Page 23

23

RILEY

I toss my bag on the floor and flop on the hotel bed. Travel clothes and never-washed duvet. Gross? Most definitely. But this stretch of away games is tiring. Good news is that this is the last away game for the week.

I miss my bed.

I miss Sarah.

I miss being in my bed with Sarah.

“You were supposed to wait for me,” Logan whines when he finally makes it to our room. We’ve been roommates since last season and decided that messing with the flow wouldn’t work for either of us.

“I told you I was coming to the room. You’re the one who wouldn’t stop flirting.”

Logan shucks off his suit jacket and places it on the other bed. “Not all of us have someone waiting for us at home. I need to find a bed to keep warm.”

“Well, you better go now.”

He and everyone else knows what time curfew is. And with traveling all day, I just want to get some food and FaceTime with my girl. Logan grumbles his way into the bathroom to shower off the airplane. While he’s in there, I call down to room service to place an order for dinner of a turkey burger and sweet potato fries.

Me: Hi, baby.

Blue: Hi, handsome. How was your flight?

Me: Noisy. Logan talked my ear off.

Here’s what people don’t know about Logan. He likes to talk. A lot. Especially when you’re one of his best friends. Sure, he may be shy when you first meet him. But the all-star goalie has untapped information to tell you whether you want to hear it or not.

Speak of the chatterbox. Logan walks out of the bathroom sans towel.

“Dude!” I exclaim and look away.

“What? I’m comfortable in my nudity. You know this,” he points out. Rooming with him has shown me more of him than I care to see. He may hide away in the locker room, but that modesty ends there.

I throw a pillow over my face and listen to the telltale signs of him getting dressed.

“Okay, Theodore you can take the pillow off your face,” Logan says at the same time as a knock on the door sounds.

The door opens and I hear “Food order?”

I pop up from the bed. “That’s me. Thank you.” I tell the food runner and tip them a five dollar bill.

“You got food without me?”

“Yeah, you’re going out. Remember?”

Logan huffs and I can’t help but laugh at his dramatics. “Fine. I’ll see you later. ”

I take the lid off my food and bring my phone to the small table.

Blue: Uh oh. What fact did he spout this time?

Laughter spills out. More times that I can count, Logan has waltzed into my condo with the key that’s for emergencies only. Sarah gave him a pass at first since she suggested he might be lonely. But he took that upon himself to come over when things would get hot and heavy between us. Meaning one of us, mainly Sarah, was topless when the intrusion would happen. To say I almost punched my best friend in the face for seeing something he’s not privileged to see would be putting it lightly.

Me: Did you know that a blue whale’s heart weighs almost 400 pounds and can be heard up to two miles away?

Blue: Can’t say that’s something I ever knew.

Me: I didn’t know it either until today.

Blue: You poor baby.

Me: I know.

Me: You should make it up to me.

I finish up my food and head to the bathroom to wash my hands.

Blue: Oh, yeah? How do you suggest I do that?

I pull up her contact and hit the button for FaceTime. She answers right away .

“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” she greets and all of the unacknowledged tension melts from my body.

“God, you’re fucking beautiful.”

“My bed isn’t the same without you,” she tells me.

I groan and throw my head back. “I can’t wait to hold onto you and never let go.”

“That sounds like a plan I can get behind. What time do you guys get in?”

“Monday morning and we go right to light skate.” I say and put a hand behind my head as I lay on the bed.

“Well, I’ll be at your place Monday evening.”

“I can’t wait.” We look at each other through tiny screens and to say I miss her is an understatement. “You know what I want to try?”

“What’s that?”

“What are you wearing?”

Sarah laughs nervously. Something I’ve noticed about her is that sex sometimes makes her uncomfortable. And I mean sometimes. Like when we’re apart because of my road games. So I like to push her just a little.

“Tell me it’s the black silk set,” I guess.

Sarah pulls the covers back and pans the camera down her body. My cock hardens at the sight of her lush body. “Do you like it?”

“So much.” I say, voice gravelly. “Prop your phone up and let me watch you take it off.”

I take my dress shirt off and the camera jostles when Sarah gets off the bed and props her phone up against the base of light on her nightstand that’s illuminating the otherwise darkened room. She’s bathed in shadows, a temptress on the other end with the black silk set a stark contrast against her milky skin. An angel in the devil's clothing. Because that’s what she is to me. An angel .

Sarah slips the straps off her shoulder agonizingly slowly. Her hair falls in auburn waves over her shoulder and the look she gives me is one of pure sin. The air must’ve turned on because I watch in real time as her perfect rosy nipples point to hardened tips.

