by Jaci Burton
“I pick stuff up here and there. Living with a woman will do that to you. But seriously, have you talked to her about it?”
“She’s not really into talking about the deep shit.”
Drew’s brows rose. “And you are? Since when?”
“I don’t know. I guess since Stella.”
“Huh. Big admission for you, since you were always such a player.”
Trick shrugged. “Maybe I don’t want to be a player anymore. Now I just have to convince Stella.”
Drew laughed and slapped Trick on the back. “Try talking to her, and keep talking until she hears what you’re saying.”
“I guess.”
“Now, enough about women. We have a big game tonight and you need your focus.”
Drew was right about that. He had to shake off thoughts of Stella and put them where they belonged.
On the game, where they were supposed to be.
They needed this win tonight.
After they kicked Detroit’s ass, he’d turn his attention back on the woman who was currently tying his stomach up in knots.
TEN
Stella met Carolina in the club suite.
“You look hot, as always,” Carolina said.
Stella looked down at her black skinny jeans, her knee-high boots, and her green sparkly top that she’d covered with a leather jacket. “I thought I was dressed kind of average tonight.”
Carolina looped her arm through Stella’s. “Honey, you are anything but average. You look gorgeous.”
“So do you. I’m in love with that cream jacket. The strategic placement of those zippers is killing me.”
Carolina laughed. “Of course. It’s always about the zippers for you, isn’t it?”
“All the time.”
They wandered over to the buffet and found something to eat and drink, then grabbed a seat with a prime view of the guys during warm-ups.
“How’s it going with the design stuff?”
“Actually, pretty good,” Carolina said. “We’re on schedule, I have amazing models to walk the runway for me, and we just finished a fitting for everyone this morning. Fingers crossed, because I don’t want to jinx anything, but it looks like everything’s going smoothly.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Is Drew going to walk for you this year?”
Carolina laughed. “Unfortunately, no. He claimed that was a one-time thing last year, so he refuses to be a model for me again. Though the ad campaign he did on the ice was incredibly successful.”
“Of course it was. Hot hockey player wearing Carolina Designs underwear? How could it not be?”
“He did look spectacular on those billboards, didn’t he?”
“I’ll say.”
Carolina’s gaze strayed to the ice, where Drew and Trick were passing the puck back and forth. “Maybe I could convince Trick to model my underwear this year.”
“I’m sure you could convince Trick to model naked for you.”
Carolina laughed and turned her attention back to Stella. “And you wouldn’t mind that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t own the man, or any part of his body. He’s all yours.”
“Hmm, that sounds a lot like you two might have had a fight.”
“We didn’t fight at all. To fight means we have a relationship, and you know I don’t do that.”
Carolina took a sip of water and leaned back in her chair. “Okay, spill. What’s going on?”
“Nothing, really.”
“Stell, I know you. You’re always so free and easy about the men you see. There’s clearly something more going on with you and Trick.”
That was the problem with best friends—they knew everything about you. Or, almost everything, anyway. “Fine. We’ve been getting closer and it’s unnerving me.”
“Unnerving you in what way?”
She gave her friend a pointed look. “Mainly that I’ve allowed it to happen at all.”
“Ah, I see. Because that goes against your standard MO of fuck ’em and leave ’em.”
“Exactly. What’s wrong with me? We hooked up last year, and that was fine and all. Okay, it was more than fine. It was great. But then we drifted apart, and here we are again. I never do this. I never see a guy twice.”
“But, like you said, here you are. Why is that?”
“I don’t know. I mean beyond the sex, we’re going out and doing things. He took me to the park and we went ice-skating. We bought a tree for his place and decorated it together. And then he showed up at the theater today and watched me dance.”
“Horrors.”
Stella slanted her a look. “Seriously. Rehearsals are closed, and yet Lawrence welcomed Trick with open arms. I didn’t even know he was there until we had a break.”
“Maybe Lawrence is a big hockey fan.”
“His partner is, and Trick snuck in there by promising Lawrence season tickets to the Travelers so he could surprise his partner.”
“Awww, that’s sweet. He cares enough about you that he wanted to see you dance, Stell.”
Stella shrugged.
“And all the other things, like shopping for a tree, and going ice-skating together? That sounds like two people who enjoy each other going out and having fun.”
“It sounds like a relationship,” she shot back, then realized her voice had a little more force and venom than she would have liked.
“You’re making it sound like a bad thing, when in fact, it sounds to me like the man is in love with you.”
Stella took a long swallow of her water and sighed. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“So you don’t return his feelings?”
“I do. That’s the problem. The big, huge thing that keeps me up at night. I think I’ve fallen in love with him, Carolina. Do you know how awful that is?”
Carolina shook her head. “No, honey, I’m sorry, but I don’t.” She reached over and smoothed her hand over her hair. “What are you so afraid of?”
