Taking Charge

by Mandy Baggot

  Her door opened and Cole appeared.

  “Okay, come on out,” he said, taking hold of her hand.

  “You’re kidding right? You do know how cold it is out there? And I’m wearing a t-shirt,” Robyn reminded.

  “Come on, the more you think about it the colder it’ll feel,” Cole said, pulling her out of her seat and waving a torch around with his other hand.

  She stepped out of the car, swinging the door shut behind her and followed him off over the side of the road and down onto the sand that edged the lake.

  “I’m getting algae on my shoes,” Robyn called to him as he paced ahead.

  “Take them off!” Cole yelled back.

  “Where are we going?” Robyn shouted in response.

  “Keep up. I’ve got the torch remember!”

  The night was black and Cole’s image was disappearing in front of her. She pulled off her tennis shoes and hurried across the sand to catch up to him.

  She rounded a small dune and then stopped as she discovered him in front of her, sitting on a blanket on the ground.

  An emergency flare and a warning triangle were glowing a few yards away from the blanket, bathing the area with light. She put her hand to her mouth in surprise and smiled at the scene.

  “No candles in the trunk, maybe we need to get some, you know, for moments like this,” Cole spoke as she moved closer to him.

  “Moments like…?” Robyn asked as she sat down on the blanket and looked at him.

  “Like this,” Cole said.

  He kissed her lips, softly at first and then harder, with more intent. She rose up on her knees and pulled at his t-shirt. With his help, she brought it over his head.

  “Robyn, I want you to be sure. We don’t have to do this…hey you’re shaking,” Cole said, taking her hand in his again.

  “I want to do it. More than anything,” Robyn said, pulling at the buttons on his jeans.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” Cole whispered, lightly kissing her neck.

  “You won’t,” she replied, taking his hand. She eased her jeans down over her hips, taking her underwear with them.

  He’d been right. If you didn’t think about the cold you didn’t feel it. All she could feel was her heart beating hard in her chest as she looked at Cole looking at her.

  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered, helping her take off her t-shirt.

  He took a deep breath as he watched her unclasp her bra and discard it on the sand.

  “What’s wrong?” Robyn asked, suddenly feeling vulnerable.

  “Nothing,” Cole said with a swallow.

  “Tell me.”

  “Being with you, it means so much…you mean so much,” Cole said, his hand tracing the line of her left breast.

  His fingers, his touch was setting light to something deep inside her that had been hidden away for so long, never daring to surface.

  He put his mouth on hers and kissed her so slowly she thought she was going to die from arousal. The inside of his mouth tasted so sweet, his tongue was so smooth, his lips were so softly swelled she almost couldn’t bear for them to leave hers. But they did leave and he moved his mouth to her neck, her chest, her breasts. She arched her back in pleasure, coming alive in the moment, forgetting everything else.

  She held his shoulders and pulled him closer to her, wanting to feel the hardness of him. He hesitated, looking at her with his dark sincere eyes. She knew he didn’t want to do anything she wasn’t ready for.

  She touched him, drawing him into her, slowly, tentatively. Then desperately, needful.

  He closed his eyes and gathered her into his arms, slowly rocking her toward him. She held onto him, matching his rhythm, almost burning with the sensuality. It felt like nothing she had ever experienced before.

  He slowed, opened his eyes, and looked at her. The passion, the depth of his feelings for her were all there, set in his expression. She wanted to share everything with him, forever. He leaned her back until she was laid on the blanket, her hair in the sand and then he moved further into her. With every motion, she felt freer. She gripped his back, wanting to feel him inside her more and more, never wanting him to stop. And then suddenly, without any warning, she was freefalling. It was like her whole body had been dusted with popping candy, inside and out. She couldn’t stop it; it was like being wrapped up in the warmest blanket waiting to be thrown off the top of a waterfall. And that’s when the first wave hit her. She shook. It was almost too much. She screamed his name and she held him tighter, her nails digging into his back.

