Page 3 of The Defenseman

2

Eric

Eric was sleeping when he heard someone pounding on his door. He furrowed his brow and waited, wanting to make sure he was actually hearing something. It could be his imagination playing tricks on him. He wouldn't be surprised if that were the case.

After another moment, there was still knocking on the door. He heaved a sigh and ran his hand over his face. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and pushed himself into a standing position. He was not in the mood to deal with fans who had somehow found out where he lived. He didn't need to deal with women who wanted him or kids who wanted his autograph. Stuff like that was for game days and special occasions, not when it was three o'clock in the morning and he was sleeping.

He padded out of his room and down the long hallway before reaching the staircase. He blinked once and slowly opened his eyes to make sure he wasn't maneuvering half-asleep. The last thing he needed was tripping over himself or mis-stepping and then tumbling down the stairs, twisting an ankle or worse. He had a career he needed to worry about.

With one hand on the ledge, he slowly made his way down. The knocking kept coming. He could hear the soft rain outside and he wondered who the hell wanted to talk to him so badly that they would wait in the rain for some kind of response that they might or might not get.

When Eric reached the front door, he took a glance through the peephole and frowned. Standing outside his door, soaking wet, was none other than Alexa Mead, Dan Mead's little sister. He paused, unsure what to do at this point. He could let her in and everything would be fine, but that meant being in the same room as she was at night with her soaking wet. That probably wasn't the best thing for them to do. He let out a breath and pinched his nose. He couldn't leave her standing out in the rain, though. Not with it pouring the way it was.

He unlocked the door and opened it, taking a step back so Alexa could come in. There was something there, in her eyes, that seemed to radiate appreciation and relief, but more than that, there was determination. She had an idea and she wasn't going to leave her without some sort of agreement.

"Lexi," he said slowly as he closed the door behind her. "You okay?"

"What?" Alexa asked, turning to face him. She peeled off her trench coat and Eric stepped toward her, offering to take it from her. He hung it up on the nearby coat rack next to a couple of his own jackets. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Eric's voice was tentative. "Showing up at your brother's teammate's house in the middle of the night in the rain doesn't seem to be something people would do when they're okay."

Alexa slowly nodded her head. Eric could tell she was shivering.

"Let me get you some clothes to change into," Eric said. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back."

He headed up the stairs and back to his room, trying not to think of the way her body fit into that tight dress. Her curves were not hidden at all, the way they typically were under other circumstances. He had seen Alexa on multiple occasions and always went out of his way to say hello since she was one of his close friend s' little sister. He wanted to be polite.

But even he couldn't deny that there was always something about Alexa, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, that would draw him to her like kids to an ice cream truck. She was beautiful—there was no doubt about that—but it was more than just beauty. There was an innocence about her, something that seemed to imply that she had yet to be corrupted by how the world worked, that she still believed in things with an open mind rather than a jaded heart. That innocence was something that was rare to find in this world and he gravitated to it simply because he liked being around it.

He went through his drawers and pulled out a pair of boxer briefs, a pair of checkered pajama pants, and a simple white T-shirt. Everything would be big on her, but at least she would be dry. She could either keep the clothes or throw her dress in the dryer and wait until it was fully dry before changing again.

Eric didn't want to admit it, even to himself, out of respect for Dan, but there was a small, dark part of him that wanted to be the one to corrupt her. He wanted to be the one to teach her what it meant to suffer and what it meant to feel pleasure. He wanted to be responsible for specific knowledge. Every time he looked at her, that feeling grew until he would be forced to excuse himself or to find another woman to distract himself with because he didn't want to give himself away.

And now, it was late, it was raining, and he was alone with her. She was soaking wet in a dress that did nothing to hide her body, and he had the desire to peel away the dress like it was a layer of skin and feast his eyes, his hands, his mouth on her body like it was a temple to worship.

"Get a grip," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. He padded over to his attached bathroom, set the clothes on the sink, and turned on the faucet. His cock was already stirring at the possibilities and he needed to cool himself off before he walked back into Alexa's presence.

After splashing some cool water on his face, he dried his hands, grabbed the clothes, and headed downstairs. Currently, Alexa's back was to him. She was on her bare toes—having stepped out of her heels the minute she got into the house—looking at a picture on his mantel just above his fire place. It was him with her brother Dan after their first game together. Eric had scored—not impossible for a defenseman, but also not common unless there was already an offensive reputation in place. Eric had no reputation at that point. Dan didn't, either. They were just rookies playing their inaugural season and having fun with it.

"I remember that game like it was yesterday," Eric said.

Alexa jumped and he suppressed a smile. He hadn't meant to scare her but he couldn't help but be amused.

"It felt like the world was at our feet," Eric said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Like we could do anything."

"I think I was fifteen at the time," Alexa said. "Luckily, Dan was a Texas boy selected by a Texas team in the draft, so we didn't have to travel very far to watch him play. He made everyone in our family so proud, especially our grandfather."

"Whereas all of my family is in Sweden," Eric told her, "but my mom flew out. She wouldn't have missed it for the world."

"That's why moms are the best," Alexa said with a small smile.

Eric let Alexa put the picture back on the mantel. He watched with curious fascination as she tried to make sure it looked exactly as it had before she grabbed it. When she finished, she stepped back and Eric handed her the clothes.

"Here you are," he said. "You can change into these. They're dry."

Alexa took the offered clothes, nodding her head. Her face was hidden behind a wall of hair. "Thank you," she murmured. "Bathroom?"

"Down that hall, first door on the left," he said, pointing to where she needed to go.