Hard Fall

by Brenda Rothert

  With no answers readily available, I stretched out on the bed and dug my phone out of my pants pocket. I longed to hear Hadley’s voice, to talk about the kids or her new baby food recipe, or anything but hockey. Because hockey sucked right now.

  “Hey.” She answered on the first ring.

  “Hey.” I sighed. “Kids asleep?”

  “Yes. And, Annalise is in her own bed.”

  “Really?”

  “I’m bribing her with a trip to the Disney store, but she needs to start transitioning back to her own room and I need a little privacy.”

  “Oh, really?” My voice got deep. “Why do you need privacy?”

  “Don’t tell anyone, but there’s this really hot hockey player who sneaks into my room at night. I keep having to turn him away because of Annalise. But now, I might let him stay.”

  “Wow. Lucky guy.”

  We chuckled.

  “So, another rough night,” she said after a moment.

  “Yeah. Even worse than you know.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I told her what had happened in the lobby and she listened quietly.

  “Do you think they resent me?” I asked when I was done.

  “No. I don’t know them the way you do, of course, but we spend time with a lot of them and I don’t sense that at all. They all admire you and look up to you. Maybe there’s one or two who don’t, but that’s to be expected, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen Keegan at any of the events we’ve been to with the team.”

  “He’s definitely a loner and I don’t know what’s going on with Svetlana.”

  “Oh.” Hadley coughed. “I, uh, might be able to help with that. I’m not supposed to say anything because it’s just gossip, but rumor has it that Svetlana is cheating on Konstantin with Keegan. Apparently, Keegan played in the KHL for a season after knee surgery and he and Svetlana were a thing. They broke up when he came back to the U.S. and she started dating Konstantin. Now something is happening.”

  “How do you know this?” I demanded.

  “WAGs gossip mill.”

  The wives and girlfriends gossip mill was notorious for knowing everything, but this was bad. This was the last fucking thing we needed.

  “In the future, telling me stuff like this could help me,” I said quietly. “If I’d known, I might have been able to prevent tonight’s altercation.”

  “Nina said gossip that isn’t corroborated, especially when it’s personal stuff, shouldn’t be shared with you guys because distractions aren’t good for the game. Especially with the season you’re having.”

  “That might be true for other guys, but right now I’m the captain, and as captain, I need to know that kind of thing.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Not your fault. You’ve only been in this world a few months. It’s hard to navigate all the different channels of information.”

  “I’ll be more aware and definitely won’t keep any big secrets like that from you again.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m sorry this happened. I wish there was something I could do.”

  “Last time you asked what you could do, I wound up going down on you on the counter.”

  She chuckled. “Sadly, that’s not an option tonight.”

  “No, but phone sex is.”

  “Is it?”

  “Uh-huh. Take your clothes off, babe.”

  The next morning at breakfast I sat with Nash, Lars, and Drew. Keegan was with a couple of guys at another table and Konstantin hadn’t yet come down, which worried me. Breakfast wasn’t optional. We did meals as a team on the road, especially breakfast and dinner, and not showing up usually earned you some laps at the next practice.

  “I knocked on his door before I came down,” Drew said, “but he didn’t answer.”

  “Listen, I heard some gossip,” I said, repeating what Hadley had told me, though I didn’t say it came from her.

  “Christ.” Nash shook his head. “That’s not cool at all. You think it’s true?”

  “It would make sense.” I looked at them. “Listen, I need to get a feel for what’s going on. Do you guys agree that I’m not the right guy to be captain?”

  Drew shook his head. “Fuck that. He was talking out his ass.”

  “No one contradicted him,” I pointed out. “I mean, I’m not talking about you guys, but Ayres and Sully wouldn’t even look me in the eye.”

  “Ayres is in the middle of a messy-as-fuck divorce,” Nash said. “He hates everyone right now. Sully’s a rookie and if I didn’t know better, I’d think he has a crush on Keegan. He follows him around like a lost puppy. You can’t look at them.”

