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Ice Hockey 101 Ch. 01

By: MugsyB



Hello!

I want to send out a huge thank you to PennLady for her help with editing this baby.

Also, I can't recall now who said they liked this particular player. I think there were a few of you. So this one is for you guys! Enjoy!

Happy Reading!

M. ;)

***

After the first few weeks, Rebecca slowly started to get the hang of it. She learned how to get from campus to work and back again. She knew how to get home and to the library. The path to the local coffee shop a few blocks from both her apartment and campus was what she learned most quickly, though. Whenever she began to feel homesick, she'd take her computer to the shop, named Only a Mug Away, and email her friends and family back home. Sometimes she'd get lucky and someone would be on-line at the same time. She'd be doubly happy to get her friend Mary on-line.

Mary had been busy lately with her new boyfriend, Max, but usually tried to be on-line at the same time every day, just in case Rebecca wanted to chat. Occasionally Max would kidnap Mary's computer and chat with Rebecca as well. He was constantly trying to get her to meet up with some of his friends in the city. He'd been on the Penguins hockey team before being traded to Calgary. Not that Rebecca knew anything at all about that world. She just continued to repeat herself to him, explaining that between school and work, she didn't have time. Still, he kept trying, giving her several names; Bill, Marc, Sean. He'd often mentioned how some of the guys were still single as well.

Most of the time, she'd just laugh it off. Sometimes, like this evening, with a busy coffee shop around her and no one on-line, Rebecca felt the deep ache of wanting someone nearby. She gazed across the small table to the empty seat in front of her and sighed.

Well, nothing I can do about it now, she told herself and decided to give her latest essay a shot.

It only took about five minutes before the words started to blur. With another sigh, she sat back and rubbed her eyes. A distant shouting floated into the coffee shop and she looked up to see a group of guys coming across the street. They were wearing black and white jerseys with a logo Rebecca was slowly becoming familiar with. She watched the group of five guys walk into the shop before her, talking and laughing about 'the game.'

What game? Rebecca wondered with a smile as the guys high-fived a few other patrons sitting around the coffee shop.

Rebecca had grown up the only child of a single mother and sports had never really been a big part of her life. She was completely clueless about football, baseball, hockey or whatever. She could barely tell each sport apart. As she sat there, wondering which sport they were so excited about, she eavesdropped on their conversation. It wasn't difficult; they were practically shouting at each other.

"What an opener!" one guy said and laughed as he smacked palms with one of his companions.

"I know!" another guy said as he jostled his friends. "That last goal was great!"

Goal, Rebecca thought with a nod as she casually shut her laptop and settled back in her seat. That should be a clue. Max and Mary talk about goals all the time. Is it hockey these guys are talking about?

She sighed to herself and rubbed her face with one hand. I'm so sad. I don't even know hockey and I'm from Canada!

She listened to the group of friends chatting about the game for a few more minutes before getting up and packing her things. She walked slowly towards her home and thought that maybe she should try to look up one of Max's friends. They weren't all men and then she would at least know one person she could talk to about something other than school.

Once she got home and got ready for bed, she decided to sleep on it and maybe call Max and Mary in the morning.

***

"Hey Max, how are you?"

Josh looked over as Sean answered a call on his cell phone. They were all still lingering in the locker room following their first game of the regular season. It had been a good win and they were still celebrating.

"Oh, you watched?" Sean went on with a broad grin. "Shouldn't you be more concerned with your own games?"

Josh grinned and shook his head. Marc met his gaze across the room and they shared a knowing look. Their old teammate and friend, Max, had been traded to another team in the previous season but he stayed in touch.

Never mind the fact that they were on opposing teams and would one day meet up again.

Until then at least, they were all still good friends.

"Yeah, most of us are still here," Sean said then and looked up at the faces left in the locker room. "You want to talk to someone? What do you mean you don't know who?" Sean paused after a short laugh and listened, his expression sobering. Then he burst out laughing and shook his head. "Don't you ever give up?"

Josh wondered what the other half of that conversation sounded like. He hadn't been Max's closest friend on the team but he remembered him as a guy who enjoyed hockey, loved life and lived to make his buddies laugh. Last they'd all heard, he'd somehow managed to score an actual girlfriend; someone who appreciated his sense of humor, apparently.

And someone who doesn't mind the beard, Josh added silently as he leaned down to lace up his shoes.

When he looked up again, Sean was looking over each of the guys, one at a time. He had a considering look on his face and was murmuring to Max over the phone. His eyes came to rest on Josh and a slow smile spread across his face.

Oh crap, was Josh's immediate thought, followed quickly by, This can't be good, when he saw Sean rise from his seat.

He strode across the room, weaving in between some of the guys and then stopped in front of Josh. "Phone call for you," Sean said and handed his phone over.

Rolling his eyes, Josh took it from him. "Who is it?" he asked sarcastically to which Sean merely shrugged innocently and walked away to finish changing.

"Max, what's up?" Josh said into the phone.

"Hey, Gronk, what's happening?" Max's boisterous voice filled his ear and Josh laughed at the old nickname. No one had really called him by the comic book character's name for some time.

"Not much, just laid waste to some unfortunate team," Josh replied.

Max chuckled. "Sure, whatever you say. Just wait until your western road trip this year."

"Is that a challenge?" Josh asked.

"Not really," Max answered and then moved on to a new topic entirely. "Hey, you're single, right?"

Josh blinked and looked across at Sean who was watching him with a goofy grin on his face. Josh narrowed his eyes, not liking where this conversation was going already.

"Why do you ask?" Josh replied cautiously.

"Well, I got a huge favor to ask and I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't be pissing off a girlfriend or fiance or something," Max told him.

"Oh God, you want me to go on a blind date or something?" Josh asked as memories of his last experience with that rose up. He hadn't been on a blind date in five years, not since he'd hit the NHL.

Max laughed at him. "Not exactly," he said. "I've got a friend who just moved there for school and she doesn't really know anyone."

"This is a blind date, isn't it?" Josh demanded, glaring as Sean hooted with laughter from across the room. A few of the other guys had quieted down as well to hear what was going on. "I won't do it!"

"It's not a blind date!" Max shouted over the phone. "Calm down, jeez. Just listen for two minutes."

Josh listened as Max explained that his friend was in town for school, didn't have any friends or really any social life that he knew of. He was asking Josh to meet up with her a couple times, show her the sights, maybe introduce her to some other people.

"Why doesn't she have any friends?" Josh had to ask.

"She's kind of quiet around new people," Max replied slowly. "She's great once you get to know her, or if she's in familiar surroundings but Mary tells me she just has a hard time introducing herself to new people."

"Mary?" Josh repeated and smiled. "Is that the woman who took pity on you?"

Max laughed. "Yeah, man. And she takes pity on me every night. Sometimes twice in one night!"

Josh burst out laughing and shook his head. "It's nice to know that you haven't changed, Max."

"So will you meet up with her? Show her around?" Max asked after the laughter had died down.

Josh sighed and wanted to think of a reason to say 'no' but he couldn't come up with anything. "All right, fine."

"You're awesome!" Max exclaimed. "I'll owe you one for this."

"You can let me beat you up when we come out west in January," Josh replied.

"You can try, shorty," Max replied and Josh had to laugh again. He was easily several inches taller than Max and probably outweighed him by thirty pounds.

They made arrangements for Josh to meet up with his friend, Rebecca, in another couple days, after an early road trip for the team. He hung up the phone and tossed it back at Sean who was still watching him with amusement.

"So you think just because you're married off you have to destroy everyone else's lives too?" He asked.

Sean scoffed as he caught the phone. "Destroy lives? Hardly. You just don't know what you're missing."

Josh shrugged as he stood up and pulled his jacket on. "I don't know, Sean. Limiting yourself to one woman forever, seems kind of... inhumane."

A few of the guys overheard and started laughing. Josh glanced around at them with an amused smile. Every one of the guys laughing just then was either married or in a long-term relationship.

Why does that not surprise me? He wondered and gave the guy nearest him a shove.

"Josh, one of these days some woman is going to knock you over and you're not going to know what hit you," Bill spoke up, his wide grin revealing his missing front teeth. "Then we'll all have this conversation again."

Josh laughed them off and walked out of the room. It's not that he dated numerous women at once or that he was a real hound dog on the road or anything. He just didn't feel he had time to work on a real relationship. So instead he focused on hockey and having a good time with the guys.

Now he had to meet this Rebecca and find time to show her around.

That thought led him to others that he'd forgotten to mention to Max. Like, was she even close to his age? Did they have anything in common?

Oh God, Josh thought and paused in the corridor leading to the parking lot. I hope she's not some Penguins groupie.

Shaking his head, he decided there was no reason to keep worrying about it. He'd meet up with her as he'd agreed to and he'd let things happen as they would.

If she turns out to be a psycho stalker, I'm so out of there, he thought as he climbed into his car.

***

Rebecca found herself sitting at the coffee shop in another few days, chatting on-line with Mary. Mary had called her late last night and told her to be on-line at this time in the morning and she'd be there too so they could chat. So Rebecca had happily bustled off to Only a Mug Away, sitting at a window table and turning on her computer.

She and Mary had been chatting for about an hour when suddenly Mary stopped responding. Frowning, Rebecca waited, sent another message and listened absently to the dinging bell over the coffee shop entrance as someone came in.

"Rebecca?" A male voice spoke quietly to her and she glanced up in surprise at the man who'd walked in.

Oh jeez, he's hot! she thought and felt a blush stain her cheeks immediately.

He had to be several inches over six feet tall since he absolutely towered over her table. He was broad-shouldered and obviously worked out regularly to maintain such a body, though it was dressed up modestly in faded jeans and a heavy wool coat. He was fair, with reddish-gold hair cropped close to his head and his eyes sparkled a brilliant blue. At her confused scrutiny, he smiled, a cute crooked smile that revealed teeth not quite straight.

And for some reason, he looked vaguely familiar to her.

"Do I know you?" she blurted out.

"No, we've never met," he replied. "I know your friend, Max, though."

Rebecca relaxed and nodded, though the heat stayed in her face. "Oh, Max. Right."

The smile on this man's face drooped a little and he shifted nervously on his feet. "Did he not tell you?"

"Tell me what?" she asked, feeling incredibly underdressed. She shifted on her seat and pulled at the ends of her open jacket in an effort to look less frumpy.

"Uh, he told me to meet you here today," the man before her said. "He said you're new in town and didn't really know anyone."

Rebecca's flush deepened and she didn't know what to say to that. "I...uh, yeah, I am new...in town," she stammered as she stared up at him.

For a minute neither of them said anything. Rebecca had to look away from him and hoped that he didn't think she was a complete idiot. She noticed a blinking icon on her computer and clicked to see a new message from Mary.

Please forgive Max, it read. He means well.

And that was all. Mary had signed off.

"Huh," Rebecca commented with a rueful smile. "Looks like we're supposed to meet up today."

The tall, handsome man before her smiled again and she couldn't help the blush that stained her cheeks again.

"I'm Josh," he introduced himself and held his hand out towards her. "Josh Saunders."

"I'm Rebecca Junison," she replied. "Oh, but you knew that." Stupid! She silently berated herself. He must think I'm such an idiot!

"Do you mind if I sit down?" he asked.

"Of course! Sit down, please," she said and rubbed one hot cheek with her hand, wishing she could get herself under control. She just hadn't been expecting to meet a hottie today. She didn't enjoy surprises.

"So what brings you to Pittsburgh?" he asked.

"I'm going to school at Carnegie Mellon University," she said.

"What are you taking?"

"Social Sciences," she replied and smiled when his eyes widened a fraction.

"Wow, so you're probably a genius, huh?" he asked.

She laughed and shook her head. "Hardly. I have been trying to get into this school for a while so I don't think that makes me a genius."

He grinned and she felt her stomach lurch. She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat again, trying to cover her discomfort.

"So, uh, what do you do?" she asked.

His blue eyes widened again and she blinked, stunned by their startling shade. "You don't know? Wow, Max really didn't tell you a thing, did he?" This he asked with that same crooked smile so Rebecca knew he wasn't upset.

"Oh wait!" she exclaimed and held a hand up, palm towards him. "Max plays hockey. You play hockey too?"

