“Oh, fuck. What did he do last night?”
Steele shrugged, his expression grim and worried. “It can’t be good if Parker is involved. He usually stays out of personnel issues.”
We drove to the practice facility in silence. The majority of the team was in the locker room already, partially dressed in practice uniforms and sitting around staring at each other. Conspicuously absent were Cave, Kaden, Ziggy, and Ice, along with Gorst and Coop.
The silence was deafening, and I, for one, couldn’t tolerate it.
“What’s going on? Did someone die?” I quipped, then realized by the long faces, someone could’ve died.
Rush met my gaze. Rush had once been the team’s ultimate playboy until he’d fallen for a nerdy bookstore owner. He was still one of the team jokesters and was rarely serious. As an assistant captain, he took it upon himself to keep the team positive and focused. He was dead serious now.
“Yeah, our playoff run.”
“Our playoff run?” I glanced around the room at the discouraged men with slumped shoulders and hanging heads.
“Westbrook, Ziegler, and Flint have been suspended for the rest of the season,” Smooth said. Smooth was the other assistant captain and also a former playboy who’d been tamed by Bella.
“What?” I shouldn’t have been surprised based on what I knew, yet I was. I’d never expected something like this.
“Kaden, Ziggy, and Cave were the instigators of a barroom brawl last night. They put a couple guys in the hospital and did thousands of dollars of damage to the Place. They were charged with assault, destruction of property, and a shit ton of other stuff.”
“Fuck.” After all the work we’d put in with Coop before practice to come together as a line, and these assholes blew it all up in one drunken night. That pissed me off. Really pissed me off. We were a team, and a team did what was best for the team. I was angry and sad at the same time.
“That about sums it up,” Jock muttered.
The locker room door slammed open, startling everyone in the room. Ice strode in with Coop on his heels. Ice moved to the center of the room near the large Sockeye salmon logo emblazoned on the carpet.
Coop hung back. He was no longer a player but a coach, and he appeared to be letting Ice handle this, whatever this was.
Ice slowly surveyed each person in the room, forcing every one of us to look him in the eyes. Once he had everyone’s undivided attention, he began to speak. “By the sorry-assed looks on your faces, you’re all aware of the suspensions of Cave, Kaden, and Ziggy.”
There were nods and murmurs around the room.
“I’ve fought all season beside each of you. We’ve played through adversity. We’ve struggled, and we’ve triumphed. What I’m seeing here today pisses me off. This is not the team I know. I’m looking at quitters. Every one of you assholes has given up. You’re defeated before we step foot on the ice for our first playoff game. Gentlemen, there’s a reason we play the fucking game, because on any given day, any team can defeat another one, no matter what the stats and experts say. At our level, winners are the guys who want it the most. Losers go home. Are you dickheads winners or losers? Are you going to let this bump in the road defeat us?”
“It’s more like sinkhole,” Harper Kline muttered. He was a late-season trade, and he had a bit of an attitude.
Ice turned on him, and the team held its collective breath. “Listen up, Kline, if that’s how you feel, get your ass out of here right now. We’re better off without you.”
Kline ducked his head and said nothing else. Ice’s gaze swept the room again. “Anyone else want to comment?”
Heads shook all around.
“We can fucking do this because we’re a team, and we’re bigger together than we are apart. We’ll be calling up a few guys from the minors to fill in our missing pieces. They’ll be giving us one hundred fifty percent, which is the same as I expect from each and every one of you. So are you in or are you out?” Ice held up a hand in the middle of the room and we surged to our feet as one to join him.
“Sockeyes!” we shouted, and I felt the energy flow through the room, even if tempered by nervousness and fear.
“Let’s get on the ice. We have work to do.”
There was a clattering of skates on the floor as we rose as one and filed out the locker room door. No one was speaking. We were all thinking our private thoughts. Without three crucial players on this team, we were in trouble. Everyone knew it. Instead of tucking our tails between our legs, we were fighters, and we wouldn’t go down without a fight.
~~Geneva~~
The practice facility was buzzing with the bad news. The staff briskly went about the business of supporting the team. The equipment staff, along with our normal duties, prepared to receive three new players who would all require uniforms and all the extra stuff. Roy had been here before a million times, and he didn’t miss a beat. We went about our business as usual, even though I saw the worry in my colleagues’ eyes.
No one was talking about the details of last night. There were rumors floating here and there, but the three players involved along with management weren’t giving out details. A press conference was called, in which Coach Gorst and Ethan Parker addressed the media, announced the suspensions as disciplinary action against players who did not uphold the team’s vision of community support and involvement along with moral and ethical concerns. The team admitted there was an incident in a bar the previous night that led to the arrest of the three players and injuries to the public. Mr. Parker stated in no uncertain terms that such behavior would not be tolerated by team management.
With the playoffs looming, we were deep into preparations for the first playoff game, including cleaning and packing equipment after the team concluded an afternoon practice. I’d hoped to see Axel tonight, but the way things were going, I’d be lucky to get a few hours of sleep before loading equipment the following morning. I sorely needed some sleep. Axel and I had burned the sheets the night before and actually sleeping hadn’t been a consideration. Now I was paying for it and pushing my weary body to the limits.
