Score On Me E-Book

Melody Heck Gatto

• Herausgeber: Melody Heck Gatto
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

A Fangirl romance.
Ever wonder what would happen if your hockey crush fell for you?
Kat Torella never imagined it would happen to her. She didn’t believe in love, at least not for her.
But when she meets him, Kat throws caution to the wind. After all, what girl wouldn’t want to spend a steamy night with her all-time hockey crush? Especially one with mesmerizing chocolate brown eyes, a swoon worthy smile, and shaggy sex hair.
Kris Lafleur, sexy star defenseman for the Pittsburgh Renegades ice hockey team has spent the last year dedicating himself to the game while getting over a disastrous relationship. A hopeless romantic, deep down Kris longs for a girl who is attracted to him and not his bank account.
A guy like Kris Lafleur would never see a future with someone like her. But Kris has other ideas and he’s determined not to let Kat walk out of his life.

Leseprobe

SCORE

ON ME

A Renegades Novel

by Melody Heck Gatto

Score On Me

By Melody Heck Gatto

Copyright © 2015

License Notes

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

All rights reserved. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The Pittsburgh Renegades™ is a fictional sports team. Their name and logo are created for the sole use of the owner and covered under protection of trademark.

Second Edition, 2015.

Editing by Bree from Vivid Words Editing

Cover Art by Kat McCarthy from Evening Sky Publishing Services

Contents

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

EPILOGUE

Thanks to my very patient husband, who allowed me all the time I needed to complete Score On Me. The endless writing and re-writing, the reading and re-reading. It was a labor of love, but couldn’t have been done without his love and support.

And to all of the girls out there who ever thought that they weren’t “pretty enough”… no matter what size or shape, you are all beautiful! There will always be someone trying to knock you down, but stand tall. Be confident and be happy.

Remember, don’t ever let anyone dull your sparkle!

Do what you love and love what you do.

Smile. Dance. Laugh. Love.

Remember, happiness isn’t measured in pounds…

CHAPTER 1

It was a typical January night in Pittsburgh. Snow fell in large flakes as Kat drove to the Rivers arena for a Pittsburgh Renegades hockey game. The stupid heater stopped working again, and her hands were almost numb from the freezing cold. Silently she cursed at herself. How could I forget my goddamn gloves?

“Stupid piece of shit car,” she muttered. She was irritated, but it wasn’t really because of her stupid car.

She was supposed to meet Liz at the game, but something had come up and her friend had to back out, which left Kat on her own. Her knuckles whitened as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

At twenty-four years old, Kat Torella lived alone in a tiny, but cute, apartment. She drove a junky little two-door, powder blue coupe. Kat loved her hockey; specifically, she loved Kris Lafleur. He was the team’s best defenseman. He was young, about her age, and a favorite amongst females. She fangirled over his flowing dark hair—his signature look—falling almost to his shoulders. It begged to be touched, and it always seemed to look effortlessly perfect.

She wore her Lafleur jersey, her Lafleur earrings and she had her Renegades purse. The purse signed by Kris Lafleur. That day was forever burned into her memory…

The hot sun beat down on her black jersey as she waited for practice to be over. She stood there for what felt like forever, but it was well worth the wait. Even with her long, dark brown hair gathered up in a ponytail, she was getting hot. The black fabric absorbed the heat, and she wished she’d worn a t-shirt instead, or at least a tank top under the jersey. Finally, a few of the guys walked out to the waiting crowd. Her breath caught as she gawked, motionless. Lafleur was standing right there, just a few feet away.

The people in front of her had brought sharpie markers and a t-shirt for the guys to sign. Looking over at them, her heart sped up and she started to sweat as panic set in. She didn’t have a marker or anything for him to sign. Why hadn’t she thought of that? She had her jersey on, so short of shoving her chest in his face to sign the black fabric, she was out of luck; but she had seriously considered it.

She asked the people in front of her if she could use their marker. When they moved over to hand it to her she looked up. Suddenly, she was face to face with Kris Lafleur. She froze.

The corner of his mouth turned up until a smile crossed his lips. He was even more handsome in person. His incredible smiling eyes mesmerized her, looked right into her. Somehow, she managed to smile back. At least she was able to do that.

Once he said hello she pretty much lost it. She didn’t remember standing next to him, or how she got there. She did know that she smiled a lot and had held out her Renegades purse and asked him if he would sign it. The couple standing next to her were nice enough to take her photo with the hockey hunk.

That photo now hung on the wall in her apartment.

Kat loved her hockey team, and was psyched to be going to the game, even if it was by herself. Her heart sank a little. As excited as she was to be going, it would be more fun with someone.

Snapping out of her self-pity, she concentrated on the road. She missed the rush hour traffic, so it took her only ten minutes to reach the university. Once she cut through that neighborhood she would be at the new arena.

