Heat it Up: Off the Ice - Book One

by Stina Lindenblatt

  His eyebrows lift. “Are you finished?”

  “Yep, that pretty much covers it.”

  “Like I said, what you saw wasn’t what it looked like. She kissed me and I told her I wasn’t interested.” He steps closer. “And how could I be interested when all I could think about was you.” His lips brush against mine. “How could I be interested when you’re the only one I want to kiss.” This time his lips don’t just brush mine. They savor them. Our kiss deepens and I momentarily forget what we were talking about.

  Then it hits me like an out-of-control train and I pull away, frowning. “So you weren’t all over her?”

  Kyle’s expression mirrors my own, then it shifts as if he remembers something. He curses under his breath. “Where did you see the picture?”

  “Joni showed it to me yesterday.”

  Kyle groans. “So the guy just happened to drop by and show you the photo?”

  I nod, not getting where he’s going with this. “He thought he was being my friend and protecting me. I guess he thought he was saving me from a broken heart.”

  “Right,” Kyle says, except he doesn’t sound too convinced. “Has it occurred to you he wants more from you than friendship?”

  “Except he already knows I’m not interested. So you’re wrong. He’s just being a good friend.”

  Kyle tilts his head to the side. “Did you tell him we’re involved?”

  I laugh but it sounds a little off. “But we’re not involved. We’re just messing around. Having fun while we can.” Moving on with our lives—even if they don’t ultimately involve each other in the end.

  “You know what I mean.”

  I roll my eyes. “You’re reading way too much into what he did. Tell me, if places were reversed and you saw him kissing another girl, would you say nothing to me? Would you let him hurt me?”

  Kyle’s expression shifts, but I can’t tell if he buys my argument. “No, I wouldn’t do that.”

  Needing to redirect where this is headed, I say, “You never answered my previous question. So you weren’t all over her?”

  He shakes his head. “I promise you, other than when she kissed me and I told her I wasn’t interested, nothing happened between us. She was only talking to me ’cause her friend and my roommate were going at it at the table.”

  I don’t doubt for a second she wanted the same from Kyle, but I also believe he’s telling me the truth. I see it in his eyes.

  “C’mon,” Kyle says. “I’ll give you a ride home.”

  “You don’t need to do that. It’s still light out. I’ll be fine.”

  “Well, I won’t be. I’ve missed you, Sofia. So consider my giving you a ride home your way of saying thank you for the practicum.”

  I laugh. “Okay, if you put it that way.” A warmth fills me that he hadn’t wanted me to have sex with him to show my appreciation. I mean it’s a given we’ll have sex again, but it won’t have anything to do with what he did for me when it comes to the Bears.

  Kyle parks in front of Muumu’s building. “I’ll forward you the email about the position. Brian wants to get things rolling on this ASAP.”

  I kiss him. It’s supposed to be a quick kiss to show my appreciation, but let’s face it, it’s easy to lose track of time while kissing Kyle. I’m breathless by the time we pull apart.

  “You’re still mine on Saturday, right?” His breath is heated against my lips.

  “Yes,” I whisper.

  “Good, because I’ve got something planned.”

  “What?”

  “It’s a surprise.” He winks.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Kyle

  Sofia is already outside waiting for me when I pull up to her apartment building. She’s wearing my favorite shorts—the ones that show off her long legs—and her light pink tank top.

  She climbs into the car and places her backpack on the floor. Before I can say anything, she kisses me. It’s a light kiss, but it’s filled with promises of more heated ones to come.

  “Toivo called to tell me he and Maija will meet us at the ferry,” I say as I drive away from the building.

  After deciding to take Sofia to Suomenlinna, an island known for it’s old sea fortress, I mentioned it to Toivo and asked if he and Maija would like to join us. I guess I should have also mentioned to him the trip to the island was a surprise.

  “Is Nik coming?” Sofia asks with a degree of trepidation.

  “No, he’s got plans.” At her relieved breath, I say, “You know, he’s not as bad as he seems. He’s actually a good guy.” Most of the time.

