Hot on Ice: A Hockey Romance Anthology

by Avery Flynn

  Jeremy nodded enthusiastically.

  “All right, if I let you finish it, you have to promise to go right to bed. No complaints. Okay?”

  Jeremy returned his attention to the tablet. Undeterred, Mason cupped his chin and turned him back to face him.

  “Jeremy, you’re going to finish the program and then go right to bed. Okay?”

  He nodded, then quickly pulled away. Suddenly, he chuckled at something on the screen.

  “Bamboo!” He began flicking his fingers with excitement and repeated the word with emphasis. “Bammmbooo.”

  Usually, anything panda related excited him. Mason couldn’t pinpoint when the fixation had started, but he would never forget what his son had told him when he had asked about his deep passion for the endangered animals.

  “They’re shy,” Jeremy had said. “Like me.”

  Mason retreated from his son’s bedroom, knowing there was a fifty-fifty chance Jeremy would follow his directive and go right to bed after. But it was hard for him to deny his kids the things that made them happy.

  Besides, he enjoyed spoiling them. They were his everything, and when it came down to it, his family was more important than anything. He just did a poor job of showing that.

  Unthinking, he made his way to his bedroom. Though he had already moved his things into the guest room, the action was reflexive. It wasn’t until he neared the door that he remembered his vow to give her space. Even if that meant sleeping in separate beds for a while—a decision he was beginning to regret.

  He started to turn back, but caught a glimpse of her inside, through the small opening of the door. She sat on the edge of the wide bed, her face clear of makeup and her hair tied in a bun at the top of her head. With her thin nightgown hiked up and her leg bent high, she applied a generous amount of cream along her smooth brown skin. She continued to run her hands up to her toned, shapely thighs, completely oblivious to him watching.

  He had seen her do this countless times, and every time it did something to him. Even now his body responded to the erotic sight of her bare, sleek legs. The same heat had settled in his groin earlier, after that deeply passionate kiss in his car. It may have been her taste or the way she had responded to him, but something about that kiss had felt unrestrained and generous.

  And he had loved every moment of it.

  Suddenly, she glanced up and caught his eye. He cleared this throat, trying to mask his embarrassment at being caught gawking at her.

  “The kids are all in bed now,” he said, pushing the door open further.

  “Good.” She dipped her fingers into the jar and moved on to the next leg. “They almost never go down this easy.”

  Her hands moved down her other bare leg, and his gaze followed her every movement. Watching her was like setting fire to his senses, and his cock twitched in his pants.

  Before he could stop himself, Mason found himself walking fully into the bedroom. The fragrance from her body wash held a hint of honey, and as he neared the foot of the bed, her warm, sweet scent reached his nostrils. He breathed in deeply. Standing this close did nothing to ease his erection.

  “How did your meeting with Steven go today?”

  “Fine. I explained what happened and that was that.”

  Steven had also taken the time to chew him out for slugging the journalist, but it wasn’t anything Mason couldn’t handle. They anticipated the league slapping him with a hefty fine over it, too. That was something Mason was prepared to pay and be done with it.

  “I’m glad that’s handled. Now we can get back to that date we need to plan.”

  “Already on it,” he said. “I was able to get us a seven o’clock reservation for tomorrow night at La Bouff’s seafood grill.”

  She reached for the skin cream, her smile wide and captivating. “Then that just leaves me to find a place for us to burn off those calories.”

  The corner of his lips lifted. “I can think of some other ways we can burn calories.”

  He meant for it to be teasing, but when she stilled and looked up at him, her lips slightly parted, he recognized the mounting desire in her. He didn’t tear his gaze from hers when he moved closer to the bed and sat beside her.

  Mason took the jar from her hand and dipped his fingers into it. “Here. Let me.”

  He rubbed the light cream between his palms before spreading them over her bent knee and down her smooth thigh. She braced her hands on the bed as he continued to slowly glide his hands along her smooth leg. He let one hand drift higher until his fingers brushed against her bare crotch.

  She gasped, her fingers clutching at the sheets beneath her, but still she didn’t pull away. Holding her gaze, he inched his fingers deeper until he pressed against her swollen nub. She inhaled sharply and bit down on her lip. Mason shifted closer and began to lightly rub her clit in slow, deliberate circles.

  Her hips thrust forward, as if seeking more of his touch. Giving in to her silent demand, he pressed his finger firmly against her delicate flesh and continued his tortuously slow caress. The feel of her was enough to drive him crazy. His cock strained against his pants as her slick warmth began to pool around his finger.

  The subtle roll of her hips became insistent, and her soft bud continued to bloom under his finger. He applied more pressure to her taut flesh, his strokes becoming swift and demanding. She let her head fall back and released another low moan.

  Leaning forward, Mason pressed a kiss against her exposed throat. She brought her hand to his head, her fingers gripping his hair and holding him to her. He sucked on her delicate skin, until a series of soft whimpers escaped her.

