Hockey Holidays Read online

  “Even better,” Callie called out as Maggie headed to Camilla’s room. She still had two hours before her shift ended, and four hours until Alex showed up at her door.

  Not that she was counting down the minutes or anything.

  A few hours later, she paced her bedroom. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this nervous. Hell, her last round of clinical rotations hadn’t freaked her out this much.

  The doorbell rang, and for a second she stopped breathing.

  She was ridiculous. This was Alex. They’d known each other forever. They’d done everything together.

  She smoothed down her sweater and took in a deep breath. Then she opened the door.

  And swallowed her tongue.

  Holy crap, he looked good. His hair was swept back like he’d run his fingers through it repeatedly. Dammit. She wanted to do that. His cheeks were pink from the cold, his lips inviting as he smiled at her. His green sweater clung where it should but wasn’t too tight under his jacket, and if she asked him to turn around, his dark jeans would fit his ass perfectly. His delectable hockey ass. It was a real thing, and it was magical.

  “Hi, Maggie,” he said with a laugh, and her gaze darted up to meet his. The corners of his eyes crinkled. He was too damn adorable for his own good—and for her sanity.

  “Hi,” she said quickly, her cheeks heating as he gave her a once-over that warmed her to the tips of her boots.

  He tugged her into his arms, muting her gasp as he sealed his lips to hers. She melted into his body. He guided her further into her house, kicking the front door shut behind him before he picked her up and pressed her against the closest hard surface, never breaking the kiss.

  She moaned, sinking her hands into his hair, clutching the strands as she kissed him back with everything she had.

  And it was a lot. Pent-up need flowed through her as they devoured each other.

  She finally broke the kiss, her breathing as rough as his when he pressed his forehead to hers.

  “You look stunning. Want to get takeout?” he said, his voice rumbling over her, and she laughed.

  She lowered her legs to the floor, but he kept a tight hold on her waist.

  “Alex, we should go out for dinner. Like on a real date,” she said, attempting to sound stern as she got lost in his eyes again. Like warm, melty chocolate.

  “If you look at me like that, we are getting takeout,” he grumbled, pressing a hard kiss to her lips, his tongue darting out for a quick taste.

  “So where are we going?” she asked, stepping out of his hold.

  He sighed, and she fought back her grin.

  “There’s a great pizza place nearby. It’s not as good as true Chicago pizza, but the owner lived in Chicago for most of his life, so it’s as close as we’re going to get. What is that?” he asked, pointing at her Christmas tree.

  “Umm. Obviously, it’s my Christmas tree. What does it look like?”

  He shook his head. “A sad excuse for one. It’s a pre-lit tabletop tree. You don’t even have any ornaments on it.”

  “You always were a holiday snob. Don’t judge my tree.”

  “That’s not a tree. It’s a sad shrub. Charlie Brown wouldn’t even wrap his blanket around that.”

  “Shut up and be nice to my tree.”

  “You used to have the best decorations and a massive, real tree in the living room. I still remember your house always smelled like cinnamon and pine as soon as the Thanksgiving leftovers were put away.”

  They’d had more than a few joint holidays since their parents were friends. She smiled at the memory of him sneaking his hand under the table and linking his fingers with hers. He would run his thumb across her palm just to see her squirm in her seat.

  “I know, but I’m busy at work and it’s just me, so I didn’t go crazy this year.”

  In fact, after she’d moved into her own place after they’d broken up, she’d kept the decorating to a minimum. The holidays were hard for her. Christmas was hard for her. She still remembered Grace’s last Christmas. They’d all put on a good face, tried to not think about last anythings, but they’d known.

  The final treatment they’d tried wasn’t working, and by mid January, her sister was gone.

  “Dammit, I’m an asshole,” he said, tightening his arms around her. He didn’t need to say anything else. That was one of the great things about knowing someone your whole life. They got you.

  “No, you’re not. So, about that pizza,” she said, her voice soft with the tears she refused to shed.

  “I am. We’re going to grab a quick bite and then we’re going tree shopping.” He leaned back, giving her a bright smile.

  His eyes were tinged with pain, but he quickly masked it.

  “And maybe some mistletoe. You definitely need that,” he said with a grin, and she laughed.

  “Fine. Lead me to this almost authentic Chicago pizza. If it passes muster, maybe we’ll get a tree.”

  “You drive a hard bargain, but I’m up for it.”

  After a quick dinner of pizza that reminded her of home, Maggie let Alex drag her to the nearest Christmas tree lot.

  “Christmas is in two weeks. I bet all the good trees are gone. I’m going to be working constantly, and you know I’m terrible at remembering to water them,” she said.

  “Don’t be a Scrooge. We are going to find the perfect tree, and then we are going to make out under said tree,” he whispered against her ear.

  She shuddered with need. In between slices of pizza, he’d spent a good portion of the night with his hand on her knee. She’d playfully swatted him away when his fingers had traveled up to her thigh.

  “Then hurry up and pick one,” she said, gripping his shirt and tugging him down into a quick kiss.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he teased, pulling her down the first aisle.

  The options were limited, but he found a few contenders, holding them out for her to inspect.

  “That one is massive,” she said, gesturing to the first fluffy tree he grabbed. “I do not need a nine foot—no wait, is that a ten foot—tree. I only have so many decorations and so much space, Alex.”

  “Fine. How about this one?” he asked, gesturing to a slightly smaller tree.

  “Still a little big.”

  “Remember the tree in our apartment?” He shook his head. “I got sap everywhere.”

  She laughed. He’d even gotten it in his hair. Her body heated, remembering the shower they’d taken to remove the sticky sap.

  “You okay?” he asked with a smirk.

  “You did that on purpose,” she muttered, letting out a squeak when he wrapped his arm around her waist, tugging her into his chest.

  “Hurry up and pick a damn tree,” he said against her lips.

  She was tempted to close her eyes and point, but she played along, finding the perfect tree while holding Alex’s hand.

  Maybe this Christmas she would get all she wanted under the tree. And next to the tree. And on the sofa near the tree.

  Chapter Five

  “Grab all the ornaments you can find,” Alex said as he finished wrapping the multi-colored lights around the tree.

  “I definitely don’t have enough to cover this thing,” Maggie muttered, gesturing to the modest six-foot tree he’d convinced her to buy.

  “You love it. Now grab those ornaments.”

  She returned a few minutes later with a small storage bin. Yep. They’d have to deal with the crowds and go shopping in the morning.

  He pulled out the fluffy red and gold garland of his youth and laughed. “Keeping it old school, huh, Mags.”

  “Shut up, that garland is a classic,” she said.

  He grabbed the top box, carefully removing the generic red and green ball ornaments and walked around the tree to place them on the branches.

  She opened the next box filled with homemade ornaments.

  “Damn. I think I still have a burn mark from the beads we ironed for those,” he said when she pulled o