Tending Tara (Alaska Blizzard Book 8)

by Kat Mizera

  They’d played better last weekend, winning both Friday and Saturday’s games, but they had a way to go, in Tara’s opinion. Cassie had said this would be a good opportunity to show them how to have fun without any pressure, and Tara agreed.

  “Look out for Dana,” Cassie murmured under her breath. “She used to be on the team but left to go to the four-year university and didn’t make the team over there. I was glad to see her go because she plays dirty.”

  Tara glanced in the other woman’s direction, making note of her long black braid. She was a little bigger than Tara, maybe only an inch or two taller but at least twenty pounds heavier, so Tara was glad there was no checking in women’s hockey.

  The opening faceoff went to Cassie, who passed it Tara. Tara took it down the ice, skating past Dana, who stuck out her stick. Luckily, Tara was prepared and veered sharply to the left to avoid the tripping tactic. She glanced around for the linesman but either they hadn’t seen it or didn’t care, which was odd since it was one of the refs who officiated many of the Tudor games.

  Her shot missed the net, but Cassie’s teammate Bethany grabbed it and passed it to Cassie, who sent it back to Tara. Tara put it in the net and raised her hands as Cassie, Bethany, and another of their Tudor teammates, Deirdre, joined them for a hug.

  “You better not let Coach see you scoring like that,” Deirdre teased. “He’ll sign you up for classes just to get you on the team.”

  Tara laughed. She’d enjoyed university, but not enough to go back. She had lots of other things she wanted to do now, and studying wasn’t one of them. It felt good to be wanted, though.

  “That’s your first and last goal tonight,” Dana sneered as Tara skated past her on her way to the bench.

  What the hell was that about?

  Tara glanced back at her but didn’t respond.

  “What’d she say?” Cassie whispered as they sank down on the bench.

  “She said I’d scored my first and only goal tonight.”

  “Fucking bitch. She’s just trying to get inside your head—ignore her.”

  Tara shrugged. “I’ve already forgotten her.”

  That wasn’t entirely true, since Tara went out of her way to score again a few minutes later. She didn’t like being told what to do and was competitive by nature, so if Dana had been trying to intimidate her, she’d essentially accomplished the opposite.

  “You’re going to piss her off royally,” Cassie laughed the next time they were on the bench.

  “What’s her problem?” Tara asked.

  “It’s my fault,” Cassie said, staring straight ahead. “We work together at the club and the clients like me better.”

  “What club?”

  Cassie shrugged. “We wait tables at a nightclub and there’s a lot of competition for tips… I tend to make a lot more than her so I’m on her shit list.”

  “And now she hates me because we’re friends?” Tara rolled her eyes. “Did anyone mention we’re not in high school anymore?”

  Cassie laughed. “Believe me, I’ve tried.”

  Tara’s team was up 6-0, with four of those goals scored by Tara, when a scuffle started between Dana and Cassie. Tara had been skating back to the bench when it began so she didn’t see who started it, but Deirdre nudged her, and they turned in time to see Dana’s fist connecting with Cassie’s jaw.

  “Ah, shit,” Tara muttered. She skated in that direction, anxious to break it up because even though she was here for fun tonight, she was essentially up for a coaching job and felt like she needed to show some leadership.

  Cassie had swung back, and now she and Dana were going at it. Tara, flanked by Deirdre and Bethany, made a move to get between them.

  “That’s enough!” she yelled. “Knock it off.”

  Dana took a swing at Tara next, but Tara ducked, sliding out of the way.

  What the hell was with this girl? She was cursing at Cassie now, as a couple of her teammates came over to have her back.

  “I don’t know what’s up your ass, but you need to chill the fuck out,” Tara said, dropping her gloves and putting her hands on her hips. “Seriously, knock it off.”

  “Who the fuck do you think you are?” Dana yelled back, getting in Tara’s face. “You’re not the boss of me.”

