A Feel for the Ice

Anna tried not to think about Hayden and that amazing kiss in the days that followed. She tried to sleep, eat and go to work without wondering how far she would have let him go. Then of course, she tried to convince herself that she would have had enough presence of mind to tell him to stop.

So far, none of it was working.

Hayden was being the perfect guy, calling when he said he would and spending a lot of those phone calls talking to Riley, not Anna. She couldn't fault him for that; not when it put such a look of happiness on her young son's face. Still, she couldn't help being a little jealous that Riley got to spend so much time talking to Hayden.

"Mom!" Riley screamed down the hall from the kitchen one afternoon while she was doing laundry.

She was just coming out of the laundry room with a full basket of clean clothes and jumped when she heard her son's shrill voice. "Good heavens, Riley," she muttered as she set the basket down on the kitchen table. "Do you need to holler like that?"

He hardly looked repentant. "Mr. Zimmerman is on the phone and he wants me to ask you something," Riley said.

Anna's eyes went from her son's face to the phone in his hand and felt a blush steal over her cheeks. Sighing, she nodded and held her hand out towards Riley. He frowned at her and moved a step away.

"Mo-om," he whined. "

I'm

supposed to ask you."

Anna dropped her hand and crossed her arms over her chest while she rolled her eyes. "Fine. Ask."

"Mr. Zimmerman says he can get us in to watch a practice," Riley said. "It's this Thursday afternoon at two and we just need to give our names at the door."

"At two?" Anna echoed. "It's a school day!"

Riley winced as though he'd known exactly what her reaction was going to be. "He says he knows that but he wondered if there was any way we could get out early and come." This her son said with such an expression of hope that she didn't know what to do.

She suddenly disliked Hayden. "Give me the phone," she said.

Riley took another step back, holding the phone like it was a lifeline. "Mr. Zimmerman says he understands if you can't get out of work early but that he'd be willing to pick me up and drive me home after practice if you let me leave school."

Anna's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

Of all the nerve!

she thought. Here she'd been, not five minutes before, stewing over how she felt and how far she wanted to take things with the sexy hockey player and now he was manipulating her through her son.

"Riley," she said in a firm tone. "Give me the phone right now and go up to your room."

His lower lip jutted out and he hesitated before moving closer. "Mr. Zimmerman says I should do what you tell me," he muttered.

"Wise man," Anna said from behind clenched teeth, hand outstretched, waiting.

Riley handed the phone over and ran from the room without another word. Anna gripped the phone in one hand and shut her eyes, listening for Riley's bedroom door to close before she spoke.

"Mr. Zimmerman," she said. "I hope you know that you crossed a line just now."

"I am sensing that," he replied, his tone even. "I thought we were past the whole Mr. Zimmerman thing."

"We were until you tried to use my son to get something you want," Anna said. "What did you think you'd accomplish?"

"I thought I'd be making Riley happy and I thought you'd be all right with that," Hayden said and Anna had to give him credit for being honest.

"Well, in this house, education comes first and Riley is my son so I make the decisions," Anna told him. "I can't believe you think it's OK to pull him out of school early! And this after you've spent countless conversations telling him to study for his math test or work on his reading. Fine role model you've turned out to be." Anna paused to draw in a breath and saw red when she heard Hayden chuckle.

"Are you finished?" Hayden asked.

"With you? Just about," Anna snapped.

"No, Anna," Hayden said quickly and Anna was almost pleased to hear the note of fear in his voice. "I didn't mean... I'm sorry."

Anna's eyebrows shot up. Never had she heard a man apologize so quickly. Even Kevin could talk his way around a direct apology for hours and they'd been friends for years. She waited to hear the 'but' that usually accompanied the words.

"Anna?" Hayden's voice was hesitant.

"I'm still here," she said.

"Good. Listen, I never meant to upset you when I suggested it," Hayden said. "It's just that it's the last open practice for a while and I wanted Riley to see it, maybe meet some of the players."

"He's already met some of the players," Anna replied, even though she knew it was a weak retort.

"I know," Hayden agreed and exhaled noisily. "I'm doing this all wrong, aren't I?"

Anna smiled before she could stop herself. Sighing, she turned and pulled a chair out from under the kitchen table to sit down. She laid her chin in her upturned palm and agreed with Hayden.

