“I don’t want you to stop,” she says after I lie her down on the bed and slide my hands up her thighs, moving her dress up, revealing inches and inches of glorious skin. But I hesitate. Nothing has changed. She feels my touch falter, and she props herself up on her elbows. “I want this—you—now. Even if I can’t have you later. My dad made me realize if it’s now or never, I should take now.”
“Remind me to thank your dad.”
Her hands run down my back to my ass, and she grabs me—hard. “Let’s stop talking about my dad.”
I am more than willing to oblige.
Her clothes come off, the condom goes on, and we make love at a bruising pace, both of us starving for each other’s touch, hungry for the satisfaction we seem to be perfect at giving each other. She comes first, clawing at my back and moaning sweet obscenities in my ear. Her dirty mouth and the pulse of her pussy send me off into my own oblivion.
I collapse on her, burying my face in her neck and kissing my way from her collarbone to her lips. She kisses me back, her fingernails grazing lightly, pleasurably across the back of my neck and into my hair.
“I have to shower again,” I say softly, almost apologetically, because I don’t want to leave her, but I’m precariously close to being late for work.
“I can help with that,” she tells me with a wicked little grin. “I’m trained in bathing people.”
I laugh. She carefully pulls herself up, so I slip out of her, and then she wiggles her way out from under me. Hopping out of the bed, she takes my hand and pulls me to my feet and toward the bathroom.
While we’re in the shower, she asks me about the custody hearing. I tell her how nervous I am. She kisses my shoulder and wraps her arms around me, hugging me from behind as the water pours down on us. “No judge in their right mind is going to upset a happy kid. And Charlie is happy, Griffin. That means you’re a good dad.”
I hold onto her words and let them give me hope. She has to be right. I have a little more than a week to wait until I find out, but now that I have Sadie back in my life, it will be easier. Everything feels better already. After we get out of the shower and get dressed, I drive her home and head straight to the arena. I’m about twenty minutes later than normal, but nobody notices, or if they do, they don’t say anything. I head straight to the locker room to check on Eli. He’s not there.
“He’s in the trainer’s room,” Jude informs me, and I feel panic. Is something wrong? “He’s says his left quad is tight. He told me to tell you it’s nothing.”
I chuckle. “How considerate. But I’ll believe it when I talk to the trainer myself.”
I know Eli’s history like the back of my hand. I did a lot of research before I took the job. I’m aware he struggled his first season because of PTSD and he butted heads with the goalie coach before me because Eli wouldn’t admit what was happening with him and didn’t want help. I feel like that might have been an isolated incident now, but I still feel the need to double-check. It’s almost playoffs. Players tend to push through stuff they shouldn’t right about now.
“He told me you’d say that too,” Jude replies as he pulls on his red Under Armour shirt. He meets me with eyes the same color as Sadie’s. “I wanted to say thanks. For telling Eli that Sadie was…unraveling.”
“You’re welcome.” Jude isn’t turning back to put on the rest of his equipment, so I feel like he has more to say. I wait.
He rubs the back of his neck and looks a little sheepish, and I know he’s about to bring up Sadie. More specifically my relationship with Sadie. So I do it for him. I take a couple steps closer, so the guys wandering in and out of the room while they get ready don’t overhear too much.
“Sadie means a great deal to me,” I tell him honestly. “I will always look out for her and go out of my way to try and help her. She’s an incredible woman, and she’s going through…fuck, you’re all going through a really painful time.”
He seems stunned by my candor, and I feel a little bit victorious. I know from playing him on the ice that Jude doesn’t get stunned easily. He’s usually the one doing the shocking things, not being shocked. “We are,” he agrees when he finally manages to speak again. “That’s why I have to tell you, if you do anything that puts her in more pain—”
“Oh, good, the older brother speech,” I interrupt and give him a cocky grin. “I figured you were the type of guy to threaten your sisters’ boyfriends with physical violence. You like to play a douche canoe on the ice, but turns out you’re just a big old softie.”
Jude laughs, which is exactly the reaction I was hoping for. “First of all, it’s ‘extremely talented douche canoe.’ And secondly…there is no secondly, just don’t break her heart.”
I pause and grow serious. “I can’t promise that. But I can tell you that if I have to, it will also break mine.”
He considers my words. “I don’t like that.”
“Neither do we, but we’re going for it anyway,” I reply. “And we both think it’s worth the risk.”
Eli appears in the doorway. “Hey, Coach!”
“How’s the quad?” I ask, turning to him.
“A-okay. Just a little tightness from practice,” Eli assures me and then looks to Jude and back at me. “What’s up with you guys?”
“Jude is just threatening my physical safety for getting back together with Sadie,” I reply with a wry grin.
Eli’s whole face lights up. “You guys are going to give it a go? That’s fucking awesome. Maybe a little awkward because you’re my coach and now I’ll be seeing you at family dinners, but still awesome.”
“Not your family yet,” Jude reminds him. “And if you screw up, I’ll hit you too.”
