Spinning to the Goal (Desert Ice Hockey #4)

Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

ZOMA

A fter the game, I stepped up the stairs with my team and Nova following me. “Do you think I should text him?” Seeing Ace so close but so far away after being apart since Tuesday had been killing me. We hadn’t made plans for tonight, and I knew there was another game tomorrow, but maybe…

My phone buzzed in my hand.

“Oh, would you look at that?” With a smirk, Nova pointed at my phone. “Wonder who that could be?”

My heart skipped a beat, and I tapped on the screen. There was a message from Ace.

Ace

Want to grab a quick bite to eat? I have to turn in early, but I would love to see you up close.

“Oh my.” Covering my mouth with my fingers, I slipped my gaze to Nova. “Do you care if I leave you for a late dinner date with Ace?” I knew she wouldn’t. We stepped onto the landing at the top of the stairs and stopped, people strolling by us in their team colors.

“Nope.” She grabbed the arm of Bethany, one of the other skaters on our team. “Hey, want to hit a bar or something?”

A broad grin swept over Bethany’s pink lips. “Of course.” She nodded once, her straight blonde bangs shaking over her blue eyes and thick fake eyelashes.

“Go.” Nova waved me off. “We’ll catch up at practice tomorrow.”

“Thanks.” I typed a message to Ace.

Zoma

Yes, I’d love to grab something with you. Where and when?

Ace

Give me about an hour, then meet me over at Tempe Marketplace? We can decide on the restaurant when we get there.

Zoma

Sure, see you then.

I looked around, my teammates all dispersing with their goodbyes. I’d see them in the morning. We had a competition coming up in LA in a week, so everyone would be working hard tomorrow, including me. I’d go home for a little bit and head out to meet up with Ace.

After parking my car, I strode to the sidewalk at the outdoor mall, taking in the modern glass-and-metal structure with tall palms everywhere and skyward lights illuminating their stalks. Ace had texted to meet him by the theater, so I headed in that direction, passing clothing stores and modern fountain structures lit in multiple colors.

I pulled my leather jacket around me and strolled. Now that we were well into October, it was getting almost cold at night.

The theater rose in the distance as I rounded a corner and Ace stood there, hands in the pockets of his jeans, with a maroon-and-gold ASU sweatshirt pulling tightly across his muscled shoulders. My heart raced, and I jogged to him. “Ace.”

As his gaze caught mine, he threw his arms out and smiled broadly. “Zoma.” Stepping toward me, he wrapped me in a bear hug, lifted me off the ground, and spun me around. “God, I’m so glad you could meet me.”

With a short laugh, I hooked my arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips. There he was, picking me up again. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss the chance to see you.” Every moment with him only got better and better.

He set me down, grabbed my hand, and kissed my knuckles. “Good. I had to practically beg the guys to let me go off on my own after our win tonight.” His gaze scanned over me. “You look so good in my jersey.” He tugged at the bottom of it, falling to my thighs from under my jacket.

The truth was, I’d slept in it too. Was that weird? Maybe. I didn’t have to admit it to him. “I’ve gotten lots of comments on it.” I walked with him away from the theater and toward the restaurants.

“Yeah? Like what sort of comments?” He swung our entwined hands between us.

“They wanted to know where I’d gotten it. So, of course, I told them you gave it to me.” I dipped my gaze to my sneakered feet, showing under my skinny jeans with the strategically ripped holes at the knees. I didn’t wear these jeans often, but they seemed like the best thing to wear under the jersey.

“And did they ask why I’d given you my jersey?” Lifting a brow, he gave me a sly grin.

“Yes. And I told them we were dating.” Because saying we were boyfriends wasn’t quite true yet, was it? I tightened my lips. It was too soon to bring it up, even if we’d already agreed to be exclusive.

“Good, then my plan to make you unavailable worked.” He sniggered and looked around us. “Where do you want to eat?”

“What are you in the mood for? Maybe a nice steak?” I strolled easily along beside him. After a game, he’d probably be famished.

“You know? That does sound good.” He squeezed my hand. “What were you thinking? The Keg, maybe?”

“Sure.” With a nod, I smiled. It was a nicer steakhouse and would make this more of a date than just hanging out after a game. Why did I have to categorize it? Who knew…

“Let’s go.” He pulled me along to the parking lot, where the restaurant stood outside of the regular mall, some of its angular walls done up in stone.

