Delayed Offsides

by Shey Stahl

  My hips rocked back and forth but my movements seemed frustrating for him. I could tell he was struggling to keep still by the way the muscles in his stomach and arms flexed, each time he tried to move.

  I shut my eyes and my body betrayed me. I couldn’t hold back any longer either, the air charged between us, breath panting pleas and demands for me.

  “Don’t deny me, baby.” He whispered in a needy whisper.

  I reached between us taking his hard, condom covered, dick in my hands and then slowly eased down on him. Pure bliss.

  When I arched my chest into him and threw my head back, he groaned faintly, his hips raising into each bounce I made. The sensations moved over me, tingling, hot, spreading warmth through every part of me and into him. His eyes squeezed shut, his head dropping forward against my chest, teeth nipping.

  “Don’t stop.” He begged and I sensed he was close. Already. Knowing that a flash of desire shot through me realizing the affect I had on him. My body curved around his, my hands wrapping around his neck tighter and I ground myself into him.

  I felt his body tense, about the same time mine did. “Oh God, baby…” he groaned, his teeth sinking into my neck. “Jesus…”

  My breath caught as I shook above him, crying out his name as he spilled inside me.

  “I love you.” He kept chanting. “I fucking love you so much.”

  Drawing back, I pressed my lips to his. “I love you too.”

  Leo Orting

  Center Ice - The neutral area between the blue lines.

  After two weeks on the road, I couldn’t wait to see Callie and the baby. He was sound asleep in his room when I got home.

  It was amazing how much he’d grown in just two weeks. At three months old he was starting to look less like a fragile newborn and more like a baby with chubby cheeks and filling out his little arm rolls nicely. He was sleeping when I went into his room, decorated in black and red with little hockey pucks and sticks. I didn’t want to wake him but I also had to hold him.

  As gently as I could, I picked him up from his crib and sat down with him in the rocking chair. He stirred, his mouth breaking into a wide yawn and then he looked up at me, a soft but tired grin present when he realized who I was.

  “Hey bud,” leaning forward, I kissed his forward and then started rocking. “I missed you.” Breathing in deep, I remember that baby smell I thought I’d never find appealing. He smelled like laundry soap and honey, a perfect mixture. “Daddy scored another hat trick last night and two assists.”

  He said nothing, obviously, and was back to sleep just as quickly as he stirred awake.

  Setting him in his crib, I went across the hall where my girl was waiting up for me.

  Things had most certainly changed between Callie and me. Ever since I told her I loved her we had this connection I couldn’t describe. Made me want to kick myself for not telling her sooner. Made me pissed that I had let that word scare me for so long because I didn’t truly understand the meaning of it.

  Only now I did.

  I’d loved Callie for years.

  As I approached the bed, I began to loosen my tie. When I reached the footboard, I pulled on it with my right hand as I ghosted the fingertips of my left hand up her bare thigh. She stirred, the touch creating goose bumps over skin I had been longing to touch for weeks. Her body twisted into my touch, enjoying the sensation I provoked in her.

  “Miss me?”

  No words were uttered as I felt her body awaken at my touch. Instead her upper body rose from the bed, her hands sliding up my body at my waist to my undone tie. Taking a firm grasp, she yanked me forward onto the bed. My hands caught me as I fell forward hovering intimately over her.

  Once she removed my pants, she straddled my hips and began to move against me, with no clothing between us it was easy for her. I was throbbing, hard, swollen, fucking dying to be inside her. Turning her over, my body slid intimately over hers. I wanted to watch her fall apart and give me every breathy moan for only me. For the rest of our lives.

  “Marry me.” I whispered rocking against her.

  You notice that it wasn’t a question? There was no open ended statement there. It wasn’t up for discussion. It was a demand.

  Her brow arched. “What’s with you? You ask me to move in after sex and now you ask me to marry you while we’re having sex?”

  Our lips brushed and then I buried my face in her neck, breathing slowly as I brought my body over hers. Callie and I had never made love. It’s never been slow but this time, I needed to show her exactly what I meant when I told her that I loved her.

  “It doesn’t matter how we started…” I spoke slowly against her skin, my lips moving like feathers, soft gentle touches. “This is us. Passion, desire…love… this is what we do and there’s nothing wrong with that. We created something so beautiful from this heat…I just want to be with you for the rest of my life.”

  Her back arched against me and her head fell back into the pillows, a gasp escaped her carefully parted lips, her palms pressing against my back urging me forward.

  “Talk to me after.”

  “What?”

  “We’ll talk later.” She said again wrapping her legs around my waist. “Now do your damn job and get me off.”

  I liked a challenge.

  Hitching her leg higher on my hip, I paused, trying to regain some sort of composure and not come instantly when she whimpered, clutching my shoulders. “No.”

  I had to stop for a minute and regain control; it was too much to think that we would have this, for the rest of our lives.

  “I’m not stopping.” A shuddered breath escaped me as I fought the urge to move again. “I just need to…it’s been a while. Let’s go slow.”

