It didn’t take a genius to figure out the Warriors had lost the game. Hayden could see it on every face that left the Lincoln Center. Her father was probably devastated.
She was tempted to go up to the owner’s box and offer some sort of condolences, but she was in no mood to see her dad right now. If she were, she’d be inside the arena instead of loitering in the parking lot and waiting for Brody.
She leaned against the back of her rental car, which she’d parked a few spots from Brody’s BMW, and scanned the rear entrance of the building, willing him to come out. She’d texted him after the game ended, telling him she was waiting in the players’ parking lot. He messaged back almost instantly to say he’d be out as fast as he could.
God, this day had been pure hell. Listening to Sheila’s awful tale of Presley’s drinking, hearing Doug’s heart break on the other end of the line. She didn’t want to think about any of it anymore. That was why she’d left the penthouse and driven over here. The need to see Brody and lose herself in his arms was so strong she’d been willing to wait out here for nearly an hour.
Other players had already come and gone, several of them giving her strange looks. Derek Jones was the only one to come over to say hello, and he’d seemed to buy her lie that she was waiting for her father.
Now the private lot was empty. When Brody finally emerged from the building, she almost sobbed with relief. And when his midnight blue eyes lit up at the sight of her, she wanted to sob with joy. Maybe their lives didn’t mesh, maybe their careers were colossally different and their goals weren’t aligned, but she couldn’t remember the last time a man had looked so happy to see her.
She couldn’t tear her eyes from him. He looked so good tonight. His hair was damp, his perfect lips slightly chapped. He’d confessed to licking them too much during games. He wore a loose wool suit that couldn’t hide the defined muscles underneath it, and the navy blue color made his eyes seem even brighter, more vivid. She knew the league expected the players to look professional on and off the ice and, she had to admit, she liked seeing him in a suit as much as she enjoyed his faded jeans and ab-hugging T-shirts.
“Hey, sorry that took so long,” he said, approaching her. His expression was subdued. “Coach needed to talk to me about something.”
“I’m sorry about the game. Are you okay?”
“Not really. We got killed tonight.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Unable to stop herself, she stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his lips.
Brody pulled back in surprise, a flicker of humor in his eyes. “What was that for?”
“I don’t know. I feel bad that you lost. And I had a bad day, too. I just wanted to feel your mouth on mine.”
His expression sobered. “What happened?”
“I’ll tell you all about it later. Let’s get out of here first before anyone sees us.”
“Meet you at the hotel?”
She was about to nod when something stopped her. “No. How about we go to your place tonight?”
He seemed baffled, and she honestly couldn’t say she blamed him. Since she’d agreed to explore this…thing…between them, they’d been doing things her way. Brody had asked her over to his place a dozen times, but she always convinced him to stay at the penthouse instead. She’d felt that being on her own turf, sticking to familiar surroundings, would stop things from getting more serious than she wanted.
Yet suddenly, she found herself longing to see Brody’s house, to be with him on his turf.
“All right.” He unlocked the door of his SUV. “You want to follow me in your car?”
“Why don’t we just take yours? I can take an Uber back for mine tomorrow.”
His eyebrows soared again. “You’re just full of surprises tonight, aren’t you? You do realize your father will see your car in the lot and know you didn’t go home?”
“I don’t live my life to please my dad.” She sounded more bitter than she’d intended, so she softened her tone. “Let’s not talk about him. All I want to think about tonight is you and me.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Sounds like a plan.”
Hayden stood on her tiptoes to kiss him again, and he made her laugh by giving her ass a firm squeeze.
“Save it for later,” she warned.
“Spoilsport.”
The drive to his Hyde Park home was a short one. When they pulled up in front of his place, Hayden was genuinely shocked to see a large Victorian with a wraparound porch and a second-floor balcony. Flowers were beginning to bloom in the beds flanking the front steps, giving the house a cheerful, inviting air.
“Weren’t expecting this, were you?” he said as he shut off the engine.
“Not really.” She smiled. “Don’t tell me you actually planted all those flowers yourself?”
