by Lia Davis
“I know. I mean, I’ve played for the Storm for a couple of months now, and I still can’t believe the whole thing is real. You’ll like the guys, though. We can go for some drinks when you get here. Oh, and I have a three-bedroom loft here in downtown. Wanna live together?”
“I dunno, man. I might not be able to handle your bathroom habits. That goatee leaves tiny hairs all over the sink every time you clip it, and you never clean them up. Pretty gross.”
“Not everyone is as neat as you are,” Ian retorted.
“Fine. But I’m still not living with a pig.”
Ian snorted. “Thanks for being so considerate.”
“Hey, I’m a sweet guy.”
His friend laughed. “Keep telling yourself that, man.”
They hung up and Derek shook his head, smiling. This could be fun.
Chapter Two
Derek flew to Boston and met with Jon, the Storm’s head coach, and Keith, the general manager, so he could sign his contract and get a feel for what the team wanted from him. They had sequestered themselves in a small office provided by Boston for visiting coaches, and Derek took a deep breath as he sat, more nervous than he’d thought he would be.
“I’m putting you on a line with Ian and our captain, Ben Gerber,” Jon said. “Ben’s a little older than some of our other players, and he’s been with us a long time. He’ll show you the ropes, and then once the system is more familiar, I’ll probably move Sebastian or Nikolai to play with you and Ian.”
“Sounds like a plan. I know Ben, actually. During the last lockout, we both played on teams in Switzerland and ended up going up against each other several times. I always respected him.”
I get to play with Ian, and I already know at least one of the other guys. Hard to beat this turn of events.
Jon nodded. “I think you’ll love playing with him. Keith made this trade to put you and Ian back together, and it’s in our best interest to find you the best forward to compliment your style of play. We’ll try several guys, but my gut tells me Ben, Sebastian, or Nikolai are our best bets.”
“I hope I can be the player you need.”
“We do, too.” Jon pulled his chair back and then stood. “Now let’s go see if the equipment guys have your jersey ready. I saw your bag being hauled away to the visitor locker room. If you need to warm up, we should be able to get you on the ice. I can talk to someone.”
“That would be great. I’m pretty stiff from the plane ride and haven’t played since Tuesday.” Derek twisted his torso from side to side and a couple of his vertebrae cracked.
Laughing, Jon said, “Yikes. A warmup sounds like a good idea unless we want to send you to injured reserve during your first game.”
“Definitely not.” Derek indicated the door of the small room where they’d met. “After you, Coach.”
A few moments later, Ben approached Derek in the hall, holding out his hand. “Good to see you, Derek. Welcome to the Storm.”
“Thanks, cap. I hear we’re gonna be on a line together.”
Ben nodded. “For now. I don’t think I’m the right choice long-term, but Jon wanted to ease you into things.”
“I appreciate that. I was drafted by Colorado, and besides the lockout, I haven’t played for any team besides them since I was eighteen years old.”
“I can be a big change. Fortunately for you, the system we play here is similar to Colorado’s, though we rely a little more on speed. I think that’s why Ian’s done so well here.” Ben turned and began to walk. “I’ll show you to the locker room. We warm up in about three hours.”
As they walked, Ben continued to speak, occasionally glancing over his shoulder back at Derek. “We give up more shots, but try to keep them to the outside and make sure Brendan can see everything. Our backup, Jordan, is playing tonight, though. Brendan’s fighting a cold. He’ll be on the bench, but Jordan will start the game and hopefully play like we know he can.”
“Ah yes. I remember Jordan.”
“How could anyone forget him?” Ben answered with a chuckle. “He’s a character.”
“I remember back in juniors Jordan was a few years older, but we faced his team a few times before he moved to the pros. He did a back flip during a timeout once because he said he was bored. That guy is freaking crazy.”
“He’s a goaltender. They voluntarily stop dozens of pucks every day in practice and games. You’d have to be a lunatic for that.”
