Scott skated to the boards and lifted his leg to stretch his hamstring. He looked up and must have seen her if his broad smile was any indication. As he continued to stretch, he kept glancing up at her, as if to make sure she wasn’t running. Was he actually surprised she’d shown up? Why did he seem so uncertain of her all the time? The man was one of the biggest catches in the tri-state area, and yet he’d admitted worrying she’d stood him up on Wednesday and seemed relieved now.
Bethany grabbed her arm in a death grip. “Omigod! Scott Richards just smiled at you!”
“Yeah, I know. I met him when I went to the locker room with Tammi after the All-Star Game.”
“You know him? Seriously?”
“Yep. He’s very nice.” And screws very nicely too, she thought to herself. He puts a lot of passion in everything he does. Then she realized where her thoughts were going and blushed when she looked at Bethany’s admiring gaze.
Might as well fess up.
“He gave us these tickets.”
“No!”
“Yes.”
“I figured your boss at the magazine gave them to you or something. Wow. Scott Richards. You go, girl!”
Oh, I did. Several times. He made sure of that.
“He’s a good guy,” Hannah said as she removed her coat.
“Oh, my God! You’ve got his jersey!”
She decided not to tell Bethany he’d given her that too, so she just smiled and turned her attention back to the ice.
The team started to leave the ice, one at a time, and Scott waved to her before he headed down the tunnel to the locker room. By this time, some of the other fans had noticed their byplay, apparently, and were staring at her as if wondering what was going on.
Hannah stood. “Come on. Let’s get a snack before the game starts. At intermission it’ll be a mob scene.”
They came back with sodas for both along with popcorn for her and peanuts for Bethany just as the game started. Now that she knew him, it was easy to pick out the man as Scott passed the puck and alternately checked opposing players to steal it back if necessary. He skated like the wind down the ice about halfway through the first period, deked the goalie, and scored to make it 1-0. She jumped out of her seat with her arms raised, caught up in the excitement. When she sat once more, Bethany slanted a glance at her. “So, this is just a casual thing, right? Cuz you’re definitely not wearing his jersey and sitting in seats he bought.”
Hannah decided it was best to ignore her friend’s ribbing, save for rolling her eyes. Bethany laughed.
Play continued, and by the beginning of the third period, the Stingrays were ahead 5-1. Scott had earned an assist on the fifth goal and was controlling play as they headed for the enemy goal yet again. He didn’t have a clear shot so he passed to another Ray and started to swing behind the goal.
A huge defenseman from the other team followed, slamming into him from behind. Scott’s head hit the glass hard and his neck snapped back. He fell to the ice like a ragdoll and lay motionless on the ice as pandemonium reigned over his head. Two of the Stingrays dropped their gloves and attacked the offending player, driving him to the ice as another enemy player jumped on their backs and tried to pull them off.
They all landed on Scott and the referees pulled everyone away so the trainers could get to him. He lay still for at least thirty seconds before the trainers managed to rouse him with smelling salts. Hannah could tell he was trying to get up, but the trainers held him down as they motioned back toward the bench.
Hannah chewed her nails to pieces as tears slid down her face while she watched them transfer him gently from the ice to a stretcher. Just the fact they’d brought one out made her want to puke. He said something to the EMTs and they pulled it over in her direction. As they passed, he raised his hand as if to reassure her, and a weak smile covered the pain for an instant.
She waved cheerfully back and then stood as if to leave.
“Where are you going?” asked Bethany.
“To the locker room. I have to make sure he’s all right.”
“They won’t let you in there. You’re not his wife or a relative. Even if you were, they might not let you in.”
She sank back down to the edge of the seat and started in on her nails again. Bethany was right. “What am I going to do?”
Chapter Four
Hannah stood in the atrium after the game, texting and calling Scott, who still wasn’t answering. Finally she called Darren.
“Did you see the game?”
“No. We played at five o’clock. I just got home. What happened?”
“Scott got hit and was knocked out and I can’t get a hold of him and I’m starting to panic.” The words came out in one long streak, and she paused to take a shaky breath.
“He’s a pretty tough customer, hon.”
“Then why isn’t he answering his phone?” Hannah’s voice broke on the last word. How had she come to care for him this much in a week?
It must be the hit. I’m worried about him like any friend would be. Hannah snorted to herself. Yeah, feed yourself more lines. Maybe you’ll even start to believe them.
“If you want, I can call over there. Not sure if I’ll be able to get anywhere, but if it would make you feel better I’ll try.”
“Oh, thank you!”
“Where are you now?”
“In the atrium. I-I couldn’t leave.”
“Okay, stay put and I’ll call you back. Are you alone?”
“Yes. My friend who came to the game with me had to leave.”
“I want you to go talk to one of the security guys. Tell him you’re Scott’s friend and that you’re waiting for news on him so they’ll keep an eye on you.”
Hannah agreed and hung up, doing what Darren asked. The young man in the navy blue sport coat with a patch that read Security looked at her with eyes full of pity, probably figuring she was some love-struck fool. And maybe she was, but she’d think on that later. Now she needed to know if Scott was all right.
The phone rang. With a trembling hand she lifted it to her ear.