Josh blinked at her before bursting into laughter. "You could say that," he agreed with a grin.

Flushing, Rebecca looked away. Here was the usual moment with guys where she found herself awkwardly floundering. Sometimes they didn't care that she didn't know anything about sports and other times, they stared at her as though she had two heads. On the positive side, Josh wasn't giving her any strange looks.

"You don't follow the teams at all?" he asked when she still didn't say anything.

She shook her head, feeling the heat in her face grow.

"So you really don't have any idea that I'm on the hockey team Max used to play for?"

"That's right."

He smiled at her. "Well, how interesting. I guess you probably don't meet a lot of people who know about the Penguins where you're going to school anyway."

Rebecca thought back for a moment about all the students she'd met and slowly shook her head. She could honestly say that no one had ever started a conversation about the Antarctic creatures. Though why they would when she attended the social sciences school was beyond her. She said as much aloud to Josh and watched with a smile as he laughed again.

"This is great!" he exclaimed. "I know exactly what to do with you now."

Blinking, Rebecca drew back slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Max called me a few days ago and asked me to introduce myself to you," Josh explained. "He said to show you around, maybe meet some more people."

"Oh, I see," she said. "So what do you plan to do with me now that you know I know nothing about sports?"

For a second, he didn't respond and Rebecca watched in fascination as a light blush crept over his cheeks. She looked down, hiding a smile when she thought about how her question must have sounded to him. Check another one off in the stupid column for Rebecca, she thought.

"Uh, I think we should go watch a game," he said finally in response to her question.

"What kind of game?"

Josh shrugged. "What interests you the most?"

She stared at him. "I know nothing about any of them so I couldn't even take a guess about which one is the most interesting."

"Right. Well then, do you trust me?"

"I don't even know you!" she replied with a laugh though her stomach flipped just a little bit at the grin on his face.

For a second they just stared at each other, grinning broadly. Then someone else walked into the shop, setting off the bell over the door.

"Whoa!" A male voice exclaimed and both Rebecca and Josh looked over to see a man bundled up against the cold weather. He was staring at them; or rather, staring at Josh. "You're Josh Saunders!"

Rebecca sat back in surprise. She didn't know he was famous. Maybe if I knew more about sports, I'd have known that, she thought.

"Yes," Josh replied mildly with a smile for the man.

"Oh wow," the man said and walked closer. He reached into his jacket for something, keeping his eyes on Josh as though he might disappear. "I'm a huge fan. And my son would kill me if he knew I'd seen you and not asked for your autograph." As he spoke, he pulled out a small daytimer and pen. "Will you sign this for me?"

Josh nodded and took the daytimer as the fan flipped it open to a blank page. "What's your son's name?"

"Wesley," the man replied.

Josh wrote a quick note and signed the bottom of the page before handing it back to him. Grinning widely, the man shook his hand and thanked him several times before heading to the counter for his coffee.

"That was really nice of you," Rebecca commented quietly. "I don't know that I'd have the patience to deal with people when I'm not working."

Josh shrugged it off though she could see the smile on his face and in his bright blue eyes. "I don't actually get recognized that often. People are more into the football and baseball teams." Then he grinned and shook his head. "Even my friend Sean, who is like, the biggest star in the league, doesn't get harassed in this city."

Rebecca smiled, relaxing a little bit more with him. "It's still nice."

"Hey, I figure if someone wants my autograph badly enough to ask, it's the least I can do," Josh said.

They sat silently for another minute, just staring awkwardly into each other's faces. Then the man who'd asked for his signature walked past on his way out, thanking Josh again.

"Well, are you in the middle of a term paper, or can we go somewhere else?" Josh asked, surprising her.

She blushed and looked down at her closed computer. "I... don't have anything important to do," she confessed. "What were you thinking?"

"We'll start with a football game since its Sunday," Josh said as he stood up. He waited patiently while she stood and gathered her things. "There's a nice pub not too far from here and they'll be showing all the games."

Rebecca nodded in agreement and went with him out onto the street, wondering what had just happened.

***

When Max had set him up, he definitely had not been expecting the dark-haired knockout who'd been in the coffee shop. As Josh sat sipping a beer next to Rebecca in the dim pub, he kept sneaking glances at her, enjoying the way her forehead wrinkled in confusion at what she saw on the big screens around them. She'd been pretty quiet for the past hour or so, watching the football game that was currently being shown on the main screen. The home team was the Steelers and the visiting team, the New York Giants. So far, the Steelers were trailing but Josh knew they were a tough team who could probably pull out a comeback like it was nothing.


Ice Hockey 101 Ch. 01



Rebecca watched the game, sipped lightly at her own lager and asked a few questions. Josh could tell quickly that she wasn't really into the game but she was being polite by sitting here with him.

Another point for her.

As if she needed it.

Josh took the opportunity to again check her out. She'd removed her heavy winter coat after sitting down so he was treated to the more than pleasant site of her bright blue turtleneck sweater that hugged her curves like nobody's business. She was wearing loose-fitting dark jeans and wore a heeled boot that Josh was certain added three inches to her overall height of five-five, maybe five-six. Her hair, so dark a brown it was almost black, was long, falling past her shoulders in a straight line and framed her pale face, giving it a glowing contrast. And finally, Josh had to fight the urge to pull her face close so he could stare into her bluer-than-blue eyes. When she'd first smiled at him in that coffee shop, her eyes had sparkled like jewels and shimmered with each blush that crossed her cheeks.

She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, making Josh feel less than adequate, a not too comfortable feeling.

"So the team wearing yellow and black is Pittsburgh?" she asked suddenly, startling Josh out of his ogling.

"Uh, yeah, that's right," he said, flicking his eyes to the screen just to confirm for himself. He'd forgotten for the moment which game they were watching.

Any more time with her and he might forget which team he played for.

"And why are they called the Steelers?" she asked.

Josh grinned. It was such a strange question. Maybe not for her, but guys didn't tend to think of the teams in terms of their colors or the history behind their names.

At his smile, Rebecca blushed that pretty shade of pink again and took a long swallow of her beer.

"I'm sorry," she murmured when she set her glass down again.

"For what?"

"I must sound like such a moron to you," she said, glancing up through a fringe of thick, dark lashes. "I don't know anything about this game."

"It's all right," he assured her with a smile. "Football's not for everyone."

"What do you prefer to watch?" she asked.

"Hockey," he answered immediately.

"Of course," she replied and shook her head. "Of course you do. You play hockey."

"Don't feel bad," he said. "I actually don't watch a whole lot anymore."

"Why not?"

He shrugged and thought about the reasons why. "Mostly because I'm too busy," he said. "We have a game at home or away nearly every other night. I can't watch another game while we're playing and I don't watch other teams play on my nights off because I don't want it to affect how I play."

"Oh," Rebecca said slowly with a nod.

Josh grinned at her expression. He could tell she didn't get what he was saying but considering how little she knew about any sports, it was understandable.

"Do you want to go?" he asked when she said nothing else. "This must be pretty boring for you."

"No!" she exclaimed and reached a hand towards him, as though he was about to stand up and bolt any second.

He chuckled as she blushed immediately. "OK, we can stay. But you're not enjoying football."

She sighed and shook her head, some of the color fading from her cheeks. She glanced over at him and smiled shyly. "No, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," he replied and reached out to pat the hand she'd lifted towards him. God, her skin is so soft! he thought and swallowed hard as some of the blood in his body was suddenly diverted to a lower location. "Like I said, football isn't for everyone."

"So is there another game we can watch?" she asked as she glanced around at the numerous television sets in the busy pub. They were pretty much all showing the Steelers game. "Maybe some baseball?"

"Uh, the World Series is on and there's no game today," Josh replied, following her gaze.

"World Series?" she repeated with a little frown.

"I'm sorry," Josh said with a laugh and patted her hand again, having not released it since the last time he'd touched it. "The World Series is the championship for baseball."

"Oh, OK," Rebecca replied and nodded. She glanced back at him and smiled. "And no hockey today either?"

"Well, there are a few games later tonight I'm sure," he said. "But it's only three now and the earliest game doesn't start until seven probably."

Her face fell and the hand under his flexed slightly. "Oh. I guess you have stuff you need to do," she replied and nodded. "I shouldn't take up all your time."

Josh blinked and slowly her words sank in. He squeezed his fingers over her hand and shook his head, keeping his eyes on her face. She looked back up at him and the shy look in her sapphire eyes sent more blood singing through his veins to a new location. "You're not," he assured her, his voice coming out slightly thicker than before. "I'm the one who dragged you in here."

"You didn't drag me," she replied, a smile spreading across her face.

Josh lifted his eyebrows. "No?"

"No," she agreed.

For a second, neither of them said anything. Josh flicked his eyes back and forth across her face, watching as her smile widened, revealing just a glimpse of her white teeth. He felt her hand move under his and he realized then that he'd been lightly stroking her wrist with his thumb. Blushing hotly, he jerked his hand away and sat back in his seat. Rebecca was still smiling though and she hadn't moved her hand away from the table. Josh cleared his throat and tried to adjust his seat without giving away the fact that he had a hard-on in the middle of a Sunday afternoon.

"So... you, uh... you want to... hang out?" he asked, hating that he wasn't in control of himself.

"Sure," she replied.

They fell silent again and after a minute, they both laughed.

"Why don't we have another drink," Josh suggested. "Then we'll go have some dinner and you can decide then if you want to watch a hockey game."

Rebecca nodded. "Sounds great."

So they did. After that awkward little exchange, they fell into easy conversation. After the game ended, it was close to five and Josh suggested a few different restaurants in the area. Rebecca picked the nearest Italian restaurant and he drove them over there after leaving the pub. Over dessert, the conversation turned to sports again.

"So maybe you should tell me a little about hockey before we go watch a game tonight," Rebecca suggested and Josh had to repeat the words to himself a couple times before responding.

He couldn't help himself. She'd licked her dessert spoon right before asking the question and Josh was mesmerized by the sight of her pink tongue sliding over the silverware.

Get a grip, man, he told himself. You're not a sixteen-year-old boy anymore. You can hold a conversation with a beautiful, sexy woman without thinking about sex.

"Uh, all right," he replied at length. He lifted his eyes from her lips and smiled into her sparkling blue eyes. "What do you want to know?"

"Why don't I just tell you what I know and you can fill in the blanks?" She offered.

"Sure."

"OK," she said and set her spoon down to tick the points off on her fingers. "It's played in the winter, on ice. The guys wear a lot of padding and I think they get a break in between... uh, the innings." That last she said with a bit of a question in her tone.

Josh grinned and nodded. "You've got the first couple things right but we play periods, not innings. That's baseball."

She blushed but smiled anyway. "Well, I knew I'd heard the term before."

"So what else?" Josh asked.

"That's it," she replied and looked away in embarrassment.

"Oh wow," Josh breathed and sat back slightly. "That's a lot of blanks to fill in."

"Too much of a challenge?" she asked with a grin.

"I love a challenge," he replied smoothly.

She laughed and nodded. "Why doesn't that surprise me? You are an athlete after all. Don't you guys live for challenging each other?"

Josh shrugged. He supposed that was true. Otherwise, what was the point of playing? "You know, I think it might be easier to just explain as we watch," Josh decided after a moment.

"Really? Won't that be annoying?"

"It doesn't bother me."

"No, I mean, for other people around us," Rebecca replied.

"Oh," Josh said and nodded. "I see. Well, I'd offer to take you to my place to watch a game but I have a couple roommates and they aren't always..." he trailed off, thinking of his two teammates that he shared a small house with. They were great guys, all of them on the team were great guys, but these two didn't have the same... manners as the rest.

"Friendly?" Rebecca offered when he didn't complete his thought.

"Dressed," Josh said instead and Rebecca snorted with laughter. As her giggles died away, Josh leaned forward again, wondering how he could get her to keep laughing. It sounded amazing.

"All right. I live on my own," she said. "Why don't we just watch the game there?"

Josh blinked, more than surprised by her offer. No matter that they both knew Max; he hadn't expected a woman he'd just met to ask him to come over. Not that she meant what immediately sprang to mind. Shaking his head to rid himself of the extremely graphic thoughts that bombarded his brain suddenly, Josh looked up at her.

