Page 33

THIRTY-TWO

declan

I look at the picture Willa sent of her with her family. People who are very quickly feeling like family to me too. She’s home, and she’s safe. Her smile ignites a fire in my chest. I never thought I could love someone the way I love her, but now I’m starting to think I couldn’t love anyone else because I was always in love with her. My love for her doesn’t feel new. It feels like it’s always been there, but my eyes are just now opening to it.

“We need two more, Monroe,” Gideon says, skating up to me while I make a lap around the ice before the period starts.

“They’re expecting me. I’ll pass. Just make sure you’re open.” He nods and skates to the bench just as the ref blows his whistle.

Gideon loses the face-off, but Rogers is quick getting the puck back to him. He misses his first two shots but gets the puck by the goalie’s left skate by a hair. Utah goes from a team playing a clean game to dirty really quickly after that. I get it. They thought they had the win clinched, but we came back and tied it up.

The entire period is full of penalties and wasted power plays. We keep getting the advantage, but they’re aggressive and violent. Martinez got five for fighting. I’ve been in the box twice for two minutes each for charging one asshole. To be fair on the refs, that was a valid call. He started it by tripping Gideon behind the ref’s backs, though.

“No overtime,” Ivanov says next to me on the bench. We’re watching our second line fight for their lives out there. It’s my fault we’re working so hard to claw our way back from an almost guaranteed loss. I start to apologize, but he stops me. “No apologies. No overtime.”

The moment we’re back on the ice, we fight for the puck like it’s the last roll at Texas Roadhouse. Time is quickly counting down on the clock. One minute. Utah has stopped every attempt by Ivanov, Gideon, and me.

I have the puck again, but Gideon and Ivanov are covered. I spot the massive form that is Martinez out of the corner of my eye. Looking at the goalie like I’m about to shoot on him, I fake the shot and slip the puck back to Martinez. He slaps his stick so hard against the puck I barely see it fly past my head. The lights flash and the buzzer sounds. That son of a bitch did it.

I want to drop to my knees right here on the ice. I’m that tired. But we still have twenty seconds to run down before heading directly to the airport. This trip has been long and emotionally draining.

We keep Utah away until the last buzzer sounds. I barely hear Coach going over the game, even though he glares at me a lot. I already know it’s my fault. I already apologized to my team.

By the time I make it onto the bus and collapse next to Ben, I’m ready to sleep. The exhaustion I feel is bone deep.

“One more game, Dec,” Ben says.

“It’s so hard to be away from her when I can’t stop thinking about her being in danger, you know?” I ask him, not expecting the look he gives me. Like he completely understands.

“Call her before we get to the airport.”

I pull out my phone and dial her. She picks up immediately. I’m sure she was waiting.

“Hey, hockey boy.”

“I miss you, Princess. Ask me to retire. I’ll do it right now and come home to you.” She laughs, but I’m completely serious. I love hockey, but not as much as I love her.

“One more game before you’re home. You can handle it.”

“That’s what Ben said.”

“I think Ben and I will get along very well,” she says. I turn and see Ben smiling. He can probably hear her. “Ask him if he wants to come by on Christmas. We’re hosting this year.” I smile at how domestic this is. Discussing a holiday we’re hosting at our house with my wife. It’s everything I never knew I wanted.

“I’m flying out to spend it with my dad, but thank you,” he says into the phone.

“Oh, he has a sexy voice!” she exclaims.

“Hey! My voice is sexier!” I yell, earning a bunch of glares and shushes from the rest of the team. Then I turn to Ben. “No offense, man.”

“I’m gay, Dec. There’s no threat here,” Ben says, laughing at me.

“Oh, right.”

“Darn it,” Willa says. “There go my dreams of a threesome.”

“Princess,” I grumble into the phone, trying to stay quiet.

“Don’t worry. I’m all yours, baby.” I smile victoriously at her words. Ben rolls his eyes and stands. I didn’t even realize the bus had stopped.

“I have to board the plane. I’ll call you tomorrow. I love you, Princess.”

She hesitates like she has been the last few days since I first told her how I felt. “Have a safe flight.”

And just like every other time she hasn’t told me she loves me too, I swallow down the hurt. I know she feels it. I can see it in her eyes when she looks at me. I just need to be patient and continue to tell her and show her how much I love her.

We lost last night, but I’m not sure how much any of us care. We know we should, but we all just want to be home with our families. Thankfully, that was the longest trip of the season for us.