  She said nothing, but smiled, one side higher than the other as she blinked at my confession, her fingers threading in my hair, a reminder she wanted everything I was giving her.

  She watched me moving above her, her eyes never leaving mine. I couldn’t look away after that either because there was something about the way that stare held mine. As if maybe she was trusting me with her heart for the rest of our lives.

  Me.

  She was trusting me.

  She was going to say yes.

  And then she did.

  “Yes…” she breathed against my lips, giving me those same feather light touches.

  I smiled, pulling back to watch her reaction. “She said yes…and the crowd goes wild.”

  Callie grinned, shaking her head. “And I thought Evan was going to be the one proposing tonight.”

  I winked. “Who’s to say he didn’t?”

  Callie smiled. “I hope he did. She deserves forever.”

  I kissed her, gently, slowly, giving her a piece of me I hadn’t before. All of me. “So do you.”

  I thought there was nothing better than winning the playoffs, until right now. My girl was going to be mine forever. I’d just scored the winning goal for us.

  December 2011

  Metropolitan Correctional Center

  Chicago Illinois

  I never intended to go see Dave again. For some reason I felt I needed to. Remember when I said that it doesn’t matter if people forgive you for things you’ve done or said in the past. Well, maybe that’s why I went to see him again.

  “I hate you.” I said, watching his reaction. “And I know that probably doesn’t mean anything to a guy like you, so willing to just take what you need from others. But I don’t hate anyone. Not even my piece of shit dad. But I hate you because you took something from someone special to me.” I held up the photograph of Callie and me holding Caleb just hours after he was born. He didn’t deserve to see that picture of my son and I’ll admit I was hesitant to show him. Especially after what he did. Would showing him give him a reason to seek revenge on me?

  Never underestimate the vindictive side of anyone. Ever. I knew that but I still showed him because I wanted him to see that despite what he’d done, we moved on.

>   “But you made me realize something I don’t think I would have realized had this not happened.”

  In a strange way, Dave attacking Ami brought Evan into her life.

  Him being abusive to Callie made her see what she was doing was dangerous. In turn, she finally let me in and saw that even though we might be the worst matched couple, we created something so beautiful.

  And then I showed him the one of the ring on Callie’s finger. “And I made this happen.”

  It felt good to say that. I did make that happen.

  I left it at that. I didn’t say anything more to him. Didn’t wait for his reaction.

  Nothing.

  Just left.

  I sat in my car for the longest time, just staring out the windshield watching the rain bead on the windshield. Each drop bubbled and collected more water until finally, it fell. Let go. Where it went from there was undecided. It never went straight down. No. Some veered left collecting others with them while others, simply found a clear path. One that maybe another drop had taken.

  Regardless, at the bottom, it didn’t matter the path taken. All those drops sat in the same pool of water against the wipers. Together.

  They took different routes to get there but they all arrived at the same destination.

  Some held on longer.

  Others fell immediately, the weight was too much.

  I held on for a long time before I fell in love. Afraid to admit it maybe, I’m not sure.

  Now that I had fallen, it was worth it.

  Callie called me as I was sitting in my car, asking where I was and if I could pick up dinner on my way home. She sounded so happy, laughing as I heard Caleb belly laughing in the background.

  She’d recently quit her job and seemed happier than ever being home with him.

  “I just have to make a stop and then I’ll be home, okay?”

  “Yeah, that’s fine.” And then she paused, sighing, “I love you.”

  God, it felt so fucking good to hear her say those words to me. “I love you too, baby. Be home soon.”

  I smiled and hung up and then made my way to St. Gabriel Catholic Cemetery where Ryland was buried. I couldn’t attend Ryland’s funeral because I was on a six-game road trip the day they had in in late November.

  After stopping by the store and getting some lilies, I made the slow walk to her grave. The pain hit me immediately as I set the flowers down on her headstone.

  It wasn’t even the fact that I was here…it was seeing her name etched in stone that sort of finalized it. Her fight was over.

  Reaching forward, I couldn’t help the tears that fell as I traced her name.

  Ryland Sydney Taylor

  6.15.09 – 11.13.11

  Rest in peace princess.

  Drawing in a deep breath, I sat down in the frosted grass, the cool winter’s day whipped around me chilling me to the bone, feeling like my tears could freeze. “Hey princess,” my voice cracked as I brought my knees to my chest wrapping my arms around my legs. “Your mama… she misses you. I miss you. Those damn princess books just aren’t the same without you.” I smiled when the wind ceased, it was as if the world stopped spinning for a moment and I stared at the lilies on her grave. “I wish I could have said goodbye to you… but maybe that would have been too hard.” I brushed my sleeve over my eyes. “I could never imagine what your parents went through every day. The pain they felt knowing that any day your fight would be over. I watch Caleb sleep at night now and I wonder if anything ever happened to him, could I be as strong as your parents were? As strong as you were?” And then I smiled through tears when the wind blew slightly, those flowers on her headstone touching my fingers, as if that was her reaching out to me, giving me comfort in a time when I wanted to comfort her. “I guess you never know your own strength, do you?”