“Hello? Hannah?”
“Scott?”
“Yeah. I prob’ly sound funny. They gave me pills. I have a little headache.”
“I saw. Are you all right? Did they take you to the hospital?”
“Nah. Got an X-ray here. ’s fine.”
“You’re telling me you got driven into the boards headfirst from some Godzilla-like defenseman and yet you’re fine?” Hannah realized now she sounded hysterical.
But Scott laughed. “I gotta ’member to call Manzus Godzilla next game. He’ll like that.”
“So then are you here at the arena? Can I see you?”
“Where’re you?”
“In the atrium.” His slurred speech worried her, no matter what he said about not being hurt.
“Any guys in blue around?”
“Yes, not far from me.”
“Put ’im on the phone.” She handed the phone to the security guy, explaining who it was, and a moment later the man was opening a door and telling her which direction to head to find Scott. In her relief she nearly left her phone with him.
When she got to an area bustling with activity, she asked about Scott’s whereabouts again and someone pointed her to a room. She peeked inside and Scott waved from flat on his back on a training table.
“Baby…”
Hannah approached and smiled down at him. “How hard did you get hit that you’re calling me ‘baby’?”
“I like you.”
“I like you too, but I didn’t think we were at the ‘baby’ stage yet.”
Scott’s toothy grin looked a little stoned and Hannah bit her lip. “Hannah, sweet Hannah.” He reached out and grabbed her hand. “You’re the best thing’s happened to me in a long time.”
“I’m glad,” she managed to get out without her voice being too shaky. Hannah didn’t want to blubber all over the poor guy. He had enough to worry about.
“Will you stay with me tonight? Doc didn’t say anything ’bout not being alone, but I want you there. I wanna hold you.”
How could she refuse a request like that? “I’ll come home with you, but no funny business. You need your rest.”
His gaze meeting hers and looking more clear than it had when she’d come in, he asked, “Maybe a little funny business?”
She shook her head, trying to look stern, though the relief coursing through her veins made that difficult. “Can you leave now?”
“Waiting for the doc’s okay.” He released her hand and patted the table next to him, sliding over to make room. “Sit with me.”
Hannah entertained him until the doctor came, checked him out one more time and pronounced him able to leave. Apparently the team had called a car for him, and she helped him lumber out of the arena and gingerly fold himself into the back of the limo. When it reached his place, they repeated the process, finally getting themselves inside. As she went to step away he palmed her ass and she slapped the offending hand.
Shaking her finger at him, she repeated. “No funny business.”
“No fun if there’s no funny bus’ness.”
“Go sit. Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
She wasn’t surprised. Darren was always hungry after games too. “What would you like?”
“Not much food here. My helper lady is coming on Monday.”
“Helper lady?” Hannah joined him in the living area, raising a brow.
Scott sat and then waved a dismissive hand. “She helps me. Cleans, shops for food, picks up dry cleaning. Helper lady.”
“You’ve single-handedly set back the women’s rights movement fifty years.”
He laughed. “Sorry. Dunno what else to call her. Menus by the phone. I star stuff I like.”
She got him a bottle of water and then waded through a stack of menus, finally picking a Thai restaurant. With their order placed, Hannah returned to the living room and sat on the chair beside the couch.
“Come cuddle me. I’m injured,” he said, holding his arm out. With an eye roll she sat next to him and he pulled her closer, sinking his face into her hair. “Love the way you smell.”
“I’ll let Pantene know they’ve got a fan.”
“You feel good squished against me. Better naked.”
“I am not hanging around your living room nude. There’s a delivery coming!”
“After?” One corner of his mouth lifted in a sardonic smile. “Yeah, yeah, keep my pants on. See? No fun.” His hand ran down her arm and Hannah suppressed a shudder. “Staying tonight, right?”
“You seem to be feeling better.”
“Pain pills. Gorgeous woman. Best way I know to recover from being boarded by Godzilla.”
They talked quietly until the food arrived. Hannah thought about asking him to turn on his ridiculously complicated-looking entertainment system, but decided flashing lights and noise probably weren’t conducive to getting rid of a headache. It was kind of nice to sit there in the semi-darkness with Scott’s arm around her like a steel band. She could get used to this. The question was – should she?
How would she handle this life, wondering every year if he’d be traded and they’d have to move across the state or even the country? How would she deal with knowing every time he left for a practice or a game there was potential for serious injury? Hannah had been totally freaked by the night’s drama, and she wasn’t at all sure she wanted to live with that kind of anxiety. But as she looked up at Scott and he gently lowered his lips to hers, she thought maybe it would be worth it.
* * * *
Scott stole a peek at Hannah as she ate. His head and neck were pretty sore, and the doc had told him to rest, but all he could think about was sinking into her tight heat. It was already driving him crazy and it was just past midnight. His balls would be blue and shriveled by morning. Maybe he could get her to take pity on him.
They finished and Hannah carried the plates back into the kitchen. He heard running water and assumed she was washing the dishes. Scott thought about pointing out that Sharelle, aka the helper lady, would do that on Monday, but knew instinctively Hannah would scoff, so he remained silent.
