Page 23

Chapter 23

I could see it coming

Braydon

Jayna and I spent a lot of time together the week after we stopped being fake. The Blaze played at home, so no travel. Her roommate Megan was on a mission to find some overlooked treatment for Jayna’s knee, and it was driving Jayna nuts. Megan wanted to help but it was like she thought Jayna hadn’t tried hard enough. Jayna was already having trouble coming to terms with it.

I spent some time with her in the gym when she needed to vent her frustrations that way. Or at home, sex kept her distracted. It was messing a little with my routines, but I was still sitting on the bench. Jayna made sure I got my run in each morning, even if we were late getting to sleep. I didn’t skip any practices.

The sex had always been great, but now we had time to explore. Her neck was ticklish and she liked me to play with her boobs. But if I wanted to drive her really crazy I used my mouth on her clit while I stroked two fingers inside her. Her knee still wasn’t up for doggy style, but if she leaned over the bed, good leg bent on it and bad leg straight on the floor, she was so noisy she had to stuff her face in a pillow. Thankfully the Inferno were on the road because Luke would have given me so much stink eye.

Afterward, she liked to snuggle but needed some space for sleeping. I smiled when she rolled away before falling asleep. It was just so…her. It made it easier to get up in the morning when I wasn’t escaping her body wrapped around mine.

We hadn’t yet talked about what would happen after the Blaze hockey season. That would be rubbing salt in her wound. Would she keep working in PR? She was good at it, but maybe she’d rather coach, something more connected to hockey. Would she want to put hockey totally behind her? If she did, would that include me? Just in case, I used the time to show her what we could be together and hoped it was enough.

I was watching on the bench when the Blaze clinched their playoff spot at home against LA. We could lose every remaining game and still qualify. The atmosphere in the locker room changed. More tension, more excitement. Coach told me he’d put me in for another game before the end of the season so that I’d be ready if something happened to Petey in the playoffs.

I no longer felt like I was circling around the Blaze; I was part of the team. On the last road trip I’d been stuck with the bill when we all went out for dinner. I wasn’t surprised—when everyone got dressed up and we all went to a nice restaurant, I could see it coming. My credit card whimpered, but it meant they’d accepted me. Cooper checked that I didn’t need help to cover the total, which was nice but I said no. This was the big league, and needing help from the team dad wouldn’t help my image with them or myself.

* * *

We couldn’t play at home forever. We flew out to Florida for the last road games of the regular season. Back-to-back games, which meant I was probably playing the second night. I didn’t like leaving Jayna, not with everything going on with her. I’d never wanted to be in two places at the same time more.

I called her after we’d arrived at the hotel. “Hey, babe. How are you? How’d it go?”

She sighed and I heard rustling, like she was settling in her bed.

My dick took notice, but phone sex wasn’t why I’d called.

“Megan had some weird herbal remedies she thought I should try. She meant well, but it was hard to be polite. I tried everything, you know? I wish she’d just let it go.”

“That’s shitty. No one wanted to get back out there more than you. No one.”

There was a moment of silence—had that been the wrong thing to say? Over the last week Jayna had told me about all the things she’d done, before she’d had to accept that nothing was going to work.

“Thanks, Braydon. I almost doubted myself.”

I might not be very experienced at this boyfriend stuff, but I was doing okay. “You shouldn’t, and she shouldn’t make you feel like that. She’s panicking about losing you, but this isn’t the way to deal with it.”

My phone beeped for curfew. I settled against my headboard. I’d talk to her as long as she wanted.

“We had everyone from the team who’s still in town over tonight for pizza. I just…I dunno. Feel like a fake when I hang out with them now.”

If I was in her position, if somehow I had to leave hockey—that caused a full-body shudder—would I want to see my teammates, knowing I wasn’t one of them any longer? Probably better not to jinx myself by getting too deep into those weeds. “Was that a good thing, or did seeing them make it harder?”

“Both.” I heard her moving, and it was too easy to picture her in my bed. Again, I reminded my dick to stand down. “It brought home, hard, what I’m giving up, but my teammates are great. They reminded me of what I’ve accomplished, even if I didn’t get to do as much as I’d hoped.”

I didn’t have the same bond Jayna and her teammates did. Maybe it was a gender thing, or maybe they were just one of those tight teams that I’d heard about. The kind that won championships. Or in this case, just missed. “They supported you, right?”

