Page 2

Chapter 2

MICAH

H er eyes were twinkling, and it set me on edge. Hell, this entire situation set me on edge. I would not think about her sleeping in my bed while I was away. Or how my pillow would end up smelling like her spicy-sweet scent.

Fuck.

“Can I store my clothes in the closet in your relaxation room?” she asked.

“Uh, it’s full of puzzles.”

Fuck. I sounded like a damn dork. She had me so out of sorts, between her comments about my room being a sex dungeon to her messing with my puzzle pieces just to fuck with me, that I was grasping to keep it together.

She giggled. “What?”

I raked my hand through my hair again. It was probably standing on end at this point.

“Uh, I haven’t made a run to the library in a while. I, um, buy them, and then after I’ve finished them, I put them back in the box and donate them to the library.” I wasn’t going to tell her that first, I took a picture of the completed puzzle and saved it to a folder on my phone. I was only five away from hitting six hundred completed puzzles over the last decade.

“That’s really nice of you to give back,” she said, humor lacing her tone.

“Yeah, I know. Total nerd.”

She stood in front of me and put her hand on my arm. My body stiffened. How had I forgotten how tactile she’d always been?

Right, because I’d actively—but hopefully, not obviously—avoided her over the last four years. At first, it’d been from guilt for kissing her within days after breaking up with Amaya, then that had morphed into guilt for kissing her because she was Ray’s little sister. I also hadn’t missed a glimmer of something like regret or sadness in her eyes when I’d ended the kiss and told her we should never do that again. Not my best moment on any front.

“You like what you like, and who cares if you’re a slight nerd. You’re just fun to tease, and I can’t help it. But really, thanks for letting me stay here.”

I shot her a smile. “It’s nothing. I think I have an extra pillow. Hold on, I’ll go grab it. Oh, and some blankets.” I needed to step away from her before I said or did anything stupid.

***

An hour later, I stared at the ceiling. She’d stopped moving around and making noises at least thirty minutes ago and was probably already asleep, but I was wide fucking awake.

As was my stupid cock.

I hadn’t gotten laid in at least three months, but that was not the reason it was standing at attention right now. The purple-haired hurricane and all her innocent touches and stunning hazel eyes, along with that smile that cut right through all common sense, had me hard as stone.

I was going to hell for this, but I shoved that thought aside as I pushed down my boxer briefs and gripped my dick, gritting my teeth to keep quiet as I moved my hand up and down my cock. It didn’t take long until I was spilling over my fist and sucking in a shuddering, silent breath. I glanced over at my nightstand.

Fuck. I was out of tissues to clean up, and the bathroom was across the hall. I pulled my boxer briefs back up over the sticky mess and tugged on a shirt before I quickly made my way into the bathroom.

And did I forget a new pair of boxers and have to wrap a towel around my waist, hoping she wasn’t walking down the hall as I darted back into my room?

Yes. Yes, I fucking did.

I flopped back down on my bed and wondered for the millionth time what the hell I had been thinking when I agreed to let her stay.

***

“So, a little bird told me a funny story when I arrived for the team meeting,” Dom said as we headed down the hallway to the ice the following morning.

We’d had a quick session with video review to prep for tomorrow’s game against Chicago, finished up some light cardio, and were about to start some on-ice practice.

“What’s the latest gossip from Sin? Or was it Haldy? I swear, your linemate loves drama.”

Dom chuckled. “True, but this came from Sin… Micahtron .”

I groaned. “Fucking hell.”

“Gotta say, that wasn’t even on the list for possible nicknames for you, and I fucking loved Transformers.”

“Pain in the ass,” I muttered.

“Sin? Yeah, no kidding. Or are we referring to your new roommate? A roommate who is apparently hot and you have a clear history with? Dude. I’m hurt that I’ve never heard about her. I thought we were besties.”

I glared at my friend as he tried to look like a sad puppy or some shit.

“I’m waiting,” he taunted.

Sucking in a breath, I rolled back my shoulders. “It’s nothing. Josie is the little sister of my best friend from home. You remember me mentioning Ray, right? We’ve known each other since we were kids, and she’s been irritating me just as long. She needed a place to crash for a while, and I have a spare room. That’s all it is.” I had no plans to tell my teammates about my puzzle room, not even Dom. Hockey players were weird, and we all had our quirks or superstitions, but I didn’t see a need to go blasting mine for everyone to hear.

“Well, if that’s not a rom-com setup, I don’t know what is.”

“Oh, fuck off. She’s like a sister.”

“But she’s not actually your sister.” He gave me an exaggerated eyebrow wag, and I glared at him.

“Ally get you hooked on rom-coms? You streaming Hallmark movies twenty-four seven now or something?”

Dom grinned. “You’re protesting a bit much.”

“I’m not. I’m just helping out a friend. Nothing more,” I said calmly.

“Okay, but I know all about the roommate thing.”