  “No, but I’m a coaching consultant on the team, and I can ban you from ever playing at this arena again,” Tara shot back.

  Dana scowled. “Fuck you.”

  “You’re out of here. Go home and don’t come back.” Tara had grown up with her brother and all his hockey-playing friends, so she could take care of herself, though it had been a decade since she’d been in a fist fight. She also didn’t have any authority to ban anyone, but Dana probably didn’t know that.

  “Go on home, Dana,” one of the linesmen, who worked at the school, came over. “You know better than to start shit here.”

  “Fuck all of you.” Dana snatched up the gloves she’d dropped and skated off the ice, heading toward the locker room.

  Cassie wiped her face where a tiny bit of blood had dripped from a cut on her lip.

  “You all right?” Tara asked her.

  “Yeah.” They skated back to the bench.

  “Let me see,” Tara said, lifting Cassie’s chin. “I don’t think it needs stitches, but you might want to get some ice on it.”

  “I’ll be fine.” Cassie picked up her water bottle and drank deeply.

  “Hey, babe.”

  The deep male voice automatically sent shivers down her spine and Tara turned, knowing exactly who would be standing there.

  “Hi.” She smiled at Donovan, who was behind the bench. “What are you doing here?”

  “We came to see a little hockey,” he said, motioning to Logan and Ryder.

  “We did not expect to see a hockey fight,” Logan said, grinning.

  “Me either,” Tara said.

  “You want me to get some ice for her?” Logan asked.

  “Would you mind?”

  “I’m okay,” Cassie protested, turning to the guys. “Really.”

  “You’re bleeding. I’ll be right back.” Logan turned and jogged in the other direction.

  “Let’s just call the game,” Bethany said. “We’re kicking their asses and there’s only two minutes left. Frankly, Dana sucks the fun out of everything.”

  There was a consensus, so everyone started to head back to the locker room. The minute the rest of the team was gone, Donovan jumped over the barrier and reached for her, pressing his lips to Tara’s.

  “Hi,” he whispered.

  “Hi,” she whispered back.

  “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too.”

  “We’re kind of hungry. Would you mind going somewhere to grab a bite before we go home?”

  “Not at all. Tell me where to meet you and I’ll be there as soon as I get dressed.”

  “You’ve got my SUV, remember? I’ll wait for you, and anyway, I didn’t like the way that chick looked at you. She’s like a kettle waiting to boil over.”

  Tara smiled at his protectiveness. “All right. Give me ten minutes.”

  She hurried into the locker room to change back into her regular clothes, wishing she was wearing a little makeup. She hadn’t expected Donovan to come to the rink and though she was excited to see him, she probably looked like a wet dishrag.

  She cleaned up as best she could and smiled when Logan knocked and then peeked in, holding a plastic bag with ice for Cassie.

  “Thank you.” Cassie smiled at him.

  “You’re welcome.” He left and Cassie held the ice to her lip.

  “He’s adorable,” Deirdre called out. “Is he single?”

  “Very single,” Tara responded. “But he likes it that way.”

  “Bummer.” Deirdre sighed dramatically.

  23

  Donovan walked out to the parking lot with Tara and Cassie, and luckily, Dana and her friends hadn’t stuck around.

  “You want to follow
us to the pub, Cassie?” Donovan asked politely. “We’re just gonna grab burgers or something.”

  “Oh.” She seemed startled. “Yeah. Sure.”

  They headed to the same pub where he and Tara had their first date and found Logan and Ryder already sitting at a high-top table. When they spotted Cassie, Logan immediately got up to grab another barstool and they settled around the table.

  “Pitcher of beer?” Logan asked. When everyone nodded, he called to the waitress and ordered it.

  “I’m so glad you came to the rink,” Tara whispered against Donovan’s ear.

  “Me too.” He lightly kissed her once more and the others at the table started making kissy noises.

  “It really is like we’re back in high school,” Cassie said, shaking her head.

