“We have thirty minutes,” I reported.
She lifted her hips as I tugged the stretchy pants with her underwear to her ankles. I dropped my athletic pants and climbed on the couch.
“I think I need to give my leg a break.” I breathed as she straddled me, reading my mind. “Fuck,” I growled as she lowered her hot pussy over my dick.
She tossed her shirt on the floor as she began to ride up and down. Her hips rolled with sensual focus. I folded my hands behind my head and watched her work me.
“You’re so fucking sexy.”
She began to sputter and gasp. “That’s it,” I coaxed. Her pussy tightened and the climax exploded. I changed my mind about staying flat. I had a new mission. The rules had been lifted. 8% wasn’t going to happen lying on my back.
I sat forward, gripping Noelle tightly as I rose with my good standing leg. I walked to the wall and pressed her against the sleek metal.
“Oh God, Jack,” she whimpered when I slammed into her.
“Too soon to tell you I fucking love you?” I growled into her ear.
She shook her head as she clawed at my shoulders. “I fucking love you.” Her eyes closed and I kissed her sweet swollen lips. I thrust again. Damn she was like hot lava, driving me wild. I was losing gravity. I didn’t know what I was headed for. I only knew this was what I wanted.
Her hands splayed against the wall. She had new leverage. I saw the power flash in her eyes as she jutted her heat toward me, inviting me, daring me, begging me. I plunged again. Oh fuck.
Noelle gasped. Her hair spilled in messy waves around her shoulders. Her tits grazed my chest. I smiled wickedly. She wanted friction everywhere. She craved it. The touch. The pain. The roughness.
I cupped her ass with one hand, lifting her higher on my cock and let her slide to the end.
“Jack,” she groaned. “Oh shit. How fucking long are you?”
I grinned as I spread her cheeks and sank into her one inch at a time. I took her pussy inch by inch. My free palm slammed against the wall when she clenched around me.
“I can’t stop,” she whimpered. She began to convulse.
I felt my spine tighten with my climax. I groaned, primal need to pump her full of cum surfaced. Fuck. It was hot. It was intimate. It was the biggest decision of my life. She was mine and I was hers. We were committed to us forever. I bared my teeth, burying my cock in her as my seed exploded inside her. Oh shit. It was incredible. I’d never felt that kind of release. I’d never wanted a baby.
“Jack, fuck me,” she begged. “Don’t stop fucking me.” She panted, riding it, sucking my dick in deeper, wanting our chances to go up. I ground my hips against her waist while she came on my shaft. I couldn’t believe she slid her knees wider and I sank in one more inch. One more glorious mind-numbing inch. One more inch I needed to push my seed deeper.
I kissed her. Our lips brushed together. “I made you a promise weeks ago.” I licked her throat.
“What was that?” she whispered, trying to catch her breath.
“I swore I was going to worship your body.”
“You’ve kept your promise.” She smiled, wrapping her hands to my neck.
“New promise,” I remarked.
“What’s that one going to be?”
“I think everything happens for a reason. The condom last night. The condom this morning. I think you’re already pregnant, Noelle.”
“Even with my calculations?” she teased.
“Even with your calculations.” I traced an X over her lips with my thumb.
“What’s the new promise?” she asked.
“I promise we’re going to have a Christmas baby.”
“But that means this month. You can’t make a promise like that. We just talked about this today. It’s a lot. You might want to slow down. You might change your mind.” She bit her lip. “You can’t keep that promise, Jack.”
I shook my head. “I’m not going to change my mind. I want you to have my baby.”
“Do you usually get what you want?” she purred.
I swallowed. “Noelle, I’ve never gotten anything like this. Nothing even close.”
“I’m sorry.” Her eyes softened. “I was being playful. I’m sorry.”
My eyes widened when I heard the kitchen timer.
“The pot pie,” she mewed. I held her pinned against the wall.
“I’ll go get it,” I volunteered.
