Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
Brian
“Hey, Mads, I got you something.”
We’d gotten home from the Lawrences’ Christmas dinner about an hour ago. Maddy had been quiet but not withdrawn, like I thought she might be.
I’d asked her again this morning if she’d wanted to go to dinner, and she had assured me she had. So we’d gone.
“I’m sure the food’ll be good. And we won’t have to worry about cooking,” was all she’d said.
Which was true. The food had been amazing. And it hadn’t just been us and the Lawrences. Five other teammates had been there as well, so it wasn’t like we’d crashed a family event. The minute we’d walked in the door, Krista had attached herself to Maddy’s side, and Maddy had seemed happy to let her. The girls had even exchanged gifts. Maddy had brought home a book for Krista from the small holiday store at school. No idea where she’d gotten the money, but that was a question for another time.
Krista had given Maddy a necklace with a heart charm. Tressy had told me later that Krista had insisted they go shopping specifically for Maddy Monday night, and Krista had picked out the necklace at the small pop-up store on Main Street that catered to kids shopping for parents and siblings.
“She’s really fallen in love with your niece,” Tressy had said, her hand on Brian’s arm as she watched the girls exchange gifts next to the massive tree in the corner of the family room. “And Maddy’s just amazing with her. She’s a sweet kid.”
I couldn’t agree more. Now it was my turn to show her how much I loved her.
“I told you I didn’t want a gift this year.” Maddy barely turned her head away from the television playing The Muppet Christmas Carol . It was the one movie we’d agreed to save for tonight before bed. Apparently The Muppet Christmas Carol was the best holiday film ever according to a majority of Fiskers.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t listen to you. And neither did your mom.”
Her head swiveled around so fast, I thought she’d give herself whiplash.
“What?”
I pulled out two gifts from beneath the pillow next to me. I’d stuffed them there when she’d been in her room changing. Linny had given me the present before she’d gone to rehab, telling me to give it to Maddy Christmas night. She explained that they always saved one gift to open Christmas night to extend the excitement of the day.
“This one’s from me.” I held out a gift bag, because I was a guy. “And this one’s from your mom.”
The small box was wrapped in shiny paper and had a bow on it.
Maddy stared at the gifts for a few long seconds before she took them. She opened mine first, flashing me a smile with a hint of tears in her eyes as she pulled out the fluffy pajamas with cats wearing sunglasses. I’d seen her eyeing them online the night we’d moved in here.
“Thank you, Uncle Bri.”
“They’re washed and everything. Ready to wear.”
Her smile grew even wider. “I love them.”
“I’m glad.” I paused, glancing at the box from her mom. “You don’t have to open that now. You can do it when you’re alone.”
I didn’t want her to feel she had to share her mom’s gift with me. The look she gave me was grateful, but she set the box on the couch and said, “Be right back.”
When she returned from her second-floor room, she handed me a bag.
“I got you something too.”
“So neither of us listened, huh?”
“Guess I take after you.”
Her smirk made me laugh and give a mental sigh of relief. No tears. I wasn’t equipped to handle tears tonight. And I didn’t want her to cry on Christmas. She’d had enough fucking upheaval. I didn’t want this night to be filled with tears and angst. But she still hadn’t opened her mom’s gift.
“Let’s open them together,” she said.
“Sure.”
I immediately dumped the bag on the cushion next to me and laughed at the small stuffed toy that dropped out. The vaguely human-shaped toy had an Elvis pompadour, an evil grin, red eyes, and wore a Devils’ sweater. The team mascot, Tony.
“Thanks, sweetheart. I’ll sleep with it every night.”
Maddy’s smile wavered a little as she tore the paper from her mom’s gift and lifted the lid on the small box. Then it widened as she lifted out a small key on a long chain.
I waited for her to explain as she slid it over her head. Until I realized she didn’t have to.
“I gave that to your mom.”
