5. Zack

ZACK

I shuffle backand forth as I stand in the locker room, waiting for the signal it"s time to go. I"m nervous to hit the ice and see if Courtney and Jax made it to the game tonight. Sawyer couldn"t come tonight, as he"s out of town this weekend at a tournament. His team won their first two games and will play their next one while I"m on the ice playing my own. Thankfully, Emerson has kept me updated on their progress, and I was able to watch the livestream, as well.

"Let"s fucking go!" one of my teammates calls out to the room at large. We"re pumped and ready to take on Florida tonight.

Our starting goalie, Elijah Olson, raises his arm, his signal that he"s headed down the tunnel and out onto the ice. We all fall into line, fist bumps handed out to one another and to the support staff as we pass by them. As soon as my skates hit the ice, my mind clicks over to warm-up mode. I take my normal two laps around our half of the ice before I collect a puck on the end of my stick. I look over at the friends-and-family section and see Jax and Courtney standing against the glass. A huge smile covers Jax"s face and makes me smile just as big. I skate over to the glass and lean down to the small opening that the camera guys can open to take pictures and whatnot during the game.

"Hey, guys, glad you made it. I promised you one of these," I say to Jax as I pick up the puck and pass it through the small hole.

"A real puck!" he exclaims as he looks it over. It has a special logo on one side for tonight"s game.

I laugh at his excitement. "A real puck," I confirm.

My eyes flash to Courtney"s, and I find her smiling back at me. Her natural beauty hits me square in the chest like an arrow. "Have fun. I have to get to work."

"Be safe," she tells me before I skate away. I nod, letting her know I heard her. I join the line for warm-up drills, taking shots at the goal as we go through our routine.

"Who"s the woman and kid?" Graham, one of our defensemen asks when I stop behind him.

"A family friend and her son. She just moved back to town, and her son has never been to a game, so I invited them tonight."

"Ah, you hitting that?" he asks.

I punch his shoulder, not that it does much with all the padding we wear. "Fuck off," I tell him as he takes off for his turn in the drill.

Once his line is done, I skate forward, waiting for the puck to be passed to me. It hits the end of my stick, and I send it flying to the net, beating Elijah on his blocker side.

"Lucky shot," he chirps as I skate by him. I chuckle at his cockiness and take my place in line once again.

"So was that a yes or no? She"s pretty hot, so if you aren"t hitting that, do you mind if I take a shot?" Graham asks.

"She"s off-limits, asshole," I tell him sternly.

He puts his hands up like he"s surrendering. "Got it."

I look over at the glass again, and my eyes land on Courtney"s. She lights up with a smile that feels like it"s just for me. I have to break eye contact as the line moves forward, and I roll into the next drill.

As the timer on warm-ups ticks down, the guys all start to head off the ice. I skate back over to the corner, I feel the need to talk to them both one final time before I have to get my head fully in game mode.

"Did you have fun?" I ask Jax.

"Yes! Is that all?" he asks.

I chuckle. "No, buddy, that was just us warming up. We"ll be back out to play the game in about twenty minutes or so. Now, you and Mom can go find your seats and maybe get a snack," I say to Jax. "You good with finding your seats?" I ask Courtney.

"Yep, I"m good."

"If it isn"t too late, you can stick around after the game and I can catch up with you guys. It might be forty minutes or so before I get out, so I understand if that"s too long."

"Probably will be too late. Jax is used to going to bed around nine, but maybe another time," she suggests.

"No problem," I tell her as the buzzer goes off, alerting me that I need to get off the ice so the ice crew can get it ready for the game. "That"s my cue. I have to go. Have fun, and I"ll see y"all later." I wave as I skate backward toward the bench. Once I reach the doorway, I turn around and head down the tunnel and into the locker room. As I enter the locker room, my mind immediately clicks to game mode.

I hop over the boards,chasing down the Florida winger as he pushes into the zone. I tie him up along the boards, digging at the puck until it pops free. I tap it up the boards, hoping one of my teammates gathers it and gets it out of the zone.

I follow the play, getting into position to gain our offensive zone, watching as Graham clears the blue line, keeping us onside and in play. I skate down the boards and in toward the net, hoping that Graham will have an open slot where he can pass to me. Unfortunately, we"re a second or two off, and the puck is just out of my reach as it slides into the corner. Caden, my center, drops down and collects the puck, bringing it back up to the point to set up the play. Graham and I drop into our positions as the wingers on this line, playing a game of keep away as we pass the puck between the three of us and work to find an open slot to try to score. The puck effortlessly slides from stick to stick as we work the ice. Caden fakes the pass to me and sends a one-timer toward the net and finds the smallest slot to put it into the back of the net. The goal horn blares as the five of us come together to celebrate, then head to the bench for the fist-bump line.

We take our one-goal lead into the third period. Florida is hot on our heels to tie up the game, but on the second shift of the third period, the fourth line buries the puck in the back of the net. Everyone on the bench stands and cheers loudly, celebrating the insurance that Jonesy provides with his goal.