I lowered one of her feet and then the other to the floor. She slid into a gentle heap. I chuckled. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”
I walked around the corner and turned off the timer over the stove. I grabbed two potholders and opened the oven. The pot pie looked perfect. It was crisp, golden, and flaky. The cream sauce bubbled in the small creases in the dough. I placed it on the counter and marched back to Noelle.
She looked up at me. “I don’t think I can move. Nothing works. My legs feel like jelly.”
I lifted her to my chest. “Why don’t we call Lucy and tell her you’re coming down with something? We’ll stay here tonight. I’ll take you to bed right now.” I had visions that included her on her knees again.
She shook her head. “I can’t do that. But will you come home with me?”
“You want to tell Phoebe about us?”
She nodded. “I think telling her over chicken pot pie is the perfect time to announce our relationship.” Her hands draped around my neck. “We’re in the 8% now, right?”
I nodded.
“Then I think we should tell her this is us now. This is happening. It can start out small. I don’t want to make changes that are too big for her too fast. But I think we could start with another movie night. And when she wakes up tomorrow morning, she’ll see you’re still around. She’ll know you’re someone she can start to count on.”
My heart pounded. “I seriously fucking love you, Noelle.”
She grinned. “Do you love me enough to let me put my clothes back on?”
“I’ll have to think about that.”
I carried her to the bedroom. I walked around naked. I didn’t care. Noelle threw a pair of boxer briefs at me.
“We’re going to be late,” she warned. “You have to put those on.”
I laughed jumping into the underwear. “Hold on. I’ll grab the clothes we left in the living room.” I glanced at the TV. The game was in the third period. I bent over to pick up Noelle’s yoga pants when the doorbell rang.
I wasn’t expecting anyone. I opened the door.
“Mr. Novak, you’ve been a hard man to track down.” A man with a gray mustache and brown glasses stood in the hallway. His suit was rumpled.
“And you are?” He didn’t look like a salesman. There was a policy about solicitors in the building. It made me wonder how he made it to my apartment.
He shoved a business card in my hand. I swallowed when I saw the NHL logo. “I’m Stone Adams with the NHL. Can I come in?”
I looked down at my bare chest and legs. I was at the door in my underwear.
“It’s not a good time. I’m in the middle of something.” Who the hell did he think he was showing up at my door like this?
“I can wait for you to get dressed,” he stated. “I traveled from New York to see you. It’s an investigative matter.”
“I have company.” I gritted my teeth. “I can’t talk.”
His mustache twitched when he exhaled. “Okay. I’m staying at the Marriot. Can we meet for breakfast?”
Breakfast was supposed to be with my new family in the morning. I was committed to Phoebe witnessing me drinking coffee in the kitchen, and watching cartoons on the sofa.
“I have practice,” I lied.
“I can meet you at the arena. I’ll work with your schedule.”
“No.” I shook my head. “Is this your number?” I pointed to the card.
“That’s my cell.”
“I’ll call you when I’m free tomorrow. I’ll come to you. Don’t show up at the arena,” I warne
d.
“It seems like you already know what this is about.” His eyebrows moved in unison with his mustache.
“I know I don’t like bringing distractions to the ice. I’ll see you at your hotel, Mr. Adams.”
“I look forward to our meeting. Have a good night.” He walked toward the elevator and I slammed the door.
“Who was that?” Noelle padded toward me in only a shirt.
“Salesperson.” The pit in my stomach hardened. I didn’t want to lie to her. There was no way I could tell her this. Not tonight.
“Can I have my pants?” She pointed to my hand. “I didn’t pack anything else that matches this top.”
“Right.” I handed them to her absently.
“Are you okay?” She stepped into them and pulled them to her waist. I watched as she tucked in her shirt.
“Tired. But hungry.” I waggled my eyebrows. I caught her in my arms and buried my lips in her neck. Noelle squealed.
“We need to get out of this apartment.”