She parked her car in the giant parking garage, pulled on her coat, and made the quick walk through the chill night air. Walking out of the garage, she admired the huge statue in front of the arena of the team’s owner and original golden boy, Ben Nolan.

The arena doors were already open, so she filed into the huge building with the other early fans, and headed over to the team store. Her eyes lit up as she walked through the rows of jerseys, and t-shirts. She brought a beautiful soft Renegades blanket to her cheek and then dropped it when she saw the hundred-dollar price tag.Stay focused. She wasn’t here for herself. She was here to buy a Tyler Kidd t-shirt for Gia, her sister, who also loved hockey. When they were younger, they would watch the games together on television and go ice-skating.

At the moment, Gia was in the Florida Keys enjoying the sun and warm weather with their parents. They always asked Kat to go too, but she had to work. Well, that was her ‘go to’ excuse. Catching a glimpse of herself in a mirror, her heart fell a little. Her stomach rumbled. Spending a week or more in a bathing suit with her parents was less than enticing.

After picking up the Tyler Kidd jersey, she had her ticket scanned and then made a beeline for the cafe.

Unfortunately, the line of hockey fans spilled out the door into the arena lobby. Disappointed and pouting, Kat slowly walked to her seat instead. She didn’t want to miss warm ups; that was her favorite part. Coffee could wait until after the game. Since she was there alone there was no reason to rush tonight. She could take her time after the game.

Walking leisurely towards her section, the tasty aroma of her favorite game time snack flooded her senses—nachos with jalapeno cheese. She raced to the counter, forgetting all about the coffee.

Once the tasty nachos were in her hands, she crossed the arena to her section. Kat pulled out her ticket, handing it to the female usher.

“You know, warm ups are getting ready to start. They’re allowing people to stand down by the glass to watch.” The usher pointed to the row by the glass.

Kat smiled at her. “Awesome, thanks!” Juggling all that she was carrying, she hurried down towards the ice. She had only sat close to the glass at practices, never at the Rivers Arena. She beat most of the crowd to the front row.

A Zamboni slid up and down the ice, making sure it was fresh for game time.

The girl next to her jumped up and down, flipping around her teased hair, and almost dipping it in Kat’s nacho cheese. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. Scanning the crowd she knew she didn’t belong here. She was in a sea of skinny blondes. For a moment the excitement drained out of her. She felt invisible. Her eyes ran over every tiny waist, large breasts trying to pop out of snug tees, and perfect asses that looked like their blue jeans were painted on. She hadn’t seen jeans that size in—well, she probably never saw jeans that size. Her fat ass was nothing to stare at, unless someone was making fun of it. They might as well put her up on the Jumbotron for all to see: the wide-load in the front row, stuffing her face with nachos.

Crunching down on another chip, her eyes landed on a thin girl glaring at her as she looked Kat over.

“Hey watch it!” The girl snapped, as she flipped her hair practically in Kat’s cheese sauce. “Don’t get that cheese on me, fatty.”

Ignoring her, Kat turned her attention to the ice. She could see her reflection in the glass, that round, chubby little girl was staring back at her. The one that was teased in school when her chubby thighs rubbed together and made her shorts ride up. The chubby girl that other kids chased around at recess, laughing at her attempt to run. The chubby girl people always stared at as she ate.

The smallest thing could set her off. As an adult she was generally happy with herself. Sure, she wasn’t anywhere near skinny. But, she was happy, until she saw a reflection of herself. Well, and then there was her mom. She wasn’t a bad person, but she never hid her disgust at Kat’s size. She was a catalyst behind her weight worries. Kat was only a size fourteen, but that wasn’t approved weight in the Torella household. That was fat. She was fat.

She closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath. Maybe she shouldn’t have sat in the front row. It would have been easier to hide farther back. Opening her eyes back up, she searched the ice for the players.

The music started. She ate some of her nachos watching the guys skate out onto the ice. She could almost reach out and touch them from here, if the glass wasn’t in the way, that was. The goalies were on the ice first. They skated to their nets, and started to stretch. Kaden O’Conner, was in the net closer to Kat. He sprawled on the ice, doing splits and stretches that she didn’t even think she was capable of doing! Lifting his helmet up, his dark blond hair fell in his eyes. He poured some water in his mouth, then spat it out onto the ice.

Waiting for his teammates, he skated in wide arcs around the ice, passing right by where she was standing. He was so close to her. Before she had much time to think about being that close to a Renegades player, the other guys started to hit the ice. There was Kris Lafleur! She could see his number from across the ice. He didn’t have his helmet on and his hair blew around as he glided along the ice.

He is so damn hot. Her breath caught in her throat as her heart skipped a beat.

