by Asrai Devin
"Nah, s'okay. You wanna get home to your girl, no?"
"No. I mean yes." Kip let out a chuckle at himself. "I do want to." He paused in the middle of his pad removal. "Thanks for the congrats. It does mean a lot to me."
Aleksander smiled at him a moment before his attention was drawn elsewhere. He received more congratulations from various people. Coach, general manager, two of the owners, he thought. The faces blurred as they passed.
He undressed, showered and put his clothes back on. The dressing room opened and Mandy and Colton arrived with the rest of the crowd. Family members, wives, girlfriends, couple of other kids, friends filtered in. He wrapped his arm around Mandy and lifted Colton. "You were great," Colton shouted. In his ear. He winced a little.
"Thanks, dude. Thanks for coming out to watch."
Kip leaned over and kissed Mandy's cheek. "And thank you, too. I know you had to fly here."
"It's fine. I don't mind."
He pressed his face against her, to breathe the essence of Mandy. "I love you," he whispered.
"I heard that," Colton shouted. Ouch in the ear, Kip thought, about to set Colton to the floor. Then Corey came to the rescue and lifted Colton away.
"Did you see my goal?" Corey asked Colton, while carrying him across the room.
"Hey, bring him back in a few minutes," Kip called after them. He pressed close to Mandy and spoke only for her, "I need to take this woman home and have my own celebration."
Mandy laughed and hugged him around his waist. "You were great tonight. Did you enjoy yourself?"
He shrugged. "Some. I dunno, the lack of word from anywhere is starting to get to me. I will have to start demanding soon." He made a face at her.
Mandy sighed. Was she tired of hearing about it or was she hoping for good news for him? He couldn't talk to her now. They still had to drive home in their separate vehicles. He wanted to sigh too, but he would hide those worries from her. "I know. We're all on edge until something happens."
He patted her hips. "Let's not worry about it for now. Let's go home, hang out in the hot tub and make love in the king-sized bed that I paid a fortune for." It had become another part of their routine.
"It was all worth every penny. It's the only reason I'm still sleeping with you."
"Jeez. If I knew you'd be that easy."
They shared a laugh. "Well, that and the fact that you don't stop telling me how beautiful and sexy I am. That you don't stop telling me you love me."
"I do love you, and you are the sexiest woman I know." He received a pinch on the arm for that. He laughed. "The world. The world."
Kyle McLachlan and Doug Black walked up to them. Doug elbowed him the side. He was a defenseman, who'd been playing for the Flames for six years now. "Hey stop smoozing with each other. Celebrate your win. I heard someone saying that you might start in the playoffs."
Kip shrugged. "Not something I can really control. Well, not entirely."
"You were so awesome out there tonight. You were the last few games you played," Kyle said.
"It's a team effort," Kip replied. He looked at Mandy, who looked at his team mates. "You guys do the work, really. Goalies get the blame."
"We know it's been hard for you, being the new guy," Doug said. "Been a long time since I was the new guy."
Kip nodded. "Well, you guys do your job out there and I'll do mine. Together, we turn it all into a win."
Kyle punched him in the shoulder. "See you around."
Kip reached out and punched him back. "Sure." He looked back at his girl. He liked the sound of that: 'his girl.' "Should we make our way out?"
Mandy disentangled himself from Kip. "You talk to whoever you need to. I'll go find Colton and ruin his night." Kip grabbed her back and kissed her again. "Love you."
* * * *
After she watched Kip walk away, she tried to listen for Colton or Corey. She heard laughter across the room and followed it. She found Colton half surrounded by Flames players. Colton was telling them his latest group of jokes. Mandy rolled her eyes, grateful that her son was getting all this positive male attention. Young Corey, nicknamed in her mind for his young looks, he was close to the same age as her, had taken a shine to Colton.
Mandy elbowed him in the side. "Good game out there. That was a nice goal."
"Took a few shots, but I got the job done." Corey grinned. His good looks made obvious by the wide smile that reached his eyes. She wished she had a single friend to set, perpetually single, Corey up with on a date.
