“Shit,” I muttered.
“I also saw your little gabfest with Cain during warmups. What’s going on, Stratton?”
“Just a personal issue, sir.”
“Well, whatever it is, I don’t want this personal issue affecting my team. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Coach.”
“I know the media is pushing your friendship with Cain tonight, but I won’t have any problem with sitting your ass on the bench for the entire game. You got that?”
“Yes, sir.”
“This is the fucking NHL, not Keeping up with the Kardashians. I’m not going to tolerate any soap opera bullshit.”
“Yes, sir.”
“So we’re clear?”
“Clear as day, Coach.”
“Good. Now go get ready for the game.”
“Thank you,” I said, and hurried out.
Chapter 12
When the game started, it became clear what Tyler’s intentions were. Every time he had the chance, he took a run at me, driving me into the boards or hitting me in open ice. The hits were borderline but legal, and no penalties were called.
Normally I would’ve responded to being targeted like that, but my coach’s words rang in my ears, and I steered clear of any trouble. One time when we were fighting over a puck in the corner, he drove the butt end of his stick into my ribs. As the puck skittered away from us, I said, “Watch the fucking cheap shots.”
He turned back to me. “What are you going to do about it, superstar?”
“Just stop it,” I said.
“Or what? Do you want to go?”
Normally, I didn’t refuse those kinds of invitations, but again, Coach Bednar’s warning came back to me.
“Just knock it off,” I said, and skated away.
He laughed after me. “Fucking pussy.”
Midway through the second period, we both chased a loose puck to the boards. I got there first, and he slammed into me hard, cross-checking me in the back and knocking me to the ground. I was happy to see the ref’s arm go up, signaling a penalty.
“Totally worth it,” Tyler said as he skated past me on the way to the penalty box.
“Fucking asshole,” I replied.
When the third period began, we were down 3-2 and Tyler wasn’t letting up, hammering me every chance he could. On one faceoff, Boston’s center got thrown out, and Tyler took his place against me. When the linesman dropped the puck, Tyler didn’t even try to get it, instead bringing the butt of his stick up into my face. I went down, and had to scramble to my feet to get back into the play.
When I got back to the bench after my shift, Landeskog moved down beside me.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you putting up with that shit? I’ve seen you go after someone for a lot less.”
“Coach told me to watch my ass. Not to let the personal stuff interfere with the game.”
He leaned in close. “You know what? Fuck the coach. You’re losing all kinds of respect from your teammates by acting like a pussy out there. That’s respect you’ll never get back. Put an end to it now.”
I nodded, but didn’t reply.
The next shift, Tyler and I were in front of his net, fighting for position. He brought his stick up hard between my legs, and if I wasn’t wearing a cup I would’ve been down for the count.
I responded by cross-checking him in the chest, almost knocking him off balance.
The whistle blew and the ref skated over. “Okay, both of you in the box. Two minutes.”
Tyler grinned at me. “Want to add an extra five?”
I grinned back. “I’d love to.”
“Bring it on, superstar.”
We stared at each other a moment longer, then dropped the gloves and pulled off our helmets. In the next moment we were on each other, grabbing and punching as we each tried to get leverage.
The crowd went wild, screaming at the tops of their lungs as two supposed friends tried to beat the shit out of each other on the ice. We each got a few shots in before the linesmen pulled us apart and led us separately over to the penalty boxes to serve our seven minutes. All of our teammates were tapping their sticks against the boards or the ice, showing their approval.
I sat in the box feeling my anger rising. The fact that Tyler never gave me the chance to explain was infuriating. Besides, he had no right to tell Sarah what to do. She was her own person and could make her own decisions.
When I looked up in the stands to find my parents, I saw five empty seats instead. They were all gone. I guess they’d been embarrassed by our fight, and decided not to stick around.
That made me even angrier, and I sat there and stewed as the game went on. What a fucking asshole Tyler was, to act like this when the spotlight was on us.
Boston scored to take a two-goal lead, but thirty seconds later we put in a rebound to cut it to a one-goal gap again. I watched as the seconds in our penalties drained away, convinced what I had to do.
Finally, the penalty expired, but we had to wait for a faceoff to get out of the box. When that happened, the old guy in charge of the penalty box opened the door.
I skated out, and so did Tyler, and it was like two minds with a single thought as we turned and headed straight for each other. We lost our sticks, gloves, and helmets along the way, and when we met, it was like two bulls crashing together.
This time we were really serious, and heavy punches flew, most of them connecting. I felt his fist smash into my nose and bright sparks appeared in my vision. But then my fist connected with his jaw and his head snapped back. We both held each other by the collar with our left hands, using our rights to just pound each other. I tasted blood, and I wasn’t sure if it was his or mine. I just wanted to hurt him, and it was obvious his intentions were the same.
Finally, fatigue overcame us, and then the linesmen stepped in, pulling our weary and blooded bodies apart. I became aware that the crowd was screaming again, filling my head with the loud sound.
