not, I’m asking why me? Why not some blonde bimbo who’s just walked off the cover of Playboy?”
He frowned so deeply his eyebrows hung over his eyes. “Are you serious?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. I guess.” Okay so I was having a little moment of insecurity. I liked what I saw in the mirror, my red hair, pale, freckled skin and hourglass curves had always been with me. But didn’t superstars have tall, thin, perfectly tanned models on their arms?
He cupped my face in his hands, tilted my chin. “Pumpkin, when I look at you I see not only beauty but also an incredible, talented, confident woman. Someone who cares on so many different levels for the people around her.”
I watched his mouth as he spoke.
“Your eyes sparkle when you talk about your folks, Fiona, and you get this determined set to your jaw when you tell me about patients you’ve treated, like you weren’t going to give up on them.”
“I wouldn’t ever give up on anyone.”
“Does that include me?”
A deep ache tore at my chest. “You mean your treatment.”
“I guess.”
“No, I won’t give up.
“Even though I’m a miserable bastard.”
“There’s no denying that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” I dropped my gaze to the hollow of his throat. It was deep and defined by the two taut tendons of his neck. “Please don’t be sorry for any part of who you are.”
He crooked his finger beneath my chin and raised my face to his. “Does that mean you won’t give up on me?”
“I’m here for as long as you need me to be.”
He closed his eyes. Pulled in a deep breath.
“Raven,” I whispered.
Suddenly he was kissing me—softly, sweetly, tenderly.
I opened up and let his tongue slip in, pressed my body against the length of his. As his lips moved over mine and his hands slipped down to my butt, a heat grew in my pussy. My nipples hardened and pressed through the dress against his chest.
His cock was hard and solid. I was getting wet, thinking about all that granite flesh shunting in and out of me, bringing me to orgasm. I tangled my fingers in his hair, slanted my head and deepened the kiss.
God, I want this man.
“Ah yes, fucking hell, you’re so perfect,” he whispered, kissing across my cheek and down my neck. The base of my skull was cradled in his hand, each touch of his lips on my skin sent shivers of desire through my body. His other hand cupped my butt, dragging me closer. I gasped and felt my knees weaken. Could we really? Here?
“Will madam be taking the dress?” A stern female voice to my left.
Raven stopped kissing me but he didn’t let go. “Yeah, madam will be,” he said, looking into my eyes and giving a half-smile that was a mixture of amusement and lust. “It suits both her and me.”
I giggled and pushed him off. Turned to the assistant who was glaring through the gap in the doorway. “Yes, thank you. I’ll just put my own clothes back on.”
Her face was stiff. “Very good, madam.” She turned and walked away.
“You,” I said to Raven, pushing his back to maneuver him out of the cubicle, “are a bad influence on me.”
“Only as much as you are on me.” He stepped out.
I pulled the door closed.
“And I’m buying the dress, no arguments,” he said.
“But—”
“And a warm jacket for tomorrow. I don’t want you getting a chill.”
“No, really, I can’t let you do—”
“Pick your battles, pumpkin.” His voice was low and husky. “Because do you really want to have a who is the most stubborn contest with me? It could get real ugly and you would definitely lose.”
“I can be pretty stubborn too, you know.” I tugged the dress off and glanced at the price tag.
Bloody hell.
It was just over two thousand dollars. No way.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My mouth hung open but no words came out.
“Right, that’s settled,” he said. “I’ll go and pick some jackets for you to try on.”
*****
I’d never been to a hockey match before. So the sheer size of the rink and the volume of cars and people, just for an exhibition game, came as a shock.
“We’ll park ’round the back,” Raven said, guiding his sleek black Volvo through the milling crowd.
A security guard dressed in a fluorescent yellow jacket tipped his hat to Raven and waved us on.
“I can’t see Brick’s bike, which means he’ll have driven and brought Carly,” Raven said, again neatly slotting the big car into a space. “He made some promise to her father that he’d never take her on the bike again.”
Butterflies suddenly swarmed in my stomach. Carly, the one person who knew there was something between me and both Todd and Raven. Should I come clean or just keep my head down?
Head down. My life, my business.
“Hey, what’s the matter?” Raven frowned in my direction. “You’ve gone pale.”
I swallowed tightly. “I’m fine.”
The crease lines on his forehead deepened. “No, you’re not.”
“It’s just Carly guessed that there was something between all three of us. You know, after she saw us cozying up at the party.”
He studied me with heavy eyes. “And is that a massive problem for you?”
“Well, yes, it’s private and plus I wouldn’t like to be thought of as a tart, you know, an easy lay. I’ve had sex with both of you. You more than him admittedly, but…”
Reaching forward, he pinched my chin between his thumb and index finger and tilted my head to his. “You’re not a tart or an easy lay, so don’t say that about yourself. You’re a wonderful, sexy, giving woman, and if we all consented to a threesome then where is the problem?”
“But it’s just… I just feel embarrassed, that’s all. I want to keep it between us.”
