“Makes sense. Anyway, that’s good, right?”
“Yes. They’re located an hour away, in Rochester. Playing for them would be about the closest I could be to Buffalo.” She put her napkin back on her lap and picked up her fork once more. “I just wonder what’s going on that they’re talking to me?”
Mikael shrugged. “Could be anything. Maybe one of the current goaltenders’ contracts is up and he’s an unrestricted free agent. Perhaps they plan to buy one of them out. It doesn’t really matter. What did he say?”
“They watched me play in the tournament, which isn’t surprising of course, and also during the Olympics and were impressed. The Storm is doing a rookie camp in a couple of weeks and they invited me to come.”
“That’s great! I am happy for you.”
“Yeah...” Terri began to eat again.
“Why aren’t you excited?”
“I am. And Rochester is way closer than many of the other places I was looking, like I said. But can it really be this easy?”
“Maybe. Not everything has to be hard. Wait and see what they say. Worrying now will not help you.”
“I know.” Her phone buzzed again. “This is a text message. Hang on. I’m sorry to keep doing this to you.”
“No problem.”
She looked down at the phone and Mikael watched as both brows shot up. “Well, it all makes sense now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am signed up to get alerts through text from a bunch of minor league teams. Apparently they did have a specific reason for calling me. They’re releasing one of their goaltenders, just like you said. Huh.”
“What is the ‘huh’ for?”
“It’s kind of strange, this whole thing. Usually they bury the guy somewhere else in the organization, since the Storm is affiliated with several other more minor league teams. It makes me wonder. If they’re outright releasing the player, did they catch him doing something? Taking something? The drug policy in minor and professional hockey is pretty open compared to other sports, as you know, but there are some things the team wouldn’t tolerate.” Placing the phone back in her purse, Terri continued. “Anyway, like you said, no use worrying about it. They’ll tell me what they think is important.”
The rest of the meal continued with some small talk, but Terri seemed distracted, no doubt by the camp invitation.
Finally he couldn’t stand it anymore. “I have an idea. I do not know what the other guys will think of it, but I can ask them.”
“An idea? Should I be excited or scared?”
Mikael chuckled. “It’s nothing scary. A few of the Storm players mentioned skating on our own, working out, things like that. I could see if they wouldn’t mind you being a part of it. In Minnesota we usually hired kids from college and stuff when we needed goaltenders. Jordan played in the tournament but I do not know if he is staying here for the summer. Not sure about Brendan either. But I can ask when they call me. That way you should be in good shape when the camp opens. You wouldn’t have to work out on your own just because you’re a woman. I have been impressed with your skill, even before I found out you were a girl. A beautiful girl.”
“Playing goal for a bunch of professional hockey players? Yeah, I’d say that would keep me fresh. And probably get me a lot more used to being scored on.”
Mikael made a dismissive motion with his hand. “You would be fine. I will ask when they call.”
She looked at him, her eyes soft and relaxed. “I would really appreciate that. It’s very nice of you.”
“It’s no big deal,” Mikael answered. “Now finish your meal.”
“Why? Got any crazy plans for tonight?”
“Hmm.” He pretended to think about it. “No, I don’t think so. But if you’re going to play with the big boys you need to be strong.”
Terri gave what she could see of him a quick once-over. “Big boys, huh?”
Mikael grinned. “Who knows?”
They finished their meal and got back into Terri’s car. “It’s still early. Is there anything you’d like to do? See more of Buffalo? Some of the suburbs? Anything else?”
“Why don’t you show me your favorite spots?”
“Okay, but they’re not all together.”
“I would not expect them to be. Buffalo is a rather large city, based on what I have seen, despite what people say.”
“That’s true.” She put on her turn signal and pulled out onto the highway that ran near the arena. “The first place I want to show you is the Tiftt Nature Preserve. It’s really close. It might not be open now, but you can still see some of the place.”
She took an exit and soon they were standing in the parking lot. “Hmm. I thought maybe they’d have expanded hours for the holiday, but I guess not.”
“It is amazing how quiet it is here. So close to downtown, but very peaceful.”
“They have some pretty cool sights. Tons of birds, well-maintained trails. We can come back. Well, I guess we need to get back in the car.” They did and, as Terri pulled out onto the road, she asked, “Do you eat ice cream at all? I know you guys are on strict diets, even in the summer.”
“Not very often. Why do you ask?” Mikael hadn’t missed the casual reference to coming back to the preserve, and keeping a grin off his face posed a challenge.
“There’s a nice park in Williamsville and within walking distance of that is this great ice cream place. They make everything right on site. But there are other places we can go if you want to stick to your diet.”
Ice cream sounded really good to Mikael. “I wish I could. I’m sure I would like it very much. But I want to make sure I come into camp strong and at weight. The trainers and the strength and conditioning coach are supposed to meet with me soon, but my old ones said not to get above two-hundred pounds and ten percent body fat. I don’t want the Storm to think I slacked off over the summer. And since I’m a huge lover of chocolate, once I start it’s hard to stop again.”
