25. Josie

25

JOSIE

I would have felt perfectly content staying there on the ice with Wyatt. But the cold soaked through our pants, forcing the two of us to get up. Of course, Wyatt had to show off, getting to his feet in one smooth motion, while I flailed around until he grabbed my hands and yanked me up.

Once he knew I was steady on my feet, he skated over to the bench, collecting the hockey sticks and the pucks. I kept my eyes on him, watching for any sign that he'd hurt his knee. When I saw none, I let myself relax a little. Although watching him skate away did little to ease the ache between my legs.

"Be careful lil rebel."

The words echoed through my head, making me want to do the exact opposite. I wanted to end the date here, go back to my place, and see just how ungentlemanly Wyatt could be.

"Want to try hitting some pucks?" He called over his shoulder.

"You sure you trust me with a hockey stick?" I called back.

"Not planning on hitting me with it are you?"

"With the stick, no," I laughed. "But I can't guarantee I won't hit you with the pucks."

"I'll make sure to stay behind you then," Wyatt joked. He skated back to my side, holding both sticks as he tossed the pucks onto the ice with a thud.

I eyed the hockey stick in his hand, realizing just how big they were. Somehow, I didn't think they were meant for a 5'5 person. When he extended the stick towards me, I awkwardly held it. Laying his own on the ice, Wyatt skated up behind me.

"You want to put your hands here and here." He grabbed my right hand and moved it down low on the stick. His fingers curled over mine, having me grip it tightly. "All your power is in your right hand. Gripping it here also gives you the most control," Wyatt explained, chest pressed against my back as he leaned into me, his cheek softly grazing mine. "Your left hand goes here," he instructed, moving my hand towards the top of the stick. "Choking up on the stick keeps it from slipping."

I tried to listen intently; I really did. But the odds were stacked against me. The way Wyatt pressed his body against mine, the way he spoke quietly in my ear, the way he said ‘choking'. It was only natural that my mind would wander.

I really should be ashamed by how many dirty thoughts I'd had about Wyatt today alone.

I was like putty in his hands as he shifted my hands. I vaguely heard him say something about shifting my weight when I brought the stick back, but honestly, it went in one ear and out the other.

"Ready to try it with a puck?"

"Uh, yeah." It didn't come out as confident as I'd intended. It was hard to pay attention when all I could think about was whether Wyatt planned to grip my body the way he did the hockey stick.

"Remember to hit the puck in the middle so it goes further." Wyatt moved a puck in front of me before skating off to the side. I kept my gaze downwards so he couldn't see that I hadn't heard a word he'd said.

Fake it ‘til you make it. Can't be that hard. You can do it Josie.

Taking a deep breath, I lowered my hockey stick to the ice. Trying to ignore Wyatt's gaze, I drew back the stick before swinging it forward, almost like swinging a golf club. The stick hit the puck, sending it hurtling down the ice. It went further than I thought it would, and when it came to a stop, I threw my hands up.

"Hell yeah!" I looked at Wyatt, feeling like I'd won the lottery. "Did you see that?"

"You're a natural," Wyatt grinned back. "Now do it again."

I hit puck after puck, each one going a little bit further than the last. Wyatt's encouraging smile made my insides turn to goo. Once I hit all the pucks, I stood there grinning, feeling extremely proud of myself.

"I think I could make the team."

"Oh yeah?" Wyatt skated around me, casually controlling a puck with his stick like he wasn't even aware he was doing it.

"I bet once Coach Barnum sees my skills, he'd put me in." I pushed off the ice, skating towards him.

"I bet he would. What position would you play?"

"Obviously Center."

"Coming for my job, huh?"

"Of course. I'll be the new Wyatt Boone." I skated around him, wobbling only a little.

"I think you're a little too short to be me, though."

"Not all of us can be giants," I grinned.

"Hmm." Wyatt skated towards me, a strange look on his face. As he drew nearer, I skated back a little, dropping the hockey stick on the ice. Wyatt's expression made my skin break out in goosebumps as his gaze swept over me, as though he was devouring me with his eyes.

"What's the look for?"

He didn't answer me. The back of my skate got tangled with my other skate, but I didn't need to worry as Wyatt reached out and grabbed me by my waist. As he lifted me into the air, I squealed—it wasn't lost on me that he easily lifted me in the air like I weighed nothing. He carried me across the ice until I felt the board against the back of my legs, and my breath caught in my throat.

"That's better," he murmured, as he sat me on the edge of the boards. His hands gently spread my legs open as he positioned himself between them, now almost eye level.

"Now you can see what it's like at my height," he said, but all I could do was stare at him. I felt cocooned by him, by his strong body, and by the smell of his cologne that invaded my senses.

Tentatively, I lifted my hands and pressed them against his chest. I could feel his heart pounding beneath my hands, the pace matching my own. I'd never felt my heart race the way it did when I'm near Wyatt.

If I felt cold before, I didn't now. Wyatt's hands on my thighs burned through my jeans making me wish I was wearing a skirt instead.

"You looked really good out there on the ice." Wyatt's voice was soft as his thumbs stroked my thighs.