  We drive to Helsinki, and I find a spot to park near the waterfront. Since the island has numerous locations where you can enjoy a picnic, we walk to the market to buy food first. It’s Saturday, so the place is crazy with the crowds.

  Sofia grabs my hand and pulls me through the bustle of people to the indoor market. Inside the building, we buy a loaf of bread, an assortment of cheese, reindeer meat, and sodas. Next, we wander around the different booths outside, and buy peaches, strawberries, and cloudberries to bring with us. The cloudberries are expensive but worth it.

  Sofia’s hand remains in mine the entire time. The reindeer meat, cloudberries, and marketplace aren’t the only things I’ll miss when I leave here. As it is, I missed her during the week, when I saw her Wednesday evening and that was it. We’ve texted back and forth a few times since then, but it’s not the same as seeing her in person.

  I check the time on my phone. “We should head over to the ferry now.”

  Toivo and Maija are waiting near the line to board the ferry when we arrive. Maija waves when she spots us, and she and Sofia hug.

  Toivo laughs. “You saw each other yesterday. What will you do when Sofia goes back to Minnesota?”

  Maija fake pouts. “Maybe she won’t want to leave. I could introduce her to my cousin Haarti. It will be love at first sight.”

  Toivo bursts out laughing. “Your cousin looks like a troll. I don’t think she’ll want to stay in Finland for him.”

  Maija huffs, as if offended, then laughs. “I guess you’re right.”

  After Sofia and I purchase our tickets from the machine, the four of us join the line to board the ferry and fall into an easy conversation while we wait.

  Once onboard, we find empty seats outside on the top section. Sofia removes her camera from her backpack and starts shooting photos of the dock from the railing.

  I join her and instinctively rest my hand on her lower back. It feels natural there. A warm, slight breeze brushes against her hair. Lucky wind.

  “Someone’s hungry,” she says and points to a seagull flying overhead with a large piece of bread in its beak.

  “Greedy more like it.”

  “I can take a photo of you two together, if you want,” Maija says behind us.

  We turn around and Sofia hands her camera to her friend. I pull Sofia against me, my arm around her waist. The breeze teases me with her apple scent.

  Maija shoots several photos then hands the camera back to Sofia. Sofia checks them out as the ferry begins pulling away from the dock. In them, we look like a happy couple instead of two friends enjoying the added perks of our friendship. Not that we’ve had sex since last weekend.

  But as much as I’ve missed it, I’ve missed Sofia that much more.

  “Thanks,” she tells Maija. “They look great.”

  As I turn back to look at the city, I spot Joni climbing the stairs to our level. What the fuck? “Why is Joni here?”

  Sofia twists in the direction I’m looking. “He called last night and asked if I wanted to see a movie tonight. I explained I couldn’t ’cause we were going to Suomenlinna today.”

  “So he decided to join us?” Again, what the fuck?

  Joni surveys the area and his laser gaze lands on us. His jaw muscle briefly jerks before his expression adjusts into one that is thrilled to see me here with Sofia. He says something to the four people with him, and they walk over to us.
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  “Hei,” he says to Sofia, pointedly ignoring me. “I didn’t expect to actually bump into you on this trip. My friends are going to the island and asked if I wanted to join them.”

  If said friends weren’t standing next to him, I would’ve questioned that, although it does seem to be too much of a coincidence for it to be true. But I’m hardly calling bullshit to his story.

  Joni introduces us to his friends. From what I can tell, Erik and Hanna are a couple. He’s on the skinny side with shaved short hair. She’s curvy with chin-length red hair. The other two, Daniela and Lovisa, could be twins straight out of one of Nik’s sexual fantasies. They’re pretty, have long, straight blond hair, and are dressed like Sofia, in shorts and tank tops.

  And they both have that look I’m familiar with. That look a puck bunny gets in her eyes when she goes after a hockey player.

  Sofia introduces the group to Toivo and Maija, then Erik and Hanna excuse themselves to find seats inside. The other three stay with us.

  One of the twins (Lovisa, maybe) stands next to Joni. The other one stands a little too close to me, and I get a weird feeling it’s a test. I draw Sofia against my body.

