An arrogant smirk rested on Tyler’s face as he got his first good look at the girls in front of him. They were polar opposites; one had dark hair, pale skin, and couldn’t have been much more than five feet tall, the other was leggy, with light brown locks, and seemed to be glowing all over. They were both pretty, in their own way. Each of them donned a Bruins jersey, the short one in Milan’s, the taller one in his. She stared at him as though he was a god, a look that he wasn’t unfamiliar with from the opposite gender.
Taking advantage while he could, he gave a slight nod her way, causing her eyes to dart quickly away from him. Even from across the room, he saw her cheeks turn a deep rose.
“Segs, what are you trying to do man?” Dougie asked, obviously a bit disgusted. Not everyone on the team approved of his extracurricular activities. “You do know why they’re here, right?”
“That doesn’t mean shit,” he said casually. “What are you accusing me of doing, anyways? It’s not like I’m asking her to hook up. And we don’t even know which one of them it is.”
“You’ve got some serious issues. There are gonna be hundreds of girls when we go out tonight, why can’t you just leave these two alone?”
For once, Tyler actually listened to his teammate. He posed a good question. Sure, ignoring girls wasn’t his strong suit, but he’d done it before, and he could certainly do it again. With these ones, however, he didn’t want to. Something told him that the beautiful brunette in front of him would be better game than any of the sluts at the club that night.
“Segs! Hamilton! Get over here!” Claude screamed, as if they were on the ice in the middle of the game.
They both laughed as their guests cringed and tried to politely cover their ears to drown out their coach’s bellowing shout.
“We should probably bring the jersey,” Dougie suggested, picking it up off of the table next to them and hiding it behind his back.
Approaching the growing group of hockey players slowly, Tyler caught the gaze of the pretty girl in his jersey once again. This time, she didn’t look away as quickly, even showing him a weak smile. His eyes fell to her lips, which were perfectly shaped and deliciously pink. He tried to shake himself out of it; it was dangerous to let himself be so taken with a woman.
“Boys, since you so rudely missed the first introduction, this is Lisa Taures,” their coach said, gesturing towards the smiling dark haired girl. Dougie reached out to shake her hand first, followed by Tyler. “And this is Nicki Westmoore.”
Finally, a real smile broke through, showing off a perfect set of teeth. Tyler cocked his head, appreciating the way her entire face lit up. Before he could find his voice, Dougie took the reins.
“I’m really sorry about your loss.” There was a certain genuineness in his voice, one that caused Nicki’s eyes to sparkle with tears. “You have a really great friend here, and I want you to consider all of us your friends, too. I haven’t been here long, but I already know how strong the bond is between the people in this city. If you ever need anything, you’ve got us to turn to.”
Tyler observed Nicki’s every movement, every facial expression and every change in breath. Dougie’s words hit her hard, as was made clear by the moisture that spilled from her eyes. He had seen dozens, possibly hundreds, of girls cry in his lifetime, normally due to his actions. But not once had he ever felt it so necessary to comfort a total stranger. Although he’d only known her a matter of minutes, he was well aware that she had been through enough to break any normal person. As she stood before them, she may have been battered, but she was whole. It was that simple fact that made him respect her more than he normally respected women, which was little if at all.
“We got something for ya’,” he said, lowering his voice to a tone he knew was irresistible. She looked up at him through thick, damp eyelashes. All he could see was those eyelashes, closed as she panted underneath him and begged for more. Quickly shaking the inappropriate thoughts from his mind and putting them on reserve for later, he elbowed Dougie, indicating that it was time to present her gift.
“Oh, yeah!” Dougie exclaimed, much too excitedly. Maybe if he knew how to play it cool, he’d get half the girls that Tyler did. He removed the jersey from behind his back, and the entire room silenced as they waited for Nicki to realize what it was. “It’s got your last name on the back, and we all signed it.”
Timidly, Nicki reached out to grab the mesh-like material from his hands. With an open mouth and wide eyes she examined it, turning it every which way to look at the individual signatures.
