Desire or Defense: An Enemies-to-Lovers Hockey Romance (D.C. Eagles Hockey)

TUESDAY during my lunch break at work—AKA stuffing food down my throat as fast as I can before returning to my patients—I check my phone for the first time since I woke up this morning. My heart leaps when I see I have three missed texts from Mitch.

BIG MAN

Hey Blondie. Want a ticket for tomorrow’s game? I can get Noah a ticket too, if you want.

BIG MAN

I know you’re not really into hockey… so, no pressure.

BIG MAN

But I heard the Eagles’ ugliest player will finally be back tomorrow.

I laugh as I read the texts.

ANDIE

I’d love to come watch the Eagles’ hairiest player. Let me see if Ronda can hang out with Noah. It’d be fun to come cheer for you without Noah judging me.

BIG MAN

Sure. Just let me know.

BIG MAN

P.S. I’m not hairy.

I burst out laughing and one of the other nurses in the break room, who’s currently trying to have a phone conversation, gives me a funny look.

I mouth the word Sorry.

Ronda strides into the break room in her confident way and slumps down in the chair next to me. “I’m getting too old for this,” she mutters.

“Oh stop it. You’re healthy as an ox.” I take the last bite of my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, licking my fingers for good measure, when I muster up the bravery to talk to Ronda about the game tomorrow. “So, umm.”

She pins me with a knowing look. I straighten my spine and continue, “I know you’re already helping me out a ton, but I’d like to go to Mitch’s game tomorrow. I was wondering if you might hang out with Noah for me?”

Ronda leans back in her chair and crosses her arms. She looks unamused. “You mean Mitch Anderson? The grumpy athlete who never smiles and who’s…what were your words… totally not your type?”

I sigh heavily. “Okay, I lied. He totally is my type. And tomorrow’s his first game back after his suspension.”

She looks at me through narrowed eyes. “Fine. But only because he’s helped Noah so much. But mark my words, if he hurts you…”

“I know, I know. A slow, painful death.”

She nods her head slowly… It’s actually pretty creepy.

“Thank you!” I wrap my arms around her in a giant hug. “Mitch is a good guy, I swear.”

She swats at me. “Okay, enough, get back to work.”

Giving her a big kiss on the cheek, I pull back, grinning from ear to ear. She smiles back at me. “It is nice to see you so happy.”

“The big man will grow on you, I just know it.”

“But I want to go to the game!” Noah argues as I’m trying to leave. He’s dressed in all of his finest Eagles gear, as if that’ll cause me to give in to his whining.

“Noah, you’re staying here with Ronda,” I say, for what feels like the hundredth time.

He throws his hands up. “But you don’t even know anything about hockey.”

Ronda, who’s leaning against the wall near the front door, quirks a brow like she’s silently agreeing with him on that point.

“I’m not going to watch hockey, I’m going to watch Mitch.”

“I knew you had a crush on him.” Noah rolls his eyes.

“Yep, you were right. Now let me go swoon over your coach, you wouldn’t want to see that anyway.”

His face twists in disgust. “That’s a good point.”

“Come on, buddy. I brought brownies and we can watch the game on the T.V.” Ronda sweeps an arm around his slim shoulders and he concedes with a heavy sigh.

“Okay, fine. But I get to come to the next game.”

“Deal,” I tell him, leaving through the front door before he changes his mind.

When I arrive at my seat with my huge bucket of popcorn, I see a pretty brown-haired woman in the seat beside my own. She has the biggest blue eyes I’ve ever seen and she’s wearing an Eagles jersey just like mine, but the number on hers is different. She shoots me a friendly smile and stands up. “Hey! Are you Andie?”

“Yep, that’s me,” I answer.

She pulls me into a hug then introduces herself. “I’m Melanie, you can call me Mel. I’m West’s fiancée.”

“Oh! The blond guy?”

She laughs again. “Yep, that’s him.”

We sit down in our seats, which are in the stands this time and not the fancy box. I glance around us, noticing the girls right in front of us are all wearing Weston Kershaw jerseys. “Is it super annoying being with someone so popular with the ladies?” I whisper.

