Authors: Melissa Johns
Madison
laughed. "Thank you."
They watched the game as Hunter's family were the perfect hosts. With minutes left in the third period it looked as if they were going to go to overtime.
Madison watched the clock and looked for Hunter on the ice. They brought out their heavy hitters and top scorers.
The clock ticked away as Carter and another one of his teammates skated towards the net.
Madison stood up as the other team was called for a last minute penalty. The crowd went crazy. Everyone was on their feet. The atmosphere was electric. Madison looked around the arena and grabbed her phone. She took a video of everyone on their feet. She couldn't believe she was here. She looked at Mike, who was just smiling at her.
"It's amazing, right?"
She nodded. Her attention went back to the ice as the play started again. They managed to set up the power play and put a lot of attention on the net. Carter's shot went wide right as the team regrouped.
Madison
looked up with only twenty seconds left before overtime. Carter passed the puck to his teammate when she heard the sirens and lights flash. He managed to get the shot top shelf in the net. They won! They tied up the series at three and one game stood between them and the cup finals.
Madison
jumped up in the air as Hunter's mom grabbed her and hugged her. The arena erupted as Mike twirled her around. "Thank you so much for bringing me here!"
She smiled as she adjusted her shirt and moved to hug Hunter's brother. The fans started to empty the arena. As Alicia ran into the suite and hugged her. "Our boys looked amazing!"
Madison nodded. "They really did, didn't they? That was an incredible game."
"What did you think Mike?"
"Awesome game, I'm looking forward to seeing the next one."
Alicia turned back to
Madison "The guys are meeting us downstairs."
She nodded as she hugged Hunter's parents. "Call me, Madison. We will do lunch, ok?"
"That sounds great, Helen. I will get your number from Hunter."
She hugged his dad and brother and headed towards her parents suite.
Madison waved and said good bye to her parents. They headed towards the elevators and down towards the locker rooms.
The crowd was massive. As the guys came out of the locker room, the fans mobbed them for autographs. Alicia talked to Mike as
Madison scoped the crowd for Hunter. Carter came out first and made his way through the crowd and into Alicia's arms. "Hey beautiful, great game huh?"
They shared a kiss as he turned towards
Madison. "It was one of the biggest rushes of my life.”
"You were amazing. Carter, I would like for you to meet Mike. He's my neighbor and newest friend."
"Hey, nice to meet you, take care of my sister when she's at home."
"No problem. I'm a huge fan of yours. I really want an autograph but I feel like
Madison will judge me."
Carter laughed. "I have an old stick at home. It's yours."
Mike beamed like a kid on Christmas morning. "That's awesome. I really don't care if she judges me now."
Madison
shook her head. "Where's Hunter?"
"He's coming. He has a surprise for you."
"What did he do?" she asked.
"You will like it, trust me."
Madison smiled as her attention went back to the crowd. She saw him exit the locker room and gasped. "He cut his hair!"
"Yeah, he said he wanted a change. Do you like it?" Carter asked.
Madison nodded. "He's sexy as hell. Excuse me, while I rescue him."
She made her way through the crowd of fans as he spotted her. He smiled as he scooped her up and planted a kiss on her lips. She heard a mixture of cheers and boos.
Hunter put her back on her feet as he smiled at the girls. "You just wish it was you!"
Madison
shook her head as they left the crowds and entered a back hallway. Hunter looked over at Mike. "Hey, did you enjoy the game?"
"It was incredible! Thank you for the ticket."
Alicia jumped in. "Hunter, he saved Maddy's life."
Hunter stopped in his tracks and looked at
Madison. "What happened?"
"Some guy grabbed me when we came into the arena. He wouldn't let me go. Mike jumped him, pinned him against the wall and told him that I was your girlfriend. They backed off."
Hunter leaned down and kissed her again. "Are you ok?"
"I’m fine. Mike was the hero."
Hunter looked at Mike and extended his hand to him. "Thank you. I owe you. You just went up a peg in my book."
Mike smiled. "She's my friend. No one messes with my friends."
Hunter looked back at Maddy. "I'm so happy that you are ok."
She smiled. "I love your haircut."
"I'm happy to hear that."
They continued to leave the arena as she leaned over and whispered, "It's really sexy. I just want to run my fingers through it."
He smirked and stopped. "Guys, we will catch up to you."
Hunter pulled her over to his truck and took her around the dark side of the truck bed. He leaned her back against the driver side door and kissed her. "You can touch me whenever you want."
She moaned softly as her fingers went into his short hair and she pulled him close again. His lips parted as his tongue found hers. His hands grasped her waist as she could feel his excitement towards her.
He pulled back. "You look sexy as hell tonight. This shirt is amazing. I want to rip it off right now."
Madison blushed. "Not in public you won't!"
He smirked. "Haven't you ever had the sex in public fantasy? The fear of getting caught, your blood racing as people walk right around you and not realizing what you are doing."
Madison's breathing deepened. She felt light headed as he spoke to her that way. "Did the temperature raise about twenty degree out here?"
He laughed. "No, that's just us. We are drawn to each other."
She smirked and kissed him. "Come on, let's go find the others."
He groaned as he reluctantly released her. They found everyone in front of the arena. "Hey Maddy, Carter said we should stay in the city until the next game."