Watching him skate gave her butterflies. She normally wasn’t the type of girl to go ga-ga over movie stars or anything like that. But she had a crazy thing for this hockey player! She couldn’t explain it, there was something about those deep, brown eyes, the way they captivated her. However, Kat was no puck bunny. She loved the game itself. She’d loved it for longer than she could remember; the hot guys were just a bonus. A big bonus.

Gia had bought her a puck bunny t-shirt for her birthday last year as a joke. She always teased Kat and said she wouldn’t know what to do with Lafleur if she was ever lucky enough to get her hands on him. On the contrary, Kat was pretty sure she would know exactly what to do with him!

She tossed a huge chip into her mouth, nacho cheese dribbled down her chin. Of course, at that very moment Kris Lafleur skated towards where she was standing. He was only a few feet from her. Even though they were separated by glass, her heart raced. Lafleur looked into the crowd, catching her eye. His gaze stayed on her as his teammates skated around him.

He wasn’t just looking at the fans, he was looking at her. She blinked a few times. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? But it was real. He was staring directly at her, the girl with nacho cheese dripping down her chin. Really? Crap! I’m such a mess! She quickly wiped her chin with her napkin. Her face burned with embarrassment.

She watched as his eyes moved to the ice and he skated backwards a few strides. He was farther away from the glass, but he looked back up at her and grinned. Her heart skipped a beat. This couldn’t be happening.

She watched as his eyes moved to the ice and he skated backwards a few strides. He was farther away from the glass, but he looked back up at her and grinned. Her heart skipped a beat. This couldn’t be happening.

Kids and girls screamed, “Lafleur!” and pounded on the glass. There was even a girl with really big boobs holding a “Marry Me Kris” sign, and bouncing more than she needed to. But he never moved his eyes from Kat, ignoring the other fans around her, ignoring the homemade signs and even ignoring all of the big boobs. He nodded in Kat’s direction with that small smile on his lips, then skated to the other end of the ice.

She watched him speed up, skating around the net. Did Kris Lafleur just smile at her? At her? No…

CHAPTER 2

Kris stepped onto the ice as the music started to echo throughout the building. His heart pounded in his chest when he looked around the arena. Fans packed the first few rows of the lower bowl. Little kids had their noses pressed up against the glass. Well-endowed young women were bouncing up and down, their boobs barely staying in their tight shirts.

He always enjoyed warm ups. He liked being out there and taking it all in before putting on his helmet and suiting up for the game. He quickened his stride, grabbing a puck and controlling it with his stick as he sped around the ice. He stickhandled it gracefully down the boards and shot it between the goalie’s legs. Gliding behind the net, he circled back in front and caught the rebound from Jasper’s shot. Tossing it towards the net, it bounced off of Dominic’s pads and spun into the goal.

Poor kid.

Dom was new this year and doing his best as the Renegades backup goalie. Luckily, with Kaden in net they didn’t need to call on him too much. He had talent; he just needed practice to build up his confidence.

The cheers from the fans became louder as he approached the glass.

Looking up into the crowd of people, he laid eyes on a beautiful brunette. She was eating nachos, and a bit of cheese dripped down her chin. Wow, she had the most amazing blue eyes. Even from the ice they sparkled. Kris probably stared longer than he should’ve, but he couldn’t help it.

Once she realized she had cheese on her face, she nervously wiped it away. The whole time, his eyes never left her. She was beautiful, even with the smear of cheese. He didn’t know why he couldn’t stop watching her. He could hear the fans screaming. He could hear the females and the little kids calling out players’ names. Normally he scanned the crowd, admiring the big breasts and hard female bodies. But tonight his attention was stuck solely on her.

He continued to watch the mystery girl as he skated backwards a bit. She had his jersey on. That was cute. She was cute. She wasn’t flaunting her body and her boobs weren’t bouncing around, but she held his stare.

The whistle blew; Coach Walker called the team over. Kris tore himself away from her eyes and looked down at the ice. He started to skate away, but not before recapturing her attention and flashing a small smile at her.

After the team paused for a little pep talk from Coach Walker, players slowly started to leave the ice. Dominic was the first to go.

Tyler Kidd, the team captain, was talking to Coach Walker by the bench as the crowd chanted his name. Tyler was always appreciative of his fans. He waved to the crowd before he left the ice.

Kris was still shooting pucks at O’Conner.

The girls continued to scream for him. Wondering if that cute brunette was still there, he took one last skate past where she was standing. His eyes met with hers. The young girls went crazy, screaming and banging on the glass for him. He just shook his head, laughing.

Coach Walker skated towards him also laughing, “Oh those girls, Kris.”

He looked up at the brunette for just a second. Hoping she knew he was watching her. Were her seats along the glass? Or maybe behind the bench? He would certainly love to meet up with her later, but the chances he’d ever see her again weren’t good. He hoped if nothing else he would be able to get a glimpse of her during the game.

