Underneath It All (Storm Series)

by Carr, Cassandra

  Any similarly crazy thoughts went by the wayside as his phone rang. Sebastian showed on the caller ID of the Bluetooth screen, and Rob put the call through his car speakers, grateful to not have to answer her. “Hey, Seb, what’s up?”

  “What’re you doing tonight?”

  “Nothing, why?” Alaina was looking out the window, and Rob was sure she was trying not to eavesdrop, but in the confines of the cab that was pretty much impossible. “By the way, Alaina’s with me and I’ve got you on speaker, so you can say hi if you want.” Subtle.

  Yeah, right.

  “Hi Alaina. I’m Sebastian, one of Rob’s teammates. I taught Rob everything good he knows. The rest? Well, I did my best.”

  “Hey! I resemble that remark,” Rob answered.

  Alaina laughed. “You guys should take your act on the road. Hi, Sebastian.”

  “Actually, this is perfect.” As soon as the words left Sebastian’s mouth, Rob groaned to himself.

  Don’t embarrass me. I’m begging you.

  “Sarah and I were going to ask Rob if he wanted to have dinner at our place. You too, Alaina.”

  “Oh, I don’t want to intrude.”

  In his typical upbeat fashion, Sebastian said, “You’re not intruding. I invited you.”

  She looked over at Rob, who gave her his best encouraging smile. I guess she has to “meet the folks” sometime. And hey, maybe it’ll even help my cause. “Yes, come with me. Sarah’s a great cook, and I promise you’ll have fun.”

  “You’re sure she won’t mind another mouth to feed?”

  Sarah came on the line then. “Hi, Alaina, I’m Sarah, Sebastian’s girlfriend. I work for the team, too, as a developmental coach.”

  Over the offseason, the team had changed the titles of many of the coaches, including Sarah. Though she didn’t say anything, Rob knew she liked the new title. It probably made her feel more legitimate, though, in his book, she was plenty legitimate already.

  “Oh. Well, cool. I feel like an outsider, though.”

  “Don’t feel that way,” Sarah said. “We’re one big, happy family, Storm employees or not. Please consider coming. I could use an injection of estrogen. You have no idea what wading through the testosterone in that arena day in and day out does to a girl.”

  “You like my testosterone,” Sebastian said.

  After faking some gagging noises, Rob said, “Dude, seriously. We don’t need to know any more about your sex life than we already do. Or at least than I do. And I’m not going to make poor Alaina’s ears bleed by oversharing.”

  Alaina laughed.

  God, I love making her laugh. It’s more addicting than those freaking Coffee Crisp bars I love…

  “Anyway,” Sarah interjected, “please think about it. You’ll save me from endless, inane guy chatter.”

  Rob scoffed. “Inane? My conversation is fascinating.”

  “I don’t even know what inane is,” Sebastian offered.

  “Guys, huh? They drive me crazy, but I love them,” Sarah said. “Six o’clock. Here.”

  Alaina said, “Okay. I accept your gracious invitation. But I’m not coming empty-handed. I’ll bring dessert. I’m looking forward to meeting you both.”

  “We’re looking forward to seeing you, too. Bye.”

  They hung up and Rob looked at the clock on the dash. “We have plenty of time to bring this stuff to the school. Do you need to go back to your place before dinner?”

  Neither Sarah nor Sebastian was aware of his interest in Alaina beyond a professional capacity. Was this their way of setting him up? He’d suspected they were planning to do their best to bring him into the circle of domesticity they existed in. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to settle down, and it touched him they cared that much, but it wasn’t necessary.

  Already taken care of, buds, but thanks for the sentiment.

  “No, I’m good, but I do need to get to a bakery.”

  He grinned. “Keep in mind me and Seb are on our in-season diets. We try to avoid a lot of sweets. But I’m sure we can find something. Or do an extra workout.”

  “Oh God, I hadn’t even thought about that. Fruit maybe? How about one of those fruit tarts that always look so good? Would that be okay?”

  “That would be fabulous. Okay. We’ll stop by the school then hang at my house until it’s time to hit the store.” She said nothing and he hoped he hadn’t offended her. “If that makes you uncomfortable…”

  “I’m not.”