“I, I don’t know what to say,” she mumbled, shaking her head. Her shiny hair captivated Tyler as it moved back and forth across the jersey she wore. His jersey. If he was reading the signs correctly, and if he played his cards right, getting her would be nothing short of a cakewalk. “I… Thank you.”
Nicki seemed unsure of what to do. Eventually she made the decision to wrap her arms tightly around Dougie, sparking a look of surprise on his face. It was probably rare that a girl so beautiful rubbed up against him, and Tyler chuckled quietly at his teammate’s expense.
Once Dougie relaxed, the small room burst into applause. Brad let out a loud “woo!”, as was his custom. When Nicki backed away from him, she turned to her friend and gave her the same generous embrace.
“Lis, I’ll never be able to thank you for this,” she sobbed, breaking down momentarily in her friend’s arms. Tyler caught himself hoping that he’d be the next to receive a hug from her, and nearly stepped forward to initiate one. Realizing that his entire team was watching and would never let him live it down, he backed away instead.
Claude came up behind the girls, patiently awaiting the end of their moment. “I’m sorry to bring such a wonderful event to an end, but I have to get my boys out of the ice,” he apologized to them before addressing the men in the room. “You have fifteen minutes, say your goodbyes and get your asses down to the locker room, stat!”
Backing further away, Tyler allowed a line to form in front of him. His team offered handshakes, hugs, and kind words as they filed out of the room. Thinking quickly, he devised a plan. When it came his turn to say goodbye, he stood confidently in front of the two girls, choosing his words wisely.
“You know, I wouldn’t mind getting to know the two of you a little more,” he said smoothly, using a line that rarely failed. “If you don’t have any other plans, you should come out with me and the team tonight.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Nicki sounded hesitant, at best. There could have been a million reasons why partying with a notorious bad boy would have sounded less than pleasant to her. He was determined to find a way. If he didn’t, the chances of him ever seeing her again were microscopic. She would be the one that got away, and one of the few that had turned down an offer from him. That just wasn’t going to happen.
“It’ll be fun,” he assured her, even placing a hand on her side. She flinched and her face gave tell to her surprise. He could tell she felt uncomfortable, but she didn’t move away, so he didn’t either. Holding back his flirtatious ways became a bit more difficult when he felt the slight curve of her hips, enough to make any man’s mouth water. “We’re just going to some bar, probably low key, since it’s Marchy’s night to pick.”
“We’re not twenty-one,” she reminded him, still trying to find her way out of it.
“When you’re with us, things like that tend to get overlooked.” She stared at him, her eyes darting back and forth between his while she tried to decide how to respond. “Please?”
An enormous grin swallowed his face as her demeanor softened. When all else failed, the puppy dog eyes always pulled through. She looked to her friend for help. Lisa gave her a shrug and glanced knowingly between her and Tyler. Nicki may have been blinded or simply unobservant, but Lisa picked up on the situation. She seemed to mull it over; trying to figure out whether it would be good or bad to sell out her friend to a man like himself.
“It’s your call hon. Today’s your day. Personally, I think you’d be passing up a good opportunity if you said no.”
“I guess you’re right,” Nicki sighed, still sounding unconvinced. Tyler’s grip firmed around her middle, his fingers digging into a toned oblique that couldn’t come without hard work and hours at the gym. At that she moved slightly away from him and he quickly dropped his hand, not ready to ruin his chances by being too aggressive. “I just don’t really… go out.”
That was when he remembered why she was standing in front of him in the first place. This girl had been in a relationship through all of high school, she probably had never even been to a small party.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you,” he promised. “And if you want to go home, all you have to do is ask.”
“I can’t really argue with that.” Her eyes lingered on his, and he could see the trust developing in them. It was silly of her to trust someone so soon, especially someone like him. A part of him wanted to back out, wanted to tell her to forget all about it so that he wouldn’t hurt her the way he’d hurt so many other girls in his past. But he couldn’t. The allure was too much, and the rush he would experience when he finally had her would drive him to do just about anything.