  I must have sat there for another half hour before I knew I needed to get back to Callie. As I stood, I gave the grave one last look, wanting to remember her precious face in some way.

  Smiling, my memory did me justice as I thought of that sweet little girl with those bright blue eyes and a grin that lit up the darkness surrounding her. I never understood that feeling of loving a child, how that would feel, until now and I don't know how anyone could walk away from that.

  The wind blew again and I closed my eyes letting the memory burn bright. “Goodbye, princess.”

  As I walked back to my car, I thought about how much my life had changed in one year and how it was nothing like I thought it would be.

  One of the best hockey players in the world, Wayne Gretzky, once said, a good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.

  I believed now that I was playing where the puck was.

  He also once said you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.

  This was one shot I was glad I took.

  Over the last year or so, I’ve had people tell me, do this, maybe less of that, more of what’s over there. Before long, I felt like I was writing for everyone else in hopes that maybe that’s what readers would want. Maybe then they would read my books and make this dream of mine work.

  I love to write. I have done it every single day for the last four years. Every day.

  I don’t write to make money. I write because it’s my passion and what makes me happy. I publish because it’s a way to make a living doing something I love and can feel good about doing. In my heart I know I was meant to write books.

  Publishing as an Indie Author has no shortage of drama but it’s also self-inducing drama at times. You are what you subject yourself to. I don’t have a Goodreads account (despite what it says. That’s not my account on there so if you message me and someone is responding, it’s not me replying to you). I don’t have Twitter. I can’t. I won’t subject myself to the negativity. It’s draining and all I want to do is write books. If you don’t like them, that’s fine. Don’t read them then because I write because I want to. Not because I’m trying to win someone’s approval.

  I want to give a special thanks to my husband, my best friend, The Boy. You’re so understanding of this dream I have and no matter the setback, you’re still there pushing me forward.

  My baby girl, I love you honey. I hope that by me continuing to pursue this dream of mine that you see, with a little hard work, anything is possible.

  My family, thank you for always supporting me and sticking up for me.

  My friends, I know I’m a little flaky these days and cancel our dates at times but thank you for always understanding when I’m trying to meet deadlines.

  Marisa, Elaine, Janet, Jill, Shanna, Amy, Callie, Erin, KC, Tara, Beth, Kim, Two Sassy Chicks, Three Chicks and Their Books, Sugar Shack Book Blog, Jenn, Ashley, Barb, Tracy, Tray, Cassie, Kelly, and Heather, your support means everything to me. Thanks so much for helping get this book out there for everyone to read.

  Shey Stahl is a USA Today Best Selling Author, a wife, mother, daughter and friend to many. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with her family in the Pacific Northwest where she was born and raised around a dirt track. Visit her website for additional information and keep up to date on new releases: www.sheystahl.com.

  Additional books:

  Racing on the Edge

  Happy Hour

  Black Flag

  Trading Paint

  The Champion

  The Legend

  Hot Laps

  The Rookie

  Fast Time – Spring 2015

  Open Wheel – Spring 2015

  Hall of Fame – Spring 2015

  Behind the Wheel – Summer 2015

  Crossing the Line

  Delayed Penalty

  Delayed Offsides

  Roughing – No release date

  Waiting for You

  Waiting for You

  Wrapped in You – Winter 2015

  Unforgettable

  All I Have Left

  All We Need – Spring/Summer 2015


  The Redemption Series

  The Trainer

  The Fighter – Winter 2015

  Stand Alones:

  Deal

  Everything Changes – Re-release Spring 2015

  A Summer to Remember – Summer 2015

  Curfew – Summer 2015

  A fight card or card is a program of boxing consisting of all the boxing matches that take place during a boxing event. Fight cards consist of a main event and an undercard of the rest of the matches.

  No one uses their home phone anymore. We use cell phones. So when one rings, what do we do?

  We stare at it like it’s a bomb.

  “Phone’s for you.”

  “For me?” I looked at the device like I wasn’t sure how to even handle it.

  Jared tipped the phone toward me, his other hand bringing his beer to his lips. “Anyone else around? Yes, you.”

  No one called me anymore unless it was Jared. He can’t text for shit so he calls. And he was sitting next to me, so it wasn’t him.

  I took the phone from him, more than curious as to who was calling me. “Hello?”

  There was a distant hum on the other line before a raspy voice asked, “Tallan?”

  “Yes… ”

  Another long pause before, “It’s Silas.”

  “Silas who?”

  He chuckled, damn near offended. “Cade… I’m sure you remember, yes?”

  Holy. Fucking. Shit.

  Immediately I stood and tried to get myself into a more private part of the small apartment. Wasn’t really possible so I huddled in the corner between the cabinets and the fridge.

  If it wouldn’t have been so inappropriate, I would have squealed knowing who was on the other line. And then I would have called the person a liar. Which I’m about to. Just wait.

  “No way, is this some sort of April Fool’s shit someone’s playing on me?”