Alexi picked up the conversation where Brice had left it. “Anyone with eyes can see you two are attracted to each other. How you managed to stay away, I have no clue. I’d be on her like white on rice the first night. I give you kudos for your restraint, but I think it has more to do with her than you.”
Brice took his place in front of the goal and eyed Alexi to see if he was joking. Alexi’s features were serious with concentration as he took his first shot. Brice blocked the attempt with his stick and sent the puck back to Alexi for his next try.
“And you’re not pissed? About the attraction, I mean.” Brice watched Alexi’s stick movements, trying to predict where he was going to take the shot from.
“Nah, if you’re attracted, you’re attracted. Thing is you’ve been really good since she’s come along. You’re not drinking, and you haven’t gone out partying. In fact you’ve become a better teammate in the past thirty-six hours. She’s good for you, but the second you screw up, you’re getting a manny.” Alexi pointed at him with a smile on his face.
“Fuck that. I’ll stick with Ava. I won’t need a manny. And are you going to shoot or do I have to wait all night? I’d like to get home to Ava sometime in the next century.” Brice prepared for Alexi’s shot and managed to catch it with the goalie glove.
“Nice. One more and then we switch. I’ve been off lately.” Alexi set up, looked as if he was going to shoot from the left side, but switched sides and aimed from the right. The puck sailed past Brice’s head with an inch to spare and hit the back corner of the net. Alexi donned more padding, and Brice took his turn.
After an hour of working on his shots and then a full team practice, they called it a night.
“Good job, bro. You’ve improved, but there’s still work to be done. I’m going to stick around and watch some old game footage. See you tomorrow. And you will eat lunch with us tomorrow.”
Brice nodded. “Yeah. See you tomorrow.”
He hoped Ava’d had a good day without him. He was bone tired but energized. He refused to back down from his pursuit of her. He didn’t want to go to bed alone tonight. Sex didn’t have to happen, but to feel her in his arms would go a long way to soothing some of his fears. If Alexi was cool with him being with Ava, then he wasn’t going to let anything stand in his way. He got into his SUV and drove home, taking the time alone to think and plot.
When he walked through the door, the aroma of spicy beef stew greeted him. His stomach grumbled in response. Ava was nowhere to be found. A note sate on the counter.
Went to comic book shop with Dad. Beef stew with noodles in the oven. Will be home soon. Don’t go out. Need to talk.
Yes we do, sweetheart. Yes we do
. Brice grinned, put his things away, and set up a plate with some leftover sourdough rolls. As he settled in front of the TV, he dug into his food and sighed as the cayenne rolled over his taste buds. She’d used just the right amount of heat so it didn’t overwhelm him. Pure bliss. The perfect antidote for the icy bite in the air. Snow was predicted for that evening. Traffic tomorrow would be hell. He glanced out the window, and worry tugged at his gut. Brice hoped she would get home soon. He didn’t like the idea of her out there even if she was with her father.
He reached for his cell phone to check in on her. People got stupid when it snowed, especially if they thought they
needed
to get somewhere. He didn’t want to freak out, but he also didn’t like that she was out there without him.
Ugh. Stop worrying. She’s a grown woman. She can take care of herself
. As much as he knew that, he also became well aware of just how little time she’d spent in town. As far as he knew, she had grown up here but hadn’t been to Witch Fields in the last few years. There had been a lot of changes and new construction. Ava had arrived four days ago, three of which she’d spent driving him around, not enough time to get reacquainted with the area. He stood up, paced for a bit, then sat down again, his stew only half done.
When she gets home, she is so going to get a spanking.
* * * *
Ava flipped through the comics filed neatly away in the bins. After getting stir-crazy waiting for Brice to get home, she’d called her father, who suggested they meet at One Stop Hero Shop, the comic book store was a few blocks away from the apartment building. On the frigid walk to the store, she’d seen cozy diners, bookstores, a sporting goods store with signed memorabilia from Brice and other teammates from the Talons as well as the team a county or two over. There had been bakeries specializing in gluten-free treats, big-name coffee shops, a tea shop, and an ice cream parlor.