I snorted. “Yeah, except you knocked up your roommate before she moved in, plus had a long hook-up history with her. This is nothing like that.” Nor would it ever be because that would mean so much more than one kiss.

Fuck . A kiss that had been a mistake when it happened.

I would not think about how she’d tasted that night.

Nope.

Anything beyond friendship with Josie, that walking hurricane, would be a mistake.

“You’re really quiet. You thinking about knocking her up?” Dom asked.

I spluttered. Fuck . That was the best way to describe the noise that came out of my mouth. “Are you fucking crazy? What part of just like a sister to me are you not getting, asshole?” If I repeated it enough, everyone would believe it—including me.

Dom chuckled. “Except she’s not.” He slapped me on the shoulder. “I’m just teasing you after everything with Ally at the start of the season.”

“Josie is just… Josie . And she needed a favor, some time to get back on her feet, so I’m helping her out. No big deal.” Had that come out as blasé as I was going for?

“Sure, sure. Whatever.”

“If you two are done chitchatting, I think we could start with a two on one,” Sunny, one of our assistant coaches, said.

I lifted my head to see him gesturing to where Haldy was standing across the ice.

“Yeah, yeah. Just discussing strategy, Sunny.” Dom smirked and then skated off to get into position.

I turned my attention to where it should be, keeping Haldy or Dom from scoring on Tucks in net. That was the only thing I needed to be focused on.

“You ready, Micahtron?” Tucks asked.

“Fuck off,” I bit out. I didn’t bother to glance behind me and glare at our netminder, Gabriel Tucker. He probably had a fucking grin on his face or some shit.

Haldy let out a chuckle, and I narrowed my eyes at the forward.

I wasn’t surprised the whole damn team knew about the nickname. Nothing was secret with this group of idiots. I was just surprised they managed to keep quiet about it until now.

“How about we focus on me keeping you both from scoring?” I yelled.

Dom grinned. “Good luck with that.”

“Give it your best shot,” Tucks called out, and I heard him slap his stick against each of his posts. At least he wasn’t praising the posts like he typically did during actual games. There was seriously something off with anyone who willingly stood in net and took pucks flying at his face every game. Goalies were definitely a different breed.

Then, Sunny dropped the puck in front of Dom, and I tracked his and Haldy’s every move, keeping them from slipping the puck behind me and into Tucks’s net.

Everything was going to be fine.

Yep.

Just fine.

JOSIE

I scanned my cart one last time before heading to the checkout.

“Chocolate chips,” I exclaimed, spinning my cart around and almost crashing into someone.

“Shit. Sorry! Chocolate emergency,” I said, flashing the woman a smile as I skirted around her and made my way to the baking aisle. It was an aisle I didn’t frequent because I didn’t have the patience to follow an actual recipe and bake. I preferred to just wing it when I was cooking, and if it didn’t turn out, extra cheese would fix it.

But I wanted to make something sweet for Micah, and I knew he loved oatmeal cookies, so a pouch of oatmeal cookie mix was already in my cart, and chocolate chips would make them even better. I tapped my fingers on the cart handle, enjoying the classic rock floating down from the speakers. They had a pretty decent playlist, and at twenty-two, I’m not sure what that said about my music taste.

“Here you are.” I grabbed a bag of milk chocolate chunk chips and tossed them on top of the rest of the groceries in my cart, then headed back to the checkout.

I dropped the bags on the kitchen island in Micah’s condo, grateful that the grocery store was a short walk from his place since I was currently without a car.

Stupid Blaine. I shook my shoulders in an effort to shove out any thoughts of that idiot. Or maybe it was directed more at me for being an idiot without a real backup plan if—or maybe I should say when—things went sideways. It’s not like I thought it was going to last that long.

Not that I was sad about currently staying with Micah. He’d looked so freaking hot in his workout gear before he’d headed for practice this morning. He’d left early, saying he was grabbing food at the rink, while I’d stared at him and sipped my coffee.

Dammit, hockey did a body freaking goooood .

Then, my insides shook for a different reason entirely. The couch had been more than comfortable last night, oversized and perfect, but the thought of being wrapped up in Micah’s arms in his bed had crossed my mind a few times. I knew it was a waste of time to think about that, especially after he’d made his feelings clear when we kissed way back when, but it didn’t stop me from lusting after his growly hot body.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out. Crap. It was already time to pick up the dogs. I put away the rest of the groceries, along with some snacks that didn’t include the twigs and bark that Micah seemed to enjoy. Maybe he’d be less grouchy if he ate more tasty food? Pocketing a handful of dog treats into my heavy coat, I picked up my bag and headed back out to grab Lola, Oscar, and Sheldon. A brisk walk in the snow would help me cool down.

***

I peeked my head into Micah’s relaxation room later that afternoon, unable to resist snooping. I’d gotten back from my dog-walking job, showered, and vegged on the couch for a bit until curiosity overtook me.

