Face Off

by P. J. Trebelhorn

  “Behave yourself,” Savannah said quietly so Alex couldn’t hear. “Just remember she isn’t someone you never have to see again. Hurting her wouldn’t be a wise thing to do.”

  “You wound me,” Kelly said, a hand over her heart. “I’m not stupid, you know.”

  “I do know, but sometimes your libido overrules your brain,” Savannah chuckled and picked up her own equipment bag. “Just be careful, okay?”

  “I always am.” Kelly grinned before turning and walking out of the locker room behind Alex.

  “Yeah, right,” Savannah muttered under her breath. She glanced over at Hilton, who was glaring at her again, and she shook her head. She was not going to engage her. She was looking forward to seeing Maddie, and nothing was going to get in the way of that.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Savannah went into her house to wait for Maddie, who had to go home and let Duke out. She kept telling her she could bring him over, but she was worried how he’d be with Leo. Savannah knew the scrappy little feline could take care of himself, hell, he dealt with all kinds of dogs when she took him to the vet’s office. He never let any of them get away with anything. Maddie still worried though, and Savannah thought it was sweet.

  She’d left the front door unlocked for Maddie and was in the kitchen getting them each a glass of wine when Maddie walked in. She handed her a glass and they went to get comfortable on the couch. Savannah took a deep breath.

  “So, what was going on between you and Hilton on the bench after the short-handed goal you scored?” Maddie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and took a sip of her wine. Hilton was the last thing Savannah wanted to be thinking about right now.

  “She wasn’t at all pleased I scored the goal and not her.”

  “Wow,” Maddie said as she put her glass on the coffee table. “I got a few pictures of the two of you on the bench. I knew something set her off, but never thought it would be because you scored.”

  “It doesn’t take much to set her off,’ Savannah said with a shake of her head. She met Maddie’s eyes and smiled. “But you know what? I really don’t want to talk about her.”

  “Then what would you like to talk about?”

  “Us. And what happened last night.”

  “You regret it.” It was a statement, not a question, and the obvious hurt in Maddie’s eyes caused a pain in Savannah’s chest. Savannah moved so she was sitting right next to Maddie and took her hand, raising it to her lips.

  “I do not regret any of it,” Savannah said, trying to assure her. She tucked one foot underneath her and held Maddie’s hand in her lap. “The only thing I regret is taking so long to act on my attraction to you.”

  “Yeah?” Maddie sounded skeptical, but her expression was hopeful.

  “Yeah.” Savannah gave a nod and reached out to cup Maddie’s cheek. “I think we need to talk about what it means for us moving forward.”

  “I know you don’t do relationships, and I know it was probably just a one-time thing,” Maddie said with a shrug. “I’m okay with it.”

  “Really?” Savannah didn’t believe her, and she was surprised to feel the pain again at Maddie’s words. “Is that all you want it to be?”

  “No…” Maddie said, her voice trailing off as she met Savannah’s eyes. “But I know the deal, okay? I just want you to know I’m okay if last night was all we have.”

  “Well, I’m not,” Savannah said, surprising herself when the words spilled out. Not surprised she felt that way, because she’d thought about little else all day. She was shocked she’d actually said the words out loud. She laughed at the expectant look on Maddie’s face. “Believe me, no one’s more stunned about it than I am. You’re right. A relationship was the last thing I wanted, with you or anyone else. But then I got to know you.”

  “Okay, wait.” Maddie sat back, obviously needing a little space between them to process this conversation. “Are you saying you want a real relationship now? With me?”

  “Yes,” Savannah said, knowing in the moment she’d never wanted anything more. She forced out a breath and shook her head, not believing this was really happening. “These past few months, I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you. You somehow found your way around the walls I’d put up, and you’ve managed to insert yourself into my life rather seamlessly. At this point, I honestly can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

  “Wow,” Maddie said, looking dazed. She squeezed Savannah’s hand, then entwined their fingers. “You’re serious? This isn’t just some elaborate joke you and Kelly are playing on me, right?”