  “Cole!”

  “I know, Robyn…I know,” Cole replied, holding on to her as she trembled and waited for the next wave.

  “I can’t stop it,” Robyn said as she drifted between sweet agony and ecstasy.

  “I know,” Cole exclaimed, and he drew her into him as he shuddered, his breath quick, his body wet, his emotions spent.

  “Your heart’s still hammering,” Robyn remarked, putting her hand onto his chest.

  “I know,” Cole replied, almost breathless.

  “I think I’m lying on a rock,” Robyn said, shifting slightly under him.

  “I’ve got cramp in my leg.”

  “Why didn’t you say? I can move.”

  “No. Don’t move. Stay right where you are,” Cole spoke, kissing her mouth again.

  “Ow! My ribs! Mind where you put your elbow.”

  “Sorry.”

  Robyn laughed and kissed him. They’d just made love under the stars, in almost subzero temperatures on a blanket that felt like it had seen better days. She wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

  “Do you think we’ll always be this happy?” she asked him as he moved in tight beside her.

  “I’d like to think so.”

  “Do you think when we’re ninety we’ll still be driving down to the lake in Leonora and making out on the sand?”

  “We might not be driving Leonora. She probably doesn’t have that many years left in her,” Cole said.

  “We should definitely get a monster truck.”

  “What is it with you and monster trucks?”

  “What is it with you and wiping your mouth with your ice hockey shirt?”

  “Tightening the lid of the milk?”

  “Eating pasta for almost every meal?”

  “Dill pickles and ice cream?”

  “That isn’t unusual!”

  He held her close to him and listened to her breathing. His heart was still racing, his body aching from the intensity of the moment. He’d just made love to his future wife for the first time and he’d never felt anything even halfway close to it before. Meeting Robyn had changed things for him. Work was no longer his priority, she was. His focus had shifted and he was okay. He mattered to her and she mattered to him, and that was more important than anything else.

  “I’ll teach you to shoot,” Robyn remarked suddenly, breaking his thoughts.

  “What?”

  “I’ll teach you to shoot, so you don’t embarrass yourself at the town turkey shoot in the spring. And can you ride a horse?”

  “I did a bucking bronco ride once. Lasted all of four seconds,” he remarked.

  “I’ll teach you that, too.”

  Chapter Forty-four

  It was match night and Robyn felt rough. She’d worked the roadhouse again and Advil was doing nothing to ease her rib pain. That, coupled with the fact that the Panthers were even more depleted, made her want to just go home and watch re-runs of last year’s Stanley Cup and devour a pantry’s worth of chips. But there were Sierra and Sienna dressed up again and Pam and Bob. She fixed a smile on her face and hurried toward them.

  “Hey! Girls, water bottles aren’t ready, go get them,” she ordered as she came to join the men on the team bench.

  “Made Cole the captain,” Bob remarked as Robyn sat down.

  “I didn’t have a choice, did I? Brad’s practically bathed himself in coffee so he can play, but he’s been drinking again and I n
eed a captain I can trust. Cole’s the right person for the job. Only Brad has a problem with it,” she answered.

  “I was just telling everyone I’ve seen this beautiful wedding dress on sale, it’s ivory with…” Pam started.

  “Pam, it’s hockey. When hockey’s on, we don’t talk about anything but hockey,” Bob reminded her.

  “I’m sure it’s great,” Robyn responded kindly.

  “It’s not, it’s gross,” Sienna informed her.

  “It’s worse than gross,” Sierra added.

  “Guys, we need to get forward a little more, a little quicker,” Cole said to his team.

  “Are you kidding me? It’s all we can do to stop them netting a goal. We’re just not getting the run of the puck,” Mickey responded.

  “We’re not playing like we played against Grand Rapids,” Cole answered.

  “Newsflash for you. Brad wasn’t playing against Grand Rapids and we had Robyn,” Wade replied.

  “He’s losing out to everyone,” Mickey said, looking across at Brad who was catching his breath by the sidelines.

