Page 84 of Hockey Halloween

Maya

“Honestly, I don’t think I ever really hated you,” he says.

Relief floods through me. This whole evening has been a emotional rollercoaster for me, I’ve gone from the lows of Karl’s initial rejection to the highs of sorting our past misunderstandings. But still, he’s been a jerk tonight, so no way I’m letting him off easy.

“Really? ’Cause you were doing a pretty good impression earlier tonight.”

He smooths back his fair hair, which makes me long to run a hand through it. I have a sensory memory of softness.

“I’m so sorry, Maya. For everything that I said tonight. I was caught off guard, and seeing you… hurt.” He motions unconsciously towards his heart. “But that’s not an excuse.”

I wait because Karl seems to more bottled up inside him.

“When you liked me back in high school, it felt really good. Lots of girls liked me for being a hockey star, but it felt like you knew me—the real me. I could relax with you and express myself for the first time. Like you said, drama was fun.”

He inhales audibly. “But that’s why it hurt so much when I thought you rejected me. Because if my true self wasn’t good enough… ”

His voice trails off, and all my anger dissolves. This was what I liked best about Karl, the vulnerable person behind his hockey star persona. Even the drama crowd saw him as a handsome hunk rather than a fully dimensional person.

I slide down a step and put a hand on his shoulder. His muscular shoulder feels tensed, but the sheer solidity is… very attractive. Something warm sparks inside me.

“I always liked talking to you. Hearing the things you didn’t share with everyone.”

He nods and leans slightly into my touch.

“What I feel worst about is how I tried to shame you about Percy. Even if you had sex with him, that was your right. We weren’t going out or anything.

” Then he shakes his head. “It’s the worst part of playing hockey—I go low right off.

We’re so used to trash-talking on the ice that we forget what normal people are like. ”

“It’s not just hockey players. Women can be the worst at slut-shaming,” I reply.

“I’m so sorry, Maya. You didn’t deserve that insult tonight, or in any universe. And I won’t do it again.”

I laugh softly. “I can’t imagine it ever happening—especially now that we’re friends again.

Karl’s mouth is still set in a hard line, an expression that I long to soften. “No, I mean I won’t sexually shame anyone from now on. I’m not perfect, but I learn from my mistakes.”

I nod. “Good for you. But I know I’m not promiscuous, so your words didn’t really bother me. Besides, women can be in charge of their own sexuality, right?”

His eyebrow lifts at the word “sexuality.” There’s a vibe now. Is there something happening between us…again?

He clamps his large hand on top of mine. There’s no mistaking the heat coursing through my body. Now that I’ve forgiven Karl, my attraction to him is back in full force.

“You know our honesty pledge? Let’s try to keep it.

I should never have believed all that bullshit back at the cast party, I should have just asked you straight up what was going on.

That would have saved both of us a lot of grief.

” He leans so close that I can see the cool blue of his eyes, the colour of a winter sky. “Can you forgive me for all of that?”

I search myself and find no residual anger. Karl has redeemed himself. “Of course. Now that I understand what was going through your mind, I get it. Both of us were jealous, and we acted out of character.”

He nods. “Yeah, it’s stupid, but the more you care about something, the irrational you get.”

“Thankfully, high school feels like a million years away.” I’m happy to be beyond the hormonal churn, but I do miss the simplicity of life back then. Now every decision feels huge and consequential. Or maybe that’s only me, wondering what my future will be beyond satin, lace, and delusions.

He releases my hand and lets out a sigh. “Now I’m regretting all the things that didn’t happened.”

Does he mean between us? A flutter of hope twinges inside me. Could we actually have a second chance?

“You mean that night?” I study his chiseled profile. He looks like a younger, unhappier Alexander Skarsg?rd. I swallow.

“Yeah. And I regret all the shields I’ve put up since then.”

The pirate swagger is completely gone now. Karl is revealing his vulnerable truths.

“Maybe something could still happen.” I slide even closer.

He stares at me in surprise. But I feel impatient. Now that we’ve finally solved the mystery of the cast party, I’m ready to move on. And my old confidence is coming back because I was right—we had liked each other. I’m ready to seize the future.

“Between us now? It’s impossible. When the hockey season starts up for real, I have two games every weekend. Practices, training, and classes—my schedule is packed.”

“Oh, so nobody on the hockey team has a girlfriend? I call bullshit on that.”

He chuckles. “No, I mean us specifically. You’re still back home, and I’m here. I could never do a long-distance thing. It’s too much work.”

I nod. Even though we have history, it’s not the foundational kind you need for a relationship. As usual, Karl anticipates the future while I’m firmly in the moment.

But still…

I reach out and pull on the collar of his loose shirt, revealing even more muscled chest. Karl starts at my touch.

“Why don’t we have our lost night now?” I suggest.

“What?” His voice is hoarse, and he’s staring at my mouth.

I lean even closer. “We’re back at the cast party. But this time, there’s no Percy, no Juliet—just us. And we get our happy ending.”

“Maya, I just told you. I don’t have time for?—”

I lay a finger on his lips. “Let’s just be together now—and not worry about tomorrow.”

I’ve spent way too many nights thinking about Karl and imagining what it would be like to kiss his hard mouth.

Everything about him is angular and intense: his Swedish bone structure, his hard athletic body, his determined personality, his clipped way of speaking.

I’ve always wanted to soften his edges. We’ve kissed before—but that was for the play.

A chaste stage kiss instead of a real kiss that’s hot and messy.

He shakes his head and still doesn’t look at me. There’s one gut-clenching moment when I wonder if the elusive Karl is going to turn me down again , but then something in him cracks. Whatever it is inside us that stops us from doing the stupid things we really want.

