He took her hand and turned her, reaching out to turn off the lights as they went through the house. In her bedroom, he removed her clothing slowly, his fingers and hands stroking every inch of her as she was revealed.
Cupping her breasts in his hands, he rolled the nipples between thumb and finger. He bent to take her in his mouth, licking and nibbling tenderly to draw moans of arousal out of her. “Daniel, you have too many clothes on,” she whispered into his ear. Slipping off his jacket and shirt, he pulled her close for a skin-to-skin hug that had him groaning in turn. Together, each undressed the other, reacquainting themselves through touches and kisses.
Mica reached out to unfasten the waistband of his dress pants as he toed off his shoes, but her hands stilled there. “Daniel,” she whispered softly, “are we okay? I know I hurt you. So badly.” Her breath hitched on a sob. “I’m sorry; I’m so sorry—”
Interrupting her with a kiss, he whispered back, “We are okay, beautiful, if you want us to be. This is what I want, so much. I want to be with you, in you, loving you.”
Her fingers unfastened his pants, drawing the zipper down carefully as she said, “I want us again. I need us to be okay, and I’m sorry for…” her hands stilled again, “…Daniel, I need to tell you what happened, why I left that day. I didn’t want to, and I need to tell you—”
“Its okay, Mica; its okay. I know. I know why you left. I know what you thought you were saving us all from. It’s okay; I get it,” he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her head close to kiss her, “and you don’t have to say anything unless you want to talk about it.”
“Okay. For now, it’s okay,” she arched under his touch, “but you still have too many clothes on,” she said with a grin, pushing his pants down off his hips to fall to the floor, leaving him bare and erect, his cock engorged and rigid.
Climbing into her bed, she lay back as he rolled on top of her, settling his hips between her thighs. She cradled him there, moving her hips a little as his pressure on her core set off tingles throughout her belly. His elbows were on either side of her shoulders, and she turned her head into one of his large hands, smiling at the comfort the touch gave her.
She gasped when he ducked his head and took her nipple into his mouth again, licking and sucking until she thought she’d explode just from that. Now it was his turn to rock his hips between her legs, finding a welcome friction of his own there.
“What do you want, beautiful?” he rasped out, looking into her face.
“I want you, Daniel; I just want you.” She arched her hips up into him, seeking close contact and knowing he would feel how wet she was against the head of his cock.
Hissing a breath between his teeth, he tipped his hips and entered her with measured amounts. Pulling out and sliding in a little deeper each time, he finally sheathed himself in her tight heat as deep as he could go. Her head had tipped back when he began moving inside her, and now she rolled her face to the side. He took this as an offering, and quickly lowered his mouth to the column of her throat, finding that sensitive spot behind her ear to quickly draw a reaction from her.
Moving slowly, affectionately, he made love to her, knowing they needed unhurried and gentle from each other tonight, a reacquainting of their love, their bodies. Coming together with such tenderness clarified her feelings for him, and she knew without a doubt that she loved him. Daniel Rupert was her always. Her name on his lips as he came thrilled her, as did the tender way he held her as she shuddered against him with her own climax.
Afterwards, she held him in her arms as he slept, his head on her chest and his arms and legs wrapped around her. It was like he couldn’t get close enough, even as he rested. She stroked his hair back from his forehead, tracing the lines on his brow and down alongside his mouth. She kissed him softly, and smiled as he made a little noise and kissed her back in his sleep, calling her name once again.
56 -
Championship
The final game of the season—at least, that’s what he hoped was the outcome from today; he was ready for a few months off from hockey. He was tired and sore from the limited recovery time between games for the past couple of months.
Daniel shook his head as he rested it against the stadium seat he was sitting in. Pulling tape from his pocket, he stood the stick on its blade, methodically removing the old tape on the handle to replace it with new.
He’d already waxed and taped the blade, but this was part of his pre-game ritual. Sitting in their home arena, waiting on game six, he was as content as he thought he possibly could be. They’d won three out of five games so far, but the Fort Wayne Tridents weren’t in the series by mistake; every goal and every game had been hard won.