She looked at Hunter. "It's fine with me. My parents will host you again, same to you, Mike. It would be an honor to have you in the suite again."
Madison
asked, "Mike, do you need to head back though?"
He shook his head. "I have friends in the city. I can take a taxi over to their place."
Hunter shook his head. "We will drop you off. It's no big deal."
"Thanks, I appreciate that."
Alicia smiled. "Awesome. Maddy, I will call you tomorrow. We can go shopping for some change of clothes while they are at practice."
Hunter, Madison and Mike headed towards his truck. They dropped him off a couple of blocks away from Hunter's apartment.
Madison jumped out and walked him to the door. "Thank you for everything tonight, Mike."
He smiled. "It was my pleasure." He hugged her. "I meant what I said,
Madison. I would do anything for my friends. Here's my number. Any emergency, call me."
Madison
watched him as he walked through the doors. She hopped back into Hunter’s truck and he reached for her hand. "I guess I was wrong about him. He's a good friend to have around."
Madison
smiled as she looked down at his phone number.
Anytime
- he wrote.
CHAPTER SIX
Hunter opened his door as
Madison looked around. "I love your apartment."
He smiled. "I'm happy that you approve."
"I'm going to use the little girl's room. Be right back."
He nodded. "Make yourself at home."
Madison walked through the massive size living room and down the hallway. She flipped on the bathroom light and fell in love with his bathroom again. It was bigger than her bedroom. She washed her face and looked in the mirror. She removed her hair clip and ran her fingers through her hair. It had started to grow back out but she loved it. It suited her.
She opened the door and headed back towards the kitchen. She walked into the living room and noticed Hunter had taken off his suit jacket and unbuttoned his dress shirt. She leaned against the wall and watched him pour a couple glasses of wine. He just oozed sexuality.
He looked in her direction and smiled. "What's going through your mind?"
"I feel inferior when I'm around you."
He frowned. He walked into the living room and handed her the glass of wine. "I'm not having this conversation with you again."
She smiled. "I know. One day I will accept that you actually want to be with me."
Hunter grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down on to the couch. He lay on top of her and kissed her lips. He deepened it and played with her tongue.
She ran her fingers through his hair as she placed her forehead against his. "I love you."
He smiled. "I love you too. Please listen to me when I say you are the hottest, sexiest woman I have ever known. You are so innocent and sweet and I fell in love with the whole package."
She bit her lip and looked at him. "Take me to bed."
He smirked. "God, I love that I bring out that side of you." He reached for her hand and pulled her towards the bedroom. Hunter made up the earlier events by holding her all night and making love to her.
In the morning,
Madison rolled over and felt Hunter beside her. She ran her fingers over his bare chest and smiled. She finally felt at home. She slid out of bed and grabbed one of his shirts. She buttoned it up and headed towards the kitchen. She looked in the pantry and decided to make him breakfast in bed.
She was finishing the pancakes as he walked into the kitchen. He only had on a pair of boxer shorts as he wrapped his arms around her.
"You ruined my surprise, Hunter. I wanted to bring you breakfast in bed."
Hunter moaned softly in her ear. "I wanted you as my breakfast in bed but I woke up and you were gone."
She blushed as she plated their breakfast.
"I love that blush."
Madison moved around him and placed the plates on the table. "Come eat breakfast."
"I loved that you cooked for me."
She smiled as they ate breakfast together. "Do you have practice today?"
Hunter nodded. "Yes, I need to be at the arena around ten this morning and then I should be home around five."
Madison nodded. "I will call Alicia and do some shopping with her."
"I know this isn't going to make you happy but I want to make sure that you are ok. Do you need any spending money?"
Madison pushed away from the table and cleared their dishes. She didn't know what to say to him so she stayed quiet.
He got up and followed her. "Maddy, please don't be mad at me. It's a valid question. You just moved here, you don't have a job yet. I know that Carter paid for your rent but you need cash to survive. I want to help."
She turned towards him. "I don't want to take anything from you. You have already been generous enough to me and if I had to take money from you, I couldn't handle that!"
Hunter wrapped his arms around her and wiped her tears. "Ok, I won't bring it up again but if you need anything, you just have to ask and it's yours."
She nodded and walked around him. "I'm going to take a shower. Do you have a t-shirt I could borrow? I can wear my jeans again."
He nodded. She knew he could sense her change in demeanor. "Anything in the drawers is yours."
She smiled. "Thank you." She disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door. She leaned back against it and closed her eyes. She was trying to be so strong in her decisions but only felt weak at that moment.
She slipped off his shirt and climbed into the shower. She stood underneath the hot water as it cascaded around her. She ran her hands down her body and wished for strength to find her way.
As she finished in the bathroom and wrapped a towel around herself, she walked into the bedroom. Hunter was sitting on the bed waiting for her. "I wanted to give you some space. Believe me, it was tough."
She smiled. "Thank you. It's all yours."
He got up and kissed her lightly. "I will drive you over to Alicia's and pick up Carter when I'm done in the shower."
She nodded as he disappeared into the bathroom. She sat on the bed and felt all the chemistry that they had the night before disappear. She wondered if she should have just accepted his money.