She’d never talked about it. Not to anyone. Greta knew about the breakup, but Stella hadn’t even told her sister the real story. At least not what had kept her from committing to anyone all these years.
“I was dating this guy—Vernon—about eight years ago. I was eighteen when we met and we were together two years. It was so intense. We were in love. Living together. Planning a future together. We were both dancers. It was great, you know? He really understood me since we had the same career.”
Carolina nodded. “Makes sense.”
“I thought it was forever. Until he got a job offer to dance in Los Angeles. And he took it.”
“Without talking to you about it?” Carolina asked.
Stella nodded.
“So he broke up with you?”
“No. He just assumed I’d give up my career here and move with him. He figured I’d get another job at some point out in L.A. Like my job at the time didn’t even matter at all.”
“That’s insane.”
“I agree. When I told him I wasn’t moving, he got mad at me and complained about me not loving him. I did love him and I wanted to figure out a way to work things out, but with him there was no compromise. He’d made a unilateral decision without consulting me. I was heartbroken. I love New York, I had a great gig at the time, and I wanted to stay here. He said if I really loved him, I’d move with him. It was so black-and-white to him, when it was anything but to me.”
Carolina shook her head. “Men can be so stupid and egotistical sometimes.”
“Right? I told him I wasn’t moving. I loved New York and intended to stay here. You would have thought from the way he looked at me that I’d cut off his right leg or something. He had the nerve to act like he was the one who’d been hurt.”
Carolina rolled her eyes.
“The breakup was ugly.
I thought I was going to marry him, and instead, he moved away. I lost trust in men after that.”
“He hurt you. Badly. And no wonder you’ve been relationship-shy all these years. But all men aren’t like Vernon, honey.”
“Logic tells me that. My heart tells me something different. I just couldn’t risk falling so deeply in love and letting someone hurt me like that again. Or maybe it’s me. Maybe there’s something broken inside of me.”
“You’re not broken, Stell. You were hurt, and when someone breaks your trust like that, it’s hard to get over. I went through something similar with Drew, if you recall. It was hard for me to trust in him again.”
Stella nodded. “I remember. And if I recall, my advice to you was to fuck him and dump him. Some sage advice that was. Drew’s a great guy and he loves you. You love him. It all worked out for you, and clearly I had no idea what I was talking about. See? I don’t think I can be trusted where men and my emotions are concerned.”
Carolina laughed. “You were just trying to protect me. You were being a friend. And now I’m going to be one to you. Don’t judge all men by how Vernon treated you. If you love Trick, maybe you should give him the benefit of the doubt. At least talk to him about your fears.”
Maybe she should. She’d never told anyone about Vernon. And now she’d told Carolina, who hadn’t made her feel stupid about it. “I guess. I’ll try.”
Carolina squeezed her hand. “See? Progress.”
ELEVEN
They were tied two to two after the end of the second period. Trick’s frustration level was high, but he was trying to keep his focus. They all were. It was intermission, so they sat in the locker room, attempting to figure out a strategy so they could win this goddamn game.
“They’re killing off our power plays,” their coach said. “We have to do better there.”
Coach was right about that. They weren’t taking advantage of the power plays. They’d had three so far and hadn’t capitalized on any of them.
“Their goals have been lucky shots. We can beat these guys. Our strength and stamina are better, so let’s go show them what we can do.”
They stood, and raised their sticks in the air, touching them together.
“You guys are the best team I’ve ever coached,” the coach said. “Now, let’s kick their butts.”
They took the ice to the cheer of the crowd, something that always fired up Trick. With the home crowd behind them, he knew they could win this. Now they just had to prove to their fans they were as good as the applause they were getting.
Drew took the face-off and Trick clutched his stick, ready for the puck. When it sailed away from him, he took off after it, only to skid to a halt when Drew scooped the puck up and shot it toward him. He was right by the net, so he took the shot.
It bounced off the right side of the goal and into the net, lighting up the lamp.
The crowd roared and Trick raised his stick in triumph, more shocked than anything because it had happened so damn fast. They did a quick celebration, then reset. It felt good to be up by a goal that quickly, but there was a lot of time left to play.
Detroit scored two minutes later, tying the game. Shit.
After fighting it out for another few minutes, they came off the ice for a break, and Litman and Sayers took over. It was hard not to be out there, but these guys were just as good. And when Detroit took the puck down to their end, the Travelers defenders kept them from scoring, even though Trick held his breath the entire time. Fortunately, Litman scored for the Travelers, and they could all breathe again. But going up one goal just wasn’t enough.
When he and Drew made their way back onto the ice, he was determined they were going to score again. A little too determined, maybe, because he got called on a cross-checking penalty and had to sit in the box, giving Detroit a power play.
Goddammit. Stupid move on his part. He’d wanted to play clean, not give Detroit an advantage. He divided his time between watching the clock and his teammates, hoping like hell Detroit didn’t score on his penalty.