Sighing, he followed Coach Walker off the ice. Hopping onto the runway, he disappeared into the locker room.

****

The team split into two groups, each skating in a circle on half of the ice. Even though it was always fun to see the players drop and stretch a little as the goalies practiced moving side to side, pretending to protect their net, Kat’s eyes never left Lafleur. He skated to the bench, took off his glove and examined the blade of his stick. She watched intently as he tugged at the hockey tape to make sure it was secure.

Obviously she’d just imagined that little bit of interaction between the two of them.

There is no way in hell he was just smiling at me, the fatty with nacho cheese dripping down her face. He was probably looking at that Barbie doll blonde over there with her boobs hanging out. Kat was not blonde, nor did she look like a Barbie doll; she was a curvy brunette. She sighed. It was highly unlikely that he’d been looking at her, but it was nice to dream.

Warm ups were over, and all of the players had left the ice. Kat couldn’t stop thinking about Kris Lafleur. Had he really been looking at her? Was she insane for even thinking that he had? In a daze, she slowly made her way to her seat. Her seats were pretty good. She was in the upper bowl, but in the second row. She set her jacket and bag on the spare seat beside her, and took a look around the arena. Two championship banners hung from the rafters. The scoreboard played video highlights and showed previously recorded player interviews. Music played; it was low and up tempo. Snacking on her nachos, she finished them off just as the lights dimmed.

The video on the scoreboard switched to live feed of the players standing outside the locker room. In preparation for the game, they joked and tapped each other with their sticks, getting pumped as they did before every game. Kaden O’Conner, the goalie, had his mask resting on his head. He was the first one to head out onto the ice. As he passed the camera, he tapped the cameraman with his stick. Kaden then flashed a sexy smile into the camera followed by a goofy face sticking his tongue out. The crowd roared with laughter as Kaden flipped his mask on and headed down the runway to the ice.

The camera followed them to the tunnel leading to the ice as the music changed to the Renegades entrance song. The bass rumbled in her chest, lights flashed around the ice and sirens blared. The crowd yelled and screamed, and the music volume increased. The lights turned back on once the players poured out onto the ice again and the buzzer rang. Through all the noise the announcer yelled, “Your Pittsburgh Renegades!”

They skated around to the loud music until it stopped. They either took their starting position on the ice, or on the bench. When it was time for the national anthem, Kris Lafleur stood on the ice, holding his helmet in his hand. He bowed his head while a small girl sang. Kat watched as his damp brown hair covered his face. She couldn’t take her eyes off of that image.

At ten after seven the puck dropped. Tyler Kidd took possession of the puck first, stealing it from Colorado and moving it clear into their end. Kidd spun around and passed the puck to Matt Jasper. He shot at the net, but the goalie deflected his shot. Lafleur skated across in front of the net to catch the rebound and tossed it over the goalie’s shoulder into the net. Score! The buzzer rang throughout the arena.

Colorado didn’t like the fact that the Renegades scored on them so quick. As Lafleur and Kidd were skating to the bench to change lines, a player from Colorado tried to slew foot Tyler Kidd, but he lost his balance and instead shoved Lafleur into the boards. Lafleur and Kidd waved their hands in the air, calling to the refs looking for a penalty, but nothing was called.

When the second period started, Lafleur skated right after the Colorado player who knocked him down. While trying to knock the puck away from him, Lafleur’s stick got caught under the Colorado player’s skate. The Colorado player stumbled, but instead of regaining his footing and continuing to skate, he looked back at Lafleur, then purposely sprawled on the ice, drawing a tripping penalty on Lafleur.

Lafleur was sent to the penalty box for a two-minute minor penalty. The arena erupted in disgust. Kat booed along with them. It was a bad call—it should’ve been diving on Colorado! Kat had a good view of the penalty box. Lafleur took off his helmet and pushed his damp hair back with his hand. That same image appeared on the Jumbotron as the female fans cheered and made catcalls for the attractive player.

His image faded off the screen and play continued. Kat watched him in the box, checking the tape on his stick.

Once his penalty expired, he flew back onto the ice, joining his line at the rush in front of the net. He grabbed the puck and passed it to Kidd, who launched it right into the net.

Goal!

Lafleur was two for two tonight so far. Colorado tried fighting back. Tyler Kidd scored a power play goal then Colorado scored two before the second period ended with the Renegades leading three to two.

People shuffled around her, taking this opportunity to go get snacks or just take a much needed break. Stadium food was her favorite. Cheesy nachos, greasy fries, and anything in between. She’d always loved food. Her family was Italian, and they loved to eat. Too bad everything she ate went to her ass. And her waist. And her hips.