  “But they’re exactly who I have to look at,” I said. “They’re the ones I have to reach. If I can’t, then I don’t deserve to wear the C.”

  “Not everyone can be reached,” Lars said, speaking for the first time. “Sometimes, they must find their own way. This is not your job.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled at him. “By the way, I understand you’re taking my goddaughter out on a date.”

  Lars’s ears turned red but he smiled. “Yes. We are going for the ice cream and…” He made a face. “Building of Bears?”

  There was a moment of confusion and then Drew burst out laughing. “She’s got you taking her to the Build-A-Bear store? Oh, man, you have a few credit cards, right?”

  Lars looked completely blank. “Credit cards? Yes. I have many. Why?”

  We cracked up as Drew tried to explain what kind of store it was and the mood lightened up considerably. I still felt like shit but at least there was a core group of guys who had my back. And not just mine, but Hadley’s and the kids’ too.

  Konstantin wandered into the dining room about ten minutes before we were supposed to leave, grabbing a cup of coffee and a bagel off the buffet, but sitting by himself in the corner of the room. Keegan shot a few looks in his direction but seemed content to stay on his side of the restaurant.

  This was my chance to talk with Konstantin. I didn’t know what was going on and if the rumors about Svetlana were true, but I needed to try.

  “Hey, man.” I sank into the seat across from him.

  He looked up, his face devoid of any emotion. “Good morning.”

  “Listen, I’m sorry about last night. It was hard to help with you talking in Russian…” I let my voice trail off, hoping he’d say something.

  He nodded but was quiet for a bit. “Is okay. I was angry.”

  “If you need to talk, if something’s going on, you can come to me.”

  “I ask for trade,” he said abruptly. “I cannot stay.”

  “So it’s true.” I cleared my throat and met his gaze directly. “About Keegan and Svetlana?”

  His mouth tightened with irritation as he nodded. “Yes. She say she cannot choose. She love both us.”

  I grimaced. “I’m sorry, man.”

  He mumbled in Russian under his breath.

  “Have you talked to Coach about this?”

  He shook his head. “Later. For now, I must control temper. Stay cool.”

  “I’ll do my best to keep the two of you apart.”

  “I am sorry for being difficult. What he says about you, this is not true. You have much respect. Only Keegan does not.”

  “I appreciate you saying that. And hold off before you talk to any other teams, okay? I’d rather we traded him, instead of you.”

  “Nothing will happen until summer, but my agent knows I wish to leave.”

  “Fuck, man, give me a little time to sort things out, okay? Like you said, nothing can happen until the season’s over anyway.”

  He hesitated but then nodded. “My agent will look, but I will not sign anything until we talk.”

  Sonofabitch. That was the last thing I wanted. I had to talk to Coach sooner rather than later. Losing Konstantin would be devastating to the team. We needed his goaltending talent and his laid-back attitude in the locker room. I had to do something before thing
s went from bad to worse.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Hadley

  My pulse pounded at the sound of the front door being closed, followed by the beeps of the home security system as Wes reset the alarm. He went to the kitchen, probably for a drink of water, and then I heard his feet on the stairs.

  Soft thudding noises sounded on Benny’s baby monitor as Wes went into the room to check on him, and then I heard the same in Annalise’s room.

  As he made his way into the master bedroom, I regretted my decision to wear nothing but a lacy red bra and panty set to bed. I was exposed, not just physically, but emotionally. If Wes was in a bad mood, which was likely after the way the team had played on the road trip and the tension he’d been dealing with between the players, I couldn’t pretend I’d been sleeping.

  This lingerie sent a clear message—I wanted sex. And if he didn’t, I was going to feel rejected.

  Wes walked into the bedroom and set his bags down, then walked over to the bed.

  “Hey, you awake?” he whispered, sitting down on the edge of the bed and leaning close to get a look at my face.

