by Amber Lynn
“Well, I’m a year older and I can tell you that you’re not missing out on much if my experience is any proof.”
Sarah’s words had a bite to them. She was bitter about the experience she referenced, and yet she seemed to be caught up in it. With how the ex answered the phone when he’d called, Reid wondered if him even remotely being in the picture was part of the problem with the ex trying to get back together.
When they’d first met, the ex seemed like a memory that didn’t have a shot. If Sarah thought he did, she wouldn’t have been looking for a groomsman. Knowing that, Reid wanted to help her out with her problem, if for no other reason because his line of thinking led him to believe he caused it.
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m hoping I find a woman who makes my life make sense. I’ve just focused on my career instead of finding her.”
“And how long do you think you’re going to keep doing that?”
The question was asked softly, just above a whisper. Sarah’s face was turned so she was looking out her window. Reid would’ve liked to see what her emerald eyes had hidden in them when she asked the question. From what he’d witnessed, they seemed to tell a story her words didn’t always get to.
“I guess that depends on whether or not we can keep you away from Aaron. That’s his name, right? I keep just calling him the ex in my mind.”
Sarah straightened up, taking her head off Reid’s shoulder. The loss caused a chill to snake up his arm. She left their hands intertwined, but scooted to the far side of her seat so she could turn and look at him.
“Yeah, that’s his name, but I like the idea of calling him the ex. How am I supposed to stay away from him? I’ve always thought I was my own woman and could make my own decisions, but there’s something about him that’s knocking down all of my usual defenses. You’ve heard at least some of my horror stories. We can’t keep our hands off each other.”
Reid grimaced. He’d done his best not to picture what had to have happened for the couple to get together fifteen times in such a short amount of time. Having heard Nico talk about his stamina, he didn’t doubt it was possible. He just didn’t want to think about someone else touching Sarah.
“Obviously, that’s a huge problem, but you’re not living at his place anymore and I assume your door has a lock.”
Reid pulled into the parking lot at the arena. He’d never brought someone with him to let off steam on the ice, but he figured if anyone needed a distraction, it was Sarah. The heels she wore were going to make things interesting, but not impossible.
“Where are we?”
Sarah tabled the conversation about how to stay away from the ex as she turned to look around her surroundings. The parking lot was across the street kitty-corner from the arena, so she couldn’t get a good look at it from her seat.
“Where I go when I need to think. I actually came here after our speed date. Nico found me and had a good laugh about my indecision about calling you that night.”
Reid left out the part about his friend saying he’d never seen Reid look at a woman the way he did Sarah. He feared Nico and Sarah meeting under circumstances other than the speed dating. Nico knew too many secrets and he didn’t have an on-off switch.
“Was he for or against you calling? I seem to remember he didn’t have a great opinion of me.”
Getting out of the car, Reid contemplated the answer as he walked around to help Sarah out. It’d be smart of him to put her against Nico from the start so he could explain away any of the wild stories the other man made up about him, but Reid was too honest for that.
He opened the door and helped Sarah out. Not only did they have the issue of the heels on ice to worry about, but the skin-tight dress was more than likely going to be just a little chilly. Once Sarah was out, Reid took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. He was somewhat impervious to the cold that hung around the night air, so Sarah was better off using it.
“Thanks,” she whispered as she adjusted it to put her arms in the sleeves.
The jacket was basically a dress on her, totally dwarfing her small body. Reid liked the idea of the light floral scent that seemed to follow her around being imprinted on the jacket.
“No problem. If I would’ve planned this out better, I would’ve made sure you were dressed a little more appropriate, but we’ll see if we can make due. As far as Nico goes, he’s sort of mentor slash mother hen and since I’ve made it clear over the years that I don’t want to get distracted from my game, he was just waiting for me to tell him a little distraction might be okay.”
The pair had started walking towards the intersection. Reid tried to pretend there wasn’t a banner with his image hanging from the side of the arena announcing the next game. It always freaked him out to see himself a hundred feet tall, but the front office seemed to think he sold tickets.
“And since you’re taking me to what I assume is where you play, does that mean your distraction restriction has been lifted?”
They hadn’t discussed whether she knew anything about hockey or had been to a game, so Reid hadn’t been sure if she’d connect the dots. He was happy that she had, and that the assume part of it meant she probably hadn’t been there for a game before.
“I’d say it’s temporarily up in the air. I’m hoping I can compete with the ex, but if I can’t, I’m pretty sure I’m going to lock that restriction down tight.”
“That’s you, right?” she asked as they finished crossing to the side of the street with the arena.
The giant sign said his name, but as far as he knew, Sarah didn’t know his last name, so there could have been another Reid on the team. With his helmet on and maybe a little manipulation with some photo software, it was possible that it was hard to tell it was really him.
“That would be me. I’ve been with the team full-time three years now and evidently it’s my turn to be the poster guy.”
“And you don’t sound happy about it. What I was going to point out is that if you’re popular enough that they’re pinning you on the building, I’m surprised you’ve been able to keep the distractions to a minimum. You’ve got to have a huge fan base of screaming women.”
