Unsportsmanlike Conduct

by Melody Heck Gatto

  Patrick shook his head as a cocky smile slipped across his delicious lips.

  "Pig ..."

  "You know you like it, sweet thing. Don't tell me you haven't thought about me while you're knockin' boots with good 'ol Ty ..."

  She tried not to give him the satisfaction of an answer him but somehow the words escaped her lips anyways. "Touché." She wanted to punch him for touching her. His hot touch burned right through her clothes; her girly parts dampened as her mind raced with thoughts of his hands wandering to more intimate places.

  Ian still had Patrick's finger, so she couldn't pull away. Her warm body and wobbly knees brought back memories of that night. She took a deep slow breath to get back her control. Patrick = bad, Tyler = good. Now, concentrate on Tyler and walk away.

  "Okay, Mom and Dad come on back in. How about the grandparents too?"

  She posed for pictures with her family but could feel Patrick's stare the entire time. He was tall, muscular with short wavy hair dusted with dark and light hues. His icy blue eyes could make any woman's panties drop. A shiver ran down her spine. Why am I even thinking about this?

  Without giving his ego the fulfillment of a glance, she played with her hair and flipped it in his direction. Before that fateful night, she actually liked him hitting on her.

  The first time she met Patrick had been at a pool party; she pranced around Kat's in her little black bikini. It had been a thrill, knowing that he watched her, and it was exciting. His eyes on her had made her heart race. Really, how can someone excite you and make your skin crawl at the same time? His attention was so addictive, she craved it. She soon realized they were playing a dangerous game.

  She ran her fingers through her hair and tossed it in his direction again. She avoided him for an entire year because this would happen. She worried one night wouldn't be enough for either of them—it might have been the best sex she ever had.

  CHAPTER 2

  After the baptismal mass, they all headed over to River View Towers, the hotel next to Rivers Arena, for lunch.

  "You did a wonderful job setting this up, Kris. Everything looks beautiful." Gia peeked inside the ballroom marked “Lafleur Baptism”.

  "It was mostly your sister; I just made the reservations."

  Kat just smiled and gave her handsome hubby a kiss.

  "Yinz guys are too cute for words ..." Gia mumbled.

  The team always held its functions here. The Renegades had just won their second straight Cup, and River View Towers would host anything for a Renegades player. As Gia talked to Kris, Tyler snuck in to the ballroom.

  Kris gave Tyler a head nod, and then quietly chuckled. "Doesn't look like Pat will be so lucky."

  Patrick walked in the front door of the hotel. Two giggling young girls who had been waiting in the lobby ran over and surrounded him.

  "Dubois! Can we get a picture with you? Please?" They both had on Renegades Dubois jerseys.

  Gia just stood there and laughed; the girls must have been all of seventeen. They circled him with markers and cameras and didn't look like they would let Patrick go anytime soon.

  "Pat's making new friends," Matt said, laughing. Matt was a Renegades player too, and a good friend of Kris and Patrick's. "I knew he liked them young but damn!" Matt joked.

  "Can't go anywhere, can you Pat?" Kris teased. "I know you like it when those fan girls trip all over themselves to see you."

  "Whatever, bro …" Patrick rubbed the back of his neck, a heavy sigh leaving his lips. "The same two chicks seem to be everywhere I go. It's a little unnerving, like they know where I'm going to be before I do!" Pat shook his head and looked back at the young girls. "Ty, how'd you get in here unnoticed? Why don't they ever go after you?"

  "I'm sure they would if they weren't always so busy looking for you!" Tyler answered.

  Gia never understood why Tyler was so nice to Patrick. He just said something about him wanting to be the bigger man since he was the team captain.

  After all the guests arrived, the ballroom doors were shut, and they sat down to enjoy lunch. Gia and Tyler sat at a table with Kris and Kat. Patrick joined them, grinning at Gia as he sat across from her at the round table.

  "I wonder if Mom and Dad would want us to sit over with them?" Gia said as she began to stand, grabbing Tyler's hand. She couldn’t sit at this table with Patrick’s eyes on her the whole time.

  "Their table is full Gia, just sit down," Kat said sternly through her smile and a glance that said behave.