  “It’s no joke.” Savannah hoped she sounded as sincere as she felt. “If you’re willing, I’d really like to see where this might go.”

  “Are you kidding?” Maddie asked. “Of course I’m willing. Ready and able, too.”

  “Good to know.” Savannah chuckled before leaning close and kissing her on the cheek.

  “Are you really sure about this?”

  “I am.”

  Maddie smiled and moved so she was straddling Savannah, both her hands cupping her face. “You’re amazing. And beautiful. And sexy.” She pressed her lips to Savannah’s and moaned when Savannah moved her hands slowly up her sides, under her shirt. She pulled back and rested her forehead against Savannah’s. “Did I mention sexy?”

  “You did,” Savannah answered with a grin.

  “So damn sexy.”

  “You want to take this into the bedroom?”

  “God, yes,” Maddie said. She got to her feet and took hold of Savannah’s hand. She followed Savannah as her heart was thundering in her chest. Was this really happening? She’d hoped their fake relationship might eventually lead to a real one, but she never thought it would actually happen.

  Maddie’s mouth went dry as she watched Savannah remove her clothes and stretch out on the bed. Savannah smiled and patted the mattress next to her.

  “Are you waiting for an invitation?” she asked.

  Maddie couldn’t speak, so she shook her head in response as she tore off her own clothes. She got in the bed beside her, and Savannah immediately ran her fingers slowly up her torso, stopping only when she reached Maddie’s nipples. Maddie let out a ragged breath and closed her eyes, enjoying the sensations Savannah’s touch was causing.

  “Jesus, Savannah,” she said, her hand going to the back of Savannah’s head when she took a nipple into her mouth. “I can’t believe how you make me feel.”

  “How do I make you feel?” Savannah looked up and met her eyes briefly before returning her attention to the erect nipple.

  “Special, sexy, alive. More than anything, you make me feel alive, Savannah,” she said, her eyes closing again when Savannah moved lower and settled between her thighs. Maddie arched into her when she felt her warm tongue on her clit. “Yes. Right there, baby.”

  Savannah moaned against her and sucked lightly on Maddie’s clit, causing her to buck involuntarily. Maddie spread her legs as far apart as she could and held Savannah’s head in place. Her other hand gripped the sheet at her side and she did her best to make this last. She wanted to live in this feeling of anticipation for the rest of her life.

  “Open your eyes,” Savannah said, pulling her mouth away. Maddie whimpered at the loss of contact, but she did as she was told and looked into Savannah’s eyes just as Savannah entered her. Her breath was labored, and her eyes slid closed again, but Savannah stopped her movements. “Maddie, look at me. I want to see you when you come.”

  Maddie tried her damnedest to keep her eyes open, but when she felt her inner walls tightening around Savannah’s fingers, she lost the fight.

  “Oh, my God, yes,” she said, every muscle in her body beginning to spasm. “I’m coming, baby. You feel so fucking good, Savannah.”

  Her back arched off the bed and she cried out in a sound she’d never made before. It was primal, and she knew it was because she’d never been fucked like this before. Savannah was different from any woman she’d ever been with. Savan
nah cared about her, and it showed in the way she touched her.

  When her body finally relaxed, she turned her head to the side and tried to even out her breathing. It wasn’t working. Even though she felt like little more than a puddle, her heart was racing and she felt as though she were almost panting.

  “Are you okay?” Savannah asked as she crawled up to lie next to her, her strong arms holding her close.

  “I am most definitely better than okay,” she said with a smile. She turned onto her side so her ass was pushed back against Savannah’s front. She grabbed the arm around her and held it tight against her chest. “I think I need a minute or two to recover.”

