Off the Ice

by L. P. Dover

  “Because,” I said, wiping my tears away, “the Charlotte Strikers is where you belong. You have family in North Carolina. I don’t want you leaving it all for me.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Lifting my hands, I cupped his cheeks, hoping like hell he could see how much it hurt me to turn him down. “I don’t know what our future holds, but I do know that I love you. If I thought you moving to Colorado was a good decision, I’d feel it in my soul. What if in the next couple of months, we don’t work out?”

  “We will,” he countered.

  I shook my head. “I’m not going to have you resent me for uprooting yourself when you clearly belonged somewhere else. Hockey is your first love. I saw your face the second you stepped on the ice the other week. I refuse to come between that.” Moving closer, I rested my forehead to his. “Promise me you’ll stay where you’re at.”

  When he didn’t answer, I sat back, and he turned his head, his jaw muscles clenching. “I promise.”

  I kissed his cheek, and laid my head on his shoulder. “Thank you,” I murmured. “You have to know how hard it was for me not to say yes.”

  He sighed. “I know. Guess I didn’t see it from your point of view.” Taking my arm, he pulled it over his stomach as we cuddled together.

  More tears pooled behind my eyes. A part of me wanted to be selfish, and to say yes. I’d give anything to have him closer to me. But he had so much more to lose by leaving the team he loved, and the family and friends he had in North Carolina. Silence filled the air, except for the sound of the ocean, and Justin’s heartbeat against my ear.

  “Are we going to sleep out here?” I asked, voice thick with sadness.

  He rolled over on top of me, and shook his head. “No. I’m going to make love to you. Right here, right now, for as long as you’ll let me.”

  I ran my hands through his hair. “Hope you can last all night.”

  His lips pulled back, and they closed over mine. “Oh, I can, angel.” He rubbed his growing arousal against my body. With one hand, he fumbled with my shorts, and slid them down my body along with my underwear. A deep growl rumbled in his chest when he felt how wet I was for him. “Hope you’re ready for this.”

  Heart racing, I tore off my shirt, and tossed it on the sand. “More than ready.”

  He trailed a finger over my lips and down my chin to my breasts. “All right. You asked for this.” Standing, he took off his shirt and shorts, making sure to slowly lower his boxers teasingly. He could put Magic Mike to shame with the way he moved his body.

  His thick length hung heavy between his legs, and I had the overwhelming urge to taste him. My whole body trembled with need; I wanted all of him.

  Keeping his gaze on mine, I could still see how heated they were, even if it was dark outside as he kissed his way up my body. He spread my legs and flicked his tongue over my clit, making me jerk. My body tingled, and I ached to feel more. His warm breath blew across it as he spoke, making the yearning worse. “You taste so fucking good,” he groaned, his voice a low growl.

  He licked me again, and I grabbed a handful of his hair and squeezed when he plunged his tongue inside. “Justin,” I moaned.

  I was so close to losing control, but he stopped and smirked up at me before licking a trail up to my breasts. “You are so evil.” Two could play that game. I reached down between his legs and wrapped my hand around his arousal, stroking his length. He sucked in a breath and pushed himself up and down inside my hand. The tip of his cock grew wet, and I wiped it away with my thumb. Licking my lips, I brought it to my mouth and closed my eyes, moaning as I tasted him.

  Groaning, he lowered his mouth to my breasts and sucked my nipple. “You’ll be the death of me, angel.” He grazed my skin with his teeth, and bit down gently at first, but then harder, a strangled cry escaping my lips. The pain of it felt amazing.

  Reaching between my legs, he slipped a finger inside and groaned with how wet I was. “Do you have any idea how insanely hot that is? I love that I can make you this wet.”

  I bit my lip and grinned. “I kind of like it too.”

  He spread me wide and aligned himself at my opening. The moon glowed overhead, and I watched as another meteor streaked across the sky. I was never going to forget that moment for as long as I lived.

