“Uh-huh.”
“Just sayin’.” She slid her legs off the couch and stood. “Better get her up.”
* * *
—
By the time Jodie got Zyana up and downstairs for some milk and a snack, Nick had disappeared outside. She could hear the roar of the snowblower. She peered out the window to see the snow had tapered off. She sighed, watching Nick slowly power the big machine through the snow. As he neared the patio, he left the snowblower and used a shovel to clear a path. She watched his big shoulders as he dug and tossed the snow aside. That was hard work, even for a professional athlete who was probably in the best shape of anyone she’d ever known.
He turned his face up to the sun now peeking out from clouds that were breaking apart. The wind had died down, so that was good.
She felt she should go shovel too, but with Zyana they’d probably be more of a hindrance than help. Maybe when he got a path to the coach house cleared, she could get Zyana properly bundled up and she could help with the front sidewalk, although it was short.
It took Nick such a long time, that she felt horribly guilty when he returned, red faced, damp haired, breathing hard. “Holy fu—” He stopped. “That’s a lot of snow.”
“I know.” She clasped her hands together. “I feel terrible you had to clear that all out.”
“Why?” He crossed in sock feet to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. “You didn’t put the snow there.”
“If it weren’t for me and Zyana living there, you wouldn’t have had to.”
He gave her a level look as he chugged water, then said, “Yes, I would have. I have to get to my garage.”
“Oh. Right. Still, I feel bad. I’m going to help with the front.”
It turned out to be a bit of a party. All the neighbors emerged from their houses, bundled up, some with their snowblowers shooting arcs of snow into the air, others with shovels in hand, clearing their own yards and helping one another. Jodie introduced Nick to Evaline, which was weird since Evaline was his neighbor, and Zyana and Jaquawn played in the snow. She met the next-door neighbors Rick and Charis, a friendly young couple. The shared experience of the blizzard and the power outage had everyone talking and bonding. She watched Nick interact with his neighbors, who he apparently knew only slightly. He was friendly and relaxed, leaning on the handle of the snow shovel as he and Rick conversed about something out near the street.
Weirdly, now the sun was out, the snow started softening and melting, but without snowplows coming down the street, they weren’t going to be able to get far. Being housebound another day with Zyana made her sigh, but on the bright side, she missed her when she was at daycare, so she should be grateful for the time with her little girl. And she’d be able to get some work done from home now they had power.
Inside she packed up their belongings, and she and Zyana carried them back to the coach house. The temperature there was comfortable now, but she turned on the fireplace anyway as she and Zyana sat on the couch and ate chicken fingers she’d found in the freezer. After a bath and some reading, she got Zyana to sleep in her own bed, tucked in with Ruby.
“That was fun sleeping over at Nick’s,” Zyana said drowsily.
“It was kind of fun, wasn’t it?” Guiltily, she remembered the shattering orgasm she’d had that afternoon. Eeep.
“And pwaying hockey with him.”
“Yeah.” She stroked Zyana’s hair and watched her eyelashes flutter as she drifted to sleep.
As always, these moments filled her with love for her daughter, her heart squeezing.
She left the bedroom door open a crack and jogged downstairs to clean up the kitchen and put things away. She glanced at the clock on the stove—eight-twenty.
Would Nick take her hint? He obviously knew she couldn’t leave Zyana and come to his place.
She texted Kendra, and they agreed they wouldn’t go to work tomorrow, Kendra sending out a group email to let everyone else know.
She looked at the clock again. Eight-thirty.
She finished tidying the kitchen, rinsed out the sponge, and set it in the sink. Eight-forty.
She sighed. He wasn’t going to come.
Eyeing her phone, she nibbled her bottom lip. She could call him, or text him.
Or she could just have a glass of wine and watch one of her favorite Netflix series. If he wasn’t interested, she wasn’t going to beg him to come over. Although, she would make it worth his while if he did….
After what he’d done for her, she had a painful yearning to do the same for him…to explore his body as he had hers, learning all those muscles, tasting him, making him feel good.
She sighed, settling onto the couch just as a soft knock on her door reached her ears. Her senses went on alert, her head tilted, and she slid off the couch to answer it.
Nick.
Chapter 13
“I’m not here for a booty call.”
“No?” Jodie smiled at him as she closed the door behind him. “Then why are you here?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. It was true. She’d dropped that hint about Zyana going to bed early, and yeah, what had happened this afternoon had been one-sided, but he wasn’t that much of a dick that he’d show up here expecting a blow job or something in return. But he also didn’t want her to think that he was rejecting her implied invitation.
He’d been thinking about that hot encounter the rest of the day…the sounds she’d made, the way her cheeks had gone pink when she came, her eyes hazy. How she’d felt, all soft and wet and Christ, he was getting hard again.
He held up the box of microwave popcorn in one hand and two bottles of beer in the other. “I thought you might need a snack, since you still haven’t been able to shop.”
She looked at the popcorn, then back to him. “Extra buttery.” She took the box and breezed past him into the kitchen. “My fav.”
He took off his boots and crossed the kitchen to slide onto a stool at the island while she opened the box and popped a package into the microwave.