  Joni has already tried to screw things up between Sofia and me with the photo. Now he’s trying to prove I’m the manwhore he’s set me out to be.

  The ferry trip to the island is quick. We disembark, but it soon becomes clear that Joni and his friends plan to crash our group. Sofia, Toivo, and Maija don’t seem to have a problem with it, so I let it drop.

  Toivo leads us to the oldest fortress first, created by the Swedes in 1748, when the country owned Finland. It’s made of stones and mortar, with lots of above-ground tunnels, and reminds me of ancient castles. Parts of it are covered with grassy roofs.

  We explore the tunnels, which are like stone passages with glassless windows to one side that allow light in. The group is just ahead of Sofia and me. No one is behind us.

  Needing to taste her, I tug Sofia to the side, away from where everyone can see us, and pin her against the rough stone wall. My mouth finds hers and her gasp becomes a moan. Her tongue meets mine and her fingers pull through my hair.

  At the sound of voices echoing in the tunnel, I reluctantly move away from her. “I guess we should catch up with them,” I say, my voice holding a tell-tale huskiness.

  I take her hand and lead her through the tunnel everyone else disappeared down. They’re waiting for us when we get to the other end. Maija grins knowingly at seeing us; the twins and Joni don’t. The rest are indifferent to our temporary disappearance.

  After we explore the area some more, Toivo suggests we go to the beach. It’s small and surrounded by a stonewall that separates the sand from the grassy area and trees behind it. A handful of individuals are lying on the sand. Half a dozen more are in the water.

  We find an empty spot and lay out our towels. I park mine next to Sofia, but before Maija has a chance to put hers down on the other side, Joni’s stakes claim to the spot. Lovisa straightens her towel next to mine. The girls strip to their bikinis, a point Joni doesn’t fail to miss when it comes to Sofia. He doesn’t leer at her, but he might as well have, given where I’m positive his thoughts now sit.

  Sofia doesn’t notice. She’s too busy talking to Maija and Daniela. I remove my t-shirt and shorts and sit back down.

  Big mistake. Lovisa leans toward me and says low enough so only I hear, “There’s a great spot on the other side of the island I’d love to show you.” She kisses my shoulder and flicks her tongue against the skin so there’s no doubt what she’s really hoping for.

  I jerk away and scramble up from the towel. I catch the tail end of Joni’s smirk. Asshole. Not wanting to give the twin another chance to try to test me, I join Sofia and envelop her in my arms. She’s warm and soft against my chest. I could get used to this.

  Now if only it were just the two of us. But we came with Toivo and Maija, and I have no desire to desert them because I want to get Sofia away from Joni. At least she’s not interested in him, if that’s what his game is all about.

  “You want to swim?” Daniela asks us.

  Before Maija can answer, Toivo sweeps her up in his arms and walks toward the water. His girlfriend giggles but doesn’t try to escape.

  “Don’t even think about it, Kyle,” Sofia says, laughing.

  “What if I promise not to drop you this time?”

  She studies me for a second, then her eyes give me the answer I’m waiting for. I scoop her up and carry her to the lake edge. I want to bring up my suspicions about Joni, but what will that prove? She’ll just think I’m jealous.

  In the end, I body check my suspicions aside. As long as I don’t give him the opportunity to trip me up, he can’t do anything to hurt me or Sofia.

  Once I reach the water, Sofia asks me to put her down. Toivo is carrying a giggling Maija farther into the lake. The temptation to do the same to Sofia skirts around the edges, but I don’t want to damage her trust in me. I lower her feet to the sand.

  As soon as her feet touch the ground, she runs deeper into the water, laughing. The chase is on. I run after her, the cold water splashing around us.

  I can’t run as fast as her, but her speed slows as she gets deeper and I easily catch up with her. We keep running until the water is waist high on her. I grab her around the waist and pull her to me.

  Sofia tilts her head to the side. “I think Lovisa likes you.” Her eyebrows scrunch into an adorable frown. “Or is that Daniela?”

