“That door”—she points to the door in the corner—“is for the players.” I look over and see there is a camera crew set up. “The family goes over there.” She points to the other door as we walk toward it. I step in and then we go up an escalator toward a floor that looks like there are office doors across it. A man sits on a stool and looks at us. Kylie takes out her badge and he scans it. “It’s for the both of us,” she tells him and he just nods as she walks over to one of the doors. “This is Kirby’s suite,” she announces, pushing open the door and stepping in. “Jaxon’s is next door.” She points to the wall where I see some action shots of Kirby. A round table sits in the middle of the room with four leather chairs around it. There is a long table by the wall with trays of food on it. “Usually, it’s full of people from the hospital,” she tells me, and I look over to see Ariella walking up the steps where the seats are.
“There you guys are,” she huffs. “He was looking for you,” she says of Jagger, who is on her hip wearing a team jersey and black headphones over his ears. “He’s not a fan of the headphones,” she shares and I smile at him.
“Hello, my boy,” I say, holding out my arms and he flings himself into them. “Hi,” I say to him and he gives me the biggest smile as I kiss his neck.
“We should head down there,” Ariella directs. “Jaxon will be looking for him.”
“I’ll carry him,” I offer her and she nods as I follow them out the door. “This feels like déjà vu,” I tell them. “My most memorable nights were the ones where we would all get together for the game.” I look over at Ariella, who just nods in agreement. “And then going down to the glass, watching them skate around and waiting to catch one of the pucks.” I smile big at the memories. “My favorite part would be catching them and then giving them to one of the fans and they would go nuts.” I laugh as we go down the escalator and then through one of the doors and head down the steps toward the glass. People are already lined up, waiting for the team, some with boards in their hands with messages.
I stand in the corner, in the middle of Ariella and Kylie, waiting. “Look at that one.”
I turn to the side to see two women dressed in jeans and leather jackets, one of them holding up a sign that says: Materson, Rock, Paper, Scissors for Your Number.
I can’t help but snort out a laugh. “She’s not getting a puck if I get one.” The girls just laugh and then I spot something out of the corner of my eyes. It looks like the players are coming onto the ice. Jagger jumps when someone bangs on the window and he reaches back out for Ariella.
The lights go on and then the players take the ice, my eyes watch to see if I spot him, and the minute I do, my smile must get even bigger. He is walking out with Jaxon, his helmet not on, the two of them talking about something, and then they both burst out laughing. Jaxon gets on the ice first and then waits for Kirby. The girls with the sign bang on the window for Kirby’s attention, but he just looks over when Jaxon points our way. His eyes find mine and the smile fills his face even more.
Jaxon comes over and Ariella holds Jagger in front of her at the glass as Jagger smacks it, trying to get to Jaxon. “Hey,” I hear before the glass is knocked with a hockey stick and I look over at Kirby, “you aren’t even wearing anything to support the team.”
“I’m wearing black,” I tell him and he shakes his head.
“I dare you to go wear my jersey,” he states, standing in front of me, his eyes on me and me alone.
“Don’t you have pucks to shoot?” I tell him and he just laughs, and fuck, does it make my knees weak and my pussy wet. Everything about him turns me on, but especially his laugh. He turns and skates away, not even making eye contact with the girls.
My eyes follow him until he skates to the bench and I see him talking to a guy as he is taking off his jersey and disappearing into the tunnel.
I look over at Kylie. “I have to go to the merch store,” I say and she just laughs. “A dare is a dare and I’m not going to let him win.”
We walk back up the steps and the three of us head over to the store. I spot his jersey right away and buy it. “Are you sure about this?” Ariella asks me. “You know what it means when you wear the guy’s jersey.”
“I saw fifty girls wearing his jersey walking here,” I tell her as I grab the bag and we head back to the suite. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
“I don’t know about that,” Kylie refutes. “He didn’t want them to be wearing his.”
I take off my jacket when I get into the suite that is now filled with people, some of them Kylie recognizes and introduces me to. I slip on his jersey and then go to sit in one of the chairs, when the door to the suite opens and I see the man that Kirby was talking to as he looks around. A bag is in his hand as he sees Kylie and then she points over to me. I get off my stool and head over to him.
“I have something for you.” He holds up the bag and tries to hide his smile. “But I don’t think you need it.”
I grab the bag from him and look inside seeing the note on top.
I dare you. -K
I pull out the jersey with his name and number and I laugh shaking my head. Bringing it to my nose and smelling him, knowing that this is the one he took off after he skated around.
“Of course he did.” Kylie laughs as she heads off with a group of guys she knows that she met when she and Kirby went to volunteer at the hospital last month, and Ariella and I watch the game. Jagger drifts off to sleep at the end of the third period after the horn blares.
“Hey,” Kylie says, “I’m going to head out to the bar with the guys. Do you want to take my SUV?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I’ll get a ride with Ariella,” I say—or your brother—I don’t say that part. “Have fun.”
“I will.” She turns and walks out. We sit and watch the arena empty before she gets up.
“Let’s go wait downstairs,” she suggests. “I can put him in his car seat.” I follow her out of the suite, my jacket in my hand, nervously waiting for Jaxon to come out and hoping Kirby is with him.
We get to the garage at the same time the door opens and Jaxon walks out, followed by Kirby, who is wearing a black suit with a white button-down but his shirt is open at the collar. He looks down and then looks up when he must feel me staring at him, his hair still wet from the shower. “Hey,” Jaxon says, softly looking down at Jagger in her arms and bending to give her a kiss.
“Hey,” she says, looking up at him, “we have to drive Lexi home.”