The ref came over. “Congratulations, boys, you both get the hot water. You’re done for the game.”
The linesmen skated us to the exits leading to the dressing rooms, which ran beside each bench. My teammates were banging their sticks on the boards, and as I went by, Landeskog held his hand up for a high five.
“Fucking beautiful,” he said as I slapped it and continued past.
It should have made me feel good, but the truth was, I felt like shit. Both physically and emotionally.
Chapter 13
Later that night, I sat alone on my couch with the lights off and the television on. The NHL Network kept showing what’d happened during the game, over and over. I knew I shouldn’t watch it, but it was like some train wreck I couldn’t tear my eyes from.
There Tyler and I were, in living color, going after each other in the game and then pummeling each other with our fists. Twice. The announcers were actually laughing at our second fight, how we both decided at the same time to go back at each other. They replayed the interview from before the game, then had Traci McFaddon on live to discuss what’d happened behind the scenes of the interview. She said she’d felt an undercurrent of discomfort between us, but had no idea it would result in two fights on the ice.
To make my night even crappier, we lost the game, with Boston scoring an empty-net goal in the final minute to make it 5-3. Coach didn’t say anything to me after the game, but Landeskog pulled me to the side and said he was proud of me for sticking up for myself. He said he’d talk to Coach Bednar on my behalf.
But as I sat in the dark, illuminated only by my TV, none of that mattered. All I could think about was losing my best friend. And about Sarah. Perhaps my friendship with Tyler could be salvaged if I promised to stay away from his sister. But did I really want to do that? My time with her had been special last night, and not just because of the sex. It was as if I’d discovered a different part of someone I’d known all my li
fe. But did I want to lose my relationship with Tyler over her? It was all so confusing.
I was thinking about turning off the TV and going to bed, when the doorbell rang. The first thing I thought of was reporters. They usually left you alone at home, but what happened tonight wasn’t usual, and maybe one of them was looking for a scoop. I went to the door and looked out through the peephole.
Surprised by what I saw, I quickly opened the door.
“Sarah?” I said.
“Hey, Luke,” she replied. She was wearing another pair of tight jeans – these ones black instead of blue – and a red blouse this time.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I thought you told me to come over tonight.”
“Yeah, but after what happened, I don’t think it’s such a good idea.”
“We need to talk.”
“Can we talk tomorrow?”
“No. We all won’t be here tomorrow.”
I gave her a confused look. We? Where are you going?”
“Not me. Tyler.”
“Tyler?”
“He drove me here. He’s in the car.”
I looked over her shoulder at an SUV parked in the driveway I hadn’t noticed before.
“Tyler’s here?”
“Yeah. And he’s flying back to Boston tomorrow.”
“Why’s he here?”
“Because I asked him to.”
“If he’s here to fight some more, he’s already got some of my blood.” I pointed to the bridge of my nose, which had a nice scab forming.
She gave me a slight smile. “He looks worse than you do.”
“What’s going on, Sarah?”
“He and I thrashed it out. We had a nice long talk, and I finally got it to sink into his thick skull that I’m not just a hockey ho to you.”
“He was an idiot to think that.”
“He was just going by what Lori told him. I was too stubborn to talk to him when he asked me about it, so he had very little information to go on. And despite him being pissed at me for most of his childhood, he’s very protective of me. It was just his natural reaction.”
I sighed. “He couldn’t have picked a worse night to go crazy big brother. Have you seen the news?”
“Yeah, we watched it. He’s not happy.”
“Why’s he waiting in the car?”
“Because he doesn’t want you punching him anymore. So I came first to cool you down. Are you cool?”
“Yeah, I’m cool.”
“Can I bring him in?”
“Yeah.”
She went back to the car, and I left the door open and turned on some lights after turning off the TV. They appeared in the doorway, with Sarah holding his hand and dragging him through the door. He closed it behind him.
We stood there staring at each other for a long moment, neither of us speaking. His face did look worse than mine, with the beginnings of a black eye and a swollen lip.
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Would both of you please put your dicks back in your pants and say something?”
Tyler sighed. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I replied.
“I guess we really fucked up,” he said.
“Yeah, I guess we did.”
“Coach yelled at me. Said he was thinking about sending me down to the minors.”
I winced. “That sucks.”
“How about you?”
“Coach didn’t talk to me after the game, but Landeskog said he’d back me up.”
“He seems pretty cool.”
“Yeah, he’s a good captain. The players really like him.”
“Look,” Tyler said, “Sarah and I had a long talk, and she convinced me I was taking this wrong.”
“I’d never do anything to hurt her. You know that.”
“I know, but my protective sense kicked in. I’ve seen you with… I mean, you and I have done things together, with girls. I thought it was just more of that.”
I shook my head. “It’s not like that at all, I promise. And I’m sorry we went behind your back, but it happened so quickly.”
“Sarah told me she’s had a crush on you for a long time. Even back when we were kids.”
I smiled. “Who would’ve thought it, huh?”
“He smiled back. “Yeah. How about you?”