She side-eyes the girls in front of us. “A little. But they don’t really know him. And he doesn’t pay attention to them. Trust me, if they knew he spends half of his freetime playing NHL on the Xbox, or how he never puts his socks in the dirty laundry basket, they’d realize he’s just another normal, sometimes irritating, man.”

“Good point.”

“So, you and Mitch?” Her eyebrows raise in question.

“Me and Mitch.” I feel a blush creeping onto my cheeks.

“What’s he like? He’s such an anomaly.”

I bite my bottom lip, thinking of how to explain Mitch Anderson. “Mitch is like… eating crab.”

Her brow scrunches together, clearly confused. I start laughing at myself for being so bad at explaining things.

“No, no. Hear me out. Crab looks all hard and difficult… and it’s a ton of work to get the meat out of it. But then, once you get inside, it’s tender and delicious.” I wink and her brow smooths back out.

Mel huffs out a laugh. “Ahhhh, weird analogy… but it makes sense.”

I lean my bucket of popcorn toward her and she grabs a small handful. “Thanks.” She smiles. “It’s so nice to have someone to sit with. I keep trying to get my friend, Noel, to come with me. But she refuses.”

“Not a hockey fan?” I ask.

She quirks a brow. “You could say that. So, what do you do?”

“I’m a nurse. You?”

Her smile drops. “I was a political assistant to a congressman, but he didn’t run for reelection. So, now I’m just taking time off to plan the wedding.”

“You miss it?” I ask, noticing the disappointed look on her face.

“I really do.”

The announcer comes over the speakers and we both look toward the ice as the voice announces the players. The entire first line is announced, but they save Mitch for last since it’s his first game back in over a month. When the announcer welcomes Mitch ‘The Machine’ Anderson, my heart skips a beat. The crowd cheers, but there are still a few boos, I’m assuming from the opposing team. I cheer loudly and so does Mel. Mitch flies out onto the ice, skating in a large circle in the center of the ice and waving once before taking a seat on the bench with the others.

Mel leans over and asks in a hushed voice, “Have you ever seen him smile?”

I glance over at Mitch, who’s frowning at the ice, and burst out laughing. “He does. And it’s magnificent. Like seeing a rare animal in the wild.”

The puck drops and we turn our attention to the ice. I enjoy watching Mitch in a similar way to watching Noah. I may not know anything about the game, but I enjoy watching someone I know. A feeling of pride washes over me as I watch the entire first period and Mitch stays calm and collected the entire time. I mean, sure, he body checked a few opponents, but from what I know, they were clean hits. Not a single penalty for the big man so far.

Mel and I go get some snacks during the intermission. Mine is a pretzel and soda, hers is a bottle of water and a banana. She catches me staring at her so-called snack and explains, “Eating healthy helps my anxiety. You do not want to see me hyped up on sugar.” She widens her eyes to dramatize her statement.

We head back to our seats just in time for the second period to start. Mel points to the Jumbotron halfway through the second and I look up to see the two of us on the screen. We both wave and dance to the music they’re playing. It’s weird, I feel like I’ve known Melanie way longer than I have. I think I officially have a friend my own age here in D.C.

The second period, and half of the third, go by without any penalties from Mitch. The Eagles are ahead 3-1. One of those goals being from West, with Mitch getting the assist. I’m learning this hockey lingo quickly. I feel bad that I don’t pay this much attention to Noah’s games, but I’m going to start now that I’m a bonafide hockey expert.

“I can’t believe Mitch hasn’t racked up a single penalty!” Mel yells over the crowd. “I’ve never been to a game where he hasn’t been in the sin bin at least once!”

“Really?!” I yell over the crowd. I knew he tended to get penalties, but I didn’t realize it was quite that extreme.

She nods and we turn our attention back to the game. One of the opposing players gets a breakaway and flies toward our net. Bruce hunches down, getting into position to block his shot, but the guy slips and slams right into him. They both tumble to the ice, the player on top of Bruce inside his own net. The guy on top of Bruce jumps up, as does Bruce. I can tell there’s an exchange of words between the two and the guy charges Bruce and shoves him. Mitch is there quickly, yanking the guy off of Bruce. I can tell by his posture he’s pissed. Colby skates up beside Mitch and tries to pull him away, but Mitch doesn’t budge. He’s clearly speaking his mind to the fool who messed with Bruce, but he doesn’t throw any punches. Finally, he lets the guy go and the refs call a minor penalty on the opposing player for roughing.