Florida tries hard to beat Elijah, but we hold them off and shut them out with a final score of two to zero.

The atmosphere in the locker room buzzes with excitement the way it always is after a hard-fought win. Our goalie getting that shutout is icing on the cake in a big win. I quickly strip out of my gear and head for the showers. Even though I know Courtney won"t be waiting outside for me, I still rush to get out of here. I want to call her and see how Jax liked the game and what he thought of it.

"Where"s the fire?" Jonesy asks when I come out of the shower and head to get dressed.

"No fire, just ready to get home and relax," I tell him.

"Sure. We saw that hot chick you were talking to. It looked pretty comfortable for there to be nothing going on between the two of you."

"Just a friend," I say, not sure if I"m trying to convince them or myself about that.

"Famous last words."

I push out of the locker room, and even though I know Courtney and Jax won"t be out here, I"m still disappointed I don"t get to see them again. I slide my cell from my suit pocket and check for any missed calls or texts.

Mom

Great game tonight! Will you and Sawyer be at dinner tomorrow night?

Dad

Looking good out there. Keep it up and you guys have a good shot at winning it all this season.

I chuckle at my dad"s optimism, but he isn"t wrong, either. We"ve been working our asses off as a team, and our current record proves that. We just need to keep that momentum going through the rest of the season.

Zack

Thanks, Mom. I"m not sure about Sawyer. I need to ask Emerson what time she thinks they"ll return from the tournament. I haven"t checked to see what time his game is yet.

Mom

His team plays in the championship at noon.

Zack

My guess then is he won"t be with me. Anything I can bring?

Mom

Nope, just come hungry. Dad already has the smoker going with the brisket on.

Zack

My stomach is already growling. I"ll be there by four thirty.

Mom

Perfect, see you then.

I reach my car and touch the handle, unlocking the doors. I open the back passenger door and toss my bag on the back seat, then remove my suit jacket and lay it over the top of the bag. I already have the top two buttons of my dress shirt undone, but I unbutton the cuffs and roll my sleeves up before I slide behind the wheel and ready myself to pull out of my spot. I wave at my teammates in the parking lot who are heading in their own directions as I pull out.

My car alerts me that I have a new text message and offers to read it to me. I tap the button on the screen on my dash, and the robotic voice comes over the speakers.

Courtney

Just wanted to say thank you again for the amazing time tonight. Jax was enthralled with everything that happened tonight. He even took his puck to bed with him.

Since I can"t text her back, I hit the call button instead.

"Hello?" Courtney"s sweet voice fills my car.

"Hey, I didn"t want you to think I was ignoring you, but I"m driving and couldn"t text back, so I called instead."

"No problem."

"So you were saying that Jax had a great time. How about you?" I ask, hoping she enjoyed herself.

"It was a great night. I loved experiencing it through his eyes for the first time."

"I"m glad to hear that. Anytime the two of you want to go to another game, just let me know. I have vouchers for every game."

"Thank you," she says. "Where are you headed?"

"Home. I don"t usually go out after games like some of the guys do."

"Ah."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing. I just assumed that you"d be going out, being a bachelor and all that."

"Not really my thing anymore. As I"ve aged, I"ve come to enjoy being at home. I also try to have time with Sawyer whenever I can."

"You seem to have a good relationship with Emerson. Has it always been that way?" she asks.

"Yes, when we broke up, we decided to make Sawyer our priority. He shouldn"t suffer just because we weren"t meant to be together. We drew up a parenting plan, custody agreement, child support, everything that we could think of, and my attorney filed it with the courts. Since we"d come up with all of it together, it was a seamless process that the judge signed off on without any hesitation. It also went through quickly since we weren"t married, so there was no marriage to dissolve."

"I"m scared how much of a fight it"ll be with Chad," she says, and I can hear the trepidation in her words.

"Did you talk to Erin this week?" I ask, referring to my attorney.

"Yes, I had a call with her yesterday, and she said she"d contact Chad"s attorney and discuss with him what Chad"s demands are and see if we can agree on things outside of the courtroom."

"I told you she was great."

"I still don"t know how I"m going to afford her services," Courtney whispers.

"Please don"t worry about that. Let me help you through this."

"Why do you want to help so badly?"

"I can"t explain it, Court, but it just feels like the right thing to do. I care about you and want to see you succeed in life. You"ve spent too many years under that asshole"s thumb, and it"s time you break out of your shell and shine. Find what you love in life and go after it."

I can hear her sniffle through my speakers, and my heart breaks for her. I want to pull her into my arms and not let go.

"Have you already gone to bed, or are you still up?" I ask.

"I"m still up. Why?"

"Then open your door," I tell her.

"Open my door?" she says, the statement coming out like a question.

I turn off my car and pull my cell up to my ear so I can hear her. I step out of my car and lock the door.

