Defying Gravity: An Ice Tigers Hockey Novel

by Isabella Cassazza

  I tug at the zipper, and the dress opens and falls to the floor, exposing what Lily is wearing underneath—or better, what she isn’t wearing underneath. My breath catches and my mouth opens. The personal shopper Tyler pays for Lily’s clothes is worth every penny. The dress must have a built-in bra because I’m looking at Lily’s uncovered back. I should be used to seeing her creamy white skin by now, but I’m definitely not used to seeing her in only black lingerie that hugs her perfect ass, the see-through material accentuating her small yet perfect curves. My dick twitches in my pants, and I swallow thickly.

  I couldn’t help but notice how hot her body looked in a bikini when we were at the spa, and I wasn’t the only one. I wanted to kill those fuckers who ogled her openly, but I can’t blame them. She’s a rocket with her delicate and yet perfectly proportioned body, and I’m a healthy bisexual man. My body notices how attractive she is and reacts accordingly. My dick doesn’t care that she’s my boyfriend’s fake girlfriend and, what’s even more important, that she’s my friend. Someone I care about. Someone who is currently sick and needs my help.

  She shivers, leaning against the shower stall. I’m an asshole to lust after her when she’s apparently not well.

  I clear my throat. “Can you manage the rest?” I don’t trust myself around her. She nods, and I practically flee the bathroom.

  Get your fucking shit together, Fisher, I scold myself. She needs help.

  I wait for the sound of the shower running and then busy myself, preparing a glass of water and fetching the bottle of Advil. I order chicken soup for Lily and chicken teriyaki for myself from our favorite Asian takeout restaurant.

  When Lily enters the living room freshly showered, all thoughts of sex leave my head. She has dark circles underneath her eyes and looks bone-tired.

  “How long have you been like this, Lil?” I touch her cheek. Her skin still feels hot.

  “It started yesterday evening, so I went to bed early. I truly felt better this morning and couldn’t call in sick since Jess has been out for the past couple of days. I didn’t want to cancel on Tyler either, so I figured I’d make it through the day and the evening and sleep it off tomorrow.”

  It’s so like Lily to step in for everyone and meet their needs before thinking of her own. She’s without any doubt the most selfless person I know, but I’m not going to let her hurt herself. It’s my turn to take care of and pamper her.

  “Stubborn little mule. C’mere.” I sit down on the couch and pat the seat beside me. No way will I let her sit in the armchair alone tonight. “Lie down and rest. I ordered chicken soup and made you tea.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Whatever you want, Lil. Maybe later.” I stand up to tuck her in and sit down again, taking her feet in my lap. “I’ll rub your feet a little bit. It’ll help you relax.”

  “Okay.” She lies back and closes her eyes.

  It’s not long before her breathing becomes even and deep while I keep massaging her feet. She doesn’t even stir when the delivery guy arrives.

  I’m devouring my chicken teriyaki when my phone starts buzzing. It’s Tyler.

  “Hey,” I answer with my mouth still half full.

  “How is she?”

  Well hi to you too, I think but keep my mouth shut. Mother hen is on steroids.

  “She’s fine, Ty. Sleeping like a baby on the couch.”

  “Has she eaten something?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “Ty, chill. She. Is. Fine. She needs sleep more than food right now.”

  He exhales loudly. “Okay, okay. I get it. It’s just… I’ll have to stay for another hour, but then I’m coming home.”

  “We’re going nowhere. Are the ladies bothering you?”

  He sighs. “You have no idea. My shield is missing.”

  “The queen always protects the king.”

  “More like the princess slays all the dragons.” He chuckles and then lowers his voice. “I miss you both.”

  “We miss you too. Don’t worry about our little dragon slayer. I’ll take good care of her.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  “I love you.”

  “Love you too.” I hang up.