  “Take your time,” Savannah said into her ear. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Maddie let out a sigh of utter contentment. Maybe what they were doing wouldn’t last forever, but then again, maybe it would. All Maddie knew for certain was in this moment, with Savannah’s arms holding her tightly, she was happier than she’d ever been in her life.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  They’d decided together to not tell Lisa and Faith the truth about their relationship, at least not until after Christmas. Dana was the only one who knew the truth, and if Savannah was being honest with herself, continuing to lie to Kelly and her moms was beginning to weigh on her. Savannah just wasn’t sure she was quite ready to share so much yet. She was enjoying the time she was spending with Maddie, and every day she was falling more in love.

  It was still scary as hell, but there was also a kind of peace she found in being with Maddie. They usually spent the night together, and on the occasional nights Savannah had to go out of town for a game, they still spoke on the phone. Now, about ten days out from Christmas, the Warriors were leaving on a three-day road trip, and Savannah wasn’t looking forward to being away from Maddie for so long.

  “We should tell them,” Maddie said as Savannah parked the car. They were at Lisa and Faith’s for Saturday brunch before Savannah had to catch the team bus later in the afternoon.

  “You can’t be serious,” Savannah said. “You really want to tell them when I’m going to be leaving for a week? You know they won’t let you hear the end of it, right?”

  “You don’t think I can handle myself?” Maddie’s tone let Savannah know she was teasing.

  “I know you’re more than capable of handling yourself.” Savannah chuckled as she released her seatbelt. “But I also know how relentless they can be.”

  “I’ll be fine. If we tell them now, then by Christmas they’ll be over it, right?” Maddie placed a hand on Savannah’s thigh and squeezed gently. “No matter how we got to this point, we’re together, so they should be happy.”

  Savannah had to agree. Maddie was making good sense. She finally shrugged because she couldn’t think of any reason to not agree with her.

  “Fine. We can tell them.”

  * * *

  “I can’t believe you lied to us,” Lisa said before they’d even sat down to eat. She was banging pots and pans around, which told Savannah she was really mad. She knew it was going to be this way. Savannah glanced at Faith for help, but Faith just shook her head and looked away without a word.

  “Lisa, come on,” Savannah said, trying hard not to get angry herself. Maddie squeezed her hand. “I asked you so many times to stop setting me up, and you never listened. Hell, you even talked Maddie into asking me out.”

  “Wait,” Faith said, waving a hand in the air. She looked at Lisa. “You did what?”

  “I did.” Lisa turned to face the three of them as they stood there watching her. “I just want her to be happy, so if that makes me a horrible person, so be it.”

  “Honey,” Faith said as she walked over to her and put her arms around Lisa. “You’re not a horrible person. Nobody’s saying that.”

  “Then why did she feel the need to lie to us?”

  “Lisa,” Savannah said, but Maddie cut in.

  “It was my idea,” she said, and Savannah looked at her like she was crazy. “It’s true. I suggested it when you insisted I ask her out. I knew she hated being set up on blind dates, and I offered her a way to get it to stop. So if you’re going to be mad at someone, it should be me. Not Savannah.”

  Savannah couldn’t wait to get this entire ordeal behind them. She looked at the time, thankful the Warriors were leaving for their road trip soon. It couldn’t come quick enough as far as she was concerned.

  “There’s no reason for anyone to be mad at anybody,” Faith said. “No matter how it started, they’re really dating now, so what does it really matter?”

  “It doesn’t,” Lisa admitted. “But she’s never lied to us before.”

  Savannah bit her tongue because she’d lied to them plenty when she and Noah had been teenagers. She sure as hell wasn’t about to admit to it now though.

  “Fine,” Lisa said after a few moments of silence. She pulled herself away from Faith and went to hug Maddie. “I’m just so happy the two of you are together.”

  Maddie smiled at Savannah over Lisa’s head, and Savannah let out a sigh as the tension finally left her body. She’d been dreading this conversation, but apparently it was all going to be okay. It seemed too easy.

  “How long are we going to have Leo this time?” Faith asked as they were finishing their meal. They always took him when she went on the road with the team, and she’d brought him along with them this morning.

