Page 80 of Against The Boards

She bit her lip. “But Benny…”

“What, angel?”

“What about your family?”

“What about them?”

She cupped my bearded jaw in her small hands. “I love that you care about your family so much that you want to be closer to them. I can’t stand in the way. If you want to go to Boston…I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.”

“Angel, my family has specifically told me not to ask for a trade. They think it would jeopardize my career and my happiness.”

“But—”

“Hush. I’m not going anywhere.”

She glared at me. “Did you just freaking hush me?”

“Yeah, I did.” I gave her a cocky grin. “What are you gonna do about it?”

She gave me a wicked grin. “I think someone wants to be punished.”

I arched an eyebrow at her and licked my lips. “How about…I let you ride my beard tonight?”

She ran a hand across said beard. “I think I like that plan.”

I covered her hand with mine and kissed the tattoo on her wrist. “I knew you would, bad girl. Let’s get out of here.”

“Please. I want to spend another night wrapped up with my super hot hockey-playing boyfriend.”

I grinned at her. “Well, good because I want to be wrapped up with my even sexier hockey-playing girlfriend.”

Her smile was a thousand-watt, and I wanted to tattoo the image of that onto my brain so I would never forget it.

Chapter Twenty-Three

ROXANNE

“Come on, girl, show me what you got,” Benny coaxed from his spot three stick-lengths away.

I leveled my stick onto the ice. I couldn’t believe I was not only back on the ice, but my new boyfriend was making me run through shooting drills at the practice arena. The big guy sure was pushy.

When he woke me up this morning and said he had a surprise for me, I thought it meant more ‘YAY! We told each other how we feel’ sex. But nope—Benny was determined to get me hockey ready. He had even printed out a list of adult leagues he wanted me to consider joining in the fall. Most were on a weekend or night-time schedule since most of the players did it just for fun.

I’d rather be spending my Sunday afternoon lounging in bed with him, but it was romantic how supportive he was about me playing hockey again. I didn’t realize how much I had missed hockey until he pushed the conversation with me and made me get on the ice in Canada.

But I hadn’t imagined that today, I would run through fricking one-touch and breakout drills with him. I was rusty and getting testy, which he knew.

How could I have ever hated this kind, patient man?

I was such a bitch.

We ran through more drills until I got annoyed and iced the puck in anger. “Benny! I’m not trying to make it into the pros; I’m just trying to shake off the dust to play in a fucking beer league,” I screeched at him.

He skated over to me but was laughing. “Will you calm your tits? I’m trying to help!”

I jabbed him with my stick. “You’re annoying me.”

“C’mere you,” he ordered and skated closer to me.