“Why?” I asked. “I like you in my bed. In my tub. Against my wall.”
She pushed against my chest. “Don’t you want to tell Phoebe our news?”
I smiled. “Yes. I really do. Let’s get packed and take that kid some dinner.”
Noelle reached on her tip toes and kissed my cheek. “Thank you for caring about her too.”
“You know it’s more than that, right?” I stopped her in the hallway. “I would do anything for her. I’ve known from the beginning she was a part of you. And I think it just made me fall for you more.”
“Full confession here.”
I waited for what she was about to say. Did she know something about Stone Adams? Had the story from the Ice leaked?
“Go ahead.”
“You know how I told you I stopped dating over a year ago?”
“Yes.”
“The main reason was because of Phoebe. I’d go on a few dates and when they found out I had a daughter they broke things off. It didn’t matter if it was five dates or one, no man could handle the two of us. No man until you, Jack.”
I felt my chest burn and fill with air.
“Let’s go tell her.” That little girl deserved to know there was a man who loved her and her mother.
30
Jack
It wasn’t easy to extract myself from Noelle’s kitchen. Phoebe made faces on her pancakes with blueberries and syrup. Noelle played their favorite dance playlist. I joined in. I stepped back. I wanted to be a part of it as much as I wanted to see how those two clicked.
“I have some things I need to take care of for the team,” I announced while they giggled through a Taylor Swift song.
“What?” Noelle stopped dancing abruptly. “I thought we were going to spend the day together.”
“I’ll be back. It’s some team business I need to handle. It won’t take long.”
“You work on Sunday?” Phoebe scrunched her nose.
“Sure. Hockey takes a lot of practice and ice time. I do have two games this week, kid.”
“Can I go?” She jumped in the air, bumping into a chair.
“Phoebe,” Noelle warned. “We can’t go to every Dires game.”
“Why not? You said last night that Jack is in our family. I want to go to the games.”
I chuckled. “I think you have school. Isn’t that right?” I glanced at Noelle. She smiled.
“Yes. Hockey games on a school night are out of the question.”
“Plus, one of them is in Chicago. I’ll be gone for two days.”
“You will?” Noelle looked surprised. “That’s this week. Oh.”
“There aren’t many games left until playoffs. It’s going to be crazy for a while.” I’d never had to worry about my schedule. It never mattered to anyone if I was home or away. That wasn’t true any longer. My life was connected to someone else’s now.
“I guess so.” Noelle leaned against the counter.
“What is it?”
“I just remembered the museum.” Her eyes flashed with pain. “That last place I want to be this week is work.”
Shit. “Don’t go.” I rubbed her arms.
“I can’t do that. They’ll lose the funding. Charlie was clear about that. My co-workers care more about the leaky roof than they do about whether I become indebted to that psycho.”
I didn’t like the asshole. I’d help Noelle deal with him as soon as made sure Stone Adams was out of town.
I kissed her on the forehead. “Let me go take care of this stuff and I’ll be back. We’ll figure something out.”
“Okay. We have pancake batter to clean up. We’ll be here.”
I grabbed my keys and paused in the doorway. The music was loud again. Phoebe was spinning in her cape.
* * *
Stone Adams folded a newspaper in half as I approached his table. “Care to order?” he asked. “I got a recommendation to try the pancakes. Buttermilk.” His mustached twitched. “I’m sure I could flag down my waiter.
“I already ate.” I pulled out a chair and sat across from him.
“Coffee then?”
“Sure.”
He waved a young man in our direction and asked him to bring a pot of coffee and an extra cup and saucer for me.
The restaurant located inside the hotel was busier than I expected.
“I’ve been with the NHL for almost ten years,” he ran through his bio. “It has happened a few times, but not much.”
“What’s that?”
“When I have had to chase down a player as part of an investigation.” He slapped the newspaper on top of the empty place setting.
“I’m not part of the Ice organization. I hate what they’re going through, I really do, but it’s not my team anymore.”
