Blindsided: Renegades 7 (The Renegades Series)

by Melody Heck Gatto

  “Oh yeah?” Sam tilted his head and wrinkled up his face.

  “Yeah. You know I worry, and it got the better of me last night. So I didn’t sleep well, and I think she picked up on it. She woke up multiple times calling for you.” As soon as the words fell out of her mouth, she wished she could’ve put them back in. He needed to concentrate on his game during the season, not worry about them. And he was especially defensive when she worried about injuries.

  Quickly, she tried to change the subject. “This morning wore her out, too. Her and me both. We went swimming in the pool and then played out in the sun and sand for a while. There were a few surfers out when we got on the beach, and Willow couldn’t take her eyes off them. You should’ve seen her and Ian pretending to surf; it was hysterical.”

  Sam’s smile was back, this time proud. “That’s my girl. A natural just like her old man.”

  “Yeah, well, when she wants to try the real thing that’s all you, babe.” Trina smiled, thinking about when she first met him and she’d assumed he was just some surfer-boy. But the thought of him and Willow out there in the water—that was a sight she couldn’t wait to see. “We all took a long walk down the beach and then had a nice picnic lunch.” She scrunched her face up to show how un-fun it actually was. Picnic lunches sound wonderful—unless you’re having them with two toddlers.

  Sam got her meaning immediately, and his laughter filled her ears. “Lots of sand in the food?”

  “With Miss Willow, you know it! But Ian wasn’t much better.”

  His face dropped for only a minute, and even though he recovered into a sad smile, she still caught it. “I wish I was there with her. I like seeing her experience new things.”

  Trina learned a long time ago that the secret of being a good professional hockey league wife was to never show them how unhappy you were that they weren’t able to be with you. Whether it was a long road trip, or back-to-back games and practices. Missed birthdays or holidays. Always put on a smile and tell them you’re okay, no matter how much you weren’t. I wish you were here too, babe. “Don’t worry. We’ll do the beach together this summer.”

  Tyler had missed plenty of family functions after he left for the Professional Hockey League, so she was used to it before she married Sam. But adding Willow to the mix made things completely different.

  “I hear that she and Ian are getting along famously.” A defensive look crossed his face. Ian was Kris and Kat’s son. Willow was still a toddler, and Sam was already getting protective of his baby girl.

  “Simmer down there, Papa Bear.” Trina stifled a laugh. It was cute that he felt the need to protect his daughter. Well, it was cute now. But this kid was going to have a hell of a time keeping a boyfriend when she was older, with Daddy the hockey player always trying to scare them away.

  “It’s not funny; it’s my job to protect her.” But Sam couldn’t hold a smile back from forming on his face.

  Trina ran her finger over the screen, wishing she could touch his face for real. “It’s nice to see that sexy smile, babe.” She paused, trying to find the right words, until she finally just blurted out, “I think with everything that went on, maybe we should come home.”

  “Don’t come home on my account. I told you, I’m fine.” His voice was strained. Trina knew he wasn’t being completely honest, but maybe it wasn’t as bad as her mind was conjuring up.

  “But,” she scrambled, trying to come up with reasons other than his health to come home, “I can’t wait much longer to see you. I miss you. We both do. Plus, I need to be with you and run my fingers through that soft, shaggy hair of yours. Look how long it’s getting. You know I like that.”

  She didn’t have to lie about that. His hair had been shaggy when she met him, surfer-boy shaggy, and she liked it then as much as she did now.

  “I know, babe. Trust me, I can’t wait until you’re home either. But you girls are only there for a few more days, right?”

  Trina shrugged. He wasn’t wrong, but it didn’t mean that she didn’t want to be in his arms right now. Even a few more days was too long a wait. “Yeah. We’re leaving on Monday.”

  “Just enjoy your last few days of vacation before coming back here to the chilly weather of Pittsburgh. You ladies deserve the time away. I do miss you and will be anxiously awaiting your homecoming. Give my little sunshine a big kiss and hug for me.”

  “I will.” Trina sighed.

  “I hate to end our call, babe, but I have to go.”