"Indeed. You did well."
"I swear, Kip plays better when you are here. Would you consider travelling with the team?"
Mandy knitted her eyebrows together. "Full time? With you lot? God, no."
"What about moving here so you could see more games?"
"I'll take that under consideration."
Corey smiled wider, leaving Mandy to wonder if that was possible. "Go little Kippy."
Mandy shook her head. "Keep it on the down low, there, sporty."
"Come on, Cole here needs a little brother."
"Okay, time for me to go," Mandy said.
"Well, if you decide to leave Kip you know where to find me. I have good genes." He looked at Colton, longingly. "And I love your kid." The poor guy really did, and he would make a great dad. He couldn't seem to chase the right kind of girl. He went after the puck bunnies who only wanted to brag that they'd nailed a NHL star.
"I'll get you to babysit some night then."
"Deal. Hey, it's the least I can for you guys. You're family now." They'd spent a lot of time together, especially since Corey had no family that she knew of. Mandy felt part of this extended family now too. Something she'd been missing since Kip had gone, so many years ago.
"Hey don't look sad."
"Sorry, I was thinking about how nice it is to be friends with you all." It had to be hard too. It was nearly the same as a family, but on the flip side, players were traded all the time. Sometimes by choice, sometimes without much warning. Kip had played on three different teams in his career, not counting his years in the minor league. She hugged Corey spontaneously.
He hugged her back briefly. "I can't hold you too long, Kip's already eying me."
"He knows better." Mandy pushed Corey's shoulder. "Don't take home any of those girls out there."
"It's been a few weeks y'know, since I got laid." He mumbled it.
"You got nothin' on me." Mandy flashed a grin.
Corey tilted his head. "Yahuh, right. You can tell me that later."
He gave her a push and she found herself hitting solid human muscle. The arms around her tried to cushion the blow. She looked in to familiar eyes. "Hey babe."
"Is he giving you a hard time? Or stealing you away?"
"Neither." She forced a smile. She hoped the tears didn't show. "We were chatting."
"And, Colton, maybe you should start charging these guys money for your comedy act," Kip said. He let go of Mandy and grabbed Colton's hood. "We gotta get going dude. Last joke." Her kid had become a side show. A much applauded one.
"Corey, I totally mean it. Don't do anything I wouldn't."
"I wouldn't do anyone you would, that doesn't leave me many options."
She gave him her best Mom warning look. Colton sidled up to him and glanced at his mom. "She means business, man."
Corey cracked up. "I'm not scared of her."
"You don't have to live with her." Everyone within earshot of those remarks laughed.
"All right," Mandy said in mock anger. "You're show is oh-ver." She winked at Colton, who giggled followed by a yawn. "Definitely over."
Kip put his hand on Mandy's shoulder. "I'll walk to you to your car."
She gave one last wave to her new friends, and realized for the first time how lucky Kip was to be in this tight-knit group.
The drive to Kip's house was quiet. Colton was tired as the excitement of the game and the after-party wore off for him. Kip managed to arrive before them, not that it mat
tered he'd given Mandy a key in mid February.
He was on his cell phone outside when they parked. "Yeah, I want to stay in Calgary." He held up a hand at her. The call was important. Then he motioned her toward the house. "Tell them that, but don't look too eager. I still deserve to be paid the same as any other player."
Mandy couldn't hear anything as she got the bags out of her trunk. Colton jumped on one foot in the driveway. Mandy opened the door for him and took him to his room. She got him changed and tucked him into bed. He protested the imposed bedtime. "I wanna stay up. Talk to Kip about the game."
"You'll have time to do that tomorrow." Mandy pushed him to a prone position. "It's late, you need to get some sleep."
She put her bag in Kip's room then went back downstairs. He stood in his entryway. Still on the phone. He sighed deeply. "Right, okay. Well, I need to know what's happening because I have a life outside the team to worry about. Call me tomorrow." He closed the phone and Mandy watched him hang his coat and put his shoes away in the closet.
