Blocked Shot (Love on Thin Ice #1) Read online

  “Yesterday didn’t feel like a bet to me. If the goal was just to have sex with me, you would’ve had condoms and would’ve been done after you took me against the door. You know, enter and get off, bet over.”

  Hannah sounded like she was in one of her rambles, so Curtis hurried to cut her off. He needed to set the record straight, and talk of him entering and getting off sort of made him horny.

  “There’s no bet. Seriously. Yesterday and anything that happens in the future is all because I like you. I have for a long time, but for reasons we still need to discuss, I couldn’t find out if you felt the same. That’s why Nina can’t know about us. She’s already lying to you to try to make sure it doesn’t happen. If she finds out it is happening, she’s going to try to ruin my career.”

  Curtis didn’t want to get into it over the phone, particularly because he didn’t have much time to explain. He needed to go workout with the team and loosen up before warmups. If he didn’t get back in the locker room soon, his coach was going to have one of his classic blow-ups. There was a rolling bet against some of the guys about how soon the coach had a heart attack or stroke because of his love of yelling.

  “Are you saying she’s blackmailing you to stay away from me? I’m not sure I understand what you just said, but the word blackmail popped into my head.”

  Yeah, Curtis definitely let a little too much out. Hannah’s rambles were contagious.

  “We should talk about this in person. Can you come tonight? I’ll meet you after the game and we can talk about it.”

  He leaned forward and rested his head on the door. It was best they get everything out in the open as soon as possible, but he wanted to make sure Hannah believed what he was saying. He hadn’t even asked where she was or what he’d interrupted, so even though she seemed intent on the conversation, she could’ve been baking cookies or something.

  “Can you at least answer the question? I’ll come, but I’m not going to like sitting through a game wondering whether or not my best friend has been blackmailing you.”

  The answer wasn’t going to make her feel better. Curtis knew that much, but he went ahead and gave her what she wanted.

  “Saturday was the first time I’ve seen her in a decade, so I don’t know if her past threats are still valid. In high school, though, yes, she did blackmail me so I wouldn’t ask you out. When I said I wanted a chance to explain, that’s what I was referring to.”

  Turning so his back was against the door, Curtis held his breath as he waited for a reply. The situation sucked. No matter if Hannah believed him or not, he would hurt her. He’d hinted that her best friend was controlling her, and she even admitted that she lived her life based on some scale Nina had made up for her, but he didn’t think she knew how big of a bitch Nina was.

  She had to have some clue, though. Hannah was smart. She’d figured out Nina was lying about the bet, so she had to know on some level her friend was evil. That didn’t explain why she remained her friend, but that was a conversation for another day.

  “Okay.” Hannah’s voice trembled as she said the word.

  After that Curtis thought he heard her sniffle, but she didn’t say anything else. He’d already made her cry and there was still plenty of story to tell.

  “Come on, Curtie,” Brady yelled as he banged on the other side of the door. The concussion made Curtis stand straight so he wasn’t leaning against it. “Coach said to get your sorry ass out here and get ready for the game.”

  Sadly, Curtis knew he’d be missed. He should’ve tried to contact Hannah earlier in the day, but he didn’t want to bother her at work. He knew there was a chance Nina lurked around every corner.

  “I’ll be out in a second.”

  Curtis covered the phone so he wasn’t yelling in Hannah’s ear. He needed a few more minutes, and he wasn’t sure he’d get it.

  “Hey,” he whispered back into the phone. “You don’t have to come tonight. We can meet after the game or maybe tomorrow morning before you go to work. I’ll explain things as I know them, and then you can tell me what it means for us. I’m not trying to come between you and Nina, but I think you deserve to know the truth.”

  The truth was a sticky situation. If he was being honest, he’d love to come between her and Nina, even though that wasn’t technically his game. He just wanted the chance to find out if the day before was a fluke or whether Hannah felt the connection between them that he’d always thought possible.