Maddy smiled up at me. “She told me you gave it to her when you got your driver’s license.. She said you told her that if she ever needed you, she should text you a pic of the key, and you would come. She didn’t need to tell you why. You’d just come get her.”
Linny had used that key a few times, once when I’d had to drag her out of a party because she’d gotten too drunk to walk. I’d been in high school then.
“She told me one day she’d give it to me when she didn’t need to be rescued by her little brother anymore.”
Yeah, I got the symbolism. And Maddy was smart enough to understand what it meant.
“She’s gonna be okay this time.” Maddy nodded, her smile tempering just a little, becoming a little more sure. “She will.”
“Absolutely, kid.”
For the first time, I had hope that she would.
Rain
Hey, you wanna grab lunch today?
The text came around nine-thirty Monday morning, just after I’d dropped Maddy off at the local YMCA.
The team had left the day after Christmas for two overnight away games. Maddy had stayed with Raffi, who had also entertained Krista and another kid from Krista’s school, whose parents had needed a last-minute caregiver for their son. The woman was a saint. Or a soft touch with a huge heart who rarely said no to anyone. Not that she was a pushover. Miss Raffi had raised four amazing humans. Including the woman who’d just invited me to lunch.
Brian
Yes where?
Rain
My place? Working there this afternoon
Brian
1230?
Rain
See you then
Fuck, I’d missed her this weekend. I’d thought about her almost all the time I didn’t spend worrying about Maddy. How the fuck did real parents do this every fucking day?
I hadn’t seen Rain since Christmas dinner, which had been an exercise in self-control. I felt like every time I tried to talk to her, ten people watched us. Which was ridiculous. There’d been nearly twenty people at dinner and at least eight conversations going on at the same time. We’d been seated at the same table, but on opposite ends. Rebel had been at the other table but directly in my line of sight so I couldn’t easily ignore him. And he wasn’t about to be ignored.
I knew we needed to talk, but that wasn’t going to happen at practice or on the way to a game. And my downtime from hockey centered around Maddy after school, helping her with homework and getting her fed and doing dishes and cleaning up and making sure she had everything she needed for school the next day.
Maddy had been quiet when I’d dropped her off at Miss Raffi’s the day after Christmas. She’d given me a hug, her hand wrapped around the key her mom had given her. Then she’d disappeared into the kitchen where I could hear Krista chattering away.
When I’d picked her up Sunday, after a couple of grueling games that we’d split, and a busted lip from a high stick, we’d had to go to the mandatory intake session at the rehab. If we wanted to see Linny at all during her six-week stay at the center, we had to attend a meeting at the center, which was an hour and a half away.
Naturally, she’d been silent the entire drive, and I’d been anxious about what exactly this was going to be. Luckily, the session had been geared toward the kids, who ranged in age from two to seventeen. And the therapists had been amazing. They’d split the group into two by age. Maddy’s group leader hadn’t sugarcoated anything but had explained the process then let the kids talk and ask questions. Meanwhile, the adults had their own session in the next room.
On the drive home, she seemed a little more like herself, telling me about what she’d done this weekend, which had involved a lot of movies, cookies, and a couple pizzas, including one with broccoli that she’d actually liked.
We didn’t talk about the session. I figured if she wanted to, she’d let me know. We did talk about her plans for the week, since school was still out until after New Year’s. I’d been worried about leaving her alone in the apartment while I went to practice and workouts, but apparently, Miss Raffi had taken care of that too.
The local YMCA ran a program for kids during the day throughout the break. Swimming, art classes, songwriting workshops, video game programming. Hell, I wanted to sign up. Maddy seemed excited to go. And it kept her mind off other things.
I’d dropped Maddy off at nine that morning. She’d waved once then disappeared inside. And I’d gone to practice.
With a smile on my face because I knew I’d get to see Rain at lunch.
I was the first guy at the arena, but only until Rowdy walked into the locker room, dressed in track pants and a Devils’ sweatshirt. I expected a greeting but not a conversation. Instead, he motioned for me to follow him into the deserted coaching office, next to the locker room.
