Page 89 of Must Love Dogs… and Hockey

“Yeah.” I shrug. “I was having a great game. Until that bullshit happened.”

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I don’t hear a word from Coach the next day, not during our practice nor after. The guys all go out Saturday night again. I tag along, but this time I can’t even force myself to have a good time. I feel a sense of impending doom but keep trying to tell myself as time passes that maybe it’ll all be fine.

Ha. I know better than that. My motto is to always expect the worst, then you’re never disappointed.

We win again on Sunday afternoon in Long Beach, although it doesn’t feel as good. We get down by two goals early and have to fight back in the third to tie it up, and when JBo scores with four minutes left in the period we’re ecstatic. But we have to hang on for those last four minutes and the Long Beach Golden Eagles throw everything they have at us. We pull it off and wow, what a road trip, seven out of eight possible points.

We get home late Sunday. I text Lilly to let her know I’m back so she can bring Otis over, as we arranged.

Fuck, I missed her.

And Otis. I missed him too.

It doesn’t take her long to walk over. I hear her come in and I head to the door. Otis scrambles across the hardwood floor toward me, his nails clicking. I grin at him, but immediately look to Lilly.

“Christ, you’re beautiful,” I say before I can stop myself.

Her mouth curves into a smile. The cold air outside has made her cheeks and nose pink. She has a black knit cap pulled over her hair and a big scarf around her neck so all I can see is her face, and damn.

“Thank you.”

I have to give Otis some attention or he’ll never leave me alone, but I just want to wrap my arms around Lilly and carry her into my bedroom and bury myself in her sweet heat. “Can you stay?”

“Yes.” She unwraps her scarf and unzips her jacket. “Have you eaten?”

“I’m starving.” I meet her eyes and she laughs softly.

Finally, Otis calms down and I can kiss Lilly, and yeah, I’m starving. Starving for the taste of her, the feel of her mouth and tongue, and her body against mine. Ravenous for her scent, and desperate to have her. It feels like she’s just as hungry, melting against me, sliding her hands into my hair, and kissing me back with the same fervor.

When we’re both panting, we lean our foreheads together. “Bed?” she whispers. “Or food?”

“Bed first.” I lead her to my room. “We’ll order food after.”

Chapter 18

Lilly

After some toe-curling, heart-pounding, soul-melting sex, then the best shishito peppers, spicy salmon tartare, and vegetable bibimbap, which is delivered from a nearby restaurant, we go back to bed and snuggle.

“Naked cuddles are the best cuddles,” I tell him, settling in against his chest, his super-soft sheets tucked around us.

“I agree.”

He tells me about the road trip, about how much fun they had, and how he felt like he really bonded with the guys. I sense there’s something more on his mind, though, and finally he gets to it and tells me what happened with Jamal.

I’m horrified, and I sit up and shift to face him, my eyes wide. “That’s terrible.”

“Yeah.” He rolls his head on the pillow. “Totally fucked up.”

I touch my fingertips to my lips, appalled on Jamal’s behalf. But also just generally sickened.

Then he tells me the rest—what he said in the dressing room. How pissed off his coach was. And I can see how distraught he is about the whole thing.

I am falling in love. I am falling like the snowflakes outside, like leaves in the autumn and petals in the summer. Like stars that you make a wish on. I know what I wish for. I wish for him.

My heart expands, warm in my chest, and my throat tightens. I lean over and touch my lips to his. “You did good,” I whisper. “I’m proud. You’re a good man.”

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