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

Nico’s fingertips dug into my skin as he grasped my hips and pounded into me over and over again. Each thrust had him filling me completely, filling my body with a pleasure I had never experienced before. I’d never been one to have an orgasm just from someone being inside me, but Nico was pushing me closer to the edge of ecstasy and I couldn’t think straight at this point.

“Fuck, you were made to take my cock, Harper,” Nico groaned from behind me. His one hand was now planted against the small of my back, holding me firmly in place. The other was still gripping my hip with such force, I knew there would be marks left behind.

And I didn’t even care.

I wanted his marks all over my skin. I tried to resist him as long as I could, but I was proving that I wasn’t strong enough to ignore his charm. Now that he had me bent over his counter, I was going to take advantage of every second with him. Every feeling. Every moment.

Even if it were fleeting—because it had to be. There could never be anything more than this between us, and it fit both of our agendas.

But when he went and said things like that, I didn’t like the way my heart did a little flutter. It added in an extra beat and I hated it.

The edge of the countertop was digging into my flesh as Nico continued to fuck me harder with each thrust. He was fucking me relentlessly, with no mercy—and I wanted more.

“Don’t stop,” I moaned.

“Don’t plan on it, love,” he growled as he dropped his lips back to my ear. He was surrounding me, consuming me, with his chest pressed against my back. “I’m going to fuck you until you split in two.”

I turned my head to the side, my cheek pressed against the cool granite surface. “You’re going to have to fuck me harder to do that.”

Nico looked at me and I stared at him from the corner of my eye. “You like challenging me, don’t you? Why don’t you tell me what you want instead?”

“I told you to do your worst, Nico. So do it.”

He shook his head. “Not yet. I’m going to fuck you now until we both come, but it will be nowhere close to doing my worst. That will come later. I have every intention of fucking you until you can’t think straight, but for now I’ve changed my mind. I’m greedy and I’m taking what I want right now instead.”

I tried to glare at him and Nico ran his hand down the side of my neck before pulling away. He slowly eased out of me, only to slam back into me again. There was nothing gentle about the way he was moving against me, and I wanted it all. Every inch of pain and pleasure mixed together until we couldn’t tell one from the other.

He was pushing me closer and closer to the edge. My eyes were rolling back in my head from the ecstasy racing through my veins. My legs felt like they were going to give out as a warmth spread from the pit of my stomach and throughout the rest of my body.

“I feel you, Harper,” Nico moaned as he moved both hands to hold on to my waist. “Come for me, love. Come all over my cock while I fill you with my cum.”

His words as he thrust into me were enough to send me over the edge, free falling into the abyss. My orgasm tore through my body like a whirlwind and I was clenching around him as it felt like I was floating into the air. The heat that spread through me felt like a wildfire that could never be tamed. My eyes clamped shut and I yelled out his name as I did exactly as he told me.

“Fuck,” he growled as his grip tightened around my waist. He slammed into me once more and I felt the warmth of him as he lost himself inside me. We were both a mix of moans and heavy breathing and it felt like him holding me was the only thing that was keeping me from floating through the ceiling.

That wasn’t even his worst. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what that must feel like compared to this.

Nico slowly eased out of me and pressed his lips to the center of my back. My legs shook and felt like they were going to give out. I instantly felt his absence, but suddenly he pulled me away from the counter as he lifted me into his arms.

“What are you doing?” I questioned him as I rolled my head to look at him.

Nico gave me a lazy smile. “Taking you to my bed to clean you up and get you comfortable.”

His words warmed my soul and I was taken by surprise with his attentiveness. I didn’t question him as he laid me down on his plush mattress that had all-black bedding. I didn’t say a word as I watched him disappear into the bathroom, nor did I when he came back with a warm washcloth.

“I need my clothes.”

Nico chuckled lightly and shook his head. “I promise you, you don’t.”

I should have felt uncomfortable, still completely naked under his gaze, but there was something about him that just felt right. He felt familiar, even though I didn’t really know him that well. He made me feel safe and I let him tuck me under the covers of his bed as he rose to his feet.

“Make yourself comfortable,” he told me as he handed me the remote. “I’m going to go heat up our food and we can have dinner in bed.”

Hesitantly, I took the remote from him and eyed him skeptically. “Do you always walk around your house naked and expect your guests to do the same?”

Nico laughed again and shook his head. “Only with you, love.”

He left the room without another word and I sat up straight, my back pressing against the pillows while pulling the blankets up to cover my exposed chest. I turned on the TV and flipped through Netflix before settling on a true crime docuseries when he finally returned with our food.