“Is this a good idea?” he asks, but he already knows the answer. This is not a good idea, especially for someone like Karl who likes things straightforward and well-planned. But I can’t resist our one shot.

He reaches out a hand and pulls me up with him. We descend to the bottom of the stairs, where he pushes me up against the wall and traps me between his muscular arms. Why, Karl, have you been watching romance movies?

I blink up at him in the dim light, taking in the sharp contours of his face and his tensed expression. I curve one hand up and around his neck, pulling his mouth closer to mine.

“I’ve fantasized about this so many times,” I whisper when our faces are so close I can feel his hot breath .

“Me too.” He raises a hand to caress my cheek and pushes back a rubbery strand. “Maybe not with the snakes, though.”

I giggle. I’d almost forgotten his dry humour. He’s much more than a pretty jock. But what a pretty jock he is.

I encircle my hands around the warm skin on the back of his neck, my fingers vining through his soft hair. I pull him even closer.

“Make my dreams reality,” I whisper.

His lips curls in a slight smile. Then he tilts his head at a perfect angle so our lips just touch.

Even the lightest pressure of Karl’s mouth on mine ignites something deep inside me—a familiar desire from when I’ve touched myself and imagined him.

I groan, the noise trapped between our mouths.

I’m the one to intensify everything, kissing him back hard and clutching his muscled shoulders.

But Karl’s into this too. He drops one hand to the small of my back where he can keep me tight to him. I feel hot and needy everywhere.

I unbutton his shirt completely, pull it apart, and run my hands over his smooth chest.

“Your body is amazing.” I trace his pecs, all warm skin and hard muscle. I feel his nipples stiffen under my palms, but Karl’s only reaction is a clenched jaw. Even as we’re making out, he stays tightly controlled.

I’m determined to break that control. I crane my neck up to kiss him again, and this time our kiss is wet and messy.

When his tongue probes my mouth I suck on it hard, signalling what else I want.

My hands explore his body impatiently: his broad chest, his muscled back, and his curving ass.

How many times did I walk behind Karl in the hall and fantasize about biting this magnificent butt? Hockey butts should be illegal.

Meanwhile, Karl is exploring my body too. He runs a hand over my neck and across the tops of my breasts. His calloused fingertips feel rough and wonderful. I growl with pleasure.

Now he grinds his hard cock into my belly, and desire flames like liquid heat in me. I reach between us and run my hands over his erection.

“Mmm, you feel so good everywhere,” I mutter before lowering myself to his cock level.

I push away his sash belt, undo his pants, and pull them down along with his underwear.

Karl’s cock springs free, and it’s as gorgeous as the rest of him—a smooth, pale column.

I stroke his cock gently and look up at his face.

Karl is watching me with glazed eyes and parted lips.

“ Maya .” There’s a desperate plea in his voice.

“Is this what you want, Karl?” His cock strains towards my mouth as I kiss the tip of it. Karl’s eyes widen and he swears softly.

“Yeah,” he gasps. “But I want everything to be good for you too.”

“I only do what I want.” Sex is not a currency for me; it’s just fun.

He hesitates, but the pressure of my palm on his throbbing erection wins, and he nods.

“You’re healthy?” I ask, hoping beyond hope that I’ll get to taste him.

“Yeah, of course,” he says.

I take his cock in both hands and drop to kneeling.

I can see a gleaming drop of pre-come on the tip of his cock, and I lean forward to lick it off.

He tastes salty and yummy. I swirl my tongue around the head of his cock while pumping the shaft.

Above me, Karl’s breathing is loud and rasping.

I take him into my mouth, relishing the perfect feel of his cock, and keep pumping because he’s too big to take fully inside.

Judging from the noises he’s making, Karl very much enjoys being jerked and blown at the same time.

Not as much I like blowing him, though. I’m so turned on that I reach underneath my dress so that I can finger myself at the same time. I move my head back and forth while sucking hard. Then I look up. Karl is watching everything, his face tensed like he’s worried I might stop.

I release his cock with a loud pop that echoes in the small space. “Do you like my mouth on your big cock?” I ask, knowing the answer already.

“Oh, fuck, yes.” Then he whispers, “Are you touching yourself?”

“Mm-hmm,” I hum, my lips stretched around his hard cock again. Something about doing this here, now, with Karl, is turning me on so much.

“That’s so fucking hot,” he gasps.

But for now, I concentrate on getting him off, increasing the speed of my strokes and tonguing him in places that make his entire body jerk in reaction.

Now, he’s losing control, his curses and groans getting louder and his body trembling.

When he finally comes, he goes rigid and cries out, and I suck hard until I taste the metallic tang of his come.

I finger my swollen clit until I come too.

Karl staggers, reaches down to pull up his pants, and then collapses onto the bottom step. He beckons me over and pulls me down onto his lap.

“That was…incredible. You’re so…” Karl’s vocabulary seems to have been shot along with his load.

He shakes his head and then kisses me gently.

There’s a tenderness in our kiss that was missing from our first make-out session.

But the longer we kiss, the more things begin to build again.

My arms are wrapped about his neck and Karl’s hands are moving all over my body and I’m craving more .

He caresses my breast and frees it from the confines of my gown.

He pauses our kissing to suck at my exposed nipple, and the pull of his mouth sets me on fire.

“Feels so good, Karl,” I moan.

“I want to make you feel good,” he insists. He kisses me again. Then he caresses my ankle, moving up my calf, my knee, my thigh. I part my legs, longing for the touch of his hand on my hot centre.

Somewhere in my consciousness, there’s a click—and then light and noise pour into our cramped space.