“Hey, everything okay with you? I know you got a lot going on, but is there something I can help with?”
I grimaced. “That first game was pretty shitty, wasn’t it?”
I’d fumbled a couple of passes that might have cost us goals in both games. And the fact that we’d lost one of the games hadn’t helped.
Rowdy shrugged that off. “We all have shitty games sometimes. I wasn’t talking about your ice time. How’d the rehab meeting go?’
“Not as bad as I thought. I think…we’ll get through this.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it. I just need you to know that if you need anything, I’m here. No matter what. We’re friends first.”
A friend whose sister I was looking forward to getting naked in a few hours. And whose brother would have my head if he knew. Reb and I absolutely needed to figure our shit out before Rain and I got caught. And we would. It was a matter of time.
I’m not sure Rowdy would be too thrilled with me messing around with his sister either.
“I know. And I appreciate it. Hell, I couldn’t do this with Maddy without you and your family.”
“Jesus, Brian, I’m not looking for gratitude. I’m just,” Rowdy huffed, “I’m worried about you. You look fucking exhausted. Are you getting enough sleep?”
My lips quirked into a grin. “No, actually, I’m not getting enough sleep. And you still have my undying gratitude forever and always.”
Rowdy’s grin eclipsed mine. “Fuck you, asshole. Fine. I’ll shut the fuck up. But maybe you need a nap.”
“What the hell? Am I two?”
“Nah, man, you’re at least fifty, right?”
Bonesaw slapped me on the back after delivering his one-liner, all wide smile and gleaming teeth. He’d snuck up behind me like a stealth jet. He was so big and so damn quiet.
“Nah, man, I thought that was your IQ.”
The comeback slipped out without thought, making Rowdy snort, while Bonesaw gave me the finger as he left the room and disappeared into the locker room.
Through the door, I saw most of the team had arrived now and was getting changed. I spied Rebel on the other side of the room, back to me while he pulled on his gear.
Rowdy watched me for a second before he shook his head, and we both headed into the locker room. “I’ll see you on the ice.”
“You’re taking practice?” My brows arched. “Thought you were too good for us now.”
“I can still kick your ass in sprints.”
“Wait, is that a challenge?” Wellar called out from across the room. “Are the ol—uh, the seasoned players gonna duel it out on the ice?”
Rowdy looked at me. I looked at him. We both said, “No,” in perfect unison, which made me snort and Rowdy laugh.
“Must be getting soft in your old age.”
Rebel’s quiet taunt floated through the locker room, eliciting a collective “ooh” from the team. Since I couldn’t tell if Rebel was ribbing me or his brother, I kept my mouth shut.
Rowdy, on the other hand, took the bait. He crossed his arms over his chest.
“You wanna test that theory, little brother?”
“Who says I was talking to you?”
Rebel’s gaze snapped to mine, his brows arching. If I’d been smart, I would’ve let it slide. Would’ve ignored the challenge. But with the frustration eating at my gut, and the entire team watching, I met his gaze.
“I’m not that much older than you.” I stripped off my shirt. “And I was always faster.”
Which was true. Reb’s strength on the ice wasn’t his speed. It was his defensive skill and his ability to read a developing play. I had decent stick-handling skills and, yeah, I had speed.
Our now-silent teammates watched our interaction like they were at a tennis match, their heads on a swivel. Even Rowdy had fallen silent.
“Wanna put that to the test?” Rebel said.
“You throwing down a challenge?”
The words fell out of my mouth before I realized what I’d done.
Rowdy winced. Reb’s grin turned sharp. And Bonesaw whistled under his breath, shaking his head. The atmosphere in the room felt charged, and I wanted to kick myself. Unless…this could be the answer.
“Yeah.” Reb crossed his arms over his chest. “I guess I am.”
“Gentlemen, we have a Challenge.”