  Lily didn’t even stir through our conversation, so I turn on the TV, muting the sound. For a while, I surf through the channels, but there’s nothing on that interests me. I contemplate carrying Lily to her bedroom, but that might wake her, and she’s sleeping peacefully, so I stretch out across from her, our feet touching. It’s warm and cozy in the apartment, and my eyes grow heavy before I fall asleep.

  * * *

  I dream I’m in an earthquake. Something is definitely shaking. My brain is still in sleep-mode trying to figure out what’s happening around me when the lights go on.

  “That’s what it’s like when you take care of someone?” Tyler shouts at me. I shoot up, still confused. Then it dawns on me. The shaking. That’s Lily. She’s shaking badly underneath the blanket, her teeth rattling

  I scratch my neck. “I suddenly felt so tired. I swear she slept peacefully earlier.”

  “You promised,” Tyler says through clenched teeth, bending down on one knee beside her.

  “Lily.” He gently strokes her forehead. “Lily, can you hear me?”

  “So cold.” Her voice is barely a whisper.

  “I know. I’ll get you warm.” He pushes one arm underneath her and kisses her cheek while I remain frozen in place. “Can you put your arms around me?”

  She lifts her arms, and I spring forward to assist her in placing them around Ty’s neck. He refuses to look at me as he stands up with Lily in his arms. I trail behind them as he walks to our bedroom and gently places her on the king-sized bed. She’s still shaking badly, and he puts both blankets over her. When he’s satisfied with his efforts, he undoes his tie and gets rid of his dress shirt with hectic movements. Sitting on the bed, he quickly sheds his dress pants and lies down beside her, pulling Lily to his side.

  “Relax, Lily. Go to sleep again. I’m here.” He kisses the top of her head while I’m still standing in the doorway, unsure what to do.

  “What are you waiting for, Dan? Get in bed and turn off the lights.” Tyler looks briefly in my direction.

  I do as he says and slip in next to Lily. His eyes meet mine over her head.

  “I didn’t mean to yell at you. I don’t know what makes me so protective of her.”

  “I know, and I understand. She’s a contradiction. So small and yet so strong.”

  “Yeah. She’s special, isn’t she?” He reaches for my hand and interlaces our fingers on her back.

  “That she is.” I close my eyes, falling asleep instantly.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Tyler

  I lie awake while Danny and Lily are asleep. I’ve watched them sleep for over an hour now, smiling to myself at how lucky I am to have these two in my life. The love of my life and my best friend. The only people in the world who know everything about me. The ones I trust to carry my secret to their graves.

  Lily’s lying half on top of my left side, using my shoulder as a pillow. I’m a cuddler and love the feeling of a warm body snuggled against mine, but certain discomforts come with cuddling for extended periods. Even though Lily isn’t as heavy as Danny, my left arm tingles and prickles like hell, but I’m afraid to pull my arm from underneath her. She needs to sleep.

  I can deal with the discomfort in my arm, but Lily is still feverish, and her body is a lot warmer than usual. I’m glad she’s finally stopped shivering, but now my body is covered in sweat. Unlike her, I don’t need an extra blanket to keep me warm, and with her body acting as one, even my thin silk blanket provides too much additional heat.

  Careful not to wake her, I pull the blanket away from my right side, stuffing it between my legs. Lily makes a humming sound but doesn’t move. I try to throw the blanket entirely over her to free myself, but she chooses that moment to squirm
and runs her left knee over my calf, trapping the sheet in the process.

  Her skin feels silky and soft against my leg, but it’s still way too hot. What to do now? I don’t want to wake her, but I don’t want to sweat buckets either.

  I try to move her away from me, but she scoots even closer and throws her leg over my thigh, her knee landing on my groin. Great. Just great. I look down at her leg. It’s fascinating how different women and men are from each other. While hers is silky and smooth, mine is hairy and muscular, but this insight doesn’t help me with my current predicament.

  I place my hand on her leg, trying to ease the pressure from my groin, but she’s not having it. Holding on to me like a little monkey, she moves her knee even higher and rubs it over my dick. And my dick does what it’s supposed to do when there’s friction—it hardens, and not just a little. I’m rock hard in seconds.