He frowned, thinking of the game in Fort Wayne last Friday. He had known Mica wasn’t going to come. She’d been clear she was tired from being away from home and then the long ride home with Mason. They’d had a wonderful night together in her bed the night she came home, but she was really exhausted.
His suite at the Coliseum had been full of family and friends who came to watch the Mallets play and win. The team hadn’t disappointed their fans, but he had been a little frustrated that she wasn’t there to see them win.
She’d be there tonight, though, and he smiled, because he was looking forward to seeing her behind the glass. Finishing up the tape job, Daniel took his hands and smoothed the tape to the wood of the stick, making sure there wouldn’t be any slipping tonight.
Standing, he arched his back, stretching and twisting. He looked around the arena and imagined it filled with fans, the sounds of them echoing through the building. They were already gathering in the parking lot, and the doors would open in about 15 minutes. Time to head to the locker room and prepare, make sure the guys were all in the right head space and ready to go.
***
Five minutes into the first period, Daniel was crosschecked on a breakaway and went down hard, sliding headfirst into the boards. That was the last thing he remembered for long minutes, that slide. Now, he was straddling the bench, and the trainer was snapping his fingers in front of him. He looked around, slurring, “Fuck’s the score?”
Shaking his head hard to get the fuzzy feeling out, he peered up at the scoreboard and saw himself on the screen. He stood up and yelled, “What the fuck’s the score?” His shift was on ice, and he saw Kenton Carter was in his slot. He winced as Carter botched a goal opportunity; he got the puck on net, but didn’t score.
Gary thumped his shoulder. “Easy, Daniel. It’s zip-zip still, Captain,” he grinned, “and welcome back. Now, look at the suite and wave pretty-like; she’s worried about you.”
Daniel swiveled to look up and saw Mica had both hands pressed against the glass of the suite, staring down at the home bench. He lifted a glove and waved at her, seeing her wave back at him. He blew her a kiss and then looked back at the game. They were changing shifts again during an icing call. He looked up and realized there was only a minute-thirty left in the first period; he’d been out longer than he thought.
Daniel shook his head hard again, shaking the last of the cobwebs loose. He saw Jason flash past the bench, skating hard backwards to stay ahead of the Tridents’ forwards. Taking off his helmet, he grabbed a water bottle, squirting a stream into his mouth, waving the trainer away.
Sitting back down on the bench beside Gary, Daniel turned his head, rubbing his neck, “Boards?”
Gary nodded. “Slid right into them, helmet-first.”
Rolling his neck, Daniel asked, “Did I skate off?”
Gary nodded again. “Your own power, Captain. You were on the ice for a few minutes though, so she’s gonna be anxious.”
The horn blew, signaling an end to the first period, and the team made their way to the locker room. Coach and Nate both wanted to talk to Daniel; it seemed everyone was concerned about the hit. He shrugged off their concern, talking strategy with their rookie goalie, Hammend, and his first line players. The more he talked and focus
ed, the sharper he felt, finally signaling to Coach he was a hundred percent ready to go.
They walked back up the rink and skated onto the ice, all business. Jason scored two goals early in the period, giving them a breather, but the Tridents weren’t far behind them getting shots on goal, and eventually, one of them slid past Hammend, cutting their lead in half.
The two teams battled up and down the ice, tempers fraying with every bump, push, or jostle for position. Daniel talked Jason down twice, and the horn blew again. There was just one more twenty-minute period, and they were still up by one.
Skating off the ice, Daniel looked up to see Mica silhouetted against the glass waving at him; he grinned wide and raised a glove to her again. He tapped Jason for the strategy talk with Coach during the break, and sat down to rest.
The final period was more fast-paced and hard skating than any single period in the entire series, with both teams changing shifts with eagerness. The Tridents scored with three minutes left in the period, and they were tied up again.