“So that’s a yes,” Lisa stated, a small smirk forming on her face. She wasn’t the type of girl he normally partied with, but something about her told him that she would do just fine. “Should we find you after the game?”
“Wait ‘til the stands clear out, then come back up here. I’ll have you put on security clearance, and meet you after the game. Sound good?”
“We can do that.” He watched as Lisa nudged Nicki, conveying a message that he couldn’t quite decipher. “We’ll see you then,” she said with a smile.
Just as he was about to respond, his last name echoed throughout the hallways and into the room.
“Seguin! Do you want to get benched again?!”
“Sorry coach!” he screamed back. Flashing one last smile, he directed all of his attention towards Nicki. To Lisa, his intentions were clear. He had no humiliation; he wasn’t embarrassed to mentally undress a girl right in front of her friend. Being a bit generous with her proportions, what he saw only furthered his desire to ravish her. Eventually, she picked up on his visual advances and began to blush. Her cheeks turned a deep shade of rose, one that shamefully tied his stomach in knots. “Gotta go.”
“Good luck,” she muttered bashfully. Tyler even laughed a bit as her smooth cheeks darkened even more, which somehow made her smile. Every second he spent in her presence intensified his attraction to her. It wasn’t something he understood, and it wasn’t important enough for him to try to figure out.
“Thanks. I’ll see that pretty face of yours after the game.” With a wink he was gone, not staying long enough to witness her reaction. He’d already set the plan in motion. Unless the earth stopped spinning, everything would work out exactly as he wanted.
** * * * *
“Aren’t you going to put on that jersey?” Lisa asked as they shuffled across the row to their seats. They’d been placed right behind the Bruins bench, up against the glass.
“No, I think I’ll just keep this one on.”
“Hm, I can’t imagine why,” she said sarcastically, grabbing the back of the shirt where the name was stitched. “You let that boy turn you into a bumbling idiot. I was surprised you even got two words out.”
“I’m sorry! You know how long it’s been since anyone’s flirted with me, I had no idea how to react. And I mean, my God, he’s frigging Tyler Seguin.”
“So what? He’s just a guy,” she reminded her. “Just a normal, immature, thinks-with-his-dick guy. One who happens to be very, very into you.”
“Stop it Lis. Even if he was into me, we both know exactly what he wants.”
“And what’s so wrong with that?” Lisa stared at her much longer than she was comfortable with. Squirming in her seat, Nicki thought over the possible consequences of giving in to him. She would just be another notch on his belt, another reason to wash his sheets the next day. As appealing as the idea was, it couldn’t happen. She wouldn’t let it.
“Because that’s not who I am,” she snapped, instantly feeling guilty for being so aggressive.
“Hey, I’m not saying that it is. I’ve known you my whole life, Nick. I’m just saying that if the opportunity presents itself, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to give in. What’s one mind-blowing night? Come on, he’s gotta know what he’s doing, with a reputation like that – “
“Lisa! Enough!” Nicki crossed her arms in front of her chest. Not only was she conflicted, she was depressed. Every bone in her body wanted to give herself to him, Lord knows he was willing to take it. But she knew deep down that she would always regret it. “It’s just… It’s too soon. I can’t do that to Mark. I can’t do that to myself.”
Lisa threw her arms in the air, retreating. “It’s your life, hon. I’m just here for moral support.”
“Moral support my ass,” Nicki laughed. Lisa seemed relieved to know that she wasn’t mad. She was about to start a new conversation when the lights in the Garden dimmed. It had gone completely unnoticed that the arena filled up, and that they were now surrounded by other excited fans. The last time she’d been to a Bruins game was the night she lost Mark. Trembles began to take over her body, and she hid behind the loose fabric of her jersey.