"That's fine," he said, hoping he sounded casual and hoping she wouldn't notice his erection when they stood up to leave. "As long as you don't mind."

She waved a hand at him, dismissing his concern. "Don't worry about it. I'll kick you out before it gets too late. I have classes in the morning, after all."

"Sounds great then," Josh replied with a grin. Sounds like she's not as horny over the prospect as I am, he added silently, trying to forget about his disappointment. He didn't need a girlfriend right now anyway and he'd only agreed to meet her as a favor to Max. She was basically all alone and the last thing she needed was a boner-sporting hockey player making moves.

***

"It's a small place," Rebecca said apologetically as she led the way into her little one bedroom apartment. "But it's walking distance to my school and the rent is cheap."

Josh looked around and nodded as he took his jacket off. "It's fine," he told her. "Cozy."

Smiling, Rebecca hung up both their jackets and told him to go ahead and find the game on TV while she found something to drink. As she searched through her half-empty fridge, she wondered what had possessed her to invite him back to her apartment.

I've never invited a guy back to my apartment, she thought. Even guys she'd dated didn't come over. She was very shy about how she lived and preferred a more open setting when it came to guys. Mary didn't know that about her and Rebecca figured she put on a strong enough act around work most days that she'd never guess.

She was painfully shy when left alone with men.

"Got one," Josh called from the living room.

"Cool," she replied and grabbed a couple soft drinks. "I'll be right there."

Josh was reclined on her battered couch as she walked out, with his long legs stretched out and his feet resting on her coffee table. He jerked upright, setting his feet on the floor as she came close and smiled sheepishly at her.

"Sorry about that," he said and took the soda from her.

"For what?" She asked as she sat down beside him.

"I shouldn't have had my feet on your table," he explained.

Rolling her eyes, Rebecca sat back and propped her feet up in their customary place on the table. Josh chuckled and sat back as he had been, mirroring her position.

Rebecca's eyes went to the television screen and she watched as a couple commentators discussed the men skating around a broad expanse of blinding white ice. "So this is hockey?" she asked apprehensively. She hadn't minded the thought of watching football but because she knew Josh played hockey, she desperately wanted to not sound like an idiot now. "Who's playing?"

Josh squinted at the screen and smiled. "It's Columbus at Washington," he said.

Rebecca nodded even though she had no idea what that meant. She must have worn that same blank expression as before because Josh chuckled from her side. "What?"

"The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Washington Capitals," he said, elaborating on their names. "And they're playing in Washington."

"Are they good teams?" she asked.

Josh shrugged. "I would say yes since they're both tough teams to play but I don't want to sound like they scare me."

Rebecca laughed. "Do they scare you?" she asked playfully.

Josh scowled at her but she could see from the glint in his eyes that he wasn't really put out by her question.

"We've had trouble against the Caps in the past and the goalie for the Blue Jackets, Dominic Baddano, is really good. I hate playing against him," Josh confessed.

Rebecca grinned. She had no idea what a goalie was but it sounded fun. Drawing in a deep breath, she decided she had nothing to lose at this point so she took the plunge. "What's a goalie?" she asked, hoping it wasn't too stupid a question.

Josh blinked at her before laughing shortly. Then he nodded and leaned forward to set his soda on the table. He pointed at the screen and began to patiently explain who each of the players were. The goalies wore the heavy armor and full face masks while the others wore lighter padding and plain helmets. Josh said that he was a center and tried his best to score goals which meant that he didn't like most goalies on opposing teams.

"Because they guard the home base?" Rebecca asked, picturing them all on some miniature battlefield. It seemed to be the clearest way of understanding what was happening.

"The net," Josh corrected.

Rebecca glanced shyly in his direction and nodded. She wondered how long it would take before he got fed up with explaining things to her. For the moment, he was still smiling at her so she took that as a positive sign.

"So you try to score a goal and the goalies try to stop you," she said.

He grinned and nodded. "That's the basic gist of it."

Turning her attention back to the screen, Rebecca pushed down the feeling of butterflies in her stomach and tried to watch the game that had started. For a few minutes they were silent and she could feel Josh tensing and relaxing as the players skated around.

She tried to follow the action on the ice but it all looked completely random to her. She sipped her soda and managed to follow the flying black dot for a minute when suddenly all play stopped at a whistle.

"What happened?" she asked in confusion.

"Offside," Josh replied shortly.

Rebecca looked sideways at him and lifted her eyebrows. He glanced her way and then flushed under her gaze.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I forgot for a second that I was explaining everything."

"You don't have to if you don't want," she replied.

"No, I do," he assured her and reclined on the couch as the players skated into a new formation. "Offside is when there are players from the opposing team in the zone before the puck crosses that blue line."

"There are zones?" Rebecca blurted.

Josh laughed and nodded before proceeding to explain the team zones to her. By the first commercial break, Rebecca understood that the goalies at each end were in their zones and the opposing teams had to do everything in their power to stay in the zone. If they left the zone, they had to scramble to get back before the other team moved into their zone.

"I think I get it," she muttered at one point and downed the last of her soda. Her head was starting to ache in all her zones.

Josh glanced her way and smiled. "This is boring you too, isn't it?" He asked.

Keeping her eyes on the screen as the players came back to begin another round, Rebecca shook her head slowly. She still didn't know all the subtle nuances but there was something very intense about this game. She felt her heart rate increasing as the players scrambled at one end or the other and unconsciously clenched her hands at every close call.

"It is definitely not like the other sports," she said slowly.

"No, you're right about that," Josh replied and she could hear the note of pride in his voice.

She looked over at him to see a very relaxed look on his face. In fact, his entire form was relaxed. He was slouched down on her couch, his head resting against the back and one leg bent at the knee while the other remained stretched across her table. Slowly she ran her eyes from his handsome face all the way down to his flexing toes and back up again. She met his blue gaze and blushed when she realized he'd caught her checking him out.

"Why are they stopped now?" she asked and cleared her throat as her voice came out much hoarser than she'd expected.

"Its intermission," he said, not taking his eyes off her face.

Rebecca was beginning to feel excessively warm. She wondered if she'd turned the heat up too high or something. Rising, she hurried from the couch and deposited her empty can in her recycling box. She turned around to her kitchen entrance again only to find Josh there, leaning against the door frame.

"Are you bored with the game?" he asked with a smile.

"No," she replied.

"It's all right if you are," he went on. "I won't be offended. Lots of women don't enjoy hockey."

"No, really, I am interested in it," she replied, taking a few steps closer to him. "I just don't understand all of it yet."

Josh nodded silently, studying her face. She flushed under his scrutiny and looked away, fidgeting where she stood in the center of her kitchen. She wondered how long this intermission lasted so she'd have an idea of what to do in the mean time.

"You should come see a live game," he said.

She laughed. "Yeah, right. And sit close to the team so you can answer all my inane questions?"

He chuckled as well and shook his head. "No, I guess that wouldn't work. I just don't know when I'll be able to watch another game with you."

"I don't want to dominate your free time," Rebecca said. "I know Max asked you to take me out to see the sights but you really don't have to."

"I want to," Josh replied quickly.

Blushing, Rebecca looked away. Well, that was flattering.

"I...uh, I guess I should be going," he said.

"Why?" she asked, whipping her head back around to stare at him.

"It's getting late and you have school tomorrow," he said. "And I've got an early morning practice."

Rebecca nodded in agreement. She really did need to get a good night's sleep, though how possible that was after the day she'd just had with this man, she didn't know. She followed him from the kitchen and handed his jacket over.

"Well, thanks for the impromptu lesson," she said with a smile. "I had fun today."

"Me too," he agreed with a grin. "Shall we have another lesson in a couple days?"

Rebecca blinked in surprise but smiled. "I'd love to," she breathed, hoping she didn't sound too eager. Most guys were turned off by overeager women.

"Great," he said. "I'm out of town for a couple days but I'll be back on Friday. You want to get together then?"

"Sure," she agreed.

They exchanged phone numbers and then Josh opened the door to leave. Just as he walked out, he turned back to face her. Rebecca smiled up at him, taking in one more good look at his sparkling eyes and reddish blond hair. Josh's smile drooped slightly and he suddenly leaned very close to her. His blue eyes were shadowed and Rebecca was caught in his dark gaze. She sucked in a breath, frozen where she stood as she watched his lips part.

But he didn't kiss her. His eyes flicked from hers to her lips and then back again before he grinned. A slow, sexy grin. Then he straightened and winked at her before walking down the hallway.

Holy moly, Rebecca thought as she eyed his backside.




Ice Hockey 101 Ch. 01



She hadn't been expecting a kiss but she didn't think she'd have protested. She didn't know what surprised her more; the fact that he almost kissed her or that she almost kissed him back.

***

"So how was the blind date?" Sean asked Josh as they walked out of the locker room following a practice.

"It wasn't a blind date," Josh replied, giving Sean a narrow look.

Sean chuckled and slapped his friend on the shoulder. "I know Max," he said. "He may not have said it was when he called, but I'm sure it's what he intended."

"Are you guys talking about Josh's blind date?" Someone else called from behind them and they turned to see their older teammate Bill hurrying up to them.

"It wasn't a blind date!" Josh snapped but he smiled at his friends anyway.

"Fine, it wasn't a blind date," Bill replied as he exchanged a wide-eyed look with Sean. They chuckled as the three of them started walking together again. "But you can still tell us about her. About how it all went."

Rolling his eyes, Josh shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. He could easily describe Rebecca to his friends. Ever since spending the afternoon and evening with her, he hadn't been able to get her face out of his mind. He went to sleep each night and immediately fantasies of what he'd really wanted to do that night with her rushed through his dreams. More often than not, he'd wake up aching for release.

It made traveling with the team awkward.

Luckily it was only a short road trip this time. They'd be returning to Pittsburgh tomorrow. And tomorrow, Josh could call Rebecca, maybe even see her. The prospect made him almost giddy.

"Come on," Sean spoke up and nudged Josh with one shoulder. "Tell us about her."

With a heavy sigh, Josh started to talk about meeting Rebecca. "She's a student and pretty shy for the most part," he began. "Her and Mary, Max's girlfriend, are really good friends."

"Yeah, but what does she look like?" Bill interjected.

Josh scowled at him. "She has two heads and a butt as wide as a bus."

Bill and Sean howled with laughter. Bill threw an arm around Josh's shoulders and gave him a squeeze.

"Wow, she really made an impression, huh?" Bill commented.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Josh asked, trying to shrug off his arm.

"You don't want to tell us about her because you like her," Bill said with another laugh.

From his other side, Sean was trying to hide his laughter but he wasn't being very successful. Bill slapped Josh on the back once more before leaving him alone.

"Fine. You want me to tell you about her, I will," Josh replied. He didn't like what Bill was saying. It sounded too much like what he'd said after Max's phone call a few days ago. He liked her, sure, but it didn't mean he was going to ask her to marry him. He wasn't about to let anything get serious. They were just friends.

"She's about five six, dark hair and blue eyes," Josh began to describe her. "She blushes a lot and doesn't say much but she can sure pack away the food. Oh, and she doesn't have any idea what hockey is."

Neither of his teammates had much to say after that and he looked over at each of them to gauge their reactions.

Have I said too much? He wondered. Lord, I'll never hear the end of this.

"She's Canadian?" Bill asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"I've never met anyone from Canada who didn't know what hockey is, man or woman," Bill said.

"Neither have I," Sean agreed.

Josh shrugged. "She's not into any sports. It's not just hockey. So we watched a football game at a pub and then a hockey game later. She said she likes hockey but she still doesn't understand it. We're going to meet up for another game later this week if we can." Just saying it out loud made him want to be home that much more. Only one more day.

It was a minute later when he realized his two companions had fallen silent again. He glanced at each of them before throwing his hands up in the air out of frustration. "What now?" He demanded.

"Nothing, man," Sean replied, giving him a weird look. He glanced briefly at Bill who only lifted his eyebrows in reply.

Josh's head swiveled around to look at Bill instead. "What's with the look?"

"Nothing," Bill echoed Sean.

Josh decided he really didn't want to know what they were thinking. Shaking his head, he strode ahead of them towards the waiting bus and tried to forget about the conversation. He thought about the game that night and he thought about Rebecca.