  “Yeah, I should try to get a little cat nap in before she gets up. Give those pups a big hug for us too, okay?”

  “Always. Love you, Tri.” Sam smiled, his eyes soft and loving. If he was in any pain, he was hiding it well.

  “Love you too, babe.” Trina touched her first two fingers to her lips, then pressed them on the screen. He gave her a flirty smile before his image disappeared and only her wallpaper showed.

  “Do you think he’s okay?” Trina asked. She pulled the suntan lotion from her bag and reapplied it to her skin, then settled back under the umbrella. It was sunny and hot, a beautiful day at the beach. As much as she loved it, she had to be careful how long she stayed out in the warmth. Her MS hadn’t caused her any difficulty recently, and she didn’t want it to flare up.

  Kat looked at her with squinted eyes and a half smile. “Tri, he’s fine. These guys get beat up. You said he’s acting normal, and the headaches are gone, right? You know that Ty would notice if something was really wrong. The real question is, are you doing okay?”

  “I’m just worried about him, that’s all.” She looked up at the umbrella shading the two women. “And just making sure I’m not getting too much sun.”

  “Tri, that’s not what I mean.” Kat pointed at Trina. “I know you’re worried about your man. But you just seem off today.”

  “No, I’m fine. I think I might have mixed too much beach time and too much junk food last night, so this morning I felt a little woozy, but besides that I’m fine.”

  Kat narrowed her eyes again and shook her head. “Whatever you say.”

  “Mummy!” Willow ran up the beach towards Trina, with Gia and Ian trailing behind. The little blonde launched herself into Trina’s arms, giggling the whole way.

  Trina squeezed her little girl tight and kissed the top of her head. “Did you have fun with Auntie Gia and Ian?”

  Willow nodded energetically. “Yep!”

  Gia and Ian sat near Kat on the blanket and pulled out some snacks from their bag. “Trina, want some?” She gestured with the crackers as Ian rooted around until he found a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

  Trina’s stomach churned. It had been weird since this morning. She thought relaxing on the sand might help, while Gia took the kids down the beach to run off some energy. The calm of the waves always used to soothe her when her nerves got the best of her. She rubbed her stomach. “No thanks. I’m good.”

  “I’m actually interested in more of a meal than snacks. Anyone else up for a greasy burger?” Kat asked, and eyed Trina suspiciously.

  For some odd reason, talk of a greasy burger enticed her. She was known for enjoying vegan burgers and healthy meals. It was something she learned to enjoy when living in San Jose.

  “I guess. After the stress I’ve been dealing with, the greasier the better!”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Sam

  “There are my girls!” Sam smiled and held his arms out to Trina and Willow as they walked out into the airport lobby. Willow hopped out of Trina’s arms, ran to him, and jumped into his arms. Her adorable little white-blond curls were held back in colorful barrettes shaped like animals, and a little ponytail sat on the top of her head.

  “Hey, my sunshine! Did you have fun on your vacation?” Even though his head pounded with a dull pain, he smiled through it, because he had missed his family more than he cared about the pain.

  “Daddy! Yep! Yep! Yep!” Willow screeched as she nodded her head with a smile.

  Pain shot throug
h his head at her high-pitched voice, but he again ignored it. His two favorite girls were home, and that was all that mattered to him. Willow wiggled out of his arms and dropped to the floor. She wrapped her arms around his leg and held tight.

  “That’s what I heard,” Sam said with a laugh, as he looked down at his little girl.

  Trina snuggled closer into his side, wrapping her arms around his middle. Her soft lips brushed against his neck. He dropped a kiss on her head, taking in the familiar scent of her coconut body spray. “Hey there, baby. God, I missed you.”

  Holding her made everything right. He forgot about his head, forgot everything. The only thing that mattered was her, and Willow. Every muscle in his body relaxed as he held onto his wife. She was all the therapy he needed. Closing his eyes, he held her tight, taking this moment in. “I really hate being away from you.”

  “I know.” Her voice was muffled against his sweatshirt. “I do too.”

  “At least you guys had a good time?” He knew better than to believe she wasn’t worrying about him while they were gone. After the hit he’d taken, he was surprised she hadn’t flown home immediately. Even though he knew that the hit looked worse than it actually was.

