Page 75 of Behind the Bench

The look he wears is sinister. “If I had my way, you’d be in my bed every night, Ellie.”

Okay, so that is totally not what I was expecting him to say.

Lincoln speaks again. “But we both know that can’t happen.”

Chewing on my lip, I nod. As much as I hate that he’s right, we need to be careful. Eyes are already on us because of the team’s scandal last year, so the last thing the organization needs is eyes on our extracurricular activities. “So, what does that mean? Wanna call this a one-and-done?”

Lincoln pushes back from the table and grabs my hand, yanking me onto his lap in one fell swoop. “There is no possible way I will be able to survive this being a one-and-done.” He leans in and gives me a kiss that has my toes curling. I part my lips and our tongues collide. Lincoln moans into my mouth, which has me reeling back.

His words send my heart into overdrive. I’m giddy, happy and ready to get lost in this man but we haven’t finished our conversation. “Slow down, Coach. We still need to figure out how to make this work.”

He leans back in his chair and starts rubbing small circles on my back. “Well, I want to keep doing this. But we have to be extremely careful. Nothing at the rink or on road trips. Whatever is happening between us has to stay between us, and only at our houses.”

I lean into him a bit more and reach across the table for my espresso. The caffeine is starting to hit my system and I relish the energy and bravery it brings along with it.

My fingers find Lincoln’s hair at the nape of his neck and I start playing with the long strands that lay there. “So we’re friends with benefits but it’s our little secret?”

Lincoln’s hand continues to make circles on my back but he reaches up to hold the back of my neck with his other hand. “Yeah. It’s just for us.”

There is no way I can keep any of this from Sadie. Besides, she and Hunter are the ones who set this whole thingin motion anyway. Well, they tried to at least. I hope he doesn’t expect me to pretend it’s not happening.

“What about Sadie and Hunter?”

He lets out an exasperated breath, but doesn’t loosen his hold on my neck. “I guess it’ll be pretty hard to keep this from them. Besides, they both already know it started. No point in keeping the fact that it’s going to continue from them.”

I nod in agreement again. It makes me feel better that I’ll have someone to vent to about all things Lincoln.

It’s possible I’m in an alternate universe. I still can’t believe this is the same Lincoln Scott I grew up hating. It’s crazy how much things can change when you finally have an open conversation with someone. I’ve learned so much about this man in such a short period of time that I wonder what other amazing things I’ve missed out on from simply being blinded by my misconceptions. All I know is, I don’t want to miss out on anything else. There’s just one nagging worry at the back of my mind.

“The press and internet already hate me enough because I’m a woman working in men’s hockey. I really can’t have this getting out. I’ve worked too hard to get where I am. No one else besides Hunter and Sadie can know.”

Lincoln holds my stare, conviction painting his every word when he says, “I promise. No one else will know.”

Are we actually doing this?

“Yeah, baby. We’re actually doing this.”

Damn, I said that out loud. And I like the way he calls me “baby.” Holy swoon.

Lincoln pushes my head closer and captures my mouth with his. And every last worry I have simply fades away.

It’s been three weeks since Ellie and I decided to keep this thing between us going. I’m not sure if we’re friends with benefits, coworkers with a secret relationship, building something real, or all of the above. All I know is, I really hope it’s the latter.

Ever since our first night together, everything seems to be getting better. I’m not just talking about things between the sheets, although it has never been this good in my entire life. Things on the ice and behind the bench seem to be clicking better than ever. We’ve had a good season so far, but we’re on our longest winning streak yet. The press and fans online keep questioning what’s behind the magic that’s happening. Only I know the answer, though.

Ellie.

She’s the answer to all the magic happening in my life right now. With every game that passes, she becomes more badass. New power play ideas, penalty kill setups, she even had a unique face off idea that has worked three separate times.

The team is buzzing. I am buzzing. I am drunk on all things EllieMontgomery.

We just finished up our pregame skate and all of the players except for Jefferson exit the ice first. Ellie and I hang back as Hunter finishes up going over some defensive zone coverage with our rookie. The kid can fly out there and is an offensive powerhouse, but he’s still struggling sometimes in our own zone.

Ellie skates over to me where I’m hanging out by the bench. She nudges me with her shoulder before hopping up to sit on the boards. She’s awfully close, closer than she normally is during work situations, but I can’t find it in me to care.

“My place or yours before the game?” she asks while fixing her hair and putting her Bobcats hat back on. A woman has never looked so good in a ball cap before. I can’t help but stare.

We have a game day ritual now that consists of Ellie, me, and many orgasms. We haven’t lost since making this a thing, so it’s not like we can change it up now. Hockey players are superstitious in nature, and that doesn’t change when you become a coach.

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