“Uncle! You win, Lace, I cry uncle.” Winking at her in his customary way, he told her, “If you are a benevolent being, you’ll go just a bit higher. Please.”
Lacey laughed. She loved teasing him like this. But then they arrived at the police station, and her hand stilled. “Do you think he’s still in there?”
“I think it’s possible. We’ll find out soon enough.”
Jody helped her out of the truck and kissed the back of her hand. “I’ll be right beside you, Angel.”
They found out from Officer Beacon that Steven was still there. He wanted to press charges against Cage. That was precisely why Lacey didn’t want Jody touching Steven. “Can he do that?”
“Yes, he can, Ms. Benoit. If it were you who had hit him, it would have been self-defense. Even if Mr. Booker had only hit him once to stop him, I think a judge would let that go, but Cage Booker hit him multiple times and knocked him out. It was obviously done with intent to injure.”
Lacey felt awful. “God, all of this is my fault. I should have taken him more seriously when he threatened me.” Officer Beacon put a hand on her shoulder.
“And what would you have done differently, Ms. Benoit?” He hated these cases. How a man could ever hit a woman was beyond him.
“I don’t know, but do you know what this will look like when it gets out? Somehow the media will make Cage look like the bad guy.” She sighed with remorse, “I hate this.”
Officer Beacon spoke up. “Well, you might like this then. Mr. Marlow doesn’t want this going public either. I think he has more to lose than Mr. Booker. News travels, even to London, and he’s concerned with his reputation. He said he’d agree to drop all charges against Mr. Booker if you drop all charges against him. He’s also agreed to go back to London as soon as he can book a flight. I think he means, it Ms. Benoit. He’s not built for jail.”
Lacey looked at Jody. While Jody didn’t think Steven deserved to get away so freely, he did want him gone and did not want to repay his debt to Cage with charges being filed against him. “As much as I’d like to see him behind bars, I think this might be the best solution for you. The decision is ultimately yours, of course.”
It sounded perfect to Lacey. Utterly perfect. With Steven in London, he couldn’t just pop up any time he wanted, and Cage would be off the hook. She’d feel awful if he got in trouble for defending her (even if he did defend her to the point of knocking Steven out – not that Steven didn’t deserve it).
“I’m fine with that. Where do I sign?” There was no actual paperwork for her to sign saying she wouldn’t press charges; she just didn’t fill out the paperwork to press charges.
“Mr. Marlow requested to speak to you.” Jody’s hackles went up.
“No, Lace. No, please don’t. Just let him go on his way.” Jody was trying his best to not demand things of her, but this was a tough one. He didn’t want Steven anywhere near her ever again.
“I’m going to agree with Jody on this one, Officer. I don’t want to see him.” Lacey truly thought this could be the end of things, and they left without seeing Steven. Jody dropped her off at Zoe’s, kissed her goodbye and told her how proud he was of her for the way she was handling the whole Steven situation. His girl was strong.
“Thanks Jody, I appreciate it. And thank you so much for being there with me.” Lacey pulled his head down for a steamy kiss. He tried to talk her into going home with him, but she didn’t. Jody needed his rest so that he could secure his spot on the Scorpions, and Lacey was mentally exhausted and wanted to go to bed.
Training Camp took up most of Jody’s time. When he wasn’t training, he was bonding with the guys or resting. Lacey, knowing hockey as well as she did, understood one hundred percent. And still, he never ended his night without a phone call to her or a short text. Not seeing him for five days in a row (except for one quick lunch on Wednesday) bothered Lacey more than she thought it would. She also found herself thumbing through his texts a minimum of twice a day.
Monday morning:
Jody: Good morning, beautiful.
Lacey: Good morning, handsome.
Monday night:
Jody: All tucked in bed?
Lacey: Yup, just shimmied out of my panties. :)
Jody: I was just about to ask.
Tuesday, lunchtime:
Jody: Having a break in between practice sessions. How are you?
Lacey: Hi Jody, I’m fine. Are you checking up on me?