Her sister, Gia, was lucky. She was never overweight. The girl could eat anything she wanted and never gain an ounce. It’s not like they had a choice as kids though. Junk food was not allowed in the house. Her mom ruled with an iron fist, and the kitchen was off limits. Period. She was pretty sure her mom had a silent alarm on the refrigerator, because every time she tried to sneak a treat her mom appeared out of nowhere to scold her.

The loud cheering of the crowd brought her attention back to the game.

“Go Renegades!” Kat cheered, as her mind cleared of the nasty memories.

She scanned the ice for Lafleur, and her heart beat quickly as her gaze finally settled on him. She sighed. He was beautiful, his strong physique gliding around the ice.

But a guy like Lafleur didn’t go for fat girls. He was out of her league and she was wasting her time dreaming.

Colorado started the third period with a goal, tying the game at three apiece. Kat was on the edge of her seat the entire third period. The Renegades kept getting great scoring opportunities, but since Colorado put in their backup goalie after the Renegades third goal, he hadn’t let another goal in.

Tyler Kidd had many opportunities to score, but he just couldn’t get any of them in the net. The Colorado goalie seemed like a brick wall. Tonight just wasn’t Kidd’s night. Regulation ended in a 3–3 tie, and then it was time for sudden death overtime. Kat squealed, giddy with excitement and a ball of nerves all at the same time. She loved overtime.

Everyone stood as Tyler Kidd went after the puck. Kat jumped out of her seat, stepping right into her empty nachos tray.

“Oh crap.” She looked down at her feet, but luckily the cheese was empty so it didn’t make a mess. Kicking it to the side she tucked it under the seat.

She yelled and clapped as Tyler Kidd passed the puck from the face-off to Tanner MacAuley. Lafleur raced up the ice towards the net and MacAuley passed it to him. He shot it, flipping the puck right over the goaltender’s shoulder.

“Woo-hoo! Lafleur! Yay!” Kat cheered at the top of her lungs.

The crowd roared. All the fans stood with their hands in the air. Kris Lafleur had scored the game winning goal for the Renegades in overtime.

Kat giggled as they showed Lafleur on the scoreboard scoring the goal and throwing his fist in the air yelling. The other players grouped around him hugging each other and giving him high-fives.

The players piled on to the ice, congratulating each other, especially the goalie, Kaden O’Conner. Each tapped him on the helmet.

Before the team even left the ice people started to file out of the arena. Kat’s section was already almost empty.

The announcer’s voice filled the arena revealing the game’s three stars.

“Number three-Kaden O’Conner, number two-Tyler Kidd and tonight’s number one star-Kris Lafleur!”

Each player returned to the ice for a victory lap, lifting their stick to the crowd, before exiting the ice.

Kat really didn’t want the night to end; she was having a great time. A shiver ran through her body. Rubbing her arms she tried to warm up. Gathering her things up, she headed out to the concessions area. Walking by the coffee shop, she noticed there wasn’t anyone in line. She ordered the best Café Mocha. The warm aroma enticed her taste buds. Sitting down at a small table she wrapped her still cold hands around the cup and sipped the delicious creamy drink as she people-watched.

People were always in a mad rush to get out of the arena. Kat was grateful to be able to sit and watch, while not being part of it. She would leave once it calmed down. Her mind kept going back to the warm up skate and Kris Lafleur. Did that really happen?

Her phone buzzed. It was a text message from Gia.

Hey sis, how was the game? Hope you had fun!

Hey sis! It was awesome! Kat texted back.

Glad to hear it! I watched some of it online, Lafleur was on fire! Did you get my shirt?

Yep, got it, and Lafleur was hot! And his game was good too. lol! Do I have story for you…

She told her all about the nacho cheese all over her face and she swore Lafleur looked up at her. Gia didn’t believe her until Kat went through the whole story. It was hard for her to even believe, especially in a crowd with so many puck bunnies just waiting to get their claws on a player. She actually saw a few walk by as she was texting Gia. They were hanging around the hallways until security asked them to leave. Kat had to chuckle as they were escorted out.

After saying goodnight to Gia, she looked through the photos she’d taken on her phone during warm ups. They came out pretty nice. She’d taken a real good one of Kidd. Her sister was sure to like that. She got a close up of when Lafleur and Coach Walker skated over to the corner. She smiled when she thought about what an amazing night it turned out to be. She was sure to have pleasant dreams tonight.

Kat sipped her coffee and was daydreaming when she heard voices echo in the hallway. Trying to focus back on reality, she realized that she was the only one left in that part of the arena, and the only one in the coffee shop.

Two men walked towards the coffee shop; both men were wearing suits. It was two Renegades players. Matt Jasper and Kris Lafleur.

CHAPTER 3

Kat froze in her seat as Kris Lafleur approached the counter. She did her best not to stare, yet she was failing miserably. She couldn’t look away, she couldn’t move, and the hockey hunk was walking her way.

