Off the Ice: A Breakaway Novel

by Dover, L. P.

  After eating Justin’s famous baby back ribs and Maddox’s steak, I was stuffed. Those hockey boys sure knew how to throw down some food. I had to excuse myself so I could call and check on Ellie. She was having a blast, just like I’d hoped. My sister had texted, asking where I was since she could obviously tell I wasn’t at home in the video. There was so much I had to tell her when I saw her again.

  Over dinner, they all celebrated Justin’s birthday by telling embarrassing stories of him as a child. I’d never laughed so hard in my life. Even now, I couldn’t get the smile off my face as we headed toward Justin’s house. I was curious to see what it looked like.

  “Please tell me you’re not thinking about the time I got M&M’s stuck up my nose or when Callie put makeup all over me while I was sleeping.” I tried my best not to laugh, but I couldn’t hold it in. Even Corey burst out laughing in the front seat.

  “Actually, I was thinking of the time when Maddox replaced your hair gel with glue.”

  Groaning, he covered his face with his hands. “That was fucking horrible. Had to have my head shaved after that. Couldn’t get the shit out.”

  “And he loved his hair,” Corey added. “He was devastated.”

  Justin shrugged. “I was twelve years old. I had to impress the girls.” He winked at me, and I laughed again. “But I got Maddox back. A face riddled in black sharpie before picture day was hell to get off.”

  I slapped a hand over my mouth. That was devious. “Wow. That’s worse than the glue gel. I’d love to see that yearbook photo of him.”

  Justin cocked his head, deep in thought. “I can probably get it. My aunt has all of his yearbooks.”

  Excitement bubbled in my chest, only I hated I wouldn’t get to see it. “You should totally get the picture, and next year for his birthday, get him a cake with it printed on top. That’d be hilarious.”

  Both Corey and Justin doubled over laughing, and Corey said, “I’m afraid my brother’s rubbing off on you.” We pulled into a wealthy neighborhood with mansions everywhere. Corey glanced back at me and nodded at my hat and sunglasses. “Might want to put those on before you get out of the car. I haven’t seen any paparazzi around here in a while, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.” I did as he said and slipped on my disguise. There was no way anyone would be able to pinpoint who I was if they saw me. I was a nobody.

  Justin pointed down the road toward the house at the end, blocked off with a gate. Corey punched in the code and the gates opened. He pulled up to the front of the house and I stared at it, completely transfixed.

  “Your house is amazing,” I gushed.

  We all got out and Justin grabbed our bags. “It’s all mine now. Corey and Brant used to live here too until Brant moved back to Minnesota and Corey with Hannah.”

  Corey glanced up at the house and sighed. “The gate and privacy fence didn’t get put up until after Justin was on the show. He gained a lot more popularity after that.”

  “Did people try coming to your house?” I asked.

  A serious expression passed across Justin’s face. “For a while, but it stopped after the gate got put in. I’ve never been in any danger or anything like that.” That was a relief, but I couldn’t imagine being at home and seeing people on my lawn, taking pictures.

  Corey shut the trunk and patted Justin on the back. “I’m out of here, brother. You two have fun tonight. Because the day after tomorrow…”

  Justin held up a hand. “I know. I’ll be ready.”

  Corey hugged me one last time before getting in his car and driving away. I took my bag away from Justin and nodded at the door. “I’m ready for a tour.”

  Justin’s smile returned, and I followed him up to the door. When he opened it, I froze at the sight before me. There was a double staircase that came down both sides of the foyer. Up ahead was the living room, and the floor was a gray and white marble that glittered in the light.

  “This is so different from your ranch,” I said, studying every square inch. There were pictures on the mantel of his family, and up above were two hockey sticks crossed together.

  He pointed up at them. “Those were the hockey sticks I used in the last two Stanley Cup playoffs that we won.”

  I set my bag down, and he did the same. “Do you miss being on the ice? It’s been weeks since you put on a pair of skates.”

  Looking up at the hockey sticks, I could see the longing on his face. “You have no idea how much I miss it.”

