Double shift, p.1
Double Shift, page 1
© Copyright 2018 by Van Cole All rights reserved.
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Double Shift
MMM First Time Hockey Romance
By: Van Cole
Foreword
Harvey Price is the best player in the league but he’s playing for the wrong team.
He’s known as hockey’s playboy. Every time he goes into a bar, he finds someone new to flirt with. That is until he meets Jay Collins, the new defenseman for his team and his potential replacement.
His usual approach doesn’t work on Jay because, well, he’s smitten. But Harvey Price can’t be gay. He’s known for chasing skirts and yet, he cannot deny that Jay is the best-looking thing he’s seen in a while.
And then there’s the fitness trainer. Oh, he is too.
And Harvey is left with a three-way tie.
Will he stick to the straight and narrow?
Or will he go for the handsome young hockey player gunning for his position?
Or maybe work up a sweat with his personal trainer during after-hours?
Whatever his choice, this book is bound to melt right through the ice.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Come Stalk Me!
Double Shift
Chapter 1 Harvey
“Another whiskey, sir?”
“Mhm, and maybe your number, too,” I said with a wink.
The bartender, a young blonde, smiled. Her cheeks were a rosy shade of red. Apparently, asking for her number was enough to make her blush. As she bit her bottom lip with embarrassment, her eyes wandered along my body. Did she like what she saw? “I’m flattered, I really am, but I can’t do that while I’m at work.”
“Oh, come on, it’ll be our little secret. Just write it down on a napkin or something – no one has to know.” I paused to lean forward. “I promise you won’t regret it.” My voice lowered to a soft, seductive tone that could barely be heard over the jukebox.
Again, she smiled. “Here you are, sir.” She said as she handed over my drink.
“Tell me, do you know who I am?” I asked as I ran my finger along the rim of my glass.
“Of course.” She answered. “Everyone in this town knows who you are.” She tilted her head toward the TV. “The Minute Men are always on.”
I grinned. “So, you’re a fan, then.”
“Not particularly but my dad’s a fanatic. Sometimes, I can’t get him to shut up about hockey.” She rolled her eyes. “Dads, what are you going to do, right?”
“Say, what’s your name?” I asked after taking a swig of whiskey. Top shelf. Nice and smooth.
“Melody.”
“Melody,” I repeated, nodding my head. “My, that’s a lovely name.”
Her cheeks reddened once more, even darker this time around. I could tell by the look in her eye – that glisten of excitement – that I was slowly getting through to her. Good. By the end of the night, she would be mine.
“And, do you know what would be really swell, Melody?”
“What’s that?” She asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
“If you went on a date with me.” She was about to say something but I held up my hand to hold her off. “Think about it. Your dad would go absolutely nuts if he knew you rejected the Harvey Price – star defensemen of the Minute Men.”
“Well, aren’t you a modest one.” Her tone turned cold. With her arms crossed against her chest and her lips pressed into a thin, hard line, she looked rather disappointed.
“What can I say?” I chuckled before downing my drink. “So, is that a yes?”
“I’m sorry but the answer is no.”
“What?” I furrowed my brows together in confusion. No one had downright rejected me before.
“I can’t go on a date with you.”
“Why not?”
Melody leaned in nice and slow. As she did so, her shirt dipped down exposing the upper part of her chest. Instinctively, my gaze lingered on her cleavage, drinking in the wonderful sight before me. She was pretty well endowed with nice, perky breasts. A D-cup, maybe. And yet… they weren’t doing anything for me. Usually, I’d be hounding over a girl like this but… nothing.
It must be the whiskey.
“I don’t exactly play for the right team, so to speak.” Melody glanced over at her fellow bartender. She was also cute with a bubble butt hugged tightly by a pair of yoga pants.
“Lesbian?” I guessed with a dumbfounded look plastered on my face.
“Mhm. Been dating for three months now. I know it’s pretty early for me to say something like this but I really do think I found the one.” She sighed a contented sigh. “There’s just something about her, you know? It’s like every time I see her, someone zaps me with a defibrillator – heart goes all crazy.” Her eyes glazed over. “And don’t even get me started on the sex.”
My mind wandered, picturing the two women sharing a bed together. Most straight men would find that sort of thing completely irresistible. It can get them hard in a heartbeat. And yet… I was as soft as melted butter.
What was wrong with me?
“You know, the funny thing is I thought I was straight before I met Sadie.”
“Really?” I asked. “I find that hard to believe.”
She nodded. “It’s true. I dated jocks and the like. The sex was decent but I always felt like there was something missing. As it turned out, I was playing for the wrong team.” She giggled and once again looked over at Sadie. Her whole face was alit with glee.
