Power Play: A Second Chance Hockey Romance (Sinners on the Ice)
Power Play: A Second Chance Hockey Romance: Chapter 30

3 years 9 months ago, February

Nothing feels right today. And the fact that it’s February fourteenth doesn’t help either.

I’m so lonely.

Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply, trying to calm down. Get a grip, Layla, you’re at a fucking bar! Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe⁠—

“Hey. Is everything okay?”

I open my eyes with a snap, and see a handsome guy with short brown hair beside me. His side is casually propped against the bar counter.

“Um…” I mumble, looking around, then bring my gaze back to him. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

His lips break into a smile as he lets his gaze coast over me. “Mind if I join you?”

“It’s not like I own this bar.” I shrug, trying to ignore the tingles spreading over my body.

“Still…” the guy murmurs. “Can I keep you company?”

His voice has such a seductive lilt to it that I can’t help but smile at him. “Yeah, I’d love that.”

He climbs on the bar stool beside me and sets his elbows on the counter. My eyes instantly land on his arms, admiring how taut his muscles are. He has a full-sleeve tattoo on his right arm, with a howling wolf in the center of it, different small ones surrounding it.

“What’s your poison?” he asks me as a bartender stops in front of us.

“Vodka Spritzer,” I tell him, eyeing him curiously. He instantly orders a cocktail for me and a whiskey for himself.

When the bartender steps away to prepare our drinks, the guy turns to face me. I do the same, mirroring him and allowing myself to check him out. His black tee hugs his broad chest tightly, his legs are clad in dark blue jeans, and white Nike sneakers finish his outfit. Handsome, sexy, and mysterious. I like it.

“I’m Eli.” He extends his palm to me, and I take it. His fingers, surprisingly soft, curl around mine as he squeezes my hand.

“Nice to meet you, Eli.” I pull my hand away gently. “I’m Layla.”

“A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”

I chuckle. “Thank you.” I don’t remember the last time someone flirted with me so openly, and I must admit that it feels nice.

“What’s your story?” Eli asks as the bartender puts our drinks in front of us.

“My story?”

“Well, when I noticed you…it looked like you were really unhappy. And no one should be unhappy on Valentine’s Day.”

I sip on my drink. “So you approached me out of pity?”

The way he drags his eyes from my face down to my cleavage forces a fire to start brewing in my lower abdomen. “I approached you because you’re stunning and because you needed company.” I open my mouth to argue with him, but he shuts me up. “Just like I needed company.”

Another sip of my drink, and my shoulders drop. The mask I’ve been trying to curate is slipping off. This will probably be the first and the last time I’m seeing this guy, so who cares what I tell him.

“My boss scolded me for losing a client.” I stare down at my drink, my fingers rapping over the glass. “It’s true, but it didn’t happen because of me. The boyfriend of this girl proposed to her this morning and asked her to move in with him. How is it my fault that she changed her mind and decided not to sign the lease?”

“Did you explain it to your boss?”

“I did. She told me I should’ve convinced the client and her boyfriend that instead of moving into his apartment, they needed to replace something bigger and that we would’ve helped them to make the right choice.”

“Yikes. You sure had a rough day.” Eli offers me a smile, threading his fingers through his hair. “No surprise you ended up in the bar. But…why are you alone? Don’t you have a boyfriend?”

Clay’s image pops in my head in an instant. We’re not exclusive. I’m allowed to see anyone I want, but still…he’s the first thing that comes to my mind once I hear Eli’s question. I haven’t seen Clay since July. Hockey and my job at the agency are always in the way. Sure, I stayed in Michigan because I wanted to try working as an estate agent and I couldn’t replace anything in Chicago, but…I had no idea it would be so fucking lonely all the time. In college, I was always surrounded by my classmates, my friends, and now I’m all alone. Clay’s in Chicago, Drake is here but is busy with his career, Ava is in Santa Clara.

I need someone to be there for me.

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” I drawl. “Or like, it’s complicated.”

Eli laughs, throwing his head back. Even his laughter is pleasant, deep and honeyed.

I smile at him in return and ask, “What about you? Don’t you have a girlfriend?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “I broke up with my last girl a few months ago, and now I’m single.”

His gaze drops to my mouth, and a thrill of excitement rushes through my veins. “Good to know.” I hear myself saying.

Eli leans forward. “How about we go for a walk?”

My lips part as I stare at him, unblinking.

“I would love to get to know you better, and the bar is pretty loud. And it will get worse soon, since there will be a concert…for Valentine’s Day.”

I watch him, mulling over his words. Then I gulp down the rest of my cocktail and climb off the bar stool. “Why not?”

Eli smiles and joins me, taking my hand in his. “Follow me, beautiful,” he murmurs and pulls me toward the exit.

I have no idea what’s going to happen next, but I’m intrigued.

And I haven’t felt so good in months.

It must be something, right?

Three months later, May

“Hey, beautiful.” Eli steps into me and kisses my lips. Slow and gentle, nothing like his kisses are when we’re in bed. “How was your day?”

“It just got better.” I wrap my arms around his torso, molding myself into him. “I hate when I can’t see you because of your concerts.”

A low chuckle rumbles in his chest. “You’re always welcome at my gigs. You know that.” I look up, and our eyes meet. His blues are shimmering with mischief.

“Unfortunately, my workday starts at eight a.m., and your gigs always end way past midnight.”

He drops a kiss to my nose and slowly takes a step back. Entwining our fingers, he pulls me to his side and we start walking.

“Where do you want to go?”