Luckily, Lisa was much too distracted by their team darting out onto the ice to notice Nicki shaking in the seat beside her. Tears fell freely down her cheeks as memories flooded back, both good and bad. She remembered how jubilant she’d been the last time she was in that building, how perfect her night had been and how hopeful she’d been for the future.
Music rumbled through the Garden, followed by cheers and chants that made her head pound. Nicki wanted nothing more than to spring up from her seat and run outside to take a rejuvenating breath of fresh air. Just as she was about to do so, a gloved hand banged lightly on the glass in front of her. She glanced up, and Tyler seemed surprised by her red eyes and wet face. He cocked his head, something she was sure she would be thinking and dreaming about for weeks to come.
“You okay?” he asked. His voice was drowned out by the noise of the crowd, and she had to read his lips to know what he was saying. She took some time to truly look at him, like she hadn’t done enough of that already. Everything about him was perfect. As the lights came up, she noticed the way his ears stuck out of his helmet, and the boyish red cheeks that seemed so out of place on such a chiseled structure. Nicki forced a discontented smile, and the one she received in return, whether it was genuine or not, convinced her to stay.
All too soon he turned his back to her, listening as Claude gave one final pep talk before sending them out for the puck drop. The entire game went by in a blur. It was rare that Nicki’s eyes left Tyler, when he was on the bench or otherwise. She missed a good portion of the game staring at the back of his head when he sat in front of her, but in all honesty she couldn’t have cared less. The certainty that she would never see him again after that night was high, and she wanted to get everything she could out of it.
“Are you even watching this game?” Lisa asked. “How are you not biting the shit out of your nails right now?!”
Nonchalantly, Nicki glanced up at the scoreboard. It was 2-2. Somehow, unbeknownst to her, they had entered overtime. Tyler’s line was readying to make a change, and her hockey fan instincts took over. Her legs shook feverishly, her heartbeat picked up, and despite being freezing cold, her palms began to sweat. She stopped breathing as Patrice won the face off and made a hard pass to Brad, who had Tyler dashing up the length of the rink. His speed and power stunned her, making her blush purely due to the realization of how badly she lusted after him.
The temptation to close her eyes was overpowering as Brad slid the puck expertly across to Tyler, who was positioned perfectly in front of the net and wasted no time tapping it between the goalie and the post. Unable to hold in her excitement, Nicki jumped up and let out a scream before pulling Lisa into a hug. Out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn she caught Tyler staring right at her.
** * * * *
“Look at you fucking go Segs!” Brad screamed as he commenced the beginning of a pig pile on top of him. Normally he would have loved all of the attention, especially after scoring the game-winning goal. But little did Brad know, he’d interrupted the true celebration; watching Nicki as she rocketed out of her seat and cheered like he had just won the gold medal. If he didn’t get laid that night, he was going to have to seriously reconsider his tactics.
After joining his team in the handshake line, Tyler headed straight to the locker room, hoping to shower and make it back to the meeting room as quickly as possible. Naturally, the media made it entirely impossible to do things the way he wanted. He stripped out of his gear hurriedly, not even bothering to make a neat pile on the floor. When he was down to his spandex he sprinted into the showers, dropping those to the floor on the way.
“Jesus, got somewhere to be?” Milan asked, taking the showerhead next to him.
“Yeah, actually. I invited those girls to come out with us tonight, I told ‘em I’d get them in the meeting room, but the damn media is gonna keep me here forever.”
Milan gave a frustrated sigh and shook his head. “When are you gonna stop this shit Segs? Honestly.”
“Stop what?”
“With the girls, man. Enough is enough. I’m getting sick of having to drive them home in tears when you ditch them for someone else. Not tonight. You hurt that poor girl, there’s no way in hell I’m sticking around to clean up your mess.”
Tyler glared at him while he waited for the water to run hot. His irritation had peaked. Milan was always the one trying to ruin his fun, trying to talk him out of the things he wanted to do most. Hadn’t they seen Nicki? She wasn’t the type of girl he was about to let run away. Not until he was done with her, at least.
“Could you go up and get them?”
