by Cari Quinn
Sarah was much improved after eating, yet was still so tired. The endless road trips had wreaked havoc on her body, and the odd schedule of traveling, eating, and sleeping had caught up with her. Without protest she let Sebastian help her put on her pajamas before he drew back the covers and tucked her into bed.
“You’re not staying?”
Sebastian shook his head with a small smile, his eyes full of genuine concern and something else she couldn’t quite grasp. “You need your rest, and you won’t get that with me here since I find it impossible not to touch you. I’ll see you tomorrow at practice, ma belle.” Leaning down, he kissed her forehead. “Oh, and if you haven’t gotten me a present yet, there are still a few shopping days left until Christmas.”
He grinned like a little kid and she was struck again by how young he was and yet how much she wanted him. “I got you something already, and if you’re not staying to keep me warm, then leave me alone so I can sleep.”
Sebastian chuckled, placed another kiss on her forehead and then left the room.
Sarah slept like a rock that night.
* * *
Since Sarah was planning to drive home to Rochester to see her family on Christmas Eve, Sebastian came over to Sarah’s house the night before so they could exchange presents. “Bonsoir, mon bébé,” he said as she opened the door.
Seeing no evidence of a present, she regarded him with a raised eyebrow.
He laughed and patted his winter jacket’s pocket. “It’s right here. Do you think I’d forget?” Sebastian closed the door behind him then reached for her, pulling her against the rock-hard planes of his body and palming the back of her head as he pressed into her mouth.
Finally letting her up for air, he backed away and grinned. “So where is mine?”
Sarah had spent a considerable amount of time online, culling through dozens of websites for something suitable, but what do you get a guy who makes boatloads of cash and can buy whatever he has a whim for in the mere blink of his eye? She’d ended up consulting with Rob out of desperation, and he told her Sebastian had been admiring his silver chain and talking about replacing the one he currently wore. With a minimum of grumbling, Rob had taken off his chain and lent it to her so she could search for something comparable.
Sarah was forever trying to get Sebastian and the other guys to take their chains off for games, afraid an opposing player would grab it or it would be accidentally pulled and choke them. Sebastian, like most hockey players, was superstitious and refused. She didn’t see how it could be comfortable to fly all over the ice with it banging around his neck, but she tried to let it go.
Sarah and Sebastian sat down on the floor by the tree and he reached into his jacket, pulling out a very small square box while Sarah dug his present out from the mountain under her tree. As usual, she’d gone overboard with Christmas gifts because she didn’t try to see her family more often. Once she unearthed his gift, they handed the presents to each other.
“Open yours first,” Sebastian urged and she laughed at his enthusiastic tone.
After tearing off the ribbon, she opened the box to reveal another small velvet box. She took that box out, her pulse racing that it might be an engagement ring. Chiding herself for her foolishness, she opened it and discovered the biggest pair of diamond earrings she’d ever seen in person. The gorgeous stones reflected the light in hundreds of facets and she gasped. She’d never seen something so beautiful.
“Do you like them?” At first, Sebastian wore an uncertain expression, but his green eyes twinkled with merriment as she gaped at them then at him.
“Well, duh, what woman wouldn’t like diamond earrings? But Sebastian, they’re too much. I can’t let you spend your money on me like this.”
“What else am I going to spend my money on? Besides, I like buying pretty things for you, mon coeur. Put them on.” She’d never convince him to take them back, so she put the studs in her ears as he beamed. Reaching over, Sebastian tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. “That’s better. Beautiful jewelry for a beautiful girl.”
She laughed. “I’m hardly a girl, but thank you. I love them and they are absolutely stunning, thank you. I’ll have to save them for special occasions. I’d be afraid of getting mugged if I wore them every day.”
“I want you to wear them to the New Year’s party after Tux ‘n’ Pucks. It’s black tie.”