  “I’d never do anything you didn’t want to do. I’m not like that. A couple of my friends had bad experiences with people who didn’t respect the word ‘no.’” His jaw tightened, thinking about Sebastian and Sarah, both of whom had suffered at the hands of others. “Let’s leave the matter at that, because every time I think about it I get mad.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  They drove in silence to the school and recruited some staff still in the building to help bring everything to Alaina’s classroom. Several of the teachers who were beneficiaries of the money insisted on thanking him—many, more than once, and he was sure his face was going to burst into flame soon.

  The school’s secretary, the oldest and longest-tenured staff member at sixty-eight, which she’d proudly proclaimed when she was introduced, wrapped him in a tight hug, no doubt transferring her sickeningly sweet-smelling perfume to him. Alaina turned away, but he caught her snicker.

  Lovely. I might need a shower before dinner. And new lungs. Why do old ladies bathe in this stuff?

  Thankfully, they were done soon after that and when they got to his apartment they had well over an hour before they needed to leave for dinner.

  “Would you like a drink?” Rob asked, moving toward the fridge.

  “Water?”

  He turned back to her. “Yes, I have water. Are you saying that’s what you’d like to drink or just inquiring as to its general availability?”

  “Geez. You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?” Alaina smirked, and Rob snorted. “I’d like some water, please. In a bottle.”

  “Perfect.” He pulled out two then brought them into the living room, where he handed one to her before sitting on the couch, opening his own, and taking a healthy swig. Alaina paced the living room, her head swinging from side to side as she checked the place out, probably not finding much of interest. The house was pretty devoid of clutter and knickknacks since Seb had moved out. “Sit. You’re making me nervous.”

  “I have the ability to make ‘Cool Cat’ Rob D’Amico nervous?”

  “Cool Cat?” He already had a bunch of nicknames—every hockey player seemed to. One more wouldn’t hurt. “Nice.”

  Alaina smirked.

  “Did you see me with, what was her name, Carol? The secretary, right?”

  “Yeah, that was pretty funny.”

  “Ha-ha,” he deadpanned. “Her perfume was enough to fell a moose at fifty paces.” He could still smell it and was tempted to jump in the shower but didn’t want to leave Alaina by herself. It would be rude.

  “You know what’s needed to take down a moose at fifty paces?” She sat on the couch, just far enough away that he couldn’t easily lean in to kiss her. Probably a good thing, though certain parts of his anatomy didn’t agree. “Wow, the curriculum in Canadian schools must be quite different from here.”

  Rob laughed. “I think much of the curriculum is the same, actually, though it appears our schools are better funded than yours are. You’d never see a school like yours in Canada.”

  “Really?”

  “From what Sebastian tells me—remember I mentioned his mom teaches kindergarten up in Quebec?—the location of the school doesn’t matter. Everybody gets funding, whether inner-city, suburban, rural, whatever.”

  “Wow. That’d be nice.”

  “And a lot fairer.” Unable to stop himself, the hand that had been resting on the back of the couch as they talked moved into her hair. “You are gorgeous, you know that?”

  “Whoa, sub
ject change. Gorgeous?” she asked, her eyebrows shooting up. “You must have me confused with someone else.”

  “No, pretty sure I’ve got the right girl. Better be absolutely sure, though. Um, as long as I don’t stink.”

  “You’re fine,” she whispered, watching him approach.

  Rob slowly moved closer, giving Alaina a chance to back away. She didn’t, and with a slight tightening of his hand in her hair, he brought her the rest of the way, then kissed her. Alaina had him under some kind of spell. When he’d first met her, he’d thought she was a frump with a stick up her ass. Now he realized she was just serious about her work. Considering what he’d given up to be a hockey player, including friends, free time, and many experiences others took for granted, like going to his high school prom, he could respect her attitude.

  Their tongues circled each other briefly before she retreated and allowed him to take over the kiss. With a moan, he aligned their bodies, sliding his other arm around her waist. After several moments, his lungs screaming for oxygen, he pulled back.