“I fucking hate you sometimes,” Milan grunted. “Fine. I will get them. But this is the. Last. Time.”
“Okay, okay,” he said, backing off before he got punched in the face and had to explain his black eye to the media. “Thank you.”
An eye roll was the only response he got, and with that he turned forward and stepped underneath the water. He winced as it hit his cheek, where he’d gotten clipped by a stick in the second period. As he relaxed, he replayed his goal in his head, how easy it had been and how amazing he’d felt afterwards. His thoughts couldn’t help but drift to Nicki, jumping up and down in pure enthrallment. No girl of his had ever reacted that way to him playing well, and for some reason, he enjoyed it far more than a celebratory blow job.
After toweling off and throwing on a pair of gym shorts, he readied to face the countless interviews that were sure to follow.
** * * * *
“Girl, look at you. You’re a mess.”
Nicki cast a frantic glance at Lisa, not even attempting to hide how nervous she was. “Why didn’t I bring a change of clothes? They’re all gonna be dressed up, and I’m just going to look like some tagalong fan.”
“You? Hon, we’re both in the jerseys.”
“Yeah, but you – “
“I’m what?” Lisa quipped, “I’m not the one getting hit on by Boston’s man candy? You’re right. We probably have time to run down the street and find you something else.”
She thought over her options, which were few. “I don’t know, Lis. What if he comes up and we’re gone? He’s gonna think we ditched.”
Lisa looked sympathetically at her, and she wore her best pout. She was confused, distraught, and on edge from the adrenaline of an exciting game. She had no idea what she wanted, and strangely, she was okay with that. All she knew in that moment was that her and Lisa were about to go out partying with arguably the most attractive man she’d ever met, and she certainly didn’t want to show up looking like she just came from a hockey game.
“What are you wearing underneath that?” Lisa asked, scanning her up and down.
Needing to check, Nicki lifted her jersey and peeked underneath, where a black camisole covered her skin.
“Perfect! Jersey off,” she ordered, growing impatient as Nicki struggled and ripping it off of her head.
“I feel so slutty,” Nicki whined, tugging at the bottom of her barely there shirt.
“Well, it’s a good thing you decided to wear a push up. Your boobs look amazing.”
Glancing down at her full chest, she had to agree. Worry washed over her as she realized that she probably looked like she was asking for it, like she would go home with him the second he asked. Was that what she wanted?
“What’s on your mind, doll face?”
“Nothing,” she sighed, collapsing into the folding chair behind her.
“That’s not nothing. Spit it out.”
“I just, I don’t know what I want. It’s been six months. In theory, that should be long enough. But I don’t think I’m ready, Lis. I’m not ready to hurt like that again.”
“Who says you have to get hurt? He’s not much besides a nice face and a great body, hon. Have some fun and leave it at that.”
Burying her face in her hands, Nicki tried to think of a scenario where she could possibly “have some fun and leave it at that”. This was so different from everything she’d experienced before, and she had absolutely no idea how to handle it. She never saw herself as the type to give herself up to a random stranger, even though Tyler hardly felt like a stranger. In her mind, she panned out the entire evening. He would make advances, and she would accept them. There might be some awkwardness at first, mainly on her part. She would probably have a drink, she would go home with him and in a drunken haze make her way through his apartment and into his bed.
But where would that lead? Would he send her on her way right after, leaving her feeling like nothing short of a common whore? Or would he invite her to stay the night? Even so, waking up the next morning was sure to be both disappointing and uncomfortable. Finding her way home in the previous night’s clothes wasn’t something she would look forward to. And at the end of that day, all she would be left with was the memory of what it was like to be with him. Was it even worth it?
Her intense train of thought was interrupted by heavy footsteps making their way towards the room they were in. Nicki’s stomach twisted in ways she wasn’t sure were possible, and she could feel the nausea of her out of control nerves. She barely had the courage to look up when the footsteps came to a halt only yards away from her. When she did, her confusion only worsened.