As he climbed the stairs toward her, he looked tired. She hugged him. "You okay?"
"That was my agent. There's finally talk of my contract for coming years. But they want to see the playoffs before they talk long term." He sighed and kissed the top of her head.
"Do you want to eat something before bed?" She blinked up at him. What could she add to the contract stuff? It was messy and complicated and a thorn in the side of their relationship. Better for her stress level if she didn't think about it.
"I guess so. I'm sorry babe to take out the stress on you." He let go of her and went toward the kitchen.
They ate some fruit and crackers in relative silence for a while. "What were you and Corey discussing?"
"He said you play better when I'm around and he was teasing me about our relationship." She leaned forward on her elbows, playing with a cracker between her hands.
"You looked a little sad when I came over."
Right, she had been teared-up over the thoughts of family and the team. "I was thinking that the team is a tight-knit little family, but with players being traded all the time. It must be hard."
He nodded. "Sometimes."
"I feel bad for the guy sometimes. He's got no family. He plays the joker, but he longs for something. I wish I knew someone to set him up with."
Kip rubbed her thigh. "You can't fix everyone." She'd become a bit of the team mom to some guys, Corey and Kyle for example. "He'll find his way." He squeezed her leg. "We did."
Mandy leaned over and nudged his body. "Life is a work in progress."
Kip threw the last piece of apple in his mouth. "What I think is that you and I should go take advantage of my soft bed." He stood.
Mandy stood beside him. "What I think is that you are a pretty amazing guy."
They went upstairs and closed the bedroom door. Kip turned on his new bedside lamps that Mandy had purchased a month ago. They did their bedtime routine and Mandy marveled at the comfortably they had settled into. The same as it had been many years ago. Or as if the situation were permanent. Still things felt transitory.
She stretched in bed. Kip kissed her mouth hard. "I thought you meant we'd take advantage by getting some sleep," she murmured against his mouth.
"I'd rather take advantage of you." He slid his hand down and squeezed her ample bottom. "There's something I've wanted to do to you."
Mandy hooked her leg over his, spreading herself for him. "Yeah? You wanna tell me or show me?"
He replied by pressing his mouth of hers, sliding his tongue inside her. Her body woke with a hum. He wiggled her little negligee off her body, leaving it tangled in the sheets. She felt his hard body pressing against hers as he licked at her nipples. They turned to pebbles under his tongue.
He slid down further, spreading her wider. He licked at her slick heat, until she panted with the sheets twisted around her. He came back and reached for the bedside table. They had stopped using condoms a while ago, when she went on the Pill.
He returned with a slick purple vibrator and a bottle of lubricant. Her body trembled in anticipation. He set the vibrator between them, and squeezed some lube on his hand. He rubbed it over his cock then slipped his hand between her legs, sliding two fingers into her soaking pussy.
A few thrusts left her begging for completion. He stopped before she came. His hand came out and he rubbed more lube on his fingers. His hand didn't stop at her pussy, he moved further back to her ass. With a finger, he gently rubbed at the puckered hole. "You okay with this?" he asked.
"It's not the first time we've ever done this." Her words were coming out in spurts as he massaged.
"Are you okay with this?" he asked again with a flash in his eyes.
She nodded. "Yes." She closed her eyes and let out a groan as his finger slipped inside. "God, yes."
He fingered the tight spot. She felt her muscles tensing and relaxing around his finger, as her body adjusted itself. He inserted a second finger, making sure she was ready.
He leaned over her and whispered into ear. "Can I fuck your tight ass?"
"Yes please," she replied. Her body felt like a taut string ready to break. She turned over cradling his erection against her lower back. He moved her so his cock pressed against her ass. A mechanical hum filled the room. The vibrator, she recalled, as he reached around with one hand to press it against her clit.
She exploded in orgasm before he even entered her. He waited until the waves subsided then he pushed gently, slowly into her. Once he was inside he was still, giving them time to adjust to the sensations.