“They did. But then they asked what was next and fuck if I know.”

The question I hadn’t asked. “You’ve got time to decide.”

“Maybe. Kira is going to tell the Blaze. Not sure what’s going to happen there.”

“But you’ll still have your job, right? You’re really good at it.”

“I have the job till the end of the year, if I’m lucky.”

“What the hell? Why wouldn’t they keep you?”

“I’m filling in for a maternity leave. Penny went out in January, and with my surgeries over I was available. Since I was doing the job for the Bonfire anyway, they just expanded it.”

I’d hoped she had the Blaze job as a security net until she figured out if she wanted to stay there or do something else. “That’s still lots of time to come up with a plan. If I can do anything, I will. Just ask.”

“Thanks. The girls told me the same thing. I’m not good at saying things, but I appreciate everything you’ve done. For me.”

When she said that, I felt good. What I did on the ice, that made me proud. But this was a different kind of pride. Something warmer, softer, more compelling. I wanted to do anything for her. “You’ve done a lot for me too. Especially after I made an ass of myself in that video. Showed me how privileged I was, even when I thought I wasn’t. You came with me to meet Frank and helped me with Faith. And…”

Did I want to say more? We’d said we weren’t fake anymore, but this…

“Are you going to leave me hanging here, Mitchell?”

Yeah, I might just as well put it out there. “I’ve been totally focused on hockey. I mean, I did have to work hard to get to the Inferno. I thought that hockey was enough. I thought it had to be enough. But I’m playing for the Blaze and I’ve got you, and being with you makes it better. I get to have you and hockey both, and I didn’t think I could do that.”

She didn’t answer. The seconds ticked by, and maybe I’d put my foot in it?

Fuck. Maybe I had assumed we were more than we were. “Sorry, did that come out wrong? Or is it the wrong time to say that? Did I mess things up?”

“No. That wasn’t wrong. It just—well, it hits in some weird ways. I only had hockey, and now I don’t, but I have you. And would we work if I was playing? Did I have to give that up to get here?”

Shit. “No, Jayna. No, never. I wish you were still playing. I don’t care if you have to train and travel and can’t work everything in your life around me. I’d be stoked to have my girlfriend burning up her league and I’d be in the front row to watch you in the Olympics. I don’t, not anywhere, think that you hurt and not playing is a good thing.”

She sighed. “Two hockey players would make things more difficult.”

“It would be worth it. Totally worth it. If next week the doctors came back with some way to fix your knee, I’d take you to them and I’d want it to happen.”

“Fuck.” Her voice was a growl. “Why the hell do you have to be in Florida tonight? I want you here. I want to make you feel so good. I want my mouth on you and your hands on me. I want you inside me so badly?—”

My dick was hard as a post, and I wanted to make her feel good too. Phone sex might not have been why I called her, but if she wanted it, I was more than happy to help.

“What would you do, Jayna?” My voice was low. We’d never done this together, and I’d definitely never done it with anyone else. I could figure it out, right?

“I’d kiss you first.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’d ravage your mouth. Pull your hair, spread you out below me.” I shoved the covers on the bed down. My erection was tenting my underwear.

“I can almost feel you. What would you do next?” She whimpered and I’d bet she was touching herself.

“I’d kiss my way down your chest. Bite your nipples, lick your abs.” My hand followed her imaginary path, and I swear I felt her. I groaned.

“You like that? Are you hard?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”

“That’s what I’d do next. Suck you. Use my mouth and my hands?—”

My hand moved down to my cock, pulled it out of my underwear. “That feels so good, babe.”

“Are you touching yourself?”

“I’d rather touch you, but you’ve got me hot just talking.”

“I’m wet. And I’m touching myself.”

She was killing me. Absolutely murdering me, and I loved it. “Wet enough for me? Ready for me to fuck you?”

“Oh yeah.”

“If I was there, first I’d go down on you. Make sure you were really ready.” This time she was the one moaning. “Touch yourself like it’s me. Like I’m there, licking that pussy. Owning it.”

Her breathing was fast and erratic. I shuddered, stroking myself, picturing her doing the same.

“Braydon…” she whispered.

“You’re ready?”

“Mmmm.”

“I’d use my fingers, make sure you were open, and then I’d slide inside you.”

