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

We were deep into the second period with only three minutes left and I felt like I was on fire. I already had four points for the game—two goals and two assists. It was looking to be a complete shutout. Wolfe brought his A game. Literally everyone on our team was playing the best version of themselves.

It had to be because of Harper.

There was no other explanation.

The ref called an icing after Lincoln tossed the puck back into our zone. We headed down to the defensive zone for a face-off and I caught sight of Harper with her face hidden behind her camera. A smile pulled on my lips and I got into my position with my stick ready to fight.

“Sup Cirone?” The player next to me nodded his head as I met his gaze. Alexander Stone. We played college hockey together and it had been a minute since I last saw him.

“Stone,” I replied with a clipped tone as I grew impatient waiting for the ref to drop the puck. Stone was known for chirping and he was a dickhead. I kept my distance from him, even though we played on the same team.

“You look just as pretty as you always have.”

I side-eyed him. “Fuck off, Stone.”

“What?” He laughed. “You’ve always been known for being the pretty boy who stays wheelin’ chicks. Speaking of—you think you can hook me up with one while I’m in town? My dick could use a good sucking, unless you’d rather wrap those pretty lips around it instead.”

This was Alexander Stone. A fucking pig with no respect for anyone. This was also the exact reason why he ended up in fights during most games he played. He didn’t know how to stay in his own lane.

It was one thing to chirp and talk shit during a game, but he always took it too far.

Just as the ref dropped the puck, Stone threw his shoulder into mine instead of even bothering to battle for the black piece of rubber. I managed to get it anyway and tossed it to Lincoln before getting in Stone’s face.

“What the fuck was that?”

“Just seeing if you’re still a fragile little bitch,” he laughed out loud, winking before he started to skate away. “You took that hit pretty well.”

It wasn’t often that I got into fights, but something about the way he was talking was working under my skin. I knew that this was to be expected. I could always out-skate him and he was jealous of how I played compared to him. Stone had always been an envious person and let it get the better of him.

Although, I wasn’t sure there was anything better about him.

I skated after him as we headed into the neutral zone and slashed my stick against the side of his calves. It was a dirty move and one I didn’t usually pull, but I was fucking annoyed with him. Stone had a habit of pushing people to this point and it wasn’t the first time we ended up in a fight.

He spun around, his eyes wild, and he threw his gloves onto the ice before squaring up with me. A sinister smirk formed on his face. I would definitely get a penalty for slashing, but he was the one who threw his mitts first. All I was doing was defending myself.

His fist hit the side of my head, rattling my brain a bit. I reached out, grabbing the collar of his jersey while trying to keep myself upright. Curling my other hand into a fist, I drove it into the side of his face. The shield of his helmet cut through the back of my hand. I ignored the pain and the blood while we took turns delivering blows to each other’s faces.

“Not so pretty anymore, Cirone,” Stone sneered with a smirk. I drove all of my body weight into him, knocking him down onto the ice. I followed along with him, landing on top of him.

It wasn’t long before one of the refs was lifting me away and two were between us, keeping us separated. I tasted blood on my tongue as I ran it over the cut on my lip.

“Good fight, Nico. I see you learned how to throw a harder punch.” He smiled at me with a mouthful of blood before he started talking shit to the ref. That was how Alexander Stone operated. And I simply shook my head as more distance was put between us.

We both ended up in the penalty box and he was still chirping from where he was sitting. Thankfully, the numerous walls of glass between us were making it harder to understand the shit that was spewing from his lips. He wasn’t even talking about me at this point.

Stone was one of those guys who’d had one too many concussions. It made you question if he was even living in the same reality as the rest of the planet. Head injuries were no joke and I wouldn’t be surprised if his next one would end up being his last and what would have him out of the league.

It was a shame because he was a decent player. He just had a big mouth and talked a lot of shit. He only talked shit to his own teammates during practices and scrimmage games. Other than that, he was a ride or die team player. Either way, I still didn’t like him and I probably never would.