Kane Ness stepped into the center of the room, standing on the team logo. He had most of his gear and his skates on, dark skin gleaming in the fluorescent light.
Behind me, I heard Denny Hollowell say, “Uh, what’s going on?”
“Fiskers,” Kane said, “do you accept the challenge?”
I rolled my eyes at Ness, who was playing this for all it was worth. But I’d practically dug my own grave.
“Yeah, I guess I do. Let’s get this over with.”
Fuck. This was going to hurt.
“You both know the rules. The loser must wear the Tutu of Shame for the next warm-up and do the Dance of Contrition.”
The team was lined up along the boards, expressions ranging from outright glee from the veterans to utter confusion from the new guys. Obviously, the Devils hadn’t had a Challenge issued for at least two years.
Even the coaches sat on the benches grinning like they’d won the championship and sucking down coffee.
I’d fucking walked right into Rebel’s plan of utter humiliation. Of course, there was still a chance I’d win. I’d always been a faster skater than Rebel. But I wasn’t in great shape. I mean, I hadn’t completely let myself rot away. But Rebel looked like he’d been working out every day for the past twenty years. He was sleek, lean, and staring at me like I was a bug he was about to crush.
Shit.
“For those of you who haven’t been here since the last Challenge, which Rebel won, by the way,” Kane smirked at me, “when a challenge is thrown down and accepted, the challengers have to complete an agreed-upon task. So what’s it gonna be, boys? Shots? Obstacle course? Or sprints?”
Since I’d been the one to accept the Challenge, I got to pick it. And none of them were a good fit right now. So I chose the task with the best chance of survival. Not necessarily the best chance of winning.
“Sprints.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a couple of guys wince, but I kept my attention on Reb. He didn’t look surprised by my choice. Actually, he looked kinda smug. Good. I needed all the incentive I could get to pull through this without killing myself.
How fucking embarrassing would it be to hyperventilate and pass out in front of the whole team?
Rowdy skated over to me while Kane and a few of the other guys skated to the opposite end of the ice. Rebel waited with his arms crossed over his chest at the closest goal line.
“Sprints?” Rowdy looked at me with raised eyebrows. “You know he’s younger than you, right?”
“By two fucking years. Don’t be an asshole. Don’t you think I can keep up?”
“Do you?”
I gave Rowdy a look, which he correctly interpreted. Shaking his head, he waved a hand at me to line up with Rebel on the goal line. “Just don’t kill yourself to prove a point.”
I skated over to line up with Rebel.
“You know I’m gonna kick your ass, right?” Rebel glanced at me.
“I know you’re gonna try.”
“You two ready?” Kane called from the other end of the ice.
I took a deep breath and nodded, wondering how bad I was going to hurt after this.
“Skate!”
“Brian? Are you okay?”
Rain had opened the door to her home seconds after I knocked, almost as if she’d been waiting for me.
I held out the pizza I’d brought, biting back a wince at the ache in my thighs.
“Yeah. I’m fine. Why?”
Taking the pizza, she gave me a wry look. “Because you look like you’re in pain. Did something happen at practice?”
I followed her through the house to the kitchen, where she put the pizza on the table then turned to examine me through narrowed eyes. Crossing her arms over her chest, she let her gaze travel up and down my body. And even though I knew she wasn’t looking at me with lust, my body responded like she was.
“Just a few sprints before practice.”
“Before practice?” Now her brows arched, and her gaze met mine. “Why were you doing sprints before practice?”
Sighing, I shook my head. I knew she was going to find out eventually. And I knew it was better she hear it from me. Still…
“Rebel and I dealt with some of our issues.”
She looked me up and down again. “I don’t see any visible bruising.”
“We didn’t fight.” I sighed again. “We Challenged.”
I could practically feel the exasperation rolling off her in waves. “You Challenged. As in one of you has to wear the tutu and do the dance.”
“Basically, yeah.”