Tux ‘n’ Pucks was an annual event the Storm held in conjunction with a local tuxedo shop. The tickets were sold in pairs through the tux store and came with a free rental. A lot of the women dressed in formal gowns, and both men and women often wore Storm jerseys over their finery. It was quite an interestingly attired crowd for a hockey game, from what Sarah had heard. The team held a party after the game in the arena’s private party area.
She handed him a long, slim package. “Now you.”
He pulled the wrapping paper off in one quick motion and his eyebrows shot up. Cracking open the box, he saw the chain and laughed. “You talked to Rob, eh?”
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to buy a present for someone who has everything? Do you like it? You can return it for a different one if you don’t. I tried to find one similar to Rob’s. I even made him give me his chain so I could compare it to the ones in the stores.” She wasn’t sure why she was babbling, but for some reason it was crucially important he like her gift.
After removing his other chain, he immediately put on the new one. “It’s perfect, thank you.” He leaned over to kiss her. He deepened the kiss, pushing her down to the floor, and Sarah had to bat him away.
They’d agreed to pick up Rob to gamble at the casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario. “We have to go.”
“Fine, but we’re coming back here later. I want another present, if you know what I mean.” He waggled his eyebrows, and she shook her head.
“You’re incorrigible.” She wasn’t actually exasperated. Truth be told, having a smoking hot guy constantly lusting after her was a great ego boost, and she could definitely use one of those.
“If incorrigible means very handsome, then sure, I am incorrigible. You use a lot of big words, you know.”
She laughed. He’d been in the States for a while now and surely knew more English than he let on sometimes. Sarah was pretty sure he just liked to tease a reaction out of her. Good thing she was willing to play along. “I’ll try to use smaller ones.”
“I like, ‘yes, Sebastian,’ and ‘oh God, Sebastian’ myself.”
She smacked him and he laughed.
Chapter Thirteen
After the game on New Year’s Eve, the team prepared for Tux ‘n’ Pucks. Sarah got dressed in her office, put her hair up and applied some more makeup before adding the diamond earrings from Sebastian. Rick was just exiting the locker room when she walked by, and stopped short when he saw her, letting out a wolf whistle.
She smiled, but didn’t want to encourage him, knowing he had quite a mouth on him. Rick and Jordan, especially, said some pretty outrageous things just to get a rise out of her. When they started in on her, other guys joined in too, and the whole thing snowballed in no time.
“Lookin’ good, Sarah,” Rick said, appraising her dress with a definite air of male appreciation.
“Thanks.” She’d been lucky and had found the perfect dress. It was a silver, shimmery fabric that caught the light and featured a halter top, an open back and fitted bodice. The loose, flowing skirts came down to mid-calf. The halter top gave her more cleavage than she actually had and the back dropped down to her waist. She had only been thinking of whether or not Sebastian would like it, and it hadn’t occurred to her to consider how it would play with everybody else. Now, as she saw Rick’s reaction, she regretted her choice.
“I’m definitely grabbing you for a New Year’s kiss.” He licked his lips with a loud smack. “Besides, I really don’t want to kiss any of the guys. You’re way hotter.”
Behind her, she heard a cough. Rob and Sebastian had exited the
locker room, and Sarah was sure Sebastian had heard Rick’s last comment, but if he did, his face didn’t betray it. “Let’s get up there. I can hear the noise from here,” she suggested, and they all took the elevator up together.
When the group stepped into the room, Sarah gazed around in wonder. The entire area had been transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with ice sculptures of the team’s logo, a martini fountain also constructed from ice, and white as far as the eye could see. It was gorgeous, and Sarah had to admit she was impressed. Scott knew how to throw a party.
Rob followed her over to the bar. As they ordered drinks, he nudged her. “That’s quite a dress.”
Sarah bit her lip. “I didn’t think about how it might be viewed by anyone other than Sebastian.”
“You bought a dress for a party filled with testosterone-laden guys and you didn’t think about it?”
“I was in a hurry. I put it on. I liked it. I bought it.” She glanced at Sebastian, who was greeting Scott and his wife. “Do you think he’s mad?”