  Gia never told Kat what happened. She wanted to run to Kat as soon as they returned from their honeymoon, burst out crying and confess to her big sister. But she was a big girl and needed to deal with this herself. No use ruining their newlywed bliss with her stupid drama. Instead, she went right to Tyler and told him everything. He had stared her down for what felt like forever, and then said he had to think and left.

  After cheating on him with one of his teammates, he just needed time? She still couldn’t grasp why he didn't go ape shit on her.

  Apparently he went to see Patrick before returning two hours later. Gia remembered she was still crying. Tyler found her crying and held her. He said that if he hadn't left her with a drunken Patrick, this would never have happened.

  But she had been a willing participant.

  Gia put the thoughts from her mind when Tyler put his arm around her as she sat back down at the table. He whispered in her ear, "It's okay, relax. I'm here."

  Gia looked into his eyes and smiled. Tyler made her feel so safe. She snuggled in next to him. His scent calmed her nerves as his full lips brushed against her temple.

  "I hate the thought of leaving you again," he whispered in Gia's ear and kissed her cheek.

  "I know," she whispered. She didn't want him to go either. He visited his family and met with his trainer at this time every year. "Don't worry about me." She smiled at him, wishing she could just pick up and go to Canada with him.

  "I wish you would come with me," Tyler whispered.

  "I can't, I have to work. I have rent to pay." They already talked about this.

  "I told you, you don't have to if you would just move in with me."

  Gia just shook her head, and waved for the waiter to bring her another mimosa. "Ty, we can talk about this as soon as you get back, okay? I’ll think about it while you're away. Deal?" She wanted to spend all her time with Tyler she just wasn’t ready. It had been a whole year so why did it feel like he was rushing things?

  The waiter returned to the table and handed her a mimosa. Hallelujah! She took a sip, then another large one. How long could she use the drink to avoid looking at the other side of the table? She stared into her glass and picked at the sweet roll in front of her.

  Tyler didn't look angry or stressed. He just smiled a really genuine smile. How did he not have any animosity towards Patrick? And why didn't he hate me?

  The pressure was building and she thought her head just might explode. She had to get out of there for a minute and regroup. "I'll be right back." Gia stood up and quickly walked into the hallway. "Now, where is the–"

  "Gia! Hi, babe!" It was Trish. "I haven't seen you in forever, where have you been hiding?"

  "Oh, working and stuff."

  "I've missed you, sweetie!" Trish threw her arms around Gia.

  "So, what have I missed around the arena?"

  "Oh, not much. Same old shit, you know."

  No, she really didn't know. But she played along. "Patrick parading all his girls around, huh?"

  "Well, no. Quite the opposite."

  "Huh?" Gia's face scrunched up in confusion. Of course, he had to be parading his women around; he never made a secret about how much he got laid.

  The girls walked in to the empty ladies room. Trish disappeared into a stall, while Gia just washed her hands. She really didn't need to go, she just needed some air.

  She looked in the mirror and was glad that Trish could not see the shock written all over her face. Maybe a bit of relief too? Oh, h
ell.

  "Yeah, he's been at everything stag."

  Stag? "You mean no puck bunnies in the luxury suite with you girls?" Gia tried hard to check her interest, but it wasn't working. Curiosity got the best of her.

  "Nope." Trish exited the stall and washed her hands. "No puck bunnies."

  "Huh," is all Gia could come up with.

  "So what's new with you, lady? How's life with super-hunk Tyler? You know, you two would make adorable kids together. You should consider it."

  She wasn't wrong about that. But kids? She shook her head. "Not much new, I've been working a lot."

  "Obviously." Trish made a face. "So, how are you love birds?"

  "Oh, good. It's been nice." She turned away, pretending to grab for a paper towel. "Quiet." Actually, it had been very quiet. Too quiet. Almost boring.

  Trish started to talk about Tanner and the house he just bought. Gia half listened while she thought about her own comment, quiet. She had never been one to enjoy quiet--always needed some kind of drama or excitement.