  “We’ve got no one to swap him out with,” Cole reminded them.

  “There’s always, Robyn, she could play under Jon’s name,” Wade suggested.

  “Newsflash for you. She has two broken ribs, she can barely walk without it hurting,” Cole responded.

  “Stuck with it then. What d’you want to do? Go for the win or see if we can hang on for a draw?” Mickey asked.

  “Go for the win, because if they score, we’re under pressure already,” Cole replied, replacing his mouth guard.

  “Henrik, man, you’re getting everything,” Mickey said, slapping him on the back.

  “Come on Panthers, let’s go!” Wade said, skating over to Brad and encouraging him to become more involved.

  Play recommenced and the puck went straight to a Cincinnati Cyclones player who turned, neatly passed Brad, and slotted it under the goaltender’s pads.

  “Shit!” Robyn exclaimed, putting her head in her hands.

  “It was always going to happen,” Grant said.

  The players’ heads had dropped. Mickey was beating his stick against the ice and Brad was on his ass on the rink. Cole was calling them to regroup but their morale had just hit rock bottom.

  “With Brad the way he is, yes it was always going to happen and we only have half a squad. Maybe I could play under Jon’s name,” Robyn mused as the referee recommenced play.

  “Absolutely not. You’ve got broken ribs… you go out there, you’re a liability to everyone,” Bob told her.

  “Jason could play under Jon’s name,” Grant proposed.

  “You’ve got to be kidding, Grant,” Bob said, looking at him with wide eyes.

  “He’s here, he’s sitting just over there. He’s a good player. Obviously he’s been a little short on practice but…” Grant continued.

  “I don’t know how you could suggest such a thing. He shouldn’t even be here,” Pam said, putting her hands to her mouth in shock.

  “Listen, I know what you all think of him, but he’s my son, and what happened to innocent until proven guilty?” Grant asked them.

  “He was proven guilty, Grant,” Bob reminded him.

  “And that DNA evidence was tampered with, I’m telling you. He wouldn’t lie to me, not about something like that,” Grant insisted.

  “Get him kitted up,” Robyn stated, staring out onto the ice as Cincinnati threatened again.

  “What? Robyn, honey, no,” Pam answered immediately.

  “I said get a uniform on him. As soon as he’s ready, Brad’s coming off,” Robyn informed determinedly.

  “I think you’re making a mistake, Robyn, the team feeling is…” Bob began.

  “In a few days, I’m going to know for sure whether Jason was responsible or not, okay? You won’t let me play, Brad’s playing like crap, and Jason’s good. It’s a decision,” Robyn told them.

  “Should I go and get him?” Grant asked eagerly.

  “Yes, Grant, go and get him. Tell him to get all over their number twenty-five. Cole! Watch the space there. You’re giving them too much!” Robyn screamed.

  “We’re swapping out? You want Brad off?” Cole asked, skating up to Robyn.

  “Yeah, get him off. Jon is coming on,” Robyn replied.

  “Who is it?”

  “Don’t get mad.”

  “What?”

  “It’s Jason,” Robyn informed him.

  “Are you kidding me?” Cole exclaimed in horror.

  “Listen, you know I would do anything for the Panthers, right? Well, I’m doing this. Brad’s shocking, he can’t hold onto the puck to save his life, and if he keeps it up, we’re going to lose big time. Jason’s a good player and…” Robyn began.

  “Robyn, I want to kill the guy. You let him on here, I’ll put him in the boards myself,” Cole stated.

  “I don’t think he did it,” Robyn said with a swallow.

  “We don’t know anything yet,” Cole told her.

  “Look, I’m playing Jason. Call it a gut instinct. Just make sure you call him Jon and tell Brad to come off,” Robyn ordered him.

  “Okay, I guess,” Cole reluctantly agreed.

  He skated back to the center of the ice as the referee prepared to restart the game.

  “What’s going on? Who’s kitted up?” Brad wanted to know.

