Page 50 of Never Dance with the Devils
Kayla laughs, shaking her head. “I’m not exactly outdoorsy, in case you hadn’t noticed.” She gestures to herself, as if her entire being says ‘indoors only’ or ‘fragile—handle with care’. To note, she is wearing a silk chemise nightie, her skin gleams from the lotion she slathered on this morning, and her painted nails perfectly match her toes. She looks like what she is—a princess.
“You felt pretty outdoorsy last night,” Riggs murmurs.
“Yeah, but it’s broad daylight now,” she purrs back, more onboard with Riggs’s idea than mine, and even as she argues that she doesn’t want to get fucked outside in the sunlight, I can tell she’s considering it.
Admittedly, it’s a great idea, and I’ll save it for later, but first… “Come here,” I tell Kayla, pulling her from the chair she’s lying sideways in. Pushing her out the back door, I stand right behind her, her back to my chest and my mouth to her ear as I say, “Close your eyes. Take a deep breath.”
She leans enough to make sure I see the glare she’s giving me from beneath an arched brow, but when I smile encouragingly, she reluctantly obeys.
“Smell that fresh air? Listen. Hear the birds singing? Feel the sunshine on your pretty skin?”
She takes another breath, her shoulders dropping aninch and her whole body softening. When she looks at me again, her lips have lifted into a smile and she nods. “Alright, people. Shoes and bug spray. I’m not searching you for ticks later. Let’s go.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Riggs answers with a half-assed salute.
But he hops up, grabbing the tennis shoes we picked up at Walmart last night as Kayla disappears to the bedroom to put on the hike-appropriate clothing I’m sure she packed in her bag. I think that bag of hers is magic because stuff kept coming as she got ready for bed last night. Even though we’re only here for the weekend, she set out several bottles of skin care and her toothbrush in the bathroom, hung up at least two feet worth of clothes in the closet, and laid out at least four pairs of shoes. Kayla does not travel lightly. On the other hand, Riggs and I bought a twelve-pack of underwear to split between us, a few pairs of athletic shorts each, and a handful of T-shirts to go with our off-brand shoes.
We don’t have socks, but we do have bug spray. And a mega-size pack of condoms. The important things, you know?
As we step out the back door, ready for some nature, Kayla holds up a hand. “Disclaimer, if I’m attacked by a snake or touch poison ivy, I will take out every bit of my pain and suffering on you.”
“As you should,” I agree.
In the end, it’s more of a stroll than a hike, because despite her protests to the contrary, that not-outdoorsy girl points out every colorful flower and stops to watch the fish swimming in a creek like she’s never seen anything like it before.
And every minute she spends out here, away from her family and with us, she relaxes more and more. It’sobvious in the stress in her shoulders, the way smiles come easier and quicker, and how she laughs. I swear by the time we get back to the cabin, she’s nearly skipping as she calls first dibs on the shower, a reward she’s earned. And once she’s slick and soapy, Riggs and I are going to join her for our reward too—her body.
All I can think is that I don’t want to go back to real life. Things are so much simpler out here.
That night, we’re sitting around the fire pit behind the cabin after a dinner we made together, watching the flames dance and smoke waft up, gray against the black sky.
“Can we stay here forever?” I wonder aloud.
I feel Kayla’s eyes turn to me, see her smile in my peripheral vision. “I wish.” A moment later, she sighs, turning her attention back to the fire. Her voice is matter-of-fact as she says, “Cole has probably already tracked me down and knows I’m out here. The two of you too. Chances are fair to good that he’ll leave us alone for the weekend, but if Cameron reports me missing at work on Monday morning, Cole will absolutely swarm the cabin like SEAL Team 6. No doubt.” She shrugs like that’s totally normal behavior, but it sounds weird as hell to me, like her brother is Liam Neeson with a special set of skills I should be worried about. “Or, there’s always the chance he’ll go for an ambush attack and strike sooner rather than later, so if you see a flashbang, don’t panic. It’s just my brother.” She chuckles, but it sounds forced.
She’s missing them, I’d bet my signed Bobby Hull puck on it. And her worries about how dinner went are catching up to her. She might be fighting her brothersright now, but Kayla is a family girl through and through, so being at odds with them must feel strange.
“Have they called or texted since you no-showed?” Riggs asks, his voice low and tight. He hasn’t let it go that they invaded her apartment with hurtful judgments and ugly accusations and is mad at them on Kayla’s behalf. He’s looking for another reason to stew in his righteous anger.
“I have no idea.” She suddenly bursts into hysterical laughter that has me and Riggs glancing at each other in concern for her mental well-being. “I turned. My phone. Off,” she manages to huff out between giggles. “I’ve never done that. Ever.”
“Shit, girl. Your brother’s definitely gonna SWAT us and take us down for kidnapping.” I look at the dark woods around us dramatically. “What was that?” I jerk my head the other way. “Did you hear that?”
“Don’t panic, but there’s a red light on your forehead.” She taps her own forehead, right in the middle. “It’s probably fine, though, right?” She laughs harder, louder… lighter.
Kayla Harrington is like an entirely different woman out here in the woods, where the rules and restrictions of the city and her life fall away. She’s always beautiful, especially when she’s expertly cutting someone who’s gotten too big for their britches down to their appropriate size, but this bare-faced, laughing, dare I say, giddy woman at my side? Stunning.
Still, I worry that her pendulum is swinging too far the other way… too far away from her comfort zone, where she cares what her family thinks first and what she feels second. And when a pendulum swings one way, it inevitably goes back before finding a point of balance.
“Totally fine. ButmaybeI’m gonna go inside for a few minutes, just to, you know, let them target Riggs first. I don’t have to be the fastest. Just gotta be faster than him.” I give my larger, but slower, friend a sly smirk. I could outrun him with both arms tied behind my back. Hell, I could outrun him with one leg tied behind my back.
As she starts to get herself back under control, Kayla waves her hands. “I don’t want to talk about them anymore. I want to talk about… you two. Or hockey. It’s off-season now, but tell me what life’s like when the season starts.”
The question is casual as can be, but it puts ideas into my head. Ideas like what it’ll be like to leave her for a stretch of away games, and I already don’t like it. Sure, according to the guys on the team, the best part of away games is the coming home reunions, but you know what’s better than haven’t-seen-you-in-days sex? Sex every damn day.
“Well, in addition to our daily workouts, I usually spend the off-season studying. I watch last season’s games on a loop, dissecting my play, the Devils’ play, and other teams’ plays. After the draft, I’ll do the same with the college kids who got drafted so I know what they’re bringing to the ice. I learn and improve, find weak spots and fix them if they’re my own, or make plans to exploit them if they’re someone else’s. That way, I’m ready to hit the ice, fresh physically and prepared mentally.”
“Usually?” she asks, catching that little nugget.