  Her eyes were wide. “Wow. Do that again.”

  His laugh sounded almost maniacal to his own ears. “With pleasure.”

  Leaning over her more, he pressed her into the couch, and the cushions groaned under their combined weight. Rob put as much weight as he could on his forearms so he wouldn’t crush Alaina as he laid open-mouthed kisses along her jaw to her ear. She moved restlessly beneath him, breathy moans escaping her open mouth, and he felt his self-control crumbling. He hadn’t come in his jeans in years and didn’t relish the thought now.

  But he couldn’t stop kissing her. Like an addict, he had to have more.

  Even so, Rob was determined not to go further, though the gentle swells of her breasts tempted him.

  “Holy hell, honey,” he panted after she dragged his head up and plunged her tongue into his mouth before sucking on it. He wanted her mouth somewhere else at that point, but again forced himself not to rush. Alaina was no puck bunny. They had plenty of time to explore further as they got to know each other better. Rob couldn’t even put a finger on what was different about her, but taking this slow was important.

  His cell phone beeped, and with regret, he climbed off Alaina, attempting to discreetly adjust himself inside his far-too-tight jeans.

  “Everything okay?” She peered at him, her eyes glazed with lust, and he considered saying screw it and standing up his friends.

  “Um, yeah. I set the alarm so if we got, um…,” Spit it out, dude, “carried away, we wouldn’t be late. A great bakery is just a few blocks from here.”

  “Oh, I’m glad you remembered. Someone scrambled my brain.” Alaina stood, straightening her clothing, and he was relieved to see he wasn’t the only one who’d been affected by their impromptu make-out session.

  He chuckled. “No idea who that could be.”

  “Right…” Alaina took both their now-empty water bottles into the kitchen. “Do you have a recycle bin?”

  “But of course. I’m very environmentally conscious. The Storm actually has its own ‘Green Team’ who plants trees and stuff. And every year the guys each make a donation to an organization that helps people below the poverty line. The amount we donate is equal to or above the amount needed to offset our carbon footprint from flying and stuff.” Why he’d told her that he had no idea. He walked into the kitchen and opened the door to the small walk-in pantry. “Right here.” Thankfully she didn’t respond to his unplanned environmental public service announcement.

  Rob locked up, and then they climbed into his truck. Making a pit stop at the bakery on the way to Sebastian and Sarah’s house, Alaina picked out a gorgeous fruit tart and wouldn’t let him pay when he tried. Afterward, they continued to his friends’ huge Victorian.

  Alaina’s mouth fell open when he turned into the driveway. “Oh my God, this is stunning!”

  “Sarah and Seb did some work on the place over the summer. You should’ve seen Seb when he was trying to hack off some of the ivy from the side of the house and disturbed a wasps’ nest. I’ve never seen him move so fast, even on the ice. Good thing he wasn’t that far off the ground. I really think he would’ve risked jumping.”

  Alaina shuddered. “Wasps are nasty. I’ve never actually been stung by a bee or a wasp, but they give me the willies.” She glanced nervously toward the ivy that still covered one side of the house. “What did they do with the nest?”

  “It was a big one, so they got a pest control dude to remove the stupid thing.”

  “Oh, good.”

  “I promise I won’t let you get attacked by a band of angry wasps. Now can we go in?” He nudged her shoulder with his and she shook her head, smiling. If he could keep that look on her face he was golden.

  Sebastian met them at the door. “I’m so happy you could make it, Alaina.” He stuck out his hand and Alaina shook it. “Come in. Sarah’s doing some long word to the salad dressing.”

  “Dork,” Rob gave his friend his standard greeting.

  Sebastian didn’t even react, but Alaina whacked Rob on the stomach then raised one eyebrow.

  He smirked. Yeah, abs of steel, baby.

  “Be nice,” Alaina reprimanded. “English isn’t his first language, right?”

  “Yeah, Rob, be nice,” Sebastian echoed, his gaze darting between him and Alaina.

  The kid was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them, and no way could Rob hide his interest in Alaina. Then again, why should he?

  “I wasn’t even making fun of his language skills,” he said, shaking his head in mock sadness. “It’s how I always say hi when I see him.”

