TheEnforcer_Kobo

by Steph

  Jess’s gaze automatically went to Will, as he and Lad helped Jake off the ice to the crowd’s applause. Between them, Jake used only his right leg to skate to the bench, then slung his arm around the trainers’ shoulders as they helped him down the hall to the locker room.

  As the team gathered at the bench before play resumed, she saw Will stare directly at the opposing team’s bench before taking a seat and waiting for his next shift.

  “Your guy just marked that player for a world of hurt,” Lori said. “And I don’t blame him one bit. That was a cheap shot.”

  “I hope Will lays the bastard out.”

  * * * * *

  “Pucks deep, guys. Make smart passes. Two minutes to go. No stupid penalties. Mac, you’re double-shifting with Lad.”

  Will nodded as the ref blew his whistle, calling the team back onto the ice for the face-off. Jake had looked scared as they’d taken him off the ice. Will could tell there was definitely something wrong with the kid’s leg that wasn’t just a sprain.

  Will had seen him go down, his leg twisted at a weird angle. If he hadn’t broken it, then he was lucky as shit. And if he had…

  They’d be without him for weeks. Possibly the rest of the season.

  Fuck.

  Will wanted to flatten the sonuvabitch who’d hurt Jake but he’d heard Coach. No stupid penalties. Which meant he had to keep his shit together, even when his first instinct was to lay out the other player hard.

  But if he did, he was afraid the entire team would devolve around him. They were pissed off and worried, and that made for a toxic mix.

  Cary was on the ice taking the faceoff, stoic as always. The other four guys—Flaherty, Lindback, Johnson, and Perry—looked tense but determined.

  The puck dropped and Will watched Cary battle for control and win, giving the Redtails the opportunity for a shot on net.

  They kept up the pressure, managing to keep the puck in the offensive end, and after another four shots, the goalie finally covered the puck and the next shift took the ice.

  As he and Lad went over the boards, Lad caught his eye and Will saw fury.

  Will skated over to him. “Ninety seconds. We keep the puck in their zone. We don’t let them shift us off our game.”

  Lad growled, his Russian accent so thick Will could barely understand. “I will knock that asshole into next week.”

  “No, you won’t.” Will stared into Lad’s eyes. “We stay focused. We get outta this game up three and then we take names. Got it?”

  Lad drew in a deep breath, his jaw clenched, then drew in another breath and nodded.

  Now they worked.

  Relentlessly, they kept the puck in Binghamton’s end. And even when Binghamton took a few more cheap shots, everyone stayed focused.

  And when the final buzzer sounded and the team skated back to congratulate Shane on the shutout, Will made sure he locked eyes with the player who’d hit Jake. The guy smirked and headed off, but Will had his name and number.

  They had a game in Binghamton in two weeks. And Will had a long memory.

  But first…he had a date tonight.

  * * * * *

  “Will.”

  “Come on, hon. Let go.”

  With Jess’s body draped over his, his hands on her hips holding her steady, Will pumped inside her warm body at a pace guaranteed to give him heart failure.

  But what a hell of a way to go.

  “Not yet.” Her voice whispered in his ear just before she licked at it. “Don’t want you to stop.”

  He could barely hear her over the sound of his own labored breathing, but he definitely felt her latch her sharp little teeth onto his earlobe and bite down. Jerking beneath her, he jammed his cock even higher inside her, wanting to consume her completely.

  “I’m not going anywhere. But you have to come first. I want to feel you milking my cock. I want you to scream so loud your neighbors hear. And then I’m gonna roll you over and I’m going to fuck you until you pass out.”

  He groaned when she clenched around him, his hands tightening on her hips as she worked her clit against the base of his cock.

  “That’s right, hon.” He petted one hand down her flank, cupping her ass and pressing her down even harder. “Take what you want. I’ll give you anything.”

  She could have it all. Everything and anything she wanted from him.

  And he hoped to hell she wanted everything because he certainly did.

  She’d left the light on when they’d come upstairs not long after he’d arrived. He hadn’t expected her to grab his hand and tug him up the stairs after her. Hadn’t expected her to strip him with quick hands, making him even harder and hornier than he’d been when he walked through her door.

  But when she’d gotten his pants halfway down his legs, cupped his balls in one hand, and wrapped the other around his cock, raw need for her consumed him. Nothing had mattered except getting inside her.

  He’d missed her today, had literally ached for her. The game had been tough and Jake’s injury had set everyone on edge.

  Now, here with her, all of that faded until all he knew, every conscious thought was about her.

  Her warm naked body pressed against his and kept his cock hard and his blood pumping furiously. Every sound she made deepened the connection he felt to her as his body strained toward release.

  When she angled her body up with her hands on his chest and let her head drop back, he watched her ride him. She looked transported, her lips parted slightly, plump and wet from his kisses.

  Her body moved so sinuously, he couldn’t resist running his hands up her sides to mold over her breasts. As he caressed her, she sank even lower on his cock, wriggling her hips until he had to bite his tongue against the urge to come.

  “So fucking beautiful.”

  His guttural statement made her eyes flutter open.