  “They’re just jealous,” Donovan grinned.

  “Maybe a little,” Logan said, looking at Tara. “I mean, turns out my almost-wife is badass. You didn’t even flinch when that chick got in your face. And she’s got you by at least three inches and thirty pounds.”

  “Almost wife?” Cassie asked, arching a brow.

  Tara’s face seemed a little pink, but she just shrugged. “We’d been joking about getting married if my visa didn’t come through, but then Donovan and I started getting serious and the visa worked out, so it’s all good.”

  “Oh, yeah, I was wondering about that,” Cassie said. “So does that mean you’re going to take the job as the assistant coach?”

  “Assistant coach?” Ryder asked. “What’d I miss?”

  Tara seemed spectacularly uncomfortable, and Donovan reached for her hand under the table.

  “For the women’s hockey team at Tudor College,” Cassie explained, answering for Tara without missing a beat.

  “It hasn’t been formally offered,” Tara said quickly.

  Thankfully, the waitress came with the pitcher of beer, and Donovan started asking about daily specials and burger toppings, just to change the subject since he’d eaten here a million times and knew the menu by heart.

  Tara buried herself in the menu, too, effectively cutting off the conversation, and by the time they’d ordered Logan was talking about something else.

  The party broke up after they ate since the guys had practice in the morning and Cassie said she had class. Donovan was just glad to take Tara home and sleep in his own bed tonight.

  “How about I run us a bath?” he asked as they pulled into the garage. That always relaxed her, and he wouldn’t mind a soak himself.

  “Sure.” She grabbed her gear and started putting everything away in the garage, taking out the things she needed to wash.

  “Leave it till tomorrow,” he said, reaching for her hand. “Let’s go relax.”

  “Just let me grab this stuff,” she said, laughing. “Otherwise, it’ll stink to high heaven.”

  “Believe me, I’m familiar with that concept.” He waited for her to pick up her laundry and then tugged her hand as they went inside together.

  Within a few minutes they were settled in the tub, her back to his front, and she rested her head against his chest.

  “This is lovely,” she sighed. “Thank you for suggesting it.”

  He slid his arms around her waist. “I’ve been looking forward to doing this for the last few days.”

  “We should do this often.”

  “We will.”

  They relaxed for a little while. Donovan’s hands moved over her body, occasionally scooping up warm water and dribbling it over her torso since it wasn’t completely submerged.

  “I didn’t know my wife was such a badass hockey player,” he said after a bit. “I mean, you scored four goals tonight and then you stood up to that Dana chick without batting an eyelash.”

  “Up until I was about twelve, I played hockey with the boys, so I’m used to checking and fighting. I had to train myself not to do those things as I got older.”

  He chuckled. “As a goalie, I don’t do the first at all and I’ve only done the second once.”

  “You’ve only been in one hockey fight?”

  “In the pros. I was a rebel in the juniors and mixed it up a lot, but that’s not good for your career once you get to this level. I mean, I’ll do it if there’s a bench-clearing brawl or something, but I’m not going out of my way to fight. Drawing a fighting penalty isn’t cool.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “You’re a really good hockey player, Tara. How come you never went for the Finnish Olympic team or anything?”

  “My parents spent a lot of money on Miikka’s hockey, and though we always had food and clothes and the necessities, there wasn’t a lot extra. Eventually, they had to choose. Miikka was the logical choice because he could make a career out of it, and we knew from the time he was maybe fourteen it was going in that direction. For me, I was going to college, so that’s what we did.”

  “That’s a shame.”

  “It’s okay. I had a wonderful childhood and don’t regret that I didn’t play higher level hockey. Honestly, I hadn’t played at all the last couple of years, so I’d forgotten how much I loved it. I’m glad to be in a place where I can play again.”

  “You know, I’ve never dated a woman who played hockey. Until I got to Alaska and met Dani and Sara, and then later Coach Caldwell, I didn’t even know any. I knew of them, but I didn’t know any women who played.”