"I had a good teacher."

"Clearly, I did a good job," he murmured.

"And so humble," I giggled.

"I think a kiss would humble me," he said, jokingly, but the way he looked at me was anything but.

"Hm…I'm not sure one kiss would work though." I played along with his game, hands moving up a little higher on his chest.

"Guess I'll need multiple kisses just to be sure." His voice took on a serious tone as his eyes sparkled.

"To be safe," I nodded along. Leaning forward, I angled my head up just a few inches. Wyatt barely had to dip his head as our lips met. Just as I was about to sink into the kiss a voice shouted from the other side of the rink.

"And what are you doing on my ice?"

The two of us jerked apart, and I fell against Wyatt's chest before quickly righting myself. My cheeks flamed at the fact we were caught kissing against the boards. I buried my face in Wyatt's chest as I tried to stifle a laugh. My ability to laugh at the most in-opportune times was legendary.

"Sorry about that Coach." Wyatt called out, drawing me against his chest. A new wave of embarrassment washed over me, wiping the smile from my face. We weren't just caught by some random staff person. Of course it had to be the Toronto Knights coach. I pulled back to look up at Wyatt's face.

"Don't worry he isn't as bad as he seems," he said softly. I knew he was saying that for my sake, but we both knew Coach Barnum was a hard ass. I could feel his eyes on us, waiting. Knowing we had to face him, Wyatt helped me off the boards and back onto the ice. With his back to his coach, he gently rubbed the smeared lipstick from beneath my lower lip, which only added fuel to the fire burning inside me

"Perfect," he murmured. Dropping his hand from my face, he laced our fingers together. With a reassuring smile, he gently tugged me across the ice. As we neared Coach Barnum, my nerves skyrocketed. Aside from being one of the best coaches in the league, he was also an incredible player back in the day.

We came to a stop on the other side of the boards as Coach Barnum stood there with his arms crossed. His brown hair and beard were peppered with a little bit of gray that enhanced his attractiveness. Coach may be in his late 50's, but the guy still had it. I wasn't the only one who thought so either. There was a whole Instagram page dedicated to ‘one of the hottest hockey coaches'.

"Coach, this is Josie Scott. Josie, this Coach Steven Barnum," Wyatt introduced us.

"Nice to meet you." I held out my free hand. "I'm a huge fan."

Nice one, Josie. You sound like an idiot.

"Oh really?" His hand was firm in mine as we shook hands.

"Yeah. My dad used to talk about your winning goal for the Cup Championship. How you brought the team back from a 3-1 deficit."

Great, and now you sound like a crazed fan.

"That was a great game," he replied as he looked from me to Wyatt and back again. People weren't exaggerating when they said Coach Barnum was intimidating as hell. The way he looked at us made me feel like a naughty teenager.

"I wanted to show Josie the arena," Wyatt started to explain. I didn't miss the way he squeezed my hand like he was nervous.

"I practically begged him to bring me here," I quickly added. If his coach was mad at us, then the least I could do was take some of the heat. "Great game yesterday."

Coach's eyebrows raised just a fraction, looking at Wyatt briefly before he turned his attention back to me.

"Starting to find our rhythm again," he said.

"If you moved Crosby to Right Defensemen instead of Left, you'd have a stronger line." The words flew from my lips before I could stop them. I stood there wide eyed, shocked that I dared to advise the head coach of the Knights.

"A stronger line?" he asked.

"Oh…Um…I..." I stuttered.

Josie, what the hell did you just do?

I looked at Wyatt for help, but Coach spoke again.

"Crosby has always played Left."

I thought he'd be pissed off, but I was surprised to find him looking at me curiously. I was unsure if I should say more—I knew nothing about coaching. Wyatt squeezed my hand, and as I glanced up at him, he gave me an encouraging nod.

"Well…" I hesitated for a second before pushing on. "Crosby may play left, but he pushes with his right foot more. He also uses his right shoulder when he hits. If you move him to right defense, he'd get more power in his push off."

"He does," Wyatt spoke up, sounding shocked. I hardly noticed—my attention was on Coach Barnum, as he stood there, saying nothing.

Nice work, Josie. You've gone too far.

"Just a suggestion," I added, my voice soft as the confidence I'd had seconds ago depleted.

"Thank you for the suggestion," he finally answered, not sounding in the least bit upset. "I'll let you two get back to it." With that, he gave the two of us a nod before turning on his heel and walking away. I waited until he disappeared before I allowed myself to look at Wyatt.

"I just pissed him off, didn't I?"

"No, I don't think so." Wyatt shook his head, but I wasn't sure he was convinced.

Great.

"It was a great suggestion though. I'd never thought to do that." He looked lost in thought for a moment as we skated back across the ice. "Any other hockey wisdom you wanna share?"

"You'll have to put me on the payroll," I teased, making Wyatt laugh.

"Where the hell have you been all these years?" He pulled us to a stop, staring down at me with a soft smile.

"Living below you, I guess."

"Well, I for one am glad we got stuck in that elevator together." He cradled my face with his hands. Gazing up at him, I felt my heart race.

"I am too."