  “Would whatever she’s blackmailing you with really hurt your career?”

  Curtis groaned. He didn’t have all the answers or the time to try to come up with them.

  “Maybe. Years ago it would have. At this point, I don’t know.”

  Part of him did still worry, but he’d made the decision to seek Hannah out and let the cards fall where they did. The reunion seemed like the easiest place to do it, even though he knew Nina would be there. He’d hoped maybe the banshee had calmed down over the years, but clearly that hadn’t happened.

  “Thanks for answering. I know you’re busy, so I’ll let you get on with your warmups. Are you parked in the same lot? I can meet you at your car after the game.”

  “How about I meet you at yours. I have to take care of some stuff after the game and as much as I want to be with you, I think a quick shower will be in order.”

  He didn’t like the sound of her standing around in a dark parking lot for thirty minutes or so by herself. Sitting in a car wasn’t any better, so he changed the plan before she agreed.

  “Or better yet, why don’t you go to my place and wait there? I keep a spare key under the door knocker. It’s just held on by magnets. Take it off and you’ll find the key.”

  “But after the game, right? I need something to distract me or I’m going to go crazy thinking about things.”

  Curtis liked the idea of her being there, where she wouldn’t run into Nina. He would’ve liked it better if he didn’t have to focus on playing.

  “Dude, I’m not joking. Put your dick away and get out here.”

  Brady at least refrained from beating on the door. Curtis ran his hand through his hair and opened the door. He figured the gritty parts of the conversation were over for the time being, so he could join his teammates.

  “There’ll be a ticket at will call for you. Just give them your name.”

  Curtis had a few tickets for every game allotted to him that he rarely used. Even if he didn’t, he’d call down and get things squared away.

  “I can buy my own ticket, Curtis.”

  “Yeah, but you don’t need to. I’ll text you my address to make sure you have it for after the game. Make yourself at home and I’ll get there as soon as I can.”

  Glaring at Brady, Curtis ended the call and made good on the promise to text his address. It was going to be a long night, during the game and after. All Curtis wanted to do was get home and have it out with Hannah. He didn’t get the sense that there would be arguing, but what he’d already revealed had upset her. He hated to cause her any more grief, but it was the only way things would work.

  “I’m guessing there’s some trouble in paradise. It’s a good thing we’re still in preseason. Coach was already pissed off about something. When he saw you run out of the locker room to make your call, I’m pretty sure he decided to ban all phones from the locker room permanently.”

  That didn’t surprise Curtis, but the glint of evil in Brady’s eyes made it seem like he was stretching the truth. Since the coach’s wife kept him on a short leash and he used the phone more than anyone else, a ban wasn’t likely.

  “The queen of the demons has reared her ugly head. It’s like we never left high school.”

  “That good, huh? If you wouldn’t have set the coach off already, he probably would’ve given you the night off to let one of the kids play. As it is, I’m pretty sure he’s going to keep you out on the ice until you score a goal.”

  Brady wrapped his arm around Curtis’ shoulders and led him down the hall
to where most of the team was kicking a soccer ball around. Others were on the outskirts stretching and doing general calisthenics.

  “That’s fine with me. I need to hit something, and right now it works out well that it’s going to be the other team.”

  Curtis intercepted the soccer ball as it got away from Mitchy and joined the fun. In a few short hours, he’d have a better idea whether revisiting his biggest regret was a mistake. He hated to think of being with Hannah as a mistake, but he wasn’t sure she’d feel the same after their talk.

  Chapter 11

  By the time Hannah got to Curtis’ house, she’d determined she was crazy. Not just a little out there, but straight up needed to be committed crazy. She’d sat through an entire hockey game on the edge of her seat, wincing every time someone even tapped Curtis.

  She’d followed his career from afar for years, just to have the ability to say she went to school with him and maybe come up with a quick stat to impress someone. It was silly, but not as silly as her breaking down in tears when he got in a fight that night. Even though they’d spent a carnal-filled day together, she barely knew him, and yet, she was sobbing like they were married or something.