Stone peered at me. “I don’t need to discuss the merits of the investigation with you. It doesn’t matter if you played for them one day ten years ago. I have a series of questions to ask. Can we do that? I’d like to start the interview. You’ve been less than cooperative, Mr. Novak.”
“What happens to my answers?”
He cocked his head sideways. “What do you mean?”
“Who sees them? Where do they go from here?” I had a right to know how confidential the conversation was.
“This is an internal investigation within the league. The statements I take aren’t released publicly. I don’t know if criminal charges are going to be filed.”
“And if they are?” I pressed.
“The authorities involved will conduct their own investigation. They will decide if you’re a witness worth interviewing.”
I huffed. “You think I’m a witness worth interviewing.” I had an uneasy feeling.
“All employees of the Milwaukee Ice have been interviewed,” he stated. “You’re the last. The very last.”
I rolled the words around in my head. I wanted to stay away from this story. I didn’t want anything to do with it. I had cut ties with Coach as soon as I heard what he had done. Wasn’t that enough?
Stone flipped open a notepad to a blank sheet of paper. He scribbled a number one on the top line.
“I’m going to start with the same question I ask everyone.” He looked straight into my eyes. “Did you ever see Tom Felt sexually assault a woman at any point when you were an employee of the Milwaukee Ice either during or after working hours?”
“No. God no.” I shook my head.
“That’s the toughest one,” he noted. “Did you see Tom Felt interact sexually or romantically with women who were not his wife when you were an employee of the Milwaukee Ice either during or after working hours?
“Yes.” I reached for the coffee pot when it arrived, signaling to the waiter I could pour the cup myself.
Stone cleared his throat. “What did you see? I need you to tell me about the instances. I’m going to guess there is more than one but correct me if I’m wrong.”
“I didn’t keep a damn journal every time Coach hooked up. All
right. He liked women. He’d have drinks when we checked into a new hotel. I saw him in the elevator a few times taking a girl up to his room. Believe me, it looked consensual. There was nothing threatening happening. I never saw one girl I was worried about. Never.” I emphasized my words.
“Did the women look intoxicated?”
I scratched the back of my head. “I think there was alcohol, but no one was smashed. They looked happy to be with him.”
Stone copied my explanations in the notebook. “Did you ever speak to the women?”
I shook my head. “No. I tried to keep my distance whenever those situations happened. I knew Felt’s wife. It made me feel uncomfortable. You know. So I’d walk the other direction, or wait for the next elevator. I didn’t want to know more than I did.” I looked at Stone. “I only saw him act like that on the road. But it was in every city. If I had to make a list, we’d be here all day.” I shrugged. “He slept around with girls on the road. It’s just something we got used to. It was part of his reputation. A way to blow off steam. Everyone copes differently.”
“Is that how you cope?”
I glared at him. “No.
“What about women who worked for the Dires? The women in the corporate office?” he questioned.
“He swore when he was home, he was a family man.” I topped off my coffee cup.
“That’s not really what I asked you, Jack.”
I exhaled. “I never saw him.”
“But you heard something maybe? You knew he was screwing over his wife at home? Maybe heard he had kinky habits?”
I leaned into the table. “Look, I flew into Milwaukee as a nineteen-year-old kid with nothing but a backpack and my favorite stick. I had just been drafted by the NHL, your organization. My organization. I didn’t have the first fucking clue about what I was supposed to do other than play hockey. But do you know who met me at the airport and fed me my first American meal? It was Tom Felt and his wife Randi. Do you know who made sure I had plans for Christmas and the Fourth of July? It was the Felts. Do you know who was there when I was wheeled into surgery with an injury that was supposed to end my career? Coach and his wife.”
My nostrils flared. “I’m not going to drag Randi through that. I’m not. I don’t want to hurt his family. I know his kids, man. I know them.” I knew Randi and the kids had already moved out.
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