***

Later that week she spoke on the phone with Mary, who spent much of their conversation apologizing for Max.

"Don't worry about it, Mary," Rebecca told her with a laugh. "It was a little awkward but Josh is really nice. And it's nice to know I have at least one friend here."

"I just couldn't believe he'd force one of his friends on you," Mary said. "He means well but he doesn't know how shy you really are."

Rebecca flushed even though they weren't face to face. "You know how shy I am with guys?"

"Oh please, Rebecca," Mary scoffed. "You're my best friend and I love you, but even I've noticed you've never been in a real relationship and barely make conversation with guys at work."

Well, Rebecca just didn't know what to say to that. She'd always thought she did pretty well with all the customers at the old coffee shop. Apparently not good enough.

"It doesn't matter, Rebecca," Mary offered quietly when she didn't respond right away. "Any guy who's put off by it doesn't deserve your time anyway. Anyone good enough for you is going to put in the effort to get to know you."

Rebecca's mind immediately flew back a few days to Josh's comfortable presence in her apartment. He'd offered to teach her about hockey, something she never would have been interested in before. He'd even wanted to see her again, not at all bothered by her inane comments or her constant blushing.

"Thanks Mary," she said. "You're a great friend. And Max is all right too. Tell him I'm not mad for what he did."

Mary laughed. "I will tell him. After he's been properly punished."

Rolling her eyes, Rebecca promised she'd email again after the next time she saw Josh and ended the call. The phone was still in her hand when it started ringing again.

"Hello?"

"Rebecca, it's Josh," came a deep voice over the phone.

Rebecca's stomach immediately clenched and she felt something else twinge within her. Blushing hotly, she sat back on her couch and tried to think of something to say.

"Hi," she breathed and smacked an open palm to her forehead. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Josh's deep chuckle traveled over the phone line and Rebecca had to squeeze her thighs together.

"Hi," he replied. "Are you busy?"

"No, I just got off the phone with Mary," she said. "When did you get back to town?"

"This afternoon."

"And you're calling me already?" Rebecca said and squeezed her eyes shut as more color flooded her face. She was going to have to end this call before she said something even more demented.

But again, he merely chuckled, setting off more chemical reactions within her body. "I wanted to make sure we're still on for tonight."

"Oh yeah," she replied. "I watched a couple games without you and it just wasn't the same."

"I'm flattered," Josh said with another light laugh.

Rebecca giggled and shook her head. "I just didn't know what was going on half the time. I needed someone sitting with me, explaining it all."

"Ouch. You really know how to bruise an ego."

"You're a big boy, I'm sure you can handle it," she replied and wondered immediately what had possessed her to say such a thing. She didn't usually flirt with guys, even over the phone.

Josh didn't respond right away but she could hear his sharp exhalation. She wondered then if she'd gone too far.

But guys like it when women flirt with them, she thought and bit her lower lip anxiously. Don't they?

Unfortunately her knowledge of the opposite sex was woefully shallow for someone her age.

"I, uh, so should I come over to your place again?" He asked and Rebecca was more relieved than she would have expected.

"Sure," she replied quietly. "What time?"

"I can be there in a half an hour," he said quickly.

Rebecca laughed and covered her mouth with one hand. "OK."

Neither of them spoke for a second. Then she heard Josh exhale heavily.

"Rebecca?" His voice was soft.

"Yeah?" Hers equally so.

"I... uh, I didn't mean... to sound so..." his voice trailed off.

Rebecca pressed her hand to her mouth, stifling the sudden urge to giggle. "It's OK. I'm happy you're coming over too."

"Good," he breathed and then laughed. "So I'll see you in a bit?"

"OK."

"OK. See you."

Rebecca hung up the phone and shook her head in wonder. Then she smiled and couldn't wipe it off her face, no matter what she thought of. She was still grinning broadly when someone knocked on her door.

"Hi," she greeted Josh shyly as she opened the door. Lord, but he is just as handsome as I remember, she added silently as the heat crept up her neck.

"Hey," he said, sounding out of breath.

"Are you all right?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

He laughed and nodded. "Yeah. I just ran up the stairs."

"Why?" Rebecca asked and laughed as he walked inside. She shut the door and led the way into her apartment.

"Why not?" was his casual response.

They stood just inside her front room and smiled at each other. Rebecca felt warm all over again but it wasn't just from the color suffusing her face. This warmth was radiating from much lower on her body.

"Uh, you can go on in and find a game," she said. "I'll make some popcorn."

"Sounds great," he said, his face lighting up at the mention of a snack.

Rebecca walked into the kitchen with a smile on her face. When she came back out to the main room, Josh was still flipping through the channels with a small frown on his face. Smiling, Rebecca set down the drinks and bowl of popcorn before joining him on the couch.

"Can't find a game?" She asked.

"There's one on somewhere, I know it," he said. "I checked the listings when I got home."

Smirking, Rebecca popped open her can of soda. "Are you sure you're not playing tonight?"

He turned his face towards her and grinned. "Pretty sure. But maybe that's what the coach was trying to yell at me before I left..."

Rebecca laughed and gave him a light shove, surprising herself even as she made the move. Flushing, she sat back and propped her feet up on the table. Josh watched her for a second before turning back to the television, making her feel that all over warmth again that had her pressing her thighs together. She grabbed the bowl of popcorn and held it in her lap in an effort to look casual.

Finally Josh clicked on a channel with the bright white ice glowing front and center. Settling back beside her, he reached without looking for some popcorn and Rebecca flinched when his hand brushed against her knee.

"Oh, sorry," he said, turning his head to smile at her. His blue eyes glinted at her as he reached inside the bowl this time.

"It's OK," she breathed and took a long sip of her soda. She nodded at the screen, feeling a flush creep up her neck under his continued gaze. "So what's happening right now?"

Josh's eyes went back to the television screen and he explained. "The puck went out of play above the boards and now they're facing off again."

"I didn't think the puck could go out of bounds," she replied, turning her attention to the television. She'd been telling the truth earlier on the phone about watching games. However much it had confused her, she'd still enjoyed watching the men skate. She found the sounds of the game to be almost hypnotic; the slice and scrape of blade and stick on the ice and the frantic shouts of the teams. She'd finished two reports while half-watching a couple games and suspected she'd be earning top marks for both of them. She'd even listened enough to start picking up some of the lingo.

"It doesn't usually but every once in a while someone will hit it high enough or it'll ricochet higher than the boards," Josh replied. He pointed at the screen. "You see that netting behind the goalies? If the puck lands up there, it's considered out of play."

Rebecca nodded and balanced the bowl as Josh reached for more popcorn. He winked at her as he munched on the pieces in his hand, lifting yet another blush to her cheeks.

"So how come they don't start again from the middle?" Rebecca asked in another minute when play was halted again for some reason; she thought it might be that offside issue. The announcer's voice confirmed it a second later.

"They only start in the middle after a goal or at the start of the period," Josh answered. He went on to explain why they started from different spots depending on which team caused the offside or icing.

The game went on and Rebecca fell silent for a bit, watching the men skate back and forth. Josh injected a few comments here and there, explaining the reason for the stops in play or why the players lined themselves up a certain way. The more she watched, the more Rebecca liked it. And the more she appreciated the skill it took to play, the more she respected Josh and Max for being among these players.

At the first intermission, they fell into easy conversation about topics other than hockey. After a short while she found out that Josh was from Ontario and had three brothers, all of them hockey players. She was impressed and jealous.

"I never had any brothers or sisters," she confessed when he asked her why she was so envious.

"I can't imagine not growing up without my brothers," Josh said with a smile. "As much as they sometimes pissed me off, I wouldn't trade them for anything."

"That's really nice," Rebecca said honestly. "I'm glad I have friends like Mary and Max. They make up for not having siblings."

After that, they fell silent again. Rebecca took the opportunity to stand up with the empty bowl and she carried it back to the kitchen. When she turned around at the counter, she was startled to find Josh standing close behind her. She didn't quite know what to say

"Can I ask you something?" he asked as he leaned against the counter beside her and crossed his arms.

Rebecca nodded though she was transfixed by the sight of his muscular arms folding in front of his chest.

"Are you... seeing anyone?"

Rebecca's eyes flashed to his face and she saw the slight color high in his cheeks. Smiling, she looked away and shook her head.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I don't... have time," she replied, hesitating. She didn't want to confess that she could hardly hold a conversation with a guy. Anyone at school or work who'd started to chat with her had quickly given up when all she responded with were sounds and monosyllabic words. "I came here to focus on my school work."

Josh nodded slowly as she replied, a strange look on his face. "So you don't do anything except go to school and work?"

"And watch hockey with you now," she added with a smile. He responded in kind, the grin easily lighting up his entire face. Her stomach did that flippy thing again and she had to look away. "I guess this isn't what you had in mind when Max called you. We're supposed to be sight seeing."

"I don't mind watching hockey instead of going out," Josh replied quickly. "You just let me know when you want to go sight seeing and I'll take you."

"I wouldn't make you do that," Rebecca said. "This is enough. I know what a busy schedule you must have and I wouldn't want you to mess up at work because you're tired or something."

Josh's smile curved up wickedly at the corners of his mouth and Rebecca was caught by the sparkle in his eyes. He shifted from the counter and stepped closer to her. She didn't notice until he was practically on top of her. She leaned against the counter, tilting her head back to keep his face in her view.

"Sometimes being tired is the best feeling," he said, his voice softer than before.

"What?" she asked, confused suddenly. He was standing too close to her and - heaven help her - he smelled fantastic. A musky mixture of man and light cologne.

He lifted one hand and brushed the hair off her forehead. The brush of his fingers across her forehead was warm and that warmth seeped all through her body, making her practically throb.

"If you're tired for the right reasons," he went on, looking into her eyes. His looked suddenly very dark to her, as though his pupils had expanded to blot out all the bright blue. "I think I can manage it now and again."

"Oh?" She breathed, thinking she really sounded simple now.

Then Josh was leaning closer, his face dropping to hers. She had the brief thought that he was going to kiss her and then he was doing it. His lips brushed against hers and she exhaled sharply. His eyes were so dark before her, his face so close. She sensed him shifting but couldn't move. She was held immobile by his intense gaze and shivered when she felt his hands close on either side of her face. Then he was kissing her again, his lips firm against her own and she put her hands on his chest to keep from falling over.

Her head was spinning from just this light touching of his lips on hers. His chest was so firm under her palms and she could just feel the patter of his heartbeat under the fabric of his sweater. Slowly one of his hands slid around to the back of her head and he was tipping her head up. She felt the slick brush of his tongue against her lips and she jumped, startled by the contact.

He lifted his head and smiled down at her, his thumb stroking the line of her jaw. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

"No!" Rebecca exclaimed breathlessly.

Josh's smile grew wider and he dropped one arm to circle her waist, bringing their bodies closer together. "So you won't mind if I do it again?"

Biting her lip, Rebecca shook her head. Still smiling, Josh leaned close again, gently pressing his lips to hers. Rebecca was just getting used to the feeling of his lips on hers when he traced her lips with his tongue. She sucked in a breath and he deftly slipped his tongue inside her mouth as she parted her lips.

She was warm all over again, leaning into Josh and moving with his lips. She could feel the stroke of his tongue on hers all the way down to her toes. Of their own accord, her hands ended up around his shoulders and she was holding on for dear life as Josh pressed her back against the counter.

Suddenly the phone was ringing and they were jumping apart as though they were teenagers caught by their parents. Rebecca looked over at Josh who was breathing as hard as she was and she laughed breathlessly. She hurried from the kitchen to grab her phone from the front room.

"Hello?" she said as she picked up, watching from the corner of her eye as Josh strode into the room and sat back down on the couch. Rolling her eyes, she hung up the phone, cutting off the digital recording before it got very far. "Telemarketer," she said to Josh as she set the phone down.

She stood next to the couch, looking awkwardly between the television set and the couch, studiously avoiding looking at Josh. "Is the game back on?" she asked.

"Looks like it," Josh replied.

Nodding, Rebecca perched on the edge of the couch, wondering how she felt about that kiss they'd just shared. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him; he was an extremely attractive man. And friendly, nice, with a good sense of humor. But she'd only known him for a few days.