Jody: Busted …
Tuesday night:
Jody: Thought about you all day, Lace. Sweet dreams.
Lacey: I think about you a lot, too, Jody. Give Izzy a scratch behind the ears for me.
Wednesday mid-morning:
Jody: I can’t take it anymore. Need to see you. Quick lunch at noon?
Lacey: I miss you, too. Yes!
Jody only had time for a couple of slices of pizza, which they ate at the picnic table behind the rink. They also got a couple of steamy kisses in. Lacey was starting to think he could be the real deal. She was getting in deeper and deeper with him, but instead of the fear she felt before, there was excitement, and dare she say the L word?
Wednesday night:
Jody: Nice to see you today, but it wasn’t long enough.
Lacey: It’ll get better … right?
Jody: Yes, Training Camp is almost over. Nite Lace.
Thursday morning:
Jody: I had the BEST dream about you last night, Angel. Woke up wanting nothing more than you beneath me.
Lacey: Damn Jody, I wake up like that most mornings now. Happens when I’m in the shower, too. ;)
Jody: Jeez, that’s not helping my problem. Can’t wait to get my hands on you again.
Thursday night:
Jody: Thought about you all day, Lace. I’m off to bed now, and I’m going to think about all the ways I’m going to touch you this weekend. Oh baby …
Lacey’s body got tingly thinking about the same thing. She was looking forward to getting her hands on him again.
Lacey: I actually just shiver from reading that. Think I need a cold shower, but I’m afraid of what my fingers might do once I’m all lathered up and slippery wet.
Jody: Wow. Fuck, Lace. I give up; you’re better at torture. Go to bed.
Friday morning:
Jody: Crappy night, need you in my bed. Sleep okay?
Lacey: No, I did not sleep okay … at first. I was thinking about you, but then I let my fingers do the walking and went right to sleep. No sense in suffering, huh?
Jody: Enough. I can’t walk into a locker room full of guys with wood … xo
Lacey laughed at that. She wondered if he really did have ‘wood’ just from thinking about her pleasuring herself. It wasn’t something she did often, but he just got her so hot!
Friday night:
Jody: Hi Lace. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. You have no idea how much.
Lacey: Oh, I have some idea. I can’t wait either. Call me when you get home after practice. Nite Jody. xo
By the time Saturday morning rolled around, she absolutely couldn’t wait to see him. He only had a half-day of practice on Saturday because their first pre-season game was on Sunday. She decided that she would go to his house and be waiting for him when he got home with a nice home cooked meal. She liked to cook, and Jody loved to eat. It was a perfect combination.
Jody smiled from ear to ear when he saw Lacey’s car parked in front of his house when he got home. He had no idea she was going to be there. When he opened the door, he could smell the awesome aroma of tomato sauce cooking. Thank God he had hired a cleaning lady when he’d given Lacey a spare key. He wanted her to be comfortable there, and Lacey was a neat freak.
“Hello?” Where the hell was Izzy? Some guard dog.
He walked into the kitchen and found them. Izzy was snoring in the corner on her bed that Lacey must have dragged out of his room for her. Lacey had her mp3 playing with her ear buds in and didn’t hear him enter. She was shaking her
booty all around the kitchen as she stirred a pot and checked on whatever was in the oven. She looked adorable in her apron. It was covered with huge, multicolored frogs. As she spun around, Jody saw that she had on a skimpy, short skirt. He crept up behind her and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her up against him and nuzzling her neck.
Startled, Lacey jerked around. “Oh, hi.” She was a tad embarrassed being caught dancing like an idiot around his kitchen. She could feel her face flush – of course that could also be from the two dirty martinis she had enjoyed while cooking.
“Hi.” Jody gave her a sweltering kiss. “Am I allowed to tell you how hot it is to see my woman in my kitchen cooking for me or is that too ‘cave man’?” He couldn’t help it. It was sexy as hell. He liked Lacey being there when he got home from work. He liked that she was in his kitchen cooking for him. It was very womanly. So sue him.
