Heat it Up: Off the Ice - Book One (25 page)

“Hey, you okay?” I ask.

She slips her phone into the front pocket of her backpack. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” she says, avoiding my question.

“Is something wrong?” I nod at her bag.

She bites her lip and I can tell she’s deliberating how much to tell me. She glances at her bag. “Joni asked me to go with him to his cousin’s wedding. Lovisa was supposed to be his date but she can’t go now.”

“And you don’t want to go?” It could be worse.

“It’s near Jyväskylä. I have to spend the weekend there.”

Several emotions flare in me. I was right. It could be worse. What Joni has planned
is
worse. He knows she’s battling with the decision of whether she should go back to Minneapolis at the end of summer or stay with her grandmother. We haven’t talked about it since she brought it up at the hospital, but I know she’s thinking about it.

“Why would you agree to that?” I snap.

She gapes at me for several seconds. “Because he’s my friend. And because the University of Jyväskylä has a world-renowned athletic research center. I mean, it’s not like I’ll get to do anything there, but it’s still cool to check out the place.” And no doubt Joni knew all of this before he asked her.

She looks at her watch and scrambles up. “I need to go. I’ll talk to you later.” She doesn’t look at me as she gathers her stuff and I don’t try convincing her to stay a little longer.

I just watch her walk away, taking a piece of my heart with her.

A piece of my heart I’ve unknowingly, bit by bit, been giving her.

The next day, I step out of the sports center, practically bouncing off the walls after a meeting with Rafu this morning. Kyle is waiting near the road, watching cars drive past.

“Hi?” I say, unsure where we stand after yesterday.

He reaches for me and pulls me close, then murmurs in my ear, “I’m sorry for being such an asshole yesterday.”

I wrap my arms around his neck, our bodies pressed together. “Apology accepted. This time.” Even though I say the last two words with a teasing smile, there’s no missing what I’m really saying—as long as he doesn’t think he has the right to tell me who I can hang out with.

He kisses my neck, and the familiar electrifying warmth spreads through me.

“God, I’ve missed you.” His mouth finds mine before I can reply.

The kisses start out gentle, small tastes of what the other person has to offer. But the sweet samples aren’t enough, and the kisses become heated, to the point where I’m surprised we haven’t evaporated on the sidewalk. Who knew friends-with-benefits kisses could be so hot?

We wander along a side street, checking out the small stores on the lower level of the historic low-rise buildings. These aren’t the stores that draw tourists, who prefer sticking to the city’s core. But they still showcase designs unique to Finland—jewelry, dishware, glass vases and bowls—with their simple lines and geometric shapes. Kyle’s oddly quiet. He doesn’t even mention anything to do with physics.

“Rafu tracked me down this morning,” I say, the excitement from our conversation still bubbling inside me. “He did his Masters in Sports and Exercise Medicine at the University of Jyväskylä, and has arranged for someone to introduce me around. And I’ll get to talk to some people there about their current research.” The news comes out so fast, I’d be surprised if Kyle understands half of what I said.

“Hey, that’s great.”

“Work is giving me two days off so I can do this.” I was going to catch a train back to Helsinki, but Joni said he’s fine staying a few extra days to visit family.

For some reason, this part of my news isn’t met with the same response as when I told Kyle about what Rafu said. He points to a store with handcrafted glassware in the window. “Let’s check in here. I want to get my mom a present.”

We end up at a display of glass birds in an array of shapes and sizes. I stroke the head of a swan, its neck long and graceful. Next to it are the cutest little birds. They’re similar to the swans, only a lot fatter and neck-less. And unlike the swans, they come in a rainbow of colors.

“How about this one?” I point to a royal blue bird the size of a large apple. Its head is clear colorless glass.

Kyle picks it up and pays for it. Despite finding the perfect gift for his mom, his mood hasn’t changed much. Unable to hold back any longer, I finally ask him what’s wrong as we continue exploring the area.

“It’s nothing.”

I stop and shake my head. “My last relationship was nothing but lies. I don’t need you lying to me too.” Because if that’s what it’s going to be about, then I’ll walk away, permanently.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing.” He looks toward a small park across the street, where several teenage boys are playing street hockey on the concrete surface. He grabs my hand and leads me over there.

