Noelle
It had been a while since I’d had an all-night sex fest, so when I got up in the morning, my nether regions tingled from the exertion. Remy was everything I’d imagined he’d be in bed—and more. So much so that I hadn’t been able to get enough. His staying power was impressive, and the moment we touched, he was ready to go. In the light of day, though, I felt an uncomfortable urge to get going. It would be so easy to just lose myself in him, but that wasn’t an option. I was an adult, but small-town living meant everyone knew everything and Rudy was undoubtedly on the phone telling half the town I’d spent two nights with Remy Knight.
“Where are you off to?” Remy asked as I got dressed after my shower.
“Need to get to the arena and check the ice machine—it probably needs a good cleaning. Then I have some errands to run.”
“You don’t have to go,” he said quietly, his eyes finding mine. “I’d like you to stay.”
I smiled. “I’d like that too, but I have to be careful. This is a small town and everyone I’ve ever known is probably going to know I’m sleeping with the infamous Remington Knight. It’s better I don’t give them anything else to talk about.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that, but I should have.”
“It’s all right.”
“I booked a hotel room in Vancouver for the night of the game. Is that okay?”
“Of course. Much better than driving home late at night, especially this time of year when you never know what the weather will be.”
Not that either of us were thinking about driving home. Based on the way he was looking at me, he was contemplating all the fun we could have in a hotel room far away from the nosy neighbors here in Garland Grove. Which was exactly what I was thinking about.
“We could leave tomorrow morning,” he said, grabbing his keys as we got ready to go. “Spend the day in Vancouver, have an early dinner, and then go to the game.”
“I like to be there for the warm-ups,” I told him. “Is that okay?”
“Sure. You want to go down to ice level?”
“Of course. That’s half the fun!” I laughed, grabbing my bag.
We walked out to his rental and he opened the door for me. I climbed up and settled against the comfortable leather seats. I was already getting spoiled, riding around in an SUV with all the bells and whistles, sleeping in a warm, comfortable bed, and getting taken out to nice dinners. Sleeping at the arena tonight was going to suck, but at least I had tomorrow night to look forward to.
“What are you going to do today?” I asked him as he headed for the arena.
“I’m going to spend the day on the phone, taking care of all the things I’ve let slide since I got here.”
“Owning a hockey team must be pretty cool,” I said softly. “I’ll be excited to watch them on TV. I bet you’ll be a nervous wreck opening night.”
“Probably.”
“Were you nervous when you played? Like right before a game?”
“Not nervous, so much as anxious, like ready to go. That last fifteen minutes between when we were dressed and warmed up, and when the game actually started, used to drive me nuts. I could never sit still.”
“Sounds like it.”
“What about you? Were you nervous before you played?”
“Always,” I said, chuckling. “But the minute my feet hit the ice, I forgot everything but the game.”
“Me too.” He glanced at me and we smiled, a warmth passing between us that hadn’t been there before. Last night had been so, so good. Absolutely the best sex I’d ever had, and I was struggling to be casual about it in the aftermath. I’d had good sex before, but it hadn’t felt like this, and I didn’t understand why. Remy wasn’t like other men, though, and certainly not like anyone I’d ever dated. He was the whole package—the kind of man women fell head over heels for.
And I didn’t have that option.
He’d be gone in two weeks and I’d still be here, working and trying to figure out when I could afford an apartment. Even a studio. All I needed was a warm bed, a bathroom, somewhere to keep my stuff, and a microwave. I’d pawned or sold most of my stuff, including my TV and a good portion of my household stuff. For one thing, I’d needed the money. For another, I had nowhere to keep it all.
Six months, I told myself firmly. If I kept on doing what I was doing for six more months, I’d have enough to get a small place to live. And if Remy came through on getting me a raise, I’d be able to breathe for the first time in a long time.
“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” he asked as we pulled up to the arena.
“Nothing in particular.” I grabbed my bag out of the back. “So I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Hey.” He got out of the car and came around to my side.
“Hmm?” I looked up to find him lowering his mouth to mine, his lips gentle but strangely possessive. They caressed mine as if he owned them—and me—and I inadvertently sighed.
“You sure you don’t want to sleep over tonight?” he murmured, his mouth hovering a fraction of an inch from mine.
“I do, but it’s better if we don’t.” I quickly kissed him one last time and turned to go, but his arms tightened around me, keeping me tight against his solid chest.
“Last night was awesome, Noelle.” His knuckles grazed my cheek.
“It was.”
“I’m looking forward to spending tomorrow with you.”
“Me too.” I reluctantly took a step back, smiled, and hurried into the arena without looking back. A little distance would be good for us.
Well, for me anyway.
I absolutely could not get hooked on this guy.
No way, no how.