“Yeah. Do it. Fill me up.”

Were we really good at phone sex or was it always this hot? Because I’d been missing out. “I’d try to be slow, but I wouldn’t be able to help it. You feel too good, and I’d soon be fucking you hard, and you’d be making those sounds…”

She was making them now. My own hand was moving fast and tight on my cock, precome slicking the way. I was getting close, balls pulled up.

“More…harder…” she panted. Then she whimpered my name and I knew she was coming.

I pictured her face, eyes squeezed shut, mouth open, face flushed, and I went over the edge. Come shot over my hand and chest while I gasped for air. My sticky hand fell to the side. I should grab a cloth or some tissues, but I could barely hold on to the phone. “You still there?”

“Yeah,” she answered. She sounded wrecked too.

“That was incredible. Our first phone sex.”

“We’re pretty good at it.”

“We are. And we’d get even better if we practiced.”

More rustling, and Jayna’s voice was back to normal. “You need to get to sleep. You’ve got a couple of games coming up.”

I reached for tissues from the bedside table. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll sleep much better now.”

“Good. And Braydon—thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

I wanted to say more. Maybe even tell her I more than liked her, but that was something for when we were together.

“I’ll see you Thursday?” I asked.

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

I hung up reluctantly but had a smile on my face. I fell asleep that way.

* * *

Jayna

Kira passed on the news that I’d retired from the Bonfire but didn’t hear anything back from the Blaze. The best reason for that from my perspective was that they didn’t care, and I could just keep working out my contract till Penny returned. The worst scenario—being fired immediately—hadn’t happened, but it was possible that team management was focused on the playoffs and would deal with my change in status afterward. They might want to let me go then, but for now I was established, and doing good work. They needed that social presence during the playoffs.

I enjoyed my job immensely Wednesday night when Braydon had the start in goal. He earned the W and was the first star of the game. I got to tell everyone how fantastic he’d played, and was paid to do so. It helped me ignore that I’d lost my own career. Denial for the win!

He sounded tired when we talked that night. No surprise.

“That was some game,” I told him.

“Yeah. It was a hard one.”

“You earned that win.”

“It was a team effort.”

I scoffed. “I play—played. I know there’s a team on the ice. But tonight you got that win. Your teammates moved like their skates were made of lead, which happens in back-to-back games. They hung you out to dry, but you stood on your head, and you earned that win.”

“But—”

“Thirty-nine shots. They allowed thirty-nine shots on goal, and you only let one in.” I was kind of angry he’d missed a shutout, but still, that was impressive. “The team only managed fifteen shots on the other goalie, so getting that win tonight was all about you.”

A pause and then he laughed. “Yeah, I had to work hard. The team was happy with what I did.”

They damned well should be.

“But I was rested where everyone else had played the night before.”

“Braydon, just take the compliments. Another night, you’ll be the one getting only fifteen shots and letting a couple in, and everyone will tell you you’re a shit goalie. Enjoy the good games, because people forget those when you lose.”

“Okay. Then I was fucking great. It was just that kind of night. Every puck was the size of a beach ball, they were coming in slow motion, and it all just worked!”

Those nights were the best. When you couldn’t make a wrong move. I’d had those—nights when I could see exactly where the goalie would be and sent the puck through a gap she couldn’t cover. Those nights were also rare. I was right—Braydon needed to hold on to this feeling to offset those other, more common games.

“The team isn’t coming home tonight,” I said.

“No, they decided we needed to rest before we flew. No practice tomorrow either, so it’s a day off except for traveling.”

“Take advantage of it. Once the playoffs start, you’ll kill for that kind of down time.” Our playoffs ran shorter and still were exhausting. The NHL playoffs were a brutal grind that could run for almost two months if the team went to the finals.

“You want to come over, maybe watch a movie or play some games tomorrow night?”

I felt the smile on my face, sappy as hell. “Sure. I can bring dinner. There’s a great takeout place out your way.”

“That sounds awesome.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow—go to sleep!” I had plans for our evening, and I wanted him rested and ready to go.

“I will. I’ve missed you.”

“Yeah, me too.” I hung up. What alien had taken me over? I wasn’t mushy like that. Fussing over his sleep, telling him I missed him—that wasn’t me.

But it felt incredible. Maybe this was a good thing.