The other side of the street was fashion lane it seemed, with a shoe store, secondhand thrift store, a cosmetics store, and a superstore. There was an electronics shop and a few office supply stores and a luxury car dealership. She knew in the other direction it was supermarket central, with a super warehouse and a big-name organic food store along with a mom-and-pop organic food store. Around the arena were various well-known restaurants. She and Brice hadn’t gone out to dinner yet, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to do something public that could be interpreted as a date.
Did she want to date Brice? Attraction was one thing; dating was another thing altogether.
“You and your brother should come out with me, you know, like you used to when you were little. I miss that. Davis is too busy, and you were too far away.” Her father pulled out a
Spiderman
and put it in a basket he’d set on a shelf below him.
Ava didn’t respond. Instead she moved around him to check out the latest
X-Men
. “Perry hated graphic novels, and I just didn’t want to go and get a lecture on my taste in reading material. It wasn’t right to go without you and Davis.”
“Uh-huh,” James held up another
Spiderman
and put it in his basket. “So what’s up with you and Brice?”
Flashes of heat filled her cheeks. Damn it; time to fess up. “I lied to you. I knew Brice from college. Davis asked me to look in on him during that Christmas vacation when I wanted to stay to do some catching up and he had the stomach flu. So we hung out, and I took care of him until he got better.” She waited for her father to say something.
He only grunted.
Unable to hold back, she decided to see how he’d respond to her next confession. “There’s an attraction there, but I don’t want to cost the team or risk a shot at the play-offs because…”
“So far, so good, I’d say, but our main issue was the partying he was doing with those rink bunnies. The women would then show up at the games and make a spectacle of themselves, catcalling him, etc. You know how to act in public. He’s been better with you around. It’s only been four days, but he’s on time, sober, looks well rested and ready to get on the ice. You’ve helped do that.”
Ava had seen some of those changes up close and personal. Despite the masturbation sessions and his flirting, he seemed calmer, less tense, more focused. She didn’t want to take the credit for all of that. Brice had decided what he wanted to do, and he’d done it. “It’s up to him to make sure he takes care of himself. I’m just there to babysit.”
James sighed. “No, you’re not. I could’ve called in a professional to make sure he stayed home. Yes, he’s a grown man, but I didn’t want to risk him doing something stupid to try and get away from his minder. Besides that, I didn’t want to take the headaches that come with benching a player and trying to configure a lineup that works. We have good players, but a lot of them had to be benched so they get the healing they need. Up until now the season has been brutal for us. Our healthy are being depleted quickly. It will only get worse. I need him one hundred percent focused. You came when I called you with an emergency, and you’re here to make a life. You’re over Perry, correct?”
His question caught her off guard. For a second all she could do was blink. “Yes.” The single word slipped out; no other explanation needed. The only hurt she had leftover was wanting to know why Perry had cheated on her. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to see him and ask just yet. Not until things were settled with Brice.
“Then see where things go with Brice. That’s all I can say. I’m pleased that you’re being honest with me. Thank you, but we have to hurry this up. If I’m not home by six, your mother will refuse to feed me, and it’s chicken dumpling night.” He moved out of the aisle and headed for another part of the store.
She felt less guilty, but she wasn’t sure how to proceed with Brice just yet.
Do I give in, or do I just stall until after the game?
Once she made her choices, she headed for checkout and then back home. Her father had offered to drive her home, but she’d declined. She wanted to see a bit more of the downtown area and enjoy being out at night. Witch Fields was lit up with Christmas lights. Santas and Rudolphs and reindeer seemed to be everywhere—in displays, on street corners, and hanging off the sides of buildings. With the snow the world was hushed and magical, where anything could happen. She loved this time of year.
She stopped off at a café and grabbed some gluten-free croissants for breakfast. Ava had forgotten to get them when she’d gone shopping earlier. She had an apple-spice bread pudding recipe in mind to try.
Brice was waiting for her—shirtless and agitated, a game paused on the TV. “Where have you been?” he demanded. Irritation darted across his face and filled his eyes.