“Fuck no. I didn’t choose the house, either. My mom flew out here when I was drafted by the Warriors, and she found the house. She did all the gardening, too, and she visits once a year to make sure I haven’t destroyed her handiwork.”
They got out of the car and drifted up the cobbled path toward the front door. Inside, Hayden’s surprise only grew. Decorated in warm shades of red and brown, the interior boasted a roomy living room with a stone fireplace, a wide maple staircase leading upstairs, and an enormous modern kitchen with two glass doors opening onto the backyard.
“Want something to drink?” he offered, crossing the tiled floor toward the fridge. “I don’t have that herbal tea you like, but I can brew you a cup of Earl Grey.”
“How about something stronger?”
He gave a faint smile. “You really did have a bad day, huh?”
He moved to the wine rack on the counter and chose a bottle of red. Grabbing two glasses from the cupboard, he glanced over his shoulder.
“Are you going to tell me about it or do I have to fuck it out of you?”
“Hmm.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m kind of leaning toward the fuck.” Her expression sobered when he shot her an evil look. “Fine… I’ll tell you.”
Brody poured the wine, handed her a glass and then led her to the patio doors. The backyard was spacious, adorned with more flowers that Brody’s mom must have planted. The fence surrounding the area was so high she couldn’t see the neighboring yards, not even from the raised deck on the patio. At the very far corner of the lawn stood an idyllic-looking gazebo surrounded by thick foliage.
They stepped onto the deck, where a surprisingly warm breeze met them. It was a gorgeous night, the warmest she’d experienced since coming home, and she breathed in the fresh air and tilted her head to admire the cloudless sky before finally releasing a long breath.
“I paid a visit to my stepmother today,” she said.
She filled him in on the details, leaving her conversation with Doug for the end. Brody’s jaw tensed at the mention of Doug’s name, but as he’d promised her the night they went skating in the deserted practice arena, he didn’t freak out about it. When she finished, he set his wineglass on the wide rail ringing the deck and gently caressed her shoulders.
“You didn’t have to tell him about us,” he said.
The remark surprised her. “Of course I did. I told you about him. Doesn’t he deserve the same courtesy?” She lifted her glass to her lips.
“You’re right.” He paused. “So it’s over between you and Doug?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “He hung up on me, which is very uncharacteristic of him. I don’t think he’s happy with me at the moment.”
When Brody didn’t answer, she put down her wine and reached up to cup his strong chin with her hands. “You’re not happy with me, either, are you?”
He looked her in the eye and said, “I am happy.”
“You are?”
“I love being with you, Hayden.” He blew out a ragged breath. “And I’m glad it’s over with Doug. It was frustrating as hell, knowing there was another potential man in your life. And not just any man, but one who works in your field, who shares your passion for art and is probably much better at those intellectual conversations you’re always trying to have with me. I feel like a dumb oaf in comparison.”
A pained look flashed across his handsome face, and it took her a moment to realize it wasn’t really pain she saw in his eyes, but vulnerability. The idea that Brody Croft, the most masculine man she’d ever met, could be vulnerable stole the breath from her lungs. God, did he actually feel inadequate? Had she made him feel that way?
Her heart squeezed at the thought, and she found herself reaching for him. She twined her arms around his neck and brushed her lips over his.
“You’re not a dumb oaf,” she murmured, running her fingers over the damp hair curling at the nape of his neck.
“Then you won’t mind if I make an intelligent, rational point about how difficult you’re being.”
She raised her chin. “And what on earth am I being difficult about?”
Brody let out a breath. “Come on, you think I don’t see that look in your eyes whenever I have a plane to catch? Every time I’ve left town for an away game, you’ve withdrawn from me. I felt it.”
Discomfort coiled inside her belly, causing her to drop her arms from his neck.
“See, you’re doing it again,” he pointed out, smiling faintly.
“I just…” She inhaled slowly. “I don’t see why it’s an issue.”
“If it keeps you from entering into a relationship with me, then it is an issue.”
“We agreed to keep things casual,” she reminded him.
“You agreed to keep an open mind.”
“Trust me, my mind is very open.”
“Your heart isn’t.” His tone was so gentle she suddenly felt like crying.
