Meet Me in the Penalty Box: A Small Town Hockey Romance (Orchid City Book 1)

As we all filed down the tunnel back to the locker room, the guys were exhausted but still hyped from our win. I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about Harper and our encounter before the game. Perhaps that was something I needed to make more of a habit because I ended up with seven points during the entire game tonight.

She was definitely a good luck charm for sure.

Sitting down on the bench, I began to strip out of my gear and was careful to save my ball of tape. As I slid it into my bag, my phone vibrated in my locker and I grabbed it to read the message that had just come through.

HARPER

Ava and I will be at The Lounge if you aren’t doing anything.

A smile pulled on my lips and I sat back down on the bench as I typed out my response to her.

NICO

What time?

She must have been staring at her phone because she responded instantly.

HARPER

I have to go home first, so probably closer to 11.

It didn’t give me much time to get ready, so I would just have to wear the suit I wore here to the bar. I would have exactly enough time to get a shower and head over there. The Lounge was only about ten minutes from the stadium, so half an hour was plenty of time.

NICO

I’ll meet you there.

“The Lounge,” Wes said from over my shoulder. I glanced back at him and found him standing there with a smirk on his face. “Who is Ava?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Do you understand privacy at all, bro? Who the fuck reads someone’s messages over their shoulder?”

Lincoln laughed from where he was sitting as he overheard me scolding Wes. “You act like you don’t know how he is.”

Wes dropped down beside me. “Sorry, dude. You know I’m just nosy sometimes.”

“Yeah, I know.”

He was my best friend. I could never truly be mad at him or fault him for it. He didn’t do anything with ill intent. Wes was just one of those goofy kind of people who was really his own person. He was nosy as hell, almost like he lived in a constant state of FOMO.

I stared at him for a moment. “You want to go along?”

Wes’s face lit up and he tilted his head to the side. “Are you sure? I don’t want to be, like, a third wheel or anything.”

“It’s not a date. Harper and I are just friends and she’s going to be there with her friend, so it’s not a date at all.”

“Right, right,” Wes said with a wink. “I need to get a shower and you know I’m down.”

We split up, both of us focused on getting our gear put away so we could head into the showers. A part of me realized that maybe it wasn’t a good idea inviting Wes along, but he could be trusted. If there was one person I trusted my life with other than G or my father, it was Wes.

He wouldn’t tell anyone about Harper and I. Plus, we weren’t going to be caught doing anything other than getting drinks tonight.

“Tell me about Ava,” Wes said as we both walked from the parking lot toward the bar. “That’s her name, right?”

“I’m pretty sure she has a boyfriend.”

Wes chuckled. “Like that means anything.”

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. “Just don’t.”

He held his hands up in innocence. “Fine. I’ll be on my best behavior and won’t do anything with your girl’s friend.”

I glared at him. “She’s not my girl.”

“Right,” he said with the sarcasm heavy in his tone as he rolled his eyes. “So, you wouldn’t mind if she went home with someone else then tonight, right?”

My jaw clenched and ice slid through my gaze. Anger instantly sprung to life inside me and I swallowed it back. Wes was testing me and he knew exactly what he was doing. And goddamn him for being fucking right.

“Fucking liar,” Wes mumbled as he held open the door for me to walk in ahead of him. The Lounge was busy when we got there and all of the tables were taken. As were the seats at the bar. There were people standing everywhere, practically crammed inside the building like a can of sardines.

It wasn’t ideal but at the same time, it actually was. With this many people here, it wouldn’t make it seem as obvious about being here with Harper. If anyone saw us here together, she would definitely be safe. After all, we didn’t come here together. We were simply running into each other and having a drink.

As Wes and I pushed our way to the bar, I saw Harper sitting there with Ava. They were engaged in some kind of conversation and I didn’t stop moving until I reached the back of her seat. My hands grazed the backs of her shoulders and she whipped her head in my direction.

I saw the wave of relief wash over her face as she saw that it was me. “Nico,” she breathed, but it was hard to hear her over all the voices floating around the enclosed space. It was loud in the bar and I wanted to take her somewhere a little more private.

My eyes traveled over the top that she was wearing. It was a black, low-cut blouse that had two chain-like straps over her shoulders. Her blonde hair was pulled back in some kind of a twist, leaving her slender neck exposed. My dick was already hard just from looking at her.

“What do you guys want to drink?” Ava yelled over the noise to Wes and I. “I’m Ava,” she introduced herself as she held out her hand.

I shook it gently. “Nico. I’ll take a bourbon and ginger ale.”

