Chapter 26
Olivia
I don’t think I’ve ever smiled this much in public in my whole life. The referee locker room is smaller here than most places so the four of us are packed in, getting ready. The other guys are making jokes and getting hyped up, and for once, I actually join in.
“I can’t wait for New Year’s. I took some time off and my wife and I are going to California for a few days,” says Ben, one of the linesmen officiating tonight.
“That’s cool, are you visiting anything in particular?” I find myself asking. Look at me, making conversation with my peers.
“We’re probably going to Disneyland and the beach. Kind of winging it and finding time to relax,” he says with a smile.
“That sounds awesome,” I say, returning it.
I try not to think too much about why I’m in such a good mood, but my thoughts stray to Robbie even though they shouldn’t right now. I’m supposed to keep it professional. I just can’t forget the look on his face after we both came down from our highs, how he got a warm washcloth and cleaned us both up before cuddling me and whispering all the things he wanted to do to me later.
I would have stayed there in that moment forever if my alarm hadn’t gone off letting us know it was time to head to the arena. My entire body is buzzing with excitement, and for once, I can’t wait for this game to be over.
The crowd is rowdy as ever and they start booing the officials as soon as we get on the ice. I can tell there is leftover tension between the two teams from yesterday’s game which means I need to stay on high alert. Especially when Mitchell is involved.
Speaking of the devil, he skates past me and gives me a look of pure disdain. I will never understand how some people can’t separate their personal feelings from their work. While he’s an asshole on the ice, I would never make the presumption Mitchell was an asshole in his personal life. Although, after what Robbie told me about how he picked a fight with Ash at a bar last time we were here, that makes me lose hope in his humanity.
The first period goes by quickly, uneventfully. Nobody scores, but there are a few minor penalties. Thankfully nothing to start a fight over. The second period starts out hot, with Ash scoring a goal in the first 20 seconds, and I can feel the shift in tension. The Vortices start to hit harder, one of them even checking a Manticores hard on the open ice. The Manticores player stays down so I blow the whistle to stop play, but I’m not calling out a penalty. While the hit was hard, it was a legal move. There was no tripping or holding, just good old fashioned checking.
The Manticores player manages to stand up by himself and I escort him to the bench, but when I turn around I see an angry Ash in my face.
“What the hell was that, Olivia? You’re not going to call a penalty?”
I take a deep breath and say, “The hit was legal. We’re moving on now.”
He takes a step closer to me like he wants to argue further, but I am not going to indulge his tantrum.
“The hell it was, our guy was hurt, he’s literally walking out the tunnel and probably has a concussion!” I start skating away from him but he follows. “Olivia, come on!”
I round on him so fast he draws up short, “That’s ref to you, in case you’ve forgotten yourself. And if you don’t drop it, I will put you in the box.” I know he’s just frustrated with the situation and not really lashing out at me, but the more he continues with his tantrum, the more he’s undermining my authority.
He doesn’t learn his lesson though because as soon as the face-off ends, Ashton trips up the Vortices player that checked his friend earlier. I immediately blow the whistle but before Ben, the linesmen, can intervene, both Ashton and the other guy drop their gloves and start fighting. They both manage to get a few punches to the face and it takes all four of us officials to break them up. I place myself right in front of Ash and start leading him backwards to the box. He’s still yelling profanities at the other guy and promises to kick his ass.
I roll my eyes and push him a bit harder muttering under my breath “Cavemen.” Ash takes a deep breath and looks down at me and I draw up for another verbal attack but the corners of his lips are tugging up and his eyes are amused.
“Sorry, ref,” he says and enters the penalty box. I shake my head and see Robbie skating up to us, carrying Ash’s stick and gloves.
Robbie shakes his head in disappointment and says, “I thought you were going to stay out of the box.”
Ash looks away and shrugs “Whatever, leopard can’t change his spots and all that.” Robbie sighs in defeat and skates away but he doesn’t see the look of self-loathing on Ash’s face.
“You wanna know something about leopards?” Ash looks at me with curiosity and a little bit of doubt. “They’re magnificent and fight to win,” I say before skating away and sorting out all the penalties. Both Ash and the Vortices player get five minutes for fighting and Ash gets another two minutes for tripping, which means the Vortices are at an advantage, which Mitchell capitalizes on immediately and scores.
Ash must have heard my subtle advice, that he needs to focus on winning the game instead of fighting, because he scores his second goal of the night with a minute left in the period. On his way to the bench he gives me a wink and Robbie raises his eyebrows at the exchange. I just smile and shake my head. That boy is something else. He’s cocky and boisterous, but he’s damn good at what he does and he just needs someone to believe in him.
The third period is just as crazy as the second, except it’s the Vortices that spend the majority of the time in the penalty box. More fights break out and penalties get called, but both teams also score. The Manticores lead 3-2 with 5 minutes remaining in the game when Robbie scores on a breakaway. I smile to myself as we reset because that was a damn good goal, but Mitchell catches me and glares at me.
