22. Blake

CHAPTER 22

Blake

My fucking hip is killing me.

Thank God we’re going into the third period.

This game seems to be taking forever. I know it’s only in part because of my hip. I’ve been playing well, the other team hasn’t scored on me yet, and our guys are playing with real fire tonight. But some games are like this. Some go by in a snap and others are grueling and I could swear they take days.

Part of it tonight is because I am having to truly force myself to concentrate.

Part of my mind is on my hip, part of it is on the text from my grandmother that came in as I was still in the locker room before the game. She’s back in town from her Florida trip and ready to meet my fiancée.

Of course, she needs to meet Elise. How am I going to convince her that I am madly in love and that Elise will be living with me happily ever after in the cabin if the two women never meet?

I’m just not sure I’m ready.

That takes things to another level.

Things weren’t supposed to get to ‘levels’ at all.

Elise is doing me a favor. She’s an acquaintance who agreed to pose as my fake girlfriend for three months. That’s it.

But… that’s not it. It’s already more than that.

I like her. Being with her is easy and fun. I look forward to her texts. I love fucking her. When I was out of town, I was actually eager to get back to Chicago so I could see her. And not just to get her naked.

That was not supposed to happen.

I haven’t even seen her that much. Or fucked her that much. Definitely not enough.

But dammit, it has been enough.

Enough to complicate everything.

As the rest of the team warms up for the last period, I let my gaze do something I’ve been fighting all night.

I find Elise in the stands.

Warmth floods my chest and I have to actually fight a smile.

She’s not just here. She’s here wearing my jersey. I’m sure there are social media posts about it even now.

She’s also not here alone. She’s sitting behind Dani and Luna. But more importantly, she’s sitting between Simon and Aidan.

More importantly? Where did that come from?

But I know very well. Because Simon and Aidan are here to watch me too. Sure, they are here to keep Elise company, but the three of them are at this game because of me.

It’s unusual for me to have people in the stands.

Most of my family lives too far away for it to be a regular thing. All of the people I consider friends are on the team, so they’re not in the stands watching, of course. My grandmother does make it to a game here and there, but she prefers to watch my games on television. She hates dealing with crowds. She says that she can follow the puck more easily with the help of the cameras, and I know the cold air makes her joints stiff.

It’s nice having them here.

It’s really fucking nice to have Elise in that jersey.

It’s also very nice to be thinking about going home with them after the game.

Sometimes I have plans after a game. Sometimes they involve a woman.

But I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to after games as much as I have since the four of us have been hanging out and hooking up.

I’m feeling things that I didn’t expect. And that I probably shouldn’t be.

I’m fake dating her.

But are you? A little voice in my head asks. I mean, we might be faking how serious it is, and that we’re engaged and going to be owning a cabin in Minnesota together, but we’re kind of actually dating.

We do actually go out on dates. We talk. We flirt. We text. We fuck.

I mean…that’s dating, isn’t it?

Whistles split the air, indicating the period is about to start and I take a deep breath and re-focus. I’ve got more hockey to play. I can’t be thinking about my love life.

I’m as superstitious as the next goalie, so I start my pre-period ritual.

I run my hand through my hair twice, tap my helmet against each of my shin guards before placing on my head, then tap my stick three times against the left side of the net, three times on the right, then three times on the top. That’s me putting my “forcefield” up. It started when I was a kid but, hey, it works. Then I’m ready to go.

Just a few more minutes until I can be with Elise.

“I didn’t realize how much hotter it would be watching you play after we’ve had sex,” Elise says in my ear as I hug her in the back hallway after the game. “Now I know how much power your hips have and how capable your hands are and what those shoulders look like bare naked.” She shivers. “So. Hot.”

When I walked out of the locker room and saw her standing there with Luna and Dani and the other wives and girlfriends, my heart had done a little flip-flop.

Fuck. I really am getting into this thing between us, aren’t I?

Then she says things like that and I’m really into it.

I lift my head and grin down at her. “You had no idea at all? You’re honestly trying to convince me that you never thought about fucking me while watching me play before? I don’t believe that for a second.”