  I had the covers pulled up to my chin, so he wouldn’t be able to see the sex trap I’d tried to set for him just yet.

  “Yeah, I’m up. You can turn on the light.”

  He switched on the bedside lamp, and I could tell by his expression that he wasn’t in a good mood.

  Fuck. Why had I waxed, shaved, moisturized and put on brand-new lingerie? It was possible I could turn his mood from bad to good, but knowing he was cranky made me feel vulnerable, and I didn’t like it.

  Wes sighed heavily and said, “I need to be honest with you about something.”

  Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit. He was about to tell me that he’d slept with another woman on his road trip. I felt it in my bones. And here I was in lingerie. I was mortified.

  “Okay,” I said, steeling myself.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but…”

  “Wes, it’s fine,” I said crisply. “You don’t owe me anything.”

  He furrowed his brow. “I wanted to tell you that living in Ben and Lauren’s house is hard for me.”

  Oh. That wasn’t at all what I was expecting.

  “It is?”

  He nodded, looking both weary and guilty. “I’m trying so fucking hard to hold the team together and deal with all the bad press we’re getting. I’m no Ben, though, and I never will be. I feel the weight of trying to take his place even though it’s impossible. And then I have to come cook on his grill, walk past his study every day…sleep in his bed. I loved Ben, but living here, raising his kids and taking over as captain…it’s making me feel like I’m trying to be Ben. And all I feel is inadequate. I miss my bed. I miss my goddamn couch. And I feel like an asshole for it.”

  I sat up, the covers forgotten. “You are not an asshole. But what are you saying? Is this only about the house, or is it about the kids, too?”

  “It’s the house. I love the kids. It was the right choice to move in here right after they died, and maybe the time isn’t right yet, but…”

  “You want to sell the house,” I finished.

  “Yeah. We’re using their dishes and bath towels, and…I think a new house might be the best thing for all of us. We can stay in the school district Ben and Lauren wanted the kids in, but buy something that’s ours instead of theirs.”

  His gaze wandered to my breasts as I said, “You mean, you’d buy it? Because I’m in no position to pay for half.”

  He waved a hand. “Money isn’t an issue for us. I’ve got plenty, and we’ll also have what we make from selling this house. But I wanted to ask you if you think it’s the right move for the kids.”

  I considered the pros and cons, as well as the permanency of buying a house. “It’s hard to say. I think there are going to be things that are tough for all of us, no matter when we do them. But I hear you on how you feel about living here.”

  “Does it feel that way for you at all?”

  I shook my head. “It’s kind of the opposite for me. When I’m using Lauren’s hand mixer and writing things on her calendar, it reminds me of her. But I get you, Wes. It’s a little morbid that we live here with all their stuff. I’d much rather have my own office than work in Ben’s study forever.”

  His gaze was back on my breasts. “You look fucking spectacular in that bra, babe.”

  “Thanks.”

  He reached up and brushed his thumb over the soft satin covering one of my nipples, sending a shiver from the tip of my spine to the base.

  “We don’t need to do anything right away on the house,” he said. “But this boner you gave me by wearing that bra is fucking urgent.”

  My body heated in response to his hungry look as he stood and stripped off his dress shirt and the plain T-shirt beneath it. I hadn’t just been angling for sex with Wes when he got home tonight, I’d been dying for it. It had taken more than an hour of bedtime stories to get Annalise to fall asleep in her bed tonight. I could now recite each word of the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book verbatim.

  Worth it, I thought as Wes dropped his pants and boxer briefs, his erection jutting out in front of him. He truly had a flawless body, all long lines and defined muscles.

  He pulled the covers away from my body and took in the lingerie in its entirety. He laughed softly, raking his gaze up and down my body.

  “Damn, baby. Ready to spread those legs?”

  I smiled. “I am if you got your STD results back. Mine came in and I’m clean as a whistle.”

  “Yeah, I got mine, too—all good. I had the team doctor give me a note to prove it.”