  I laugh. “I can’t tell them apart, either. But you know I’m not interested in either of them, right?” Sofia and I might not be involved in a real relationship, but that doesn’t mean I’ll fool around with anyone else while I’m with her.

  Her beautiful eyes become brighter. “Does that mean friends with benefits is an exclusive thing for you?”

  I nod. “It does.” I gently kiss her for a brief moment then rest my forehead against hers. “What about for you? Is it exclusive for you too?”

  “It is,” she whispers.

  This time when I kiss her, it isn’t so gentle. It’s possessive. And I don’t give a damn who sees me.

  I’m so lost in the taste and feel of her, I’m oblivious to everything else. Which is why I don’t register until it’s too late what the girl’s laughter from nearby means. A tidal wave of cold water splashes us, mostly hitting Sofia.

  Shrieking, she jumps back, and because my arms are still wrapped around her, she almost pulls me into the water. Toivo and Maija burst out laughing…until we get revenge and douse them with water.

  Maija shrieks something in Finnish that causes Toivo to laugh harder. “I’m done,” she says and runs back to the beach. Sofia joins her, leaving me and Toivo behind.

  “Are you and Sofia going to keep seeing each other when you return home?” he asks as we walk back to shore. Sofia and Maija are on the beach, rubbing themselves dry with their towels.

  His comment surprises me. It’s one I haven’t thought about. “Are you asking or is Maija?”

  “I’m sure Maija’s wondering the same, but no, the question is mine.” At my hesitation, he adds, “I understand if you don’t want to tell me. Or if you don’t want me to say anything to Maija.”

  “I really don’t know what’s gonna happen when I go home. I’ve applied for a few hockey-related jobs that are out of state.” I had phone interviews this week for the coaching job in Seattle and the scouting position in Texas.

  “But if you end up staying in Minneapolis…?”

  If I were to stay in Minneapolis, I wouldn’t want to keep up our friends-with-benefits arrangement. But I’m not sure what I want beyond that. I loved Gabby and lost her. Her loss just about did me in. Would I be willing to risk that again?

  “I don’t know,” I say, more to myself than to him.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Sofia

  After we spend time swimming and eating our picnic, we wander around the island, checking out the stores an
d the sights. We explore the Russian-and Swedish-designed buildings, the courtyard with the tomb of Augustin Ehrensvärd, King’s Gate, the museum inside Vesikki Submarine, and the museum inside the old prison.

  “Kyle,” Toivo says, as we head for the café Joni recommended, “you should try the black-licorice ice cream.”

  I screw up my nose. Kyle laughs. “That bad, huh?”

  “I’ve never been a fan of Finnish black licorice.” Or any black licorice.

  Of course Kyle, your typical athletic male, goes for the challenge. Once we’re all outside with our cold treats, he holds the cone out for me to try.

  “I’m good thanks.” I lick my strawberry ice cream. “Yum.”

  “This isn’t bad,” he says.

  I lick mine again, trailing my tongue slowly up the side of the sweet goodness. Kyle watches, and his Adam’s apple jumps up then drops. “Still yummy,” I say.

  “I’ll lick it, Kyle.” Lovisa’s gaze drops to his shorts and she takes a step closer to him.

  Without warning, Kyle hooks his arm around my waist and yanks me in front of him. I stumble slightly at the quick move, but his arm keeps me from falling. Ignoring her, I turn to him, wrap my free hand around his neck, and kiss him. Our cold tongues slide against each other. This is as close to tasting the black licorice as I’m going to get. I still don’t like it, but it tastes a little better when Kyle is involved.

  His hand slips under the hem of my tank top and rests against my skin. I’d like to say the message is clear that he’d rather be with me, but he’s been giving her not-so-subtle messages since it became obvious Lovisa wants him. She’s either really dumb or really stubborn.

  I pull away slightly and smirk at him. “My strawberry ice cream is still better.”

  “I might have to agree with you there.”

  I let him have a lick then kiss him again. It’s not a long kiss, but it’s enough to keep me satisfied until it’s just the two of us.

  We finish our ice creams and check out the art galleries and studios. It’s late afternoon by the time we return to Helsinki.