  Suddenly, her head flew forward and her hand moved to clutch at his shoulder. He knew she neared her peak, and continued with his relentless caress. With another loud gasp, she fell apart in his arms. Capturing her lips with his, he swallowed her soft moans of pleasure until she began to slowly ease against him. Her hand curved around his neck as he continued to move his mouth over hers hungrily, his need for her becoming unbearable.

  “Mommy?”

  That small voice was like a dash of cold water. He jerked his hand from between her legs, and she instantly pushed away from him.

  “I had another accident,” Madison said, standing nervously by the door.

  Jules jerked down her nightgown and scrambled out of bed. Mason glanced down and saw the wetness that spread down the front of Madison’s pajamas.

  “It’s okay, sweetie.” Jules pulled on her robe and started toward their daughter. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  “She’s wetting the bed?”

  Jules took Madison’s hand and nodded briskly. Why was he only now learning about this?

  “When did this start?”

  “A few weeks ago. It’s not every day.”

  “I’m sorry, Daddy,” Madison whispered.

  “Don’t be sorry, baby. You did nothing wrong.”

  “Mason, can you grab me some fresh sheets?” Jules asked over her shoulder as she led Madison to the bathroom.

  While Jules got their daughter cleaned up, he flipped the mattress and changed the sheets. He knew he had nothing to worry about. Kids wet the bed all the time. And if it had been serious enough, Jules would have told him about it.

  Or had she mentioned this before?

  Mason tightened his lips as he gathered the soiled sheets, accepting that he was more oblivious to what was going on in his home than he cared to admit.

  6

  “Your table is ready, Mr. Courage. Please follow me.”

  Mason placed his hand on the small of Jules’ back and followed the host to a private section of the restaurant. He could feel the eyes following them as they walked past. The lighting was low in the restaurant, so he could only hope that the undue attention was because his wife looked stunning in her mustard-yellow dress—and not because their divorce announcement was all the local media could seem to focus on.

  The host sat them at their table and slid two menus in front of
them. “Your waitress will be right with you. Enjoy,” he said before hurrying away.

  “This place is beautiful, isn’t it?”

  Mason glanced around the upscale restaurant, admiring the rich and vibrant colors of the classic yet trendy French-Creole décor. They were certainly given the privacy he had requested when he’d made the reservation, and some of his initial tension began to fade. They hadn’t been out in public together since the divorce announcement. Thankfully, it appeared to have become old news.

  He returned his gaze back to his beautiful wife and smiled at the delight on her face. There was no question she was beautiful tonight. The dress appeared new, and it hugged her lithe curves, making her smooth brown skin glow under the dim lighting. Her long, dark hair fell down her back, and her face had only a hint of makeup.

  He found her beautiful whether she was glamorously made up or lounging in her pajamas. Tonight, however, she was breathtaking.

  “What?”

  He shook his head and grinned. “You look very beautiful tonight. I guess I can’t seem to focus on anything else.”

  She playfully batted her lashes and smiled bashfully. “Stop it. You’re making me blush.”

  “Good. You’re even prettier when you do.”

  “All right, sweet talker. Save some of that for later.”

  There was a teasing glint in her gold-brown eyes, and he couldn’t be sure if she was thinking what he was. Did “later” mean they would continue where they had left off last night? They hadn’t discussed it after—or what it meant for their temporary sleeping arrangements—but he was ready to revive that part of their marriage whenever she was.

  Reaching across the table, he took her hand and laced their fingers together. “About last night—”

  “Welcome to La Bouff’s. I’m Tamie. I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink?”

  After putting in their drink orders, their waitress returned to take their orders, and just as quickly she was gone again. An awkward silence fell between them as Jules kept her eyes averted. She busied herself, carefully placing the cloth napkin on her lap, and it suddenly dawned on him that she was nervous. It didn’t take much for him to realize why.

  She didn’t want to talk about last night.

  “So,” he began, reaching for his glass, “how’s the planning for the Family Fun Day coming along?”

  If she didn’t want to talk about it, they wouldn’t talk about it.

  “Pretty good,” she said, her shoulders visibly relaxing. “Actually, better than good. I’m really surprised at how well things are going, considering this is our first year planning something like this.”

  “I’m not surprised. You’re great at this stuff.”

  “Yeah, but I’m used to just sitting on a board. I’ve never put together anything this large-scale. I’m thinking of all the things that could go wrong, and it freaks me out.”

  “Don’t worry. It’s going to be great.”

  For all the years he has known her, community service had been a big part of her life. Before the sashes and crowns, she had been involved in fundraising and other charitable organizations. Now, she sat on the board of several local nonprofit organizations. Though she had stepped away from the pageant industry, she still continued to use her platform to make a difference in people’s lives. That included arranging a day of fun for children with autism and their families.

  “Besides,” he added, “it sounds like that program director you hired has a lot of experience in putting together these kinds of events.”

  She arched a brow. “How do you know what kind of experience Whitney has?”

  He grinned. “I listen.”

  “And I’m impressed,” she teased, taking a sip of her cocktail. “Will you be able to come to it?”

  “Of course,” he said, trying not to take offense. Did she honestly expect him to miss out on being with his kids? “It’s for the family, so why wouldn’t I be?”

  “I just thought you might have training camp starting then,” she rushed out, appearing duly contrite.

