Power Play (Portland Storm Book 16)

by Catherine Gayle

  Apparently Amanda had ditched him and was shacking up with some other NHL player now.

  So was Colby just trying to piss me off? Did he feel the need to always hook up with whoever I was with as a means of validating himself? I didn’t have the first clue.

  “Any chance Lola’s new kitten will be going to swimming lessons with your dogs on future webisodes of Eye of the Storm?” another reporter asked.

  I chuckled, glad for a not-quite-so-loaded question. “Not sure she’ll be swimming any time soon. At this point, we’re just waiting for her to open her eyes. Besides, aren’t cats supposed to hate being in water?”

  “They say if you start them early…” someone put in.

  “Just toss her in the pool,” one of my teammates called out from the other side of the room. “She’ll figure it out quick enough.”

  I strained to see who’d said it. Based on the shit-eating grin on his face, it looked like Koz was the culprit.

  “I don’t think Lola would allow anyone to toss her baby anywhere,” I shot back at him. “You want to try it, though, be my guest. We’ll see how Mama Lola reacts to what she sees as a threat to her baby. We’ve already seen how she reacts to threats to her mama.”

  That earned me another good laugh from the reporters and the rest of my teammates.

  “All right, all right,” Bergy said, pushing through the sea of reporters and forcing his way in next to me. “That’s enough about cats and dogs for today. Anyone want to talk about hockey? I heard something about the playoffs starting soon. Might have just been a rumor though.”

  Sure enough, as soon as the laughter died off, one reporter shot out a question about the recent changes to our power play and how Bergy intended to deploy his players heading into our first series against the Kings, letting me off the hook.

  I slipped away from the crowd and headed back to my stall so I could strip off my gear and hit the showers. When I returned from cleaning up, the media had all cleared out. None too soon, if you asked me. I wasn’t looking forward to the media circus aspect of the playoffs.

  Most of the guys had already made their way out to the charter bus. We were staying in San Jose for the night and flying down to Anaheim tomorrow for our final game before the playoffs started.

  But Levi “501” Babcock was waiting for me, even though the rest of the guys were gone. He was Babs’s younger brother and one of our defensemen.

  “What’s up?” I asked, because it seemed as though he’d been waiting to talk to me. I took a seat on the bench next to him.

  “Jealousy’s a bitch,” he said, which took me aback. I didn’t know what I’d been expecting, but it wasn’t this.

  “Especially when it’s your brother you’re jealous of,” he continued. “I know. Been there, done that. It can lead you to do some crazy, stupid things.”

  “You’re jealous of Babs? That what you’re saying?” I couldn’t figure out where he was heading with this.

  “I was. For a long time, absolutely. So jealous it made me do some really idiotic shit. I was always trying to one-up him. It’s actually why I chased after Cadence in the beginning.”

  “What? What does Cadence have to do with Babs?” And what did any of this have to do with me? I wasn’t following. At all.

  “He had Katie, and she’s perfect, you know? Hollywood career and all of that. Fairy-tale romance. And he’s always been the best at everything, anyway. Got into the NHL at eighteen. Team captain already. Perfect wife, perfect life. So I was trying to outdo him for once, and Cadence had just won her gold medal. At that moment in time, she was more famous than Katie, so that was why I went after her. Kind of fucked up, I know. And I really do love her, which has nothing to do with fame or gold medals and everything to do with her, but I was an idiot with how I went about it.”

  “Yeah, but you never cheated with Katie,” I pointed out.

  “Wouldn’t have happened even if I’d wanted it to. Katie’s always loved Jamie. She never had eyes for anyone else. Not really, at least.”

  “And you never tried to hurt Katie, or kidnap her, or whatever the fuck Colby intended to do, just because you were fucked up in the head and trying to get back at your brother for supposedly being better than you.”

  He chuckled. “I guess you have a point. Just trying to make you feel better.”