  Slowly, Justin pushed, until he was as deep as he could go. I gasped and squeezed my legs tighter around his waist, pushing him deeper. We moved together as one, our bodies and souls fully connected. I’d never felt that level of intensity with anyone, not even my late husband.

  My insides tightened, and I felt my release coming quick. Fisting his hands in my hair, Justin grunted with his thrusts, his cock pulsating inside me. I cried out as I finally reached the edge and trembled from the best orgasm of my life. Justin groaned and pounded his hips into mine as he chased his release, arms clutching me tight.

  Leaning up on his elbows, Justin leaned down and kissed me, our bodies still connected. “I love you so fucking much it hurts.”

  I nodded. “Believe me, I know the feeling.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Justin

  The time had come to say goodbye. I wasn’t going to lie by saying it didn’t hurt when Meghan said she didn’t want me to move. Maybe it was stupid for even mentioning it, but dammit to hell, I wanted to be with her. I helped her parents load up their luggage in their rental car. James was already waiting for them at the airport with a private jet.

  “Can I ride with you and Mommy?” Ellie asked, bouncing on her feet. “I’ve never been in a sports car before.”

  I picked her up in my arms, and she squeezed my neck. Meghan’s parents watched us and smiled. “Of course, you can,” I told her. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Meghan came over and stole Ellie from me. “Come here, munchkin. Let’s get you buckled up.”

  Meghan’s parents walked over, and her mother hugged me. “Thanks, Justin. You’ve been a blessing to this family. I hope to see you soon.”

  I let her go. “You will.”

  Her father held out his hand. “Justin, it’s been a pleasure. We need to go play golf one day when you got the time.”

  Grinning wide, I shook his hand. “Definitely. We might have a plus one when we do. I’m sure I can get Lucas to come out.”

  “That would be a dream come true.”

  Kimberly and Jackson said their goodbyes, and they all drove off to the airport. Ellie squealed as I started up the car. I was going to miss her little laugh, and her mother’s smile. I contemplated not even taking them to the airport, and just keeping them with me until we got to Charlotte. That way, I’d have more time with them. Unfortunately, they had to get back. Meghan was supposed to be at her school the next day to set up her classroom.

  The ride to the airport was silent, except for Ellie singing her favorite songs in the back. I held Meghan’s hand, but she kept her face turned to the window. There were wet droplets on her shirt from her tears. It didn’t take long to get to the small, private airport. Meghan’s family was already there, talking to James, the pilot.

  I parked beside them and grabbed Meghan’s luggage out of my trunk. James came over and shook my hand before passing her luggage to one of his attendants. He led Meghan’s family up the stairs, and they waved at me before disappearing inside.

  There was no smile on Meghan’s face, only tears. It broke my fucking heart. Never in my life had a woman ever made me feel like that. Ellie held onto Meghan’s hand, and when she saw the tears on her mother’s face, she started to cry as well.

  “Oh no, peanut. You can’t cry too. I don’t think my heart can take it.”

  Ellie jumped in my arms, and sniffled. “I’m going to miss you. So is Mommy.”

  “I know,” I whispered. “I’m going to miss you both too.”

  I set her down, and pulled Meghan into my arms. “I’ll call you every day, okay?”

  She nodded, her voice raspy and sad. “Okay. I didn’t think it�
�d be so hard to say goodbye. We’ve been together every single day all summer long.”

  “I know, angel.” I pressed my lips to hers, and breathed her in one last time. “I love you.”

  “I love you too. We’ll see you soon.”

  Taking Ellie’s hand, they walked up to the jet, and slowly climbed up the stairs. When they got to the door, they turned around and waved. I’d never felt so fucking miserable in my life.

  The six-and-a-half-hour ride home started to drag. I’d only been on the road for two hours, and it felt like I’d driven for ages. I was hoping that once I got back on the ice it’d help me miss Meghan less. I needed something to keep my mind off of her. Now I knew what it felt like for Maddox when Lacey was living up in New York.

  My phone rang, and Corey’s name popped up on the radio screen. I pressed the button to accept his call. “Hey.”

  “Hey, yourself. You on the way home?”