  “Sure. Don’t we always?” Trina looked up at him and smiled a weak smile, but he could see the concern hidden behind her blue eyes.

  Telling her that he was okay wasn’t going to change how she worried, so he decided not to waste his breath right now. He was just glad she was home, and that’s all he wanted to focus on. There would be plenty of time for reassuring later. He squeezed her again, closing his eyes, wanting to keep the feeling of her against him longer. “I’m just glad you’re home, babe.”

  “Me too.”

  She was warm and soft against him. The smell of her shampoo filled his senses, and he almost forgot they were in public as he held her curves against him. He just wanted to hold her and kiss her, making everything alright. Words would never appease her, but he’d bet his actions could. Then a high-pitched, sweet little voice invaded his thoughts.

  “Me too! Me too! Me too!”

  “What’s up with this repeating thing? She’s like a little parrot.” He hadn’t thought anything of it the first time she did it, but it was becoming obvious.

  “Yeah, she was doing that on vacation. Repeating everything Ian said. I don’t know what the deal is with the three times in a row, but hopefully we can break her of that soon!” Trina snickered. “But she and Ian really had a good time together. Oh, how is Ali doing?” Ali was engaged to Kaden, one of the Renegades goalies.

  “Kaden says she’s hanging in there. She was still bummed she couldn’t go on vacation with you ladies though. You should’ve seen her pouting.”

  “I figured she’d be disappointed, but the doctor really didn’t want her flying. Even going to the games when you’re that far along? I bet she’s ready to pop. I know at eight months pregnant, I sure was. She’s braver than me. We did try to Skype her a few times, but always seemed to get her while she was sleeping, poor thing.”

  “Yeah, Kaden says she’s real tired lately, but other than that, I think she’s been fine. Can you imagine anyone telling her she can’t do something? Kaden had to make sure her mom had taken over teaching Ali’s ice skating lessons, just to be sure Ali wasn’t going to get out on the ice. That girl has balls when she wants to.” But as much as Sam cared about his teammates and their families, he didn’t want to talk about them right now.

  Changing the subject, he did his best to steer the conversation back to his own family. “So, I was thinking, we grab some chicken on the way home for dinner, then once Willow goes to bed, some quiet time for mommy and daddy?” The airport was getting busy and the chaos was making him dizzy.

  “That sounds like a wonderful plan.” Trina rose up on her tiptoes and placed a soft peck on his cheek. “Especially the quiet time, but dinner that I don’t have to cook sounds good, too.”

  “Okay, sunshine.” Sam smiled down at Willow and hoisted her up into his arms. “You ready to go home?”

  “Yay!” She squealed with a little girl’s delight, then tilted her head and squinted her cute little eyes while looking at him. Her words were jumbled, but he got the gist. “Wuv you, Daddy.”

  “I love you too, sunshine.” Looking into that little sweet face made him glad his girls were home again.

  After a nice family dinner of chicken in a bucket, biscuits, and mashed potatoes, Willow was practically falling asleep into her plate. She nodded on and off at the table. Not even an enticing bowl of ice cream for dessert could keep her awake.

  “I think the plane trip home really wiped someone out.” Trina held back a laugh before getting up from the table and gingerly lifting the toddler into her arms. “I’m going to go put her down. I’ll be right back.”

  Sam placed a soft kiss on his daughter’s forehead as she cuddled close to Trina’s shoulder, her eyes half shut and off in the distance as if she were already dreaming. “Goodnight, my little sunshine. Daddy loves you. Sweet dreams.”

  While Trina put Willow down for the night, Sam cleared the table and took care of the dishes. If Willow was tired, he was sure his wife was, too. He knew better than anyone that their daughter was a handful. He wanted to get the house locked up so if Trina was ready to turn in, he’d be ready too. Running through his nightly “man of the house” routine, he locked all the doors, windows and turned off lights.

  Scanning the living room, he tried to decide if they should cuddle up on the couch or just retire to the bedroom. But before he could weigh his options, Trina surprised him, clearing her throat from the stairway.

