by Kat Obie
She didn’t see anyone in the locker room but she saw some shoes and purses lying around. She quickly got into her skates. She had to wait for Corey for only a minute. He had his pads on but no helmet. It was a sight to see all that stuff up close.
Once they got to the designated area, Jenna realized she only recognized a handful of people, most of them were Alice’s immediate family and Corey’s teammates. Everyone seemed to be excited for the two lovebirds. Corey wrapped Jenna up in his arms. It was weird to get hugged while he was wearing elbow pads.
Almost immediately, Alice was out on the ice. Jenna smiled when Corey set his head on her shoulder. When Alice pulled over to the bench, Corey just chuckled into her ear. She looked at him wondering what was going on.
He said in a throaty whisper, “Classic Al, she always has to redo her laces.” That got Jenna giggling as well. Alice got back onto the ice. The puck dropped. Corey’s beard was tickling her ear as he said, “It’s showtime.”
Almost immediately, Scotty sent over the ring box. Alice caught the box but passed it back to Scotty. Most of the Sound guys including Corey were laughing at that moment. Then Scotty got down on bended knee, scooped up the box and said, “Alice, I’m glad that some things never change. I told you the day that we met that you were afraid of the puck. What I didn’t tell you was that I was completely taken by you and I wanted you to be in my life forever. That day you showed your passion, your honesty and were just yourself. Then your birthday happened, we got closer and it was probably quicker than anyone expected but…man, it’s been amazing to be with you each and every day. Will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”
Alice almost immediately said, “Of course I will.”
It was one of the sweetest moments Jenna had seen in a long time. But she couldn’t help but feel a tad jealous of her best friend. She wanted that to be her out there. That’s when she realized that she finally stopped giving a damn about Corey’s age and just fell in love with the man holding her.
He squeezed her a little tighter and said in a whisper, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just thinking how it might be nice if that was us one day.”
Corey spun her at that moment and said, “Does that mean what I think it does?”
“Yeah. I love you,” said Jenna. Instantly his soft lips crashed into hers and his tongue started to massage and dance with hers. His grip was a little awkward, since normally he would have started to slide a hand up her shirt, but with the hockey gloves on he couldn’t do that.
He pulled back from her lips and his green eyes turned dark. He kept his mouth close and turned his head up some as if to control himself. But as he did that, his beard brushed against her skin. “I love you more.”
Their moment was broken when Petey smacked Corey on the shoulder and said, “Come on, let’s help set up the hockey.” Corey’s eyes looked sad as he pulled apart. He joined his friend on the ice but he let his gloved hand trail behind holding on to Jenna. Jenna too started to make her way to the ice to congratulate her friend.
12
Corey
Having Jenna here for the biggest win in his career was amazing. While it seemed like most people focused on the two lovebirds after the Stanley Cup win, he was absolutely amazed how good it felt to share it with Jenna. Sure, he’d won some things like Junior Worlds and some major championships but he just went out partying and whoring with the guys after. It was fun but it was nowhere as sweet.
He was definitely feeling pretty buzzed after God knows how many glasses of champagne and beers with teammates, girlfriends, wives and most importantly Jenna. It was just amazing and the most fun partying with everyone. He was feeling so ballsy and confident. The moment he got home with Jenna, he grabbed her in a huge hug and said, “So I’m training in Philly this summer, can I move in with you?” Jenna laughed with so much discomfort that he felt bad. He had caught her off guard. Too much so and he knew it. He wanted to make her feel better. “You have been looking for a new roommate, right? I will totally pay for rent and electricity etc. You only get hanky-panky when you want it.” He waggled his brows trying to make her giggle and let her know that he was always up for sex.
“What do you mean you’re training in Philly?”
“I’m all set up to work out in Voorhees with some guys from Philly. I also have CrossFit sessions in South Philly in the mornings. I just need to figure out the flexibility training but I got a few places in mind. I figured since we never go to your place, there’s no reason I have to train in Canada with Scotty all summer. So I set some stuff up closer to you. I can always get an apartment close by. But since you wanted to find a new roomie, I figured it made me the most amount of sense to at least ask you about moving in.”
She lit up as he explained what he had fully set up for his training. So Jenna didn’t hate the idea of him training in Philly. Just taken aback. Hell, they were both a bit buzzed, and she might be drunk. Shit. She might not remember the conversation, but she didn’t seem to be that drunk.
“You want to train in Philly? For real?”
He grabbed her so he could stare into her eyes. “Hell yes, it’s for real.”
She kissed him with so much passion that he felt less guilty. He realized that he just surprised the shit out of his girl. She pulled back and said, “You will need to get your own bed.”
That got a full belly laugh. Of all the things she could have said about the prospect of moving in together, she was worried about a silly bed. It just seemed so unreal. “I can get a bed. Anything else, sweetheart?”
“Sleep.”
He immediately scooped up his girl into a fireman’s carry. He took her up to the master bedroom on the second floor and carefully placed her on the bed. She looked so exhausted. He knew that she wasn’t going to get ready for bed on her own. He kissed her soft lips and said, “Alright, let’s get you ready for bed.”
