Chapter 23 Liam
Liam
Acold, wet nose woke me before my alarm had a chance.
That and the blonde hair tickling my nose are enough for me to notice I’m not at my place.
Madison’s arms wrap around me like a spider monkey, one leg thrown over mine with her head on my chest, and I couldn’t be happier.
Waking up to her wildflower smell, and her lush curves pressed against my hip is what I want every morning.
I ignore Ace’s nose against my back. I love him, but my girl’s got all my attention this morning.
Seeing her like this is my favorite thing. No makeup, messy hair, and pj’s all askew. She’s perfect. I love to see her face soft and unlined by stress. I think she’s more beautiful like this than when she’s dressed up for an event.
Ace licks my back, giving me a not-so-subtle reminder that he needs to go out.
It’s still early, so I slide out of bed, careful not to wake her.
My underwear and socks are nowhere to be found, so I pull on my joggers and sneakers before I take Ace out for a quick bathroom break.
Five minutes later, I’m racing him up the stairs, in a hurry to get back before Maddie wakes up.
I want to be there for that, especially after last night.
As I walk back into her studio apartment, I notice pieces of my boxer briefs scattered around the floor. Damn it! That was my lucky pair.
“Ace!” That dog! No treats for you, you traitor. He’s lying next to my feet, covering his head with his front paws. Oh, he knows exactly what he’s done. I glare down at him. Looks like he’s still mad that I made him stay in the bathroom while we were having sex.
“Seriously dude? That was the only pair I had with me. I hate going commando.” The chafing is terrible.
“What did he do?” Madison’s sleepy voice breaks my stare-down with Ace.
“He ate my underwear.”
“Oh my God, Ace that wasn’t very nice.” I can see she’s trying not to laugh, unsuccessfully, I might add. He whines and then trots over to her, jumping up on the bed to snuggle right up against her. She strokes his ears while continuing to scold him. “We don’t eat clothes, Ace. That’s just rude.”
“Oh, I’m sure that will help.” I say with a chuckle, but I’ve already abandoned my dignity, and it was funny.
“Is this about the bathroom last night?” Madison asks, eyes bright with amusement.
“That’s my guess.” I say, picking up the pieces of my shredded briefs and tossing them into the trash.
I make my way to the bed and sit down beside her.
“This isn’t the way I wanted to wake you up today, Mad girl.” I lightly stroke her cheek, loving the softness of her skin.
“Oh really? And how did you plan on waking me up?” Her voice is low and husky, eyes heating as she leans into my caress. “Maybe you should show me?”
I lean down to capture her lips, giving her a lewd grin.
Unlike last night, this kiss is slow and deliberate.
I’m letting her know with every swipe of my tongue that she’s important.
“Us” is important. She pulls away, and before I can recover, she’s in my lap, straddling my thighs.
She’s still naked and her hot skin against my bare chest sends a jolt of lust straight to my dick.
“Oh, fuck. I love how you feel against me.” I groan. Our lips connect, and she deepens our kiss, opening her mouth and tangling our tongues together with sudden urgency.
I use one hand to pull her closer while the other moves to the back of her neck, locking our mouths together. I’ll never get enough of kissing her. Everything she gives me just makes me want more.
When we finally come up for air, we’re both breathless and needy. And that’s when my alarm goes off. Fuck.
I fumble around for it, but it’s buried in the covers. We both scramble around the bed, trying to find it as the beeping gets annoyingly louder with each second, until Maddie throws her hand up in triumph.
“Found it!” She tosses it to me, and I shut off the alarm. We both breathe a sigh of relief at the sudden silence, before our eyes meet and our laughter bubbles out.
“I guess I’ll just have to show you my appreciation another time.”
“Oh, you most definitely need to do that and soon,” she says with a smirk.
***
Sitting at my stall, changing into my practice gear, I can’t keep the grin off my face.
It’s still here hours later, and I don’t care.
Even the fact that I’m not wearing and briefs isn’t gonna ruin my day.
Bells is gone, I still have my “C”, my best friend is my line mate, and I spent last night with my girl.
Nothing’s getting me down today. Not even the chafing I’m bound to get from the no-briefs situation. I can’t even be mad at Ace.
Walker grabs the seat next to me. Someone put our stalls next to each other. It was a nice gesture. All it takes is one look at my face for my best friend to know what’s up.
“Finally! Jesus, I’ve been trying to make this happen since high school. Glad you two finally got it together. Just, uh, don’t tell me any details, man. ‘Cause ew, ya know. Gross.”
I chuckle at the disgusted look on his face.
“Yeah I wasn’t going to tell you anyway.”
“What’s up with the commando situation there? Or should I ask.”
I guess it was too much to hope that he wouldn’t notice. I finish dressing quickly, hoping no one else picks up on it. With this group, you don’t want to give these guys anymore chirping fodder. Walker’s still eyeing me, waiting for an explanation. Fine.
“That would Ace.”
Walker practically howls with laughter. Everyone is now watching his antics. I hiss at him to shut it..
“Like I could. Oh, that is just too good.” He chortles.
I flip him the finger.
“Fuck you very much. So glad I could provide you with entertainment.” But I’m still smiling because it’s hardly the worst thing to happen to me this week, and I’d never admit it, but it is pretty hilarious.
I’m on fire in practice today, and it feels fantastic.
Coach has us doing 3 on 2 drills, testing out the lines.
He has Walker and I together with Camps today, against Orly and Irish, with Reedsy in goal, as usual.
All that extra practice with Walker is paying off because I’m able to keep up with both him and Camps, which is a first for me.
We’re flying down the ice, and it’s like magic.
Every pass connects perfectly, despite the stellar defensive play from Irish and Orly.
Camps even manages to get one past Reedsy, and that’s a pretty rare feat these days, because he’s been a wall since training began.
The kid has talent, and he’s just starting his career.
I put in my all today, and it shows. I’m grateful to Walks.
If he hadn’t ridden my ass so hard about extra practice, I wouldn’t be nearly this fast. That really makes me rethink the last few years.
I’d settled for second or third line, not putting in a solid effort to improve.
Looking back, it’s clear that I’d succumbed to complacency.
I’d let the disappointments and bullying define my self-worth, on the ice and off it.
The change in my place from then to now is telling. Why couldn’t I see this before? Why did I lie down and accept it instead of fighting harder? This year has shaken up all my perceptions, and it’s looking like that’s exactly what I needed to shake off my negligence.
“Ferguson!”
Coach calling my name for the next drill snaps me out of my introspection. I vault over the boards, ready to take my game to the next level, because now I know I can.