“Goalie interference is a big no-no. The guys get pretty protective of their goalies,” Mel explains, probably reading my worried expression.

I breathe out a sigh of relief. “Gotcha. I’m just glad Mitch didn’t beat the crap out of that guy.”

“Me too,” Mel says. “He must be motivated with you being in the crowd.”

I weigh her words before responding with, “Yeah, maybe. But I think he’s working hard on keeping himself in control too. I’ve seen it when he’s working with the kids at practice.”

Her eyes brighten. “That’s right! He coaches your little brother, right?”

“Yeah. He was a jerk at first. But I think he started to enjoy it. Noah, my brother, adores him. But he’d never admit it.”

Melanie laughs. “Okay, that’s pretty freaking cute.”

“It really is,” I agree. “I’m really going to miss ogling him at practice.”

She smirks. “I bet. What’s going on with you two anyway?”

I shrug. “Not sure, we had one date. Sort of. I’m not even sure it was a date, actually.”

Mel gives me an empathetic pat on the shoulder. “He’d be crazy not to nail this down. Plus, I need another girl to hang out with. It’s always just West, Remy, Bruce and me.”

“Mitch doesn’t hang out with you guys?”

She huffs a humorless laugh. “In the last year, I’ve only seen him at one party. They always invite him, but he’s kind of a recluse.”

I think about his instagram account where he follows zero people. “Yeah. That adds up. Well, if we ever define…” I gesture between myself and the ice where Mitch is playing. “Whatever this is. I’ll make sure he comes to social events.”

“Sounds like a plan to me!”

After the game, Mel takes me down to the same large hallway outside the locker room where Tom Parker took me and Noah last week. When the guys finally filter out one by one, my breath catches in my throat when I see Mitch. He’s wearing a game day suit, this one is navy blue with grey stripes and a green tie. It doesn’t sound like it would look good, but with his muscles and his whole bad-boy vibe, he’s seriously pulling off the look.

He spots me and his whole demeanor changes. Lips titling up, eyes twinkling, posture more relaxed. If he keeps looking at me like that, I’ll be a goner. Actually, I think I already am.

“Hey, Blondie,” he says in that rumbly voice as he ambles toward me.

“Hey, Big Man.”

I glance briefly at Mel and see her watching us. She winks at me. Just then, Remy and West walk into the hallway and she rushes toward her man.

Mitch stops directly in front of me and we stare at each other for a second. His eyes shift and I can tell he’s unsure how to greet me. That’s okay, I don’t mind grabbing the proverbial reins. Placing my hands on his suit lapels, I stand on my tiptoes and place a kiss on his bearded cheek. His scent wafts around me and it’s intoxicating. His hands grip my waist tightly and he turns his head so our lips meet.

Smooth, Mitch Anderson, very smooth.

He gives me a short kiss, nothing like the ones we shared at his penthouse. But it warms me nonetheless.

He leans back with a confident smirk firmly on his face. “Thanks for coming to the game.”

“Not a single stint in the sin bin. I’m proud of you.”

His face grows serious and he stares at me with a stunned expression, then blinks a few times. I swear I saw his eyes get hazy, but he blinked it away so fast, I wonder if I was imagining the emotion there.

“You guys coming out with us?” Bruce asks, appearing next to Mitch and resting his chin on the big man’s shoulder just to annoy him.

Mitch shoves him away quickly. “Get off of me you leech.”

Bruce just laughs. “Come on, Blondie. Come get drinks with us. You’re the only one who can get this guy to join us.”

Mitch looks at me with what I think is hope in his eyes. Which warms my heart since he, apparently, never joins in on the team fun. And I hate to shatter that hopeful look. But I have to. “I’m sorry, I have to work early in the morning.”

Mitch’s shoulders slump just enough for me to notice the movement. “I’ll walk you to your car,” he says, his voice not sounding quite as happy as it did a moment ago.

Offering him an apologetic smile, I turn to Bruce again. “Thanks for the invite, though. You guys have fun. But not too much fun.” I wink.

Bruce shoots me a devilish grin, then struts off to find his other teammates.