The arena was locked because there was nothing going on and it was after hours, which meant they had to go around it to a back door that all the players had and access card to get in. The anticipation of sharing something personal like being out on the ice without anyone around made Reid’s hands sweat. Since their hands had reconnected after Sarah got the jacket adjusted, Reid was sure she could feel how nervous he was. There was a good chance she’d think it was stupid to stand around and blast pucks at an empty net, but he hoped it would at least spur an idea of things she could do to let her emotions out that didn’t involve sleeping with the ex.
If she hadn’t told him that she didn’t want to see Aaron anymore, he wouldn’t have bothered. Sarah seemed to be in a tough spot, even if it was her own making for letting the guy back into her life. If Reid had a chance at seeing where an honest to god relationship could go with her, they had to find something she could do short of going into witness protection as far from Aaron as she could get to deal with the pent-up emotions.
“I am well aware that a fan base exists, but I do everything in my power to steer clear of them. I have to smile and act friendly at the games, but I don’t lead anyone on.”
“And that’s not what’s going on here? You honestly think that if I can shake my issues, you’d be willing to pursue something with me? I’ve already demonstrated how completely nuts I can be.”
Reid decided not to speak and let the clacking sounds of her heels on the cement be the only noise around them as they got closer to the door they were going in. It wasn’t particularly late, but the arena wasn’t in the center of the city and it was chilly out, so there weren’t really any other people out walking around it.
Taking his wallet out of his pocket with his free hand, Reid scanned it across the dark gray reader and waited for the light to
turn green. He opened the door and held it so Sarah could walk inside. The bright light that hit them was a bit much, but his eyes adjusted quickly as he led them down the hall to the locker room.
“You’ve also made it clear that if I play my cards right, I’ll be very satisfied with what happens when we finally get naked. Look, for right now, let’s just get to know each other and take things a day at a time.”
Sarah squeezed his hand and leaned her head on his shoulder. He was about eight inches taller than her so her head landed in the perfect spot. It should’ve been awkward, but all Reid felt with her close by was happiness. That emotion was what had Reid wanting to see where things could go.
“I make no promises about how satisfied you’ll be. I’m far from a supermodel under these clothes. A little makeup and a bra sturdy enough to push the girls up and I can sometimes pass as decent looking, but take the clothes away and you’ll probably hope the lights are off.”
Reid knocked his head against hers as he opened the locker room and pulled her inside. She hesitated when she got a look at where they were, gripping his hand tighter.
“Are you sure it’s okay if I go in there?”
They were already passed the threshold, so the question came a little late. Reid flipped a switch on the wall to light the room up.
“I prefer it now than right after a game when the guys are running around basically naked. I’ve never brought anyone in, but there’s no one around to tell me not to.”
After pulling the still reluctant Sarah along and grabbing a couple of sticks, they made it out to the ice. Reid had never had a good comparison for the smell that filled his nose when he walked out to the ice, but it felt like coming home each and every time he did it. It was the only place he could really focus.
Sarah pulled on his hand again just before he stepped onto the ice. He leaned the sticks against the boards and looked back at her.
“I can’t go out there in these shoes. We’re lucky I didn’t trip and fall on solid ground. I’ve walked on a thin sheet of ice when it’s snowed before. That is a death trap waiting to happen.”
She pointed out to the cold surface in front of them to reiterate where the death trap was located. Reid follower her finger and tried to look at the ice from her point of view. It didn’t work.
Reid laughed and pulled Sarah into his body and then picked her up before she could figure out what was happening. A startled gasp escaped her as she hurried to wrap her legs around his body and dig her nails into his back. The move thankfully landed those legs high on his waist, instead of where he still couldn’t convince his penis to take a chill pill.
With or without skates, Reid’s footing was fine on ice so he stepped out and made his way over to the blue line closest to them. He didn’t have a stick or puck, but he figured getting Sarah in position was half the battle.
“I promise you that I’ll be glued by your side. I happen to have impeccable hand and eye coordination, so I’ll catch you long before there’s a chance your butt hits the ice.”
The idea of letting Sarah slide down his body to get her footing lasted only a second before he lifted her bottom out away from him and coaxed her into putting her legs down. His hands rested on her hips for a second as he looked down into her terrified green eyes.
He knew it was a mistake before he did it, but the closeness made the pull between them too hard to fight against. Leaning his head down, he nudged her head to the side with his nose as he locked his lips on hers. The moan echoing from inside of her sent a need to pick her back up through Reid’s core.
Reid didn’t dare play around with putting tongues in the mix, even after he felt Sarah’s dart out to touch his lips. There wasn’t such a thing as a chaste kiss when it came to her, but he kept things as simple as he could. That meant about ten seconds was all their lips could stay in contact.
Kissing her cheek quickly, Reid made sure she was standing under her own power and then ran back to the bench to grab some pucks and the sticks. Sarah looked a little dazed as he made his way to her. He felt the same way, but he tried his best not to show it.
