Chapter 24
KNOX
I wipe my sweat-damp face with the hem of my t-shirt as I make my way back to the locker room.
The Iceplex is virtually empty this late in the afternoon, just the way I like it.
The extra cardio session was exactly what I needed—a chance to clear my head and burn off the nervous energy that’s been building all week.
Instead, I feel like I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
We’ve got some tough games coming up. We face the Wild on their home ice tomorrow night, and then we’ve got the Capitals at home on Saturday. Both teams were in the playoffs last year and are favored to repeat.
If we want to keep our winning record, I need to be on my game. I need to win face-offs, execute the playbook, and score goals.
In short, I need to be the leader this team needs.
The pressure is…intense. I’m not the only one feeling it.
Coach has been wound tight all week, though he’s doing his best to hide it. Which only makes me feel like a bigger asshole about the secret I’m keeping from him.
About who I’m keeping secret.
I skipped dinner at his place last week, and I still feel guilty as hell about it.
During my time in Atlanta, the only meals I’ve missed were when either Coach or I were out of town.
If I keep making excuses, he’s going to get suspicious.
But I just couldn’t do it. Couldn’t sit across the table from him and make small talk while pretending I hadn’t spent the morning with my face buried between his daughter’s thighs.
Something has to give, but I’m no closer to a solution than I was six weeks ago.
I round the corner and nearly collide with the woman who’s been consuming my thoughts day and night.
Ava looks up, startled, and a soft smile lights her face. “Hey, you.”
“Hey yourself.” I let my gaze drift over her, admiring the gauzy dress that hugs her curves in all the right places. “I like the dress.”
A faint blush stains her cheeks. “Thanks. It’s new. A little treat for myself.”
“You deserve it.” I lean in, crowding her just a little. She smells divine, like flowers and sunshine, and I can’t get enough of it. Can’t get enough of her. “You know what I’ve been thinking about all morning?”
“What’s that?” Her voice is breathless, and I’m not gonna lie, I love that I have this effect on her.
“Have you ever had sex in a locker room?” I ask, pitching my voice low.
Her eyes widen. “Knox—”
“It’s always been a fantasy of mine,” I continue, backing her up against the concrete wall. “And now here you are. In just the right place at just the right time.”
I reach for her hand, intending to pull her into the locker room, but she laughs and shakes her head.
“We can’t. It’s too risky.” She looks up and down the hall. “What if someone catches us?”
She’s right. It’s a terrible fucking idea, but tell that to my cock.
“Everyone’s gone. I was the last one out of the gym.” I lean in, brushing my lips against the shell of her ear. “Besides, you deserve a reward for all your hard work. The team’s doing great, and it’s because of you.”
She shivers, and I know I’ve almost got her.
“Plus,” I add, pulling back to meet her gaze, “you can totally make my fantasy come true.”
Ava bites her lip, clearly torn between desire and discretion. Her need for release at war with her need to follow the rules. “I don’t know…”
I take her hand and lead her to the locker room, pushing the door open just enough for her to peer inside. “See? Completely empty. Everyone else is gone.”
She peeks, skeptical, then gives me the side-eye. “Are you telling me that in all your years of playing hockey, you’ve never hooked up in the locker room?”
I hold up three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
She laughs, and the throaty sound goes straight to my cock. “Were you even a scout?”
“That’s not the point.” I grab her hand again, and this time she follows me inside.
The instant the door closes behind us, we’re kissing, our mouths crashing together with desperate need.
I’ve been waiting all day for this. Counting the seconds until I could touch her again.
I press her up against the wall, my hands roaming over her body, savoring the feel of her soft skin against my calloused fingers.
“You have no idea how hard it’s been to keep my hands off you,” I murmur against her lips.
“I think I have some idea.” The little vixen arches into me, and I groan.
My hands settle on her hips, then drift lower, skimming the hem of her dress. “Your legs have been driving me wild all day. All I’ve been able to think about is having them wrapped around me.”
“Is that so?” There’s a teasing lilt to her voice that has my cock thickening.
“Mmm.” I slide my hands up her thighs, pushing her dress higher. “But now that I have you here, I’ve got a better idea.”
“Oh?”
My hands continue their trek north, settling around her throat. My thumbs brush her jaw as I tilt her face up to meet mine. “I’ve worked up a big appetite this morning, darlin’.”
Ava’s breath hitches. Her lips are swollen and well-kissed, her lipstick smudged. She’s wrecked in the best possible way, and she’s all mine. “I guess it’s a good thing I wore a dress today.”
I groan and capture her mouth again, thrusting my tongue past her lips, desperate to be as close to her as possible. She’s so fucking incredible, and I know I’m damn lucky she came back into my life.
Ava moans and grinds her hips against me, silently begging for more.
Happy to comply, I drop to my knees and pull her panties down, letting them pool at her ankles.
“My favorite treat,” I say, diving face-first between her legs and sucking her clit.
Normally, I take my time and let the pleasure build slowly, but time is of the essence here, and I’m desperate to feel her come on my tongue.
