Page 95 of Home Ice

GAME MISCONDUCT

BRANT

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since that first night with Lily. When she could barely walk the next morning, I teased her without mercy. Maybe a night with four orgasms will do that to a woman. But now, we've done so many things in so many ways that my dick is sore twenty-four hours a day. I cleared the browser history on my phone this morning so no one could see that I searched "broken dick emergency" last night. But somehow the big guy still wants more. Every time I see Lily, it stirs, and since she's spent almost every night of the last two weeks with me, it's done more stirring than a kitchen spoon.

Tonight, though, starts a four game road trip that will last six nights. Six nights of not being able to see the look on my girl's face as I drive her over that limit again and again. Six nights of not being able to fill her the way she deserves every night. Six nights of my hand being very fucking busy as I lie in a lonely hotel bed and stare at the nude picture she sent me last night. But before any of that, we have to get through the Squall.

Even before the team made the inexcusable decision to trade Milo, we've all had this Denver game marked on our calendars. For the last week, I've had a reminder set to go off every morning to make sure it's the second thing I think about, right after I give thanks for waking up next to Lily. It's only the middle of January, but we're just four points behind Denver in our division. That means every game until the playoffs start is going to be important. Especially a game when we can earn two points while keeping Denver from getting any. We have two games left against them, so if we can win both of them in regulation, that turns our four point deficit into a tie.

And that's not even factoring in the pride that's on the line tonight. Trades are part of life as a professional hockey player, but that doesn't mean their effects don't hang around. Neumann is shaping up to be a great teammate, but I know he sees how much we miss Milo. So he wants to prove to us that he's worth it, and he wants to prove to Denver that they made a mistake getting rid of him. The same goes for Milo. I know firsthand what it's like to walk into a dressing room after a team traded away one of the top ten scorers in the league to acquire you. You're aware of every goal that player wracks up through the rest of the season, and if you don't make at least one exceptional save for each of those, then you feel like a failure.

Then there's me. All through rehab, I was determined to do whatever I needed to regain my starting spot, and even though I didn't admit it, it ripped at me when Coach announced Milo and I would be splitting the duties. But I got used to it, got used to cheering the person who should have been my rival. Now, though, I'm thrust back into that starring role, and I have to prove I can handle it. And after last time, I have to prove I can handle Asher. I know he's got this game marked too. But knowing him, the only point he's concerned about is the one he wants to make to me.

I shake my head to clear away all the extra thoughts as I slide my hand into my blocker. I only have room for one thing in my mind as we head out onto the ice to face our rivals and eighteen-thousand of their screaming fans. Neumann asked to be first on the ice tonight, so he's still in the dressing room with me and the other starters. The look on his face tells me that he's not sure what to expect. Usually fans love players like him even after they've been traded. They realize it's not the player's fault. But Denver supporters aren't always the most rational. "You ready for this?" I ask.

He shakes his head, and I think I see a little of the hurt that has to be there peek through. He covers it with a grin before anyone else notices. "But I'll do it anyway. And we will show them that a furious snowstorm is no match for a little bee."

"The mascots are very inequitable," Kayden says.

I roll my eyes. "So close, but that's not quite the right word. Bonus points for even knowing it, though."

"Try not to be jealous that I'm so erudite."

"Erudite? You've used two words longer than six letters. You're on fire tonight. Hope that carries through onto the ice."

He claps me on the shoulder, and his eyes light up. "You know it will, my friend."

I nod. "We've got this." I look around at the players gathered around me. "We are going into their house, and we are going to make them?—"

"Don't say it," Kayden interrupts. "That's sexist and offensive."

"I was going to say we'll make them see that we're the better team."

"Oh. Carry on then."

I wave him off. "Too late now. The moment is gone. Let's get out there."

"And kick ass," Neumann growls.

I clap him on the shoulder pads. "What the man said." He turns and half jogs down the tunnel. The players who aren't starting are lining the walls, and they hold out their gloved hands to slap ours as we head to the ice.

"Hey." A soft voice stops me as I fall to the back of the line. "Have a good game."

The visitor's dressing room in this stadium is a maze, so I haven't had a chance to see Lily since we all arrived a few hours ago. I take my mask off and walk over to her. "We got this."

"I know."

"And I got this." I point at her before giving her a soft kiss. "For luck."

Her eyes dart all around us before she relaxes into a smile. "Isn't the girl the one who's supposed to do that?"

"Don't let Kayden hear you say that, or he'll call you sexist. I hope your phone's charged because I plan on FaceTiming you all night once we're back at the hotel."

"Some of us don't get private suites. I have a roommate, remember?"

"Just Megan. We both know how she spends her evenings on road trips. Be ready. And naked."

She shakes her head and puts a hand on her hip. "Ha ha."

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