  There wasn’t anything that would make me feel better when it came to my relationship with my brother. Or my parents. This had just served to pound the final nail into that coffin.

  I was done with them. Totally done.

  But I was okay with that. I didn’t need a relationship with my blood relatives. Not when I had an amazing wife like Mackenzie, kick-ass dogs like Lola and Max, an adorable kitten like Phoebe, and a baby on the way. Not to mention teammates who’d always been more like brothers to me than Colby ever had been.

  Especially Ghost. A friendship that could survive him shoving me out of a plane could withstand anything, the way I saw it.

  “I’m good, man,” I said. “But thanks.” And to prove it, I dragged 501 in for a bro hug, slapping him on the back a few times for good measure.

  “You know, there are seven of us Babcock brothers. I doubt anyone would notice if we suddenly brought home one more.”

  I nearly busted a gut laughing as we headed out to join the rest of the team. “I’ll keep that in mind in case I ever need a better brother.”

  But there was no denying it felt good to know these guys had my back. Ghost always had, but I hadn’t ever really allowed myself to think of the rest of the team in that way.

  The truth was, I didn’t allow myself to think of much of anyone like family. It was safer to keep everyone at arm’s distance. But Mackenzie had busted her way through that wall of defense, and I didn’t ever want to build it up again.

  Colby might be my brother according to blood, but my teammates were the brothers I chose. Mackenzie was the wife I chose. Max and Lola and now Phoebe were the pets I chose, and I sure as fuck would choose the baby Mackenzie and I were having together and any more who came our way.

  I had the only kind of family that mattered, regardless of how different we all were. I was one lucky son of a bitch.

  Maybe I didn’t understand what I’d done to deserve this kind of luck, but you could bet I wouldn’t be forgetting about it any time soon.

  LOLA NEEDED TO be stitched up again after ripping open her wound in the incident, but Dr. Morganstern and his crew were able to take care of that in their mobile unit this time since she didn’t need to go under anesthesia. They gave her an injection for pain before getting started, which helped. She was calm and still as long as I stayed right by her side, telling her what a good girl she was.

  They checked on baby Phoebe since they were already at the house, gave Max a few belly rubs so he wouldn’t feel left out, and topped it all off with checking my blood pressure and then giving me a big hug to help steady my nerves.

  It had been a traumatic few days with Riley gone, but we’d all survived.

  Somehow.

  The house was constantly buzzing with activity now.

  Almost all of the other wives and girlfriends from the team had stopped by at least once or twice to bring food, supervise our growing menagerie so I could grab a nap, share the latest gossip, drop off some romance novels for me to read in my spare time, or otherwise distract me in some way.

  Several local news crews had heard through the community grapevine about Lola’s bravery, and since she was already famous due to being featured on Eye of the Storm, they wanted to have segments featuring her on their evening broadcasts. This led to a flurry of activity constantly coming in and out of the house, but it helped build more buzz surrounding the team heading into the playoffs.

  Riley and the WAGs all assured me this was a good thing and not a distraction, so I went along with it. Everyone said this was the Storm’s year; they were finally going to win the Stanley Cup. Lola’s heroics were only serving to get the city more excited
about the team than ever.

  Not to be outdone, Anne brought a few of her guys along and filmed a bit with our small but growing family for the next Eye of the Storm webisode. “It’ll be a great counterpoint to everything the team is doing on the ice here at the end of the season,” she explained. “They’ve got their eyes on the playoffs, but life goes on at home.”

  Yeah, she was right about that.

  Life went on.

  In some ways, it was dragging me along at a pace I was uncertain of. I frantically tried to keep my feet under me and my head above water, but I was such a mess that I’d even started mixing my metaphors. But despite all of that, I wouldn’t change anything about my life as it had become.

  Now, with Riley, I had everything I’d always dreamed of: a family of my very own and a man who loved me exactly as I was. And we even had a human baby on the way to round out our growing family.