“You know, it’s funny. Weight and body fat aren’t talked about nearly as much in women’s hockey. For instance, to look at me you’d think I was considered pretty solid for a female hockey player. But I’m five foot eight and only weigh a hundred and fifty pounds. A good, strong Buffalo wind can knock me over. I don’t have a clue what my body fat percentage is. Muscle weighs more than fat, so I’m not sure I really get the correlation between weight and body fat. Professional male hockey players need to have some bulk. I get it. Men’s hockey is a tough game. You’re hitting, battling for pucks, jockeying for position in front of the net. Your center of gravity, your core strength, and how hard it is to take you off the puck are far more important than in women’s hockey, which relies more on pure skill and less on physicality. The best players in the world, the really elite ones, are impossible to take off the puck. You end up chasing them around and feeling like an idiot.”
“Wow. You know a lot about this.”
She shrugged, her face turning pink. “I was a sports science major in college. Sometimes I get a little passionate.”
“That’s really cool.”
“Thanks. Um, you’re probably wondering where I’m driving to, huh?”
“I trust you not to abandon me on the side of the road somewhere.”
Terri snickered. “I would not be popular with the Storm if I did that.”
He turned his back toward the window so he could look at her more directly. “If that is the only reason you wouldn’t do it now I am a little scared.”
It turned out she was taking him to a different park. It had go-carts and mini golf and batting cages and they spent the next few hours playing around with everything. When they finally got back into the car she asked, “Where to now?”
Mikael slowly let out a breath. “That is up to you. If you want to hang out in my room we can do that. We could go back up on the roof. I know you liked it there. Or you can go home.”
“By ‘hang out’ you mean ‘make out’, right?”
“If that’s what you want. If not, I can keep my hands to myself.” Not easily, but I can. “We could watch a movie or something.”
“How about this? We’ll go up to the roof, watch the sun go down, since that should be soon, and then decide if we have enough energy left to rent a movie or whatever.”
“Sounds great to me.”
A half-hour later, Mikael had a hold on Terri’s hand as he led her through the maze of trees and plants in the rooftop garden. He sat on a bench that partially faced the sunset, figuring it would be less likely to blind them then. Terri smiled when he put his arm around her and, as the sun began to fade, he nuzzled her neck rather than watching the last of the show. Terri tilted her head back, resting it on the bench behind her. Mikael worked his hand between the hard bench and her head and then kissed her.
She canted her body more toward him and he brought her legs up to rest on his thighs as he continued to ply her with little nips and kisses. Moving down a little bit, he licked at the pearly-white skin of her cleavage, not daring to go much further in a relatively public place. A quiet murmur escaped her when his other hand worked just underneath the hem of her shirt and rubbed gently on the small of her back. Terri’s skin was so soft. Mikael could dance his fingertips over it all day.
“Take me inside.”
He pulled back some to look at her. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
They hustled out of the garden, laughing at each other’s enthusiasm, and soon were in Mikael’s room. For some reason, he was really nervous. But Terri kicked off her shoes and sat down on his bed before scooting back, and his butterflies faded as he stared at her.
“You are so beautiful.”
“And feeling lonely.”
“Oh, we cannot have that.”
She propped herself up on her elbows and watched him pull off his own shoes. “Speaking of beautiful, has anything told you how sexy tree-trunk thighs are?”
Mikael almost fell over laughing, since he’d been in the middle of removing his second shoe. “Um, no.”
Terri snorted. “These women don’t know how to look for quality.” He slid onto the bed but couldn’t decide if he should lie down next to her, between her legs, somewhere else? She made the decision for him when her legs opened and she beckoned him with one finger.
He groaned. Mikael wanted to be there with Terri’s long legs wrapped around him, her heels digging into his ass. Terri made it difficult for him to be a gentleman. When she smiled in encouragement, he rolled into the space, holding his weight off her.
“Your eyes are darker.”
His brows drew down. “Darker?”
“Uh-huh. I think when you’re turned on they do that.”
“And how do you know I’m turned on?”
She smirked. “Let’s just say the evidence is there.” Terri tilted her pelvis up and Mikael’s breath caught. If she kept that up he’d be coming in his boxers. Dropping down onto his forearms, Mikael attacked her mouth, sucking on her tongue and exploring before she chased his tongue back into his own mouth. He changed the tilt of his head and kissed her still deeper. He was rock-hard and couldn’t possibly hide it. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to mind.
After running her hands through his hair, she brought them all the way down his back to the hem of his shirt. Mikael was a little surprised at how fast things were going, but as long as Terri seemed okay—and pulling off his clothes showed a strong indication of that—he’d wait and see where this was going. She tossed his shirt aside and then ran her hands down his chest to his abs.
“So hot. I love the way your body feels.”
Mikael could only snort. “Yeah, me too. I mean, I love how your body feels.”
Leaning up, she gave him a light kiss. “I know what you meant.” Her short nails raked over his nipples lightly. “You like that?”
“Yeah.”
“Harder? Softer?”
“Harder.” I want to see her too. But can I? Should I?