I saw Axel as he was leaving the locker room. He pulled me in a corner and kissed the hell out of me. We engaged in a little making out before I pushed him away.
“I have to get back to work,” I said with reluctance.
“Are you coming over tonight?” His smile was hopeful and sexy and promised all kinds of nasty hot fun. Sadly I had to decline.
“I can’t. We both need our sleep. I have tons more work to do today, and we’ll be up early tomorrow for packing.”
He sighed. “I understand. Tomorrow night then?”
I grinned and leaned into him for one last kiss before I went back to the drudgery of doing endless laundry. “You can count on it.”
“I will be.” He strode jauntily down the hallway, and I watched him disappear around a corner.
I was still standing there, staring longingly down the empty hall, when Jock came up beside me. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Shouldn’t you be home with your kids?”
“I’ve been watching tape. Tons and tons and tons of tape. Anything to get a slight advantage.”
Of course he was. My brother took his hockey seriously. If need be, he’d carry this team on his shoulders and take full responsibility if they lost while giving credit to everyone but him if they won.
He gave me a brotherly pat on the arm. “Later. I have kids to go home to. I don’t suppose we’ll be seeing you for dinner tonight?”
“No, not me. Is Axel coming over?”
“No, the coach removed all those restrictions since we’ve been playing nice. I’m working more closely with the rookie goalie.”
“Roman?”
“Yeah, him.” My brother didn’t sound too thrilled even though he was getting a reprieve from Axel.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s hyper, talks too much, and is a know-it-all. Most of th
e time I want to kill him. He has zero respect for the veterans on the team. On the other hand, he’s got mad skills, and he’s definitely a future superstar.”
“Are you being forced to mentor him?”
“Yeah. I’m pretty sure he’s going to be next year’s backup, and I’m going to be retired or looking for a new team.”
Such was the life of a pro athlete. One day you were on top of the world and the next you were nobody. Getting older in pro sports was a curse, but no one had invented a cure for aging, so things were as they were.
“You’d have a chance to spend more time with your kids if you weren’t playing hockey.”
“Yeah. That’s a plus. Just not sure what I’ll do with myself. I haven’t really planned for life after hockey even though I’ve seen it coming for a while now. I guess denial isn’t working so well for me these past few months when it comes to my life.”
“You’ll figure it out. Mr. Parker might have a spot for you within management if you want to stay in Seattle.”
“I need to. I can’t move the kids, especially Teagan. She’s taking her mother’s absence really hard.”
That was partially because her mother made sure she did. Looking back, I realized that Bria had treated her oldest daughter like a girlfriend, not a child. She’d shared secrets with her, gone shopping with her, and God only knew what else. I was afraid to find out.
“Bria isn’t a good influence on Teagan.”
“I know, but what can I do? The woman is her mother. They talk every day. Bria is fighting for joint custody, and I’m resisting.”
“But what about all the stuff we have on her? What about her threats? Her craziness?”
“I don’t have concrete proof for most of it. It’s all he said/she said, and during nasty divorces, those kinds of claims are so common most judges won’t pay much attention.”
I felt a stab of guilt that I hadn’t come clean with him regarding Bria’s latest threat, but there wasn’t anything he could do, and I still didn’t see a point in adding to his worries. He had a team to get through the playoffs and kids to deal with at home.
“You’ll figure something out. Let’s get through the playoffs and then we can both concentrate on family and the future.”
“Have I ever told you how much your support means to me, sis?”
“A few times, but I never get tired of hearing it.”
He nodded and glanced at his watch. “I’d better get home. Eunice gets pissed when I’m late for dinner.”
“Take care, brother. Don’t wait up for me.”
“Are you going to Axel’s tonight?”
“No, I’ll be home. It’ll be too late when I’m finished up here.”
“Good,” he said with a smug smile and left me standing in the hallway.
I had to laugh. He still didn’t like me dating Axel, and his concern was endearing and entertaining.
Axel and I had only been on one date, anyway. It wasn’t like we were an item.
But I wanted us to be.
Chapter 24—Zero to One Hundred
~~Axel~~
The playoffs were on. The Sockeyes would play the first two games in Vegas, after which, we’d fly back to Seattle and play two games at home. If the series continued, we’d then rotate locations, ending in Vegas for game seven if there was one. The team with four wins would advance.
We flew to Vegas, had a light afternoon practice, after which we ate dinner together as a team.
Our hotel was across from the arena. Afterward, I walked back to the arena and gave a security guard an autograph in exchange for entrance to the building. I had to see Geneva. She’d been on my mind and in my fantasies for the past twenty-four-plus hours. I had plans for her tonight, and my confidence level ran high that she wouldn’t protest one bit. One night hadn’t satisfied my longing for her, and I never thought it would. I’d known long before we’d gotten naked that she’d be something special. I’d been right, not just in bed but out.
And those tats of hers… Holy crap. I loved them. It was like being surrounded by my own private jungle.