  My worries over motherhood were even starting to ease, a bit at a time. Having Phoebe to care for had helped with that.

  So had Lola’s emergency, to be honest.

  The two of them and Max were forcing me to see that, even though I hadn’t had a great human example of what a family should be growing up, I had excellent canine and feline examples right at my fingertips as well as the best husband I could have ever imagined and a massive extended family provided by the Storm. Not only that, but I was far more capable of dealing with crises when they popped up than I’d ever given myself credit for.

  Because of them, I was starting to believe in myself.

  Max and Lola loved each other even when they had minor tiffs. And they adored Riley and me, and both were ready to help with baby Phoebe at a moment’s notice. I had no doubt they’d be the same with our human baby soon, too.

  But the way Lola had jumped to my rescue had absolutely sealed the deal for me.

  She wasn’t like the dogs in my past.

  She would never hurt me. In fact, she’d do anything at all, including hurt herself if needed, in order to protect me.

  The way she doted on little Phoebe told me she’d behave in exactly the same manner to protect her baby kitty. And I had no doubts that any child Riley and I brought into our home would become one of Lola’s babies, too.

  Although, considering the way Max tended to stick to my side like glue, I had a feeling she might have to wrestle with him to determine which dog got to claim the human baby. With any luck, they’d mutually agree to be a team, much like Riley and I had become.

  For the first time ever in my life, though, I felt I truly belonged. I felt comfortable in my home. In my life. In my marriage.

  I felt loved.

  The craziest part was that Lola was the one who’d taught me more about love than anyone else in my life ever could have. She’d risked everything because she loved me.

  If she could do that, how could I not do the same for those I loved?

  And I loved Riley.

  I loved him so much it hurt.

  So much it scared me.

  Yes, I was still terrified that something would come along and take him away from me or me away from him. That had almost occurred, after all. I still had no idea what Riley’s brother had intended to do once he’d grabbed me—he was so high on some drug or another that even he couldn’t explain himself to the cops and paramedics—but Lola had prevented anything bad from happening to me.

  But it turned out that love was hollow if you never let the other person know. It was just an empty shell waiting to be filled up.

  Staying silent didn’t protect me from getting hurt, and it wouldn’t prevent Riley from leaving me or kicking me out of his life. My silence couldn’t protect the dogs or our kitten from harm, and it certainly wouldn’t keep our baby safe.

  All it did was leave me scared and alone.

  I didn’t want to be alone anymore.

  I’d spent my entire life alone, regardless of how many people surrounded me.

  So the night the team returned from their final road trip of the regular season, I waited up for Riley. Max and Lola heard Nate’s car pull into the driveway before I did, and they both took off down the stairs to greet Riley at the door.

  “You, Miss Lola… You’d be in so much trouble if you weren’t such a fucking rock star,” Riley said, his voice traveling up the stairs.

  From their happy barks, I could guess that he was giving them both scratches and maybe some belly rubs. And then I just couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to see him myself. I needed my own itch scratched, and only Riley could do it.

  I padded down the stairs in my pj’s, my heart melting at the sight of my husband, this strong, gorgeous man, down on the floor, hug-wrestling with his dogs. Both Max and Lola were so excited he was home that they couldn’t contain themselves, their tails working overtime as they licked him all over.

  I could totally understand their enthusiasm; I wanted to do exactly the same thing.

  Finally, Riley glanced up and saw me standing in the stairwell, and his entire face lit up. He shoved the dogs off him and pushed himself up from the floor, and then he was in my arms, shoving me against the wall and kissing me so hard I couldn’t breathe. But I didn’t care. I didn’t want to breathe unless I was breathing in him.

  His hand fisted in my hair and he angled my head to take the kiss deeper, his knee parting my thighs. I was so desperate for more of him that I practically climbed him like a tree, trying to get closer, reveling in the sensation of having him back in my arms.