She lifts one shoulder. “Of course I did. And I always thought you were hot when you played. I guess I didn’t realize it could get even hotter.”

I lean in and put my mouth against her ear. “I’ll have you know that partway through the second period I was rethinking the whole blow jobs for every save thing. I was killing it out there and I am becoming very fond of your hot little mouth.”

She laughs and her warm breath brushes over my neck as an equally warm feeling rushes through my chest. “No longer worried about my jaw getting tired?” she asks.

“Well, I figured they don’t have to all be at once. Not all in one night, you know? We can save them up. There are my days off, after all. And a long off-season.”

She’s still smiling but her eyes are studying me now. “You’re retiring after this year.”

Right. Shit. “Yeah, I mean I’ll need a few things to get me through those first few months, right?”

Which is also insinuating that she’ll still be around then. That we’ll still be doing things that involve my dick in her mouth.

But this is all temporary . As well as being fake-ish.

Fuck. Why is that all so easy to forget?

I start to pull back a little, but her arms tighten around my waist. “I am very happy to keep tally marks of how many saves you make and reward you for every single one.”

I look at her. Is she offering to make this go past the ninety-day mark?

And do I want that?

“You don’t even have to keep track,” I say. “That’s a stat that other people keep track of for us.”

She gives me a grin. “Even better.”

I keep an arm around her as she says goodbye to her friends and we head down the hallway toward the parking lot.

“My place?” I ask.

“Simon and Aidan asked about that. Simon said we’re welcome at his place, but yours is fine too,” she tells me.

I wait for a second to see if I feel a stab of jealousy or annoyance.

Neither come.

In truth, not only is it hot to be with Simon and Aidan with Elise, but they’re making it easier to keep some distance between me and this girl.

Seeing her sitting in the stands, having her waiting for me in the back hallway, just having my number on her back, is making me feel more attached to her than I ever expected. I’ve been attracted to her, wanted to take her to bed, even thought that taking her to a few social functions would be fun, but I didn’t expect to want things like waking up in the night and finding her head on my chest and wanting to lay and listen to her breathing. I didn’t expect to love her little fashion shows where she tries on new dresses for us. The dresses are sexy, of course, but her excitement, creativity, and the way she approaches her passion with joy and a smart-as-a-whip business mind, is also a turn on. She’s smart, sassy, and almost too self-deprecating.

I wish she could see how amazing she really is.

All of this combines to make me want to pull back a little. I haven’t felt invested in a woman in longer than I can remember. I want to know how her day was, how her various dress projects are coming along, how many orders she got this week, what she had for lunch, for fuck’s sake.

That is too much.

So it’s a good thing that Aiden and Simon are part of this. I need to pull back.

“Simon’s place is great,” I say. The fewer memories we make in my apartment, the better. Then they won’t haunt me when this is over.

“Great.” She pulls her phone out and sends a quick message.

Her phone pings a couple seconds later.

She smiles at me. “They’ll meet us there.”

“Did they bring you to the arena?” I ask as I guide her to my truck in the players’ parking lot.

She shakes her head. “I got an Uber. I figured since I’m seeing three guys, the chances of having a ride home after the game were pretty good.”

I help her up into the passenger seat of my truck, then impulsively lean in to kiss her lips. “Thanks for coming tonight.”

She looks surprised and I brace myself for her to remind me that it was part of our deal.

But, instead, she says, “I loved it.”

“You look really fucking good in my jersey.”

She grins. “Let me guess. That means I’m keeping it on in bed later?”

“It does,” I confirm.

Two nights ago, Aidan brought her a Chicago Fire Department T-shirt, which he insisted she wear while we fucked her.

I’ve been dreaming of getting him back with this jersey.

Which I know he knows.

Which makes it even more fun.

Dammit, I like those guys too.

Great.

“By the way,” I tell her. “When Aidan’s fucking you, you have to be on hands and knees.”

She looks very interested. She is always ready to go for all three of us and we can’t get enough. “And why is that?” she asks.

“So he has to stare at my name and number the entire time.”

I shut the door while she’s still laughing. I’m also grinning as I get in. I barely even wince as my hip twinges.

Then I take us to my girlfriend's other boyfriend’s apartment.