Derek nodded, smirking. “True, but don’t let any of them hear you say that. A young guy on the team last year called our goaltender, Jack Presley a nutcase during practice. It wasn’t pretty. I thought Presley’d take the kid’s head off with his goalie stick. We had to restrain him.”
“I heard about that,” Jon said. “I played with your assistant coach, Jimmy Moreland. We still keep in touch.”
“Ah, so you had inside information before trading for Ian and me?”
“I did, and I used it.” Ben stopped in front of a door marked Visitor Locker Room. “Here we are. Your stuff should be unpacked and ready to go. Just let the equipment guys know if you need your skates sharpened before you hit the ice, and check in with Colby, too. He likes to know if there’s anything he needs to keep an eye on health-wise.”
“Colby?”
“Our trainer.”
“Ah, yes. Okay, will do. Thanks, Coach.”
***
Ian had found some chemistry with his new line mates, Rob and Sebastian, in Buffalo, but nothing could compare to the one-two punch Derek as the scorer and Ian as the set-up man provided. Add Rob in to bounce some bodies and a killer line would be in the making. A little fissure of excitement stole through Derek.
Don’t put the cart before the horse. Be patient.
Easier said than done, though.
A few days later, once things had died down a little for Derek, Ian arranged for him to meet Haley. She looked gorgeous, as usual, her dark curly hair practically screaming for him to plunge his hands into it. Her gaze roved up and down Derek and then over to Ian, a small smile playing over her delicate features. Derek also seemed to appreciate what he saw, and Ian grinned. They went to a small, local café, and Derek perused the menu.
He must’ve had an odd expression on his face, because when he looked up, Haley smiled and asked, “Anything look good to you or is it all mouse food in your opinion?”
“We eat healthy when we can,” Derek explained. “So this isn’t totally new to me. But I’ll admit, I’ve never seen a shot of wheat grass offered as an appetizer.”
Haley laughed. “Ian told you what I do for a living, right?”
“You make homemade products from essential oils and natural ingredients.”
“Wow, so he quoted from my website? Impressive.”
Ian jumped in. “I told him basically what you do, and he must’ve taken it upon himself to look you up.”
“I did,” Derek said. “I wanted to understand it.”
“I appreciate that. So many don’t get it and think I’m some kind of witch doctor.”
“That’s crazy. All that stuff is so popular now,” Ian replied. “A lot of people are using organic products.”
They ordered and then sat back.
Derek said, “Yeah, you can hardly move in some of the stores without tripping over organic things. Those diffusers are everywhere. I like essential oils. I have a nausea blend the wife of one of our teammates in Colorado gave me after she found out I get motion sick on flights. It seems to work. I roll it on the back of my neck before we take off.”
“It smells good,” Ian offered. “If I had motion sickness I’d try it.”
“You know what you both might like—my facial scrub for men. It helps with the stubble and ingrown hairs. And it smells like coffee. I’m working on some other products for guys, but I haven’t liked the results enough yet to offer any but the scrub.”
“Coffee?” Derek asked. “Now you’re speaking my language.” The food arrived and then Derek continued. �
��Tell me more about your business.”
“Well.” Haley blew some hair out of her face. “I run it out of my apartment. I have a three-bedroom place, so one is my bedroom, one is for the business, and one is, for lack of a better place to put stuff, storage. Mostly ingredients but also off-season clothes. I will admit to being a hoarder of clothing. Some of the things in my wardrobe I’ve had since high school, which was nearly fifteen years ago.”
“Wow. I can’t make clothes last more than a few years,” Ian answered.
“Me, neither.” Derek laughed. “That could be because we wash everything together, don’t bother to fold most of our laundry, and tend to buy whatever’s easiest to wear. T-shirts, hoodies, jeans...”
“That would do it,” Haley said, shaking her head and grinning. “I’m no housekeeping ninja or anything, but I try to take care of my possessions.”
“Housekeeping ninja? I like that.” Derek said, leaning back in his seat.
Ian chimed in. “Me, too. I wanna be a ninja.”
Haley giggled. “Housekeeping ninja. Might not be quite as cool.”