Ava cries out at the onslaught, and I mumble against her slick heat, “Shh. Keep your voice down, darlin’.”
But I’m too busy licking and sucking and enjoying my woman to really care, and if I’m being honest, I love hearing her come apart.
I work her with my tongue, alternating between broad strokes and intense pressure on her clit. Her hands tangle in my hair, holding me in place, and it fucking sends me.
I double down, and she whimpers.
“Use your words, darlin’.”
“Oh my god. Whatever you’re doing, don’t stop. Ever.”
I wouldn’t dream of it. This is even hotter than I imagined.
Hell, we should’ve done it weeks ago.
“You like that?” I increase the speed, and slip a finger inside of her, savoring the way her pussy clamps down on the thick digit.
She cries out again, louder this time. “I don’t know if I can—”
A thump echoes from the direction of the coaches’ suite.
Fuck.
I freeze, my heart suddenly pounding for an entirely different reason. The coaches’ suite is connected to the locker room by a short hallway, and that sound was way too close.
Adrenaline floods my system, and I shoot to my feet. “You need to hide.”
Ava’s eyes are large and round, and she’s frozen in place, her dress still hiked up around her waist.
Not good.
I scoop her up and gently deposit her into the nearest laundry cart just as Coach bursts through the door.
“I swear to God, if there’s a puck bunny in this locker room…” he bellows, his gaze sweeping the space.
It would almost be funny if it wasn’t his daughter hiding in the laundry cart three feet away from me. This is definitely not how I want Coach to find out about us. Not when there are so many sticks and sharp blades in close proximity.
“It’s uh, it’s just me, Coach.”
His eyes narrow in suspicion. “I heard a woman’s voice.”
I rub the back of my neck, mentally scrambling for an explanation. “I was watching a video.”
His eyebrows shoot up in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me.
Are you seriously watching porn in the locker room, St. James?
For fuck’s sake, do that shit at home. I don’t want to know about it.
” He shakes his head in disgust. “I hired a counselor to help y’all deal with your shit, and instead of talking about your feelings, you’re in here watching porn. ”
Ava giggles from inside the hamper, and I cough loudly, trying to mask the sound.
“To be fair, Coach, the two are not mutually exclusive.”
“Jesus Christ, St. James. Quit talking.” He holds his hand up in the universal sign for stop. “You good for dinner on Sunday? I can grill us up some steaks to celebrate our win over the Capitals.”
Someone’s feeling bullish.
“From your lips to God’s ears, but yeah, I’ll be there.”
Coach nods, seemingly satisfied. I open my mouth to ask if I should bring anything special since Ava’s birthday is on Friday, but then I snap it shut. Ava doesn’t know that I know it’s her birthday, and if Coach is planning something special, I don’t want to ruin the surprise.
“Have you seen Ava?” he asks. “I’ve looked all over and I can’t find her.”
My cheeks grow warm, and I can’t help but wonder if this is a test. Does he know I just lied to his face? That his daughter is hiding in the laundry cart behind me?
Imagine what he’d do if he knew her scent was clinging to your upper lip.
Nope. Definitely not going there.
“I haven’t seen her since we left the ice.” I strive for a casual tone, despite the fact that I’m freaking the fuck out. “I think she usually spends the afternoons in her office. Maybe try there?”
“You’re probably right.” He huffs out a breath, then wrinkles his nose. “This place smells terrible. It’s the last place my baby girl would be hanging out.”
Guilt strikes hard and fast, a physical blow to my chest.
It’s compounded when Coach continues, his expression softening.
“You know, Knox, I haven’t always been great about saying it, but I’m proud of you, son.
You’re becoming exactly the kind of leader this team needs, and it’s showing the standings.
I know it hasn’t been easy, but there’s no one else I’d trust with the job. ”
My chest tightens, and for a moment, I can’t breathe. “Th-thank you, sir.”
It’s official. I’m the biggest asshole on the planet.
This man is like a father to me. He saved me when I was drowning in grief, helped me find my way back to the sport I love, and trusted me to lead this team with his job on the line. And I’m sneaking around doing the one thing he explicitly forbade: fucking his daughter.
No, that’s not right. What Ava and I share is more than physical.
In fact, our no-strings arrangement is starting to feel a hell of a lot like a real relationship. If only I could get Ava to acknowledge it…
Coach leaves, and I wait until I hear the door to the hallway close before I move.
Ava pops up from the laundry cart, hair disheveled. “That was close.”
“No kidding.” I lift her out of the cart and set her down in front of me, my cock still straining against my gym shorts. “Now, where were we?”
“You can’t be serious.” She scrunches her nose up adorably. “I probably smell like dirty socks.”
I give a teasing sniff. “Technically, you smell like dirty socks and flowers. My favorite combination.”
She laughs, and then, catching herself, claps a hand over her mouth.
I glance at the clock above the door. “What do you say? I figure we’ve got at least five minutes until he gives up on his search.”
Ava arches a brow, and a wicked smile curves her beautiful lips. “You think you can get me off in five minutes?”
“Darlin’, I’m only going to need three, but you have to promise not to scream.”