As we approached the steakhouse, he opened the large iron door for me. “After you.”

Yep, a date. I stepped inside, taking in the dark décor in wooden finishes and the large, round rustic chandeliers hanging from a ceiling of black rafters.

Ace spoke to the hostess, and she led us to a booth in the back corner. All around us, people ate and talked, most of them drinking red wine. Those looked delicious.

I slid into the leather booth and picked up my menu. The place was basic, but everything was always prepared perfectly. “How hungry are you?”

“Do they have a whole cow on the menu? Because I could probably eat a whole cow right now.” He rubbed his stomach, glancing over his menu.

The server stopped by the table and we both ordered red wine because Ace wanted what I was having.

Setting my menu down, I said, “I’m getting a wedge salad.” I’d already eaten dinner tonight, so it would be plenty for me.

“That’s it?” He peeked at me from over his menu. “I think I’m getting a rib eye and the garlic mashed potatoes.” He set his menu down.

The server brought our wine and took our orders.

Ace sipped his wine. “This is good. What is it again?”

“It’s a pinot noir.” I swirled the wine in my stemware. Since he was getting steak, a heavier wine would be better, but I didn’t think he’d notice. I drank some of my wine, the notes of cherry and spice playing over my tongue. “This is good.” Just the way I liked it. It said fall all over it. “So, you played well tonight.”

“Thanks. Doesn’t get any better than a shutout for a goalie.” He snickered. “Houser, the goalie for Providence, was a fucking sieve.”

I creased my brows. “A what?” I drank more wine.

“A sieve. It’s a goalie who keeps letting the puck get by him. We got four goals on them tonight.” He eyed his wine glass, picking it off the table and turning it in front of his face. “Probably would have had more if Mason and Jonah were still on the team.” He frowned.

“Jonah, he’s the one who went to Canada?” I watched him. He should be elated right now about the win, but something was off.

“Yeah. You should have seen those two on the ice together. It was a thing of beauty.” Lines formed between his brows. “I miss those guys. I miss…” He puffed out a breath. “Fuck, sorry. I’m a little melancholy tonight.”

“I see that.” I looked around at the now almost empty restaurant. It was late, and people were finishing up and leaving. I slid out of my bench seat and glided into his, edging into his side.

With a slow grin, he gazed at me. “What are you doing?”

“Consoling my poor forlorn boy—” Fuck! I widened my eyes. What the hell was coming out of my mouth?

His grin widened. “Boyfriend?” He bumped me with his shoulder and swung his arm around my neck. “I like the sound of that. I mean, it’s a better way to explain the jersey than saying we’re dating.” He kissed my cheek and nuzzled the side of my head, his lips grazing the shell of my ear. “And it’ll be much better at keeping the guys away from you. No guy wants to fuck with a goalie’s man. Believe me.” He nibbled on my earlobe.

As a shiver worked down my spine and lodged in my balls, I cleared my throat. In a rasp, I said, “Yeah, guess so.” I loved how he claimed me like this. It put all my insecurities about the future to rest. My gaze caught the server. “Hey, food is almost here.” I nudged him off me. We shouldn’t be making out in the booth.

With a smirk, the server dropped off our food. “Enjoy.”

“Oh, hell yes.” Ace freed me, unrolled his silverware from his black linen napkin, and cut into his steak.

“Looks delicious.” I set my napkin in my lap and looked over the large chunks of lettuce covered in blue cheese dressing and sprinkled with bacon and onion bits. My stomach grumbled. Maybe I was hungrier than I’d thought.

After swallowing down a bite of steak, Ace said, “Tell me more about this competition coming up.”

“Oh.” I’d almost forgotten I’d texted him about it during the week. “We’re driving into LA on Friday night and competing against UCLA. We each have our own specialties, but I’ll have a short program and a free skate.” I stuck my fork into a bite of salad and ate it.

“Will they televise it on the college’s YouTube channel, and what time is it?” He sipped his wine. “Because we have away games next weekend against Denver, but I want to see you compete.” He snapped his gaze to mine. “I love watching you skate, Zoma. Even though I’ve only seen it a few times.”

I held my fork over my plate and lifted my brows. “You do? Really?” If only he could come with me to LA. But it was impossible.

“Of course I do.” His gaze dipped to his steak and came back. “You’re so graceful and shit. I don’t know, it gives me the feels.” With a quick chuckle, he placed his palm over his heart.