His internal conflict was settled when she wrenched off her own shirt, leaving her in a pretty lavender bra. Mikael moved down her body and buried his face between her generous globes, licking, sucking and biting as he learned what Terri liked. In many ways, their bodies were similar. There was very little excess weight on her. Where their torsos touched, it was obvious both of them were athletes, which totally turned him on. Yes, he loved curves on women, and Terri didn’t have a lot of them, but it was very hot knowing she had visible abs, biceps and developed shoulders.
Terri arched and he slipped his hands around to her back, bringing her even closer. She moved restlessly. “God, you feel good.”
Even when his body was screaming at Mikael to head south, he instead moved up once more, placing open-mouthed kisses along the slim column of Terri’s neck. Reaching her ear, he lightly bit down. Her breath caught and he chuckled.
“You like that?”
“Didn’t know ’til just now.” She sounded out of breath and, considering her physical conditioning, that was saying something. Mikael grinned. Now he wanted to see what it would take to completely turn Terri inside out. Her skin tasted faintly fruity, like raspberry or strawberry, and had begun to flush across the chest. When Mikael’s hands slid down her back and he kneeled to press kisses to her navel, Terri shuddered. “You must have a magic mouth.”
“I’m happy you think so,” he replied, blowing where he’d just kissed.
“I want to feel you more. Sit back.” He did, and Terri moved her legs so she also knelt. With a wicked grin, she took hold around his waist and lowered her head, licking one of his nipples with light flicks of her tongue.
Mikael groaned. He loved having his nipples touched, and if she kept up this overwhelming torment likely he’d lose control. “Easy. Very sensitive. I get, um, pretty excited.” He knew he’d blushed when heat rushed over his cheeks, but Terri just nodded and smiled.
“Good information for the future.” She straightened back up and pulled his hands between them. “I don’t want to sleep with you just yet, I think that would be too much too soon, but God, I need you to touch me.” Terri let go of his hands and undid the front latch of her bra. Her breasts, high and firm with small, light-brown nipples, emerged and Mikael had to shift on the bed before he lost consciousness from the blood flowing south.
Keeping his gaze locked with hers, Mikael moved gently, cupping one breast in each hand. “How would you like me to touch you? I want to make you happy.”
“Squeeze just a little, run your palm over my nipple.” He did, still gauging her reaction. “Yeah, just like that.” Her hands had wandered back onto his pecs. “I love that you have some chest hair. I’m not a fan of those guys who shave. It looks weird.” Terri giggled and looked down to where his hair skittered across his skin when she moved. “Plus it tickles.”
“Oh, really?” Mikael tumbled them to the side and brought their bodies flush with each other. “Like this?” Terri squealed, trying to push away, but Mikael would have none of that. “Yes, this is good. The way your breasts rub against me. Very sexy.” He drew a nipple into his mouth and played over it with his tongue, circling until it became a hard, tight peak. “I like this very much.”
“Feel free to indulge yourself.” He bit down gently and Terri gasped. Leaving that nipple alone for a moment, he moved to the other one, pushing it between his tongue and the roof of his mouth. Terri was breathing heavily, her chest heaving. “I love everything you’re doing to me, but maybe we should stop. If we don’t I’m gonna have your clothes off in about thirty seconds. I don’t want to be a tease—”
He pulled back with the effort of a superhero. “It’s fine. I told you we would go slowly and we will. Anytime you want to stop, tell me.”
“I want you to go on for fifty hours, but there’s no way either of us would be able to hold back.”
“No, probably not.” Mikael moved to the foot of the bed and Terri pushed a couple of pillows against the headboard and then closed her br
a once more. He mourned the loss of skin to skin contact, but he’d already been having trouble staying above the waist. What he’d do to make his erection subside, he had no idea.
“I should go.”
“Are you sure? You don’t have to.”
“Yeah, I need to get home. But call me when you hear from the guys. I definitely want to practice with you if they don’t mind.”
“I cannot think why they would.” He grabbed his shirt off the floor as Terri did the same. A niggling sense of something wrong wouldn’t leave him alone. “We’re okay, right?”
She looked up. “Us? Sure. Why?”
Mikael ran a hand through his hair. “You are leaving pretty fast.”
Terri blushed again. “I just can imagine that you’re, uh, how should I put this...uncomfortable, so I figured if I left you could, um, fix that. I can’t believe I’m having this much trouble just talking about sex. It’s ridiculous.”
“It’s adorable, in a good way,” he corrected, tucking a couple of strands that had come loose from her ponytail back behind her ear.
Wrinkling her nose, she said, “I’m not sure I want to be adorable...”
He approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Hers crept up to his shoulders. “Adorable, beautiful, sexy, kulta—”
“Wait, what was that last one?” Terri wrinkled her nose. “Should I be happy or mad about it?”
“Kulta. It means gold. It is very good in Finnish.”
“Oh. Well, then, keep going.” She yawned. “Actually, don’t. I think I need a nap.”
Mikael frowned. “Are you sure you can drive?”
“Yes. I don’t live very far, about ten or fifteen minutes.”
He walked Terri to the door. “Please text me so I know you are safe.”
“I will. And we’ll plan to go out again soon. You might get sick of me, seeing each other every day at practice, doing things together outside of that...”
Red Hot and BOOM! A Sizzling Hot Collection of Stories from the Red Hot Authors Page 43