Daniel looked at his team and teammates, seeing their fatigue, but also a willingness to persevere, and more importantly, the desire to win. He shouted to Jason, “Pond hockey,” and saw Jason’s grin and nod as they changed up the shifts a bit. Last practice, they’d run a few drills from Daniel’s childhood. One of them was a simple but sweet, three-on-two offensive sweep play he remembered from winters of playing pond hockey with his dad.
Gary set up the play, drawing off two of the Tridents defenders, and then dropping the puck across the rink to Jason. Carter and Daniel pushed hard down ice after Jason, who passed it over to Carter. They swept hard and fast onto the ice in front of the crease, battering the puck between them, and then back out to Jason waiting on the corner of the net, who tapped it in. Goal. Daniel smiled and slapped Jason and Carter on their helmets as they headed to the bench to bump fists with the team.
Holding onto that one point lead was questionable right down to the blowing of the horn, signaling the end of not just the game, but the series and the season. The Mallets had won the President’s Cup on home ice in a powerful way, and the shouting and cheering of the crowd and team was deafening. Gary slugged Daniel’s shoulder and then turned him around. He saw Mica was on the players’ bench, jumping up and down, yelling happily.
Daniel skated over to her, gathering her into his arms as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He skated backwards slowly, pulling her close for a kiss. Pushing forward, he skated them around the rink as they grinned at each other. She had her hand up stroking his cheek and pulled his head down for another kiss.
He set off around the rink again, looking at all the fans, who were crowding up against the glass, holding up signs and foam fingers. There were camera flashes going off all around the arena, and he stopped a couple of times to stand so fans could get a picture of him. “Mica, beautiful, wave at them; they’ll love it,” he said into her ear, skating them around the goal net.
With a wide grin, she did as he told her, and the fans shouted louder as they skated around the rink again, pounding on the Plexiglas. “Now, kiss me,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “Beautiful woman, kiss me.” Putting a hand on either side of his face, she pulled him close as he skated slowly to a stop near the middle of the rink, and then kissed him deeply. More flashes went off, and he suspected the kiss would be uploaded to every social media website within minutes.
Jason skated over to them, crowing and laughing. “Get a room, Captain!” Then coming up close, he ruffled Mica’s hair. “Fucking lucky charm, now you gotta come to all our games next year.”
Daniel’s arms tightened around her as he nuzzled her neck again. “It’s official; Jason said so.”
She laughed. “Take me back to firm ground, please. I think Steve is waving this way.”
He nodded. “Gotta get his interview. Always the working man.”
Daniel kept checking Mica as he gave several interviews to the crowding reporters. Then he watched her while he signed dozens of autographs on memorabilia fans brought over to a meet-and-greet area. She looked like she was enjoying the furor on his behalf and he grinned; she was being patient with him.
He was about ready to get out of the uniform, when the photographer called them back onto the ice for a winner’s portrait. Skating out and arranging the team at center ice took a bit of time, and when he looked back for her, she wasn’t waiting on the bench any longer.
Scanning the surroundings for her, he smiled again when he saw her sitting up on the concourse entrance to the arena. She was talking to his family. He liked that picture in his head. They were all looking down at the ice, and he waved, letting her know he’d seen where she had gotten off to.
The guys were shouting again, but everyone was beginning to wind down, and they finally started moving towards the locker room. Daniel blew her a kiss and she caught it, carrying it close to her heart as she laughed.
Standing in the locker room, Daniel quickly stripped off his skates and climbed on top of a bench, whistling loudly for attention. “Okay, guys, listen up. Gimme a minute. Hey! Shut the fuck up.” He whistled again. “I want you to know that I’m fucking proud of each and every one of you today. This was a good game, a hard game, but it was well played. You all powered through fatigue and injury to ensure the right team came out on top in the end. This was a capping moment on what has been an awesome fucking season. These are our last moments as this year’s Mallets; next year brings a new team in some ways.