  “Training doesn’t start until mid-September, and this is happening on Labor Day weekend, right?”

  She nodded. “Yes. It’s on that Saturday.”

  “Then I’ll be there. I believe the Cup will be delivered to me that day, but I’ll confirm.”

  Her eyes widened. “The actual championship Cup?”

  “Yeah. It’s tradition for everyone on the team to spend a day with the Cup.”

  “What are we supposed to do with it?”

  “Whatever we want.”

  “We’ll think of something special. And I’m sure the kids will love having it around.” With a soft smile, she reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. “You must be excited. I know how much you’ve wanted this.”

  Jules was his wife, and she knew how much he had wanted to win the trophy that had been just out of his grasp twice before. But he wasn’t simply excited. He was honored. He was now part of this extraordinary moment where a team of underdogs—those many had written off as too inexperienced and unruly to ever win—had shocked the country and taken home the prize. It no longer mattered that he hadn’t won it as a player. The deep satisfaction he felt was still the same.

  They had made their city proud.

  He could only hope he had made his father proud, too.

  “I thought you said this place was a nightclub?”

  “I thought it was too,” Jules said, leaning against her husband’s side. “I guess we came too early?”

  She glanced around the dark club, taking another sip of her cocktail. The place was more of a place to drink and lounge then dance, but the atmosphere was still sultry and sexy enough for her to want to stay. She would have been content to dance to the slow, mellow music playing from the speakers, if there had been a place to do so. Then again, with Mason’s arm wrapped behind her and his hard body pressed against hers, she was happy right where she was.

  “Do you remember our first dance?”

  “At our wedding?” His short laugh was immediately followed by a loud groan. “How can I forget? Gunnar deserved that punch. He never saw that right hook coming.”

  Jules winced but shared in his laughter. Not that she had been laughing on their wedding day. Her immature brother’s failed attempt to streak during their first dance had been enough to upset her for a large part of their special night. But after ten years, she could look back at it and laugh.

  “I don’t think I can ever get over Ryder taking a swing at my little brother, but he was pretty angry, wasn’t he?”

  “Yeah, he was. Ryder took his job as best man very seriously. But he was nowhere near as mad as your dad.”

  Jules laughed. “You’re right. I think that’s what kept the Bennett men from going after your brother. They were too busy eavesdropping on the tongue lashing my dad was giving him while trying to keep Gennie from going after your brother.”

  “And they say I have a temper. I don’t think I’ve ever seen your sister so mad.”

  “Well, her twin did just get slugged in front of our entire family, and she always defends Gunnar. Even when he’s wrong.”

  “I can’t believe we made it through that night,” Mason said. “And it only took a few weeks after our honeymoon for Gunnar to apologize to us for it.”

  Jules shook her head in exasperation at the memory. Now that her then seventeen-year-old brother was an adult, and a professional athlete with responsibilities, she could only hope he had put his pranking days behind him.

  “He’s hardheaded sometimes. I just hope he thinks twice now before he decides to be…cheeky.”

  She and Mason shared another laugh, and she loved how much easier it was becoming for them. They hadn’t been able to just enjoy each other’s company in a while, and it felt nice.

  “I’m just glad he didn’t manage to completely ruin our night.”

  “Me too. I don’t think I would be laughing now if
we hadn’t been able to make up our first dance.”

  Mason laced her fingers with hers. “That’s the beauty of second chances, yeah? We get to do it over again. To get it right the second time around.”

  “And thank God for the electric slide,” Jules teased, though she had a feeling he was talking about more than just their first dance. Tonight was exactly that—a chance to start over and remember why she fell in love with him in the first place. The bonus was that they got to relive their old memories while making new ones.

  “Do you remember that Halloween party you invited me to?”

  “You mean the one you wore that sexy green genie costume to? I loved that costume,” he said wistfully.

  “Yeah, that one,” she said, grinning. They had been casually dating for a few months by that point, taking turns to fly into each other’s city to see each other. She should have known then just how much she loved him, putting up with that much traveling. “I don’t think I ever slow-danced so much to party music.”

  He chuckled. “It was a first for me, too. But I couldn’t keep my hands off you.”

  She took another sip from her glass, remembering that night vividly. He hadn’t let go of her that entire time they had been on the dance floor. Because she had enjoyed being in his arms, she hadn’t really minded the erection that had been pushing against her the entire time. What started off casual had soon turned pretty hot and heavy after that night.

  They spent the next several minutes laughing and reminiscing about their earlier dates, surprised at how much they both remembered.

  “Want a refill?”

  She straightened from her lazy slump at his side and peered over at him. “Are you trying to get me drunk, Mr. Courage?”

  Mason winked and took the empty glass from her hand. “Maybe.”

  She laughed. “Okay.”

  He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before he got up and started toward the bar. Jules admired his long-legged strides and the way his muscular backside moved in his pants. He looked especially delicious tonight, and she couldn’t remember if she had told him that. She wondered how he would react if she told him she wanted to eat him up, then giggled at the thought. She knew exactly how he would react, and her body warmed at the possibility.