“Playing favorites, I see,” he says and spits at my feet. What a fucking asshole. I know I shouldn’t let his words bother me, but I can’t help it. I also can’t help the anger I feel every time he comes near me, which is why I say, “I can appreciate a good goal when I see one. Can’t say the same for you, though.” His face is beet red and he’s seething. I’m sure he’d like nothing more than to throw me down on the ice right now, but he knows he can’t. So I just skate away.
I expect him to retaliate somehow, but the next couple minutes are surprisingly docile on both ends. That is, until Mitchell hip checks Robbie so hard he goes flying and lands hard on his left side. The other referee calls the penalty as clipping since that was clearly a dirty hit. Robbie gets up on his own but he’s clearly in pain and Jordan helps him down to the tunnel.
My heart is beating so fast, and I can’t stop thinking about that hit. Mitchell is bitching about that not being a penalty when we all know he did it on purpose. The other referee gives him a major penalty as well and has him leave the game completely since there is not much left on the clock.
With Mitchell gone, the Vortices pull their goalie in an attempt to make a play, but all that leads to is the Manticores scoring an empty net goal. Ash is the one to score, which means he gets a hat trick. Too bad it’s not a home game where fans would actually throw their hats on the ice for him. We skate to the tunnel together and he says, “Thanks, for earlier. I appreciate you looking out for me.”
I nod but don’t quite know what else to say. My head is spinning about Robbie. I hope he’s not seriously injured. Ash must see the worry on my face because he adds, “Don’t worry, I’ll check on him and text you an update, okay?” I nod and then hurry to the locker room to get changed and wait in the lobby with my phone in hand. Hoping for good news.
A while later, a bunch of Manticores players and staff leave the arena, but I still haven’t caught sight of Robbie and his group. I’m pacing around the lobby when I finally hear them.
“That Mitchell guy needs to get suspended for that hip check. That was bullshit. You could have gotten seriously injured,” Jordan says hotly.
“He is seriously injured,” Elias says with a somber face. That makes me start to move in their direction and see Robbie for myself. How hurt is he?
As soon as I approach them, Elias and Jordan move out of the way and I come face to face with Robbie. His head is down, but when he looks up our eyes lock and I can see the exhaustion and sadness in them. Fuck, it makes me devastated to see him like this. I want to run and wrap my hands around him but I don’t know where we stand in front of his friends. So I lamely say, “Hey. How are you?”
Robbie doesn’t hesitate and walks up to me for a hug. His left arm is in a sling and my heart drops. I do my best to hug him back without hurting him. As soon as he drops his head in the crook of my neck he sighs and says “I’m much better now. Can we please get out of here?”
“Of course, but I need to know how bad it is,” I say, brushing his dark blonde hair away from his forehead.
“Nothing is broken or too serious. It’s just a sprain, but the team physician recommended I sit out for a couple of games,” he says miserably. I link my fingers together with his uninjured hand and we all walk outside where a van Jordan requested is waiting to take us to the hotel.
Once we get there, we all head to the bar and get a drink, the guys brooding about the game. I feel so bad for them, it seems like every time they play the Vortices, something bad happens and they can’t even enjoy the win they worked so hard for.
“So, you two made things official?” Ashton asks with a smirk as he sips his old fashioned. I blush and take a sip of my own drink as Robbie turns his tired eyes on me. He’s giving me the smile I love most on him, the soft one reserved just for me. His eyes trace my face, lingering on my lips and that’s my cue to get us out of here and into the same bed together.
Even if we can’t do all the sexy stuff we had planned since his arm is in a sling, I still want to spend the night curled up against him. I down the rest of my drink and stand up, offering a hand to Robbie, which he eagerly takes.
“Guys, if you’ll excuse us, I think this couple is going to head to bed,” I say with a grin on my face. Elias and Jordan give us smiles and mumbles of good night and Ash winks at us as we make our way out of the bar.
Robbie puts his good arm around my shoulder and drops his head on top of mine. We stand like that the whole elevator ride up to my room. Robbie brought his bag in here earlier since he planned on spending the night so I ask him, “Do you need help getting pajamas out, or washing up?” I ask that last part nervously.
“I usually sleep in my underwear. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, of course.” Like I would complain ever seeing him mostly naked.
“I probably should wash up a bit, I didn’t get a chance to shower at the arena,” he says on a yawn. “You don’t have to assist me if you feel uncomfortable.”
“Why would I feel uncomfortable?”
He shrugs but points at my right hand where I am fidgeting with my ring. Stupid habit. “You play with that a lot when you get nervous.” His face settles into a frown and he sighs, “I don’t want to make you nervous.”
“You’re not the reason I am nervous.” One corner of his mouth hitches up like he doesn’t believe me. “I promise,” I say, inching closer to him and untying his sling, “I’m nervous because I was thinking of the logistics of helping you. Like, I’d probably have to get in the shower with you.”