  What the hell? This can’t be happening. Now it’s my time to squirm around. It’s a fucking nightmare.

  I shove at her leg again, but the little monkey still refuses to let go of me, and my dick refuses to cooperate either. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Either way, I need some space, but I don’t want to disturb her.

  While I know that it’s perfectly reasonable to get a hard-on from friction, my mind is reeling. I’ve never gotten hard around a woman. Some have tried and brushed my dick while walking past me or when they were flirting with me, but there’s never been a reaction below my waistline. So why now? I like Lily. A lot. As a friend. But sexually I’m not attracted to her.

  It must be the situation. We’re in our bed, after all. The bed my dick has seen lots of action in. And I’m half asleep and half dying from heat. It’s normal to be confused under those circumstances.

  I exhale deeply and will my dick to deflate, but that bastard has a life of its own and instead twitches against her knee… her silky soft knee. It’s the sweetest torture, and the little innocent sleeps like a baby through my predicament. I think of cud-chewing cows and, when that doesn’t work, my next tax return. Somewhere in between my dick takes pity on me and deflates, and I fall asleep holding Lily in my arms.

  * * *

  “Ty.” Danny’s voice startles me. “Don’t move, Ty. We don’t want to wake Lily.” A hand is placed on my shoulder, and I crack an eye open.

  “Hey there.” He bends over and kisses me.

  “Hey.” I blink. Why is Danny already fully dressed?

  “I gotta go. If you need something, call me. I can come home during my lunch break.”

  “Okay. Why are you leaving so early?”

  He laughs. “It’s seven thirty already. I tried to wake you when I got up, but you didn’t even stir.”

  Wow, I always wake up when Danny leaves the bed. “I had a hard time falling asleep last night.” Lily moves a little against me but doesn’t wake up.

  “Sleep a little longer, then. I put the soup in the fridge, and the Advil is still on the coffee table.” He squeezes my shoulder.

  “Thanks. I might just go back to sleep.”

  “You do that. See you later.” He leans in for another kiss and leaves the bedroom.

  I look down at Lily in my arms. She’s still using me as her pillow, but unlike last night, there’s no reaction from below the belt. Must have been Danny next to her who brought on my erection. We’d planned to celebrate my endorsement deal in bed, and since that didn’t happen…. I’m just glad neither Lily nor Danny witnessed what happened last night. I don’t know how I would have explained my physical reaction to them.

  As if she senses my thoughts, Lily stirs and tenses in my arms.

  “Don’t panic, Lily. It’s just me.” I hold her close even though she tries to move away.

  “Ty?” Her voice is raspy.

  “Yeah, you little monkey. It’s your beloved boyfriend, and I think our relationship has reached a new level. What do you think?”

  “I’m not a monkey.” She hides her face in my side. She’s cute when she’s embarrassed, so I tease her a little more.

  “I think it’s safe to say that you had your first ever threesome last night.”

  That gets her going, and she pushes against my chest. But her attempt is weak, and I easily hold her close to me. “If there’s something like a threesome sleep.”

  “Where’s Danny?”

  “He had to go to work.” That earns me another shove against my chest.

  “Let me go, Ty. I have to call Ryan.” Typical Lily, always trying to please everyone.

  “Stop it, Lily. Ryan already knows. He attended the event last night, and we ran into each other. He knows not to expect you anytime soon. He wants you to take it easy and recover before you show up at work again, so stop squirming. How are you feeling? And don’t you dare say you’re fine.”

  “Like I’ve been run over by a train. My throat feels sore too.”

  I place my hand on her forehead. She’s still a little hot, but it’s nothing compared to yesterday.

  “You need to eat something. I’ll warm up some soup and make you tea, and don’t even think about getting up.”

  “I don’t want to stay in bed. I can sleep on the couch and maybe watch TV later.” She looks at me with her big doll eyes, and who am I to refuse her.

  “Come on, then. I have to change the sheets anyway. You were pretty hot last night.”

