The Stick Handler

by Fox, Cathryn

The driver climbs in and pulls in to traffic before I can get out. “I wanted to talk to you, to make sure you came to your senses.”

  “She didn’t tell me,” I say. Shit, was her change in behavior because Ari had called? “What did you say to her?”

  “I just told her that I had a change of heart and wanted you back.”

  “Fuck, Ari, why would you do that?”

  Her face twists into a cruel grin. “Because I’m sick of her. Sick of the way she looks at you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, come on. Don’t tell me that you don’t how much she loves you. Everyone knows it, Luke. It’s rather embarrassing for her. I mean look at her and look at me. There’s no comparison.”

  I shake my head, hardly able to believe what I’m hearing. “You’re right, there isn’t.”

  That brings a smile to her face, and she snuggles in closer. “Don’t worry about her. I straightened her out and told her that she would never be anything more than your tomboy friend.”

  Unable to spend one more minute in this car with her, I look at the driver and say, “Pull over.”

  Ari sits up straight. “Don’t you dare, Luke!”

  “We’re done, Ari.” Oh, Jesus Christ, this is such a mess. Katee must think I love Ari, and why wouldn’t she? I never should have agreed to Ari’s terms; I should have been honest with Katee right from the beginning. But I was too much of a chicken shit, worried that I’d mess things up between us. But I went right ahead and did that anyway. Fuck man, how the hell am I going to make this right between us?

  “I’ll ruin you,” she shouts at me.

  “Fine, but if you do anything to hurt Katee, you’ll be sorry.”

  16

  Katee

  Even though it’s the crack of dawn and I’m exhausted, I climb from my bed and walk to the shower. The spray does little to wake me. Then again, nothing has really woken me up from this haze I’ve been in for the last two days, since I returned from Italy. I haven’t heard from Luke, haven’t checked any of the social sites. The last thing I want to do is read Kari’s blog and find out the wedding is back on.

  I turn the shower off, and make my way to the kitchen for some much-needed coffee. I press the button and as it percolates, I pinch my eyes shut, and try to dispel the images of Luke and me together at the resort. I still can’t quite figure out how a man in love with another woman could be so passionate, loving and caring in bed with me. That night we made love, well, that was the most beautiful coupling in the world and not something I’m ever going to come back from.

  Get it together, Katee, it was just sex.

  Then why, oh why, did it feel like so much more? I don’t know, but I can’t dwell on that. I need to get my life in order and find a way to move on. My coffee maker beeps, and I pour a strong cup and drink it black, needing all the caffeine and none of the fillers. Cup in hand, I walk back to my room to get ready for work. I don’t bother with makeup. Heck, who do I have to impress at the clinic anyway? The clients lay on the bed with their eyes closed. It’s not like I’m going to find myself a man that way. Not that I want any other man. But then again, maybe I should seriously start looking. It might be the only way I can move on from Luke.

  I dress, and don’t bother with a lunch, since I’m going out with Michelle, a co-worker. She asked me yesterday, and suggested this new, pretty swank place that opened around the corner from our building. We’ve gone out a time or two in the past, but we always just grabbed a sandwich, so the switch to a costly restaurant was a bit of a surprise. Nevertheless, I readily accepted. I need the distraction, and maybe I’ll find a nice businessman at the new oyster bar. Lord knows, I’m off hockey players.

  I grab my raincoat, tug it on, and hurry to my car. I jack the tunes to keep my mind busy as I head into work, and everywhere I look, I think I see Luke. I squeeze my car into a parking spot, and greet Nancy at the front counter as I make my way to the back, to my rented space in the clinic. I ready my room for my first client, and get to work. With a packed day to make up for my absence, my morning goes by quickly. Michelle pops her head into my room as I change the bedding for my after-lunch client.

  “All ready?” she asks.