Mitch steps toward me and laces his hand through mine. I look up at him and he looks hesitant again. “Is this okay?”

“More than okay.” I give his hand a gentle squeeze, letting him know I’m totally okay with this hand holding situation.

Mitch got me a parking pass so I could park in a special lot saved for teammates and their families, which is a huge perk. D.C. traffic—and parking—is a nightmare. We walk outside in comfortable silence, I’m just soaking up the feeling of his hand enveloping mine. The night sky is dark, but it’s difficult to make out the stars with the city lights surrounding us. But it’s quiet and romantic all the same. The parking lot is peaceful now that the game is over, there aren’t many cars near my own. As we come close to my car, I reach for my door handle, but Mitch grabs onto my waist and swivels me around to face him in one smooth move. His hands move up so they’re resting on the hood of my car, one on each side of me, pinning me in. I’ve never felt so thrilled to be enclosed in a small space. He smells good too, back to his mountain waterfall scent. As much as I adore Captain Bubbles, I prefer the mountain scent when it comes to Mitch.

There’s a desperation in his eyes as he looks at me, a look so mesmerizing, I don’t miss the stars at all. Then he’s bending down to bring our faces closer. I close my eyes and wait for him to kiss me, but he takes it slow, like he’s savoring the moment… or maybe memorizing my face. Finally, his soft lips brush against mine, just barely. Just a tease. He kisses the corner of my mouth and I smile against the feel of it.

Keeping my eyes closed, I wait raptly in anticipation of what he’ll do next. My skin tingles when I feel his nose running along the side of my neck, and then his lips. I think he must enjoy the scent of my skin just as much as I enjoy his. His mouth moves higher and he places a sweet kiss on my jawline, and then another one right behind my ear.

I could keep my eyes shut tight and let him do this forever. I feel his breath on my lips again right before he kisses them. Bringing my hands up under his open suit jacket, I allow them to rest on his waist, relishing in the way his muscles move beneath my fingers. I really, desperately need to see him with his shirt off.

Nearby smooching sounds pull our attention back to the present, both of our heads snapping up to see what’s going on. Mitch growls when he sees Remy, Colby, Bruce, West and Melanie walking toward us.

Mel shrugs her shoulders and mouths the word Sorry, like she tried to get them to leave us alone and failed. I mouth back the words, It’s okay.

Bruce blows out a low whistle. “Well if it isn’t little miss I have to work early in the morning.”

Colby fans his face dramatically. “Goodness. Is it hot in this parking lot, or is it just me?”

West grins and pumps his eyebrows up and down. “It’s definitely not just you.”

I laugh at their teasing, it’s like being around a bunch of college guys. But Mitch is still growling as if he’s about to pounce on them. I place and hand on his thick chest and pat him gently a few times, calming the lion.

“I really do need to head home.” I stand on my toes and give Mitch a kiss on the cheek and turn to open my car door.

Mitch’s teammates and Mel say their goodbyes and walk toward their vehicles. Mitch leans inside my car, his voice low. “Thank you for being here. Just knowing you were out there tonight, somewhere in the crowd, made me want to play my best.” He groans. “Wow, that sounded stupid.”

I shake my head. “No, it didn’t. Thanks for sharing tonight with me, I’m sure it was nerve-racking being back after a month.”

He blows out a breath. “It really was. When can I see you again?”

“Well, you could come to Noah’s game Saturday.”

He smirks. “I can’t kiss you in front of Noah.”

“Well, you could. But he’d probably never speak to you again.”

Mitch huffs out a laugh. “When can I take you on a real date?”

My heart speeds up at the thought of a real date… in public… with Mitch. Not just because it’s Mitch, but it’s also the realization that our relationship will be in the public eye, and that it will likely be picked apart by gossip blogs. But Mitch is worth it.

“Well, Noah’s game is Saturday, but I’m off on Sunday too. Let me see if I can secure a sitter.”

“Okay,” he says evenly, looking into my eyes in a piercing gaze. “And if you can’t, the three of us can hang out.”

“Really?” I ask, but I can tell by the look in his eyes that he’s serious. That he’d bring Noah along if that meant he got to spend time with me. The thought makes me feel warm on this cool night.

“Of course.” He leans in and kisses my forehead, then pulls back. “Have a good day at work tomorrow.”