  He didn’t waste any time, using his other hand to delve under the waistband of my bottoms and slip between my thighs. “You’re so fucking wet for me already. God, baby doll, I’ve barely touched you and you’re already about to come. I need you so much.”

  I held tight to his shoulders for support as he easily slid his fingers inside me, an indulgent, greedy groan tearing from my lips. He couldn’t possibly crave me as much as I needed him right now. He was right; my orgasm was building to a frightening crescendo, and we were both still fully clothed.

  A few more pumps of his fingers, a couple more swirls from the pad of his thumb over my clitoris, and I collapsed back against the wall, thoroughly spent.

  “Fuck, you’re hot,” he murmured against my lips.

  I couldn’t catch my breath, and he was picking me up and carrying me up the stairs to the bedroom, but I still hadn’t told him what I needed to say.

  “Wait,” I said when he laid me back across the mattress and reached for the hem of my top to lift it over my head.

  “I don’t think I can wait much longer, baby doll. Been thinking of nothing but getting home to you for days. Nothing but being inside you. Nothing but telling you over and over again how much I love you.”

  “That’s just it.” I sat up and put my hands over his, stopping him. Because I had to tell him. I couldn’t wait any longer. If I did, I might burst.

  “What’s just it?” he asked.

  “I love you, too.”

  He grinned down at me, a cocky sort of grin that brought another wave of heat rushing to my core, biting down on his lower lip. “I know you do.”

  I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes, because I was being totally serious and baring my soul, and he was acting like a cocky jerk.

  “You’re itching to tell me off for that,” he said, laughing. “I can see it all over your face.”

  “I’m itching to punch you in the shoulder. But I don’t want to do that because it’ll only feel like an ant bite to you and it might break my fingers.”

  He burst out laughing so hard that he fell onto the bed and rolled onto his back. But he dragged me along with him, and then we were both laughing and kissing and in love, and everything was exactly how I wanted it to be.

  Maybe, just maybe, my life could have a happy-ever-after ending, just like all those books I’d been reading for years. He might not be a perfect Prince Charming, but Riley was just about perfect for me, dogs and kittens and babies and all.

  BABS HAD THE puck, hea
ding into the offensive zone. Ghost and I were right behind him, spread out to cover plenty of ice and give him lots of options. The three of us had been flying all night so far, really synced with one another, but we hadn’t managed to score.

  Yet.

  It was coming. I could feel it.

  I swerved and got free from my defender, my ankle thankfully behaving exactly as I wanted it to, then headed straight for the Coyotes’ goal.

  “RJ!” Babs shouted, but I already knew he’d sent a pass my way. I could sense it. That was how connected the three of us were out there.

  The puck hit my stick right on the tape. The goaltender zeroed in on me, which was exactly what I wanted him to do. Without even looking over my shoulder, I dropped the puck back to Ghost, who was primed for a slapper.

  Red lights. Goal horn. Crowd going wild. My teammates and I all dog-piled on top of Ghost.

  I lived for this shit.

  It was our last game before the Thanksgiving holidays here in the States. My line, in particular, was on fire. At this point in the season, the three of us were leading the league in almost every offensive stat they tracked.

  This just added one more notch on each of our belts.

  “RJ, you’ve got to head back to the room,” Bergy said when we reached the bench.

  “What? Why? What’s wrong?”

  There was no fucking reason I should be pulled out of this game. None. We were winning, my line had just scored the go-ahead goal, and there was still almost a full period left to play.

  But he didn’t answer me, just stood there with his arms crossed, staring.

  Bull fucking shit. I wasn’t having any of it. “You’re not pulling me out of this game without a good fucking reason.”

  “Fine,” Bergy shot back. “Keep playing if you want, but don’t complain to me that you missed the birth of your firstborn baby.”

  “My firstborn—” I cut myself short.

  Mackenzie couldn’t be in labor. Not yet. She wasn’t due for another fucking month. We were supposed to be having a Christmas baby.