All she could focus on was the six-foot hockey god, who was standing right in front of her. She nervously played with her hair as her heart raced. Warmth flooded her face as the blood rushed to her cheeks. She must’ve been turning some crazy shade of red. Her heart pounded so loud that it was deafening.

Her hands began to shake. Grabbing her coffee cup with both hands she hoped to steady them or at least to hide the trembling. She knew he was a big guy, but damn, he towered over her. She saw his lips move. He was talking to her, but she couldn’t hear anything over the pounding of her own heart.

He paused, watching her. Then he spoke again. “I said, nice sweater.” The way his French accent mixed with his English made Kat melt. He chuckled softly, seemingly amused with her.

Kat realized he was referring to her Lafleur jersey. Her face had to be red; it felt on fire.

“Mind if I sit with you?”

She blinked numerous times, convinced she was seeing things. She thought for sure when she opened her eyes there would be no one standing there. But there he was.

Struggling to find her voice, she tried not to let him see her tremble. She shifted in her seat.

“Sure. Have a seat, Kris Lafleur…” She pointed to the empty chair. Her voice shook and she smiled uncontrollably. She was pretty sure that she looked like a fool. Maybe a circus clown. All she could do was stare into those amazing chocolate-brown eyes.

“Kris. Please, just call me Kris,” he said with a smirk. He sat down and mussed his damp hair, pushing it to one side.

Kat sighed longingly, wishing she could run her fingers through that hair.

“Wow, you are really decked out in fifty-eight stuff.”

If she wasn’t beat red before, then she was sure that she was now.

He looked like he hadn’t shaved in a day or so. His beard and mustache were starting to fill in, just enough to frame his face. She liked the stubble; it was sexy. He smiled when he noticed her staring, and he rubbed at his facial hair. She had seen him do that in interviews and always wondered if it was a nervous habit.

“I’m Kat,” she said. Her heart skipped a beat as he tried to tuck his hair behind his ear and it flopped back down to his face again.

“Nice to meet you, Kat.” Reaching over the table he shook her hand. “Kat… I like that. Is that short for anything? Katrina? Or maybe Katherine?”

“Um, thanks…” Kat tripped over her words. “Yes. It’s short for Katherine. No one ever calls me Katherine though. I’ve just always been Kat.” She smiled and shrugged. Only her mother ever called her Katherine.

For a few moments they sat in silence, just sipping their coffee.

Speak up, girl, Kat told herself. She hesitated and watched Kris sip his coffee. He had glanced away and she couldn’t help herself from staring. He had on a light gray striped suit with a light pink colored shirt. Before she could tear her eyes away, he looked up, catching her watching. He simply smiled, giving her butterflies, and making her lady parts tingle.

Girl, just speak up and stop staring! You’re acting like a freak.

“That was a really great game, Kris,” she said, finally breaking the silence. Her hands were still shaking, and she felt tongue-tied. She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Thanks,” Kris said as he ran his fingers through that sexy dark hair again. “Exhausting.” He chuckled. “But nothing some caffeine can’t cure. Right?”

“Caffeine, right.” She scrambled for something else interesting to talk about. “This place has the best coffee.” Obviously, he would know that, duh, she thought. Tossing her hair off her shoulder, she smoothed a piece behind her ear. She crossed her legs, letting them peek out from under the table. She was never great at flirting, but he was hot, and she had his attention, so why not?

She saw his eyes wander away from her face and down to her legs. She had on tight jeans and black high heel boots.

She was doing her best to play it cool as she sat with him. She really didn’t want to act like a crazy fangirl. Thankfully she hadn’t made one of those ‘Marry Me Kris’ signs. How embarrassing would that have been?

He cleared his throat and brought his gaze back to the table. This is fun, but I’m sure he has a gorgeous Barbie doll blonde waiting for him at home, she thought. She fumbled with her coffee as he leaned forward in his chair, both elbows on the table. He grinned and looked interested in what she had to say.

“Obviously you’re a big hockey fan,” he said, motioning to her jersey.

“Obviously.” She giggled and lifted her cup to take a sip. Shaking it she realized it was almost empty. She drank what little was left and then set the cup back down on the table.

“Do you need another one?” Reaching over he shook her cup to see if it was empty. Electricity shot through her when his hand brushed against hers. His arm muscles flexed and bulged against his suit jacket. Everything seemed to freeze for a second.

Then they both pulled away slowly and exchanged nervous smiles. She paused to compose herself, then noticed he was staring at her.

****

Kris could not take his eyes off her; she was beautiful. Her crystal eyes sparkled, her silken hair sat softly on her shoulder and she flirtingly flipped it around. The way she sipped her coffee then slowly licked her lips attracted him. He wanted to kiss those delicious lips. Never had he been so completely fascinated with a girl before. He didn’t even know her yet; but he wanted to.