"I don't want to hurt Riley's education," Hayden went on. "I just wanted to do something nice for him. And you too. I know it's probably too last minute for you especially to get out of work, so that's why I suggested driving."

"That's a nice thought, Hayden, but I'm the only one able to pick Riley up from school," Anna told him, which was the truth. The school was strict about who picked up which kids and that sort of thing. It was one of the reasons Anna had chosen the school for Riley, especially since she'd been a single mother while making the decision.

"What about Kevin?" Hayden asked.

"I can't ask Kevin to leave work early just to take Riley to a practice," Anna retorted with a short laugh.

Wow. He is really grasping at straws,

she thought.

"I don't mean for Kevin to pick him up," Hayden replied. "I meant, he's someone else who picks up Riley, right? Why can't you authorize me to pick him up?"

Anna opened her mouth to reply but no sound came out. She was halfway torn between indignation and feeling flattered.

He's trying so hard,

she thought as she chewed on her lower lip.

He's thinking of every angle.

"Anna? Are you still there?" he asked.

"Hmm," she murmured. "I'm thinking."

"That's good." Then he fell silent, presumably to let her think.

"Oh Christ," she muttered and rubbed her eyes. "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this."

"Really?" Hayden exclaimed, sounding almost as excited as she knew her son was going to be.

"Now you listen to me, Mr. Zimmerman," Anna said as she dropped her hand to the table hard enough to make a thumping noise. "If my son arrives home in anything less than pristine condition, there is no coach, trainer or teammate who will be able to protect you. I may be a schoolteacher but Riley is my son and I'm sure I could find a way to make your death extremely painful."

For a moment, Hayden didn't say anything. Then he gave a sort of nervous chuckle that had Anna bristling.

"You think I'm joking?" she demanded.

"Not even a little bit," Hayden assured her. "I'm sorry, Anna."

That surprised her. "For what?"

"For making you call me Mr. Zimmerman again," he said.

"Oh." She didn't know what she'd been expecting but that hadn't been it. "I don't... I mean, it's not like... you shouldn't..." she stammered and then sighed, giving up. "What time will you need to pick him up at?" she asked instead. She could at least focus on the details for Thursday.

"I should probably get him at one-thirty at the latest," Hayden replied.

"And how late will you bring him home?"

"Five probably, depending on traffic."

"Hmm," was all Anna said. "All right, Mr. Zimmerman. You can take him. I'll make the arrangements at the school so you can pick him up. Because it's the middle of the afternoon, you'll have to check in at the office and show photo ID."

"I can do that, no problem," Hayden assured her.

"Good," Anna said. "Is that all?"

"Yes," he replied.

"All right then."

"Anna?"

"Yes?"

"I can't stop thinking about you," Hayden said in a low tone that went straight to the sensitive places between her legs. "Or your amazing lips."

Anna's mouth opened and closed with no words coming out. Hayden seemed to take her silence as a sign of encouragement because he kept talking.

"I wanted to keep kissing you that night," he went on. "I wanted to open your jacket and unbutton your shirt and kiss you on your neck. I can still taste you on my tongue."

Oh jeez,

she thought and squeezed her eyes shut as moisture bloomed between her thighs. Everything he was saying, she was reliving and with every new idea he presented her with, she was given a new fantasy.

I'm not going to be able to sleep for a week.

"You were so warm in my arms," Hayden was still speaking, still mixing her brain into a fine paste. "I was so turned on by you, you have no idea. I wanted to put my hands up your skirt and pull your panties down, so slowly. I think if I ever get close to you again, I won't be able to help myself."

Me either,

she thought and sucked in a sharp breath. "I should go... tell Riley about Thursday," she gasped out between inhalations. On the other end of the line, she heard Hayden breathing heavily and it was some small comfort to know that he was affecting himself with his words.

"All right," he agreed in a soft voice.

"Call me if anything changes," she added.

"I will."

"OK."

Anna held on to the phone, wondering if she would have the strength to say good-bye. "Thanks for thinking of Riley, Hayden," she added at last.

He chuckled. "Of course," he replied nonchalantly. "He's a great kid. And Anna?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for calling me Hayden."

"Right. Well, I'll talk to you later." She hung up the phone before he could say something that would have her spontaneously combusting.