“Milan? I thought – “
“Yeah, Segs is dealing with the reporters right now, game winner and all. He sent me up here to get you guys. You ready?”
Nicki shot a questioning glance at Lisa, who nodded and tossed her coat over her shoulders. “Yeah, we’re ready,” she responded, shrugging into her pea coat and fastening the sash around her waist. After gathering the two jerseys in her arms, she faced Milan and waited to be led to wherever they were going. He looked so different than he did earlier, now sporting dark jeans and a fashionable sweater.
He took them down a small hallway, which connected to a larger hallway and eventually the back exit to the building. Opening the doors, the mid-Autumn breeze rolled in, sending a shiver down Nicki’s spine. It was her favorite season, but the freezing cold nights were not something that she enjoyed.
Ahead of them, a pair of headlights flashed brightly against the wall of the Garden, and she nearly gasped as the form of a Hummer stretch limo came into view.
“This is how you guys get around?” she asked, dumbfounded by the splendor of the vehicle.
“Yeah, it’s nothing much,” he joked, walking forwards and opening the rear door for them.
“Riding in style,” Lisa said excitedly as she hopped up the small steps and rushed into the interior. “I like it!”
Nicki followed her in and was astonished to see that most of the team was already seated inside, breaking out drinks and shouting back and forth at each other.
“Hey, it’s Nicki and Laura!” Dougie shouted drunkenly, “I mean Lauren! Lisa!”
The girls laughed with his teammates as they took two seats next to each other in the back of the limousine. Obviously Dougie couldn’t handle his liquor very well. Johnny Boychuck offered them drinks; Nicki refused, but Lisa accepted graciously and, much to the team’s amusement, downed a shot of tequila like she did it for a living.
Many jokes and even more laughs later, Nicki began to grow anxious. The men around her made her feel comfortable, as if they were old friends who she was reconnecting with. But as the minutes passed, she began to remember why her hands were subtly shaking in her lap.
To her right, the limousine door opened, stopping her heart. Tyler stepped in slowly, eyes looking around until they landed on her. He smiled, probably glad to see that she hadn’t run the other way. Their exchange was brief, as his attention became captured by his teammates’ praise. She continued to watch him, receiving pats on the back and slaps on the ass. He only wore jeans and a charcoal grey v-neck tee shirt, one that made it impossible to ignore his sculpted arms and chest. Down the length of his left arm ran a complicated tattoo, one that she was dying to know the meaning behind.
Only when he sat down next to her did she finally stop staring.
“You played great,” she said quietly, hoping that she could conduct a private conversation in the midst of all the partying going on around them.
A heavy arm slung around her shoulder, and at first she was tempted to move away. But the undeniable heat that radiated from him, whether physical or mental, was something she couldn’t ignore. She was attracted to him, that fact was plain and simple. More so than she’d ever been to a man that showed interest in her.
“Thank you,” he whispered in her ear, making her shiver underneath his arm. “It probably helped that I had you cheering like crazy for me.”
“And what about me?” an obviously intoxicated Lisa asked, leaning across Nicki’s lap.
“You helped too,” he chuckled. “I can already tell that you’re the fun one.”
“Hey!” Nicki squealed, finding herself a bit more flirtatious than she was comfortable with. “I can be fun.”
“Well then why don’t you show me?” Tyler challenged, pulling her just a little bit closer to his firm body.
Cautiously, her eyes drifted up to his. Her breathing caught as they pulled her in, igniting feelings that were completely foreign to her. Her brain fogged with puzzlement; on one hand, everything about him screamed passion and desire and lust. On the other, there was something more behind those eyes. Something so powerful, she knew right then and there that this could never be a one-night deal. This boy was going to stay with her, flooding her thoughts and invading her dreams, whether she wanted him to or not.

Notes

Hi everyone! So in case some of you really love the original version of this story, I'm gonna keep the original chapters up while I work on the revision! I really hope you all like it, let me know what you think if you're still reading!! <3