  The people on both sides of her kept their distance after that, leaning away and making sure to not make eye contact for the rest of the game. She couldn’t blame them. Curtis had won the fight, so it wasn’t like he was knocked out or anything. His opponent got a couple punches in, and Hannah acted like he’d dropped on the ice unconscious.

  It was easy to blame it on the conversation they’d had before the game. Hannah’s world was falling apart. She had no idea when the crumbling would stop. It was bad enough when she had a niggling feeling that Nina was lying to her about the bet. Nina had protected her for so long that Hannah knew there were little lies over the years.

  Blackmailing Curtis wasn’t just a little lie. As Hannah used the hidden key to open his front door, she got a look at what Curtis could stand to lose if Nina did something to end his career. She’d gotten a good idea based on the external size of the mansion that it was going to be extravagant, but her imagination didn’t prepare her for the sleek modern living room she entered – the five-car garage didn’t even prepare her.

  The place looked like a museum with a few comfy couches to sit on. There was one couch that seemed out of place, but otherwise the black furniture was lustrous and leather. The out of place couch looked to be some kind of tan cloth and quite a bit older than the other couch and the loveseat.

  Hannah just stood inside the doorway and stared for a while. Time wasn’t exactly her friend, so she didn’t know how much of it passed before she decided to take another step inside and close the door behind her. She tried to take a breath and decide whether she should leave.

  Did it really matter to find out everything? If she walked away that second, whatever game Nina had played with Curtis wouldn’t matter. He’d said it was based on whether he pursued Hannah, so if she cut herself out of the picture, he wouldn’t be risking anything. From how hard she’d just seen him play on the ice, his career meant everything to him, and she couldn’t take that away from him.

  It hurt to come to that conclusion, but after he could lose if Nina got her way, Hannah thought it was best if she walked away. She wanted to be the person who let her heart tell her what to do. It was too confused to be making any decisions, though, so her brain had to take over.

  Having the decision made, Hannah didn’t feel any better, but she tried her hardest to fight off tears as she turned to open the door that had closed behind her. The key was still clutched in her hand, so she’d lock up, send Curtis a text letting him know her decision and go back to her life. It was the right thing to do.

  Her hand closed around the knob and it turned. She hadn’t moved her wrist to turn it from her side, so the action surprised her. Hannah had to scuttle to get out of the way as the door opened towards her and the man filling her mind appeared in the doorway.

  She held her breath as she tried to figure out her next move. Walking away from him was so much easier when he wasn’t around.

  Curtis made her initial decision for her as he stepped forward, pushing her back into the house and slammed the door behind him. She didn’t register him moving anymore, but somehow, she was in his arms and his lips crushed hers.

  The next thing she knew, her back was on something soft and his body was pressing into her. She honestly did not remember moving, just the sudden feeling of his weight on her and hearing his low groan as he rubbed a stiff part of his body against her dress.

  She hadn’t known what to wear to a game, but she thought dressing up was in order. Curtis had said he was considering her as his girlfriend, which sounded to her like she shouldn’t show up in just some jeans and a t-shirt.

  His hands moved hers above her head and held them there as he ground against her a couple more times and moved his lips away from her mouth, down to her neck. Just being under his ministrations and remembering the joy they caused had her on the verge of orgasm. When he bit into her neck, she stifled a scream of pleasure.

  “You don’t have to be quiet. You can scream as loud as you want,” he whispered as his lips came up to her ear. “We need to talk, but damn it I need to be inside of you.”

  There wasn’t a question there, but Hannah felt like she could’ve told him no and he would’ve stopped. Her eyes had closed pretty much the second he’d walked in the door, and she had no plans of opening them anytime soon. She didn’t need to see the lust in his eyes to know how much he wanted her – how true his desire for her was. It was no wonder she hadn’t believed Nina about the bet.