On the other side of where the teens are playing, Maija is sitting on the bench with a girl who looks to be six or seven years old. She waves at us and we join them.

Kyle glances at the teens, a look of longing on his face. It’s the same look he wore the other day when I watched him coach.

Maija talks in Finnish to the girl before she says to us, “This is my niece, Emilia. My nephew is playing hockey with his friends.” She nods at the teens as a tall, gangly fourteen-year-old heads our way. His eyes widen and he speaks rapid Finnish to Kyle.

Before Kyle can respond, Maija replies to whatever the boy just said. He nods and says to Kyle in halted English, “Would you like…like to play with us?”

The life that jumps back into Kyle’s eyes is breathtaking. “I’d love to.”

While he plays street hockey with the boys, I take out my camera and shoot dozens of pictures. The joy on his face warms me more than the warmest day ever could. The game pauses a few times while he gives them pointers. The boys eagerly ask questions and one of the older ones appears to translate. Otherwise, Kyle mimes what is lost in translation.

As I take pictures, Maija and I talk about our job and the funnier things that have happened. Like Maija “accidentally” spilling dirty water on the shoes of the jerks who had been harassing me. Fortunately, they haven’t bothered me again since the day Kyle confronted them. Emilia watches my camera with great interest, and I show her how to use it. She shoots a picture of her brother that’s pretty good, even if she did tilt the camera so it looks like he’s falling over. It adds to the artistry.

Kyle saunters up to us and holds out his hand to me. “Your turn. I’m gonna show you the finer points of street hockey.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m not very good at it.”

He lifts an eyebrow. “Have you tried it before?”

“Um, well, no.”

“Then you can’t know if you’re not good at it.”

I snort. “Trust me, I know. I suck at all team sports. I’m better at sports like running and Nordic skiing.”

He beckons me forward with his finger. With a resigned sigh, I hand my camera to Maija and walk with him to join the boys. One of them hands me a hockey stick and Kyle points to where he wants me to stand. I’ve seen enough ice hockey games with Claire in high school to know how to play. Kind of. At least I don’t have to worry about slipping on the ice and landing on my butt. Running around is much more my style, and I can concentrate on stealing the ball away from the opposite team. I succeed a few times, but end up passing the ball to my teammates. The other team knows I’m beyond the weakest link. They don’t even have to try very hard to steal the ball from me. It goes to them by its own free will.

I do, though, manage to get it in front of the net at one point and shoot the ball, without really aiming it at anything. I was just attempting to keep the ball away from the teen who was determined to steal it from me. I don’t know if his goalie felt sorry for me or had been overly confident the ball wouldn’t go anywhere near the net. All I know is the ball somehow finds its way in and I score.

Shock at what happened rams into me and I stand there, gawking at the net and the ball. It’s not until Kyle sweeps me up in his arms and swings me around that I snap out of it.

“Did you see that?” I say. “I scored!”

He laughs. “You did. You’re a natural.” He’s kidding but I don’t care. I. Got. A. Freakin’. Goal.

I fling my arms around his neck and kiss him hard. He lifts me and my legs hitch around his waist. The adrenalin flowing through me turns me into a mess. The way our bodies touch isn’t helping any either. Maybe it’s the exhilaration of the moment, but I’m incredibly turned on.

I pull away slightly. “Are hockey players usually this horny after they score?”

He grins, barely suppressing a laugh, and I suddenly realize what I said. I giggle, my unexpected success making me giddy.

At the mocking groans from the teens, Kyle releases me. He doesn’t let go of me right away. We just stand here for a minute or two, absorbing each other with our gaze, my arms still around his neck.

Giving up on us, the boys resume their game and play around us. Kyle threads his fingers with mine and we return to Maija. She hands me my camera and after we say our goodbyes to her and her niece, we head to Kyle’s building.

“I need to take a shower,” he says after we step into the quiet apartment. He flashes me one of his trademarked sexy smiles. “You wanna join me?”

I’m about to say no, but a voice whispers in my head,
Think of it as part of the ‘new you’ experience.

And shower it is.

