Page 19 of Hat Trick
In the third period, we're tied 1:1 with the Bruins. Carter and Luca jump the boards to join the game and the energy changes instantly. Carter steals the puck from number 16 down by Gabe, takes it behind the goal, causing Gabe to slide from one side of the net to the other, which he does effortlessly. Carter spins and dodges a player's attempt to bash him into the boards and takes off with the puck. He dances around another player before passing it to Luca's waiting stick. Luca is so fucking fast it almost defies the laws of physics.
The Bruin's players are too far down the arena to catch him, so he makes a clean break away, approaching the goal. The Bruin's goalie squares up, ready for the shoot. Luca's been taking slapshots from almost the halfway line most of the game, but this one he skates as fast as he can. The goalie shifts and then shifts back, anticipating the shot. Luca skates to the boards, behind the net, before picking the puck up on the toe of his stick, spinning it around and tossing it into the corner of the net, just over the goalie's glove.
The cherry lights up. The foghorn blows. The entire stadium collectively loses their shit. We're all on our feet, my brother's jumping so much he's spilling beer all over his hand. My brother and dad hug awkwardly, still jumping. And I laugh. The older woman next to me grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me, yelling and smiling.
Then the buzzer goes off, announcing the time's run out of the third period and the game is done. We won. Luca won. I look back to the ice to see the boys still surrounding Luca, hugging him and patting him on the helmet and back roughly.
My heart aches with how full it is, how happy for Luca I am and how proud I am to call him my friend. The Bruins lower their heads and make their way off the ice. But Luca breaks away from the dog pile, pulls his glove off and picks the winning puck up from the ice. He casually skates over to where I'm sitting, his mouth guard sideways and bit between his teeth. I don't know why I find that so fucking hot. It's definitely a hot guy move.
He flashes his brilliant smile and white teeth at me, before looking up. I look up, too, confused. He then tosses the puck over the glass. I catch it awkwardly. Everyone surrounding me is now watching us and my cheeks burn pink.
Luca's grin simply grows, and he throws me a wink before skating to join the rest of the team.
"Are you dating Luca Travers!?" The older woman next to me screams.
"No!" I shout back. "We're just friends!" By now I'm sure my cheeks are crimson. There's no universe in which Luca would ever date me. There's no universe I would ever consider it. He's not out of my league, he's playing a completely different sport. Gorgeous, successful, funny, confident, millionaire. Whatever he is, I'm the exact opposite. I'm not ugly, but I'm definitely not attractive. I don't really have a career. I'm not funny or confident, and I have all of $200 in my bank account because I haven't been paid yet because I've been working for Carter for less than a week.
The woman doesn't seem to believe me. Even my dad and Sammy are giving me a look. I want to run away. I don't want to explain that never in a million years would somebody as amazing as Luca ever want to be with a nobody like me. The idea is ridiculous. But then I remember I'm wearing his jersey and the blush spreads to my neck and chest.
Fuck, I need to get out of here. My phone vibrates and it's a text from Luca to meet him outside of the locker rooms before I get Annie. Perfect. An escape. I hug my dad and Sammy goodbye before they can interrogate me and walk down the hallway to where I know the locker rooms are.
I pace nervously, my shoes making squeaking noises against the carpet. I can hear masculine laughter and music coming from the locker room as the boys celebrate their win. Close to the locker room doors a few of the WAGs hang around, waiting for their men. I distance myself from them, so no one questions why I'm here too and play with my phone.
Finally, the locker room doors burst open, and the players file out. I continue to stare at my phone, trying to blend in and be unnoticeable. After the hallway empties, I feel a tingle of awareness at the back of my neck and look up to see Luca, gorgeous in a three-piece suit, hair still wet from the shower, marching towards me with his signature grin on his face. However, it's his eyes that make me squirm. He looks at me with an intensity, a ferocity of a lion hunting an antelope. Heat and butterflies swarm low in my stomach. He looks like he wants to eat me.
"He..." I start, but before the word's fully out of my mouth his grips the back of my head in a tight fist and drives his lips into mine. Hepushes me back hard against the hallway wall and kisses the life out of me. My hands instinctually go to his suit and grip the lapels tightly in my fists, desperate to stay upright. My legs go weak, and if he wasn't pressing me into the wall I would have collapsed. His kiss is hard, demanding, unapologetic and passionate. He thrusts his tongue into my mouth and my own tongue meets his tentatively. He swallows my moan before he pulls away, resting his forehead on mine and turning his head slightly, as if he can't believe what he'd just done.
I'm suddenly aware we're in public, and literally anyone could have seen that. Gabe and Carter included.
I'm shocked, breathing heavy and dizzy from the kiss. I can count on one hand the number of boys I've kissed in my entire life. I never thought Luca would be one of them. And I've never been kissed like that.
But this isn't us, we aren't like this. He isn't interested in me romantically, or even sexually. He's just excited after his win.
I playfully hit the front of his chest. "You were amazing out there!"
He smiles before pulling me in for a tight hug.
"You know what this means, right?"
"What?"
"You have to wear my jersey to every game now."
I laugh, shaking my head. Hockey players and their superstitions.
He releases me and together we pick up Annie, asleep in her car seat, from Margaret and thank her. I follow Luca to their SUV where Gabe and Carter are already waiting. I avoid Gabe's gaze, as if he can see that I've done something wrong.
Alone in my own car, I follow the boys home. The silence is deafening. I replay the kiss in my head on repeat. I'll bask in thefeeling tonight because tomorrow we'll go back to being friendly. I'm sure he regrets the kiss. It was impulsive. He was high on adrenaline. It meant nothing.
But I'll spend the rest of my life recalling that incredible kiss. And the man so far out of my league that gave it to me.
Chapter ten
Luca
My body works on muscle memory and I'm grateful for it. We've boarded this plane hundreds of times. So, I let my mind wander as I find my seat, put my bag in the overhead compartment and slide into my lucky seat. We all have our favorite seats on the plane, so no one ever really argues about who is sitting where. I unbutton my suit coat and loosen my tie slightly while Carter slides in across the aisle from me and Gabe takes up the seat in front of me.
The entire time, though, I let my mind wander to the siren that just moved in with us. To the thought of her wearing my jersey under her jacket last night. To the kiss we shared outside of the locker room.