Nico had heated everything up on separate plates and was balancing them in his hands as he walked back into the room. He handed me mine before setting his on the nightstand. I watched him walk back out of the room, but he was only gone for half a minute before he came back in with two glasses and a bottle of wine.

He popped the cork and filled both of our glasses before climbing under the sheets. We both sat in silence, eating our food and sipping our wine as we learned about the case they were trying to solve.

“Do you watch a lot of stuff like this?” he asked while lifting his glass to take a sip of his wine.

I swallowed a mouthful of pasta and nodded. “Yeah. I like true crime type stuff.”

“That makes sense with what you said at Dare, thinking I was going to take you to some secret location to murder you.”

Laughter spilled from my lips. “Hey, it’s always the ones who are charming and attractive that you have to be careful with.”

Nico stared at me for a moment and I looked over at him as mischief danced in his blue irises. He didn’t say a word, but simply smiled at me before diverting his gaze back to the TV as he continued to eat. We finished the rest of our meal in silence and the air between us was sparked with electricity. It was palpable and I was afraid if I touched him, I would certainly be electrocuted.

After we were done, Nico took both of our plates and stacked them on his nightstand before filling up our glasses again. The red wine splashed against the clear cup and I allowed my eyes a moment to truly appreciate his body. The blankets stopped just below his belly button and my gaze traveled across the planes of his muscular form.

“So, Harper,” Nico started as he shifted in the bed to face me. He had his elbow propped on the pillow and was resting his hand on his head. “What made you move to Orchid Beach?”

His question caught me off guard and I took a long sip of my wine. “I needed a change of scenery and had just gotten out of a relationship. I went to Boston for college and ended up staying there after I graduated. It just never really felt like home, so I decided I’d move somewhere that I could make my own home.”

“Where are you originally from?”

I was surprised he didn’t question me on my relationship.

“I was born and raised in Denver. I considered moving back there, but I left Denver because I wanted more than just mountains,” I told him. As much as I loved Colorado, I wanted to see and experience other places in the country or the world. I didn’t want to live there for my entire life. “What about you? Where is home for you?”

“I actually grew up here,” he said simply with a shrug. “My family lives across the state now, though, so I do miss them. They come and visit occasionally and I try to go back home to see them when I can.”

“That must be nice.” I smiled at him as I adjusted myself on the bed to lay the same way he was, although I made sure to keep my chest covered. “Are you all close?”

A wave of pain washed through his irises as he looked past me and nodded. “My family has always been extremely supportive of what I do. After my mother passed away, we were all a little lost, but in time, it has made us closer than ever.”

I stared at him for a moment, my heart clenching in my chest while simultaneously breaking for him. He was still hurting, his wounds were still open, and it was clearly written all over his face. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him it would all be okay, but those were just words. They changed nothing. They would never erase the hole in his heart from losing his mother.

“I am so sorry, Nico,” I said softly as I continued to watch him. “I know that doesn’t really help, but I really am sorry for your loss. I can’t even imagine how that must feel for you.”

He slowly pulled his gaze back to mine and gave me a sad smile. “Thanks, love. It’s been two years already, but sometimes it feels like we just lost her yesterday. I appreciate your kindness, though.”

“If you ever want to talk about anything, I am always here for you.”

“Actually, I do want to talk about something.” His smile grew tighter and he raised an eyebrow. “You just got out of a relationship before moving here? What happened?”

Shit.

My stomach instantly sank and I swallowed roughly. “I was dating someone I had met in college but I realized he wasn’t the one.”

“How did you know that?” he asked without missing a beat.

“Because he gave me an ultimatum. I was in the middle of building my own portfolio and trying to find a professional job. He wanted me to give everything up and follow him.” I paused for a moment, shaking my head. I didn’t miss Connor at all, but I hated what he did to me. “I had to choose. Either follow him or he was moving on without me. I didn’t follow him.”

Nico stared at me for a moment and slowly sat up in bed. He took my glass of wine and set it on his nightstand along with his own glass. As he turned back to face me, he closed the distance between us. His fingers were soft as he brushed a stray hair from my face while sliding the other around my back and under the covers.

He pulled me flush against him, his blue eyes shining down at me as he rolled me onto my back. A smile lifted the corners of his lips as he settled between my legs.

“I’m glad you didn’t follow him.”

I smiled back at him just as his face dipped down to mine.

So was I.