  I glanced around at the desolate, country road. “Yep. Should be back in about four hours.”

  “How did everything go? I haven’t talked to you in a few days.”

  “Sorry. Been busy with Meghan’s family.”

  The line went silent for a few seconds. I had no doubt he could tell something was wrong by my tone. “Anything you want to talk about?”

  I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “If you only knew.”

  “Only knew what?”

  Blowing out a heavy sigh, I ran a hand through my hair. “I offered to trade to another team to be close to Meghan.”

  “You what? That’s insane.”

  I scoffed. “Tell me about it.”

  “You love her that much? Enough to change your whole life?”

  “Wouldn’t you do it for Hannah?” I snapped, hoping it backfired on him. He made it sound like I was crazy, when I knew for a fact he’d give up everything for Hannah.

  “I would,” he answered. “I guess it’s just hard to imagine you being this in love with someone.”

  “Believe me, it’s a new thing for me, but it feels so right. We’re going to see each other as much as we can.”

  “Don’t worry, brother. It’ll all work out. If Maddox and Lacey could get through their issues, I have no doubt you and Meghan will.”

  I was going to make damn well sure we did. And I was going to make sure both Meghan and Ellie had everything they wanted. Speaking of Ellie … “So, I have a question.”

  “Yeah?”

  Little Ellie’s smiling face flashed through my mind. If she wanted to act, she was going to need help. “How would you feel about taking on a new client?”

  “Seriously?” he snapped. “I’m not taking on anymore of your teammates. Dealing with you and Cliff is enough.”

  That made me laugh. “Thanks, asshole. I’m talking about Ellie. She wants to get into acting. I was thinking you could find her some commercial gigs to get her started.”

  Corey chuckled. “Damn, man. Never thought I’d see the day. Then again, you were always good with kids.”

  I kept replaying what Ellie said to me the night she had her nightmare. I honest to God hated that she never knew her dad, but I’d gotten so comfortable being that role for her the past couple of weeks. I was the only father figure she’d ever known, other than her grandfather and uncle. I wanted to be more.

  “Will you do it?” I asked.

  “Of course. I’ll have to get used to the show business side of my job when you retire and go into movies, anyway.”

  “Actually, I have something else in mind for my future.” Once I was done with hockey, I planned on getting away from the spotlight. It was going to be a new adventure for me.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Meghan

  My family was impressed with the private jet. The whole flight they talked about how amazing Justin was, and if I knew how much money he actually had. In all honesty, I didn’t know anything about that. Justin and I never talked about his money, and I didn’t want to. That wasn’t the reason I was with him. Although it was nice having a plane all to ourselves.

  “Thanks for bringing us home, sweetheart. It’s nice to see this old thing running.” She tapped the hood of Trey’s truck and smiled. I hugged her, and then moved over to my dad to hug him. We’d left the truck at the airport so that when we got back, we wouldn’t have to worry about someone taking us back to the ranch. Sadly, we never made it back together.

  “Justin fixed it,” I said, letting my dad go. I ran a hand gently down the old, blue paint. “It’ll be Justin’s truck when he comes in to visit.”

  My dad squeezed my arm. “Time moves fast. You’ll see him again before you know it.”

  They waved at Ellie, and I got back in the truck. She buckled up quickly, and bounced in her seat. “Someone’s excited about getting home,” I said. I pulled out of my parents’ driveway, and started on our way home. She was going to be in for a major surprise when she saw what all Justin and I had done.

  Eyes twinkling, Ellie nodded excitedly. “I am,” she squealed. “I’m ready to see the red barn.”

  Giggling, I reached over and ruffled her hair. “You’re going to love it. It’s a lot more awesome than the blah color we had before.”

  She danced around as if it was the best thing in the world. Even though I missed Justin, having Ellie around would cheer me up. She always had a way of making me smile. “What do you want to do when we get home?” I asked. “We have a little bit of time before we have to be at Sam and Emmett’s for dinner.”