  “I’ll be back Friday,” Savannah said. They were playing three games in the next six days. Most of the time when they played on the road it was only one overnight trip. This time they were going all the way to Chicago with a game in Columbus, Ohio, on the way there and one in Charleston, West Virginia, on the way back. She wasn’t really looking forward to so many days on a bus, but such was the life of a semipro hockey player.

  “Almost a whole week?” Faith asked.

  “You want me to find someone else to watch him?”

  “I can do it,” Maddie suggested.

  “No, Faith is just trying to be funny,” Lisa said. “We love having him here.”

  “We should probably get going,” Savannah said as she got to her feet. “I have a bus I need to catch.”

  They walked to the door and Lisa stopped her with a big hug before she could walk out. “I really am happy for you,” she said with a kiss on Savannah’s cheek. “I think she’ll be good for you.”

  “Me too,” Savannah said before kissing Lisa on the cheek as well. Faith gave her a clap on the shoulder with a wink and a nod, which was pretty much all the affection Faith ever showed. Savannah smiled at her when Lisa hugged Maddie again. “Okay, break it up. Gail will have my hide if I miss the bus.”

  They finally made it out of the house and were on the way to the arena with no time to spare. Savannah sent Gail a quick text to let her know she was on her way.

  “We’ll make it on time,” Maddie assured her as she passed a couple of cars in front of them.

  “Thanks for giving me a ride.”

  “You’re welcome.” Maddie smiled and put a hand on her thigh. “I’ll pick you up when you get back too.”

  “You don’t have to,” Savannah said. “I can get a ride from Kelly.”

  “Seriously?” Maddie glanced at her. “I don’t want to wait to see you until you make it to the house. I hate to think you’re going to be gone so long as it is. I wish you were staying here.”

  Savannah stiffened in her seat and hoped Maddie didn’t notice it. Was it happening already? Was Maddie seriously making demands on her time like Shauna had back in college? She couldn’t deal with this right now. Not with the importance these next few games held as far as the standings went.

  “What’s the matter?” Maddie asked after a few minutes.

  “Nothing,” Savannah said with a shake of her head. She kept her eyes on the scenery outside the passenger window and silently willed Maddie to let it drop.

  “Don’t do that,” Maddie said, sounding irritated. Savannah finally looked at her and
saw the hurt in her eyes.

  “Do what?”

  “Shut me out. Something’s obviously bothering you, and for some reason you think you can’t tell me what it is.”

  “It’s nothing,” Savannah said, hoping she sounded more convincing than she felt. She forced a smile and placed her hand over Maddie’s. “I’m just stressing over this road trip. The games are really important, you know?”

  “Mm-hmm.” Maddie nodded, but Savannah could tell she wasn’t completely satisfied with her answer. She pulled into the arena parking lot and stopped right behind the bus. “Will you call me when you get to Columbus?”

  “Yeah, sure,” Savannah said. “I will.”

  “I’m going to miss you.”

  Savannah felt the smile she was still holding begin to fade, but she nodded and leaned over to give Maddie a quick kiss good-bye. She reached for the handle but stopped when Maddie gripped her arm.

  “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”

  “I’m sure. I’ll call you tonight, and I’ll see you on Friday.” The forced smile was still on her face, and Maddie must have believed it was real because she let her go.

  “See you Friday,” Maddie said as Savannah got out of the car.

  She grabbed her bags out of the trunk of the car and waved at Maddie as she walked toward the bus. She tossed the bags into the storage area under the seats and let out a breath. She watched Maddie drive away before she boarded the bus and found a seat next to Kelly toward the back.

  “About time you got here,” Kelly said with a shoulder bump. “I thought Gail was going to leave without you.”

  Savannah didn’t say anything in reply, but was completely lost in her own head. She’d thought she’d spent enough time with Maddie to discern she was nothing like Shauna, but she wasn’t so sure now.

  “Hey, Van,” Kelly said quietly, leaning closer to her. “What’s wrong?”