“There’s a pizza place I want to take you to. I heard they serve the best lasagna in town. What do you say?”

“Yes,” I murmur breathlessly.

Eli pauses. “If you continue making these sounds, the only place we’re going to end up in is my apartment.”

“Maybe that’s my plan?” I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively, and he instantly slaps my ass. “You don’t want me?”

“I always want you,” Eli whispers, squeezing my butt with his hand. “But I’d love us to eat first.”

“Okay.” I giggle, and we start walking again.

I don’t know how to explain how it all started between us. After we met for the first time at the bar on Valentine’s Day, there wasn’t a day when we didn’t talk to each other. At first, it was just a friendship. Walks in the park, going to movies, going for dinners and lunches, talks on the phone, texting. More and more, I started opening up to him, started replaceing myself waiting for his call, for a new text. I missed him when he couldn’t see me because of his band’s rehearsals.

When Eli kissed me for the first time almost a month after we met, it was mind-blowing. We walked out of the movies, smiling at each other, and then he turned to me, cupped my face, and put his lips on mine. Everything else disappeared. There was only this guy and his mouth on mine. All I needed was him.

And nothing has changed, even two months later.

All I need now is Eli.

As we’re about to walk into the pizza place, my phone starts ringing. I pull it out of my purse and freeze on the spot. It’s Clay.

Eli glances at the screen, his lips twisting in a scowl. “Why is he still calling you?”

Because he doesn’t know about us.

But instead of telling the truth to Eli, I force a smile. “He’s also my friend, don’t forget that.” I swallow the bile clogging my throat. My lies taste bitter. “Go, replace us a table. I’ll talk to him.”

“You sure you don’t want me to talk to him? I can make him stop bothering you.”

“He’s not bothering me. Don’t worry.” I kiss his lips and playfully push him away. “Go. I’ll be right behind you.”

Eli stares at me for a moment, then turns on his heel and walks into the pizza place. I press my cell to my ear the second the door closes.

“Hey.”

“Hey, Layla.” His voice is muffled. “How are you?”

“I’m good. You?”

There’s a bit of silence and then Clay clears his throat. “We lost three games in a row, so I don’t know…everything kinda sucks.”

Shoot. With how much time I’m spending with Eli, I stopped watching Clay’s games. Stopped reading news and statistics. It didn’t seem important enough.

“Sorry about that.”

Another bit of silence follows. “Er, I don’t like beating around the bush, so I’m gonna ask you something.”

“Okay.”

“Who is this guy you’re hanging out with? Before you always told me if you met someone, but you’ve said nothing about him.”

My heartbeat skyrockets, echoing in my ears so loudly, I barely hear anything around me.

“What do you mean?”

“I-I still follow Grace on Instagram,” Clay explains quietly.

Fuck.

“She posted a few pictures from her birthday, and…you were there with some guy. Brown hair, tattoos on his right hand. Who is it?”

“It’s Eli.” I bite my bottom lip. I feel nauseous. My hands are trembling. “He’s a friend.”

“How do you know him? Is he your coworker?”

“Clay, I don’t understand why it is so important?”

“Are you dating him?” The words in my ear sound strangled.

“No. Not exactly.” I take a deep breath. I shouldn’t lie to him. “Well…yes, we’re kinda seeing each other. Nothing serious.” I love Clay, I know it, but I think I’m starting to fall for Eli.

“It explains a lot.” He chuckles dryly. “You rarely text me back. You barely have time to talk.”

“I’m just busy, Clay. Work takes a lot of my time, and often I’m so slumped with everything that I just come home and sleep.” It’s not exactly a lie, but it’s far from the truth. “Besides, we agreed a long time ago about not being exclusive. You’re in Chicago, and I’m in Detroit. So⁠—”

“I’m not seeing anyone,” he says. “I’m waiting for you.”

“And I promised to come to you next summer, didn’t I?”

“You did.”

“Then please, stop worrying. I’m having fun, okay? I finally don’t feel so lonely all the time.”

“If you stayed with me, you would’ve never felt lonely.”

I frown. “I know it’s my fault I felt this way. I was stupid, when I decided to sign the contract.”

“You’re not stupid, it’s never wrong to follow your dreams, and try new things. And I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.” He heaves a sigh. “Any plans for tonight?”

“I’m with Eli now, actually. We met for dinner.”

“Oh…should I call you later?”

“I’ll call you later myself. Probably tomorrow.” I look over my shoulder, noticing a waitress talking to Eli. Her smile is bright as she bats her eyelashes at him. Jealousy like venom spreads through my veins, and I purse my lips. “I gotta go. Bye, Clay.”

“Bye, Layla.”

I hang up and strut into the pizza place, heading straight to the table. Instead of lowering myself on the chair, I come to a stop near Eli. An amused smile lifts his lips as I bend down and kiss him languidly. When I finally lean away, the waitress is gone.

“Someone is feeling a bit possessive,” Eli comments as I sit down across from him.

“Maybe.”

He arches an eyebrow, studying me in silence. Then he sets his elbows on the table.

“Your ex’s call made me think about something. With your job, my concerts and rehearsals, there are days when we don’t see each other, and I don’t like it.” Eli covers my palm with his, eyes never leaving mine. “Move in with me.”

A huge smile splits my lips. Butterflies in my stomach are going crazy. Isn’t it too soon? a voice in my head asks.

“I’d love to,” I tell him, deciding to ignore the doubts I have.

Eli moves forward and captures my lips with his in the sweetest kiss ever. I have a feeling that it’s the start of something amazing in my life.

I really hope so.