  I grab my purse, and my raincoat, and head outside, but it’s unusually hot and dry for February. We talk about work as we hurry down the busy sidewalk, and when we reach the new restaurant, I’m quite impressed, although the oyster bar brings back memories of my first night Italy, and my throat tightens. But I don’t want to ruin my friend’s mood, so I plaster on a smile and grab a seat.

  “I think we should order champagne,” she says and my head rears back.

  “Why? It’s only noon on a Tuesday.” Then another thought hits, and I lean into her. “Are we celebrating something special?”

  “Maybe,” she hedges, and I check her finger. She’s been dating the same guy for the last few years. Has he finally proposed? But thinking of marriage has my throat tightening once again. I swallow down the knot. I am not about to let my own misery take away from her happiness.

  “Spill,” I say.

  Before she can answer, our server steps up to us. She has a plate with one oyster on it.

  “From the gentleman,” she says and places it in front of me.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mumble under my breath as Michelle orders a bottle of champagne. A very expensive bottle. She definitely has good news. I glance around the restaurant, trying to figure out who would send me a single oyster. No one is staring back, so I’m a bit confused.

  “Are you going to open it?” Michelle asks.

  “No, it’s probably some creep who trying to get laid and thinks oysters will put me in the mood. What a jerk.” I push the plate away, and a worried look comes over Michelle’s face. “What?” I ask.

  “I think you should open it.”

  I eye her. What the hell is she up to. Is this part of her surprise? “Okay fine.” I grab the shucking knife, and our server comes back with our champagne. I take a sip first, then pry at the oyster with the knife.

  “I’ve never done this before. Oh, wait, it looks like it’s already been opened.” Michelle sits up a little straighter in her seat, and unease moves through me. What is going on with her? I slide the knife in, twist it, and the shell easily pops open. What I find inside has me completely confused.

  “What the hell,” I say, and glance around the restaurant a second time, thinking the server made some sort of mistake. The engagement ring inside must be for some other woman. But when I see Luke coming toward me, tears fill my eyes. Is this really happening? I must be dreaming, or at least hallucinating. I briefly close my eyes and open them again, but Luke is still there, closing the distance between us. He comes up to our table, and drops to his knees before me. Everyone in the restaurant turns our way, and a few start snapping pictures, but Luke, private guy that he is, seems oblivious to everyone except me.

  “Luke, what’s going on?” I ask.

  He takes the engagement ring from the oyster shell and holds it out to me. “What’s going on, is that I want to marry you, Katee.”

  “You want me to marry you?” The water in my eyes turns to a steady stream of tears and soaks my face. “I don’t understand.”

  “What’s not to understand. I love you. You love me. I want us to get married and have a family together.”

  I stiffen in my chair, and look around. Am I being punked? “Is this some kind of joke?”

  The entire restaurant goes quiet, listening to our very intimate conversation. “It’s not a joke, although I’ve been a fool.” He lowers his voice, for my ears only. “Ari never broke off with me. I broke off with her. She wanted to save face, and threatened my career. I promised her I wouldn’t say anything. She gave me a week to think it over. I took that week, hoping she’d come to her senses and realize we weren’t right for each other. You’re the girl I wanted to be on my honeymoon with.”

  “But…but you said nothing about u
s being in Italy was right.”

  “I did,” he says and pulls two tickets from his pocket. “Because we should have been in Bali.”

  I choke on a big fat hiccup. “Luke,” I say, trying to wrap my brain around this.

  “I haven’t been completely honest with you, Katee. You need to know that the lovemaking wasn’t really all about me teaching you anything. I was hoping you’d fall in love with me. See how good we could be together.”

  Lovemaking…

  “We are good together, aren’t we?” I say quietly.

  “I wanted to tell you the truth. I don’t like keeping secrets from you, but I was afraid. I was afraid if you didn’t feel the same way as I did, that I would ruin our friendship. Losing you would destroy me.”

  “It would destroy me, too.” I put my hand on his cheek. “I’m sorry about our last night in Italy. I never wanted to be with that guy. It’s just, after Ari called—”

  He presses his finger to my lip. “None of that matters now.” He holds the ring up. “This is what matters. Will you marry me, Katee?” he asks, his voice now loud enough for all to hear.

