Chapter 34
~Deacon~
Daley’s still asleep when I slip out of bed in the morning and head down the hall to my home gym.
Although I got in a good amount of cardio last night, in my bed, in the shower, and once more in bed before we finally fell asleep, with the first game of the season less than a week away, I can’t skip any of my planned workouts.
The routines designed by the team’s personal trainer are pinned to the wall, but I’ve been doing them long enough that I don’t need to look anymore.
I jump right in, starting with stretches and a short jog on the treadmill before moving into strength and conditioning training.
Chin-ups. Lunges. Squats. Deadlifts. Lateral hurdles.
Crunches. Each part of my body gets tested and trained so that when I step on the ice, it reacts how I need it to.
Sweat trickles down my bare back by the time Daley appears in the doorway wearing only a towel wrapped around herself, her blonde hair damp and hanging loose over her shoulders.
“I’m tired just watching you,” she says with a smile when I grunt out a greeting. “How much longer do you have? I can get breakfast ready for when you’re finished.”
As much as I’d like to go straight over and remove that towel for her, I’m not quite done yet. “Give me twenty minutes, plus ten for a shower. There’s a breakfast burrito mix in the fridge, it just needs to be warmed up. Tortillas are in the pantry.”
“Got it,” she assures me, her eyes lingering on my sweat-slicked torso for just a moment longer before leaving.
One of the things I like best about Daley is that I know for sure she does have it.
She’s been taking care of herself for years and doesn’t need me to do it for her.
Like I told her last night, Megan always needed more attention than I had time to give her, so Daley’s independence makes a very welcome change.
It also makes the thought of spoiling her incredibly appealing since I’m pretty certain no one has pulled out all the stops for her in a very long time.
Half an hour later, I walk into the living area of the house in jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt and stop dead when I see Daley in the kitchen.
‘90s rock plays over the built-in speakers, and with her back to me, she’s reaching up into one of the cupboards for plates for breakfast, wearing a T-shirt from one of my sponsors.
Wearing only that T-shirt.
She must have found the stack of them in my bathroom closet, and I certainly don’t mind her helping herself to one. As she lifts her arm, the shirt rides up to expose the swell of her ass, and my cock immediately stirs.
Apparently, three times last night wasn’t enough. I still want more.
“Do you need some help with that?”
She startles at the sound of my voice, obviously not having heard me come in over the sound of the music, but before she can turn around, I step into the space behind her, my body pressed against her back as I reach around her and get the plates she was aiming for.
Her satisfied hum only makes me harder. “Does working out always turn you on this much?”
“It has nothing to do with the work-out, Mama.”
My lips find her ear, nibbling along the edge of it as she wriggles against me. Every movement increases my desire, building to full throttle in almost no time at all. By the time she turns to face me, her arms around my neck to pull me in for a kiss, my jeans are already way too tight.
“Breakfast… will… burn…” she gasps out between kisses, and when I force myself to concentrate on something other than her, the sizzling of the frying pan and the smell of eggs, peppers and onions fills the air.
“There’s an easy solution to that.” I step over to the stove, turn the burner off, and then pick Daley up and bring her to the kitchen island, sitting her on top of it. Her legs fall open around my body, confirming that she is, indeed, wearing nothing underneath that shirt.
“This is a… convenient… height,” she notes as I bend down to suck on her neck. There’s a spot on her neck beneath her ear that drives her absolutely crazy, and I love that I know that about her now. “Is that a coincidence?”
I reach down to unzip my pants, giving my cock the room to grow it so desperately needs. “Are you asking me if I picked this counter height because it’s perfect for fucking?”
“Yes.” Another gasp as I slide the tip of my cock up and down her pussy, teasing her and making sure she’s as ready for this as I am.
The wetness I find at her entrance assures me we’re on the same page.
For a woman who told me the first night we met that she never orgasmed twice in a row, she’s keeping up with me very well. “Did you?”
“Damn right I did.” I push into her slowly but without stopping until I’m buried fully inside her. Daley’s ankles cross behind my back, her heels digging in just a little to make sure I’m as deep as I can go. Fuck, she feels amazing.
“Show me what you’ve got then.”