When it came to relationships, he thought he’d been ruined. He was sure his ex, Anna, had accomplished that before she left. Since her, he hadn’t trusted anyone enough to give them his love. Keeping his distance had served him best. But the way his pulse raced every time he looked at this girl made him think she might just change that.

His body reacted as he watched her lick her lips before she spoke. She had stunning, full lips. She intrigued him. This girl already had him sporting a nice hard-on. Observing the way her lips moved as she spoke only made his pants tighter. She made him nervous, but he had to know more about her. He’d like to know what she looked like under that jersey.

It was cute how she was nervous and bashful. The way her hands shook uncontrollably, and her cheeks turned pink every time he smiled at her. When his hand brushed against her soft skin his whole body tingled. He wasn’t used to girls making him nervous. He was usually the confident one making the girls squirm. But she was different. He couldn’t put his finger on why, but he knew she was.

Smiling shyly, her eyes were bright. She had his brain all scrambled. He scratched at his facial hair; it had become a nervous habit of his.

“So have you always been a hockey fan?” he asked.

“Yeah, as long as I can remember. When I was little I even insisted on learning how to ice skate.” She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

“So did I.” He teased. “Do you work?”

“I do, actually. I’m a reporter for the local paper, a sports reporter. I like it fine, except I’m fairly new, so I don’t get the big gigs like Renegades stuff. I get assignments like pee-wee hockey tournaments or high school. But it’s still fun.”

“That’s really cool. Maybe someday you’ll work with the Renegades.”

She shook her head and laughed. “No, I highly doubt that!” She waved off his suggestion. “I’m not going to hold my breath.”

A young clerk from behind the counter approached their table. “Um…” She hesitated, looking at Kris timidly. “Mr. Lafleur, I’m sorry, but it’s late and we need to close up. The arena is already closed.” She shifted her feet and anxiously played with her hair.

“No worries.” Kris smiled at her and checked her nametag. “Kimmy. Hey, thanks for letting us stay so long. We’ll get our things together and get out of your way.” With a relieved look on her face, the young girl walked back to the counter.

Kris noticed the empty cafe and chuckled. “You would think I would know when this place closes! Oh well. Hey, uh, I know a cafe that has even better coffee than this place.” Tripping over his words he continued. “Would you… like to join me?” Tucking some of his hair behind his ear, he stood and pulled out her chair for her as she stood too. “I’ll be right back.”

While waiting on her answer, he walked to the register. He smiled at Kimmy and pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and tucked it into the tip jar.

“Thanks guys! Have a good night!” Kimmy called.

Walking back to Kat he asked, “So? What do you think?”

CHAPTER 4

Kat wasn’t sure what to think exactly. “Me?” Like there was anyone else in the cafe besides her, duh. “With you?” She felt stupid she’d said that. You could’ve responded like an intelligent person, she thought. Standing next to him made putting together coherent sentences difficult, almost impossible.

“Sure. I’ve really enjoyed talking, and I’d like to continue our conversation. What do you say?” Kris asked.

She swallowed hard. His smile made the butterflies do somersaults in her stomach—the last thing she needed was more caffeine. “Sure.”

It was cold, and the empty parking garage was dimly lit. They walked so close that he kept brushing up against her. Kris walked with his head down, but he kept glancing over at her. Her insides were squealing, and her face burned. Was he flirting with her? That’s not possible; she wasn’t anything special.

How was any of this even happening? She wasn’t the typical arm candy that Kris Lafleur walked around with. She thought about saying no to more coffee, giving him an easy out. But she didn’t want this fantasy of a night to end.

Kat headed towards her car; it was parked in a different lot than his, him being a player and all.

“Why don’t we, uh, ride together? If that’s… okay?” Kris rubbed at his right sideburn as he stuttered through his words.

She paused, not quite sure what to say. “I…” The words were just not forming. This whole night had been a dream come true. Talking to him was so easy, not to mention he was insanely attractive.

“I’ll take care of the parking, so don’t worry about that. Unless you, uh, don’t want to go. That would be okay, I mean… it is up to you.”

They stood silent for a moment. She stared at him. He was trying to give her an out. That was sweet, but she definitely didn’t want an out.

Finally he spoke up “I thought we could continue our conversation, but if you—”

“Um… Sure, let’s go,” she interrupted him mid-sentence. “Oh, and don’t worry about the parking.” She was having a hard time worrying about her junky old car while looking into those brown eyes.

“I know the guy who owns the garage; it won’t be a problem,” Kris said with a smile. He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her to the security lot that he was parked in. When he touched her back, chills ran up her spine.

He led her to a black Jeep Grand Cherokee. It was a fancy model, but she wasn’t sure what kind exactly.

He opened the passenger side door for her and she hopped in. The interior of the Jeep was nice, dark gray leather seats, and not a speck of dust anywhere.