She drifted over to the railing, curling her fingers over the cool steel. Brody moved so they were standing side by side, but she couldn’t look at him. She knew exactly where this conversation was going, and she had no idea how to proceed.
“I think we have something really good here,” he said gruffly, resting his hand on hers and stroking her knuckles. “You’ve got to admit we’re good together. Sexually, sure, but in other areas, too. We never run out of things to talk about, we enjoy each other’s company, we make each other laugh.”
She finally turned her head and met his eyes. “I know we’re good together, okay?”
It was incredibly hard admitting it, but it was the truth. Brody made her body sing, he made her heart soar, and she couldn’t imagine any other man doing that. But she also couldn’t imagine them ever having a stable life together.
“But I want someone I can build a home with.” Tears pricked her eyelids. “I want to have kids, and a white picket fence, a dog. I did the whole hockey lifestyle as a kid. I don’t want to be sitting on airplanes for half the year. And when I have children, I don’t want to be home alone with them while their father is gone.”
He was silent for a moment. “I won’t play hockey forever,” he said finally.
“Do you plan on retiring soon?”
After a beat of hesitation, he said, “No.”
Disappointment thundered inside her, but really, what was she expecting? That he’d throw his arms around her and say, Yes, Hayden, I’ll retire! Tomorrow! Now! Let’s build a life together!
It wasn’t fair to ask him to give up a career he obviously loved, but she also wasn’t willing to give up her own goals and dreams. She knew what she wanted from a relationship, and no matter how much she loved being with Brody, he couldn’t give that to her.
“I wish you’d reconsider.” He shifted her around and moved closer so that his body was flush against hers. “Fuck, we fit so well together.”
She rubbed her pelvis against his. They did fit. Even though he was a head taller, their bodies seemed to mesh in the most basic way, and when he was inside her… God, when he was inside her she’d never felt more complete.
A soft moan escaped her lips at the delicious image of Brody filling her, and suddenly the tension of the day drained from her body and dissolved into a pool of warmth between her legs. Suddenly, everything they’d just been talking about didn’t seem to matter. Brody’s job, her need for stability—it all faded away the moment he pressed his body to hers.
“Let’s not talk anymore,” she whispered. “Please, Brody, no more talking.”
Her arousal must have been written all over her face because he ran his hands down her back and squeezed her ass. “You’ve got a one-track mind,” he grumbled.
“Says the man who’s fondling my ass,” she murmured, relieved that the tension had eased. The heavy weight of the painful revelations they’d just shared floated away like a feather.
Brody bent his head and covered her mouth with his. The kiss took her breath away, made her sag into his rock-hard chest as his greedy tongue explored the crevices of her mouth. Keeping one hand on her ass, he moved the other one to the front of her pants. He deftly popped open the button and tugged at the thin material. Pulling back, he pushed her pants off her body, waited for her to step out of them, then tossed them aside.
Goose bumps rose on her thighs the second the night air hit her skin. She wore a pair of black bikini panties that Brody quickly disposed of.
“Your neighbors can see us,” she protested when he reached for her thin sweater.
“Not where we’re going.” He quickly removed her sweater and bra, then lifted her into his arms and headed for the steps of the deck.
Laughing, Hayden wriggled in his embrace, self-conscious about her naked body being carried around in his backyard, but he kept a tight grip on her. Quickening his strides, he moved across the grass toward the gazebo, ascended the small set of stairs and set her on her feet.
Her heels made a clicking noise as they connected with the cedar floor of the little structure. She looked around the gazebo, admiring the intricate woodwork and plush white love seat tucked in the corner. When she turned back to Brody, he was as naked as she was.
She laughed. “Let me guess, sex in the gazebo is one of your fantasies?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve wanted to do this since the moment this damn thing was built.”
“What, none of your hockey groupies ever wanted to do it in the wilderness of your backyard?” she teased.
“I’ve never brought a woman home before.”
She forced her jaw to stay closed. Was he serious? He’d never brought a woman home before? The implications of that statement troubled her, but she didn’t feel like dwelling on them now. Like she’d said before, no more talking.
Right now, all she wanted to do was fulfill this gorgeous man’s fantasy.