“Guess I won’t be shopping tomorrow either.” She shut the door and tapped a few buttons, then turned to face him. “Sounds like they’ll still be plowing out the streets.”
“Yeah. They’re telling everyone to stay home if you can. Got the message that our game is canceled.”
“That sucks. When do you play next?”
“Sunday. In Calgary. Assuming we can get there.” He lifted another bag onto the counter. “I brought you Cheerios and milk for breakfast.”
She sucked her bottom lip in briefly and then let out a short sigh. “Thank you.”
“If you need anything else, let me know.”
She sighed. “I have a can of spaghetti for lunch.”
“Canned spaghetti? Ugh.”
“I know.” She wrinkled her nose. “Zyana likes it though. Don’t worry, I’ll expand her tastes as she gets older.”
“You don’t have to eat that. I’m sure I can find something better.”
“I’m sure you don’t want us hanging around your house again.”
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “You keep saying that. Look, I’m sorry if I’ve given you the impression I don’t like you.”
“You said you don’t like people.” She shrugged. “That would include me.”
“I don’t like people in general. But I don’t object to having friends.”
“I know.” Her face softened. “I saw you with your teammates. I can see you like them. And your neighbors. And it appears you don’t hate Zyana, even though you said you don’t like kids.”
“Christ. I really have been grouchy, haven’t I?”
“Yeah.” She moved to take a bowl out of a cupboard and waited for the popcorn to finish popping. Then she emptied it into the bowl. “Have you recovered from all that shoveling?”<
br />
He flexed an arm. “No recovery needed. I’m in good shape.”
“Yes, you are.”
He picked up the appreciation in her voice and…he liked it. “Also, I was working off my sexual frustration.”
Her eyes widened, then her eyelids lowered, and the corners of her mouth lifted. “Oh. Did it help?”
He met her eyes. “Not really.”
She held his gaze, and the air crackled around them.
“Actually, my back is a bit sore.” He reached around and rubbed his lumbar spine. “Wish I could have a massage tomorrow, but I’ll have to wait. At least I didn’t die of a heart attack.” He shook his head. “This blizzard has been crazy.”
“We’re lucky.”
She carried the bowl, and he followed with the beers. They settled on the couch, and Jodie picked up the remote to turn on the TV. She paused at a hockey game. “I guess not every game is canceled today.”
“Nope. That game’s in Denver.”
“Want to watch?”
“Sure.”
“You can educate me. Which team is better?”
“Winnipeg.” He picked up some popcorn and began to munch.
“But they’re losing.”
“It’s only the second period.”
“I watched some games with Kendra,” she said. “Zyana absolutely loves hockey.”
“I got that. It’s cute. Maybe she’ll be a hockey player one day.”
“Um…”
“What? There are women’s hockey teams.”
“Yes, there are.” She lifted one shoulder. “I’d just be surprised if she’s very athletic, since I’m not.”
“You look like you’re in good shape,” he said with an exaggerated leer, much more suggestive than her comment about him moments ago.
Luckily, she laughed at that. “Thanks. I should work out more.”
“What about Zyana’s father? What do you know about him?” This was weird.
“I do know that he played a lot of sports. So maybe she will be a hockey player.”
“What else do you know about the, uh, donor?”
“Quite a bit, actually. Age, racial and ethnic origin, health, education, career, some physical traits. I wanted dark eyes and hair, thinking there’d be a better chance that Zyana would look like me then, but looks aren’t predictable. And not the most important thing either. I also wanted to know about intelligence, sense of humor, and talents…like playing sports or a musical instrument.”
“Wow. That’s…intense.”
“It’s a big decision. You get to listen to interviews with them, read an essay they write, even see their baby pictures. I’ve heard of some women who take years to make a decision about the right donor. I was having a hard time, so I called in help.”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“Kendra.” She smiled. “She was very helpful. She knew it was important but she was able to be more objective.”
He shook his head slowly. “I still don’t know whether you’re crazy or brave to do that. I keep thinking of buddies who’ve had pregnancy scares and freak out…because, man, that’s a life changer.”
“But you also know people who are having babies by choice…there were three pregnant women at Max’s birthday party.”
“True. And I don’t know whether they’re crazy or brave either.”
She shook her head. “I hope you don’t say that to them.”
“Sure I do.”
“Curmudgeon.”
“They know me.” He picked up more popcorn and shrugged. “They know I’m kidding.”
“Huh.”
He watched the game on TV, now into the third period. “Wow, Luciano is on a tear tonight. He’s banging anything that moves.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how they sounded. He turned and met Jodie’s eyes. She was grinning. “Really.”
He couldn’t stop his own smile. “That sounded bad, huh?”
“It sounded hilarious.”
Now that his mind was in the gutter, of course he was thinking about banging Jodie. Jesus. He rubbed a hand across his forehead and turned back to the game, trying to distract himself from the heat pooling in his groin.
Winnipeg scored a goal, tying up the game, and he nodded. “See? Can’t count them out.”
“I missed it. This game moves so fast.”