“True,” Ian said. “You told me you do paperwork in the morning while you can still think and then make your products in the afternoon or evening when you don’t have to be quite as focused. I mean, obviously you’re careful while you’re putting together the things you sell—”
“I would hope so,” Haley answered. “Even organic products are nothing to be careless with.”
“Besides these ‘manly scrubs’, what kinds of things do you make?” Derek asked.
“Didn’t you read all about them on my website?”
“I’d rather hear it from you.”
Nicely played, bud. Butter her up. Ian couldn’t help but be amused, watching his friend interact with Haley. Normally, Derek didn’t get too excited about a first meeting, but judging by the way he fidgeted and shifted in his seat, the man felt disconcerted, to say the least.
“Oh, you’re good,” Haley said with a smile “Well, there are essential oil-related products, soaps and other bathroom items, and beauty goods like lip balms.”
“That’s a lot of selection,” Derek answered. “Where did you get the recipes?”
Haley shrugged and took a sip of the fresh juice combination the server had just delivered. “Man, I love the drinks here. Where was I? Oh, you asked about recipes. I make a lot of them up, but much like with songs, books, and other stuff, it’s hard to be really original, so many of them come from other naturalists, blogs, even social media. I test them extensively before I put them up for sale. I want to be sure the product is of good quality, that it does what it says it will, things like that.”
Derek nodded. “Makes sense.”
“Tell him about those red things you have all over your house,” Ian urged her.
“Red things? Oh, you mean the Himalayan salt lamps?”
“Yeah, they look cool with all the glowing. They’re healthy, right? That’s why you have them all over?” Ian shifted in his seat and leaned toward Haley.
She gave him a look of amusement. “You’re right, they’re good for you. Research says Himalayan salt lamps can be used for improved sleep, cleaner air, increasing levels of serotonin—the ‘feel good’ hormone—in your brain. Plus other things.”
“I had no idea,” Derek said. “What do they look like? Is it just a hunk of salt, or is it actually a lamp?”
“Both. I think there’s one in here. Hang on.” Haley twisted around. “See over there?”
“That’s one of them?” Derek’s eyebrows rose in question.
“Some look like that. Mine are made up of smaller pieces of salt piled up together in a basket. The way they’re put together makes them look like the embers of a fire.”
“Cool,” Derek answered.
As dinner progressed, Derek kept up his steady stream of questions, and Haley answered each, showing a patience Ian envied. Derek couldn’t sit still, and Haley must’ve likened his peppering of inquiries to an inquisition.
After they’d finished, Derek picked up the check and then he and Ian walked Haley to her car. Ian snaked a hand around the back of her neck, and she didn’t protest as he kissed her. Ian’s jeans tightened. He had never figured out why watching his friend share a woman with him was such a turn-on, but he’d long ago ceased fighting the emotion.
When Ian let her go, she smiled shyly up at Derek.
“Can I kiss you?” Derek asked.
“Yeah. It’s sort of weird. I’ve never done this. It’s always been, I don’t know, something interesting to imagine, but I never thought I’d get the opportunity to try it.”
“Now you’ll know if it’s really alluring or if it was just the idea.”
“I guess I will.”
Derek stepped closer, brushing her long brown hair over her shoulder. Leaning down, he cupped her cheek and brought their lips together. He didn’t want to scare her, so Derek kept his touch light despite every cell in his body screaming to take the interaction further, to kiss Haley deeper.
She responded, pushing in closer to him. Her hands took hold of his waist and tightened. His eyes opened. Ian stood behind her, his head buried in the crook between her shoulder and neck. Haley let out a little squeak, and both men backed off immediately.
Waving a hand in front of her flushed face, Haley said, “I’ve never had one guy kissing me in one place and another somewhere else. Obviously.” A nervous laugh escaped her. “Is it wrong I liked it?”
“Not at all,” Ian assured her. “Why do you think we like it so much?”
“Can I ask a question that’s been killing me since you mentioned how you and Derek like to, um, date?”
