7. Xander

CHAPTER 7

XANDER

F or a suspended professional athlete, I sleep great. Better than I have in a long time, in fact, with visions of a certain doe-eyed blonde running through my dreams all night long.

I get that she probably kissed me last night just to stick it to her ex. And I happily played along with her little charade.

But the chemistry we have isn’t fake. It’s very, very real. It vibrates between us, like the stick against my palm after I slap the puck across the ice.

What started as her act of vengeance turned into something so much better. Sinfully sweet, and I want to lap it up, savor it for as long as I can.

I rap on her door, a cold breeze whipping at my face. Being so close to the coast, the constant wind is almost worse here than in the city. I knock again, wondering if Rachel went ahead and called an Uber instead.

“Hey.” The door swings open and my breath hitches.

She’s fucking stunning. Prettier than any puck bunny who’s ever thrown herself at me. Dressed casually in a loose sweater and ripped jeans, long, loose waves cascade around her shoulders. Her cheeks are rosy and a light gloss coats her lips. I want to rush into her apartment and slam the door behind me, toss her onto the couch and strip her out of those clothes.

Stay out of trouble. No women.

Coach’s words echo through my mind. The couch thing probably wouldn’t be the best idea.

“You ready?” I shove my hand in my pocket to keep from reaching out and touching her.

“Yes. Thanks for taking me.” She locks the door behind her and we head to the parking lot. “I appreciate you handling the mechanic—you really didn’t have to go to all that trouble.”

I shrug. “It’s fine, not a big deal. You had Jett to deal with.”

Her small hand flies to my forearm. “It is a big deal. To me. No one’s taken care of me in a very long time.”

My chest tightens as I gaze into her hazel eyes, serious and sincere. Something unlocks inside me and for the first time—possibly ever—I’m worried about more than hockey. More than myself and the next game, and the game after that.

I want to protect this woman, take care of her.

The feeling’s strong and urgent, gripping me. I clear my throat, swallow hard.

“Happy to help.”

Taking her hand, I guide her into the passenger seat. I hustle around the car and inhale a deep breath, trying to get a handle on my wild emotions.

I hit the ignition button and the grungy voices of Stone Temple Pilots blare out of the speakers.

“Sorry, that’s kind of loud.” I lower the volume as quickly as I can and Rachel laughs.

“Is that your training music?”

“It’s in the rotation, yeah.”

I flick on my blinker and pull into traffic, heading toward the garage on Main Street.

“Tell me about your exciting pro athlete life.” She flutters those long lashes at me and waits.

“I don’t know about exciting?—”

“Come on. Of course it’s exciting. You’re living every boy’s dream.”

“True.” I drum my fingers on the steering wheel. “Hockey’s great. I love playing, my team’s doing well this year. We’ve had a few good seasons.”

“What’s it like? Do you travel all the time?”

“Quite a bit, yeah. I’m on the road about half the time. There’s some downtime, but during the season I’m pretty focused on hockey.”

“Do you have family in Boston?” She tips her head, peering over at me.

“My mom passed a few years ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. She was sick for a long time, so it wasn’t a shock. My dad lives out on the West coast with family number two. It’s pretty much just me on my own.”

“Oh.” She spins her rings around on her slender finger and I sense another question hovering on her lips, but she doesn’t ask.

“I’m single, if that’s what you want to know.” I catch the soft blush of her cheeks out of the corner of my eye.

“Good to know. And, um, I’m sorry about last night. Jumping you like that, in front of my ex.”

I lick my lip, cutting my gaze at her for a quick second. “It’s okay. I didn’t mind.”

“It was inappropriate of me. Consent and all that.”

“Trust me—it’s fine.” I wink and she flushes crimson. “Here we are.”

I pull into the lot of the Starlight Bay Garage and together we walk into the front office. A woman in her mid-twenties stands at the counter, tapping on a keyboard. She glances up as the front bell chimes, announcing our arrival.

“Oh hey, Rachel. We’ve got the Kia all ready to go. I have the key somewhere around here?—”

She rifles through a stack of clear plastic folios, finally locating the paperwork and sliding it across the counter. Rachel pulls out her wallet, flipping through for her credit card.

“You’re all paid up,” the woman says.

“What?”

“Yeah, says so right here.” She taps at the large block letters scrawled in red ink at the top of the invoice. “PAID.”

Rachel peers over at me. “Xander. I can’t let you pay for my car repair.”

“Yes, you can. And I did. We’re good.” I pluck the key from the folio and drop the shiny metal into Rachel’s palm.

“I can’t. It’s too much.”

“It’s not.”

“I’ll pay you back.”

“No.” I hold firm, folding her fingers over the key. “Let me do this for you. And for Jett.”

Her lips press into a tight line and her eyes shine under the bright fluorescent office light.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“The Kia’s in the lot,” the woman says, pointing off to the right. “Thanks for your business!”

We walk out of the office and head over to her SUV.

“Thank you, Xander. Truly.”

“You’re welcome. I confess—I have an ulterior motive.”

“Oh?”

“I wanted to spend more time with you.”

Her eyes widen, her pulse fluttering in her long neck. I inch closer to her, close enough to feel her warm breath on my face. She smells like vanilla, and I vaguely wonder if she tastes as good as she smells.

Probably.

Only one way to find it. I drop my hands to her hips and her breath hitches as I move into her space, pulling her body up against mine. Then I press my mouth to hers in a soft, sweet kiss.

Tender. Gentle.

So not Xander Kovac.

A quiet moan vibrates my lips and I tease her with my tongue, licking along the seam. She does taste like vanilla, and it’s delicious. She opens to me and I slide in, sweeping along the straight line of her teeth, our tongues tangling.

My hands move from her hips to her round, perky ass and I squeeze. She giggles and I fucking love it. I want to make this woman laugh all the time, just so I can listen to that sweet melodic tinkle. I want to get lost in that sound.

Lost in her.

She pulls away, breathless. “I have to go. I’m late for work.”

“Oh, right. Work.” I try to hide my disappointment. “Can I take you out later? Drinks? Dinner?”

She hesitates, gnawing at her slightly swollen lower lip. “I want to say yes?—”

“Then say yes.”

“But I shouldn’t. I have a son I’m responsible for. You’re a star hockey player with a life. A real life, not a boring domestic one in Starlight Bay. We shouldn’t.” She steps away from me, out of my grip, and I’m instantly cold.

Frozen, from the inside out.

Heart pounding, I shrug off the disappointment, my mask clicking into place. “Yeah, I get it. You’re probably right. I’ll see you at practice.”

Her face falls for an instant, but she recovers quickly and forces a quick smile. “Thanks. I’ll see you soon.”

Climbing into her SUV, I wait as she starts the engine. It roars to life and she reverses out of the spot, shooting me a quick wave.

I stand in the empty lot and watch as the red taillights fade into the distance, an empty pit gnawing at my gut.

I know she’s right—things between us would be impossibly complicated—but the knowledge doesn’t stop the wave of sadness from washing over me.

Rachel’s the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time—since I signed with the Blades—and I let her drive off without a fight.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I’m losing my edge, both on and off the ice. And I don’t like it one little bit.