  Samantha wanted to catch up on everything, and I figured it was time to fill Emmett in about Justin. I prayed that he approved. His opinion wouldn’t sway how I felt about Justin, but his approval would mean a lot. He was my only link to Trey, and I had to believe that he would want me to be happy, even if that meant finding love with someone else.

  Grinning wide, Ellie shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out when we get home.”

  “You are acting so strange right now,” I said, studying her curiously.

  A few minutes later, we turned into our driveway, and I slammed on the brakes. “Oh my God.”

  Ellie jumped up and down in her seat. “Come on, Mommy. Let’s go.”

  Mouth gaping, I stared at our field, where not only did we have our cows walking around, but there was also a familiar white and brown horse out there as well.

  “It’s Firefly, Mommy. I want to see him,” she shouted, never once taking her eyes off of him. It broke her heart when I sold him. Hell, it broke mine as well. Firefly was who I talked to after Trey died. He was always there to listen to me during those late nights while Ellie slept.

  I pulled further up into the driveway, and Danny Wilford was there, waiting by his truck. He was the principal at my school, and the man I’d sold Firefly to. As soon as I put the truck into park, Ellie jumped out and raced to the field.

  Danny waved at me. “Hello there.”

  Confused, I got out and shut the truck door. I glanced back at Firefly, and then over to him. “What’s going on?”

  He nodded over at Firefly. “He’s yours now. I got a nice offer from a young man who wanted to purchase him for you.”

  “Did this young man give you a name?” I asked, already knowing it was Justin. The man was too much. He’d done so much for me already.

  Danny shook his head. “No, but I figured he was important to you.”

  A sad smile spread across my face. “He is. Thank you for bringing Firefly to me.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m glad you were able to get Firefly back. I think he missed you.”

  Firefly walked beside Ellie over to the fence. He nudged me with his nose, and I rubbed him. “I’ve missed you too, boy. Welcome home.”

  Danny hopped in his truck and rolled the window down. “See you tomorrow at school, Meghan.”

  Ellie and I waved, and stood there with Firefly. Ellie climbed up on the fence so she could give Firefly a kiss. “Did you know about this?” I asked. “You seemed awfully excited to get h
ome.”

  Snickering, she looked at me and nodded. “It was a secret. Justin made me promise.”

  “Sneaky.” I pulled out my phone. He still had a couple hours before he’d even make it back to Charlotte.

  “Well, hello,” he answered.

  Tears spilled down my cheeks. “Thank you, Justin. You have no idea how much Firefly means to me.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m glad it makes you happy. I was waiting on you to call. Is Ellie close by?” he asked.

  Brows furrowed, I looked over at Ellie. “Yeah.”

  “Can you put me on speakerphone, please?”

  I did as he said, and tapped Ellie’s shoulder. “Ellie-Bear, Justin wants to talk to you.”

  Her eyes lit up. “Hey, Justin.”

  “Hey, peanut. I have some good news for you and your mother. That is, if this is still what both of you want. Your mother has final say-so.”

  “What?” she squealed.

  “Meghan, my brother wants to be her agent. We thought we’d start off small and get her into a few commercial auditions.”

  Ellie waved her hands in the air, and I had to steady her before she fell off the fence. “I think you stunned her,” I said, laughing.

  Tears filled Ellie’s eyes. “Is this for real?”

  “It is, peanut,” Justin replied. “We can talk more about it when you two visit me next weekend.”

  Ellie jumped off the fence, flailing her body around into what I’d assume was her happy dance. Seeing her so ecstatic was just what I needed. I burst out laughing, and shook my head. “Justin, I wish you could see her dancing right now. She looks ridiculous.”

  “Are you okay with all of this?”

  It scared me, but if Ellie wanted to do it, I wasn’t going to hold her back. “Yeah, I’m fine. She’s happy. That’s all that matters.”

  Until it was time for dinner at Sam and Emmett’s, I watched Ellie ride around on Firefly. In a way, I always knew I’d get him back one day. I’d kept our saddles in the barn for safe keeping until that time.