His mouth twisted as he tugged the inside of his cheek, his expression thoughtful. “Okay, if that’s how you feel then fair enough. You and I have a professional relationship and you’re dating Todd. How does that sound?”
I couldn’t help but sigh. I felt closer to Raven than Todd. Right now, just not being naked in bed with him felt like we were too far apart. “But…?”
“It’s a Band-Aid for today’s situation,” he said, moving to get out of the car. “But don’t forget what I said about Todd, will you? He’s not the settling-down type.”
I thought back. Enjoy Todd for what he was. A handsome guy who liked to fuck but flitted around. Strange thing was, despite knowing that bit of information, I did still want him. If time with Todd was like an egg timer, each grain of sand reducing the moments I had left with him, then I didn’t want to waste any. There was just something so damn alluring and sexy about him.
I stepped out of the car and considered looping my arm with Raven’s. Touching him had become such a natural thing to do. But I stopped myself. Professional relationship. That was what we had.
My God, what was going
on? Physically I wanted both of these men, but they were wheedling their way into my psyche, too.
The icy blast that hit me as we stepped into the Vipers’ home rink was like a slap on the face. “Bloody hell. Is it always this cold?” I asked, snapping up the zip on my cozy new leather and suede jacket.
Raven laughed gruffly. “Yeah, otherwise the ice would melt and it would be water hockey.”
A shiver snaked up my spine and I hunted out the silky gloves he’d also insisted on buying for me.
“This way.” He headed down a wide corridor. “That’s our locker room,” he said, pointing at a big door with a picture of a snake on the front. “And that’s the tunnel to the ice.”
I stared at the big mouth gaping toward the rink. The sound of the crowd buffeted through it. Laughter and chanting, shouts and horns. The air even smelled cold. As though it was infused with frost. I guessed it was intensified by the outdoor heat I’d become accustomed to in Orlando.
Shoving my hands deep into my jacket pockets, I followed Raven. He wore a black leather jacket and dark blue jeans. The jacket stopped just short of his damn fine butt. A butt I now had the pleasure of knowing intimately, every shape and muscle, curve and smooth dip of skin. A shiver that had nothing to do with the cold zigzagged through my belly. Bloody hell, I was insatiable. We’d been on a complete shag-a-thon from the minute we’d stepped back into his house from the mall, half the night and then again this morning, twice. How could I still be in need of sex?
I spotted Carly and Dana in the stands, both wearing hats and coats. They were clearly accustomed to sitting in the arctic for a few hours a week.
“You wait here and I’ll be back. I need a catch-up with Ramrod,” Raven said, pointing to a spare seat next to Carly then walking back toward the locker room.
My mouth suddenly felt dry and those damn butterflies began to swarm again. But what choice did I have, except to go and sit down?
“Hey, Fiona,” Carly said as I approached.
Dana looked up and smiled. Her cheeks were rosy and her black curly hair licked around the sides of her hat.
“Hi,” I said. “Can I sit here?”
“Sure.” Carly lifted her purse. “Have you come to watch Todd in action?”
“Yes. I haven’t been to a hockey game before.”
“Neither had I until earlier in the year,” Dana said. “But be warned. You’ll get hooked.”
“Raven was trying to explain the rules,” I said, then added hastily, “when I was doing his physiotherapy. But it sounds kind of complicated.”
“Oh, you’ll soon pick it up,” Carly said with an easy smile and as though our awkward conversation had never occurred. “How’s his recovery program going?”
“Really well. I don’t just do physiotherapy. I take a holistic approach, using treatments such as acupuncture, aromatherapy and reflexology. They all help the body rebalance itself.”
“I bet all the guys could do with some of that,” Dana said with a wry smile. “Rick gets some sickening bruises. It can’t be good for them.”
“Yeah, Brick too. I hate it.”
I glanced at the ice. Players were shooting out of the tunnel and the crowd was going wild, though the majority of the noise seemed to be boos and hisses. It filled the arena with a menacing hostility and made me feel even colder.
“The Boston Bruins always play dirty,” Carly said. “This crowd knows that only too well.”
“Really?” Panic began to swell within me. Todd was going to be trying to get past them? I could hardly believe their mountainous size. Beneath black and gold pads and gloves and helmets they must be giants of men. Todd was big, but he was also lean, more so than Raven. I got the impression he’d be fast and nippy, no match for some of the brutes down there.
Carly laughed. “Yeah, don’t expect a game of girlie hockey, Fiona. These guys are playing to win, even if it is just an exhibition game. And they’re not known for their manners.”
I nodded then grimaced as my eardrums nearly burst. The Vipers, in red and white, were flying onto the ice, their sticks waving at the crowd, who were going wild. Flags flapped, horns blasted, screams pierced right through my chest and vibrated my insides.
Raven sat down next to me, his thigh just touching mine as he settled and pulled on a black beanie hat.
I looked up at him and he gave me a brief smile.
When the crowd calmed he said, “Todd said he’ll see you after and he hopes you enjoy the game.”
I nodded and knotted my fingers in my lap. “Which one is he?”
“Over there.” Raven pointed to the far end of the rink. “He’s number six and a forward, so he’s up top.”