  No one had ever looked at her the way Curtis did. Her dress was pushed up, panties removed and his pants undone before she had time to brace for his entrance. It was forceful and filling, and heaven help her she was at his mercy.

  It wasn’t a rough place to be. Hannah wished she could just stay there, safe and happy in his arms. She knew it was just the feelings he caused inside of her overwhelming her senses, but she saw how easy it would be to fall in love with him. It was stupid on her part. Her inexperience versus his mastery clouded her thoughts and made anything seem possible.

  He clearly enjoyed her body, but that didn’t mean anything. They’d briefly spoken about their families and their lives between bouts of sex, but they didn’t know each other. Curtis had his secrets, as did she. He was supposed to be telling one of his, but Hannah didn’t know if she’d ever be able to tell hers, or how many others he had in the closet.

  “Hey, your head’s not in this, is it?”

  The words surprised Hannah. Her mind had wandered, but she didn’t think it’d be noticeable given his past record of screwing her senseless. She opened her eyes and realized they were on the tan couch. Curtis was frozen in place above her, looking at her expectantly.

  “Sorry, I’m here and present now.”

  Curtis smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead. She felt him move inside of her, but it seemed like an involuntary action on his part.

  “There’s no reason to be sorry. I said I had to be inside of you, mainly because it’s as close as I can get to you and I need it after seeing you cry in the stands tonight.”

  Hannah hadn’t even considered he could see her. She wasn’t in the nosebleed sections or anything, but she wasn’t behind the bench either. The fact that he’d seen her in her miserable state made her close her eyes and turn her head to the side.

  “No, no, no. Don’t do that.” Curtis turned her head back towards him. “I kept an eye on you since I knew where you were sitting. You didn’t cry until I got in a fight, so I have to assume it was because you were worried about me.”

  She didn’t open her eyes, but Hannah nodded in response. He was going to think she was nothing but a sad sap. They were barely dating and she was already crying over him.

  “I’ve been worried about you too. Obviously, it’s a little hard for me to let my emotions out when I’m at work, so I
kind of had to do it. Don’t worry, I made sure to not pick a fight with their enforcer. I played in the minors with Erik and know he’s weak on the left side. He got in a couple lucky punches, but they aren’t going to bruise.”

  The news made Hannah feel a little better, but not much. She still felt like there was a heavy weight hanging over her, getting ready to drop at any second.

  “What is she blackmailing you with?”

  Curtis sighed and rolled them so they were facing each other on the couch. He didn’t pull out, making it so his pants that were still mostly on brushed against her bare skin. They weren’t rough, but they caused a shiver to creep up her spine.

  His arm wrapped around her, making sure she didn’t roll off the couch in all the motion. It wasn’t exactly a wide couch, but she was thankful he’d picked it over the leather options.

  “A picture of her and myself in my bedroom that makes it look like we’d had sex and I’d been taking drugs.”

  The words settled for a second before Curtis continued. Hannah blinked her eyes open to look at his face as he spoke. She wished she could keep them closed so she could pretend it was a dream, but she wanted to see his expressions as he told her.

  “I’ve never done drugs in my life, and I sure as hell haven’t had sex with her. I’m not sure how she got all the hickies on her, but she did and they could’ve been seen as bruises or something. Between that and the drugs, I would’ve been screwed if I didn’t do what she wanted.”

  Nina didn’t like to do things half-assed, even in high school. Curtis kept his face neutral, but Hannah could see the anger in his brown eyes. Every time he spoke about Nina it was there, and it finally made sense.

  “Why would she do that? I can see her doing it, which is bad enough, but what did you do to her to make her punish you?”

  He’d already said they hadn’t had sex, so it was clear that wasn’t her motive. It made the times she flirted and tried to catch his attention back in the day make no sense. It wasn’t like she made a lot of sense half the time to Hannah, but it seemed above and beyond her usual craziness. Hannah had always thought it was just Curtis resisting that eventually turned Nina against him.