“So, tell your friends and teammates how much you’ve enjoyed carrying their shit all year. And would someone talk to the fucking goalie about putting on some weight? Because he’s a fucking twig at one-eighty. Stay in the gym over the off-season. Stay out of fights and jail, don’t drink too much, and keep a sheath on it, you fuckers. Call me if you need me…but seriously, don’t fucking need me. Show up for tryouts and we’ll start again in a couple months, yeah? Thank you all, every one of you.”
He jumped back down to cheers and applause, and was pulled into a headlock by Jason, who quickly started shoving cereal into his face and mouth. “Fucking lucky charm. WOOOO! Fucking Champions! President’s fucking Cup! Goddamn lucky charm!” He grabbed Jason and threw him to the ground. Holding him down and sitting on him, he handed the cardboard box to his teammate and ordered, “Gary, come feed the fucker.”
57 -
Brothers
Mica was glad she didn’t have to wait for Daniel to come out of the locker room by herself. His brothers J.J. and Dickie were happy to sit and wait with her, as was his mother.
She’d grown to like Darlene a lot before things had turned bad, and she’d missed talking to her over the past months. Their easy friendship seemed somewhat awkward now, and Mica was nervous in her company, unable to guess what Daniel’s family knew about everything.
Dickie and J.J. were helpfully carrying the conversation right now, mostly talking about her riding the motorcycle into the party a few nights ago.
“So, what was that stuff Duck was talking to Danny about at the party? It was the most bizarre conversation I’ve heard in a long time.” Dickie looked at her.
“I don’t know a Duck, I don’t think,” she replied with a frown. “What does he look like?”
“Dunno—dark hair, fuc—freakin’ big biker dude. Sorry, Mom,” he said, ducking his head. “J.J., what was that name he gave? You were closer; did you hear it? I just saw it freaked Danny out a little.”
J.J. nodded. “Yeah, his name is Reuben, but his Rebel club name is Duck.” Looking absently down towards the rink, he rolled his chair back and forth a little, twisting in place just to stay in motion. “Said Danny knew his brother, Ray.”
Mica froze in place as a wave of fear washed over her, her eyes cutting from one brother to the other. She felt her heartbeat quicken in her chest, and her breathing was quick and shallow. It felt like she was on an amusement park ride, the part where you’re poised at the top of a peak, just about to plunge down into darkness,
filled with terror.
She knew Ray had a brother named Reuben. She knew it, had known…but somehow, over the years, she’d forgotten. It sounded like Reuben was in Chicago, and she wondered if he had come there for her. She remembered him a little from the rodeo circuit, in the days before she met Ray. He had seemed nice, but he hadn’t stayed for long, so she hadn’t gotten to know him very well. He was big, she remembered, big, muscular, and tall. Racking her brain, she remembered he roped and did steer wrestling, where the weight and reach were needed, unlike Ray, who had been strong, but short and slight—the perfect build for a bull rider.
Since Daniel and his brothers met Reuben at the party, maybe it was possible Mason knew who he was too. Whatever happened, he was a Rebel and one of Mason’s. But, she sucked in a breath as she realized in a panic, oh, God, he knows where I live.
Controlling her responses with an iron fist, she tried to carefully confirm what she thought they were saying. Mica asked, “This ‘Duck’ said he was Ray’s brother? Did he say anything else?”
“I dunno for sure; it was a weird conversation. I thought Danny was gonna jump and run at one point, but Duck was like the Danny-whisperer, and was all ‘Peace, brotha,’” Dickie mimicked and laughed.
She felt like she was holding herself together with pure willpower, and was amazed the Rupert brothers hadn’t noticed yet. Sitting there, Mica felt that buzz of awareness around the edges that sometimes comes from having someone’s eyes on you.
She looked around and saw Mason walking towards the group, eyes focused on her. Daniel, striding at his side, was dressed in a tailored jacket over his favorite t-shirt, with jeans and boots. Mason was dressed casually, except for his biker vest. She was startled to see him in his vest, because she’d learned long ago he only wore his cut when he was doing club business. Scanning the area, she recognized at least four other Rebels hanging out.
Mica (Rebel Wayfarers MC) Page 38