“The feels? You really said that.” Shaking my head, I freed a soft snort. Didn’t they say goalies were a little odd? He was odd but in a great way.

“Yes, I said it. Get over it.” He shifted in his seat, and with a grumble, he dug his fork into his mashed potatoes. “It’s beautiful, okay? I think you’re…beautiful.” He focused on me, his dark gaze searching my face. “I’ve never met anyone like you, Zoma.”

My heart warmed and fluttered. “Same.” My attention drew to his plump lips. “We’re so different but fit so well together.”

“Opposites attract, right?” Leaning in, he pressed a lingering kiss on my mouth and licked his lips. “Mmm, and that dressing is good. Can I have a bite?”

“Of course.” I made him the perfect bite with crunchy lettuce and blue cheese chunks, along with bacon and onion. “Open up.”

Watching me, he opened his mouth.

I held my hand under my fork and slid the salad in.

His lips wrapped around the fork, pulled off, and he freed a soft moan, shutting his eyes for a beat. “Holy cow, that is good.” He cut some steak. “Here, have a bite of mine.”

“Sure.” With a wide smile, I dropped my mouth open. Here we were, in this low-lit romantic restaurant, feeding each other. He was full of surprises.

He slipped the food into my mouth. “Good, huh?”

I chewed the juicy meat with just the right amount of salt and spices. Nodding, I said, “Yes, very good.” Taking a drink of my wine, I washed it down. The wine paired better with it than I’d thought.

“So, tomorrow night.” He sipped some water. “I want you to stay the night at my place. Or I’ll stay the night at your place. What do you say?” He cut more steak.

“Yes.” I didn’t even have to think about it. I ate more food. “Let’s stay at my place. I love your roommates and all, but it would be nice to be alone. Don’t you think?”

“Works for me.” He ate a bite of mashed potatoes. “I’ll warn the guys early that if we win, I won’t be going out with them for the celly.” He leaned against my side. “I’ll be having a private celly with my boyfriend.”

I blinked a few times. He was willing to spend time with me and not his teammates after a big win. Brody had never done that. I had to make this special for him. But how? I’d figure something out. “Sure, however you want to do it.”

“You’re coming to the game again tomorrow night, right?” He stopped with a bite of steak midway to his mouth and glanced at me.

“Yes, of course. And I’ll be wearing your jersey.” I planted a kiss on his cheek. “I wouldn’t miss it.” I was going to be watching a lot of hockey this season. But watching him play was so damn exciting.

“You know, it used to be called a sweater.” He pinched the jersey material on my shoulder and tugged it.

“It was?” I might have heard that before… With a slow nod, I said, “Okay, I’ll be wearing your sweater.” And this time, I’d tell the people around me I was Ace’s boyfriend. My heart did a happy dance. Being his felt so right.

The next morning, I was up early to get a longer skate in because the hockey team wouldn’t be on the ice until tonight. I was spending a hell of a lot of time in this rink lately. I took long strides around the rink, holding my arms out and practicing the basics first, my crossovers and hops.

“So, how was your date with Ace?” Nova skated up beside me.

I flipped around and skated backward. “It was nice. We had dinner at The Keg over in Tempe Marketplace.” I glanced behind me. I didn’t want to inadvertently run into one of my teammates, and we were all out on the ice warming up.

“So, things are going well between you?” She sped up and twisted around, mirroring me.

Someday, we’d have to try synchronized skating together. We were so close we could probably pull it off. “Yes, in fact, we’ve officially become boyfriends.” My cheeks warmed as I fought to keep a smile from stretching across my face.

“Wait.” Grabbing my hand, she skidded to a stop, swirling me around her until I slowed and stopped.

“What?” I eyed her. She was the one who’d been pushing me to date Ace.

“So, are you over all the fears you had?” She drew me closer to her, her gaze darting over my face.

My chest pinched. I’d been fighting hard not to think too much about the future so I could enjoy my time with Ace. “Not really, but what am I supposed to do?” With a sigh, I slumped my shoulders. “Nova, he’s different. He keeps doing things Brody would never do.”

“So you’re comparing him against your ex and basing your decisions on that?” She twisted her lips. “Tell me how he’s different?”

“Why, do you think I should slow this down?” I wasn’t sure where she was going with her questioning. I scratched my temple as our teammates circled us, some twirling and others working on jumps.

