Darkroom: A Moo U Hockey Romance

playing around with my friends anymore. It was work. My parents, especially my dad, expected constant excellence. I had to be the star, the lead goal scorer, the MVP, the one with the most ice time. No one ever came out and said it, but if I hadn’t gotten drafted, I’d have been a disgrace.
“I remember thinking once I got drafted, I’d have it made. I’d get some breathing room. Everyone would relax. I’d have a contract and a team who believed in my potential. I couldn’t have been more wrong. If anything, the pressure is ten times worse. I vomited before tonight’s game.”
She winced. “This is exactly why you can’t put pressure on yourself. You already have too much external pressure.”
“Easier said than done,” I said as we finally arrived at Carter Hall.
“Do you want to come to the game tomorrow?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant. I really wanted her to see me play a decent game.
“Yes. I really liked seeing you out there. It was exciting and now that I know the rules, I’ll be able to enjoy it even more.”
I lifted my hands and almost cupped her cheeks but remembered at the last minute and detoured them to her shoulders. She snickered, so I guess I wasn’t as smooth at the detour as I thought. She wrapped her arms around my waist and stepped close as I bent my head to kiss her.
She felt so good in my arms. I threaded my hands in her hair, marveling how silky it was. Her mouth opened under mine and I took full advantage. The kiss got deep and hot. I knew Carter Hall had suite style rooms which would mean we could take this upstairs.
I laid a trail of kisses along her jaw down her neck and she panted softly, which excited me even more. When I sucked her earlobe into my mouth, she gave a low moan. Fuck. That was only her earlobe. I wondered what kind of sounds she would make if I went down on her.
But then she pulled back and said something in a voice too soft for me to catch.
“I’m sorry. I didn't hear you.”
“I just said I need to go. It’s pretty late.”
“Sure. That's fine. It’s all good.” I gave her what I hoped was a I-have-no-problem-with-that smile, even though I was sporting a steel rod in my pants.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, her cheeks flushed, her lips wet from my kisses.
“Tomorrow,” I agreed.
As I turned to go, I surreptitiously adjusted my cock to a more comfortable position, but there really was no such thing as comfortable for me at the moment. I was so hard and so hot, it was a wonder steam wasn’t forming around my crotch.

16


Indi
I woke up the day after the home opener when Ruby knocked on my bedroom door.
“Indi, are you awake?” she asked softly.
“I am now,” I said with a groan. It was just after nine.
Ruby opened the door and leaned against the door jamb. “AJ wants to know if I want to go to dim sum with him in town and I haven’t had dim sum in ages, but it’s boring if you go with just two people and I told him to ask Hudson if he’ll come too and now I’m asking you.” She said all of this rapid-fire while my brain was still coming online.
“Hold on. Slow down.” I sat up. “What’s dim sum?”
“Sorry. I forgot. Dim sum is sort of like a Chinese buffet that comes to you. You go to the restaurant and sit at the table and they wheel these carts around. Each cart has different things to eat—small plates—and you just pick what you want. I had no idea you could get dim sum in Burlington. This could be life-changing if it’s good.”
“I don’t understand how the number of people have to do with how good it is.”
“If you have more people, you can order a bigger variety of things. That’s what makes Chinese food amazing. Most other cuisines you order your one thing, but with Chinese food, it’s family style and you get to share everything.” She came to the bed and got on her knees. “Please say yes, Indi. I know you’re not…crazy about Chinese stuff, but I want to go so bad. Having dim sum would be the next best thing to being home and I also kind of don’t want to go on a solo date with AJ.”
“What? Why not?”
She wrinkled her nose. “He’s really nice, but you know how people say, ‘He’s just not that into you?’ Well, I’ve got the opposite problem. He’s really intense and last night I got the feeling he was on a mission to find things we have in common. He wanted to know everything about me. I mean everything. But I want to give it another chance before I make a decision, so I really need you to come to dim sum.”
“All right, but you owe me,” I said.
She scoffed as she sent a text to AJ. “Like you don’t want to see Hudson again as soon as possible.”
“I can’t deny it,” I said, grinning like an idiot. “I really really like him. In fact, I think I might want to sleep with him.”
“Might want to?”
“Okay, I definitely want to sleep with him, but I…” I bit my lip. “I’m a virgin.”
“You are?” She looked up from her phone. “Sorry. It’s fine. I’m just surprised. I just sort of assumed.”
“Exactly. Hudson’s going to just assume too and that’s the problem. I feel like I should tell him, but it’s so embarrassing.”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. He seems like the kind of guy who’d think it was sweet.”
“So you think I should tell him first?”
“Absolutely. You should also—and tell me to butt out because it’s really not my business—but you should also share your birthmark with him. Unless you’re planning on a one and done.”
“No, I made a promise to myself a while ago