“Just so you know,” Sarah started in a bit of a pissy tone, “eight or so feet away is not standing right next to me to make sure I don’t fall.”
Her hands floated up to her hips and her stance matched the tone. If it wasn’t for the smile on her face, Reid would’ve worried that she was mad.
“Well, if you would’ve walked out on your own, I wouldn’t have had to rely on drastic measures.”
Reid stopped about three feet away from Sarah and handed her a stick before dropping the pucks on the ice. He moved one of the pucks on the ice to get a feel for it. The pucks were just some spares lying around and weren’t frozen, so they didn’t glide as easy across the ice as the pucks did during a game.
After he showed off a little with his puck handling skills, he pulled the stick back and slapped it against the puck, thankfully shooting it right at his target. If he would’ve missed, it would’ve been embarrassing. Reid rolled his shoulders and felt himself slipping into his happy place.
“Holy crap. How fast do you think that puck was moving?”
Sarah smartly didn’t come closer to Reid as he wound up and fired off another shot. He smiled and looked over to her when he saw it too made its target.
“Probably seventy miles an hour, maybe up over eighty. I’ve hit ninety-five, but I usually have to skate into it to get that high.”
“Can I try?”
The words were music to Reid’s ears. He stepped a couple steps closer to her and held out his hand to help her walk towards the pucks. She wobbled, but kept her feet.
“Here,” Reid said as he turned her around so her back was too him and helped her get the stick in her hands at least partially right. It was too long for her use, but they were going to make due. “Push it around a little and when it feels right, pull back and shoot.”
Success didn’t happen right away. The first time Sarah totally missed the puck, and when she finally got the stick on it, it only moved about halfway between them and the net. It took her six tries, but when a puck finally made it into the net, she immediately started jumping up and down. Reid could feel the excitement of the situation and wanted to jump too, but he knew where the jumping would lead.
He hurried to make good on his promise as soon as he saw her right foot miss its connection with the ice and fly up. Before Sarah lost total balance, he had his arms wrapped around her.
The near fall didn’t take the smile from her face. She wrapped her arms around Reid and squeezed tight as she nuzzled his chest.
“Do you mind getting all the pucks so I can try again?” she asked with one last tight squeeze.
Reid kissed the top of her head and made sure she was balanced before fetching the pucks. After all the fuss about the dinner, he was happy it had been a bust. There was nowhere he’d rather be.
Chapter Nine
The next morning Sarah woke up with a smile spread across her face. She reached over to the empty space in the bed next to her and verified she’d made it through the night without giving in to Aaron’s pleading over the phone.
There had been a dozen texts on her phone by the time she made it home shortly after ten. Sarah had wanted to ignore them to keep the temptation down to zero, but she was afraid he’d call the cops if she didn’t acknowledge she was alive. He’d of course asked to come over, but Sarah had remained strong and assured him that the door would be locked if he did.
The news didn’t go over well, which led to Sarah hanging up on him and turning the ringer off. She didn’t know what it was about shooting pucks with Reid, but he was right that it helped focus her thoughts. There had been part of her that wanted to make things work with Aaron because what she thought was missing in their relationship was suddenly there. He seemed sincere about her being the only person in his life, but there was no way for her to know how long that would last.
The more shots at the net she managed and
the small touches Reid and her shared through the night made her realize Aaron had never made her stomach feel like it was full of butterflies like Reid did. He excited her, comforted her and somehow made her feel safe. It was the oddest sensation after things always feeling off with Aaron. Whether they could make things work romantically or not, Reid was someone Sarah hoped could be in her life.
She rolled over and reached for her phone. The sound of it vibrating on the small table next to her bed had serenaded her to sleep. She wasn’t looking forward to the messages from Aaron, but the alarm clock on the same table said it was a little after eight, so she thought maybe Reid sent something.
She groaned seeing twenty messages from Aaron before she could see anything else. She swiped them to the side to ignore them for the time being, and then swiped the alerts from her email saying there were messages there to. When it was clear there was nothing from Reid, she felt something in the pit of her stomach burble.
The guy admitted he didn’t do dating, so the chances of him being caught up in all the emotions Sarah was were slim. She’d hoped he’d show some kind of sign that he really was in to her, but maybe it was too early. A knock from the other room startled her, causing the phone in her hands to fall on the purple comforter covering her stomach.
Having little doubt about who would be on the other side of the door, Sarah lazily rolled out of bed. The cool air of the apartment hit her naked body, sending a shiver up her spine. Ever since she had total say in her pajama choices, she’d opted for the no pajamas option. She didn’t like the feeling of something bunching up against her as she slept.
Normally, she would’ve grabbed the robe hanging off the back of her bedroom door, but it was bright red, short and silky. All things that would send the wrong message to Aaron. She’d gotten a bed and the nightstand delivered while she was moving in, but hadn’t picked out any other furniture, so her clothes were in three different boxes in one of the room’s corners.