Ava took a step back and glared at him, caught off guard by his anger. For a second, she was reminded of Perry when she was a minute late to meet him. The need to defend herself rose. “Uh, I left a note, and check the attitude. Unlike you, I don’t owe you an explanation of where I’ve been.” She entered the apartment again and shut and locked the door. She didn’t face him immediately; she needed to marshal the urge to snap back at him and say something really hurtful.
“But you couldn’t let me know when you’d get back? I was worried. It’s freezing outside and snowing. I was terrified you’d get hurt or lost. Did you take a cab at least?” Worry lines creased his forehead, and his eyes were wild and bright. He hadn’t responded to the part about needing to tell her where he’d been.
She shrugged out of her jacket. “No, I walked, and you could’ve called to check in on me. When did you get back? I didn’t get a text or message that you were home.”
He checked the wall clock next to the door that led to the pantry. “An hour. You’re okay? Were the sidewalks salted at least? And I thought you wouldn’t be gone for long.” His gaze traveled over her body in a caress that penetrated her jeans and sweater. Her skin tingled under his scrutiny.
“Yes, I’m fine. You should’ve called anyway.” She strode into the kitchen, trying to push back her irritation. “You ate, right?”
“Yup.” His humid breath tickled the shell of her ear.
She jumped when she felt his hands on her hips. His body heat seeped past the layers of clothes to help warm her up.
“Br—”
“No. I was worried. I need to touch you, feel that you’re here, safe and sound. I was scared. It’s Christmastime. You know how insane people get.” His voice shook at that confession. She didn’t miss how low and rough the tone was either.
“We can’t do this, not now. You have a game, and I—”
“Don’t you dare use Perry as an excuse. I’m here now. You only need me.” He pressed his lips to the hollow just under her ear.
Shivers of heat slipped from the spot down her spine. She had to suppress her reaction, keep her mind sharp, but desire was slowly fogging up her thoughts.
“I’ll admit I’m attracted to you, but I don’t think you can focus on the game and me at the same time.” She had to tell him how she felt. “I won’t be a notch on your bedpost.”
His shoulders brushed against her back as he shrugged. “We can multitask. As you’ve noticed, I haven’t gone out, and I haven’t looked at another woman since you’ve been here.”
She hated that he had a point; however, she couldn’t let him get away with his nightly temptations. “Yeah, I don’t think they had your daily masturbation sessions and trying to seduce or flirt with me in mind when they asked me to do this. We have to figure out something nonsexual to make this work. Also, we haven’t gone out, so how could you have time to look at other women?”
He gave her a husky chuckle. “Don’t use my schedule as deflection. Now as to nonsexual things, well for starters, you can forget covering up. That’s not going work. Just dress the way you would normally dress. ’Cause whatever you wear, it’s not going to matter. I can still picture you naked. If you want to test me, we can always go to dinner, just the two of us.”
He kissed his way along her throat, nipped and sucked at the crook of her collarbone. A shiver raced down her spine. Her knees turned to jelly, and she melted against him for support.
She had no comeback. Her thoughts became scrambled by what his lips and teeth were doing to her.
He released that patch of skin and pressed on. “I’m not going to stop pursuing you or making you very aware of my sexual attraction to you. I. Want. You. I’ve always wanted you, even back in college.”
She whirled around to look at him. Arousal and shock jittered along her nerve endings and reverberated through her body. She studied his face. Sincerity showed on his features. She tried to reconcile that with what she’d just learned.
“I called you, left a message, and you never called me back!” She wasn’t sure what would be worse: him telling the truth or lying. Both options left a sour taste in her mouth. If he hadn’t gotten her message, she’d spent a long time being mad and hurt, thinking he hadn’t felt something for her. If he had and just hadn’t cared to call her back, then he really wasn’t the man she thought he was. There was no way she could continue to be attracted to him with his inconsideration hanging over their heads.
Brice shook his head. “If you called the frat house, your message probably got lost. I’m sorry. I was in and out those days with classes and practice, trying to impress the scouts, so I was hardly there. The guys, Davis included, weren’t exactly responsible when it came to passing on messages, especially after the holiday return. There was too much trying to catch up, not enough memory cells active.” He chuckled. “So I didn’t get it. I’m sorry, honey. But you didn’t say anything whenever I saw you. You went out of your way to avoid me. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”