“No. His jaw hit the floor when he saw you. He knows if you guys want to keep this thing a secret, he needs to play it cool. If I were you, I’d try to limit my exposure to the single guys tonight.” One eyebrow rose in a clear warning. “Rick may not be the only guy heading in your direction at midnight.
“We better mingle. People are going to think we’re together from all the hushed whispering we’ve been doing together lately, and that’s all we need.”
She punched him in the arm.
“Hey, give a guy a break. Didn’t you see Savard lay me out into the boards earlier?”
“Yeah. I think my teeth rattled.” Sarah smacked him again and then grinned.
“Stop that!” Rob grabbed his arm in an obvious display of mock hurt.
“Wuss.”
Moving away from Rob, she joined a conversation Colby was having with Scott about upcoming games. Sebastian was now across the room talking to Nikolai, but he kept glancing over, and even when her back was to him, she sensed his gaze on her, like a hot sun in July.
After a bit, Sarah moved away from Scott and Colby and into another group closer to Sebastian. Sebastian, likewise, moved away from Nikolai and over to where Ben and his wife, Jaela, were seated. Sarah sat down and said hello to them.
Jaela had recently had a baby, and Sarah congratulated them, preparing to see the requisite baby pictures. She liked kids just fine but didn’t see having any of her own. Sebastian was next to Ben, and Sarah sent him a smile. Ben was a pretty perceptive guy, and neither of them wanted to give him any reason to be suspicious. Soon, other guys and their girlfriends joined them, and Sarah spent the hour before midnight in conversation with several of the women.
At five minutes to midnight everybody stood up. Champagne glasses were passed out, and the big screen television was tuned to the ball drop in Times Square. Sarah bolted for the door, intending to hide out in the bathroom until the kissing portion of the evening ended. She figured it couldn’t be more than ten or fifteen minutes and her feet were killing her anyway. Taking off her shoes sounded like a brilliant idea.
Sebastian slunk out of the room after her. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to hide out in the bathroom while everybody does the whole ‘kissing at midnight’ thing.”
Sebastian grinned. “Good plan. There are way too many guys who want a kiss from you. If I had to watch a bunch of guys grabbing you…” His hands fisted at his sides. “I know I can’t act like a jealous boyfriend, but having to watch my teammates put their hands all over you might be too much to handle.
“But you can trust me, mon coeur. I won’t get into any trouble. I’ll just push any women in Rob’s direction and he’ll owe me.” With a wink, he sauntered back into the party.
Sarah sat on the couch in the empty sitting area of the ladies’ room and listened to the countdown to midnight. After the initial furor, she waited another five minutes to be safe and then left the restroom. She was about to sneak back into the party when someone grabbed her hand. Spinning, her body backed off from the instinctual fight or flight reaction as she recognized Sebastian.
With a grin, he pulled her into a supply closet. “Happy New Year,” he whispered, and then kissed her. Sliding his tongue into her mouth, he explored while Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck. When they were both breathless, they broke apart.
“Happy New Year,” she whispered back, and he kissed her again, even deeper, plummeting her into a pool of shivering need.
Grinding his erection into her belly, Sebastian trailed wet, open-mouthed kisses down her throat. Before they got lost in each other, as they were wont to do, Sarah moved away. “We can’t do this here. You go first, I’ll follow.”
When Sarah walked back into the party room, she spied a couple of guys laughing and joking around with each other. She was about to head over to them when Rick stopped her. “Where did you disappear to? I looked for you at midnight. Oh well, doesn’t matter, I’ll take my kiss now.” He bent his head as his hands bracketed her waist.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Sarah told him, stepping away and hoping he’d drop it.
Rick snorted. “Come on, it’s just one little kiss. It’s New Year’s!”
“I don’t care what it is, Rick. It’s not appropriate,” Sarah answered, knowing she was the biggest hypocrite on the planet for saying that while she was sleeping with one of his teammates. With any luck, Sebastian wasn’t watching this display. He’d said he would be fine, but he was young and she wasn’t sure she could trust him to keep their relationship under wraps if he thought it was being threatened.