“Oh, for—” She rolled her eyes. “You lost, didn’t you?”
I eased myself into a chair at the table, biting my tongue against a grimace.
“What makes you say that?”
She huffed out a sigh, probably trying to think of a diplomatic way to say, “because you look like shit.”
Instead of answering, she went to a cabinet and got paper plates and glasses then to the fridge for bottles of Coke. She put everything on the table then sat across from me.
“Because you let him win.”
“Not exactly.”
Her expression held a whole lot of I call bullshit. “Really?”
I lifted my arm to reach for the soda and winced as it pulled something in my back.
When I looked at her, her eyes had narrowed even further. “Guess it’s good we don’t have a game until the weekend. How much pain are you in?”
“It’s not that bad.”
Her lips twitched as if she were holding back a smile. “Uh-huh. You want a piece? And I should I get the ibuprofen?”
She flipped open the pizza box and put a slice on a plate. When she looked up and noticed my grin, she laughed, a husky sound that made my cock twitch. “Down, boy. I’m not sure you’re in any shape for, um, extracurricular activities.”
“I’m not that old.”
I had to admit, at least to myself, that maybe I wasn’t exactly in shape for what I wanted to do to her. Then again, there were all sorts of positions we hadn’t explored, and a bed we hadn’t made it to last time.
“I didn’t mention your age, big guy. Just that you seem a little worse for wear. Because you challenged my brother to a freaking sprint duel.”
“For the record, he challenged me.”
While we ate, I gave her the rundown. How I’d chosen the sprints because I knew I’d have a fighting chance to actually beat Rebel.
“But yeah,” I said with a shrug, “I planned to throw it even if I felt I could win. Which, trust me, I couldn’t. Your brother’s a freaking machine. Maybe if he sees me humiliate myself, he’ll finally give me a break.”
She snorted gently. “Until he finds out about us.”
Yeah, there was that.
“There hasn’t been much of an us to talk about.” I watched her carefully. “I’m sorry about that.”
She shrugged, her lips in a slight smile. “We’ve both been busy and the holiday…”
“I’m not upset that we haven’t been alone much lately.” Or at all. My mood got serious fast. “I don’t just want an occasional hookup, Rain. Eventually, I’d like to take you on an actual date.”
“That’s not what I want either.” She shook her head. “I mean the hookup. I would like to go on a date. But I understand why we can’t right now. We both have a lot going on.”
We did. Not just me. She had the Winter Carnival coming up, in addition to her full-time job with the Devils and her new bookstore venture with Erin.
“I heard you had good games this weekend,” she continued, “even if we didn’t win both games.”
I let her change the subject to the games this past weekend then let her fill me on how Maddy had spent her weekend with Miss Raffi.
“And what’d you do all weekend?”
I asked before I finished the last swallow of my soda, gathered up the plates and threw them in the trash, while Rain put the glasses in the dishwasher. Just as she turned, I made my move, putting my hands on either side of her hips on the counter, trapping her between my arms.
I loved that little hitch in her breathing as I towered over her.
“I spent time at my mom’s. Spent some time with Erin working on a business plan for the bookstore and cleaning out part of the shop. Caught up on my reading.”
I lowered my head to rub my nose along the side of her neck, feeling her shiver in response.
“What are you reading?”
She sucked in a breath and put her hands on my hips, which, I had to admit, were pretty fucking sore. I hadn’t been kidding when I’d said I’d given Reb a run for his money. I just hadn’t won.
“A new romance.” Her voice held a hint of a smile. “About hockey players.”
I pulled back a little so I could look in her eyes.
“Seriously?”
She nodded. “Seriously. They’re really popular these days.”
“And why is that?”
Her lips curved in a smile that made my heart race.
“Well,” she trailed one hand from my waist up my stomach to lay it flat on the center of my chest. “Hockey players are tall.”
“A lot of them, yes.”
“And muscular.” She patted my chest. “But underneath it all, they’re just big teddy bears.”