The buzzer sounded throughout the arena as the second stanza had come to an end. I was let out of the box and skated over to the door by our team’s bench. Everyone else was already making their way down the tunnel and just as I stepped through the door, I glanced over, catching Harper’s gaze from where she was standing. She was making her way up the stairs, most likely to head back to the media room.

The expression on her face looked less than amused and she shook her head at me in disapproval. My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion from the look she was giving me. I wanted to close the distance between us. I wanted to pluck the thoughts from her mind. Instead, she ducked her head and continued to walk up the stairs toward the concourse.

Mac pressed his gloved hands against the middle of my back, giving me a slight shove. “Let’s go, Cirone.”

I didn’t argue with him. Instead, I began the trek down the tunnel to the locker room. Mac and I were the last two to walk in. Mac brushed past me and took a seat on the bench. I kind of lingered for a moment before I sat down. Wes slid over to me with a look of curiosity.

“You an enforcer now?” Weston challenged me with his voice low. “What happened out there?”

I shrugged with a look of indifference as I attempted to brush it off. “You know Stone. He’s just a fucking asshole.”

“Don’t give him a reaction. You know that’s all he’s looking for.”

“Yeah, I know,” I nodded along in agreement. “I don’t know what came over me. Usually the shit he says just rolls off but for some reason he really got under my skin.”

I wasn’t about to relay the vulgar things that Stone said to me. It was one thing to chirp and talk shit, but it was another to keep it more lighthearted. Stone was just mean-spirited and Wes was right. I couldn’t let it get to me. It was already over and what was done was done. Even though I would have to face him again in the third period, the fight was over.

In reality, it wasn’t even the fight that was weighing on my mind. It was the way Harper looked at me. Almost like she was disappointed in me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that slid down my spine. I felt like I did something to offend her and I didn’t like how it was settling in my bones. I couldn’t fully explain it, but I knew I was only using the fight with Alexander to block thoughts of Harper from my brain.

“I saw your good luck charm was here tonight,” Wes said, breaking through my thoughts with his quiet voice. “You’re grinding hard tonight and I think your theory might be pretty solid. You have the evidence to back it up.”

“She doesn’t want anything to do with me, man.”

Wes raised an eyebrow. “Did she tell you that?”

I grabbed a bottle and squirted some water into my mouth. “She thinks the moment between us has passed. It’s too risky, so she says, for us to even see each other.”

“Ah.” Wes nodded like he suddenly had the answers he was looking for. “That explains the fight. You’re trying to work out the shit in your head.”

I stared at him for a moment. “Are you a player on the team or our shrink? Stop overanalyzing me, Cole.”

“Can I give you a piece of advice?”

“No.”

Wes laughed. “Well, you’re getting it anyways. Don’t give up on her yet. Maybe try to do something normal like take her out to dinner or some shit. Be her friend, get to know her.”

“I never said that I didn’t want to do any of that.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “I don’t want to push her away. I’m trying to play it smart.”

He shrugged. “Well, either you push her away or toward you. Where you stand right now, I don’t think you have much to lose.”

I mulled over Wes’s words and before I knew it, it was time for us to head back out to the ice. I pushed it all to the farthest corner of my mind and played my ass off. We ended up with a shutout and the boys were on a whole different level with their energy. Everyone wanted to go out and celebrate.

I just wanted to go home.

The guys all made plans to meet up at a local bar and I told them that I would maybe stop by. I headed out alone and there weren’t very many cars left in the parking lot. After pulling out and making my way around the stadium, I slowed down while passing the staff parking lot.

Harper’s car was still there and I couldn’t stop myself as I pulled in and parked next to her. It was stupid and I knew it, but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to see her—I needed to see her. After everything tonight, she was the only one I really wanted to talk to.

I waited until I saw her exiting the building before getting out of my car. Her steps faltered for a moment as she crossed the parking lot, undoubtedly noticing my car sitting next to hers. As I stepped around the front of my vehicle, she gave me a small nod and put her stuff on her passenger’s seat before walking over to me.