"Is everything all right?" Josh's deep voice broke into her thoughts and she jumped, facing him with a blush.

"Yeah," she replied in a whisper and cleared her throat. "Uh, I think I'm kind of tired actually. Would you mind if we caught up on... uh, my hockey lessons later?"




Ice Hockey 101 Ch. 02



"What do you mean, he just walked out of there?" Mary asked a few days later when Rebecca had gathered enough courage to tell her friend what had happened between her and Josh.

Rebecca shrugged even though she knew her friend couldn't see her. She settled back on her couch with a sigh, reliving that last night with Josh over and over again. "I don't know," she said out loud to Mary. "He said he had to go and he left."

There was silence for a minute over the line and Rebecca wondered if Mary had hung up on her. "Mary?"

"I just can't believe he'd walk away without any kind of explanation," Mary replied at last.

Again, Rebecca shrugged. "Maybe he was tired," she said. "He came over right after a game and they had an early morning practice."

"So why come over at all?" Mary asked and Rebecca wasn't sure if that was merely a rhetorical question. "What else happened when he was over?"

Rebecca flushed right up to the roots of her hair. It didn't matter that she was alone in her apartment talking on the phone. She blushed every time she thought about what had happened between her and Josh that night.

"Rebecca?" Mary's incredulous voice came over the phone and Rebecca knew her friend was guessing on her own what had happened. "Oh my God."

"It wasn't that bad," Rebecca protested immediately. "We didn't sleep together."

"But you were going to?" Mary's voice reached a new pitch as she spoke.

"Mary, calm down," Rebecca replied as she rubbed her forehead. "We didn't because he ran out of here like... like I'd shot him or something."

"This is unbelievable," Mary murmured. "I can't believe he'd walk away from you like that."

"I can believe it," Rebecca muttered to herself. She'd acted like an idiot and Josh had realized in that moment that he didn't want her that way.

"OK. Tell me everything," Mary said, obviously having missed Rebecca's self-conscious remark. "Start at the beginning and don't leave anything out."

With a sigh, Rebecca did. She repeated their phone conversation, even the bit about the bathtub and then she haltingly went over the events after Josh's arrival in her apartment. Finally, she finished and waited to hear Mary's reply.

"Well," Mary spoke slowly when she finally did speak. "He's an idiot."

"No, he isn't," Rebecca replied with a laugh.

"He walked out of your apartment while you were half dressed?" Mary said. "He's an idiot. Only an idiot would walk away from someone like you."

Rebecca smiled as tears stung her eyes. She loved her friend and missed her hometown very much. "Thanks, Mary."

"I'll get Max to talk to him and straighten him out," Mary went on.

"No!" Rebecca cried, sitting up straight on the couch. "No, Mary, please. Don't tell Max. He'll call Josh for sure and say something and that's just too embarrassing to even think about!"

Mary fell silent at her words for a long moment and Rebecca was the first to speak again.

"Please, Mary," she whispered. "I don't want to think about this anymore."

Her friend reluctantly agreed to keep the whole tale to herself, even though Rebecca suspected she'd still tell Max. He was her boyfriend after all, and they were very close. They weren't living together yet but they told each other everything.

After another few minutes of half-hearted casual chatter, Rebecca hung up the phone and stared blankly at her television. It was late and she knew there was a Penguins game on somewhere. She couldn't bring herself to watch it. So she found a different game, willing to admit to herself at least that she was hooked on hockey now. She was slowly picking up all the rules and penalties and was fascinated by the movements on the ice. For such large men, they moved with a swiftness and agility that was simply breathtaking at times.

I don't need Josh to teach me about it anymore, she told herself as she lay down on her couch to watch a game between two teams that didn't include a certain tall, broad shouldered, fair-headed man.

***

"Josh!" Someone hollered his name and he veered sharply to skate off the ice. Several of the guys shuffled out of the way on the bench as play on the ice continued while he stepped behind the boards.

Popping his mouth piece out, he reached for a water bottle and drank greedily. It wasn't just that he was playing hard but he was simply exhausted. After walking out of Rebecca's apartment the other night, he was tortured with images of her and thoughts of what might have happened between them.

It couldn't happen though, not after what she'd said.

Shaking his head, Josh took another long swig of water before setting the bottle back down.

"Josh!" Coach yelled at him from behind.

Cringing, Josh twisted his torso slightly to look into the bespectacled eyes of the team's coach.

"Where's your head?" he demanded. "You've been skating like a bloody junior all night."

"Sorry, Coach," Josh mumbled. "I'll do better." He didn't offer up any excuses, since any real reason for his actions on ice were nothing he wanted to discuss on the bench at that moment.

"See that you do," Coach replied and moved on, leaning close to another player to speak to him.

Josh turned his attention back to the ice where Sean was facing off against the opposing center at the dot just inside the neutral zone. He pushed all thoughts of Rebecca out of his head and tried to focus on the game. Another minute passed and he was jumping over the boards as his teammates skated off.

The rest of the game passed by in a blur. Josh was more than exhausted by the time they left the ice following a shootout. They'd won but everyone knew they could have had the game long before overtime. Josh wasn't the only one who'd been off that night but his actions certainly hadn't helped.

"What was going on out there?" Bill asked as they were changing in the locker room.

Josh glanced up to see the older man was talking to him. Sighing, he shrugged and reached for his shirt. But Bill wasn't going to just let it go.

"You weren't playing the game, man," Bill commented. "Your head was somewhere else almost the whole time."

Josh frowned and faced his teammate. "I'm tired, that's all."

"You're more than tired, Josh," Sean remarked from his other side. "You haven't been playing well since our last home game."

Josh opened his mouth to reply but Bill hooted with laughter and spoke before he had the chance.

"You saw her again, didn't you?" Bill asked and laughed again.

Scowling, Josh stood up and yanked his jacket on. He had no desire to discuss this with the guys in the locker room. "I think we all need to hurry up or Coach will have our heads for being late on the bus." With that, he stalked from the room, Bill's knowing laughter following him all the way.

On the bus, most of the guys were quiet, tuckered out from the game. Josh sat in his usual spot and didn't speak to anyone. Then a shadow fell across his seat and he looked up to see Sean standing there.

"Mind if I sit down?" he asked.

Surprised, Josh nodded before he could think of an excuse why not. Sean always sat around the middle of the bus, on the other side. He was well known for his habits and superstitions and Josh wondered if he'd been hit in the head as he made himself comfortable next to him.

"I think you're freaking out over something relatively minor," Sean said, jumping right into it as though they were already halfway through a conversation.

Josh blinked at him a few times, wondering what the hell he was talking about. Then he recalled Bill's words, his lousy game and the beautiful woman he'd just walked out on a few nights ago. Blushing, he looked away from Sean, grateful for the dim interior of the bus.

In the next minute, the large vehicle started moving and soon they were motoring through town on the way to the airport. They had another two road games and then they were back home for two and a half weeks.

"You're distracted and playing poorly because some girl has worked her way under your skin," Sean went on, continuing with his comments from a minute ago.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about," Josh replied, still refusing to look at his team captain.

"I don't?" Sean replied with a light laugh. "Let's see... when Amelia and I first met, I could barely tie my skates. When we first... hooked up, I couldn't even remember which side I played from."

Josh glanced at Sean, seeing a contented look on the other man's face. They were basically the same age but Sean had matured in ways that Josh couldn't even fathom since meeting his wife, Amelia. As he thought about it, he recalled the stretches of games where Sean's playing had indeed been erratic and unfocused. He'd never really put two and two together but he supposed it did line up with the time Sean was first getting to know Amelia.

"How did you deal with it?" Josh asked, wondering what mind tricks Sean had used to get his focus back on the game.

Sean leveled a hard look at the other man and Josh was the first to look away. "I was lucky enough to have Amelia fall in love with me," he said, his stark honesty making Josh feel uncomfortable.

Josh didn't have a problem with the guys talking about their women while they were all together. He understood that it happened; boy meets girl, they sleep together, sometimes it morphs into marriage, sometimes not. What he didn't understand was this deep-rooted emotion that seemed to filter through the men. This... love that was suddenly all consuming. Half the time he figured it was total bullshit. Then someone like Sean, the most level-headed and focused guy on the team has to confess something like this to him.

"What if that just isn't in the cards?" Josh replied, keeping his face neutral and his voice firm.

Sean smiled. "If you're unwilling to admit how much a woman can affect you, then there's not much I can tell you."

Well, at least he was being honest.

Josh just figured he'd have to find someone who didn't love his wife who could tell him how to erase the woman from his mind. If he couldn't have her, he could at least get his focus and drive to win back.

And didn't that thought just set him back on his heels.

He stared at Sean who stared back at him in silence. Then Sean's eyes narrowed as though he realized what was going through Josh's head.

"Why haven't you called her this week?" Sean asked in a quiet voice.

"I didn't think she'd want to talk to me," Josh replied just as quietly.

"Why? What did you do?"

Josh scowled at his friend. "What makes you think it was something I did?"

Sean chuckled as he adjusted his position in the narrow bus seat. "Because it's usually the guy's fault."

Sighing, Josh rested his head back against his seat and closed his eyes. Slowly, he confessed to Sean that he'd run out of Rebecca's apartment last Sunday after getting her half-undressed. He repeated the words Rebecca had spoken while Sean listened patiently and when he was done Sean had only one question.

"Why does that matter?" he asked.

"Why does what matter?" Josh replied, though he knew exactly what Sean was talking about.

To his credit, Sean didn't push him. They sat silently together for a short time until the bus arrived at the airport. Then they joined the line filing off the bus and heading for their plane.

Even though he hadn't pressed him, Josh knew the answer to Sean's question. He had fled Rebecca's apartment after her confession of her lack of experience. It wasn't because he didn't want her. These last few days all he'd had to do was think of her and he'd be more than slightly aroused. No, he was definitely more than attracted to her.

The problem was that he didn't want to admit that she scared the hell out of him.

When he'd thought she was just an average girl, someone who'd had her share of boyfriends and lovers, he'd felt safer with her. Then she'd dropped that bomb and suddenly she was this gorgeous, fun woman who was sharing something of herself with him that she hadn't before. She hadn't come right out and said it but then Josh hadn't stuck around long enough to talk to her about it.

And that made him feel like a complete asshole.

What kind of guy runs out on a beautiful woman who had already let him half undress her?

A fool, he answered his own question and scowled out the plane window. The more he thought about it, the more he realized what a complete idiot he had been. He'd be lucky if Rebecca took his call ever again.

***

Rebecca fell easily back into her normal routine of school, work, home and occasionally the coffee shop with the internet connection. She chatted once or twice with Mary and the rest of the time she just tried to forget about how embarrassed she'd been. No matter how she tried to ignore the stats, she couldn't help but follow the hockey games.

She mainly kept her attention on the Penguins and the Calgary Flames, so she could at least feel closer to Mary and Max. It made her smile when she'd see Max skating around or starting a fight and she'd wonder what Mary thought about it. She followed the Penguins because... well, because she wanted to watch Josh.

He was such a strong, quiet presence on the ice. Half the time she didn't notice the number 11 on the ice until about halfway through his shift. Or he'd score, often while the team was short-handed, and she'd scream before she could stop herself. No matter what happened though, she wanted to watch hockey. On nights when neither of her teams played, she'd just turn on whatever game was playing and listen with half an ear as she did school work or read a book. Other times, she'd watch whatever teams were playing and flip a coin to decide who to cheer for.

Something about it was missing, though. She loved to watch the games and see the men slamming each other into boards, even though it made her cringe every time. Especially when the one getting slammed was Josh. She missed having someone there to answer her questions when she thought of them. Ever since that last night with Josh, whenever she thought of something she didn't understand, she'd write it down and look it up on-line the next time she went to the coffee shop. It just wasn't the same.

After more than two weeks of not having Josh around or calling her on the phone, she accepted the fact that he didn't want to see her again. It hurt but she'd been through worse before. She could handle it. She told herself that they had only known each other a few days so it wasn't a big deal. Sometimes it worked. The other ninety-nine percent of the time, she lay awake at night staring at the ceiling while her body recalled how it felt with his hands on her.