Without another word she headed toward the group of players gathered around Brendan. She engaged the goalie in a conversation about one of his favorite hobbies, photography, and tried not to stare at Sebastian as he laughed and talked to his teammates. That man could fill out a tux like nobody’s business.
Sighing, she surreptitiously checked her watch again. In a few minutes she should be able to leave, and Sebastian would follow as soon as he could. Sarah had some definite ideas about what she wanted to do with the mouthwatering body he was hiding beneath his formalwear.
* * *
Before the team left on a short road trip the next day, Sarah took the opportunity to stop at the grocery store to stock up on Sebastian’s favorite foods. She wanted to pamper him when they got back. He would appreciate some home cooking. After getting a start with putting away her groceries, she called Marcy.
“So what happened at the party? Start at the beginning,” Marcy urged. “Geez, where are you? It sounds like you’re in a tunnel.”
“I’m at my house, putting away a huge stash of groceries. We’re leaving soon for a road trip, but I need to shop whenever I get the chance. So, remember the dress I bought that I sent you a picture of?” She stretched, pushing a box of cereal onto the top shelf of the pantry where she kept stuff until she needed it.
“That dress was hot. Sebastian was a fan of it, right?”
“Oh, he loved it. The problem was, I didn’t think about how it would play with anyone but Sebastian.”
“Let me guess. You were popular with the other players, too.”
“Bingo. Sebastian tried to be cool about it, but his roommate Rob warned me I should try to miss the midnight kiss-fest since there were a bunch of single players ogling me, so I hid out in the bathroom.” Opening the door of the freezer, she shivered as she deposited a bunch of frozen veggies and some meat in it before closing the door quickly.
“And did it work?”
“Yes, beautifully, and when I was heading back to the party Sebastian pulled me into a supply closet.” Marcy snickered and Sarah continued, “Yeah, I know, how cliché, but anyway, we had a private New Year’s kiss.”
“That sounds nice.”
Sarah plopped into a chair for the moment. She’d put away the food that needed to be refrigerated or frozen. The rest could wait. “It was, but then I
went back into the party and one of the guys tried to give me a late New Year’s kiss. I had to extract myself from his grip and explain the inappropriateness of kissing a colleague. Talk about being a hypocrite. It was awful. Of course, I also had to worry about Sebastian noticing and freaking out.”
“But it all worked out in the end?”
“Yeah, but the sneaking around thing is really getting to me. It’s making me totally paranoid.”
“Maybe you should come clean then.”
Sarah sighed. “I can’t, you know that.”
“No, I know you think you can’t. I’ll ask you again. Are you seeing a therapist? He or she could help you work this stuff out in your head, you know.”
“I do know.”
“But you haven’t,” Marcy said.
“No.”
“Well, I can’t make you go see one, but I think you should. I care about you, Sarah, and I want you to be happy with Sebastian. Until you deal with all this crap, plus all the stuff that’s been festering from your past, you won’t be able to fully give yourself to Sebastian.”
She rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “I hear you. I do. And thanks for being willing to keep kicking my ass. I need someone to. Oh, and Marcy? Sometimes it feels like you’re the one sane thing in my life. I appreciate you listening to me all the time.”
Marcy chuckled. “If I’m the sane thing in your life, you’re in big trouble, lady.”
“Don’t I know it?”
Sarah hung up after promising Marcy she’d move ahead in finding a therapist.
Sitting down at her laptop, she did a Google search for therapists in the area before she procrastinated again. She figured she owed it to both herself and Sebastian to work through her past. An hour later, she’d e-mailed three of them, and the guilt at not having done it before now loosened a little.
* * *
Soon after New Year’s, the team got some of their forwards back from hernia surgery, but Sebastian continued to get significant ice time, as several other players were nursing injuries and his goals per sixty minutes of game time was the fastest-rising on the team. Sebastian had shown himself to be a versatile, responsible player with a nose for the net and the coaching staff liked what they saw.