  She had on his jersey and a pair of bootie slippers. Hopefully there’s nothing else underneath that sweater. His heartbeat sped up and his pants grew tight at the thought. Sam had no idea why the idea of his wife in nothing but his hockey jersey was sexy, but it sure as hell was.

  As he watched her walk down the steps, he didn’t move from the spot where he was standing. He could scoop her up in his arms and carry her back up the stairs to their bedroom, or she could join him on the couch. But she made the decision for him by taking him by the hand and pulling him with her to the couch. Tucking one leg up under her, she sat down.

  “My jersey?” he said, his words filled with as much desire as he could manage.

  Trina faked a frown. “Don’t you like it?”

  “Oh no, I like it. I really like it. I just think it’d look better on the floor.” It was the worst line ever, yet somehow it was all he managed to say. Who says shit like that? But from the sneaky smile on his wife’s face, she didn’t seem to mind the cheesy line.

  “Oh really?” She climbed onto his lap, straddling his legs.

  The jersey lay loosely around her thighs. It was a nice decoration, but what was really important was under it. And that was exactly where his hands traveled to. To his delight, there was nothing under the jersey. Slowly kissing her, he felt desire run through him.

  The feel of her soft skin beneath his weathered hands was like heaven. He dug his fingertips in a little, just to push her closer. His pants were now too snug and they were in the way. He needed her. Now.

  Still kissing her, he managed to unbutton his pants. She slid her arms under his shirt, and her nails dragged over his shoulders. He strained his neck as he attempted to slide his pants out of the way and show his wife just how much he’d missed her while she was gone. Instead, a surge of pain shot through his neck into his head. He couldn’t control the wince that certainly showed on his face or the gasp that came out of his mouth.

  Trina immediately stopped everything she was doing and tensed up. She quickly slid to the side of him, a look of worry on her face.

  This wasn’t going as planned. Trina tilted her beautiful head to the side and a small pout formed on her lips. Her bottom lip jutting out was incredibly sexy, even if she didn’t intend it to be.

  Sam adjusted how he was sitting, his pants tighter now and uncomfortable. “Babe, w
hat’s wrong?”

  “What’s wrong? Are you really okay? I mean, you’re not just saying you are and hiding a headache or any other aftereffects? Are you?” Her pout was certainly not meant to be a turn-on. Her eyes were glossy with unshed tears, and it hurt him to see fear and worry in them. “Because you didn’t look okay a minute ago.”

  Brushing his knuckle along her jawline, he then cradled her cheek in his hand. Trina leaned into it and closed her eyes, seeking his reassurance. “Tri, look at me.” Her watery eyes opened, and she stared up at him. “I’m fine. I swear. Cross my heart.” He raised his eyebrows and drew an imaginary X on his flannel, across his heart.

  The gesture got a small smile out of her, and that was all he could’ve hoped for. But he wasn’t sure she was convinced yet. “I’m fine. It was just a little strain in my neck. I swear. It’s still a bit tight.”

  “Oh. Pinkie swear?” She held out her little finger to him, and waited. Her eyebrows pulled in and her lips pressed together in a thin line of concern.

  She was so damn cute, even if she was worried about him when she didn’t need to be. Not being able to control his need for her, his arousal now obvious, he didn’t want to debate his health. He just wanted to make love to his wife.

  He hooked his baby finger with hers and flashed her the most honest smile he could muster. “Pinkie swear.”

  Still holding her cheek in his hand, he drew her face to his, while gently sliding her back onto his lap. She settled in, wrapping her legs around him. Feeling her warmth through his jeans, he grew harder and his pants grew even tighter.

  His hands traveled over her thighs and hips until he cupped her perfectly round ass in his hands. His breathing grew labored as he ran his hands under the jersey and over her naked body. Her skin was soft, and her nipples at attention. Damn, I missed her.

  His lips found the space between her neck and shoulder. Her hair smelled like vanilla, and her skin tasted like her sweet perfume. She must’ve missed him too, because her hips were grinding on him, and his name rolled off her lips in a whisper when his teeth slid over her skin.