Rebecca found herself sitting in the little pub around the corner from the coffee shop one evening after a grueling mid-term, sipping a Guinness. She preferred the dark flavor to the lighter beers and even though she didn't generally drink beer, she felt like she needed it. The big screen TV's all around the bar were lit up with white ice and dark moving figures. The Penguins weren't playing so there was no specific game on the screens. One showed a Rangers-Senators game and another screen, closest to Rebecca's seat was showing a game between Carolina and Washington.

"Can I get you another one?" the bartender asked as he stopped in front of her.

Smiling, Rebecca glanced down at her glass and saw that it was nearly empty. She downed the last of it and then asked for another. The bartender grinned as he grabbed a fresh glass to pour into. With a sigh, Rebecca turned her attention back to the nearest television and rested her cheek in one upturned hand.

On screen, some flashy Washington player swung around in a wide arc in front of his opponent's net and backhanded the puck smoothly. It sailed over the goalie's shoulder and the buzzer went off. The player, with a huge number 8 on his back, sailed across the ice with one foot in the air and his arms over his head. His teammates knocked into him as they celebrated his goal.

"...And this is his second goal of the night," the announcer said, though Rebecca could barely hear over the conversation around the bar. "Oborotenski is on fire tonight. Two goals and it's only one minute into the second period."

"Yes, he's got something extra motivating him tonight, Joe," the other announcer agreed as the players skated towards their bench.

Rebecca recalled the name from her nights with Josh and smiled as she remembered that Josh didn't particularly like to play against him. As she watched more of the game, she could see why. Number 8 was a huge presence on the ice and he definitely knew how to handle the puck.

"Here you go," the bartender said as he set a fresh Guinness in front of her.

"Thanks," she replied and kept her eyes on the television screen as the game carried on.

She laughed and clapped her hands as Oborotenski scored yet again. Then she watched in confusion as hats began to sail through the air to land on the ice. The players celebrated the goal and skated to the bench as more and more hats rained down. She frowned at the screen and lightly gripped her beer as she watched.

"What the hell are they doing?" she muttered to herself.

"It's called a hat trick," a familiar voice responded to her question and she whipped around in her seat to see Josh standing next to her, one big hand on the bar.

Her heart thumped alarmingly against her ribs and she lifted a hand to her chest in an effort to still it. Josh's blue eyes sparkled in the dim light of the pub and he offered her a lopsided smile. Her heart leapt again and she swallowed as a blush crept up her cheeks. She struggled for something to say and recalled his words.

"A... hat trick?" she repeated and frowned.

His smile widened and he moved to sit on the stool next to her. "Yeah. When a player scores three times in one game it's called a hat trick."

Rebecca tore her eyes away from his face and looked back up at the television where the officials and arena attendants were clearing the hats from the ice. "So the fans throw hats on the ice because they're happy?"

Josh chuckled and nodded. "Yup."

"Weird," she murmured and sipped her beer while avoiding looking at him. She could feel every inch of him sitting next to her though, without looking over. She could feel the heat from his body rolling towards her and she desperately wanted to lean on him.

"Can I get you a drink?" the bartender asked Josh.

"Yeah, I'll have a Bud, please," Josh replied and thanked him when he set the brown bottle in front of him. "So... how are you?" he asked Rebecca after a long silence.

Action had resumed on screen but Rebecca was only pretending to watch it. She heard Josh ask her the question and thought about all the possible responses. She didn't want to sound like a needy female and lay into him about practically ditching her two weeks ago. But she didn't want to lie and say that she was OK with the way he'd run off that night.

"I need to tell you how sorry I am," Josh spoke again when she took too long to respond. "I shouldn't have just... taken off like that."

Rebecca turned and looked into his face. He looked sorry and his eyes flicked over her face before he looked away. He raised his bottle to his lips and sipped before saying something else.

"I don't know, I mean, you don't have to talk to me," he said and picked at the label on the beer bottle. His tone was nervous, apprehensive and Rebecca felt the corners of her mouth turning up.

He's so cute! she thought.

"I understand if you're mad at me," he went on and glanced at her. He caught sight of her smile and he smiled in return. "I mean, I hope you're not but I get it if you don't ever want to see me again."

Rebecca sighed and leaned her head in her hand again as she studied him. His eyes shifted back and forth between hers and the smile on his face drooped a little around the edges.




Ice Hockey 101 Ch. 02



"I really am so sorry, Rebecca," he said quietly.

Her stomach clenched at his low tone and she sat up straight. "I don't want to never see you again, Josh," she said and meant it. She was hurt by what he'd done and his showing up here just reminded her of how humiliated she'd felt. But he looked genuinely sorry and he was here, making an apology. The least she could do was give him a second chance.

After all, she still didn't have any real friends in Pittsburgh.

"So it's all right if I stay and watch the game with you?" he asked as he jerked his chin towards the TV.

She nodded. "Sure. And maybe tomorrow we can hang out." She surprised herself even as she spoke the words. A blush crept up her cheeks as she waited for Josh to reply.

His handsome face split into a wide grin and he nodded. "I'd like that. But how do you know I'm not playing a game tomorrow?"

She laughed and waved a hand dismissively. "I probably know the Pens schedule better than you do by now."

His eyebrows shot up his forehead at her words and he laughed. "I can't believe you've turned into such a hockey nut."

"Well, I am. I know almost everything," she replied. "Ask me anything."

A considering look passed over his face and he glance towards the big screen over the bar before speaking. An icing call had just been made and the players were realigning themselves around a new face off point. "All right. What's icing?"

She blinked and followed his gaze to the screen. "Shoot. That one I still don't get," she confessed and glanced sideways at him for his reaction.

"Don't worry," he replied and reached out to pat her wrist. The contact sent a jolt up her arm and delivered tingles all through the rest of her body. "Icing is a tough one for a lot of people." He proceeded to explain it to her.

She listened, or tried to, as he left his hand to rest on her arm. After another minute, he moved it back to his bottle of beer and she relaxed. The game on screen continued and they fell into easy conversation as they watched. Rebecca asked almost no questions about the game and mostly they chatted about her schoolwork, his travels with the team and other random things that came to mind.

Rebecca was surprised at how comfortable she felt around him. They slipped so easily back into their casual banter that Rebecca could almost forget the feeling he'd left her with that night two weeks ago.

When the game ended they looked at each other and smiled, all conversation between them done for now. Rebecca remembered her offer to hang out the following day.

"Are you sure?" he asked when she brought it up. "Don't you have school tomorrow? It's only Tuesday."

"It's midterms. I don't have another exam until Thursday," she replied and smiled over at the bartender as he stopped by. "How much do I owe you?"

"I'll get it, Rebecca," Josh replied and whipped his wallet out.

"Oh no, I couldn't," she protested but he was already pulling out a couple green bills. "Josh..."

"Don't worry about it, Rebecca," he said and handed over the money. "It's the least I can do."

She smiled at him, feeling suddenly shy again. He grinned at her as he tucked his wallet back in his pocket. They both stood up from the stools and made their way to the exit. Rebecca paused by the door and held her purse between her legs as she struggled to pull her heavy winter coat on. Josh stepped close and lifted it from her hands, helping her slide one arm through the sleeve and then the other. She felt his fingers slide momentarily through her hair and shivered at the sensation.

"So you really want to get together tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied. "Why don't we actually do something touristy?" She suggested.

"Like what?"

"I don't know," she said. "You've lived here longer. You come up with something."

He grinned at her and nodded. "All right. I'll think of something. I'll come get you at noon tomorrow then."

"Sounds great," she agreed, already more than excited at the prospect of a day with Josh. She pushed her concerns out of her mind as they said good-bye and told herself that he was trying to make amends.

***

Josh was more relieved than he knew after meeting up with Rebecca at the bar. He'd taken a chance after calling her at home and getting no answer. As it was, he'd been lurking in the area where she lived and figured he'd check the coffee shop where they'd first met, as well as the bar where they'd watched the football game. His heart had nearly stopped in his chest when he saw her sitting alone at the bar. Watching a hockey game no less. When she'd offered to go out the next day, he'd been ecstatic. She seemed willing to accept his apology and let him be her friend again. He didn't know yet if she'd ever let him kiss her again but he was more than willing to take the time to find out.

They spent the day doing touristy things, just as Rebecca had suggested. Josh did his best to keep her entertained and judging from the smile on her face at the end of the day, he figured he'd got it right. As he drove away from their last stop, he glanced over to see her resting her head on the seat with her eyes closed. A slight smile touched her full pink lips and he shifted uncomfortably as the look on her face did things to his body.

"I guess I've really worn you out today," he said.

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "I had a great time," she replied. "But I am tired."

"I should have planned something more exciting for you," he said, flexing his fingers around the steering wheel.

"No, it was exciting," she assured him, shifting in her seat and reaching a hand towards him.

He did his best not to flinch as she touched his arm and the contact sent blood streaming through his body straight to his groin. He swallowed and glanced sideways at her. She was still smiling at him and she kept her fingers on his arm, giving him a light squeeze.

"I've just had a really stressful week so far," she confessed.

"Really? Is everything OK?" he asked, hoping against all hope that he wasn't the cause of her unrest. Stupid, he thought to himself. How egotistical can I be, thinking her problems revolve around me?

Her hand fell from his arm and she shook her head as she settled back on her side of the vehicle with a sigh. "I had two midterms this week and they were tougher than I thought they'd be," she confessed. "I took a few days off work so I could focus on studying but I still couldn't sleep well at night."

"That sucks," Josh offered and felt like an idiot even as he spoke. What kind of lame ass comment is that?? he asked himself as he slowed to stop at a red light. He looked over at Rebecca and smiled at the sleepy expression on her face. He felt bad for keeping her out all day when she probably would rather have stayed in to study. He said as much out loud to her.

"No," she disagreed with a shake of her pretty head, sending tendrils of her dark hair over her shoulder as she moved. "It was good that I got out. I couldn't stay inside with my nose in a book for another minute. That's why I went to the pub last night."

"Well, I'm glad I got to see you there," he confessed, ignoring the heat in his face as he continued to look at her. "I missed spending time with you."

Rebecca's dark lashes swept low over her eyes in a slow blink and Josh's groin tightened even further. At this rate he wouldn't be able to walk her to her door because of his hard-on.

"I missed you, too," she agreed quietly, her bluer-than-blue eyes meeting his in the dim light of the car.

Josh hadn't even notice the darkness descending around them. The sun set so early now, it seemed. Summer was long gone and the rapidly shortening days of fall were passing quickly. Swallowing, Josh reached out one hand to brush a strand of hair from Rebecca's cheek. He heard her suck in a breath and felt himself leaning towards her across the center of the car.

A blaring horn startled them both and he sat back in surprise. Rebecca laughed sharply before clapping a hand over her mouth. Her eyes danced at him over her hand and he laughed as well. Glancing in the rear view mirror, Josh waved an apology at the person behind him before easing off the brake and moving under the now green light.

The rest of the drive back to Rebecca's apartment was quiet, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Josh's mind raced over their day and the past few times he'd seen her. He couldn't believe he'd gone from wanting her so badly, to freaking out over her confession to desperately wanting to just be close to her, even if it meant being only a friend. The aching throb in his crotch told him he definitely wanted more than friendship but he was scared to death of her rejection now. She'd have every right to tell him to take a hike after the way he'd acted before.

So for now, he'd be her friend. He'd take her out occasionally; get her to see the city and surrounding area when they each had time, just as Max had originally asked him to. He'd call her from the road and see how school was going and he'd hope that she'd eventually forgive him for stripping her half naked before running away.

He pulled up in front of her apartment and hopped out to run around the car before she got out. Holding the door open, he grinned broadly at her as she climbed out. Rebecca smiled back and Josh felt like whistling at the sparkle in her eyes. Together they walked upstairs to her hallway and Josh shoved his hands in his jacket pockets as she pulled her keys out of her purse.

"I had a great time today, Josh," she told him as she opened the door.

"Me too," he agreed and meant it. When he'd first started talking to her the night before, he'd been so afraid she'd tell him she never wanted to speak to him again. For the first half of the day after picking her up he'd been waiting for her to lay into him. He realized after an hour or two that she just wasn't like that. He knew her well enough to know that she wasn't malicious or even coy. She wasn't the kind of woman to play games with guys and all these revelations made him like her even more.