He grabbed the edge of her henley with his name on it. He loved that she wore his name that night. He smiled so lustfully when he realized that she wasn’t wearing a bra and her perky breasts were just completely bare. He sucked on the two round orbs before moving on to removing the jeggings and the shoes.
“Baby, can you get me my pj’s?” asked a sleepy Jenna.
“Of course.” He went to her suitcase and pulled out the cutest little pair of short shorts and a barely there T-shirt. He was going to get blue balls at this rate, which was the last thing he wanted was blue balls on the night that he won the Stanley Cup and had a beautiful woman in his bed. “Babe, you are going to kill me.”
“I will not.” The moment he got close to the bed again, Jenna leaned up and started to remove his shirt. He smiled as she started to ogle his body. As he kicked off his shoes, he tossed her pj’s at her. Thankfully, she wasn’t getting dressed immediately. Instead she continued to stare. He tossed off his pants. She then pulled on his boxers to expose his raging hard-on. “Oh, you are ready to play.”
Corey shook his head with a shit-eating smile. “Of course I am, my little sex kitten. You are beautiful and you normally give me a hard-on but seeing you naked—Christ, it’s a thing of a beauty.”
“Now come to me.”
He leaned over his love. Then they made some of the best love in their short dating life.
Jenna
Jenna woke up with a raging hangover but knew that she was lying in bed beside Corey and they had been celebrating the Stanley Cup win. Corey kissed her lips and then propped himself up on his elbow, which showed off his awesome set of abs that went into the mythic V. “How are you feeling?”
She shook her head, which was a mistake. She groaned and said, “Yeah, that’s not a good morning.”
Corey leaned down and gave her another kiss. “Sounds like you need the hair of the dog.”
“Oh, yeah. But I can get used to waking up next to you.”
“You and me both. How much do you remember from last night?”
She leaned up and brus
hed his beard up toward his ears. She smiled slyly. “Is this your way of asking if I remembered that you asked about moving in?”
He gave a hearty but sexy chuckle. “Yup.”
Her head was spinning for sure so she leaned down on his chest and looked up into his deep green eyes. She ended up tucking her arm under his head since his chest was damn rock hard and she needed a little softness. She said, “So for real, when are you thinking about coming to Philly?”
He bit his bottom lip as he was thinking of his schedule. “Um, I got my exit interview and parade on Monday morning and a couple more meetings for the next few days. Then I’m free. It’s up to you, beautiful.”
He was brushing his hand along her hairline and staring into her eyes. “Okay. I’m game for whenever. Did you want to just fly back with me?” She was planning on heading back to Philly on Monday night. Everything had been scheduled so she could attend the engagement party, Game 7 of the finals and be there for the parade in town that Monday if they won, and she was so glad that they did.
“No. I need my car. I was thinking of driving Tuesday to your place if you didn’t hate that idea.” He then paused and said, “You look like you’re going to fall asleep on me or possibly get sick. Do you want me to let you rest or get something to drink?”
“I’m good as long as I don’t move too much. But we partied a little hard last night.”
He started to laugh. “We had to. Stanley Cups aren’t easy to win.”
“I know, babe. I know,” she said with a laugh. She’d been following hockey for a long time. She still couldn’t believe her new team freaking won it and she was dating a guy whose name was getting etched on the Cup the same year she fell for him. It was unreal. “So what other celebrations will you be doing for the Cup?”
Since they were going to be spending the summer together, she just assumed that anything he was planning, she was going to be going along, too, unless it was dubbed guys only. But she knew that the parties weren’t over yet. “Well, I would count on parties the rest of the time you are here.”
“I kinda figured that. But I want to sleep in since I’m off from work. Hangovers suck,” she said as she started to lazily draw circles with her finger on his bare but tattooed chest. “I meant more for the summer. I still can’t believe Alice and Scotty are going to get married on his Cup celebration day. Knowing Alice, I’m going to be a bridesmaid if not the maid of honor.”
“Yeah. Those two are insane. Getting married in like a month’s time,” he said with a laugh, which got her laughing too. It was so absolutely crazy. But she didn’t want to think about that aspect yet. “I’ll be happy to go with you anytime Alice needs help. Any idea where they want to host it?”
“No clue. It’s insane. I will talk to her in the next few days to get the details.” She leaned up to kiss him quickly.
“Well, I know I want you with me for my Cup day. I gotta do it at home. You can meet everyone I grew up with. Petey wants me in town for his. So that will be a trip to Western Canada. I’m sure he would be cool if you want to come with me.”
“I would love to celebrate your Cup day, but count me out of Petey’s.” She smiled. She liked the idea of being included in everything. She loved going to Vermont as a kid so to plan another trip sounded great. She didn’t need to be a third wheel on that day.
“Did you want to travel anywhere this summer to scuba? Even with the contract negotiations, I’m sure it won’t be an issue.”
She completely forgot his entry-level contract was expiring. Then she shook her head. He was a complete baby if she thought about it in raw numbers. He was barely twenty-one and he was already getting his first contract where he could really make the money. She tried to push the fact he was still at the beginning of his career out of her mind.
“I don’t think I can afford a scuba trip this year.”