“Nico,” she said softly, yet her expression was filled with a look of questioning and hesitation. “What are you doing out here?”

I shifted my weight on my feet and tucked my hands into the front pocket of my hoodie. “I was waiting for you.”

Harper stared at me for a moment as she wrapped her arms around herself to block out the cool evening breeze. “Why?”

Her cheeks were tinted pink and wisps of her blonde hair blew across her face. Instinctively, I reached out and brushed them away, tucking them behind her ears. I heard the sharp intake of her breath as the tips of my fingers grazed her soft skin. Harper’s eyes bounced back and forth between my own.

I shrugged as I pulled my hand away. “I don’t know. I just felt like I needed to after I saw you earlier.”

Her expression softened and she took a hesitant step closer to me. She lifted her hand to cup the side of my face and her gaze dropped to my lips as she gently touched the cut in my lip.

“I didn’t like seeing you fight tonight,” she breathed, her voice barely audible. Her touch was tender and her gaze collided with mine as she lifted her eyes. “What happened out there? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I told her, reaching up to wrap my hand around her wrist. I meant to pull her away from my face, but instead I found myself wanting to pull her closer. “Just normal stuff that happens on the ice.”

Her throat bobbed. “I get that. I’m not a stranger to watching the fights. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Her words slid through my veins, warming my body as they flowed from her lips. I stared down at her, the corners of my mouth twitching. “I didn’t know you cared.”

“I never said I cared,” she grumbled as I dropped my hand away from her wrist. “That doesn’t mean that I want to see something bad happen to you.”

A smirk slid onto my face. “I don’t know, Harper. That kind of sounds like you might care.” I lifted my hand up, holding my thumb and forefinger apart half an inch. “Even if it’s only this much.”

Harper dropped her hand away from my face and I instantly felt her absence. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “You can tell yourself whatever you need to if it will help you sleep better at night.”

You would help me sleep better at night.

“I don’t know about sleep, but it might help me play better.”

She stared at me for a moment before her face cracked. Her eyes crinkled at the sides and her laughter danced across my eardrums. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard, and I found myself completely captivated by her. Holding my breath, I smiled and watched her as she shook her head at me.

“You’re something else, I’ll give you that.” She smiled back at me as her laughter dissipated.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her and I couldn’t stop the words as they rolled off my tongue.

“Go to dinner with me.”

Harper’s eyes widened. “What?”

Fuck.

My jaw clenched and I wanted to suck the words back in. It was too late. I couldn’t take them back now and I had to roll with it.

“I want to take you out to dinner. No strings attached. Just two friends having dinner.”

Harper angled her head to the side as she lifted an eyebrow. “Oh. Are we friends now?” Her tone was light and a ghost of a smile played on her lips.

I nodded. “The best of friends.”

“Well, in that case, I suppose it would be rude of me to say no.” She smiled at me as she shifted her weight on her feet. “Just dinner.”

“I just want to feed you. Nothing more.” I paused. “Not physically feed you, although I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”

She stared at me, her eyes dropping to my mouth before meeting my gaze again. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that and just let you buy me dinner.”

Laughter rumbled in my chest and I didn’t bother to let myself feel embarrassed. “Get in my car,” I told her as I stepped away and made my way to the driver’s side. “I know of a place nearby.”

“What about my car?”

I glanced over at her from where I was standing, noting the distance between us. “Would you feel better if we drove separately?”

Harper nodded. “Don’t want you to get any ideas,” she admitted with a wink.

“I would never,” I scoffed, attempting to feign innocence.

“Yeah, right.” She pulled open her door. “You lead the way and I’ll follow.”

I smiled to myself as I got into my car. I lied when I said I knew of a place nearby. I hadn’t thought that far in advance, but I wasn’t going to let her down now. Getting her to agree to go to dinner with me was half the battle.

And it was the half I had just won.