I’ve already taken my cock out of my pants and have been slowly stroking myself as each inch of her was bared to me. “Get on the bed and turn the camera to you.” Sarah does what I say with no rebuttal and it gives me a thrill that she’s turning desperate for what’s next. “Good girl. Spread your legs and let me see my pussy.” Glistening the way I knew she would be. “Fuck, baby. That’s a fucking beautiful sight.” Pre-cum beads on the tip of my cock and I use that to ease my strokes. “Rub your clit for me, baby. The way I would.”

I watch her hands trail down her body tantalizingly slow. I have to grit my teeth when she teases around the area I need her to touch most, but then I almost swear when I hear Sarah’s gasp at the first touch of her clit. “Riley.”

“I know, Blue. You’re already drenched. I can see. Dip two fingers inside of you and pull them out. I want to see how wet you are.”

Sarah does as instructed. Going even further to rub her clit. The sounds that are coming from her cunt is how I know she’ll come at any second.

“That’s enough,” I bark and she mewls. “Pull your fingers out. Let me see how wet you are.” I almost weep when I see her essence all over her fingers. “Damn. Baby, I can’t wait anymore. I need you to make yourself come. I need to see you come.”

I watch this beautiful woman take control of her pleasure and I get a sick amount of satisfaction watching her.

“Oh god, Riley,” Sarah moans. I watch as her fingers tunnel in and out of her pussy and the other hand plays with her clit. Her toes curl into the sheets on the bed as I continue to murmur filthy words through the phone. A moment later, her body stiffens and a gasp of my name spills from her lips as her orgasm hits her. Her fingers pause on their assault before she’s working herself through her orgasm. Fingers in her pussy and the other playing with her clit.

Mine hits moments later as I watch her orgasm spill down to her asshole. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” I moan as I come all over my stomach. My chest heaves from the orgasm and I look at my phone to see Sarah laying in the same spot from moments ago. She must realize the vulnerable position she’s in as she sits up and looks at me through the camera.

“I am counting down the minutes until you’re back in my arms.” She says, face flushed and pupils blown.

“Ditto, baby girl. Get some sleep and I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye,” she blows a kiss to the camera then hangs up.

I look down at the mess now dried on my stomach and decide to shower and then head to bed. This last game in our away stretch can’t get here and done sooner. Something changed with Sarah these past couple of weeks. Like she’s been holding herself back from saying something huge. If we’re on the same ride like I know we are, then it’s the same words that have been threatening to spill from my lips as well. But it’s too soon. It is, right? The times I’ve wanted to say it have been after sex and that could be blamed on the orgasm high. But what I feel for her is still there when we’re doing normal things.

I don’t want to scare her though. Sarah has a past that is beyond what I could imagine. Granted, I have a past as well. But her past scared her away from love while I made sure to grasp onto every ounce of it. Maybe this is something I talk to my coach with, he always gives good advice. What’s another life lesson he can’t teach me?

Our home crowd cheers as we head to the locker room for a quick intermission. Washington has matched us move for move. With a score of one to zero in the second period, we have the chance to win the first home game back after being away for so long.

“Hey,” I say to one of the athletic training assistants. “Will you do me a favor?”

He looks at me doe-eyed. “Yeah.”

We get to my locker and I pull out a twenty dollar bill. “I need you to buy some fries and send them up to the friends and family box. They’re for Sarah. She’ll probably be with my parents so just call her name out. And keep the change if there's any leftover.”

“I can do that,” he turns to leave but stops abruptly. “Any sauce?”

“Ranch with a little bit of buffalo sauce if they have any.”

“Done.”

“Thanks, Grant.”

Noah chuckles next to me. “You’ve got it so bad.”

“You have no idea.”

Coach runs through the small mistakes we made and how we need to tighten up if we expect to win. With ten minutes left to spare, we head back out to the ice. The crowd’s cheers get louder and little kids pound on the plexiglass hoping for a picture or a puck. I watch as Noah points to a little kid with his jersey and tosses the puck over.

“He’ll officially have the coolest story to tell his friends tomorrow.” I say to Noah as we do a final lap around the rink.

He smirks and taps me on the head before heading to center ice for the face off. Washington is one of the toughest teams we’ve faced so for us to hold our own says something about our teamwork. Noah wins the drop and quickly passes it back to Max who swerves a defender and flips it back to Noah. Two of Washington’s players flank Noah stride for stride and I hightail as fast as possible to get in his line of sight. My stick taps on the ice and he passes it to me. I turn to get in position but am blocked against the boards. My possession on the puck is sloppy, but I manage to push it free back to Noah.