When she returned to the room, she held out her hand. “Let’s get you to bed.”
“Finally a plan I can get behind.” The meal had helped his foggy brain clear and Scott was grateful for that. He hated feeling out of control.
With a shake of her head that made her dark hair spill around her face, she led him into his bedroom, a little frisson of pleasure unfurling that she knew the way. He found he wanted her to know the way – wanted her to know a lot of things. Scott wasn’t much on sleeping around. Sure, he’d done it some when he was younger; what hockey player didn’t? But he was long past the “gotta get laid every night” stage, preferring to date every now and then; oftentimes someone who wasn’t looking for an entanglement any more than he was. Or had been. Now he wasn’t so sure. Being tangled with Hannah sounded pretty damn good.
All those women seemed so empty, so shallow. Scott wasn’t stupid. He knew his career probably wouldn’t last more than five or ten years beyond this season if his luck held. Maybe now was a good time to figure out what he really wanted from life. A wife? Kids? That career he’d told Hannah about at dinner? Scott loved playing hockey, but he wasn’t a one-trick pony. There was more to life than that for him.
But would she believe him? Did she even want a life with him? She’d mentioned she didn’t envy her sister, and Scott was sure tonight’s drama hadn’t helped him convince Hannah things could be smooth sailing.
He’d stripped down to warm-up pants and a hoodie when he got home, and now Hannah was in front of him, unzipping the sweatshirt and leaving him in a t-shirt. She knelt to pull off his pants and he suppressed a groan of need. He couldn’t stop the little sway toward her, as if his dick had a life of its own and was seeking a home base, and Hannah cleared her throat, rising.
“You can take care of those, I’m sure. What do you want to sleep in?”
You. I want to sleep inside you.
“Um, boxers and a T-shirt are fine.”
“Can I borrow something? I’m not eager to wear a jersey to bed, and I’ll boil in what I have underneath.”
“Sure.” He walked over to the dresser and pulled out one of his team-issued shirts. “This should fit.” Scott left it on the bed and turned to remove his bottoms, trying not to tempt himself too much with the flashes of her succulent flesh as she undressed.
“Come lie down. I’ll give you a shoulder and neck massage. You’ve got to be hurting, no matter what you’d have me think.”
He went to the bed and got in, rolling over onto his stomach and trapping his rapidly hardening cock between his body and the sheets.
This might not turn out well. The thought was only magnified when she straddled him, her thighs obviously bare against the skin of his lower back. Now he couldn’t help the moan of pure need.
“Are you all right? Am I hurting you?”
“Yes, but not the way you’re thinking,” Scott mumbled.
Hannah leaned down and Scott felt her hair brushing against his sensitized skin. “What was that?”
“Nothing.”
“If you say so.” Her hands dug into the knots in his shoulders and Scott groaned again.
“Strong hands. Fucking heaven.”
“That’s from the glass art.”
“Thank you to whoever invented that.”
She laughed. “I’m not sure it was actually invented, but if I ever find out and can travel back in time, I’ll be sure to let them know.”
As she pushed and pulled, working out the various tight spots, Scott began to drift.
Damn pain pills.
He forced himself to stay awake, and when she finished several moments later, Scott rolled over, sighing as his dick finally got some breathing room.
“Do you, um, want me to massage that too?”
�
�Huh?” Scott’s head rose from the pillow. He was surprised at how heavy it felt, but he forced himself to focus before swearing softly. Yeah, his boxers were totally tented. Where was the sheet when you needed it? “Your choice. I won’t say no. My mother didn’t raise a fool.” He winced as he realized he’d just connected his mom with his erection. Yuck.
With a snicker she reached into the boxers, pulling him out through the slit. Already precome was flowing freely and she spread it over the whole of him, causing a whole different cadence of sound to burst forth from him. Speeding up, Hannah jacked him and after a mortifyingly short time, he came into her hand.
“Oh, shit, that felt good.”
“Better than the back massage.”
Scott chuckled. “No contest.” But now he was really sleepy. His eyes started to drift closed again, not reopening until he felt a soft cloth cleaning him up.
“Sleep.”
“Stay with me.”
“I will.”
In the morning, though his head still pounded like a bass drum, Scott rose, did his business in the bathroom and managed to down a couple of pills without waking Hannah. When he returned to the bedroom, he leaned in the doorway and watched her sleep until he realized he’d look like a stalker if she woke up.
Then he smiled. He knew how to do that without creeping her out. Moving back to the bed, he got in slowly and quietly and then spooned her from behind. Hannah made a contented murmur but remained asleep. Snaking his arm around her, he moved it until his fingers and then the rest of his hand slid underneath the waistband of her bikini panties. His smile morphed into a grin when he found her wet. Maybe she wouldn’t refuse a little morning wake-up call.
Time to test that theory.
Gently, he inserted a finger into her. He couldn’t get in far at this angle, and Scott pushed up to a sitting position. She shifted, and with his other hand, he moved her top leg back to get better access. Glancing up to assess whether or not she’d woken, he then added a second finger and used the heel of his hand to press on her clit. Now she mewled and arched up. Bingo.
Seduced by the Game Page 11