  No. Gia pushed the doubt from her mind. Ty was stable and good for her. He was busy: always in the gym, on the ice or working with the conditioning coach. Coach Walker demanded a lot of his time to plan plays and talk strategy. Tyler was well regarded in the front office and involved in a lot of things. He promised Gia he would slow down. Apparently, he forgot to tell the team ownership.

  She smiled at Trish who continued talking as they walked back to the ballroom. She was still in her own little world and more concerned with looking at the floor than where she was going--until she ran smack into a hard body.

  "What the–" She looked up and locked eyes with Patrick.

  "Sorry, short stuff." He smiled that damn cocky smile.

  Gia couldn't help the fire she felt between her legs. Dammit! Her hormones were a bit wonky, and the fact that just his damn smile turned her on proved it. Tyler had been busy with the team even during the off-season. She appreciated his dedication, but she was lonely. He had a self-imposed early bedtime, even earlier wake up calls and in between that, he was at the gym. So, there wasn't any time for much else. Maybe she needed more? She definitely needed sex. Her best friend these past few months ran on batteries.

  "Patty!" Trish squealed and threw her arms around him. "Missed you at the last team dinner, doll-face!"

  "Yeah, well, maybe next time," he said as he moved his gaze back to Gia.

  "I was just telling Gia that we haven’t seen any puck bunnies around this season ... "

  "Huh, yeah." Patrick shuffled his weight and Gia swore she saw some pink flood his cheeks. "Excuse me, ladies." Patrick slid out of the ballroom. He disappeared down the hallway, but not before looking back to give Gia one more glance.

  "I think I embarrassed the poor guy," Trish giggled.

  "What's the deal with no puck bunnies anyway?"

  "I don’t know." Trish shrugged. "Something about him growing up. Who knows what he's talking about half of the time. Oh well, I better get back to Tanner. It was great to see you, Gia. And I want to see you at the next team dinner too . In the meantime, if you want to hang out give me a call." She put her hand up to her ear like she had a phone.

  No puck bunnies, huh?

  But it still didn't change anything. She was with Tyler, period.

  CHAPTER 3

  PATRICK

  Patrick quickly retreated to the men's room. He needed to clear his head. He didn't doubt that Tyler watched his every move. The way Gia looked at him, while Trish talked about him no longer having an entourage of puck bunnies, made his slacks tighten.

  Sure she belonged to Ty, but he had convinced himself that Tyler was just a kid. He could offer her so much more. He thought he had proved that to her last year, even though she ran out of his place before he woke up. They hadn't spoken of it since. She had done her best to avoid him all these months: skipping the games, dinners at Kris and Kat's and team dinners. Well, he had missed the team dinners too. It was hard to be around Tyler if he didn't really have to be.

  Trish wasn't lying when she said he hadn't brought any puck bunnies around. Casual hook ups now bored him. Those girls were worse than him. They got what they wanted and then they were gone. Maybe I’ve outgrown them. Or maybe I just want Gia.

  But Patrick Dubois isn't a relationship kind of man, am I? Nah.

  His dick twitched at the thought of Gia. Dammit. He's never been a one-woman man. Ever. But that girl ... he got hard every time he thought about her. This had been one very long year without seeing her.

  He knew it was wrong to want Gia for himself. He should be happy that Tyler forgave her and grateful that his ass hadn’t been traded yet. Tyler was tight with the front office; he could have arranged that.

  "Cuz," Kris called as Patrick left the men's room. Kris had that wrinkled look on his face of worry and concern.

  "Hey, Kris."

  "Thanks for being there for Ian today, bro." Kris put his fist out for Patrick.

  "Yeah, no problem, Cuz. Of course." He bumped his fist to Kris's.

  "We've missed you at the family gatherings. You've been making yourself scarce these last few months. You know you're always welcome at our house. Is it because of what happened with Gia–"

  "Hey, Kat!" Patrick called behind Kris.

  "Hey, babe. Everything okay?" Kris motioned to Ian, tucked in Kat's arms.

  "Yeah, everything is fine. Just a poopie diaper, that's all. Unless you want to change it, I guess we will see you once we get back inside." Kat smiled as she held the diaper bag out to Kris. When Kris didn't answer, she responded, "Yeah, that's what I thought. What about you, Uncle Patrick?"