When I’m finally released from the block, I find Noah and Max on the offense as they find an opening at the net. I skate around and block the path of Washington’s top scorer. Noah rears back and slaps his stick against the puck. I watch from my spot as the puck slips through the goalies glove and a small part of the net. The roar from the crowd is deafening and I can’t be prouder of my forward.

I skate over to Noah and pat him on the head a few times before skating over to Logan. While a lot of work hasn’t been done on this end, he’s still put in work when the action did make it over here.

With five minutes left to play, my line switches out. I grab for a water bottle as I sit on the bench. My helmet comes off and I watch the second line battle it out. Washington crosses center-ice on a three-man drive.

“Fuck,” Max says from next to me. We both stand up and hug the wall, chanting at our defense to hold strong and to not let them pass. Logan’s eyes never leave the puck. He expertly defends the net, but a scuffle causes him to lose the puck .

“Right, right, right,” I yell to no avail. When Logan spots the puck the buzzer is going off. I hear Logan’s fuck yelled across the ice as Washington celebrates back to their half of the ice.

Max, Noah, and I give each other a look before we’re switching out to hopefully come out of this game with a win.

“Can’t win em all guys.” Coach says in the middle of the locker room with his clipboard tucked under his arm and a furrow firmly on his brow. We went into overtime and it was like Washington had fresh legs on them. “Defensive skate tomorrow at ten and mandatory conditioning at two. I don’t care if it’s here or at a studio. Now, hit the showers.”

I beeline to my locker to my phone and open it up to text Mischa.

Me: Any openings for after two?

Mischa: At this moment, no. But I’ll let you know before your practice is done.

Me: Thank you.

I exit out of the conversation and to the one with Sarah.

Me: Showering and then headed up.

Blue: I’ll meet you at the locker room

Me:

I get undressed and to the showers with one goal in mind: getting home to my girls. Once I’m showered, I throw on a gray hoodie, some worn jeans that Sarah loves, and my black Timberland boots. I decide to stop at Anderson’s office before heading out because his advice is the one that I desperately need.

“You have a second?”

“Just a few. Kylie pouted and stomped her foot, said we were watching a Christmas movie tonight so I need to get home.”

I move and sit down in front of his desk. “She learns that from Mischa.”

Jared throws a pen at me. “Get on with it or get out.”

“How did you know you loved Mischa?” I ask out-right. I never got the chance to ask him after our stretch of away games and now seems as good of a time as any other. Those three little words are closer and closer to being freed.

“Wow,” Jared says and leans back in his chair. I know he wants to tease me, but he must see the desperation on my face. He sobers up and leans forward and places his elbows on the desk. “We were dating for a little while by this point. Still casual because of football and volleyball. And it was after one of her games where she dominated at the net. I couldn’t take my eyes off her more than what was normal. Later that night we were at the student center, playing a game of pool. She beat me and I told her I loved her. I love her competitiveness, her fierce loyalty to those in her life, her hunger for more. I told her that night I was going to marry her because I wanted her competitiveness, loyalty, and hunger in my life for the rest of my days.”

“Sounds like she settled, then,” I joke because that was the most sentimental thing I’ve ever heard coach say. He throws another pen at me and I rise with my bag on my shoulder. “But in all seriousness, thank you. That helped a lot.”

“No problem. I’m proud of you, Riley. You’ve really turned it around this season, so I guess I should be thanking Sarah.”

I toss my hair back with an exaggerated flip. “Whatever, I’m the catch. Get home before Kylie screams your ear off.”

Jared checks his phone and smiles. “Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I walk back into the locker room and dodge a towel from Max before pushing out into the hallway. Sarah is tapping away on her phone, unaware of her surroundings. I shake my head on an exhale and creep over to her. With the sounds echoing throughout the hallway, it’s easy to do undetected. I gently wrap my hand around her neck and mash our lips together. I feel her moan against my hand and my tongue tangles with hers. Sarah slides a hand into the back pocket of my jeans and pulls me against her.

Outside of the locker room at the arena isn’t the place to do this. But when she rises on her toes to get closer, I realize I don’t care.

A shrill whistle causes Sarah to jump away from me. I look down at her puffy lips from my assault and her rosy hued cheeks and realize that what I feel for her is real. That it’s not a result from lust or endorphins. But this is real. I love her.

Only now I need to figure out when the best time to tell her would be.

And if she feels the same way.