He shook his head. “I want to take you on a scuba trip if you want to go. Just let me know where and when.”
“Aww. That’s super sweet. I didn’t realize you liked to scuba dive.” His eyes sparkled and he had a sly smile on his face. That’s when she realized that he was up to something. “Wait a minute. You don’t like to scuba dive, do you?”
“Actually, I’ve enjoyed it so far. I just haven’t done much beyond the certification,” he said as he scratched the back of his neck.
That piqued her curiosity and she asked, “Which you got when?”
“Recently.” He couldn’t be any more coy.
While she was tempted to ask him more questions, since she had a feeling that he only got it for her, she decided to let it drop. She didn’t want to pry too much. Instead she thought about where they could go. In many ways, she was leaning toward somewhere like Turks & Caicos or in the Caribbean. That way there is less travel time and adjusting to time changes.
As it sometimes happened to her when she had hangovers, she was lulled to sleep as she daydreamed of being on the beach and seeing Corey in a teeny tiny black Speedo.
13
Corey
He’d been having so much fun waking up with Jenna in his bed each and every morning over the past few days. They had been partying together nonstop, although compared to some of the friends his sister brought around, Jenna was tame and in control. He liked that about her. They could drink and dance and have sex but there wasn’t constant drama. It was what he would call perfect.
Today was the parade and then Jenna flew back to Philly. Fortunately, they wouldn’t have to spend too much time apart since he would be driving out to her the next day. The only bad thing was that he needed to actually pack his stuff for the summer. He was starting to panic that he might not be fully ready for the trip. He turned off his alarm prior to its set time and slid out of the bed. He leaned over Jenna’s body and kissed her forehead. He quickly got ready for the day so he didn’t accidently wake Jenna. He showered and put a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Then it was a trip to the rink for one last time this season.
The team meeting was pretty boring. Then again what was there really to dissect apart since they did it well during the season and what they could work on during the off season. The media was there in force to get their last thoughts on the season. It was weird to actually put his gear into the SUV before the parade itself. As he was tossing his bag into the trunk, he spotted Alice’s car pull into the lot. He smiled big-time since he knew that Jenna was riding to the rink with Alice.
He immediately went up to Jenna for a tight hug and kiss. “How was your morning, beautiful?”
She started to giggle as he was tickling her neck with his beard. “Good. Hung out with Alice some.”
“That’s nice. I know you guys don’t get to hang out nearly enough.” He sucked in her scent and just held her close. “Ready for today?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? I’ll be hanging out with Alice all day. You’re the one who will be on display. No one will care about me.”
“That’s a load of shit, you know that, right? I care about you,” he said with a smile. But he was deadly serious. If there was a way, he would have her at his side all day. But it was a team day. The families would get to do the route with them and take part but it would be away from the players. He loosened his hug but left his arms around her neck.
“Don’t you worry about me. Just have some fun today.” She pulled away from his hug and punched his shoulder, which made him chuckle. He grabbed her hand and they walked over to the parade staging area.
“Uh-oh. It’s couples’ time,” shouted Lager as they approached. He looked over his shoulder to see Alice and Scotty were also hand in hand looking very much like the newly engaged couple that they were.
“It’s sweet,” said Petey, who was standing next to Lager.
Lager’s son immediately asked, “Daddy up.” Corey had no idea where the hell Lager’s son came from but Lager immediately lifted his blond-haired blue-eyed son onto his shoulders. “Look, Uncle Scotty, I’m as tall as you.”
That got al
l of them laughing. It broke up the romantic feeling and just made it a great family day. Before they could do much more, they were split up by the parade facilitators. There were convertibles for the players to sit in, drivers with each car, and a bus for the families. The only one who didn’t really want to follow the plan was Lager’s kid, so he ended up riding with Lager. Scotty had the Cup in his hands in the car behind them. Dykstman was in a car. Then it was Crestie. Then it was Petey and himself. The rest of the guys were behind them.
As Corey got into the car beside Petey, Petey said, “Looks like you and Jenna are getting pretty cozy.”
“Yeah. It’s been great. I still can’t believe how good things have been.”
“Does that mean what I think it means?”
“Yup. She agreed to let me move in with her and I will be officially training in Philly this summer.”
“Seriously? Don’t tell me you asked her when she was drunk.” Corey just smirked ’cause they were so drunk when he asked Jenna. That’s when Petey punched him hard in the shoulder. Corey had to hold himself up on the car seat he was sitting on so he didn’t fall out. “You idiot. You can’t just ask her something like that when she’s drunk.”
“Dude. I confirmed when she was sober. She wants me to bring my own bed, which will be delivered on Thursday.”
Petey laughed and said, “I knew I liked her. I’m surprised she hasn’t made you get a new bed at your house.”
“Hey. I might have been a horndog before this but I never brought home a bunny. My bed at home is clean.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
From there, they couldn’t chat while on the parade route. The crowd was insane. Corey wasn’t even sure he had ever seen so many people in Cleveland, let alone that they were all Sound fans. He knew that they could pack the arena especially during the playoffs, but it was great to see how many fans there were in the city.