“What about me?”
“Did you have feelings for her? Growing up I mean?”
“Other than her being an annoying little brat?”
He grinned. “Yeah, she was that, wasn’t she?”
“The worst.”
Sarah folded her arms and frowned. “Hey, I’m standing right here. We all get the point.”
Tyler and I laughed, and suddenly, everything was right between us again.
I stepped forward and offered my friend my hand. He took it and squeezed it tightly.
“Sorry,” I said.
“I’m sorry too,” he replied.
“So we’re good?”
“Yeah, we’re good. But, Luke?”
“Yeah?”
“She’s still my sister, so if you ever hurt her, it’s back on, and there won’t be a hockey game involved next time.”
I met his gaze. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”
Sarah stepped closer. “Good god, you two are getting testosterone all over the carpet. Are we done here?”
Tyler and I grinned at each other as we finished our handshake.
“We’re done,” I said.
Sarah slid her arm up around Tyler’s shoulder. “Thanks for the ride, brother. You can go back to your hotel now.”
I looked at them with confusion. “Thanks for the ride?”
Sarah looked at me. “Yeah. He drove me here, so you can drive me home.”
“Oh.” I looked at Tyler, searching for any sign that he was upset about his sister staying with me. I found none.
He gave me a grin. “Make sure she gets home at a reasonable time.”
I glanced at the clock. It was quarter to one. Way past reasonable already.
“I will,” I replied.
He gave Sarah a hug, then left through the front door, leaving us alone. I turned my attention to Sarah.
She pre-empted my next question.
“My parents think I’m spending the night at my best friend’s house. I told them I was upset and needed some time alone.”
I nodded. “I see.”
She smiled. “You asked me to come over, and here I am.”
“Thanks for smoothing things out with Tyler.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about my brother anymore tonight.”
“What do you want to do then?”
She smiled. “Where’s your bedroom?”
Chapter 14
We shed our clothes as we made our way up the stairs and then down the hall to my bedroom. By the time we got there, I was in my boxers and she was down to her bra, panties, and one sock.
She practically dragged me into the room, then stepped into me, arching her body against mine as she tilted her head back, staring up at me with sultry eyes. The invitation was obvious, and I accepted it, leaning down to capture her mouth with mine.
We kissed passionately, our tongues dancing together as my cock surged to full hardness against her stomach, stretching the thin material of my underwear. She moved one hand up to the back of my head and grasped my hair, our kiss intensifying by the second.
I slid my hands down her back to grip her ass tightly and hold her against me. She groaned into my mouth and hopped up on me, wrapping her legs around my waist and grinding her pussy against the hard shaft of my erection.
Her lithe body felt so light in my arms, and I carried her to the bed and fell onto it. Using my arm to break our fall, I landed on top of her and between her legs. A soft “Oomph’ escaped her lips, and then we were kissing again with my weight pinning her to the bed.
I managed to unhook her bra, and when I pulled it off, I stared down at her breasts hungrily,
taking in the untanned mounds topped by stiff cherry nipples and swollen areolas. She was incredible.
She reached between us and pulled out the elastic waistband of my boxers, allowing my cock to spring free, arching out rigidly from my groin. She took it in her hand, holding it around the middle of the shaft and stroking it gently.
I moved my hand between her legs and hooked my fingers under the elastic edge of her panties. I slid my fingers across, feeling her delicate pubic hairs tickling my skin as I gripped the entire crotch of her underwear and pulled. She lifted her butt and moved her knees closer, allowing me to yank her panties from her body. She whimpered softly from my aggressive action as I stared down again, taking in the wonderful sight of her exposed pussy, where her mound and puffy outer lips were covered with a delicate layer of fine red hair.
I removed my boxers and then moved back between her legs, pressing the base of my shaft against her vertical furrow. I could feel her inner heat and wetness as the front of my dick pushed apart her swollen outer lips.
“Uhhhh,” she groaned as our intimate skin touched.
“I owe you something,” I said, giving her a slight smile.
She shook her head. “No, not now. I need you inside of me.”
I lifted my hips and rotated them, bringing the head of my cock down against the base of her slit. I nudged the tip forward, parting her outer labia slightly.
“Yesss,” she breathed as I felt her hot slickness begin to coat my engorged skin.
She lifted her knees and moved her legs up around me, wrapping her calves around the backs of my thighs. This caused her pussy to tilt upward, offering it to my straining cock.
I flexed my hips, and we both cried out in pleasure as several inches of my hardness sank into her. She was tight and hot and slick inside, and I couldn’t believe how good it felt.
I backed up slightly and then flexed again, sliding deeper into her upturned pussy, forcing apart her grasping inner walls with my blunt knob. This time I didn’t stop, feeling her legs tighten around me, urging me deeper.
I continued to press downward, plunging my solid erection into her, stretching out her inner walls as they molded around my contours. Her copious juices coated me, allowing my dick to overcome her tight constriction and slide deeper and deeper.
Growing up with the Sitter Page 7