  “Jon. You’re going off for a while,” Cole informed him.

  “That isn’t Jon,” Brad remarked.

  “Look, get over there and swap out or we’re going to get trashed,” Cole warned as Mickey picked up the puck and prepared to pass it off.

  “Robyn, thanks for giving me a chance. I can’t tell you how much it means,” Jason said, preparing to take to the ice.

  “Good. I don’t want to hear how much it means. Just go out there and play hard for the Panthers. I don’t want anything else, you got that?” Robyn said, unable to meet his eye.

  “I got it,” Jason responded as Brad came over to the side of the ice.

  “Jason! You’re replacing me with Jason? What the Hell is going on around here?” Brad blasted angrily as Jason headed for the center of the rink.

  “Get off the ice, Brad, go and take a shower. You’re not going back on,” Robyn told him.

  “This is bullshit! You’re taking me off for him? Him, Robyn!”

  “Shut up! You sound like a five year old who isn’t getting his own way. I’m taking you off because you’re playing like you’ve never held a stick in your life. I’m putting on Jason because I don’t have anyone else!” Robyn screeched, holding her ribs as she yelled.

  “Everything okay?” Grant asked, stepping forward in a bid to be peacemaker.

  “Oh yeah! Everything’s great! Just peachy!” Brad blasted.

  He vaulted the side of the rink and began stomping back toward the locker rooms.

  “What are we going to do about him?” Grant asked.

  “I’ve no idea,” Robyn admitted.

  “Come on Panthers! There’s just over three minutes to go, a one nil loss would be something of a miracle,” Grant said.

  “Go Panthers! Go Panthers!” Sierra and Sienna chanted, waving their pompoms about keenly.

  “Cole looks done in,” Robyn remarked as Cole attempted to keep pace with the fresh legs of a new Cincinnati player.

  “They all do. We need some new players in the squad. Come on Mickey! Stay with him!” Grant said.

  “Pass it forward!” Robyn screamed, seeing that Jason was unmarked.

  Mickey slotted the puck to Jason, Jason turned, laid it off to Henrik, who looked up and hit home, rifling the puck into the top of the net. The light went on, the horns were let off, and the home crowd expressed their delight with the goal.

  “Yes! Yes!” Robyn exclaimed delightedly.

  “Way to go Jason!” Grant yelled proudly.

  “Yay Panthers!” Sienna and Sierra screamed ecstatically.

  The team bundled onto Henrik exc
itedly and Jason looked over at the bench, a smile from ear to ear.

  “He did well,” Robyn said, seeing the delight on Grant’s face.

  “Thank you Robyn, for…” Grant started.

  “Don’t thank me. Come on Panthers! See it out!” Robyn shouted.

  “What happen here? It look like storm come through,” Henrik remarked as the team arrived in the locker room after the match.

  Clothes were strewn about the floor, all the showers were running, and the door of Cole’s locker had been ripped from its hinges.

  “Shit, this is Brad,” Mickey said immediately.

  “What the Hell? Where’s my stuff man?” Wade wanted to know.

  “I’m gonna find him,” Cole said, looking at his wrecked locker and his stuff lying on the wet floor.

  “Oh, no you don’t. I don’t think you half killing him is the right way to sort this out,” Mickey said, grabbing hold of Cole’s arm.

  “I’m just going to talk to him. He’s making things difficult for Robyn. She doesn’t need that,” Cole said, hating that Robyn had to deal with both the Jason situation and Brad.

  “Maybe I could talk to him,” Jason suggested quietly.

  “Are you kidding me? He hates you! We all hate you, actually. Get showered, get dressed, and get out of here,” Mickey ordered him.

  “I was just trying to…” Jason started.

  “Here is my shower gel, you can use,” Henrik said, throwing Jason the bottle.

  The door opened and Robyn and Grant entered the room.

  “Guys! You were amazing tonight! I… what’s happened in here?” Robyn asked, seeing the changing area in complete disarray.