Made him want her even more.

"So I guess tomorrow you'll be studying for your other exam?" he asked.

"Yeah, I should," she said, sounding reluctant even as she spoke. She sighed and smiled up at him. "And you probably have a morning practice before the game."

He blinked and smiled slowly. She really was into hockey now, quoting his own schedule to him. "I do."

For a long moment they simply smiled at each other and Josh felt his blood start to race again. He took a step closer and gave her a hug before he could talk himself out of it. She seemed surprised at first but her arms went around him and she hugged him back. Josh badly wanted to kiss her, to hold her face to his and drown in her sweet lips but he wasn't rushing things. So he gave her another tight squeeze before stepping back.

"I'll call you tomorrow before the game," he said.

She grinned and nodded. "I'd like that."

"Have a good night," he said and turned to walk away.

At the end of the hallway, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Rebecca still standing in front of her doorway, watching him. She gave a little jump as he met her gaze and he heard her bright laugh all the way down the hall.

"Good night!" she called and lifted a hand to wave before disappearing inside her apartment.

Chuckling to himself, Josh shook his head and walked downstairs.

***

For a few weeks after their reunion, Josh and Rebecca fell into an easy routine. She managed to get through her last midterm and spent the next week stressing over what her results would be. She started going back to work at her regular schedule and new classes resumed the week after her midterms.

True to his word, Josh did call her that day after they went out sight-seeing. They chatted companionably for a few minutes and then she watched the hockey game on TV, alternately biting her nails or whooping in excitement. The day after that, Josh called again and they went to a movie. The day after that, they met up for lunch before he went home to nap before another game. The day after that, he called before heading out of town on another road trip.

Rebecca found herself enjoying their renewed friendship. She felt happier than she had since arriving here and had more patience in class, knowing that Josh would be around to chat with later if she wanted to call. He was a great guy and they talked easily about everything from hockey, to her school, to their childhoods in Canada.

In between her days with Josh, Rebecca talked to Mary and her friend was relieved that she was happier in Pittsburgh now.

"I can tell Max to calm down, too," Mary said one night as they spoke while watching a hockey game together.

"Max? Why?" Rebecca asked around a laugh.

"Oh, he was worried that he'd caused problems by setting you up with Josh," she said. "I told him to relax but he still felt like a dumbass."

"Well, tell him it's all good," Rebecca said and snuggled down under her blanket on the couch a little more. "Josh and I are good friends now and I'm so glad Max made him take me out back then."

"Really?" Mary asked, sounding incredulous. "So you're not still... uh, freaked out about what happened?"

Freaked out? No, not exactly. Rebecca still blushed, even when she was alone, every time she thought about what had almost happened that night. It seemed so long ago since so much had happened in between. Neither of them ever brought it up but Rebecca could swear she'd caught him with an almost... hungry look in his eyes sometimes when he looked at her. It made her shiver to think of it and she held onto the hope that he was simply taking his time before making another move. She knew she definitely wanted him to touch her again, to kiss her and hold her close as he had but she was far too shy to ever admit it to him.

"I'm fine, Mary," she said aloud to her friend and smiled as the announcer called the penalty being given to one Josh Saunders. "What a fool," she muttered and listened to Mary's answering laugh. "He should know better than to pull a stunt like that at this point in the game."

"It's a tough game," Mary agreed. "He's frustrated and losing his edge."

"His edge," Rebecca scoffed. "He's getting careless."

Mary laughed at her and Rebecca demanded to know what was so funny.

"You!" Mary exclaimed. "I never thought you'd ever get this into hockey. I love it, don't get me wrong. It's great that we can talk about it now and watch games like this but it's just weird how fast you got hooked."

"It's because of Josh," Rebecca confessed. "Once he took the time to explain it all to me, I got to see how interesting the game is."

"It is, isn't it?" Mary agreed.

They chatted for another several minutes until intermission was called. Then Mary said she should get off the phone before she used up all her long distance minutes. Rebecca promised to be the one to call next time before they hung up.

Not two minutes later, her phone rang again and she smiled as she answered, figuring Mary had forgotten to mention something.

"Hello?"

"Rebecca, it's me," Josh's voice greeted her instead, sending a delightful tingle all the way down her body from her ear.

"What are you doing calling me?" She asked around a laugh. "Aren't you a little busy right now?"

Josh's deep laughter came over the line and she shivered, closing her eyes to savor the sound of his voice. "I am busy I guess but Coach's lecture over my last penalty can wait a minute or two."

"What were you thinking, tripping that guy?" Rebecca demanded, recalling his sloppy move before heading to the penalty box. "The ref was right there! If you're going to pull a move like that, at least pay attention to the officials and do it when he's not looking."

Josh exhaled slowly and she wondered if he was offended by her words. "Wow. I think maybe I've created a monster."

Rebecca laughed self-consciously, feeling a blush creep up her neck. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," he replied with a laugh. "I'm sure it's pretty much the same thing Coach will say and probably the rest of the team too. Thanks for preparing me."

"That wasn't what I meant-" she started to say but he cut her off.

"I'm teasing, Rebecca. It's fine. I'm not mad," he assured her.

"OK," she muttered as covered her face with one hand in embarrassment. It didn't matter that he was a thousand miles away playing a game in another city.

"So what are you up to tonight, besides watching me skate into the penalty box every five minutes?" Josh asked.

Rebecca laughed. "I was actually talking on the phone with Mary," she said. "She's watching the same game. We just hung up before you called."

"She didn't want to talk during the rest of the game?"

"No, it's not that. The long distance phone charges are expensive," Rebecca explained. "She calls me most of the time because she knows I can't afford to talk long distance for long. Even she has to limit her time since she's got a terrible phone plan right now."

"Ah, I understand," Josh replied and they fell silent for a moment.

"Why are you calling me? Really, shouldn't you be planning for the win with the rest of the team?" Rebecca asked.

He chuckled and she could practically see the lopsided smile on his face. "I should be but I just wanted to... I don't know, see if you were watching the game."

She grinned and felt a warm flush creep through her entire body, sending delicious tingles right through her core. "Of course I am. I have adopted the Penguins as my team, you know."

"I know," he replied with another deep laugh. "I'm so glad you like hockey."

"How can I not?" she asked and meant it. She may have never understood it before being introduced to it by Josh but she did now. She loved to watch the pure athleticism of the men as they moved swiftly across the ice. The pure skill and determination it took to send that tiny disk of rubber to the back of the white netting was mind-boggling. Rebecca was almost jealous of their ability, their talent at something so intense. She'd never been so talented at anything and she loved that she got to watch someone she knew fly across the ice and triumphantly lift his arms after scoring a goal.

"I still have to get you to a live game one of these days," Josh spoke up after a moment of silence fell between them.

She laughed. "I couldn't ask you to do that, Josh. I'm so busy between school and work and besides, who would I take? You're my only friend here."

"Hmm," Josh made a noise of consideration. "Maybe I'll have to introduce you to Sean's wife, Amelia. Then you can watch a game with her."

"You really don't need to do that, Josh," Rebecca tried to assure him even as she was flattered that he was giving it so much thought.

"I want to," he replied quickly. "Watching a game on TV is one thing but there's nothing like the sounds and smells of the actual arena."

"The smells?" Rebecca repeated teasingly, ignoring the fluttering in her chest as she spoke to him.

He chuckled. "Yes, the smells. I won't put you right behind the bench though. Maybe by the penalty box. At least that way there'll be a friendly face every time I head in there."

She burst into laughter and shook her head. "Don't you dare. I don't want to have any part in your penalties."

"Don't you know you already do?" he replied, stumping her for a moment.

"I... what?"

Again came his low chuckle over the line and Rebecca tightened her leg muscles, trying in vain to ease the intensifying tingles in the center of her body.

"Just thinking of you is enough to steal my focus," he said quietly, his deep voice stirring her still more.

She laughed breathlessly, unsure of how to take his words. They didn't sound strictly... friendly. "Then stop thinking about me while you're playing."




Ice Hockey 101 Ch. 02



"I can't help it," he replied and she heard him suck in a breath to say more but someone shouted his name in the background. Whoever it was, he didn't sound patient. "Shit. I have to go."

"All right."

"I'll call you later," he promised. "Will you stay up until the end of the game?"

"Of course."

"Good. Hopefully we can get it together in time for a win."

She giggled and nodded. She hoped so too and not just because she loved to watch him win.

"I'll talk to you later," he said.

"OK. Good luck!"

They ended the call and for a long while, Rebecca stared at the phone in her hand and wondered if she would be able to protect herself for much longer. She'd thought she'd be able to deal with being his friend and maybe even give dating a try, should he ever bring it up. But now she thought she might have done better by not speaking to him again.

This feeling - call it attraction, call it lust - whatever it was, terrified Rebecca. She slowly set the phone down on her table and stared at it, her heart pounding and her body humming.

She was in trouble, no two ways about it.

***

Josh did as he promised, calling her after the game. They talked for nearly an hour until he had to go through airport security before taking off for their next away game. It would be another four days before he and the others arrived back in Pittsburgh. In the meantime, Josh arranged for Amelia Carson, Sean's wife, to call her. He assured her that Amelia was a great woman, a lot of fun and he said that they'd be easy friends.

Sure enough, the day before the team was to return, Amelia called Rebecca and asked if she wanted to meet for coffee that afternoon. It was a Tuesday and she happened to have no classes or work that day so she quickly agreed to meet her.

She was surprised at the sight of Amelia, not because she wasn't beautiful, which she was, but because she looked somewhat older than Sean. Rebecca had only ever seen Sean on television and he always appeared so young.

"There is a few years between us," Amelia said as they introduced themselves to each other, correctly reading the surprise on Rebecca's face.

Flushing, Rebecca looked down and apologized.

"Don't be sorry," Amelia said and patted her hand. "A lot of people took a lot of time to get over the age difference, me included. But whatever age we are, it works for us."

Rebecca looked up and saw the genuine smile across the older woman's face. She meant her words and it immediately set Rebecca at ease. They ordered coffee and chatted amicably for a couple hours. Rebecca learned about how Amelia and Sean had met and Amelia happily told her all about their infant son, Sean Jr. Twice a week, Amelia put him into a daycare just so he'd have some friends his own age.

"I work from home so I could easily take care of him but Sean thought he should be socialized," Amelia told her.

"Sean sounds very smart," Rebecca replied with a smile.

"He is," Amelia agreed, a brilliance to her grin when she spoke of her husband. "I just think he suggested daycare because he wants me to have some time to myself too."

It was obvious to Rebecca that Amelia loved Sean very much and she felt comforted that a hockey player could make such an absolute commitment to a woman. Not that she feared that Josh was the 'love'em-and-leave'em' type, but since getting into the game and doing some Googling on her own time, she'd unearthed stories of road trip affairs and 'puck bunnies.' Nothing relating to Josh, thankfully, but she supposed with all the time spent on the road, most men involved in professional sports would have to deal with similar temptations.

"So I understand you're really into hockey," Amelia spoke again, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen.

"Oh yes," Rebecca agreed with a smile. "I never really understood or cared about it but Josh started to give me lessons and now I just can't get enough."

Amelia smiled at her as she sipped her coffee. "I can't believe you're from Canada and didn't grow up loving it, like I did."

Rebecca explained about being raised by a single mother and being surrounded by the girliest of girlfriends most of her life. She didn't begrudge her mother for it, not one bit. Sports just hadn't been a priority. Now that she was older and willing to learn more about it, she knew she loved hockey.

"Have you been to a game yet?" Amelia asked.

"No," Rebecca admitted. "Josh said that he was going to get me to one someday but I've just been so busy with work and school."

"I understand," Amelia said with a nod. "But you really ought to take a night off and go sometime. There's nothing like it."

"That's what Josh said," Rebecca agreed with a smile. "Of course he's sort of biased, being a hockey player and all."

Amelia smiled at her and there was something in her eyes that made feel Rebecca feel as though she was under scrutiny. She flushed and fiddled with the handle of her coffee mug as she glanced out the window to her right.