  “Why don’t you go to the rink while you’re in town?” I said. “I don’t mind staying here while you do.”

  His eyes widened, and he grabbed my hands excitedly. “We can do better than that. I’ll call my coach, who owns the skating complex, and get him to open the rink for us tomorrow night, just you and me.”

  The thought terrified me, but I’d love to see him move on the ice in person. All I’d ever seen him do was on TV. “I will probably break an arm or leg. I haven’t skated in years.”

  Wrapping his arms around me, he kissed me. “I won’t let you fall.”

  “Then it’s a date.”

  “Good. Now let’s take you on that tour.” Taking my hand, he led me through his kitchen, and all around his downstairs bedrooms. I was curious to see what his bedroom looked like. At the ranch, it was decorated in navy blues and dark greens, but I had a feeling his fancy home was going to be a little more seductive and modern. Instead of taking me upstairs, he opened a door that led down to the basement levels.

  “Your bedroom is down there?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Nope. If I take you to my bedroom now, I’ll do ungodly things to you. Not that I don’t want to right now, but I figured you’d want to see the rest of my house before I take you up there.” I followed behind him, and he winked back at me. “This is the fun part of the house.”

  We turned the corner and there were three doors. He opened the first one, and inside was a large movie theater screen and three rows of recliners. There were even lights lined up at the bottom of the rows like you’d see in a real movie theater. It smelled like popcorn.

  “This is amazing. What all movies do you have?”

  He opened up his arms. “Anything you want. It’s all digital. Maybe tonight we can order some take-out and watch a movie?”

  I nodded excitedly and clapped my hands. “I’m totally down for that.”

  The door across the hall opened up to a gym, and the one at the far end revealed a massive game room. It was like something you’d see in an old arcade. There weren’t many of those around anymore, not like there was when I was a kid. Not only were there arcade games, but there were pool and air hockey tables, and then my favorite…a foosball table.

  “Oh my God, please tell me you play,” I said, rushing over to it.

  Justin stood on the other side, grinning devilishly. “I’m the best. Think you can handle me?”

  If he only knew. I grew up playing foosball, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. “I can hold my own. First one to ten wins?”

  He pulled out the small white ball and tossed it in the air. “Sounds good. Want to make it interesting, though?”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  Tossing the ball up in the air again, he did it over and over with a sly grin on his face. “Instead of going all the way up to ten, why don’t we play strip foosball? The first person to take off all their clothes loses.”

  It was going to be an interesting game. Unfortunately, there wasn’t that many articles of clothing on my body since it was summer. I held out my hand and he shook it. “Deal.”

  He slid the ball down the slot and the game was on. “Spinning the rods is illegal,” he said, getting into position.

  I rolled my eyes, trying my best to concentrate. “I know, I know.”

  There was power behind his hits, but I was quick. The ball sailed past his players into the goal. He stared at the table in disbelief, and then over at me. “Damn, angel. That was quick.”

  I waved a
hand at his body. “Take it off.”

  Slowly and seductively, he took off his shirt and tossed it at me. He’d gotten tanned over the weeks from working on my fence. “How’s that?”

  “Perfect. You’re about to take off more.”

  Snorting, he put the ball back into play, and we fought over it. I was determined to win. I sunk the ball again, and he took off his shorts. Only one more article of clothing left for him. Justin dropped the ball, and I never took my eyes off of it. We fought back and forth and it almost went into my goal, but I stopped it. That split-second of him celebrating gave me the time I needed. I had a clear opening to the goal.

  “I won,” I screamed, holding my arms up in the air.

  Justin shook his head and huffed. “You hustled me, didn’t you? I never lose at foosball.”

  Batting my eyelashes playfully, I shrugged. “Might want to get used to it.”

  “Oh yeah?” He lowered his boxers, and my insides clenched with anticipation. Circling the table, he grabbed me around the waist, and I wrapped my legs around him. “Now that I’m naked, what do you want?”