He knew his guys, knew they could hold them, but Detroit played tough and they spent nearly the entire two minutes playing at the Travelers’ end of the ice. When Kozlow shot the puck to the Detroit end with only fifteen seconds left in Trick’s penalty, he hoped it was enough.
The last five seconds felt like an eternity, but he was out of the box and back on the ice, and Detroit hadn’t scored. He didn’t even have time to feel relieved about that, because they were in a battle with the clock. Time was running out on the game, and Detroit was relentless in their attack. But the Travelers’ defense was solid, and by the time the puck came back to Trick and Drew, they felt they had this game. They were at the net, battling with Detroit’s defenders, and Trick saw an opening. He slid the puck to Drew, who slotted it in behind the left post for another score.
This game was all but over. There was a minute left at the face-off, and Detroit fought hard for it, but time ticked off the clock, and when the buzzer rang, they celebrated hard. They’d fought for this win against a really tough opponent, and the victory was sweet.
In the locker room after the game, they were a few champagne bottles short of a massive celebration. And okay, maybe they were over-celebrating what was only a regular-season win. But they’d gotten a monkey off their backs, and it had meant a lot to them. Now they could move forward with the rest of the season, knowing they were that good.
After media interviews, he showered and got dressed, and he and Drew met Carolina and Stella outside the locker room. That was a first for him, since getting Stella to come down here was like getting her to admit she might actually care about him, which he knew damn well was next to impossible.
Drew turned to him. “So, how about the four of us—”
“Actually, I have plans for you tonight,” Carolina said, tugging on his arm. “Not to be rude, but I’m taking my man home for a private celebration.”
Stella and Carolina exchanged knowing smiles.
“Can’t turn down an invitation like that,” Drew said. “Sorry, you two.”
Trick’s lips curved. “No problem. See you later.”
Stella waved. “Bye. Love you both.”
He took Stella’s arm and guided her down the passageway toward the exit, then flagged down a waiting car. Once inside he turned to her. “Okay, what was that all about?”
“What was what about?”
“You and Carolina.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Clearly she wanted to spend some alone time with her guy to celebrate tonight’s victory.” She scooted closer to him. “And I think we should do the same. Go to your place, order some takeout?”
He wasn’t about to argue with her. Obviously she had something in mind for tonight, something she and Carolina had both cooked up. He was going to play along. “Sounds good to me.”
They ended up eating takeout Thai food at his place, and Stella even opted for a beer, though she complained she’d have to work it off later. She’d taken off her boots and he’d kicked off his shoes, the two of them tangling their feet together as they lounged on his sofa.
He stared down at her feet, wondered if they hurt after all those hours she put in. They had to. He knew all the hits he endured took a toll on his body. Hers had to do the same. Different sport, but still, you didn’t put that much energy into your job without suffering the consequences. “I don’t know. I’ve seen how hard you work when you dance. Seems to me you burn off a lot of calories.”
“Yeah, about that. I’m really sorry about this morning. I was an ass to you when you went to all that trouble to see me dance.”
He shrugged and took a long pull of his beer. “No big deal. I freaked you out. I should have let you know in advance that I was going to be coming to the theater.”
She leaned against him. “Then I would have been
more freaked out knowing you were watching me. It was a nice surprise. Thank you again.”
“You’re welcome.”
She climbed onto his lap, sliding her fingers into his hair. “No, really. Thank you.”
He’d had the idea she’d orchestrated this move to be alone with him tonight so the two of them could talk. And he’d been fine with that, because there were things he wanted to say to her—important things he figured they needed to get clear with each other.
But right now it seemed she wanted to touch and be touched, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to argue about that. Not when she was moving against his body in a way that made his dick sit up and take notice, her long graceful legs wrapping around his hips and her sex making contact with his quickly hardening cock.
“Got something on your mind?”
“Maybe. Definitely.” She pressed in and rubbed her lips against his.
Her mouth was hot, her tongue darting in to flick at his, inflaming his senses, taking his cock to full mast. He lifted against her, needing to be inside her right goddamn now.
He stood, taking her with him, then turned around and deposited her on the sofa, reaching down to undo her jeans. Those tight barriers to what he wanted had to go first. She wriggled out of them as he pulled them over her hips and legs. He tossed them on the nearby chair, and then kneeled on the rug in front of the sofa and slipped his hand over the silk of her underwear. She was already damp. Ready.
So was he, but he pulled the silk aside and flicked her with his tongue.
“Trick.”
The way she said his name heightened his arousal, made his cock press against the zipper of his jeans, demanding to be freed.
Ignoring those demands, he spread her legs and speared her with his tongue, flicking the soft bud until her hips rose.
“I could come right now,” she said, more to herself than to him, he knew. She was lost and ready, and he intended to take her there.
He rose over her, spread her further, and laid his tongue flat over her clit, knowing that would get her off fast. He wanted fast. He wanted her to lose control, to give it all over to him.