  Patrick jumped back a little. That kid was tiny, but he had a wicked odor coming from him. Plus, he didn’t do dirty diapers. "Noooo thank you. I think he wants his mommy, anyway," he said just as Ian scrunched up his little face and prepared to let out a whimper.

  "You'll have to learn how to do this someday, Patrick." She pulled Ian back to her chest and snuggled him until he calmed down. "See you boys back at the table," she called over her shoulder as she headed to the ladies room.

  "Damn, that was close." Kris let out a hard breath and rubbed at his jawline. "A little more warning would've been nice."

  "Hey, you're lucky I saw her when I did. So, she still doesn't know?"

  "Hell no. I'm not going to be the one to tell her. If Gia doesn't, then it isn't any of my business. But I'm glad you came to me, bro." Kris put a hand on Patrick's shoulder. "But you are staying away? I mean, she is Ty's lady. He forgave both of you, apparently, considering you are still with the Renegades."

  "Yeah, I've thought about that. Why didn't he have my sorry ass traded? Dude is more level-headed than anyone I know."

  "He really is a businessman at heart. Always having what's best for business in mind. Guess you are more of an asset to the team than you are an ass. Go figure," Kris quipped.

  "Shut up, dude. I'm awesome and we both know it." Gia definitely knew it. Damn, I have to get her out of my head. But 'have to' and 'want to' were two completely different things.

  Kris's words rang over in his head. 'She is Ty's lady.' Gia wasn’t a possession; she didn’t belong to Ty. But Kris was right, he needed to keep his distance.

  "I just would like to have nice family gatherings with both of you there. My wife feels bad that neither of you ever show up anymore. You're giving her a complex," Kris chuckled. "So, just forget about her and go find some puck bunnies. I doubt you’ll have to look very hard to find one to go home with you."

  Patrick didn't want a puck bunny, he wanted Gia. How was he supposed to get her out of his head? This last month was almost too much to bear. He hadn't seen her in almost a year and his body ached from missing her. He felt like he couldn't breathe. This was bad. Really bad.

  "Kris," Patrick said softly as his friend turned to go back to their table.

  "Yeah, Cuz?" Kris paused, looking Patrick in the eye.

  "There's one problem." Patrick s
ighed heavily. "I don't think I can."

  ****

  GIA

  Gia pushed her food around her plate; it was hard for her to eat with Patrick across the table. Even though he had behaved since he returned from the lobby, she couldn't control her heart rate. His eyes now focused on his food but just sensing him near made her body react. No matter what the outcome, this was a bad situation.

  Tyler sat calmly next to her. She wished she had an ounce of that control. She wondered if he really thought it was all over, just a one-time thing.

  If Patrick had stopped going to team functions, nothing was over. And no puck bunnies? Her mind wandered back to the pool party where she met him last summer. His eyes hungrily ate her up every chance he got. He probably didn't think she saw him, but she had. She swayed her hips and flipped her hair more than usual, hoping to keep that heavy gaze set on her. She walked around the whole day in a tiny bikini and knew she looked good. Tyler never ogled her like that, and it kind of felt good. Almost primitive. Maybe she liked the danger, the wrongness of it all. She typically didn't go for the good guys like Tyler, who played it safe and by the rules.

  Tyler's hand on her leg brought her back to reality. "You still with us over there, G?" he joked.

  "Yeah." She shook her head to clear out thoughts of Patrick and tugged at the collar of her blouse. "Huh, it's really warm in here."

  She reached under the table and stroked Tyler's leg, slowly moving her hand up towards his crotch. The idea of having a little fun made her pulse race and her body warm. Tyler stopped her hand with a smile and moved it back into her own lap.

  What the hell? I love that he is such a 'good' guy, but ... ugh!

  She searched his face for some sort of sign that she had him turned on. His eyes darkened and a little sweat had formed on his temple, proof that her touch wasn’t lost on him. But all she got in return was a smile and a kiss on her temple. That's sweet. But I want him to drag me across the room and throw me on a bed like in the romance novels. However, that’s not how Tyler operated. Patrick filled a void she didn’t realize she had. Is that why she couldn’t let go?