***

Hayden stared at the phone in his hand and wondered what had possessed him to say those things to Anna. With a groan, he tapped his closed fist to his forehead as he shut his eyes tight. With his other hand, he reached lower and pressed his palm to his erection.

I have

got

to start wearing looser pants,

he thought.

Later that week, he picked up Riley from his school as promised and drove him to Joe Louis Arena. There Riley sat on the bench and watched the Red Wings practice. Hayden had warned the guys about Riley's attendance so no one complained or was surprised to see the bright-eyed eight-year old sitting on the bench. Or standing with his mouth hanging open and his hands gripping the boards in front of him.

Several times Hayden looked over to see one teammate or another standing near the bench, chatting with Riley. Hayden couldn't tell half the time if Riley was responding to any of them, but some of the guys commented after that Riley was a bright kid.

"He even told me how to turn if I miss a pass," Nathan remarked after a brief conversation with Riley.

Hayden chuckled. "Yeah. After the last game he watched, he let me know how to aim for the five-hole."

Nathan laughed and leaned down to scoop a puck onto the end of his stick. He bounced it a couple times as his expression turned thoughtful. "You must really like this woman," he commented casually.

Hayden slanted a glance in his direction and shrugged, hoping he looked casual. "Riley's mother is nice," he said. "But Riley is a great kid and I just love to see that look on his face."

As one, they turned towards the bench where Riley was grinning like a madman as Pyotr Dashkov skated past the bench, executing a perfect spinning move before shooting the puck. Nathan turned back to Hayden with a scrutinizing look on his face.

"He is a good kid, I'm not arguing," he said. "But you've never brought a kid to a practice before."

"So?" Hayden replied. He pushed off and started to glide over the ice in a wide circle. He didn't know why exactly he was avoiding the topic with Nathan. Maybe it was just that he wanted to keep it private for now. It felt better that way, more intimate. It was so new for him that he didn't want anything to spoil it. Especially after how badly he'd ticked her off earlier in the week. They hadn't even spoken since then.

"So I think you need to be careful," Nathan replied.

"Careful? Why?"

"I know how you are with women and I saw how much it hurt when Ellie walked out on you," Nathan replied. "I just don't want that to happen again."

Hayden appreciated his friend's concern. "Anna's nothing like Ellie."

"That's for sure," Nathan agreed as they came to a stop behind the team gathered near the blue line. "Anna's a single mom and their priorities in life are different."

"Tell me about it," Hayden muttered. He knew that Anna loved her son like nothing else and he appreciated that about her. Then he'd really ticked her off during that phone conversation and she'd threatened him with bodily harm. Instead of being frightened, it had turned him on, which had led to him saying all those things to her afterward. Aside from his physical reaction though, he'd loved that she'd been so protective of her son. He loved knowing that Riley was the center of her universe and that she'd kill anyone who stood between them. It made Hayden feel almost protective of her; of both of them. It confused him, to say the least.

He pushed it out of his mind for now and focused on practice. He kept one eye on Riley when he could and every time he looked over, the kid looked content. Hayden told himself he'd have plenty of time to sort out his feelings for Anna later. Starting with that night when he drove Riley home.

He wasn't going to leave her house until something was decided between them, for better or for worse.

***

Anna tried to keep herself from pacing as she waited for Hayden to bring Riley home following the team practice. She busied herself with her homework when she first got home around four and then she looked through the cupboards in the kitchen, trying to decide on something to make for dinner. Realizing anything she attempted would end up burnt due to lack of attention, she considered ordering pizza when Riley arrived home. The decision was taken away from her when the phone rang at about twenty minutes past five.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mom!" Riley shouted into the phone in his most excited tone.

She winced, jerking the phone away from her ear and smiled. "Hello, sweetheart. Did you have a good time?"

"It was

awesome

!" he exclaimed.

"That's great. You're on your way home?" Anna cut him off before he could launch into one of his run-on speeches that could last for hours, if not days.

"Yeah," Riley replied. "Mr. Zimmerman says not to make dinner because we're going to bring something home."

"Oh, no," Anna said. "Tell Mr. Zimmerman he doesn't need to do that. I was going to order pizza."

"Cool! That's what we're stopping to pick up," Riley said and laughed. "We'll get your favorite, 'kay, Mom?"