“Of course, anything,” Derek said, wanting to reassure her.
“Do you guys, how should I put this...get involved with each other? It’s not a problem if you do, I’m all for love is love, I’m just curious.”
“Who or how someone chooses to love is no one else’s business. But to answer your question, Ian and I aren’t interested in being sexually involved. There’s inevitably some incidental touching. We’re secure enough to handle that.”
“Okay, that’s all I wanted to know.”
“That was easy,” Ian said, coming around to her front with a smirk. “Ask us anything, any time. We want you to be comfortable with anything we do.”
“I will. And I’m sure I’ll have more questions about how all this works, but for now, good night. I can feel my eyelids getting heavy, and they won’t be denied.”
Derek laughed. Ian loved how happy and relieved his friend seemed. For now, though, the time had come to let Haley go home.
***
Derek wanted to know more about Ian’s outlook on the budding relationship. For his part, though he’d only met Haley once so far, his opinion was quite favorable. The opportunity to quiz Ian came the next day after practice. Derek suggested grabbing some food and going to Ian’s apartment, and his friend readily agreed.
Once they’d eaten, Derek sat back. “Tell me more about Haley. More specifically, how deep are you? When did you say you met her?”
“Almost as soon as I arrived in Buffalo. She was at a party I attended with Rick. I think he was trying to make me some friends. I dunno. I must’ve looked pathetic without you,” Ian said. “From what I could tell, she was a friend of a friend of Rick’s.”
“Ah, the random party attendee hook-up.”
Ian frowned. “We didn’t ‘hook up’. I asked for her number, she gave it to me. Then a few days later, I took her out for dinner. We’ve been seeing each other for about two months, I think.”
“How do you feel about her?” Derek held his breath, waiting.
“I’m falling in love with her. No question.” Ian chucked his napkin in the trashcan. “Honestly, as soon as you told me you were coming here I started thinking about the possibility of this and I haven’t been able to shake it. I want this. I want us to have her.”
“That’s pretty obvious.”
Derek stood and took his plate to the sink before turning back to Ian. “From my point of view, so far, so good.”
“Oh, man, I was hoping you’d say that.”
“How far have you gone with her?”
Ian grinned. “Aren’t you the horndog, wanting details?”
“Just answer the question.”
“We had sex a while ago. Maybe a month?”
“That memorable, huh?” Derek answered with a laugh.
“Oh, I’d call it a good time. I think you’ll be pleased.”
“I hope so. Give me some specifics. What’s she like?”
Rubbing the top of his head, Ian shrugged. “Gorgeous. Full of spunk. I think you’ll approve of my choice.”
Derek laughed. “I hope so.”
Chapter Two
They moved to Ian’s living room. “I can’t wait to figure it out for sure. What should we do now?”
“How about I offer to cook at Haley’s house?” Ian suggested. “She’s comfortable there. I made her dinner a couple of weeks ago, and she enjoyed herself. At least that’s what she told me,” Ian said with a chuckle. “Plus, then you can check out her work. It’s pretty cool. She said while we’re gone she’s going to look for a good muscle rub roller recipe and make each of us one.”
“When are we leaving? I can’t get used to the new schedule.”
“We play here in Buffalo tomorrow and then fly to Philly and on to Washington for the second game. We won’t be away too long, and the flights are short. Honestly, the travel may be the best thing about moving into the Eastern Conference.”
“I’m looking forward to less four-hour plane rides,” Derek answered. “Who are we playing tomorrow?”
“Montreal. Should be a loud game from what I’ve been told.”
“I think the Eastern Conference has better rivalries.”
“Definitely,” Ian said. “That’s a lot of fun, I have to admit. Wait until we play Toronto. It’s fucking crazyiness. So many fans come from Toronto it’s almost not even a home game for us, but the atmosphere is nuts.”
“Can’t wait.”
***
The game against Montreal got started in warmups when Rick and the other team’s enforcer jawed at each other, exchanging a few glancing blows with their sticks.
