Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Next thing I knew, I was in his arms. We were kissing, circling in a slow dance around his living room…in front of all of Toronto. And God, it felt good. It felt like something I’d waited my whole life for.
It felt like love.
Oh.
Shit.
I stiffened for a beat, unnerved by what felt like a lightning bolt realization.
Fuck, I was in love with Smitty.
“You okay? Your eyes went spacey for a second.”
Reset, Milligan. Reset.
I slipped my hand between us and palmed his heavy cock through his jeans. “Mm.”
He captured my wrist, shaking his head mournfully. “No time for sexy shenanigans, babe. We have to go soon. I told my buddies I’d meet up for a pregame beer. You sure you don’t want to join us?”
Smitty had played for Toronto for a long time and had stayed in touch with old teammates. A few who’d be at the game later. I didn’t know what to think about casually meeting his friends. There was an eleven-year age difference between us, and that was before they even knew we slept together. But small talk was my specialty. I could talk to anyone for a short time, and hockey was easy. What was my problem?
Oh, right. The L-word.
“No, I like to get there early. I’ll meet you at the rink.” I kissed his cheek, squeezing his biceps as I stepped aside.
“All right. Save my seat.”
I moved into the hallway and glanced back at the closed door.
Oh, my God. No.
How could I have been so careless? I wasn’t supposed to fall for him. That was a cardinal rule.
But I broke it.
And now…I had a bad feeling I was going to fuck this up.
Toronto showed up for hockey. Music bounced off the walls and reverberated around the packed arena as the visiting team warmed up. I stuffed my jacket on the seat next to mine and settled in to watch. As always, I looked for Jake, my heart swelling with pride as he skated by.
I waved, hoping he’d notice and when he gave a thumbs-up and smiled, the years melted away. Suddenly he was six years old at Elmwood Rink at his first Mighty Mites game wielding a stick that seemed bigger than he was. I’d never forget how nervous I’d been. And excited for him.
The feeling never faded. I was always jittery, but now, I couldn’t sit still. And I knew why. My two worlds were colliding…in public. It had already begun. I was at my son’s game with my lover. Jake was going to wonder why I hadn’t mentioned Smitty at all.
They weren’t exactly buddies, but the time Jake had spent coaching in Elmwood was time he was being coached by Smitty too. Honestly, he was playing better than ever because of it.
“Keep your elbow up. If your shot is off by an inch, it might as well be a mile. Come on, you can skate faster than that, Milligan. I’m old and you can’t catch me.”
Okay, so Smitty goaded, and Jake rose to the bait. Their tense exchanges fueled a fire in Jake. He’d scored a hat trick in a game last week in Florida and his improbable high corner shot at the end of the third period had been the game winner in front of an enthusiastic hometown crowd in Syracuse two nights ago. It was thrilling for Jake…and everyone who knew him.
Elmwood buzzed with all the hockey news. I couldn’t walk down the street without someone mentioning Jake. That shot in the first was a beauty! Did you see his assist? Mark my words, the NHL is watching too.
It was truly awesome. I was proud of Jake and of the high school coach who was currently enjoying a sweet five-game winning streak with the Elmwood Hawks.
And there he was.
I shoved my jacket in my seat behind me and smiled over at Smitty, standing at the end of the row taking selfies with a few Toronto fans.
The jitters were back full force. Great.
“I forget you’re a celebrity,” I teased, thanking Smitty for the water bottle he handed over.
“Oh, yeah. I don’t think celebrities have to wait in concession stand lines for twenty fuckin’ minutes,” he snarked.
And maybe he said something else too, but the lights dimmed and flashed, and the crowd roared.
Game time.
Thank God. Hockey would clear the starry-eyed nonsense fogging my brain.
Toronto dominated in the first period. Their star right wing scored almost immediately and kept Syracuse on defense. That changed in the second period after Jake scored, deking out Smitty’s replacement and finding a mousehole-sized opening in the net. We were tied going into the third and if the noise level was off the charts before the game started, it was now at epic proportions. I literally couldn’t hear myself think. And my pulse was in the stratosphere.
Smitty must have sensed my angst. He didn’t playfully taunt me that his team would kick Syracuse’s ass, like he had in the week leading up to this game. He wolf-whistled when the Scorpion’s D-man got sent to the sin bin for a high check, though.