  “I could say the same about you.” Deliberately slowing her pace, she smiled down at him, so beautiful she took his breath away. “So strong. So tough. So hard.”

  She clenched around his cock, making his eyes roll back in his head at the rush of heat.

  “Come on, Will. Lose it. I want you to—”

  The rest was lost in a moan as he thrust his hips off the bed to meet her next downward stroke, setting off her orgasm.

  She fell forward, draping over him again as she climaxed, her body squeezing him, milking his response.

  Wrapping his arms around her, he made good on his earlier promise and flipped them without losing a stroke.

  And then he fucked her hard and fast, his hips pistoning as he lost himself in her.

  When his cock finally began to soften, he sighed and shifted off her, rolling them both onto their sides then drawing her in tight against his still-heaving chest.

  She was just as out of breath as he was as she tucked her head under his chin and went boneless against him.

  Soft, warm, and scented like sex and a hint of something floral, she made him think of nights spent making love and days spent together. All day. Every day. He liked the sound of that.

  When she yawned and snuggled even closer, he figured she was about to fall asleep. Since he was beat, that wouldn’t be a bad thing but he needed to know if he could stay. He wanted to stay. Hell, he’d even packed extra clothes in his bag just in case. But he had to ask.

  “Jess?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “Can I stay?”

  She didn’t answer right away and several long seconds passed. Then she pulled back and looked up at him with drowsy, beautiful eyes.

  “Yes. Please.” Then she snuggled back into him. “God, you’re warm. Like a huge furnace.”

  He chuckled. “Glad to know I’m good for something.”

  “I think you know just how good you are. I didn’t get to ask when you got here—”

  “Because you were ripping my clothes off, by the—ow!”

  She bit his pec, hard enough to make him flinch. Then she licked at it before she s
tared up at him with a grin.

  “Hey, now.” He wove his fingers through her hair and held her steady so she couldn’t look away. “What was that for?”

  Her eyebrows rose in a superior little arch. Adorable. “You know exactly what that was for.” Then her expression sobered. “But seriously, did you hear anything about Jake?”

  He shook his head, his expression darkening. “All I know is he was still being evaluated. We need Jake whole if we’re gonna make another push for the Cup. If he’s out six weeks, that’s a serious blow to our defense.”

  “I know. He and Lad were playing like a well-oiled machine. That’s really going to throw a wrench in the lines.”

  The conversation he’d had with Cary earlier today popped into his head. “Who would you bring in to fill the hole?”

  She took a bare second to think about her response. “Abbot. He’s been on fire for Lancaster— Why are you smiling at me like that?”

  “Because when you talk hockey, you make me hard.”

  She rolled her eyes but her lips curved in a smile he wanted to lick off her lips.

  “Then I guess we’d better stop. Wouldn’t want to sap all your strength for practice.”

  Tightening his arms around her, he repositioned her so she was eye-to-eye.

  “I’ll be sure to carbo load before we spend time together. I plan to do a hell of a lot of carbo loading.”

  Her smile faded. “Will—”

  “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not trying to pressure you, okay? You don’t want anyone to know we’re involved. I get it. And I’m okay with it.”

  Tilting her head to the side, Jess narrowed her gaze at Will.

  What the hell? Had he read her mind?

  Ridiculous, considering she wasn’t sure what she’d been going to say.

  But now that he’d brought up the subject, she should be grateful. Right?

  Then why did she have an ache dead center in her chest? Did he not want anyone to know they were dating?

  “And you’re okay with that? Seriously?”

  He shrugged, looking as if he didn’t really care one way or the other. “I guess I can understand your reasoning. And I’m willing to go along with it.”

  Really? This was not what she’d expected. She’d expected him to give her a hassle.

  And now…she didn’t know what to think.

  This is what you wanted, right?

  Wasn’t it?

  Lying here naked with him, his hair messy and sticking up all over the place and his scruff even more pronounced than it had been earlier, she couldn’t honestly care if anyone else knew they were together.

  Because he was still here. And she wanted him to be here for as long as she could have him. And that thought did not include hiding their relationship.

  “And if I said that’s not what I wanted?”

  His gaze never wavered but she saw a glint of humor spark. “Then I guess I’d ask if you were going to start sitting with the WAGs.”

  Her mouth curved in a smile. “I was tonight. Lori and Bliss and Bliss’s friend, Faith. But I can’t do that every night. I do have a job.”

  “A job you’re good at. Cary praised you to high heaven today. Although…”

  He paused and she could tell he was trying to decide if he wanted to finish that sentence.

  “Although…what?”

  His hand ran up and down her spine, as if soothing her ruffled feelings. “It’s nothing bad. He just said he’d put your name in as a scout in an instant if you expressed an interest.”

  What the hell? “Did you say something to him? About me being a scout? Because he’s never said a word to me.”

  “Maybe because you’ve never said anything to him. I mean, how would he know you were interested? Except for the fact that you talk hockey like a pro and the coach takes your advice on players. But hey, I guess he got the wrong idea.”

  She thought about that for a second. “Did he say anything else?”

  “Nope. Hear anything about that new job?”