Wes did the same with a sly smirk pulling on his lips. “Wes. I’ll take the same.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ll buy you a drink if you stop looking at me like you’re going to take me home tonight. I’m already taken.”

Harper laughed softly and I wanted to reach out and pluck it from the air and store it in my own personal collection of her sounds. Ava turned back around and waited for the bartender to order our drinks. Wes moved over to her and they struck up a conversation. He might have been known for being a playboy and talking a lot of shit, but that’s exactly what it was. It was all talk.

“You played really well tonight,” Harper told me as I hovered behind her.

I smiled as I dipped my mouth down to her ear. “It’s because of you, love. Maybe we need to make a habit of seeing each other before games now too.” I pulled back enough to see Harper’s expression.

Her eyes were a bit hazy and she smiled back at me. “I think we could probably arrange that.”

I raised an eyebrow after glancing at her drink that was half full. “How much have you had to drink? I don’t think the Harper Jensen I know would willingly agree to something like that.”

“Perhaps she had a change of heart,” Harper said with a wink. “Maybe she realized that sometimes risks are worth taking.”

My hand was still on the top of her back and I slowly moved it over her shoulder before dropping my mouth back to her ear. “I like the way that sounds.”

Ava was suddenly leaning over toward the both of us with two shots. Wes was standing behind her with one in his hand. There was another guy with a shot too, who introduced himself as Ryan, Ava’s boyfriend. Harper took one of the glasses and I followed suit, not quite sure what we were celebrating.

“To Harper!” Ava yelled out as she lifted her shot glass into the air. “I’m so proud of you and excited to see where your photography is taking you!”

We all tapped our shots together before swallowing back a mouthful of vodka. It burned my esophagus and I set my glass down as I looked at Ava. “What are we celebrating?”

Ava’s eyes widened. “She didn’t tell you? She has her first wedding shoot that she’s going to be doing!”

My gaze dropped back to Harper’s and she was avoiding looking at me as she drained the rest of her drink and slid the glass across the bar. Placing my hands on both of her shoulders, I leaned forward.

“Why didn’t you tell me, love?” I probed, my attention solely on her. Thankfully the bar was still loud enough that no one could hear us. Ava was talking to her boyfriend and Wes disappeared to who the hell knew where.

Harper turned her head to face me until our cheeks were pressed against one another’s. “I don’t know. I didn’t think it was something that was possible or would ever happen since most of my experience is in shooting sports.”

“Don’t you like sports photography?”

She shrugged. “I enjoy it, but I don’t think it’s where my heart is. I love love. I want to shoot engagements and weddings and babies. I don’t want to spend my entire career shooting professional sports.”

This was a complete game changer. I didn’t want Harper to lose her job. Even though I could take care of her, she wanted to be independent. She made it clear that she couldn’t afford to lose her job. But this really changed things. If she were to get established in doing what she truly loved, she could leave sports behind entirely. And then there would be nothing in the way of us.

“I love that for you,” I told her as I pulled back and smiled down at the beautiful girl in front of me. “I know you will be amazing and it will all work out. If that is what you want to do, I know you will make it happen.”

She stared at me for a moment, her eyes shining brightly at me. “How can you be so sure and so confident in me? It almost feels like it’s a dream and it’s literally only one shoot. It’s not like I’m changing my career with this one job.”

I drained the rest of my drink and set it down on the bar. “Because I believe in you, Harper. The sky is the fucking limit and there’s nothing stopping you from achieving your dreams. I’ve seen how good your photography is. We just need to get it seen by the rest of the world.”

“Who are you, Nico Cirone?” she breathed, her voice husky as she raked her teeth over her plump bottom lip.

I winked as I held my hand out to her. “Come with me and I’ll show you.”

“What about Ava?” she said as her eyes quickly searched mine with a touch of panic in them.

“Tell her whatever the fuck you need to, but you’re leaving here with me.” I paused as I pulled out my phone. “And we’re leaving now.”

She nodded and directed her attention to her friend as I sent Wes a text and told him that I was going to head out. He gave me a thumbs-up and nothing more, so I knew he was probably preoccupied or else he would have been digging for more details.

I took a few steps away, turning my back to the bar as I locked my screen and put my phone back into my pocket. As I pulled my keys from the same pocket, I felt a smaller hand slide into my other one. Turning my head, I glanced over and saw Harper standing beside me. Her chin was lifted as she looked up at me with a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

“Are you ready to go?” I asked her over the crowd.

She nodded and smiled as she shifted her weight impatiently on her feet.

“My place or yours?”

“Mine is closer.”

I smirked. She had the same thoughts as I did and I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be able to control myself around her.

“Your place it is.”