“Yes, you are.” She gave him a big smile. “Jody, I’m not a feminist. I like taking care of my man. I like cooking for you. I just don’t like it when you try to control what I do.” She wrapped her hands around his neck and pushed her breasts against him. “I hope you’re hungry.”
Looking down at her breasts, he said, “Starving – famished even.” When he bent down to try to take her nipple in his mouth through her shirt, she pushed him away.
“Oh no. I am making dinner here. We still have an hour and a half to go. You go relax somewhere.” She’d love him to grab a beer, sit down and watch TV where she could still see him as she cooked for him.
Just as Jody was getting situated on the couch, the doorbell rang. Jody started to get up, but Lacey told him to sit. She answered the door to see Vlad standing there with a six-pack of beer. “Hey Vlad, come on in.”
Vlad entered and sniffed the air. “Oh my God, Lacey. Are you cooking? Like real, homemade food?” When Lacey nodded her head he took her hand and whispered, “Come away with me now. Jody’s no good for you.” Lacey laughed and batted his hand away.
“You are more than welcome to stay for dinner. I made homemade sauce and meatballs and I’m putting some hot sausage in there, too. I have garlic bread to make, a Caesar salad and fettuccini. Why don’t you take your beer and watch TV with Jody until it’s done.”
“Lacey, I love you.” He gave her a peck on the cheek and made his way into the living room. Men – so simple to please – give them food and beer and they were docile as lambs.
About two hours later, Lacey served them a dinner that they both groaned over. Their groans were satisfying to Lacey’s feminine side. They loved everything from her homemade meatballs to her homemade croutons for the Caesar salad. The peach cobbler she had made for dessert was almost gone by the time Vlad left, as was a bottle of wine, which Lacey had a generous glass of.
Vlad hugged Lacey before he left. “That was the best meal I’ve had in a really long time. Do you think you could learn how to make piroshky?” He knew they wouldn’t be as good as his momma’s, but he missed them.
She knew piroshky was some type of bread that was stuffed with meat or vegetables, but she’d never had it before. “Well, I can make some mean perogies. And golumpkis. Would that do it for you? Or you can get me your momma’s recipe, and I can try them.” Lacey absolutely adored Polish food. It wasn’t exactly Ukrainian, but it was damn close.
“God yes, I would love that. I’ll see if Momma will part with her recipe for me.” Vlad would love a taste of home, and even though he could cook, he just never got that hang of his native dishes. He was much better at American food – much to his dismay.
Perogies were one of Lacey’s favorite treats. She made hers with potato and cheese. Baking the dumplings instead of frying them left more of the flavor intact, in her opinion. But her favorite Polish food was golumpkis. They were cabbage rolls stuffed with meat and rice, then cooked in her grandmother’s secret sauce, which had a base of V-8 juice. Scrumptious! Vlad left with the promise of his homeland’s dishes – or close to them.
After Jody cleaned up the kitchen (he insisted, since Lacey cooked), he joined her on the couch, handing her another dirty martini. “Thank you for dinner, Lace. I can’t remember the last time I had such a good home-cooked meal. And thank you for inviting Vlad to stay; I know he enjoyed it, too.” He put his arm around her and pulled her close.
”You’re welcome. I enjoyed doing it.” Taking the drink from Jody, she asked him, “Are you trying to get me drunk?” Actually, she was already past being able to drive home.
“Um, no?” She obviously didn’t believe him, but took a sip anyway. Waste not, want not.
Jody wanted to tell her how much he loved her, but he knew it was still too soon. It just felt so right having her in his house. “Lace, you can cook for me anytime. I don’t care what it is, but, just in case you wanted to know, spicy food is my favorite.” Jody smiled, and Lacey knew the next meal she made for him would be her Mexican Chicken.