I sought him out and noticed that Carty was printed in bold black letters over his shoulders.
“He’s quick,” Raven said. “And a damn good shot, so the other team will be doing everything they can to keep him away from the puck. Each time he gets it he’s dangerous. He’ll always have a go at a shot, and nine times out of ten he hits the back of the net.”
“Impressive.”
“Yeah, he’s playing the best I’ve ever seen him. Top of his game.”
A fizz of pride went through me. Todd was dangerous. He was top of his game. Tonight, I hoped, he’d be in my bed, with Raven too if I had my way. I knew I was one seriously lucky girl and I was going to milk every single second of it while I could.
The loud drumming finally stopped and the spotlights came on full. The two captains faced off, their sticks poised, and the game began.
The speed of hockey made me dizzy. I could hardly keep track of the puck as it was catapulted this way and that. The players, despite their size, were all nippy and fast. Charging up and down. Ice chips slicing around their blades and showering when they stopped or turned sharply.
And Carly was right, there was a total absence of manners. Shoulders barged, sticks tangled in skates and around knees. I even saw a few deliberate trips and a couple of fists flying through the air behind the refs’ backs.
Todd barely got a touch of the puck. Like Raven said, the Bruins defense around him was brutal. Barely a ribbon of ice available between him and the puck. Each time he got near it he was surrounded. Phoenix got it twice and the second time scored. I thought the roof would lift, the cheers and claps were so euphoric.
But the jubilation didn’t last long. The Bruins scored twice within two minutes. My heart sank as I watched Todd trying to zip past players to get to the puck, but each time he couldn’t get through their impenetrable barrier. I could almost feel his frustration as the crowd chanted his name, encouraging him on.
The first period came to an end, the home crowd in a defiant mood, shouting and talking loudly. Raven asked if I wanted a beer. I declined and watched the Viper logo illuminating the rink and the alligator mascot throwing sweets over the Plexiglas at the kids.
“You enjoying it, Fiona?” Dana asked, leaning around Carly.
“Yeah, it’s great.” I couldn’t believe how fast the time had gone, and I didn’t feel cold anymore, either. I was so caught up in the game.
Within minutes the teams were back on the ice battling for the puck. Raven cursed loudly when Dustin Reed let in yet another goal. “Fuck, what’s he think his stick’s for?” He rubbed his hand over his forehead, fiddled with his beanie.
“Look,” I said, quickly pointing. “Todd has the puck.”
Raven sat forward.
So did I.
The Bruins were right to be afraid of Todd. Because he was off. Just a flash of red and white twisting and turning out of the way of the charging defense. He kept the puck in front of him, just out of everyone else’s reach and sped forward.
“Shoot,” Raven yelled.
“Go, Todd,” I shouted, my excited yell scratching my throat.
The opposition’s goalie twitched left and right in the mouth of the goal, his big gloves clutching his stick and his gaze piercing through his helmet cage.
“Shoot,” Carly cried,
jumping up.
With lightning speed, Todd took aim and fired. The puck hit the back of the net, bursting it outward.
The crowd erupted. I jumped up and down clapping. And then, as if everything had gone into slow motion, I watched a Bruins player, the size of an ogre, ram into Todd.
Todd hit the ice, reeling and skidding into the sideboards.
“Ah, fuck,” Raven shouted. “Ref!” He was on his feet, fist in the air.
But Todd wasn’t getting up. He just lay there.
Several Viper players—Wolf, Brick and Ramrod, darted up to him. Ramrod motioned for the medics.
“Oh God, he’s hurt,” I said, covering my mouth with my hands. I’d had a feeling of doom right at the beginning of the game. It seemed I’d been right to.
“Ah, he’ll be all right. He’s well padded up,” Raven said.
The gaggle of players, linesmen and medics hovered around Todd for several more seconds before I saw him stand with his hand pressed into the small of his back.
“He’ll have a bruise but he’ll be fine,” Raven said, sitting again.
Todd lifted his stick to the crowd. They cheered with gusto. Then he pulled off his helmet and skated toward the tunnel, waving and grinning.
“Looks like he’s coming off. They won’t want to risk him in a friendly,” Raven said. “They’ll probably play Nathan Tucker.”
“Maybe I should go and see if he’s okay,” I said, glancing down toward the corridor leading to the locker room.
“He’ll be fine,” Raven said.
“No, I think I’ll go and check. You can’t mess around with backs.”
Raven looked at me, his gaze penetrating for a few, long seconds. “You want me to come?”
“No, I’ll be okay. I’ll see you in a while.” I stood, turned and smiled at Dana and Carly, then weaved my way through the other spectators.
The locker room was quiet when I pushed open the door. There were no signs telling females to keep out so I stepped in farther. The smell of hot, sweaty, fit men hit me. Clothes and boots, bottles and bags were strewn everywhere.
“Fiona?”
I turned and saw Todd sitting on the bench, naked from the waist up. An elderly guy in a Vipers cap stood next to him, pressing an ice pack onto his back.