  I glance around, take in the spectators. “I can’t believe you did this, went through all this trouble.”

  “I would have done it sooner, but it took some arranging.” He smiles at Michelle and that’s when I realize she was in on this.

  I sniff, and Luke brushes a tear from my cheek. “I’m shocked to be honest,” I say.

  “You once said romance on screen is better than real life. I wanted to prove otherwise.”

  My heart fills with all the love I feel for him. “It’s quite the grand gesture, and just so you know, everything in real life is better when I’m with you, Luke.”

  My gaze moves over his face as he looks at me with pure adoration. I take a moment to think about everything we’d been through this last week. I wasn’t a rebound, and sex wasn’t just about teaching me what I was missing, it was also about Luke showing me that he loves me as much as I love him.

  “Is that a yes?”

  “Yes, yes, yes,” I say loudly and the crowd cheers as he picks me up from my chair and spins me around.

  “Talk about a girl who knows what she wants,” he says.

  “What can I say, I’m I know a good thing when I see it. That’s what you love about me.”

  When he’s done spinning me, he slides the ring on my finger, and says. “You know what I love about you, Katee?”

  “What?”

  “Everything,” he says, as his gaze holds mine. He puts his hand on my cheek. “I love everything about you. I love your smile, kindness, strength, perseverance, honesty, and intelligence. But the thing I love most, is us Katee. You and me, meant to be together, forever.”

  Epilogue

  Katee

  Three months later:

  “The ski hill was nice, but this,” I say as I look out over the spectacular beach with the pearl white sand, “this is my kind of honeymoon.” I turn my head to find Luke grinning at me. We’d only just arrived this morning, and the first thing we did was hit the beach and enjoy the sunshine. A pleasant reprieve after all the rain in Seattle. “Then again, as long as I’m with you, we can make the best out of anyplace.”

  He reaches out and take my hand in his. “I don’t care where I am, Katee. Just as long as you’re with me.” I frown at that. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “How am I going to handle it when the team goes on the road? I’ll miss you.”

  “Come with me,” he says.

  I roll my eyes at him. “You know I can’t take a baby on the road.”

  “You’re not pregnant yet,” he says, although we’ve certainly been trying. “Come with me until you are.”

  “I could do that,” I say, as my mind going back to Ari’s threat of ruining his career. She certainly tried. She’d blasted him on social media, and tried to get her daddy to fire him, but in the end, all she ended up doing was making a fool of herself. Her daddy, tired of her antics, cut her off, and the last I heard she was working retail. I feel sorry for her in a way, and I hope eventually she finds what she’s looking for, as long as she stays away from my husband.

  Husband.

  Will I ever get used to thinking of Luke as my husband? I smile as I think about that, and my mind goes back to our wedding. Luke was right, I did want to walk down the aisle with friends and family watching. My mother was so ecstatic, and Luke’s parents, well, they welcomed me with open arms, like they always have. Luke’s mother even whispered to me that she hoped we’d finally see how right we were for each other. Luke certainly opened my eyes to that in Italy. Grinning, I glance out at the beckoning water. I stand, and head toward the waves on our own private beachside cottage, giving an extra shake to my backside.

  “Keep that up and you’re going to get it, Katee Kat.”

  I shake some more, and when he jumps from his lounge chair, I yelp and run into the water. Luke comes splashing in behind me. I dive under, but he’s a strong swimmer and instantly catches up with me. He gathers me in his arms, and presses his lips to mine. I wrap my arms and legs around him, and can feel his erection press against me.

  When we surface, we’re both gasping for air. “This is perfect, Luke,” I say as I glance around, taking in the scenery.

  “You’re perfect, and I’m going to show you just how much I want you.”

  He carries me from the water and takes me back to the cottage, laying me out on our private cabana bed. I shift to the middle, and he crawls between my legs.

  “This side of the beach is private, but what if someone comes?” I say.