“No, hell no. I’m just wondering how he broke you down.” She hooked a brow. “I mean, a month ago, you never wanted to see him again, and now…” She nodded, looking me up and down. “Now you’re a changed man.”

Giving her shoulder a soft backhand, I said, “Stop it. I’m still hesitant about the future. I’m not going to let myself fall in love?—”

“Zoma…” She shook her head and tutted. “You sure about that? I haven’t seen you this happy for a long time and how can you be boyfriends and not be in love?”

With a lift of my chin and planting a hand on my hip, I said, “I can do it. I can enjoy my time with him and not let my feelings get out of control.” But hell, I was falling for him. I was almost there, wasn’t I? How could I stop it?

“Fine.” She huffed. “If he’s so different from Brody, maybe you should have some faith in the guy. He deserves all of you, doesn’t he?”

She had a point. But what would he do when a contract came in for him? I’d read the blogs about him. He was a hot contender for the NHL this year. It was going to happen. “Yeah, I’ll think about it.” I bit the inside of my cheek.

“Look, Zoma.” She brushed her hand up the arm of my running jacket. “I care about you, and if this thing with Ace could work out, I don’t want to see you ruining it.”

“I’m not ruining it.” I dipped my gaze to my skates. But Ace had been so open and honest with me about everything. If he knew I was holding my emotions back for fear of him leaving, would it ruin something between us?

“I love you, but you’re a stubborn bastard sometimes, you know that?” She gave me a half-smile.

“I know. I’m muddling through things, okay? I’ll work this out.” I glanced at our coach, up-nodding at us and tapping the watch on her wrist. “Hey, Coach wants us to get to it.”

She peeked behind her. “Yeah, okay. You working on your triples today?” She skated around me.

“I am. And I’m going to nail them.”

I took off, speeding around the rink. Enough talk. As the wind blew my hair off my face, I peeked at the stands where I’d sat and watched Ace play last night. When I was with Ace, I couldn’t help but let my guard down. But when we were apart, the fear crept back in, and I fought my feelings for him. God, I was a mess inside.

After clearing my head with a combination of focus and determination on the ice, I headed home to get some studying done before going to tonight’s game. I’d had a good practice, one I was proud of, along with Coach.

As I stepped through the door to my apartment, my phone buzzed in my backpack. I flung the door shut and threw my pack on my dinette. It could be Ace calling, after all.

Holding my phone up, I read Mom scrolling across the screen. As my body relaxed, I smiled and answered the call. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, honey,” she said, a motor humming in the background. “Just checking in. How’s Arizona?”

She was probably working on her potter’s wheel while she called and had her headphones on. She did that a lot. “It’s finally cooling down.” I strolled to my couch and dropped onto the end of it. “How are things in Colorado?”

“Oh, I want to say they’re the same, but how could they be with you gone?” She sighed, and the motor sound stopped. “I don’t want to make you feel bad though. I understand why you felt like you had to leave.”

“Yeah.” My gut twisted. “I miss you and Dad too.” She hadn’t liked Brody from the beginning, and now she probably hated him. I was her only child.

“How are your studies? Getting along all right?” The sound of water trickled through the connection.

Now she was washing her hands at the sink in her studio. She must have finished whatever project she’d been working on. I could see the small space in my head. “My studies are going well. In fact, I was about to sit down and catch up on some reading for my classes.”

“Good to hear. How is Nova?” she asked.

“Nova is doing well. I just left her at the rink. We had an extra-long practice this morning to prepare for next week’s competition.” I puffed out my chest. “I landed all my triples this morning, even my axel.”

“That’s amazing. I’d love to see your new programs.”

“You can watch the competition on the school’s YouTube channel. I’ll send you the link.” I toyed with a fold in my joggers. I’d have Ace and Mom watching me. I had to pull this off and win.

“And the kids you’re teaching? How are they?” she asked.

“Oh, they’re coming along nicely. This one little girl, Darla. She’s the cutest, and I’m getting her into some easy spins. She loves it.” Warmth drifted through my chest. I was looking forward to teaching and coaching full-time after next year.

“Too bad you can’t bring her home with you after you graduate.” She sighed. “But you’ll have so many opportunities back here in Colorado Springs.”

“I know, Mom.” Shit, I hadn’t told her I might not go back. I’d been keeping myself open to whatever came my way. I pursed my lips.