  I bit my lip and kissed him. “You.”

  His cock pressed against me, all hard and rigid as he carried me over to the pool table and set me down. “Looks like we’re not going to make it to my bedroom then.”

  I ran my hands over the green felt and spread my legs. “I’m perfectly fine with that.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Meghan

  The day went by so fast that everything was a blur. Justin and I went swimming, we watched a movie in his theater, and we talked. The talking was what I loved most about our day. It felt as if each moment that passed, we grew closer and closer.

  “Angel, you about ready?” Justin shouted from downstairs.

  I was nervous about going out in public, even if the ice rink was closed. It didn’t mean that people weren’t going to be in the vicinity. I felt stupid for covering myself up as much as I was, but it needed to be done. It was hot outside, but Justin gave me one of his hoodies to put on so I could use it over my head to at least partially obscure my face. I was going to need it inside the skating complex anyway, along with my jeans, to shield my skin from falling all over the ice.

  Taking a deep breath, I looked at myself once more in the mirror and hurried downstairs. Justin walked out of the kitchen, eating one of the chocolate chip cookies we’d made earlier. “Doesn’t that make the tenth cookie for you tonight?” I asked, laughing. “If I ate like that, I’d be ten thousand pounds.”

  He winked. “Not with the way I’ve been working you out.” Swirling his keys around his finger, he nodded toward the door. “I figured we’d take my old Bronco. That way, we don’t draw too much attention in my sports car.”

  His blue, convertible Bronco was my favorite out of his collection. We walked out to his garage and hopped inside, the engine roaring to life. I felt stupid for having the hoodie over my head, but I was in the danger zone now. In Wyoming, I wasn’t worried as much.

  We drove through the town of Belmont, and it looked so nice and quaint. There were people walking up and down the street, going in and out of the shops. “I like this place. It’s so different from home.”

  Justin nodded. “Downtown Belmont is nice. The restaurants are phenomenal.”

  “What all do you normally do around here?” I asked. “I’m pretty sure fixing fences and painting barns isn’t what you do in your free time.”

  Chuckling, he kept his gaze on the road and reached over to hold my hand. “The guys and I like to hang out at the local pub back there.” He pointed at the restaurant we just drove past. It was called Sammy’s. “When I’m not there, I’m usually at the rink or at a party. There’s always some kind of social function going on.” He didn’t seem to be enthusiastic about it.

  “Doesn’t sound like you enjoy it all that much,” I said.

  He shrugged. “The parties get old after a while. It’s not the same. I mainly only went to them to get away from Miranda.”

  “Are you nervous about the meeting tomorrow?” I was nervous about it, and I wasn’t even going to be there. As much as I wanted everything fixed, I didn’t want him anywhere near her. She was manipulative. I saw how she wrangled him in her grasp when they were on the show.

  The grip he had on the steering wheel tightened. “Corey assures me we have everything we need.”

  “Good.”

  He pulled us into the rink parking lot and parked beside a black Escalade. There was a man sitting inside, and I recognized him. He was the Charlotte Strikers’ coach, Kellan Carter. Justin got out and came to my side of the car to open the door. “You’re safe. I don’t see anyone.”

  I slipped out and Kellan held out his hand. “Hey, Meghan. I’m Kellan.”

  “Yes, I know,” I said, feeling starstruck. “It’s so nice to meet you.” It was surreal meeting Justin’s teammates, especially his coach, who was even more famous than any of the other players.

  I shook his hand, and he smiled. “Same to you. Ready to skate?”

  Justin wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we walked inside. “Not really. The last time I attempted it, I had bruises for weeks.”

  “I already told you I’m not going to let you fall.”

  Kellan unlocked the door and handed Justin the keys. “Lock up when you’re done. I’ll stop by your house in the morning to get the keys.” He held open the door. “Have fun, you two.”

  Once he was gone, Justin locked the doors. The place was huge. Taking my hand, Justin pulled me to the skate rental booth quickly. I laughed and basically had to run to keep up with him. “I take it you’re excited.”