"You and Josh have become pretty close," Amelia commented casually.

Rebecca's blush deepened and she glanced at Amelia before nodding.

"He's never asked me to do this before," Amelia went on.

"Do what?"

"Meet a woman he knows for coffee," Amelia answered. "Get to know her. He likes you a lot."

"Oh, well, I don't... I mean, I don't know about that..." Rebecca stammered and smiled shyly. She didn't mean to sound stupid but Amelia's words pleased her more than she cared to admit.

"I do," Amelia said. "I've gotten to know these guys on the team pretty good over the past couple years and Josh has never really dated anyone. Or socialized outside the team much at all, really."

Rebecca stared at her, surprised to hear about this other side to Josh. She never knew he didn't date and wasn't about to ask him herself. She smiled slowly at Amelia and sipped the last of her coffee.

"I think it's great that he's finally starting to get out more," Amelia added.

Rebecca almost laughed at her words. Listening to this woman describe Josh as less than social or not surrounded all the time by numerous friends reminded Rebecca of her own situation since coming to Pittsburgh. She never would have thought that she and Josh had so much in common.

"Well, it was very nice to meet you, Rebecca," Amelia said a few minutes later as they rose to leave the coffee shop. "I hope we can do this again."

"Definitely," Rebecca replied. Aside from all the details she'd learned about Josh, she genuinely liked Amelia. She liked to think she had another friend at last in this city.

"Maybe I'll see you at a game soon?" Amelia suggested with a sly grin.

Rebecca laughed and shook her head as color stole over her cheeks. "Maybe," she admitted and they parted ways a minute later.

***

"Rebecca!" Josh exclaimed excitedly as she walked into the pub near her apartment building. He'd arrived first and spent several minutes impatiently watching the front door for her. It was his first night back in Pittsburgh after their lengthy road trip and he'd spent the past two days doing nothing but think about seeing Rebecca again.

As she approached him in the pub, he hopped from his stool and swept her into a warm hug that she returned. He inhaled deeply, stifling a groan when her hair brushed against his lips and pulled away before she discovered how her mere presence affected him. "How are you? How was school today?"

Rebecca laughed at his quick questions as she took her heavy coat off and joined him at the bar. "I'm good," she replied. "Tired but good. Class was all right too."

Josh grinned at her, practically vibrating in excitement. He had a surprise for her and he just knew it would please her. He hoped it was enough to make her jump on him. Then he blushed at the thought, never having taken himself for the sort who had to buy gifts to get a woman into his arms. For Rebecca though, he mostly just wanted to see her brilliant smile.

Who knew?

"Let me buy you a drink," he offered and flagged the bartender.

All around them on the big screens were several different games. A couple basketball games, some soccer and one or two hockey games. Rebecca's eyes went immediately to the nearest hockey game and Josh grinned when he saw it. It pleased him to no end that she was so into his sport now. He liked to think that it was because of him and their friendship but when she frowned at the screen, muttering something about a sloppy turnover, he realized it was just because she genuinely liked the game.

"How was your trip?" she asked, turning her attention back to him as the action on screen stopped with a whistle.

"All right," he said with a shrug. They'd lost four out of the six games; not their best road trip record. "You saw the games, didn't you?"

She nodded as her drink arrived. As she took a sip, her eyes danced over the rim of the glass. "I think you need to figure out how to take fewer penalties."

He huffed out a frustrated sigh. Yes, he did. Coach had told him as much as well as Sean, his captain. He knew what he had to do but he had felt himself almost rushing through each game, as if that were even possible. Something got into his mind and made him want to hurry through his shifts, like hurrying would get him back home quicker. Back to Rebecca.

"You play so well when you're focused," Rebecca said, a note of authority in her voice. "And I love it when you score on the other guys during one of their power plays."

Josh grinned, inordinately pleased by her compliment. "Thanks," he replied. "That means a lot."

She rolled her eyes at him and took another drink. "Oh sure. It means a lot coming from the hockey virgin over here."

The word threw him for a second and his mind was besieged by memories of her body in his hands. Her words from that night echoed at him and he felt like an ass all over again for how he'd treated her.

"I have something for you," he blurted, pushing the memories out of his head.

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"I have a present," he said and pulled the envelope out of his jacket pocket.

"Josh, you didn't have to get me anything," she said, a blush creeping up her neck and spreading across her cheeks as she met his gaze.

He shrugged. "It's not much," he said.

She smiled at him, her slender fingers pulling open the envelope. Looking down, she gasped as she saw what was inside. She pulled out the hockey ticket and lifted her eyes to his face.

"Amelia and some of the other wives and girlfriends are going and all the seats are together," he said, assuring her that he didn't expect her to go alone.

"Josh," she whispered and shook her head, still clutching the ticket before her. "Thank you so much."

"There's more," he said, nudging her knee with his.

"There is?" she replied and looked back inside the envelope, this time pulling out two pre-paid long distance phone cards. "Josh!" She gasped and this time, he knew she was really surprised.

"I thought you could use them to talk to Mary or your mom," he said, leaning close to check for the umpteenth time that he'd selected two hundred minute cards.

Before he knew it, she'd leaned across the space between them and thrown her arms around him. He smiled into her fragrant hair and held her close.

"I can't thank you enough," she murmured, her voice breathy against his ear. "This is the best gift I've ever received."

He laughed lightly at her as he ran a hand down her back. "I don't know about that," he replied. "But I'm glad you're happy."

She pulled back slightly to look at his face and he was surprised to see tears shining in her eyes. Then she leaned close, this time bringing their lips together.

For a moment, Josh didn't react, he was so shocked. Then he tightened his arms around her and kissed her back. She tasted just as he remembered, so sweet and she was so soft in his arms. She parted her lips and he felt the tentative stroke of her tongue against his all the way down to his groin. He lifted one hand to cup the back of her head, tangling his hands in her long, dark hair.

She made some small noise against his mouth and he drew back slightly, breathing hard. Their eyes met and he saw that hers had become much darker. It sent even more blood straight to his crotch, as if he had any more to spare. He kissed her again, watching her eyelids droop as he moved. A sigh left her lips and brushed against his, making him want to lay her on the bar beside him so he could have her at last.

"Josh," she murmured his name, their lips still so close they skimmed together as she spoke. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time."

He chuckled, still holding her close. God, his heart was beating so hard and he wasn't going to be able to conceal what else was hard in another minute. "Why haven't you?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer. Although, if he was being honest with himself, he still owed her an explanation for what had happened.

She blushed and bit her lower lip, her eyes dropping for a moment. Josh indulged for a moment, leaning close and kissing her lip, easing it from between her teeth. She kissed him back and made that enticing little noise again as he slipped his tongue inside her mouth. She shifted and if they'd been sitting anywhere else, she'd have crawled right into his lap. As it was, the bar stools didn't balance well and he had to hold her tightly to keep her from toppling over.

The movement startled her and she broke the kiss, laughing nervously as she glanced down. She tried to sit back but Josh didn't want to let her go, afraid that she might pull away all together. She grinned at him, her eyes sparkling brightly at him.

"I thought you didn't want me to," she finally answered.

"Why would you ever think that?" he asked in surprise.

Her eyebrows went up and he knew it was a stupid question. He tightened his arms around her and put their faces close together so he didn't have to speak too loudly. "I'm so sorry about that, Rebecca," he told her. "I didn't leave that night because I didn't want to..." he paused and thought about his words. Shaking his head, he glossed over it, feeling the flush heat his cheeks. "I wanted to, believe me. But, you said you didn't have any experience and I guess I got freaked out."

"Why?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Josh could easily see the apprehension on her face and he hated that he'd made her feel anything less than beautiful. Because she was. She was the most breathtaking woman he'd ever known, in more ways than one. "At the time, I thought I didn't want that responsibility. I didn't want to be the guy to... you know..."

Rebecca studied his face for a minute, trying to figure out what he was saying. Then a grin split her face and she kissed him again. "Oh Josh," she murmured against his lips before pulling back again. "I said I don't have a lot of experience. Not that I'm a virgin."

His eyes widened as her words sunk in and then a grin spread slowly across his face. Unconsciously, he moved his hands lower down her back and she grinned back at him. "I'm an idiot," he said.

"Yes, you are," she agreed in a teasing voice.

He laughed briefly before sobering and cupping her cheek in one hand as he stared into her sapphire eyes. "You know, it wouldn't matter if you were."

"It mattered enough that night," she replied tartly, but he could see the smile in her eyes still.

"It did, but only because I was stupid," he agreed, being completely honest with her now. "I was stupid to leave and maybe a little stupid to have let things happen so fast then."

"I let them go quickly too," she interjected.

"I know," he said and drew in a deep breath. "And I liked that you did. But I was freaked out because I didn't think I wanted a relationship."

Rebecca was silent after he spoke and he studied her face for a long moment.

"And now?" she asked at length, her voice thick.

Swallowing, Josh stroked the pad of his thumb over her cheek. "Now I know how stupid I was. I don't want to stop seeing you."

"I don't want to stop seeing you either," she murmured with a smile.

"Well, good."

They simply smiled at each other for a long moment. Then Rebecca laughed breathlessly and wrapped her arms around him in another hug.

"Do you have an early practice tomorrow?" she asked.

"No," Josh replied quickly. "Do you have an early class?"

Rebecca drew back and he saw her biting her lower lip again. A pretty blush lay across her cheeks and he tamped down the urge to press her body up against his.

"Yes, but I think I could afford to skip one," she replied quietly.

He blinked as he processed her words and then grinned broadly.

"Do you want to come over?" she asked.

Instead of answering, he pushed her back and stood up abruptly. Reaching for his wallet, he drew out enough money to cover their tab before grabbing her hand. Rebecca laughed as he pulled her out of the bar, barely giving her time to put her jacket on.

She'd offered and he wasn't going to be stupid this time. He knew exactly what he wanted.

***

Rebecca's head was spinning. Barely ten minutes ago she'd been sitting in the bar with Josh and now he was standing so close all she could smell was his masculine scent of manufactured ice and crisp aftershave. She fumbled with her keys yet again and shot Josh a dirty look when he made an annoyed noise.

"Don't give me attitude," she scolded lightly.

His eyes narrowed playfully and she felt her stomach lurch. Then he was leaning close and she gladly lifted her face for another breathtaking kiss. The keys fell out of her hands and landed on the floor with a jangle. Breaking the kiss, she crouched down quickly to retrieve them, all the while more than aware of Josh's massive presence next to her.

At last, she opened the door and Josh's hands closed around her waist as it swung inward. She gasped and dropped the keys again. This time, Josh wouldn't let her bend to get them. He spun her in his arms and laid his lips over hers as he shuffled her backwards into her apartment. She heard him kick her keys inside with them and then he was spinning her again, this time pressing her back against the closed door.

His lips were so warm against hers and his tongue was so smooth inside her mouth. She lifted hers to meet his and for long moments she forgot where she was. She probably couldn't even have spoken her own name if someone had asked. Then she heard a click and jingle and pulled away from Josh.

"What was that?" she asked in confusion, breathing hard and feeling flushed all over.

"Just locking the door," Josh murmured, laying his lips to her cheek.

Sighing, Rebecca tilted her head sideways to let him kiss her. She dropped her purse on the floor beside her and pulled at her zipper. Josh's hands moved to help her and soon she was relieved of her heavy winter jacket. Then she lifted her hands to push at the jacket he wore. Chuckling, Josh stepped back and smiled into her face as he rid himself of his coat. Both were dropped on the floor with her purse and Josh reached for her again.

She went willingly, lifting her arms to circle his broad shoulders as he drew her close. His hands were warm and so sure as they moved up her back to cup the back of her head. She parted her lips as his mouth came down on hers and moaned when his kiss turned suddenly urgent. He sucked at her tongue, drawing it into his mouth as he sought to devour her. Her knees began to shake and she clutched his shoulders, afraid she might fall down.

Josh dropped his hands from her head and wrapped his arms around her waist. With his hold on her snug and so hot, he lifted her from her feet and carried her away from the door. She was barely aware she was moving. All she knew was that his kiss was so hot and her insides were turning to jelly. When he set her back on her feet again, the contact of the floor startled her and she broke away from their kiss.