“That’s why it’s the best sport in the world. You can watch the replay, though.”
“I took skating lessons when I was a kid,” Jodie said musingly, sliding deeper down into the couch cushions. “I was never that good. It’s amazing how you all can do what you do on those sharp blades.”
“We’re good.”
“And modest.”
He smiled, but kept his focus on the TV. “Just being honest.”
Denver skated in on the Winnipeg net with the puck, and the tender made a huge save. “Wow. Nice play. Barnett makes it look so easy, he just goes down on his knees and swallows it up.”
The air vibrated, and he glanced at Jodie to see her trying hard not to laugh. “You dirty birdie.”
Now she laughed out loud. “Come on! You’re doing that on purpose.”
“No, I’m not.” Looking into her dancing eyes, he felt a sharp tug of lust…attraction…and he bent his head to kiss her.
“Mmm.” She kissed him back, her mouth soft and warm. His dick lengthened and thickened, arousal buzzing inside him. He wanted her again.
“He scores!”
The announcer’s shout had them drawing apart to look at the TV. “Winnipeg,” he said with satisfaction. “Up by one now.”
“I’m supposed to bow down to your superior knowledge?”
He smirked. “Yeah.”
Her smile beamed, then dimmed a bit with what appeared to be uncertainty. She turned away to watch the game again.
“There goes Jenson.” He gestured.
“The goalie? He’s leaving?”
“Yeah. They can put another player on.”
“That seems incredibly risky.”
“Well, with an extra player they should be able to control the puck, and they’re losing right now anyway, so why not?”
“I guess.”
Colorado dominated the play in the offensive zone, yeah, controlling the puck, getting a few good looks at the Winnipeg net. Beside him, Jodie’s cries of “Oh!” and “Whew!” amused him. “You cheering for Winnipeg?”
She shot him a sheepish glance. “I have no idea. You said they would win.”
“They are winning.” Then one of the Winnipeg players got the puck and shot it down the ice…right into the Colorado empty net.
“Yeah!” Jodie pumped a fist into the air. “Okay, you were right. But so was I.”
“How so?”
“That empty net was dangerous.”
She was dangerous…making him smile this much. He felt…happy. It was a weird feeling. Okay, he’d been happy…winning games, scoring goals, laughing with the guys…even working on his house or refinishing furniture he felt a sense of contentment and satisfaction…but this was different. A sort of fizzing, bubbling feeling. Okay, that made it sound like he had food poisoning. He sighed.
“What?”
He glanced at her. “Nothing.”
“Okay. Well, the game’s over. You said you wanted a massage. Lay down.”
“Huh?”
She motioned to the couch. “Lay down. On your front. I’ll massage your back. I’m not a trained massage therapist like you’re probably used to, but it might feel good.”
Oh hell yeah, he was certain it would feel good, probably better than any massage Tony had ever given him. “Maybe it’s my front that hurts.”
She arched an eyebrow, lips lifting in a wicked little
smile. “Nice try. You said your back was sore.”
“Damn.” He turned and stretched out on the sectional, stacking his hands beneath his chin.
“Don’t worry.” She settled her hands on his back and smoothed them down over his T-shirt. “I may get around to your front, if my hands don’t get too tired.”
He groaned. “Let’s hope they don’t.”
“Well, if they do…” She dug her thumbs into his paraspinal muscles, and he let out another moan. “I can always use my mouth.”
“Fuck,” he muttered, banging his forehead on his hands. “Now my front really hurts.” He wasn’t lying. His dick had hardened with painful intensity.
She gave a low laugh and moved her hands up and down his spine, pressing into tight muscles. She might not be a professional, but she was pretty good at finding the knots. He closed his eyes and relaxed into her touch, as much as he could with a raging hard-on. Pleasure slid through him, heating his blood, tightening his groin, every nerve ending tingling.
She moved up to his shoulder blades, finding the tension beneath them, then on to his shoulders. She molded his muscles as if measuring them. “You have big muscles,” she murmured.
“I have one very big muscle,” he muttered.
She choked out a little laugh. “Okay, turn over.”
He slowly rolled to his back and stared at her where she perched on the edge beside his hip. “Are you as turned on as I am?”
Her gaze drifted down over his chest and abs to the bulge behind his jeans. She blinked rapidly a few times then reached a hand out. “Um…maybe…”
His body tensed and then pleasure torched him as she palmed him through his jeans. She gave a firm rub then a squeeze. “Jesus,” he groaned, closing his eyes, exquisite pain streaking through him.
“You’re pretty turned on,” she said in egregious understatement. She bit her lip, rubbing him again. “And…um, large.”
“Come here.” He reached for her and easily lifted her so that she was on top of him, stretched out, the soft juncture of her thighs pressed to his hard-on. He liked these leggings she wore; they were soft and stretchy and almost not there.
She gave a little gasp as he lifted her but didn’t resist, rubbing herself against him in a way that made his blood heat. His skin prickled everywhere as he cupped the back of her head and drew it down for a kiss. A long, lush, wet kiss that went on and on…and on.
Big Stick Page 13
