The Hockey Player

“Hey, you two!” a voice shouted, “What do you think you’re doing here?”

Caught.

“Shit,” I squirmed off the ledge onto the ice, covering my boobs.

“Where are you going, princess?” Tanner asked. “I know you want more.”

“As if.”

I quickly threw on my sweater and got out of the rink.

Sitting in the stand, I ripped the laces of my skates off, frustrated. I couldn’t believe that I had given in to that cocky bastard.

When I looked back up, there he was, smiling in front of me. Behind his usual arrogance, I could have sworn that I spotted a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Could he be upset that we didn’t manage to seal the deal?

“Are you coming to the hockey game later?”

“No,” I pushed past him toward the door.

“If you come,” he continued, “maybe we could pick up where we left off.”

My heart skipped a beat at the thought of our bodies pressed against each other again. The way his tongue felt on my nipples. The way it could have felt between my legs if we had only just had a few minutes longer.

I found myself angry at the Zamboni man for interrupting.

I shook my head. Look at what he had done to me.

“Keep dreaming, Tanner,” I shouted back at him.

“Oh, I will,” he yelled straight back, without missing a beat.

***

I obviously wasn’t planning on going to the game. Yet there I was in the stands. Sitting next to the rest of my giddy teammates.

“Isn’t Tanner Hart the hottest,” Clara, my least favorite team member, cooed.

She twirled a strand of her perfectly blond hair as she blew bubblegum, letting it pop obnoxiously.

The rest of the girls giggled along. She was their leader. Sometimes, it seemed like I was the only one who saw right through her charade. She was a mean girl, and I knew it. She resented me for my defiance.

I tried not to look right in Tanner’s direction, but I had to give it to him; he did look good tonight.

He was in the zone, focused, yet somehow working the crowd with his charm.

Asshole.

It was hard not to think about our encounter earlier today.

My eyes lingered on the spot where our bodies were a few hours ago.

Focus on the game, Bia, I told myself.

I watched the players glide across the ice with such ease. As an ice skater myself, I couldn't help but appreciate the skill and precision that went into the game. I fought the urge to cheer along with the crowd as the home team scored a goal, feeling a rush of excitement as the players celebrated on the ice.

But then something caught my eye. I saw Tanner looking up at the stands. For a moment, I thought he might be scanning the crowd for a friend or family member, but then his eyes met mine, and a shock of recognition shot through his face.

He had seen me.

Fuck.

I did not want him to know that I was here.

That was the whole point of my baseball cap. I sunk further into my seat, trying to disappear.

My heart was racing as I watched him skate back towards his team. I couldn't help but wonder if he was thinking about me.

I tried to focus on the game, but my mind kept wandering back to him.

After a while, the game was nearly over.

There were just a few minutes left on the clock.

Our team needed only one more point to win.

The crowd cheered as Tanner intercepted the puck. He dashed across the ice in a hazy blur.

He shot the puck… and he scored.

The audience roared with celebration. They rose to their feet as they chanted his name.

“He can score with me any day,” winked Clara, and our group erupted into giggles.

I rolled my eyes.

If only she knew…

The team had crowded Tanner. He pushed away from them, skating in my direction.

Our eyes locked, and I felt a strange energy between us. He grinned and made his way through the crowd, his eyes never leaving mine.

“Look,” Clara pointed out. “He’s coming this way.”

As he made his way up the stairs, Clara stood up.

“Tanner,” she squealed. “You did amazing.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled.

His eyes, however, never pulled away from mine. It was like they were held together by some magnetic force.

“Why are you looking at that loser when you could have someone like me?” she snorted the moment she realized who he was staring at.

I would have been more offended were I not so undeniably under Tanner’s mesmerizing spell. His closeness. What could be… While my mind had tried to forget the incident from this morning, clearly, my body could not. It remembered how his hands had felt on my body, how his lips felt, his tongue.

“Step aside, Clara,” he snarled. “You and I will never be together. I guess you could say that you’re not my type.”

She scoffed, moving out of his way. No one ever rejected Clara. That must have stung.

Tanner pulled me in and kissed me. My body sighed with relief now that we were together again.

Goddammit.

I could feel Clara’s jealous eyes searing into us. The whole crowd was watching.

I kind of liked it.

“I want you right now,” he whispered into my ear before carrying me through the stands and toward the locker room.