My knee bounces as I stare out the window of the bus. Coach insists we park at the training center and take a bus as a team to and from the airport for team bonding or something. It’s the first time I wished I could’ve gone straight from my plane to my car. I’d be getting home right about now. Even Gideon seems pretty antsy to see Maggie. He’s usually the calm one.

“Dec.”

“Yeah?”

“Dec,” Ben says again, shaking my shoulder.

“What?” I ask, turning to him.

“Look.” He points to the window opposite us where Bouchard and Ivanov are sitting. The bus pulls into the parking lot and there, leaning against the hood of my car, is Willa.

I jump up and practically fall over Ben, trying to get past him. I mutter an apology under my breath. Ripping my bag from the overhead compartment, I charge towards the front of the still moving bus. Everyone on the team is laughing at me, and Coach is sighing into his hand. I ignore them all. The moment the bus is in park, and the doors are open, I’m running.

Willa runs to meet me, throwing herself into my arms and wrapping around me. “I missed you, hockey boy.”

“I missed you so fucking much, Princess.”

I hear the click of a camera. Willa looks over her shoulder, ready to tell off the paparazzi, but I pinch her chin and turn her to face me. “That’s Ben.”

She smiles and wiggles to get her feet on the ground. I watch her strut right up to Ben and hold out her hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Ben. I’m Declan’s wife, Willa.”

Ben smiles and shakes her hand. “I’ve heard too much about you,” he says.

“Dude! Don’t tell her that,” I whine and slip my arm around Willa’s waist.

Willa laughs and snuggles into my side. “He talks about you all the time too. I feel like I know you.”

Ben looks at his feet, like he’s feeling awkward. “Maybe in another life,” he says before looking back up. “Have a good night, guys.”

“He doesn’t speak much, does he?” Willa asks as we watch his retreating form.

“He does, but it took him days of being stuck with me to open up.”

“You ready to go home?” she asks, smiling up at me.

I grab her and throw her over my shoulder, causing her to squeal. I smack her ass, and she gasps. “Save those noises for home, Princess. I plan on staying buried inside you until I have to leave for practice tomorrow afternoon.”

“Fuck, baby. Hurry up and take me home.” She scrambles to get into the passenger seat as I throw my duffle bag in the trunk. I slip into the driver’s seat and start my car. I pause with my hand on the gearshift.

“How did you get here?” I ask her. She smiles, a little guilty.

“I had to sneak out when the guards Cal hired traded shifts. Then I took an Uber from the gate.”

I want to smile and frown at the same time. My mouth is twitching so much that Willa bursts out laughing. I join her, deciding to drop it for now. I barely make it out of the parking lot before my phone rings.

“Uh oh,” Willa mutters when she sees who it is.

“Hi, Cal,” I say.

“Dec! I can’t. . . I lost. . .she’s —” The poor guy is in a panic.

“Willa is with me, Cal.”

The breath he lets out is so loud over the speakers I flinch. “I thought your plane was landing around now. I didn’t know you came home to get her.”

“Sorry about that, man. I should’ve let you know. That was my bad.” I look over at Willa to see a breathtaking smile on her face.

“Totally cool. She’s your wife and all. Just, uh, maybe next time tell me? You know, until we don’t have to keep track of each other anymore.”

“You’ve got it.”

I quickly say goodbye and glance at my wife again. “You owe me, Princess.”

She smiles and slinks her hand up my thigh and to my belt.

“What are you doing?” I ask, my eyes darting back and forth between the road and her hand.

“I don’t like being in debt,” she says, her voice taking on a sexy note as she quickly undoes my belt and pants.

“Willa, this is a bad idea.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” she says, rubbing her hand over my erection.

“Fuck! Take me out, Princess.” I lift a little to help her. The moment she’s able to get me out of my pants and in her hand, she lowers her mouth and takes me to the back of her throat. “Holy fucking shit.”

“Mmm,” she hums around me. It’s taking everything I have to concentrate on driving. I throw my directional on and quickly pull over onto a dark side street. Leaning my seat back, I grab her hair and direct her head.

“Just like that. Fuck, Willa you’re so good at that.” She sucks me like she’s being paid to do it. She takes me down her throat, swallowing every time. “I’m going to come. Swallow everything.” I moan and unload into her soft, perfect mouth.

She smiles as she pulls off me with a pop.

I cradle her jaw in my hand, pulling her to me and kissing her senseless. “Let’s get home, Princess.”