By the time we finally finish, Daley has to go clean herself up, so I take over making breakfast while she gets fully dressed. She returns in a pair of black jeans and a red sweater that looks fantastic on her. She might not wear designer clothes, but she has a classic style that draws me in.
“What’s the plan for today?” she asks as we eat.
“Food and sex aren’t enough for you?” I tease.
“Honestly, it beats a lot of my weekends already,” she replies with a laugh. “But did you have anything else in mind? I guess you can’t just wander around in public without being recognized.”
“Not really,” I admit. “That’s one of the downsides of playing in a smaller city. If I were in New York, there’d be plenty of people who don’t care about hockey and much bigger celebrities all over the place. Here, just about everyone knows me. But I’ve figured out a few tricks to get around that.”
“Like our private dinner at Abbati’s?”
“Exactly. And I have a day planned that I think you’re going to enjoy.”
Her smile holds all the usual desire and kindness in it, but I sense an affection there too that I’m not sure I’ve seen before. “I’m sure I will.”
Taking my car, we make the 30-minute drive to Newton Hills state park.
It’s one of those picture-perfect early fall days on the prairies, not a cloud to be seen in the big blue sky, making the air crisp but not cold.
The leaves are just starting to change colour, and at the park, there are five miles of walking trails with hardly another soul in sight.
Even so, I wear a ball cap both to keep the sun from my eyes and to help keep my features hidden.
Daley opts for a pair of sunglasses that add to her overall allure, and I notice that when we pass male hikers, their attention zeroes in on her so much that even if they might have recognized me, they don’t have time to make the connection.
We walk at a comfortable pace, talking about our favourite walks, other places we’ve been and where we might like to go.
“I’ve always wanted to go visit the large hadron collider in Switzerland,” she confesses. “I mean, I’d love to go to Switzerland in general but that would definitely be on my list.”
I’m not sure what a hadron collider is but given the excitement in her eyes when she mentions it, I’d love to see it with her. “Have you been to Europe?”
The sun glints off her blonde hair as she shakes her head. “No. Any money we had was always needed for River’s hockey. Looking back, I don’t know how we pulled it off some years. My grandparents helped so much, and the town pitched in too. But we never took a trip anywhere that wasn’t for hockey.”
Even Las Vegas was for hockey, I suppose. “I understand. I played in the World Junior championships in Switzerland when I was 17 but I only remember being at the arena.”
“Travelling the world one rink at a time,” she laughs.
Since we had a late breakfast, we skip lunch in favour of some granola bars I have in the car, eating them halfway through our walk.
Back in the car, we make the short drive to Canton where we stop in at the bowling alley.
It’s pretty dead on a Saturday afternoon and only the teenager working at the counter recognizes me.
I promise him a photo before we leave if he doesn’t tell anyone else I’m there until after I go, and he’s as good as his word.
Daley’s a terrible bowler, and I intentionally gutter a few balls so she doesn’t feel too bad, until she catches on and tells me to stop patronizing her.
It’s late afternoon when we return to Sioux Falls and I’ve saved the best part of the day for last. The Kirby Science Center closes to the public at 5 pm, but I’ve paid for the two of us to have an hour there by ourselves while the staff clean up for the day, giving us a chance to go through the exhibits as close to privately as possible.
Daley’s in her element as she explains the scientific concepts behind the exhibits to me and seeing her so engaged and happy makes me wish we had more than just the hour.
Soon enough, though, it’s time to head home. I wrap my arms around her in a quiet corner near the exit. “Abbati’s is delivering dinner tonight, so we need to make sure we beat them there.”
“Sounds perfect,” she murmurs, leaning into me. “This has been a wonderful day, Deacon.”
I completely agree. I’d be tempted to say it couldn’t have gone any better, but when we arrive back at my house, someone is standing outside the gate wearing a backpack and headphones. Just standing there.
“What the…” I mutter just before he swings a camera in the direction of my car and starts snapping. “Fuck!”
Daley turns her face as the gate swings open, and we drive inside but we both know it won’t make much difference. He got the shot, which isn’t the end of the world. We can come up with a reason why Daley was in my car if we have to.
What I want to know is why, after finally leaving me alone when the situation with Megan died down, did someone show back up at my house on this particular night? What have I missed?