  Laughing, I said, “You don’t need to do that, Wes. I trust you.”

  Since I was on the pill, this meant no more condoms for us. I’d never say it out loud, but god was I looking forward to Wes coming inside me.

  As he stroked himself, Wes looked at me and said, “I’ve been fantasizing about you constantly, babe.”

  “Really? Tell me more.”

  “I think about the way you look and sound when you come.” He put a knee on the bed and moved closer, his hand sliding from my calf up to my thigh. “The way you look in a T-shirt that doesn’t cover your whole ass—I fucking love seeing those curved ass cheeks. And I’ve been imagining what you’d look like on your knees with my cock in your gorgeous mouth.”

  The arousal swirling in my belly became mixed with worry and it must have shown on my face.

  “What?” Wes asked.

  “What?” I echoed.

  “You just got a look on your face. If you don’t like giving oral, it’s okay. There are plenty of other things I like.”

  I licked my lips, nervous as I tried to decide how to respond.

  “It’s not that I don’t like it…it’s that I’m not good at it.”

  Wes arched his brows. “Not good at it?”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  My cheeks burned with embarrassment. I’d been hoping he’d be balls deep in me by now, not asking for more details on my inadequate oral skills.

  “Sounds like you’ve been with some whiny bitches, then,” he said.

  “I mean, I have, but…”

  “Come here,” he said, getting up from the bed.

  I followed him, and when we were both standing, he put his hands on my waist and kissed me. It was soft and sensual, pulling me into the moment and taking me out of my head.

  Pulling back slightly, he asked, “You want me to show you?”

  “Show me? Are you going to suck a dick for me, Wes?”

  He laughed and kissed me again. “Come here, smart-ass.”

  When he took my hand and led me over to the chair, upholstered in a dark green velvet material, in the corner, I smiled.

  “Are you planning on sitting there?” I asked.

  “Yep.”

  “I’m going to grab a towel. I helped Lauren pick out that chair and it took months. It was stupid expensive and I don’t want ass stains o
n it.”

  “Jesus Christ, Hadley, my ass is clean.”

  “Yeah, but when you sit and things spread out…just let me get a towel.”

  He smiled and looked up at the ceiling, hands on his hips. “You better at least jog so I can see your tits and ass jiggling.”

  I complied with his request and grabbed a bath towel from the linen closet in the bathroom, unfolding it and placing it over the chair. Wes sat down, a smile playing on his lips and his eyes dark with desire as he said, “Get on your knees.”

  This was starting out hotter than my past oral experiences. Instead of forcing my head down to his crotch, Wes was telling me what he wanted, and it was surprisingly sexy.

  When I was on my knees in front of him, he put a hand in my hair, his fingertips massaging my scalp.

  “Play with me,” he said in a low tone. “Tease me.”

  I hesitated a moment before leaning forward and licking the head of his cock, swirling my tongue around it gently. He groaned in response, his fingertips still rubbing my head.

  “That’s good, babe. Keep your lips over your teeth and keep things wet. If you do that, it’s hard for anything to—oh, fuck yeah.”

  I’d gotten him wet with my mouth and then run my hand up and down his shaft. I tried it again, using both my mouth and my hand. From the sound of his labored breathing, I could tell he liked it.

  “A little slower,” he said in a coaxing tone. “Ah, that’s perfect. Keep doing that.”

  It wasn’t so much his words, but his groans and the way his hand would tighten in my hair that told me when I was doing something he liked. And once I was able to take nearly all of him in my mouth, and I picked up the pace, he started thrusting his hips slightly and groaning louder.

  “Don’t fucking stop…oh fuck…use your hand if you don’t want me to come in your mouth, babe.”

  There was nothing I wanted more than for him to come in my mouth. He’d made me feel powerful and sexy, and I had a feeling I was enjoying this almost as much as he was. I continued, and soon I was rewarded with the taste of his release flooding my mouth.