Penalty for Boarding (Curves on Ice #3)

19. Calvin

CALVIN

S unlight streams through my bedroom windows, painting golden stripes across Olivia's bare shoulder. I've been awake for a while, just watching her sleep, marveling at how right it feels to have her here in my bed. Her dark hair fans across my pillow, and there's the ghost of a smile on her lips even in sleep, reminding me of how perfectly we fit together.

When her eyes finally flutter open, that smile widens. “You're staring.”

“Can't help it.” I trace my finger down her arm. “You're kind of gorgeous in the morning.”

She stretches against me like a contented cat. “What time is it?”

“Does it matter?” I tug her closer, nuzzling into her neck. “Neither of us has anywhere to be.”

“True.” She runs her fingers through my hair. “Weird, isn't it? Both of us unemployed.”

“Hmm.” I roll us so she's beneath me, propping myself up on my elbows to look down at her. “I was thinking we could just stay naked in my apartment forever. Order takeout. Never wear clothes again.”

She laughs, the sound pure joy. “That's your master plan?”

“Yeah. It is. And I’ll have you know it’s a pretty good one.” I dip down to kiss her, but stop suddenly and pull back slightly, my brow furrowing. “Wait. You don't have any pets that need feeding, do you? Because that could seriously derail my naked forever plan.”

“No pets.” She tugs me back down for a kiss. “Just a few plants that are probably already dead from neglect.”

“Perfect.” I deepen the kiss, losing myself in the feel of her. “Then Operation Permanently Naked can commence.”

She giggles and I roll to my side, pulling her with me so we're entwined like vines, inseparable and growing into each other.

“Calvin,” she murmurs, her lips brushing my collarbone. “Are we really doing this?”

“Fuck, yeah we’re doing this.”

I nuzzle her against her neck, my hand trailing down the outside of her thigh when the buzzer to my front door sounds, making us both jump.

“Seriously?” I groan, dropping my forehead to her shoulder. “We couldn't even make it ten minutes into my brilliant plan before needing clothes?”

Olivia giggles, pushing at my chest. “Go see who it is. I'll be here, staying naked as requested.”

“Tease.” I steal one more kiss before reluctantly rolling out of bed and hiding my throbbing erection beneath a pair of sweats and an oversized t-shirt.

The buzzer sounds again as I make my way to the intercom. When I check the camera feed, I'm surprised to see Coach standing there with an elegant woman I don't recognize.

“Yeah?” I answer, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice.

“Calvin, son. We need to talk. Can we come up?”

I glance back toward my bedroom, where Olivia is waiting. “Now's not really a good time, Coach.”

“Well, if you had your damn phone on, this could have been a phone call.”

“We’re not really in the mood to take calls, either. Both of us turned our cells off.”

“I get it. The media’s camped out around your apartment. They’re taking photos of me right now. Can you just let us up before they start writing articles about me?”

“And why would I want to do that?”

“It's about your job. Both of your jobs.” The woman beside him steps forward. “I'm Margaret O'Brien, Declan's aunt. I'm also a contract lawyer, and I think I can help.”

Something in her tone makes me pause. After a moment's consideration, I buzz them up.

When I open my apartment door a few minutes later—after making sure Olivia is decent and we both look somewhat presentable—Coach makes the formal introductions. I notice immediately how his eyes linger on Margaret in a way that reminds me of the way I look at Olivia—like I can’t look anywhere else.

“Seems your teammates have started a bit of a revolution,” Margaret says as she takes a seat in my living room. Coach remains standing, his hands shoved in his pockets, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable.

Olivia and I exchange a glance. I can tell she's as curious—and as wary—as I am. We take seats opposite Margaret, who opens a sleek leather briefcase and extracts a stack of papers.

“A revolution?” I look to Coach.

“Margaret here specializes in contract negotiations,” he explains, his voice gruffer than usual. “When Declan told her what happened, she spent all night going through the standard NHL contracts.”

“And I found something interesting,” Margaret adds, her sharp eyes assessing us both. “The clause they're trying to use to force your separation? It's potentially discriminatory. We could make a case that both organizations are overstepping their bounds in attempting to control their employees' personal lives.”

She pulls some papers from the stack and holds them out to us. “I've drawn up agreements that would not only reinstate you with the Nighthawks, Calvin, but would also bring Dr. Angelo on as our new head of sports medicine. Consider it a trade of sorts—one that benefits everyone involved.”

I feel Olivia stiffen beside me. “You mean... I'd work for the Nighthawks?”

Margaret nods, a knowing smile playing on her lips. “The team could use someone with your expertise, especially with playoffs approaching. And this way, there's no conflict of interest to speak of. We’ve discussed it with the Fury, and as long as you remain compliant with your NDA, they shouldn't have any grounds to contest it.”

“We'd need time to think about it,” I start, but Olivia cuts me off.

“No, we don't.” She squeezes my hand, her eyes bright with excitement. “This is perfect. You get to finish your season, I get to continue doing what I love, and we get to be together. No need for either of us to commute. We’ll both be stationed here in Sugar City.” She pauses and a dreamy sort of smile takes over her face. “Not to mention, my dad is going to lose his mind! Where do I sign?”

I look down at her hopeful eyes and feel my heart swell. Of course, she'd see straight to the practical solution. It's one of the countless things I love about her.

But I notice something else too—the way Coach keeps stealing glances at Margaret when he thinks no one's looking. The slight flush on her cheeks when their eyes meet. Interesting.

“She's right, son,” Coach says, clearing his throat. “Don't be stubborn about this. Sometimes the simple solution is the right one.”

Margaret pulls out her pen with a knowing smile. “Shall we?”

And as Olivia practically bounces with enthusiasm beside me, I realize there's only one choice to make. The same choice I'll always make—whatever makes her happy.

“All right,” I say, reaching for the pen. “Let's do this.”