I take a breath and dare to look up at his confused face. “I’m nervous about you seeing me completely naked. I know we did stuff earlier, but it’s just different, I guess.” Now it’s my turn to frown. I’m not sure where this insecurity is coming from, but I don’t want to disappoint him. Earlier the curtains were drawn and the lights were dim when we got intimate. But in the harsh bathroom light, I’m not so sure I measure up to his imagination.
“Olive,” he whispers and takes my hand in his, bringing it up to his heart. “We all have insecurities, but you know what? Whatever imperfections you think you may have don’t matter to me. I care about you, your beautiful heart and soul. Your body will change with time, as will mine, but that won’t make me see you any differently. You’ll always be perfect to me.” He lets go of my hand to wipe the tear that escapes me and bends down to give me a sweet kiss.
He straightens out his arm a few times and winces a bit, so I gently bring it back in the position he had it in before I took the sling off. “Don’t make it worse, please.”
“You don’t have to take care of me, you know. I’ve gotten hurt before and kept myself alive.” The smile he gives me is tender but a little sad. Something in the way he says that bothers me. I’ve kept myself alive. I can’t imagine his family not caring for him when he was hurt before. Unless he didn’t tell them because he didn’t want them to worry. Now that sounds like something he would do.
I swallow hard and shake my head at him. “As if you could get rid of me that easily. You will let me take care of you and dote on you like a mother hen, and you will not complain about it. Understand me?”
I give him my most stern expression and he sighs and says, “Yes, ma’am.” I catch his satisfied smile as we walk into the bathroom.
I turn the water on and wait for it to get hot, then help Robbie out of his sweatshirt, making sure not to bump his left arm. He takes off the rest of his clothes and I do too. I’m trying hard to fight the urge to cover myself as we stand there completely naked, staring at each other. He’s trying hard not to look at my breasts. I give him a delighted smirk and his nostrils flare with desire. I walk up to him and wind my arms around his waist, stepping closer and then pressing a kiss right above his heart. I can feel him growing hard against me but before I lose all sense, I grab his good hand and guide him to the shower.
As promised, I dote on him and smack his hand when he tries to reach for the washcloth. I make him stand there under the hot water as I lather it up with soap and run it across his perfect collarbones and chest, down his defined abs and back up the sides. I turn him around and do the same with his broad back and narrow waist, pressing myself against him in a hug when I am done. He turns back around and kisses me slowly but intently. His tongue is eager and hot against mine and he pulls me in closer so I can feel his erection against my stomach.
I slowly run my hand down his chest and tease him before taking him in my hand. He groans in my mouth and bites my lower lip, soothing it with a lick almost immediately. He’s panting as he pulls back and says, “You don’t have to do that.”
“Shh. Let me take care of you. Please,” I say and nip at his jaw. Robbie’s blue eyes are mostly black as his pupils dilate in pleasure. He gives me a nod and that’s all I need to drop down to my knees. He makes a choking sound like he can’t believe this is happening but that quickly turns into a moan as I take him in my mouth.
Fuck, he feels so good. His cock is thick and while I only got a few minutes to play with it earlier, I can see now that my mouth alone is not enough. I tease him a bit around the head and lick my way from the base to the tip a few times before taking him as deep as I can. Then I wrap one of my hands around his base and twist in rhythm with my bobbing. Robbie is panting and moaning my name and I need to reach down and touch myself with my free hand to relieve some of the pressure. Holy fuck, giving him a blow job got me so close to my own orgasm. I start to moan as well.
His hand finds my hair and fists it, and that little pinprick of pain makes me come almost immediately. I moan and gasp around his cock and his voice is rough when he bends over me and says, “Fuck, I’m close.” His cock hits the back of my throat and I swallow around him but he doesn’t come yet. I look up and see him hanging on, fighting his release. I pull out with a pop and continue stroking him as his hips stutter and he lets go of my hair to steady himself on the shower door.
“Fuck, you look absolutely wrecked,” I rasp out and his eyes fly open and latch onto mine. I pick up the speed of my strokes and angle myself up more so that he can come all over my breasts. He groans out my name as he does and his body stutters and shakes until he slumps over me.
I stand up and guide him to lean back against the shower wall as I use the washcloth to clean myself. Robbie watches me through half lidded eyes the whole time, his fist clenched like he wants to take over and do it for me. But he’s too tired and spent and I’m not the one that needs looking after right now.
I turn off the water, go up to Robbie and kiss him against the shower wall, leaning my full weight into him as I do, my palms flat against his chest. I can feel his heart beating fast so I slow our kiss down and bring my head to his neck. His good arm wraps around me in a tight embrace. We stay like that for another minute until we start to get cold. Then we towel off, put on underwear and I re-tie Robbie’s sling. He lays on his back in bed and I curl up beside him, next to his good arm, gripping his fingers with one hand and holding on to his bicep with another.
“Hey, Olive?”
“Yes, Bobbert?”
He chuckles, “You’re the best.”
“No, you are,” I say and kiss his shoulder. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, love.”