"Please," she whispered. She reached her free arm back to caress his arm. He pressed the vibe harder against her as he moved inside her.
He groaned behind her with each small movement. His mouth was pressed into the back of her head, as he took her. He muttered small encouragements. "God, you feel so amazing. So tight around me." Mandy closed her eyes and focused on the feelings in her body, the stretch his cock was creating, the hum of the vibrator moving through her body. She came so hard, she was sure she saw stars.
She heard him grunt behind her, the usual sign of his impending orgasm. She was certain she felt the physical force of his come hitting the inside of her body.
He pulled out of her, but held her close. He whispered into her ear, rocking her. "Fuck, you are amazing. I love you so much."
Mandy smiled and snuggled into his arms. "I love you too darling. I always have and I always will." Please ask me to stay. He merely kissed her, instead of reading her thoughts. "I have to get cleaned up." She exited the bed.
When she came back she found he had already fallen asleep. She shut off the lights and crawled in beside him. He immediately moved his body against hers, holding her close. She closed her eyes and pressed her head to his chest, matching his breathing pattern. She could stay here forever if he only asked.
Chapter 12
Kip lay dead asleep when the first phone call came in. The first round of play-offs had finished. They won enough games to move on. He hadn't been starting goalie as suggested. In fact, Lundin remained on such a hot streak, Kip hadn't played a single game.
He grabbed his cell phone off his dresser. The sun had started to rise over the horizon. He squinted at the bright display, frantic that something happened to Mandy. His heart slowed when he read his agent's name on the tiny screen. He opened the phone and hit the answer button. "Hello?" He rubbed his face, trying to figure out if he was home or in a hotel. Home. He would be headed for Mandy's in a few hours. It was a day off in the middle of the week.
"Did something happen to Lundin at practice? I heard he got hurt."
Kip blinked. Aleksander Lundin injured? Not as far as he knew. But Kip hadn't seen him after practice. "I don't know," Kip tried not to snap. It was too early for him to deal with rumours. "He was fine when I saw him yesterday." Fuck, he wouldn't be thrown in front of the playoff bus would he? He threw the covers back and sat on the edge of the bed.
; "Well, it's what I heard this morning."
"I'm not even up yet. Do you ever sleep?"
"Sure, sometimes. It's cut throat, Turner. I have to be up at 3 AM to see what went on the night before. Usually I go to bed around noon, no one has meetings in the afternoon."
Kip shook his head as went downstairs in his large empty house. He missed Mandy and Colton's presence. Ghosts of their presence haunted him, many memories and he could swear he saw them once when he turned too fast in the dim kitchen light in the morning. He started his coffeemaker, while he listened to Martin yammer in his ear.
"Look, I don't know," Kip finally said. "Why don't you do what I give you money to do and find out?"
Martin was silent for a moment, stunned that always polite Kip would snap at him. "All right. I will talk to you know when I find out more."
Kip closed his phone and set it on the counter, glaring at it. Fuck. He finally looked at the time on the clock on the wall, the one Mandy had insisted on buying. He rubbed his hand over his face. It was 6:35. He grabbed his cell phone again and dialed.
She answered on the third ring. "Good morning, darling. To what do I owe this occasion?" She sounded chipper and he almost regretted calling her when he felt upset.
"Martin woke me with the news that Aleksander might be hurt. After I snapped at him, I missed you. How is your morning going?"
"Fine. The phone scared me a little. My heart works fine by the way. I'm missing you too. So what's the news on little Aleksander?"
He smirked at the term 'little', the man was 6'5". "I don't know. Martin heard rumours and thought maybe something happened at practice."
"Guess not. You excited? Worried about it?"
"Neither. I don't believe it."
"Well, keep me informed. Text me or whatnot if anything happens okay?"
"I will. Tell me about your day today."
He poured himself a coffee and sat at the dining-room table. He closed his eyes, sipped the hot brew and listened to her talk passionately about her job. It was what drew him to her originally. He held back a sigh. They lived only an hour apart, but it seemed like an ocean sometimes.