Anxious to see her, I hurried down the maze of corridors in the bowels of the arena to the locker room area. The laundry had to be nearby. Her boss, Roy Solstice, came out of the locker room as I walked by. He grinned at me, one of those knowing grins.
“She’s down there. Second door on the left.”
“Thanks, man.” I gave him a mock salute.
“Just don’t distract her too much. She has tons of work to do.”
“Wouldn’t think of it,” I lied.
He snorted, already guessing that distracting her was exactly what I planned on doing. “We’re about finished up here. You’ll see she gets back to the hotel safely?”
“You can bet on that.”
“I know.” He hooted with laughter and strode off, disappearing into the visitor locker room at the end of the hall.
I opened the door to the laundry room, and Geneva jumped, startled. Whipping around, she exhaled when she saw me slip in the door and shut it behind me.
“What are you doing here?”
“I thought you might be lonely.”
“That’s considerate of you. I’m almost finished here.” She concentrated on efficiently folding the towels stacked on a table to the right of the dryers.
“Not really considerate. More like selfish. And horny. It’s been too long.”
“It hasn’t been that long.”
“Any amount of time away from you is too long.” I grinned at my flattering statement, figuring it’d win me some major points.
“You’re the charming one tonight.”
“Whatever gets me in your pants.”
“Honest too.” She laughed and shot me a smoldering look that would’ve melted an ice arena, then turned back to her towels. I watched as her hands deftly folded each towel, and I wanted to be a towel right now if it meant I’d have her hands and her attention on me.
I studied the row of washers chugging away and decided one of my fantasies was about to come true, Geneva willing. “Ever done it on a washer?” I didn’t wait for a response but reached behind me to flick the deadbolt on the door.
“No, but I’ve thought about it.” Her eyes lit up, and I was damn sure she was imagining the same things I was—nasty, hot, fun things. I closed the distance between us in record time.
“So have I.” I snagged a towel from the pile of clean ones and laid it on top of the washer. Whipping around, I grabbed Geneva around the waist and lifted her onto the towel.
“Now I’m going to have to wash that,” she grumped but not convincingly.
“All for the cause, sweetheart. All for the cause.” Grabbing the bottom of her polo, I lifted it over her head. She helped me by raising her arms. Then I feasted my hungry eyes on her stunning tits. I doubted I’d ever tire of staring at those babies.
“What about my coworkers?” She didn’t appear all that concerned, and neither was I. She’d get her work done eventually, and that was all that mattered.
“Your boss asked me to make sure you get back to the hotel.”
A slow smile crossed her face. We’d been given a green light. She licked her lips as she waited for my next move. I yanked off her shoes and unzipped her pants, pulling them down her gorgeous legs along with her panties. Her eyes were so dilated I could barely make out her pupils in the dim light.
She lifted her shapely legs onto the washer and spread them wide. I gazed down at her wet opening. It was a thing of beauty, and she was mine, all mine. Tonight, tomorrow, and however long this thing lasted.
I bent my head and ran my tongue up her slit and back down. She was smooth, as I learned she always was, and I loved that, too. I parted her with my fingers and pushed my tongue inside, thrusting and sucking, and nibbling. She grasped handfuls of my hair and whimpered and moaned. The woman loved to tug on my hair, and I made a mental note never to cut it short, so she had plenty to hang on to.
The washer was on sp
in cycle, adding an erotic vibration to my own ministrations. I ran my hand along her ass and fingered her back there, causing her to cry out. I ran my thumb around the rim while my mouth worked its magic on her incredible pussy. She bucked against me, and I found her clit and circled it over and over with my tongue.
“Oh, fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you.” She was cursing me and praising me as her orgasm tore through her and the washing machine vibrated harder.
She collapsed in my arms, limp and sated.
Finally, she looked up at me and smiled. “That’s a first.”
“I would hope so.” I laughed.
We hugged each other for a long moment. The washer finished, and I lifted her off it.
“What about you?” she asked.
“I get off just watching you get off, but in the interest of fairness, I’m sure you’ll make it up to me later.”
“You can bank on that.”
We both washed our hands in the sink, wadded up the towel, and tossed it in the dirty towel bag. Geneva dressed, and together we waited for her last loads to finish in the dryer.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, but I haven’t had a chance.”
“What’s that?” I jerked my head upward. I’d been occupied staring at her tits through her thin polo. God, she had a magnificent rack, and she’d caught me fantasizing over fucking those babies. There were so many dirty things I wanted to do to her and with her. I was like a kid in a candy store, trying to figure out what delectable treat to sample next.
I gave her my most innocent expression, but I didn’t pull off innocent all that well. She shook her head, knowing full well my sex-filled brain had wandered down a depraved path.
“When I left your condo the other day, Bria was waiting for me.”
“Bria?”
“She was drunk or high or whatever. She wanted me to help her get her kids and Jock back. I refused, and she threatened me. Nothing big, just a you’ll regret this. It takes more than stupid bullshit like that to scare me off.”
“She’s not mentally stable.” I was worried. Bria wasn’t all together right now, and I didn’t have a handle on how far she might go to get what she wanted.
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