  He gives me a crooked grin, and tugs at my bikini bottom. “Oh, someone is going to come. A couple times.”

  A little thrill goes though me. “I never had sex outdoors before.”

  “You’re going to do a lot of things with me, baby.”

  “I’m looking forward to that,” I say and release the strings on my bikini top. A growl catches in his throat as I expose my breasts, and I love, absolutely love how much he wants me. We’ve been having sex like crazy, and yet his hunger for me only seems to grow and intensify.

  He stands up, and removes his swimsuit, showcasing his magnificent cock. I can’t help but stare at it.

  “Like what you see?” he asks.

  I crook my finger, to urge him closer. “You know I do.”

  He falls over me, and his mouth meets mine. I open for him and we kiss with all the love and passion inside us. His mouth leaves mine, and he feathers kisses over my warm body, and I writhe beneath him. My God, the man sure knows how to bring me pleasure.

  He kisses my breasts, nibbles on my nipples until pain and pleasure merge. I rake my hands through his hair, and move my hips, showing him exactly where I want his mouth. His chuckle vibrates through me as he goes lower, and that first sweet touch of his tongue to my clit pulls a loud moan out of me.

  He feasts on me, his tongue swirling and bringing me insane pleasure. My body heats up even more, and the second he inserts a finger, I come all over him. A cry climbs out of my throat. Honest to God, the man knows how to make me come. I used to tease him about being fast, but now he’s the one teasing me.

  He stays between my legs, prolonging the pleasure, and when I finally stop spasming, he slides up my body, presses his lips to mine to share the taste. I slide my hands around his body as his gorgeous cock probes my opening. I lift my hips and his groan curls around me as he slips inside. My body opens for him, and we begin moving together, both giving and taking, loving and sharing.

  I hold my man to me, and my heart is so full, I’m sure it’s going to burst from happiness. I slide my hand between our bodies and stroke my clit, and it does something to Luke. If there is one thing I learned about him, it’s how much he loves it when I touch myself. Then again, I love when he touches himself, too. We rock together, and moisture breaks out on his skin as another powerful orgasm rockets through me. His mouth finds mine again.

  “I’
m there, baby,” he says, and throws his head back and fills me with his seed. I squeeze my sex muscle to keep all his cum inside, hoping this time I’ll get pregnant. If not, we can keep on trying and I’m okay with that.

  He stays inside me until he grows flaccid, then he rolls to the side and takes a big breath. I roll toward him and circle his nipple with the tip of my finger. Goose bumps break out on his skin despite the heat of the day. I give his nipple a little pinch, and he laughs, because he knows he’ll get to do the same to me soon enough. I can’t wait.

  “Luke,” I say sleepily.

  “Yeah?”

  “I think this is my favorite, Luke.”

  He rolls toward me, and places on hand under his head. “Yeah. You like it outdoors?”

  “What I like is making love while trying to make a baby. That’s my favorite.”

  He takes me into his arms and I feel his strong heartbeat as I breathe in his scent. “It’s my favorite too, Katee.”

  I give a contented sigh. “We like that same things. That’s what you love about me.”

  “Oh, you think that’s what I love about you?” he teases as he climbs back over me, hard and ready to show me all the things he loves about me.

  Afterword

  Thank You!

  Thank you so much for reading, The Stick Handler, Book 2 in my Players on Ice Series. Be sure to check out The Playmaker, book 1 if you haven’t already, and read on for an excerpt of The Body Checker, book 3. I’ve also included a sneak peek at Single Dad Next Door, because I’m totally in love with the story!

  Interested in leaving a review? Please do! Reviews help readers connect with books that work for them. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.

  Happy Reading,

  Cathryn

  The Body Checker

  Jonah:

  A loud thump from one of the many upstairs bedrooms pulls me awake. I shift on the sofa, open one eye, and groan. Partly because my place is a disaster after last night’s—all night— party, and party because I have a killer fucking headache that’s blurring my vision.