“I can probably reach out to the coaches at the university here to see what they have when you’re ready.”

“Yeah, okay.” It couldn’t hurt. I glanced out the large picture window centering the wall in my living area, scanning over the sunshine lighting up the desert bushes with colorful flowers resting in rows in the landscaping rock around the walkways. This place was growing on me. It would be interesting to see if I could put the Ice Den on the map for Olympic skating. Maybe I’d get help from Nova.

“Anything else going on? Do you have big plans for tonight, seeing as it’s Saturday?” She chuckled. “When I was in college, I never missed an opportunity for a party on a Saturday night.”

My mother, the college party girl. It was hard to picture her like that. She was my mom . “Yes, I’m, uh…” Shit, Ace. Should I tell her about him? She might be happy to hear I had a boyfriend. “I’m going to the ASU hockey game tonight.”

“Oh, is your team skating between periods like they did here?” she asked.

“No, not tonight. I’m sure we will at some point though.” I clenched my jaw for a beat. I was just going to say it. “Mom, I have a boyfriend…and he’s a hockey player. A goalie, not a forward like Brody was. He’s not like Brody at all, in fact?—”

“Another hockey player?” Her breath caught. “What year is he in school, and what are his prospects for the NHL?”

I winced, a knot forming in my gut. Shit, she had the same concerns I did. But then, she’d been there to help pick up the pieces when Brody left. And all the times he cheated on me, and we’d broken up. “Well, um…his prospects are good. He’s broken school records for the number of shutouts in a season, and he, uh, he led the team to win the championship last year.”

In a low voice, she said, “So, how serious are you about this boy?”

Breathing through a laugh, I said, “Oh, I don’t know. I like him, and he’s a great guy, but I’m just having fun. I’m well aware we probably don’t have a future.” My chest pinched and I fisted my hand resting on my thigh.

“If he’s a great guy, why don’t you think you’d have a future?”

Shit, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. “He graduates this year, so after this season, he’s sure to get picked up by a team. His friends were saying maybe a team like Boston. Then he’d be moving across the country, and I still have to finish my master’s.” Then there were my students. I raked my fingers through my hair, blowing out a long exhale.

“What if you fall in love?”

“I’m not going to fall in love. I won’t let it happen.” It was like she’d channeled Nova. But then, she and Nova always had thought alike. Maybe it’s why I had such an instant connection with Nova.

“Honey, these things have a way of just happening. If your heart wants him, I don’t think you’ll be able to stop it.”

“We’ll see.” I pressed my lips together. I didn’t want to talk about this anymore. All it did was bring my fears running back to the surface.

“So tell me more about him. Where is he from and what’s he studying?” she asked, her voice lightening.

This I could do. “He’s from Montana. His family owns a ranch up there, and he’s the oldest of four.”

“Oh, a cowboy, huh?” She giggled.

“Well, he says he’s not, but he’s got that vibe to him, you know?” My chest filled with warmth. “He takes me out on romantic dates, and he’s, well, very attentive. He does not have a wandering eye like Brody did.”

“Sounds like a lovely boy. I’d love to meet him. Do you think you can bring him around for Thanksgiving?”

Was she trying to make me fall in love with him? Moms were so hard to figure out sometimes. “I don’t know, Mom. I’ll have to find out.” Would Ace want to drive all the way to Colorado Springs on his days off? I sank into the couch.

“What’s he studying?”

“He’s studying finance. I think he’s doing it so when he does get his NHL contract, he’ll know how to handle his money.” I rubbed my knee. He was going to be a wealthy guy someday. Though it wasn’t something I sought out in a guy, it sure didn’t hurt.

“Zoma, he sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders.” She sighed. “I wish you the best with him.”

“Thanks, Mom.” I glanced at the stack of books on my coffee table. “I gotta go. I have so much reading to do.”

“Sure. I’ll talk to you soon, okay? And let me know how your new relationship is going. You can talk to me, you know. I do know things.” She chuckled.

“Yeah, okay.” I let a smile creep over my lips. Maybe she was right. I should at least try with Ace. “Anyway, bye, and I love you.”

“Love you too, honey.” She made a kissing noise into the phone.

With a soft laugh, I ended the call. She always had to do the kissing thing. Shit, I hadn’t asked about Dad. Oh well, next time.