  “Women’s hockey has never earned the same respect men’s hockey has, even now that there’s a national women’s league. Like with many other industries, women have to work twice as hard for half the results. It doesn’t impact me as much because I’m not as good as someone like Dani, who could and should be playing for the Blizzard, but I see it.”

  “I admit I was pretty oblivious until I met Dani, and now that I see you on the ice, it makes me wonder what I’ve been missing.”

  “Well, I’ll be sure to drag you to more games.”

  “Sounds good. I wish there was something more I could do, though. Like maybe sponsor a girls’ high school team or something like that.”

  “I don’t know how you do something like that here in the U.S., but I’m sure Dani could guide you in that direction.”

  “Don’t let me forget. I’d really like to try to affect some change for the sport for women.”

  She angled her torso so she could look up into his handsome face. “You’re a very nice man.”

  “Thank you.” He lowered his lips to hers and they promptly forgot all about women’s hockey and everything but each other. Being apart for fifteen days felt more like fifteen years, and Donovan lifted her out of the tub, wrapping a large bath sheet around them both as he padded into the bedroom. He put her on the bed and crawled after her, picking up where they’d left off in the tub.

  He couldn’t get enough once they started kissing, his mouth and body completely in tune to hers. He wanted her in ways he’d never wanted anyone because it was more than sex. He craved her, and when they were apart, he wasn’t even remotely tempted to look at other women. Coming home to her was just that—a distinct feeling of being home. He’d lived in this house before he’d even met her, so it was a little jarring how anxious he’d been to get here knowing that she was waiting for him. Even going to the college to see the end of the game had been fun; he didn’t care where they were as long as they were together.

  Of course, his favorite was when they were together like they were now. Naked. Touching. Completely immersed in each other. Fuck, he had it bad for his fiery Finn and he was inside of her before he realized what he was doing.

  “Tara… Wait, I need a condom…” His eyes popped open, and he started to pull out.

  “It’s okay… I’m protected.” She met his gaze with zero hesitation.

  “Fuck, baby.” He slid in deeper and closed his eyes. This was heaven. The way they connected when they made love was much more than carnal passion. They had something special, something that transcended sex and marriage of convenience and all the other white noise that
seemed to surround their relationship. It was times like this, when they were as intimately joined as humanly possible, that everything clicked for them. It was sensual perfection and he’d never experienced it before. The way it felt to become one with another person. And he didn’t understand it.

  Luckily, his cock knew what to do without any input from his brain, and all the intense feelings melded into something purely physical. Purely Tara. Because right now, she was all there was.

  He shifted onto his side, tugging her with him and lifting one of her legs up and over his hip. He thrust in deep again, seeking out her lips and tasting her sweetness. She was one of those women that had both inner and outer beauty. When she looked at him, light and love radiated from her, and it was incredible to be on the receiving end of one of those looks from her stormy blue eyes. As gorgeous as she was to look at, when he was inside of her like this, he got glimpses of the woman she really was. Giving. Kind. Passionate. Loving.

  He didn’t want to fall in love her. It was too soon. But his body was giving him crazy messages as he made love to her, and he gripped her hips as pleasure started to rocket down his spine. It hit his balls like a tidal wave, and he growled into her mouth as he came. She pulsed around him, her own orgasm making her body shudder around his, and then they were still, bodies entwined.

  “You are stunning,” he whispered. “Every time I touch you, I’m already thinking about the next time because once, twice, a hundred times will never be enough.”

  She burrowed into his chest. “A hundred times is definitely not enough.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay that we didn’t use a condom?”

  “We’d already discussed it, so this was a natural progression. We’re married and plan to be monogamous.”

  “But we didn’t get tested, which is what we’d decided.”

  “It’s all right unless you think there’s something I should know? I haven’t been with anyone else since last spring, and we used a condom. I didn’t with Saku, of course, but I was tested twice after we broke up, just to make sure.”