I’d only been back an hour. It was a pathetically short amount of time, but I couldn’t help myself.

Plopping down on the Pilates machine, I moved back and forth on the rolling seat, taking in the room. It was a pretty sweet setup. Chuckling, I thought about how pink his cheeks had gotten when I’d suggested it was a sex dungeon.

There were few things I enjoyed more in life than teasing that man. He’d been such an easy target ever since we were kids, and I had no self-control. I stood up and made my way over to the closet, pulling open the door.

“Whoa. He wasn’t kidding.”

Jigsaw puzzle boxes were stacked high in two piles. If I had to guess, I’d say one was completed puzzles, and the other was ones to be done. I pulled the top one down from one stack. It was an image of a waterfall at Yellowstone—and it was 1200 pieces! That would take forever. I put the box back and moved toward the table with the partially finished puzzle, careful not to touch anything, even though it would be so easy to mix up his system.

I wasn’t that mean, so I just looked. Then I glanced out the window in front of me. He had a great view of the park across the street, which was currently covered in snow. The sun made the ground sparkle. I leaned closer to see the people walking below and ended up bumping into the table.

“Shit.”

A few pieces fell to the floor, and two of the piles had started to merge together. “Shit, shit, shit.” I dropped to the floor and grabbed the fallen pieces, then tried to sort and separate the merged piles. Hopefully, I got his color coding right, or he might ban me from this room.

Or the condo.

Crap.

I gave the table one last glance over and then left the room, shutting the door behind me. A kickass dinner would ease any annoyance he had if he noticed the pieces were mixed up. Probably.

Because he’d definitely notice. He was way too anal not to.

I pulled out all the ingredients I needed for my marinade and started mixing. My plan was to get the chicken and steak marinating and then slice the sweet potatoes and make the cookies. Dinner would be delicious and ready when he walked in through the door.

***

“What happened in here?”

His voice carried into the kitchen, and I poked my head around the island pillar a few hours later.

I flashed him a big smile. “Uh, I made dinner.”

His eyes scanned over the messy space, and I could see him twitching. It wasn’t that bad. I’d even moved the mess to only cover half of the island so we could still eat at it. The steak and chicken were sizzling on the grill pan that had been an awesome find in his cabinet, and everything was almost ready.

The oven timer dinged before I could say anything else. “That’s the sweet potatoes and cookies.”

“You baked.” His tone was wary as he moved closer to me.

“From a bag mix, Micahtron. Don’t worry, I won’t poison you.” I pulled the slightly overdone cookies and perfectly roasted sweet potatoes from the oven, shutting the door with my foot as I set the hot pans down. Then I gave him a shrug. “At least we know the cookies are done. Yay for no salmonella.”

I finished with a small fist pump as Micah shook his head.

He peered at them. “Oatmeal and?”

“Chocolate,” I finished for him. “Chocolate is good for you, and raisins have no business in cookies.”

“Pretty sure the classic is oatmeal raisin cookies,” he said.

“Well, it shouldn’t be.” I grabbed the spatula and removed each cookie from the baking sheet, another surprising find. His fridge was full of premade healthy meals, so I figured he didn’t cook a lot, but he had most of the tools I needed to make dinner and dessert.

“If you say so. Uh, did you use everything you could find in the kitchen?” He scanned the space again, his shoulders tight.

“Stop freaking out. I’ll clean up after we eat. Your kitchen will be sparkling in no time.” I reached over and patted his chest. “Chaos is good for the soul, Micahtron.”

Dammit. His muscles were so nice and muscly . He’d filled out even more over the years if that was possible. I clenched my legs together as I lightly skated my fingers over his arm.

He shuddered under my touch, or maybe it was a twitch. I was definitely not going to mention the puzzle room.

“So is peace,” he muttered.

“Go grab a beer or something. It’s almost done.” I turned back to check on the chicken and steak, pulling the pan off the heat at just the right moment.

We filled our plates, and I poured myself a glass of pink lemonade before setting it down on the island. “Want some?”

He quirked. “I see your favorite drink hasn’t changed.”

“Well, duh, because it’s delicious. Sweet and tangy, just like me.”

He chuckled, and I was back to clenching my thighs. Dammit. This man needed to come with a warning label.

“I’ll take water.”

“Boring,” I drew out. I reached to grab a glass and bumped into him as he moved to grab it himself.

“Oof.” The breath left my body as my mouth stopped close to his throat, and then his hand landed on my hip.

A shudder rolled through me, and I swore he sucked in a deep breath while his fingers squeezed my hip, not letting go.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yep, yep. Just fine. Yeah, grab a glass. I hope you like dinner,” I rambled out, still in his hold.

And then his hand was gone, and he stepped away from me.

The only thing I could hear were the sounds of my breath and water from the fridge filling his glass.

What would he do if I kissed him again?