Page 73 of Heart Taker

“Scrub me down, baby.”

“Are you always going to be this demanding?” Damien quipped and swatted my ass.

I gave him a leering look over my shoulder.

“Oh, Coach, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

CHAPTER 22

DAMIEN

After we showered, Silas wanted to relax in bed but unfortunately his stomach had other ideas. And I could only ignore the loud growling for so long. Typical hockey player; food always came first.

“Sorry,” he muttered, his cheeks unusually pink.

“I guess I better feed the beast.”

He retaliated by pinching my ass and kissing me senseless.

When he finally let me go, I rummaged through my closet and threw him a pair of my basketball shorts and a T-shirt. He only took the shorts. Not that I was complaining. Having him wander around my home half-naked was a memorable sight.

We headed for the kitchen, hand in hand, like we did this every night. I grabbed a pepperoni pizza from the freezer and popped it in the oven. While that was cooking, I located a bag of tortilla chips and a container of guac, which Silas promptly finished in record time. Okay, I was starving too, and I did my share of eating. We kissed and flirted in between bites of salty chips and when the pizza was ready, I cut one slice for myself and gave him the rest. Silas insisted we split it in half, but I refused. He needed the calories more than I did.

Afterwards, I snagged a couple of beers, and we made our way out to sit on the deck. Silas couldn’t have more than one beer, since he had to drive home later. Not that I wanted him to leave tonight. We’d only started seeing each other and I was ready for an overnight. If that didn’t tell me how far gone I was for him, nothing would.

“Do you like living in Vermont?” he asked me as we sat in front of the firepit, his fingers interlocking tightly with mine.

The only time we’d let go of each other was to get changed.

Holding Silas’s hand felt heady, incredible. Even with Eloise, holding hands was something I could take or leave. She often complained that I wasn’t attentive enough as a lover. Not in bed, not out of it. I didn’t touch her enough; I was always lacking in affection. Maybe she was right.

Or maybe it wasn’t me, but me with her.

“I do. Even when I move on from this job, I think I’d like to keep a home here. A vacation escape.”

He nodded. “You want to coach pro, right?”

I didn’t see any sense in holding back.

“I do. That’s my dream. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved every minute of coaching at Sutton, and I’ve learned a lot. But I miss the excitement of the professional league. To put it bluntly, nothing compares.”

Silas gave me an eager smile. “Can you tell me about it? The games, the traveling, the media. Did you love it? Do you miss it?”

“I loved most of it. When things were good, they were very good. Playing with guys at that level and for huge crowds gave me a kind of high that’s difficult to explain. It’s very addictive. A total rush.” I paused, thinking about my past. “The traveling wasn’t my favorite, to be honest. I liked visiting cool cities, but by the end of the season, all you want to do is stay in the same bed for a month. Plus, I’m a light sleeper and depending on who you room with, it can be fine or a total nightmare.”

“No kidding. Ethan snores like a chainsaw. Even with headphones, it’s freaking loud.”

“Yeah, I don’t miss that. Or the media attention. They love it when you’re doing great, but they also pounce on you when things get rough. You gotta develop a thick skin and have a dedicated agent who has your back. And yes, sometimes I miss it fiercely. Being on that ice, the rush, the freedom. When my accident happened, well, I had to start everything over, rebuild from scratch.” I sighed and met his gaze. “Sorry, that sounds dramatic.”

“It’s not. I can’t even imagine.”

I gripped his hand tighter.

“It wasn’t the shock of ‘one day I was on the ice and the next day I was in the hospital.’ Like I said, it was losing the day-to-day routine with my teammates and what I thought my life would be. It’s taken me a while to come to terms with the fact that any career in hockey isn’t linear or stable. Not hockey, not anything. Life is full of unexpected surprises, and you have to be prepared to pivot. Looking back, I wish I’d had the ability to play longer, but inevitably, a player’s career is limited. At least I’ve found something that keeps me active in the sport I love.”

“And I, for one, am so grateful that you’re here. Your passion for the game is what resonates with every player on our team.” Silas squeezed my hand. “You’re the best coach I’ve ever had.”

“Stop.”

---