“I see,” I said not quite sure how to respond properly. I had never understood how people could just switch their sexual orientation. You either like boys or you like girls – it’s as easy as that.
And I like girls.
***
“Price!” My coach, Mr. Morrison, hollered as soon as I stepped into the locker room. “You’re late, as always. You missed our huddle.”
“It’s fine.” I dismissed his comment as I headed for my locker.
He narrowed his eyes, lips pressed together in a disapproving grimace. “Have you been drinking again? I told you to cut the shit.”
“I had a couple of shots this afternoon. Relax. I’m sober.”
“You better be.” He growled. “If you keep testing me like this, I will cut you from the team.”
“I’m sure you will.” I snickered sarcastically. “This team would fall apart without me and you know it.”
“Alright, tough guy.” Mr. Morrison stepped forward, glaring at me with a steely expression. He was approaching fifty and he already sported a full head of gray hair. He wouldn’t last much longer. “Let’s see how much longer you stick around with that rotten attitude.” And, with that, he walked away.
The locker room was eerily silent in his wake. All the other players were stealing glances in my direction. That’s right. I’m not afraid of the coach – or anyone else for that matter.
Just then, someone emerged from the showers, steam rolling off their body.
A new guy.
A fucking sexy new guy.
To my surprise, my cock jumped to life at the sight of him. It throbbed with excitement as I took in the sight of his broad shoulders, the lean taper of his waistline, and his chiseled midsection. Damn.
He looked up and our eyes locked.
The air became thick – so thick that it was impossible to breathe.
Fuck. What was happening right now?
My body felt like it was on fire.
“Hey.” He said, his voice nice and husky. The sound of it sent a shiver running down my spine. “You must be Harvey. I’m a big fan.” The stranger held out his hand, letting go of his towel in order to do so. As a result, it fell to the ground, exposing his manhood.
Now, this sort of thing happens all the time inside a locker room. I’ve seen a guy’s junk a thousand times before but this time around it sparked something deep inside of me. My cock twitched with excitement. It hardened. My heart thumped. Beads of sweat formed at the back of my neck.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
“Yeah,” I answered, trying to play it cool. “The one and only.”
The handsome young man rushed to grab his towel, cheeks coloring with embarrassment. “Sorry.” He mumbled.
“Don’t worry about it. Happens a lot around here.” I slapped his shoulder. For some reason, I allowed my hand to linger on his body, enjoying its smoothness. A tingle crept through my arm, decorating my skin with goosebumps.
“Still, what a way to make a first impression, right?” He chuckled. “Anyway, I’m Jay Collins, the new defenseman.” Jay stood a few inches shorter than me, forcing him to look up while we spo
No, what the hell am I thinking?
This is my teammate. This is ridiculous. I can’t possibly be attracted to another man – let alone this one.
“Quit the chit chat, girls, it’s time to get on the ice!” Coach Morris called from the doorway as he clapped his hands. “Last one out is doing fifty laps.”
Everyone groaned and rushed forward. I hadn’t even changed yet. Quickly, I grabbed my uniform and started to put it on. Before I knew it, Jay and I were the only ones left. I growled. I wasn’t about to run fifty laps for that asshole.
“Hey, you better let me get out there first,” I said. “Seniority rights and all.”
“That hardly seems fair.” Jay protested. “I don’t want to run the fifty laps. I hate running.”
“Well, tough luck because today you get to be a track star.” I snatched his uniform and threw it into the showers. It landed in a large puddle of water. Snickering, I exited the locker room before he could retaliate. The coach would not be happy with his tardiness. Good. One less defenseman meant less competition.
With a smug look on my face, I eased onto the ice and breathed in the frigid rink air. Ah, there’s nothing like it.
Chapter 2 Jay
What an asshole.
I wrung out my clothes but they were absolutely drenched. I tried to dry them underneath the hand driers but it was pointless.
With no other choice, I threw on the wet uniform. It felt extremely gross. Already, my skin crawled with disgust.
My jaw locked with anger as I went to grab my hockey stick but it was no longer there. I opened my locker but it was empty. “Damnit.” I cursed underneath my breath. “Don’t tell me that bastard took it.” I slammed the door shut and stomped out to the ice. Before I could get into the rink, the coach stopped me.
“Did you have enough time in there, princess?” He asked with a snarl. “Or should I install a vanity just for you.”
“I’m sorry but –”
“Shut it. I don’t want to hear your pathetic excuse.” He pointed to my skates. “Take them off, you won’t be needing them today.”
“But, sir –”
“One more word and you’ll be on the bench for the entire season. I don’t care if the general manager eats me alive for the decision.”