When he sat in the driver side, he looked over and smiled at her.

Oh that smile… that hair… Okay Kat, just enjoy this. Really, how often does something like this happen? Trying to relax, she sat back in her seat.

“Very nice Jeep,” she said, impressed.

“Thanks. I have a thing for Jeeps. I have a black Jeep Wrangler at home too. I don’t take that out much in the winter.”

As she was running her hand over the soft leather interior, he caught her hand in his. Kat trembled as his strong hand wrapped around hers.

****

They arrived at East Coast Coffee. It was a charming little coffee shop not far from the arena.

Kris smiled as he watched her taking it all in, the light beige walls and the dark green tables.

“Cute place,” she said, looking around with wide eyes. Photographs that hung on the walls were of the city of Pittsburgh, some of the bridges at night, some of the various sports venues in the area, like the Rivers Arena, the old Icehouse that stood before Rivers was built, and the city’s football and baseball arenas.

“Yeah, it is. I thought you might like it.”

After ordering their coffees they found a quiet corner to sit. Kat took a seat at the small round table, and rubbed her hands together, trying to warm them up.

“Can’t get warm?” he asked, sitting opposite. Their knees lightly brushed together under the table.

“Well, no, I can’t seem to get warm, my hands are freezing. I forgot my gloves tonight, and—” Before she could finish her sentence, Kris reached over and grabbed her hands. He slid his hot hands over hers, warming them up.

“Better?” he asked.

Kat nodded. Her face flushed pink.

“Oh!” Her phone buzzed and she jumped, pulling her hands back to grab it out of her jacket pocket. After a quick glance at the screen, she silenced it and slid it inside her purse.

“Better now?” He grinned.

“What?” Kat asked, confusion showing on her face.

“Your hands, better? Warmer now?” Still smiling, he didn’t feel so nervous now for some reason. It amused him that she was so flustered. It was kind of cute. Everything about her was kind of cute.

“Oh yes, thank you,” she answered softly.

“I meant to ask you, were you at the game all alone tonight?” he asked, making small talk. His pants grew tighter each time her leg accidentally brushed against his under the table. There was no mistake he wanted this girl.

If he planned to hook up with someone it never took him this long. With Kat something was just different. He wanted to know about her. Looking into her soft eyes he saw kindness. And lust. He also saw lust. Her soft blue eyes sparkled in the fluorescent light every time she smiled.

Her teeth pulled at her bottom lip, nibbling on it for a moment.

“Yeah, I was.” She explained how she was supposed to be here with her sister. Then when that didn’t work out she invited her coworker, Liz. Unfortunately, she’d cancelled at the last minute.

“Her loss, my gain.” Trying to be smooth, he hoped it didn’t sound too cheesy.

“Yeah.” Her teeth pulled at her bottom lip again. “I should’ve known she was going to bail on me. I don’t really know her all that well. But, no biggie.” Kat shrugged.

“Okay, well, at least you enjoyed the game. We won, of course.” He couldn’t help the cocky smile that slid across his lips.

“Little smug, aren’t we?” she giggled.

“Nah, not at all. Who wouldn’t be confident with Tyler Kidd on their team?”

“Well, you got me there.” She shrugged, her mouth curling up at the side.

Her mouth was delicate. He wanted to kiss it and see if it was as soft as it appeared. His body throbbed; he wanted her. Looking around he was reminded they were in the middle of a coffee shop.

“We’re the top team in our division right now. I’m hoping we make it to the Cup this year. We’re having a good run so far. The honor of hoisting that trophy at age twenty-four—now that would be heaven.” Unless he could kiss those luscious lips, because that would be heaven too.

“Twenty-four, huh?”

He tilted his head at her comment. “Yeah? Don’t tell me you didn’t know from all of the media that I’m twenty-four.”

Kat looked down at the table and shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

Kicking back in his seat, he folded his arms as a satisfied grin lit up his face.

“I’m twenty-four, too.” She quietly squeaked out. Her eyes slowly moved up to meet his stare. “But you’ve already accomplished so much more in life than me.”

“C’mon.” He waved her comment off. “Tell me something about you. Tell me about your job.”

“No, that’s boring. You don’t want to hear about that.” She shook her head, trying hard to hide a bashful smile.

He gently slid his hand onto hers. “Sure I do.”

She silently stared at his hand holding hers. For a moment he wondered if he’d made her uncomfortable, but she didn’t pull away so he left his hand on hers. He needed to touch her.

“So, you report on hockey tournaments? And you like it just fine. But it’s not the big leagues. Yet.”

“Pretty much.” She giggled. “You summed it up nicely. But like you said, it’s not the big leagues.”

“So, that purse?” He nodded towards her purse. He could see his signature on it.

“Yeah…” She pulled her hand away, lowering her eyes.

“I remember signing that.”