Knowing she was defeated, Anna agreed and hung up in another minute. Another twenty minutes later, Riley burst through the front door and ran into the kitchen to see her. He was already going a mile a minute and Anna could only laugh and nod as she tried to keep up with his narrative. Behind Riley came Hayden at a much more sedate pace. He smiled shyly at her as he walked into the kitchen and set the boxes of pizza on the counter.

"Hi," she greeted him, shushing Riley so she could speak. "Riley, sweetie, go take your coat and boots off. Then wash your hands and come set the table." Too wound up to make any kind of argument, Riley rushed off to do as she asked.

Left alone with Hayden in the kitchen, Anna awkwardly crossed her arms over her chest and smiled at him.

"So..." she began and then flushed. "I guess you and Riley had a good time?"

Hayden nodded. "Oh yeah. Everyone loved him. He was a real hit with the guys."

"Really?" Anna replied, pleased for her son's sake. She was glad all the players had been nice to him. But then, they had all been great that night after the game.

"Yeah, he handed out a few pointers and the guys just took it in stride," Hayden told her with a grin.

She groaned and shook her head. "He can be very forward sometimes," she said.

"It was fine. Some of what he said made sense," Hayden replied and from his expression, Anna couldn't tell if he was teasing or not. "I think he'd make a great coach one day."

"Not a player?" Anna asked, knowing that it was her son's dream to make it to the NHL.

Hayden shrugged, his jacket rustling as he moved. "It's too early to tell that. Plus, I've never actually seen him play."

"You should go to one of his games," Anna said and walked forward. She helped him take off his jacket and walked out into the hallway to hang it up in the closet. "He'd be thrilled to have a real hockey player there to show off to all his friends."

"That'd be a lot of fun, I think," Hayden said from right behind her.

Startled, Anna turned from the closet to collide with his solid chest. His arms came up to close around her waist and Anna sucked in a breath, inhaling the warm, musky scent of him as she did. It was a heady mix and she leaned forward, drawn by the softness in his eyes. His lips hovered over hers and she thought he was going to kiss her, there in her front hallway with the closet door open behind her. Then a stomping eight-year old interrupted the moment.

"Mom, we got pepperoni and a Hawaiian pizza!" Riley exclaimed, racing through the hall and into the kitchen with barely a glance in their direction. He continued shouting from the kitchen as cupboards banged open and a chair was dragged across the floor for him to stand on to reach the higher shelves.

Anna and Hayden exchanged a look and Anna flushed at the unspoken passion she saw within Hayden's eyes. He leaned forward, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke. "Later," he murmured before stepping back and releasing her.

The two of them joined Riley in the kitchen and they sat down to eat the pizza. Riley dominated much of the conversation, telling his mom all about what he'd seen at the arena and who he'd talked to. Anna and Hayden barely had a moment to get any response in. After dinner was done, they moved to the front room and Riley quieted down somewhat as they turned on the television to watch a holiday special that was showing on one channel.

Hayden and Anna sat on opposite ends of the couch with Riley sprawled in between them. Anna kept glancing over at Hayden but he was smiling and laughing along with Riley. He was even teasing him with light shoulders bumps and tickles to his sides. Anna couldn't help but smile at the way they interacted. It was obvious that Riley enjoyed having Hayden around. What Anna didn't know was how her son would react if he knew Hayden was dating Anna.

The subject had never come up before. Once it was just the two of them, Anna had focused on that. She wanted to be there for her son because she knew his father was never going to be. Seeing how happy Riley was right now with Hayden made her realize that she may have been neglecting him unconsciously.

Maybe he wants a man around,

she thought and turned her gaze back to the cartoon on TV.

Kevin is nice but he's not here everyday. Maybe Riley sees other families and wonders why there's no man in our house.

They were useless thoughts and only ended up making Anna feel guilty. So she sat on her end of the couch, chewing her bottom lip and frowning as she thought it over. It wasn't until Riley slumped against her, groaning out an enormous yawn that she switched her thoughts to the time.

"Oh wow," she muttered and sat up, nudging her son. "Riley, sweetheart. It's time for bed."

"OK," he agreed without a fight, a sure sign that he was exhausted.

Anna stood up and helped Riley to his feet. "Say good night to Mr. Zimmerman," she said.