I wanted to lash out at this man. He was being completely unfair. But, at the same time, I didn’t want to risk losing my position on the team. I had worked much too hard to get to the big leagues, I wasn’t about to blow it now. With a bitter taste in my mouth, I bent down to unlace my skates.
Harvey rounded the edge of the rink and smirked my way. Oh, I’m not one for violence but at that moment, I wanted to wipe that dirty smirk off his face.
“Get a move on, princess.” With the coach breathing down my neck, my only choice was to start running.
God, I hate running.
***
By the end of practice, I was drenched with sweat and I hadn’t even stepped foot on the ice.
“Good hustle out there.” Coach nodded his head in approval. “Keep this up and we’re bound to win the cup.”
Harvey skidded to a halt right in front of me as I wiped the sweat from my brow. “Having fun? By my count, you’re only on lap 38. Twelve more to go. If you keep up your current pace you might finish by tomorrow morning.”
My hands tightened into fists as I approached the plexiglass that separated us. “What the hell is your issue?” I growled through gritted teeth. “You’re friendly one minute and a complete dick the next? Bipolar much?”
Harvey laughed. “Oh, you have a lot to learn.”
I was about to lose my temper when someone grabbed me by the shoulder. I turned around to find the goalie. “Come on, you should probably change out of this uniform before you catch a cold. It’s absolutely soaked.” By the time I looked back at Harvey, he was already leaving the rink. I wanted to hate him, I really did, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was. It’s extremely difficult to stay angry at someone you find extremely attractive.
He disappeared from view and I snapped out of my daze.
“Hey, are you alright?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” I shrugged away the goalie and returned to the locker room. There, I thought about hitting the showers a second time but at this point, all I wanted to do was go home. My legs were on fire and they would definitely need a long ice-soak.
“Don’t sweat it about Harvey. He always acts like a total dick to the newbies, especially when it comes to second defensemen.”
“Well, it seems like someone needs an attitude check,” I mumbled under my breath. “Who does he think he is?”
“If you ask him, he thinks that he’s some sort of hockey god or something.” The goalie shook his head. “But, really don’t worry about it.”
“Why are you lying to the kid, Chad?” Another man walked over wearing nothing but a pair of loose-fitting gym shorts. “We all know that Harvey is going to try and scare this guy off the team.”
“What do you mean?” I asked as I tossed on a t-shirt. It smelled a little funny like it had stayed in the wash a bit too long.
“Harvey has a habit of driving away his competition. If you ask me, he’s scared.”
I ran my fingers through my hair and considered his words. “Scared, huh?”
“That’s my guess, anyway. He’s got a definite Napoleon complex. Smallest defenseman on the league so he’s got to compensate somehow.”
“Well, let’s give him a run for his money.” I grabbed my stick, a fire burning in my eyes. “Will you two help me train? I’ll compensate you in any way –”
Chad waved his hand in dismissal. “William and I will do it – free of charge.”
William nodded in agreement. “Definitely. As long as it means seeing that jerk being put in his place.”
With that, the three men went back on the ice. The Zamboni was already there but the driver ignored them as he did a pass around the perimeter.
“Now, if you ask me, your best chance of upending Harvey is by playing offensively.” William weaved his blade from side to side, carrying the puck along with it. “Harvey may be one hell of a defender but he’s got little stats in the scoring department. That’s where you will come in.”
“I’ve never done that before…” I bit my bottom lip, uncertain. “How am I supposed to defend and play offensively at the same time?”
“Oh, come on, people do it all the time.” William passed the puck to Chad who spun around, shaving ice off the ground.
“You just have to learn.” Chad pointed out. “How hard can it really be?” He shot the puck into the goal. “You can multi-task, can’t you?”
“I suppose…”
“Well, that’s half the battle right there.” Chad leaned on his stick and glided toward me.
“But, don’t get so caught up in scoring that you lose sight of your original task: defending. There has to be a definite balance or you’re bound to flop.” William slapped my shoulders so hard, I fell forward barreling right into the Zamboni. “And, I think that’s a wrap for today,” William muttered. “Let’s hope you don’t have a concussion.”
Chapter 3 Harvey
The following week.
A surge of adrenaline shot through my system as I walked into the arena. Their cheers grew louder as they noticed me. I held up my stick to rile them up even further. “Don’t get a big head out there.” Coach warned under his breath as he stood on the sidelines, arms crossed against his chest. “We don’t need a repeat of last season.”
“I got us all the way to the cup – don’t forget that.” I snapped.
“Yeah, and you’re the reason we lost.” Chad snickered in agreement with the coach. He had always been the man’s little lap dog. It was disgusting.
Once I got on the ice, I glided along the edge so the crowd could get a good look at the man they’d be cheering for.
To my surprise, I caught Jay stepping into the rink.