  She shook her head, her brain still working over Cary’s comments. “No, and I don’t really expect to, at least not this soon. Like I said, I’m not sure I’m really the right person for it.”

  And she’d been having serious second thoughts. All because of this man.

  He’d barreled into her life and blown up her steady world like a Mentos in soda in less than a week.

  “You’re thinking too hard for just having mind-blowing sex.” Rolling over onto his back, he drew her along until she was draped over his chest, his heart beating strong under her ear. “A guy could get a complex. Get some sleep. Got practice in the morning and I’m hoping to get a workout in before that. And I don’t mean in the gym.”

  His hand smoothed down her back to pet her ass and she snuggled closer, her body already thinking about more sex. But she felt Will slipping into sleep and knew he needed it.

  It took her quite a while longer to shut down her brain enough to sleep.

  * * * * *

  “I’ll meet you in the lot. I just need to make a quick stop upstairs.”

  Justin rolled his eyes at Will as his smile widened. “Dude, you’re gonna see her in, like, an hour at the hospital. You’re pathetic.”

  Will didn’t bother to respond but shot Justin the finger over his shoulder as he headed out of the locker room Tuesday after practice. Jess had texted him while he was on the ice, asking him to stop up before he headed out to lunch.

  Justin was right, he’d see her at the hospital. She accompanied the players whenever they made promotional visits.

  But when the woman he’d decided he wanted to keep, probably forever, texted him to stop by before he left for lunch, he went.

  He had no idea what she wanted, but when he walked into her office, her expression made him close the door behind him, everyone else be damned. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  Her smile was forced and he closed the distance between them in seconds.

  “Jess—”

  “I have an interview in Philly tomorrow for that job I told you about.”

  He stopped cold. “What?”

  “Tori Roman, head of the marketing department, called me right after I got to the office. She said they’ve had their eye on me and were glad I’d applied.”

  His brain spinning, he grappled for something to say. “Damn, that was fast.”

  “I know. Tori said they’d just found out they were losing someone else in the office for health reasons and they had to move up their timetable.”

  She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back over her shoulders. She’d worn it down today and it made him want to twist it around his fingers and tug her closer for a kiss. But he knew that was definitely out of the question.

  “What’d you say?”

  She rolled her eyes like he’d asked a stupid question, which he probably had. “That I’d be there around ten.”

  He took a deep, steadying breath, knowing he couldn’t say what was on the tip of his tongue. Which was Don’t go.

  Then he took a closer look at her.

  “So why don’t you look happy?”

  “I am.” Her brow furrowed. “I am. It’s just…happening quicker than I thought it would. And I kind of had myself talked into thinking I wouldn’t get a call.”

  Time to suck it up and be the supportive boyfriend even though he wanted to be the asshole who told her not to go. Christ, he’d just found her and he didn’t want to lose her, period, end of story.

  And that was the perfect way to get kicked out of her bed forever.

  “Of course they want you. You’re brilliant, dedicated, and know hockey inside and out. But is it really what you want to do?”

  She hesitated a split second too long. “Yes. Of course it is. I’ve been working toward this for six years.”

  “Then what do you need from me?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t need anything from you. I don’t need your validation if that’s what you’re asking.�
��

  Shit, he was going to fuck this up completely. “That’s not what I mean. But you don’t look excited.”

  She huffed out a sigh. “I am. It’s just…” She looked up at him, shaking her head. “You complicate things.”

  Since he knew exactly what she meant, he didn’t get offended. But he was getting angry and he couldn’t help it. She was torn, he got that. But dammit, it wasn’t like she didn’t have options.

  “Jess, do you want to leave?”

  “This is a huge opportunity for me.”

  “You didn’t answer the question.”

  She grimaced. “I can’t because I’m not sure.”

  “Then I guess you have to make a choice. But I think you should talk to Cary and Coach before you make up your mind.”

  Her gaze dropped as she shook her head. “That’s not going to change anything.”

  His jaw set against the urge to say something he really might regret. “Jess—”

  “You should probably get going. You need to eat before the hospital visit and I have a call I need to make.” She smiled up at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes, and the pit in the stomach opened just a little deeper. “I’ll see you at the hospital.”

  “Jess, dammit, let me—”

  “Will, it’s fine. Everything’s fine.” She smiled again and this time it was a little more natural. But it didn’t do anything to fix the feeling of dread starting to creep over him. “It was just a shock and I needed to talk it out with someone so thank you. We can talk about it more tonight.”

  “In bed?”

  Her smile widened. “Yes, in bed, if that’s really what you want to spend our time there doing. You have to get to bed early tonight because you leave early tomorrow for your road trip.”

  He had the almost overwhelming desire to kiss her right now but knew he couldn’t. The entire front of her office was glass. Anyone could see in.

  Frustrated, he shook his head but knew he couldn’t do anything but leave. “We’ll make it a short conversation.”

  “I’m sure we will. Now go. I’ll see you at the hospital.”

  He went but he definitely wasn’t happy about it.

  Chapter Eight

  “Hey, sweetheart. I’m so glad you could meet me.”