Kyle grabs a change of clothes and condoms from his bedroom and leads me into the bathroom. He turns on the shower while I stand next to the door, uncertain what to do. He straightens and steps closer to me before whipping his t-shirt off over his head. It lands on the floor. I don’t have a chance to add my clothes to the pile. Kyle slowly bunches the hem of my t-shirt up my stomach, his fingers brushing against my skin. My supersensitive skin that craves his touch.

My t-shirt joins his soon after. It’s barely settled on the ground before Kyle unfastens my bra in the front and slips his hands between the soft cotton and my skin. He lightly squeezes my breasts, then his thumbs scrape against my nipples.

I whimper, unable to hold back the sound even if I wanted to. Just the thought of him claiming me in the shower is enough to push me to the ledge—and we aren’t even in the shower yet.

He must have sensed it because my bra is quickly removed and before I know it, he has peeled my shorts and panties off. I step out of them and kick them to the side. He kneels and kisses the skin next to my belly button, then nips it between his teeth. I suck in a sharp breath, barely heard over the water hammering against the bathtub.

He stands and his gaze worships me in a way no guy has before. I’m not sure what it means, given our arrangement. All I know is that I don’t want it to end.

Unlike Kyle, who’s still wearing his jeans, the only thing I have on is my swan pendant. He fingers it for a moment, studying it even though he’s never seen the charm before, but at the same time recognition and wonder fill his eyes.

And then he’s kissing me again, but this time the kisses feel different. Vulnerable. Tender. Sweet.

They continue until I’m left feeling breathless and boneless. I’m floating. I’m free. I’ve never felt better.

Kyle slides his jeans and boxer briefs down his muscled legs and removes his glasses. His length springs free, erect and ready. He takes my hand and leads me into the bathtub. We stand under the warm water as it rains on us, Kyle’s body shielding the water from my face. I rest my hands against his chest and stroke my thumbs against his nipples. He groans, the sound making me feel more desirable, more powerful than I’ve ever felt before.

Needing to show him what he’s done for me, I wrap my hand around his hard length. I smile against his lips at his moaned reaction. Without giving it a second thought, I go down so that I’m kneeling in front of him and look up at his beautiful blue eyes that are dark with surprise and longing. His fingers thread through my wet hair.

“I’ve never done this before,” I say with a confidence I didn’t have a month ago. Not before my first time with Kyle. “You have to tell me what to do.”

I slide my lips over his tip, taking in as much as I dare. My other hand gently grabs his balls and I carefully squeeze them. Kyle tightens his grip on my hair as a sound that’s part loud groan and part “Sofia” powers from his mouth.

And the Pulitzer goes to
Ten Ways to Please a Man
, which I read in a fashion magazine two months ago.

Not sure what else to do, I flick my tongue just below the tip, tasting his subtle saltiness. That, too, gets a positive reaction out of him. As does moving my mouth and the hand around him simultaneously. I alternate between flicking my tongue, and sliding my mouth and hand back and forth along his length.

Just when I think he’s going to come soon, he pulls away, removing himself from my mouth. “I want to come deep inside you,” he says, his voice thick with need and desire.

I stand, my breath and heart rate racing each other. He rolls on the condom, runs his hands down the backs of my thighs, and lifts me. I wrap my legs around him; my arms go around his neck. He adjusts us so my back is pressed against the far wall, his tip rubbing against my entrance. He then thrusts deep inside me, pushing me closer to the moment we’re rapidly approaching.

My head falls back against the tiles, leaving my neck exposed. His mouth is on me in a flash, his body perfectly still. He nibbles and flicks the tip of his tongue against my skin, tormenting me further. I attempt rocking against him, telling him what I want, what I need.

“Sofia,” he growls. “I’m not going to last much longer if you keep doing that.”

“Good. Because I want you now.” My voice is low and filled with longing.

Kyle pulls back then burrows himself deep in me again. He only has to repeat this several more times before the softest part of my body clenches around him and a tidal wave of euphoria sweeps through me. I scream Kyle’s name, which is amplified by the bathroom’s acoustics. Before the euphoria has a chance to fade away, Kyle joins me on the wave with an erotic, guttural grunt.