  “That’s even worse,” Alaina said.

  “Yeah,” Sebastian retorted.

  “Kids,” he muttered.

  “Who’s talking about kids?” Sarah asked, breezing into the room and wiping her hands on a dish towel. Turning to Alaina, she said, “A pleasure to meet you. As I’m sure you’ve guessed, I’m Sarah.” Then she regarded Sebastian. “Did you tell them to sit down? Offer a drink? I know you weren’t raised in a barn—I’ve seen your parents’ house.”

  Sebastian gave her an unrepentant smile, and she patted the side of his face. Rob tried to control his envy. Normally it didn’t bother him to see his friends being all lovey-dovey, except when they went too far with the cuteness. But as he watched the pair, he realized how badly he wanted that for himself. He’d been so close with Christa all those years ago and had played the field since then, not wanting to go through the agony of another breakup. It still freaking hurt every time he let himself think about it. But he wanted to settle down. The realization hit him like a puck aimed at his head, leaving him disoriented.

  Shaking his head, Rob pulled Alaina down on the couch with him and put his arm around her, which earned him patronizing looks from his friends. Yep, the gig was up. Oh well. As they conversed, he played with Alaina’s hair, lost inside his head, thinking about his recent revelation until she elbowed him.

  “Sarah asked you a question.”

  “I’m sorry, what was that?” He looked up at the woman standing in front of him, tapping her foot, a smirk firmly in place on her face.

  “Wine or beer?” Sarah repeated.

  “Beer.” Rob didn’t drink a lot during the season, but one or two with dinner didn’t hurt anything.

  Sebastian went to the kitchen with Sarah, and Alaina turned to Rob. “I like your friends. They don’t pull any punches.”

  “No, they certainly don’t. Wait, what did they say? Did I miss something?” Rob knew his friends would never say anything mean or disparaging, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t embarrass him like hell if the opportunity arose.

  “You were a million miles away. I thought so. Where did you go?”

  “Nowhere important.” He wasn’t about to share his thoughts with Alaina yet.

  She didn’t look convinced, but before she could press him on the matter, Sebastian returned and handed Alaina a glass of white wine and Rob a be
er. “Emulsifying. That was the big word.”

  “Ah,” Alaina said. “Yeah, that’s one you’d have to understand the definition, in English or in French, to be able to translate it.”

  “I’ve been here long enough that I think in English, but yes, some words…” Seb flailed his hands, “just go away. Pretty annoying.” Turning toward the kitchen once more, he said, “I’ll be back in a second. I want to make sure Sarah doesn’t burn herself.”

  Both he and Rob cracked up, and Alaina looked between the two of them as if they’d sprouted alien heads. Rob explained how the first time Sarah had them over, before she and Sebastian had become an item, she’d burned her hand taking dinner out of the oven and he’d been forced to wait in the living room while Sebastian tried to kiss her and make it better.

  “A true wingman, huh?”

  “Yeah. The sacrifices I make for my friends…”

  Sebastian returned. “All good.”

  “You know,” Rob told Alaina. “I tried to buy Sebastian a ‘swear word of the day’ calendar for Christmas, but he actually didn’t need any help in that department. Apparently hockey players the world over are fluent in swear.”

  Alaina laughed, and Rob grinned at Sebastian, feeling more than a little smug. The man’s eyebrows had practically grown into his hair as he watched the interplay between him and Alaina. His friends had probably expected to have to push the two of them together.

  Nope, bro. I got game.

  Dinner was better than Rob expected. The meal was delicious, that part didn’t surprise him in the least; but Sarah and Sebastian behaved themselves, and he actually found himself feeling grateful to them as he learned a lot about Alaina from the questions they asked, though the niggle of guilt about how he’d sucked face with her rather than trying to get to know her better, wouldn’t go away. Since the team had practice the next day and she had school, they left shortly after nine.

  After he drove her home, Rob walked Alaina to the door of her apartment, shoving his hands in his pockets so he wouldn’t push her against the thing and take her mouth again. I might need to look into a 12-step program for kissaholics if this keeps up.