Lacey leaned in and kissed him. She’d been … well, the only word she could think of was ’horny,’ all day. She hated that word, but it fit. She wanted to throw him up on the table, strip him bare, and have her way with him a few times. If Vlad wasn’t there, she probably would have, but she was pretty sure that wouldn’t have been proper etiquette.
Lacey put her drink down, wrapped her arms around Jody’s neck and pulled him into her, kissing him deep. She licked every inch of his mouth and bit his bottom lip. “Jody,” she mumbled against his lips, “I want you to fuck me so hard I’ll never be the same again.” Holy shit, did she really just say that?
Jody didn’t have to be begged. They hadn’t been together since the night Lacey had spent at his house. He thought about her every night, wishing that she were in his bed. After the hockey season officially started, they’d be able to have a little more time together. Training Camp was always hectic.
“Angel, I’ll make you come so hard you won’t be able to think straight.” He picked her up and took her to the breakfast bar in the kitchen – never letting his lips stray from hers. When he had slowly, teasingly, stripped them both of their clothing, he sat her on a bar stool and kneeled before her, spreading her legs.
“Do you have any idea what it does to me to see you bare before me?” Without waiting for her answer, he covered her with his mouth. As he groaned against the taste of her, Lacey thrust her hips up to meet his probing tongue.
“Oh Jesus, that’s so good.” She grabbed his hair and pulled him more forcefully upon her. He increased the pressure of his tongue in answer to her demand, and she cried out, “Yes, oh, that’s it.”
Jody could feel his cock throbbing. He wanted her to touch him so badly he didn’t think he could stand it. Lifting his mouth away from her (with a disappointed gasp from Lacey) he said, “Don’t move. Not one fucking inch. I’ll be right back.”
Seconds later, he came back with a thick blanket that he doubled up and placed on the tile floor. He laid Lacey down on the blanket and climbed over her, his mouth at her sex, which left his cock at her mouth. “Is this okay, Lace?”
Without hesitation, Lacey sucked him in deep, moaning at the taste of the droplets that had already formed on him. She would never last like this. The thought of him coming in her mouth was too erotic to stem the orgasm rising up inside her. She’d never had such raw, physical sex, and she loved it.
Jody groaned at how good Lacey’s tongue felt on him as he continued to pump himself into her mouth. He tried to think about anything, but how good it felt. He put two fingers inside of her as he continued to lick. He could feel her tensing around his fingers and knew she was close. I have to last until she comes. Think of a brick wall. Ugh, not working...
When Jody sucked her hard, Lacey came for him in a rush-her hips bucking up into him. As her trembling subsided, he whipped around and picked her up, bending her over the breakfast bar.
Lacey couldn’t believe how intense he was, but she loved every bit of it. She looked back at him over her shoulder. “I want everything you’ve got.” He too
k a fistful of her hair as he entered her in one hard thrust. “Jesus Jody, do that again.” He pulled out and did it again. Lacey cried out at the sensation.
Jody had to slow down or he was going to come, and he wanted Lacey to come with him. He laid his body over hers, pushing her down onto the cool granite counter top. She inhaled as her breasts hit the cold granite. Jody took her hands and put them, palms down, on either side of her head, interlocking their fingers and started a slow rhythm in and out of her. He then started kissing and biting her neck until he felt her start to clench around him. Her breathing turned to panting. “I’m so close Jody, give me more.”
“I’ll give you anything you want, Lace.” Jody picked up the pace and started slamming into her again and again. He lifted himself off her and gripped her hips, slamming into her harder. “Christ, I can’t last much longer. It’s too fucking good.”
Lacey started moaning and clenching tighter around him. “Yes, God yes, now!” After three more hard thrusts, they both cried out. Lacey had never come so hard in her life. She hadn’t realized there could be different levels or orgasms, but holy shit, there were.
Slick with sweat, Jody gathered her up and held her until their bodies calmed once more. “Lace, Jesus-that was...wow!”
“Right back atcha. We’re good at this.” Lacey had a smile on her face that she didn’t think was ever going away.
The Enforcer (NHL Scorpions) Page 19