  “You have no fucking idea. I’ve been away from the ice way too long.”

  He jumped over the counter and looked down at my feet, only to do a double take. “You have some big feet.”

  I smacked his arm. “Thanks. I take after my mom. She’s a size eleven as well.”

  Grabbing our skates, he set them on the counter and hopped back over. I took mine and sat down on one of the benches by the rink. My nerves were shot. I didn’t want to look like an idiot fumbling around on the ice, but there was no escaping it. Justin had his skates on within seconds and then came over to lace mine up since I was taking so long.

  When he was done, he helped me up. “Here we go.” Palms sweaty, I held him tight as he stepped onto the ice and pulled me with him. He glided across the ice so fluidly, while I had no doubt I looked like a statue. He skated in front of me, holding both of my hands.

  Justin tried his best not to laugh and failed. “You have no idea how ridiculous you look. The ice isn’t going to kill you. Move your feet.” Taking a deep breath, I concentrated on his movements and tried to mimic him. He let one of my hands go and dropped back beside me. We did one lap around the rink, then another, and another. “You’re doing good, angel.”

  My grip loosened on his hand as we did a few more rounds. “Let me go,” I told him.

  “You sure?”

  I looked over at him. “Yes. If I fall, you can pick me up.”

  “Always.” His smile made the butterflies come back. I’d missed that feeling. With him, I felt them every day.

  Ever so slowly, he let me go. I wobbled on my feet for a second, but I did it. I was skating on my own. At least, until my ankles twisted and I felt myself falling. Justin grabbed me around the waist, and we spun around the ice until we bumped into the rink wall. Heart racing, I grabbed my chest. “Holy shit, that could’ve ended bad.”

  Justin chuckled and kissed me. “Told you I’d catch you.”

  I patted his chest. “You know what. Why don’t you skate around for a while and I’ll watch you? I want to see your skills.” I didn’t want him having to babysit me around the ice all night. He needed to let loose.

  His face lit up and he helped me off the ice to one of the benches. “Have a seat and I’ll be right back.”

  He disappeared down the back hallway and came back with a ho
ckey stick and puck. The excitement on his face reminded me of a kid at Christmas. In Wyoming, I never got to see his love for the ice. I could only hear about it. He zoomed around the rink, handling the puck precisely. I took a few pictures of him, and even snuck a couple of videos. I wanted to capture every single memory with him.

  My phone rang and I fumbled to get it out of my pocket. I’d already talked to Ellie so I knew it wasn’t her since it was way past her bedtime. It turned out to be Grant. “Hey,” I answered.

  In a sing-song voice, he asked. “So…what are you doing right now?”

  I was immediately on high alert. “Nothing, really. Why?”

  “Well, I stopped by your house and you weren’t there. Then, I went to the store to grab some ice cream. The line was long so I stood there and read through some of the tabloids. When that got old, I pulled out my phone.”

  I froze and held my breath. Was he implying something? My stomach clenched, and my eyes immediately went to Justin. His brows furrowed, and he skated over to me. “Okay. Why are you telling me that?” Justin mouthed the words what’s wrong, but I held up my hand.

  “Because I saw something on my phone that caught my attention. Or better yet, someone. I saw his face and I was like…he looks familiar. I couldn’t place it until I saw the girl next to him.”

  Closing my eyes, I hung my head. “And?”

  “And everything, Meghan. It’s you in the freaking picture. You’re wearing Trey’s favorite baseball cap. What the hell are you doing with Justin Davis? And nice touch, by the way, on the hiking trail. He had me fooled.”

  Desperation flooded through my veins. “Other than the hat, can you tell it’s me?” Justin rushed over and bent down on his knees in front of me. Grant could obviously hear the panic in my voice.

  “Calm down, Meg. No, you can’t see your face. I only recognized Justin because there’s a clear shot of his face. Then with you next to him, I put two and two together.”

  Justin squeezed my hands and I met his gaze. “There’s a picture of us in the tabloids.”