We left at eight the next morning, heading to Vancouver. I’d gone to university there and though Garland Grove was home, I’d loved my time living there. I’d had a scholarship that covered almost everything, so it had been the only four years of my life I hadn’t been worried about money. I had a place to live, food, and I loved school. Those had been good years and coming to Vancouver reminded me of them.
It was a nice day walking around, even though it was cold, but I’d worn two long-sleeve T-shirts beneath my hoodie and remembered my gloves this time. And with Remy’s arm around me as often as possible, I wasn’t even thinking about being cold. He was nothing like what I’d imagined a professional athlete, even a retired one, would be like. He was a big guy, but gentle and sweet, always opening doors, pulling out chairs, and offering to buy me things. He seemed to take my refusals in stride, but kept trying, which was as endearing as it was infuriating.
“I have a gift for you tonight,” he said as we walked up to the arena where the Vipers played. “It’s already bought and paid for, and the money went to charity, so please don’t say no.”
I arched my brows as he collected our tickets at will call and a Vancouver Vipers-themed shopping bag. He turned and handed it to me. “What is it?” I asked in confusion.
“Open it.”
I opened the bag and gasped, slowly pulling out a jersey that appeared to have been autographed by the whole team.
“If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t pay the team for it,” he said. “I made a donation to the team’s charity of choice, and they did this for me. Which I did for you.”
“Remy.” Tears puddled in my eyes because there was zero chance I was going to refuse this gift. I loved the Vipers and had never been able to afford a jersey. To have it signed by the whole team was incredibly thoughtful and I threw my arms around his neck. “Thank you.”
“Don’t cry.” He wrapped his strong arms around me. “Do you like it?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I love it.”
“Good.” He stroked my cheek. “Put it on.”
I yanked off my hoodie and pulled the jersey over my head, looking down in excitement. “This is amazing.”
“Look at the rest of what’s in the bag.”
I dug through the contents and found a travel coffee mug, team socks, a team calendar, and a commemorative puck, also signed by someone, but I didn’t recognize the signature.
“This is too much,” I whispered. “Why would they do this?”
“Because I made a huge donation and asked them to,” he said, pulling me up against him again. “I wanted tonight to be memorable.”
“Every night with you is memorable.”
Our eyes met and he kissed me. Right there on the concourse, like no one else in the world existed, his hands circling my waist. I wrapped one arm around his neck since the other was holding the shopping bag, and I kissed him back like he was mine. Like this was more than just a short-term distraction in my very mundane life.
“I don’t know where you learned to kiss,” I whispered against his mouth, “but you could probably open a school or something and women everywhere would thank you.”
He chuckled. “My hands are pretty full these days, but we can talk about it.” He looped his arm around my shoulders and we headed toward our seats.
“Mr. Knight! Mr. Knight!” A young woman who didn’t look a day over twenty came running over to us. “I’m Beth Bennett with the Vipers. Mr. Tiffoli, the team owner, would love it if you joined him in his box tonight.” She was out of breath, as if she’d run to find us, and Remy glanced at me.
“Do you want to? I have pretty awesome seats.”
“It’s up to you,” I said softly.
“Mr. Tiffoli said he very much wanted to meet you.” Beth seemed a little anxious and I squeezed Remy’s hand.
I hated that our indecision was stressing her out. “It’s fine,” I told Remy. “We can go up to the box for a while and then go to our seats.”
Remy nodded and laced his fingers through mine as we followed Beth to a private elevator. We went up a few levels and exited on the concourse where the suites and private boxes were located.
“I’m probably going to have to talk shop for a while,” he whispered against my ear. “But I’ll try to keep it short.”
“It’s fine. I love hockey and once the game starts, I won’t even remember who you are.” I laughed and he shook his head, grinning back at me.
God, he was hot.
“Remington Knight!” A short man with a shock of white hair and a loud, booming voice addressed us the moment we stepped inside the box and Remy immediately extended his hand.
“Mr. Tiffoli.”
Introductions were made, someone put a plate of food in my hand, and as he’d predicted, Remy was swept away with business talk. He glanced over at me a few times, but I waved him off, happy to sip a glass of chardonnay, nibble on appetizers even though we’d already eaten, and look down at the ice. Warm-ups had started and we were up here instead of down there, but it was okay. Remy had already made this game special, so I didn’t mind missing out. Especially since our regular seats were behind the home bench.
Despite what I’d told him, there was nothing that would make me forget Remington Knight. Not hockey, not the warm-ups, not even sitting behind the bench. Tonight had been epic so far, but it was far more about the man than the gifts or VIP treatment. Autographed jerseys and awesome seats were fun; Remy, on the other hand, was special. I’d stopped believing in happily-ever-after a long time ago, but if there was such a thing, the only man I could imagine it with was him.