I huffed out a laugh. “Teddy bears, huh?”
“Romances are fantasies, of course.”
She was being a brat again. And I was here for it.
“So, you don’t think hockey players can be soft and cuddly?”
She shrugged, her gaze dropping before she looked up at me through her lashes. “I don’t know. I guess some of them are. I like my players with a few rough edges.”
Taking my hands off the counter, I wrapped them around her waist, giving her a squeeze before sliding them around her back and pressing her against me. Her smile widened.
“How rough?”
Biting her bottom lip, she slid sideways, taking one of my hands and tugging me along with her.
“I guess you’ll just have to find that out on your own.”
She led me up the stairs and down a short hallway to an open door. I had a few seconds to take in the dark wood frame of the queen bed on the far wall, the warm green paint, and the couple of pieces of furniture that matched the bed.
Then she turned me around, pointed one finger on my chest, and gave me a little push. But I wasn’t a pushover.
Grinning, I grabbed her around the waist and tossed her on the bed. She gave a little yelp that dissolved into laughter as she propped herself up on her elbows.
“You still look a little stiff,” she said. “Maybe I can help you with that.”
I huffed, amused. “I’m sure you can. But first you need to be naked.”
Grabbing the waistband of her soft cotton pants, I tugged them down her legs with a little more force than normal. She laughed as I dropped them on the floor, flopping onto her back as she pulled her shirt over her head. I’d already taken off my shirt.
Now I paused to admire the absolutely stunning vision of Rain sprawled in front of me, her hair spread out on the pale pink comforter, matching cream silk bra and panties gleaming against her skin.
“I think I want you to keep those on.”
“I think I want you to take these off.” She lifted one slim little foot and rubbed her big toe along my thigh to the edge of my boxer briefs, almost but not quite close to my cock.
“Condoms?”
She nodded toward the head of the bed, at the bedside table. I reached over and pulled out the drawer, grabbing a foil packet from the stash there.
My back twinged slightly at the movement, but I refused to let my earlier stupidity affect my precious time with this woman. I tossed the condom on the bed, shoved my jeans down my legs, and kicked them off while I ran my hands up her smooth thighs.
“Pretty.”
My voice sounded like I’d swallowed gravel, which made her shiver and bite that bottom lip again.
I skimmed over her hips then dragged my hands back down to her knees. So fucking soft. I couldn’t stop stroking her while she watched me with those midnight blue eyes. But on my next pass, I hooked my fingers in the strings of her panties and dragged them down her legs.
Her breasts rose and fell in a faster rhythm, her breathing and mine the only sound in the room. Her skin warmed beneath mine, a flush spreading across her chest and into her cheeks. I wanted to know how much hotter her pussy was.
My gaze dropped to her center, and I pushed her thighs apart as I pulled her closer. Standing between her legs, I trailed my fingertips up the inside of her thighs, feeling her muscles quiver beneath the skin.
I spent long seconds watching her as I stroked her, getting closer and closer to the place I wanted to bury myself. When I brushed one fingertip against the soft lips of her sex, she made a little sound that made my cock bob. Her gaze dropped for hot seconds before she lifted it back to mine.
I barely noticed the strain in my thighs as I stood, rolling the condom down my shaft. Barely noticed the twinge in my back when I moved closer, stopping when my thighs hit the mattress. My cock was so hard it jutted almost straight up. I pushed it down until I was aligned with her opening, then slid inside.
The heat of her body hit me like a drug, and I groaned as it seeped through my blood, making me want to thrust hard and fast. Her back arched as I breached her, sinking deep. My fingers bit into her thighs then I forced myself to loosen my hold so I didn’t hurt her. Then I remembered her comment about being rough.
Tightening my hold again, I yanked her closer, my cock sinking deeper. She sucked in a breath, eyes fluttering closed as her hands reached for mine. Then she gripped me tight and opened her eyes. And nodded.
And I took her.