  “I can do that.” She stands up and pulls at the sheet, but I stop her. Stubborn little mule.

  “You need to rest. I’ll take care of everything. Go ahead and get comfortable on the couch.”

  She sighs but turns to the living room.

  I quickly take care of the bed and follow her. To my surprise, Lily’s already on the couch, wrapped in her favorite blanket. I’d have bet my next bonus that I’d find her in the armchair. Just another indication of how poorly she must feel.

  I sit down next to her five minutes later, balancing a bowl of soup in one hand and a bowl of porridge for myself in the other.

  “Thanks.” Lily takes the soup and starts eating right away.

  We sit comfortably in silence while we eat breakfast. The only sounds audible in our apartment are the raindrops hitting the roof. It’s gray and gloomy outside, typical for late January.

  Lily’s finished eating and is about to lie down again when a phone rings in the hallway.

  It’s Lily’s.

  “I’ll get it.” Her bag is still in the same place where she dropped it yesterday. I fish for the phone and take a look at the caller ID. It’s her mom. I run back and place the phone in her hand.

  “Hey, Mom.” There’s a pause before she admits, “I’m a little sick. It’s nothing to worry about. Ty’s taking great care of me.” She looks at me. “He’s fine, sitting right next to me. I got sick last night, and he wouldn’t let me go with him.”

  It’s fascinating to watch her talk to her mom. Her face has lit up, and her voice has become softer as she brings her up to date. She’s also drawing little circles with her hand on the blanket, and I don’t think she’s aware of what she’s doing.

  “I’ll tell him that.” She listens for a moment. “Yes, I’ll stay in bed. Bye, Mom.”

  I take my place next to her again, and she turns to me.

  “My mom says thank you for taking care of me.”

  “You and your mom are really close, huh?”

  She nods. “As long as I can remember, it’s been us against the world. I’m so grateful for everything she did for me. She was a single mom working two jobs and still always found time for me.”

  “I’m sorry you have to lie to her.” I hate that she has to do this for me.

  “She knows me well. At some point I’ll have to tell her. She won’t tell anyone if I ask her not to.”

  I nod. I’m not ready for anyone else to know about our arrangement, but I understand Lily—more than she thinks.

  “What about your family?” she asks. “You never talk about them.”

  “There isn’t anyone left. I never kne
w my father, and my mom died of breast cancer when I was five.”

  “I’m so sorry, Ty.” She places her hand on mine, and I swallow.

  “It’s okay. It seems like a lifetime ago now. I hardly remember her.”

  “Where did you grow up, then?”

  “My grandparents took me in. They were incredible. My grandma made the best homecooked meals, and my grandpa introduced me to hockey and drove me to every training session and all the games. We lived an hour away from the arena, but he never complained and waited patiently until I was finished. Without them, I’d never have made it to the NHL. It was a happy childhood.”

  “Did they know?”

  I shake my head, the lump in my throat threatening to overwhelm me. “It’s my biggest regret, but I didn’t want to disappoint them. They were old-school when it came to sexual orientation. I didn’t think they’d understand, so I stayed in the closet. Just when I’d made up my mind to tell them, they both passed away within a week of each other. One week before the draft. It was crazy. First my grandpa, then my grandma. As if one couldn’t live without the other.”

  I’m startled by a hand brushing away the wetness on my cheek. I wasn’t even aware I was crying.

  “I’m so sorry, Ty. So very sorry.” She places her arms around me and hugs me close, and I let her because there’s no place in the world I’d rather be at the moment.

  * * *

  I’m about to crack some eggs and make another batch of pancakes when I hear the tapping of feet on the wooden floor.

  “What smells so good?” Lily walks around the corner wrapped in her blanket.

  “Pancakes.” I smile at her.

  “With that syrup stuff?” She returns my smile.

  “Sit down and I’ll bring you some.” I take in her wild hair and rumpled appearance. She looks cute in a hoodie and yoga pants.