"Are you really here?" she asks.

"Open your door and find out."

I walk the short distance to her apartment door, and just as I step up to it, I hear the lock slide as she flips it, and the door opens slowly. I end the call and slip the phone into my suit pants.

I push the door open wider, taking in Courtney in her sleep set. The low-cut tank shows off her breasts, and her hard nipples poke through the fabric. The sweats are tight and mold to every curve of her body. My desire for her takes over, and I shut the door behind me, then push her up against the wall. My lips crash against hers as her fingers tangle in my hair, pulling me closer as our tongues twist together.

Courtney lifts a leg, hooking it around my hip as she seeks friction between her legs. My body responds to her, and I press my pelvis against her center. As she moves, her pussy drags along my hard cock, and I want nothing more than to sink inside her body and make her scream my name.

I break our kiss, taking my lips to her neck as I kiss a trail down, then across the tops of her breasts. I pull the strap of her tank off her shoulder, and it slips down, exposing her breast to me fully. I lap at her hard nipple before sucking it between my lips. Courtney holds the back of my head to her as I devour her breast.

"Zack." Her breathy moans fill my ears. "I need you," she tells me.

I release her breast and stand back up to my full height. "Let me make you feel good tonight," I say as I slide a finger down her cheek. She grips my hand and pulls me down the hall and into her bedroom. Once we"re in the room, she turns, and I can see the nervousness coursing through her body.

I grip her hips, aligning us to face one another. I tip her chin up so we can look into one another"s eyes. I want to make sure she won"t regret any of this tomorrow morning. "You are in control of everything tonight. If you want to stop at any point, speak up. Understand, sweetheart?" I ask, leaving no room for error.

She nods in agreement, but that isn"t enough for me. "I need your words tonight, Court."

"I understand," she whispers.

I lower my head slowly, giving her time to stop me if she doesn"t want me to kiss her again. She doesn"t even flinch, so I continue, capturing her lips with my own. I continue to kiss her as I back her up and easily set her down on the mattress. I snag the hem of her top and pull it up, only breaking our kiss so I can pull it over her head. With her top off, I lay her back on the bed and map her body with my lips. I worship her breasts now that I have full access. They are the perfect size, filling my palm, but not so big I get lost in them.

I move on, sliding down farther, kissing along her torso, around her belly button, and down to the elastic band of her sleep pants. "May I?" I ask as I slip a fingertip under the edge.

"Yes," Courtney says as she lifts her hips. I don"t hesitate to pull down her pants and panties at the same time. I toss them aside, then place her legs over my shoulders. I settle in, getting comfortable. I can see her arousal glistening on her slit, and my mouth waters with my desire to taste her and watch as she falls apart on my tongue.

I gently slide a fingertip down her seam, teasing her as I do. I chuckle at the way her body jolts at the touch, but relish in the way she moans in pleasure.

"Yes, more," Courtney whispers.

I flick out my tongue, tracing the same line I just made with my fingertip. "Like that?" I ask before I part her and swirl my tongue around her clit. I slip two fingers inside her pussy, and her walls flutter around my digits as I make a come-here motion.

"Zack," she cries out in pure pleasure.

I release her clit but don"t let up with my fingers. Her body practically vibrates with her need to come. "Shh, sweetheart, we don"t want to wake up Jax," I warn.

She grabs the second pillow on the bed and places it over her face, I"m guessing to help block the sounds she"s making. I return my mouth to her clit, alternating between sucking and flicking it with my tongue until she"s riding my face and coming. Her body goes rigid, and I lap up every last drop of her release while she languishes in her post-orgasmic bliss. I slide up the bed, settling in on my side as I face her and wait for her to come back to me.

Her eyes finally find mine, and she"s never been more beautiful. I run my fingers down the side of her face, cupping her cheek before I press a light kiss to her lips. "You"re gorgeous when you come," I say against her lips. "I could watch you do that a million times over and never tire of it."

"Mhmm, that doesn"t sound like a bad idea," she hums against my lips.

Courtney reaches out and unbuttons my dress shirt, but I cover her hand and stop her. "Not tonight, sweetheart."

"What? Why not?" she asks, a little stunned that I"m stopping her from undressing me.

"This was all about you tonight. I want you to be completely mine when I sink inside you for the first time."

"But you need a release." She motions to my very tented slacks.

"Nothing I haven"t dealt with before on my own." I smirk before kissing her again.

Courtney pushes me back and slides out of bed. I watch as she makes her way to the bathroom. She looks over her shoulder before clicking the door shut. I hear the toilet flush a minute later and the sink turn on. She emerges a few seconds later and scoops up her tank top and panties and pulls both back on before she joins me on the bed.

We lazily kiss, with no urgency to our movements, as we explore one another"s bodies with our hands.

We naturally break apart, and I push a lock of hair out of Courtney"s face. "I leave on Monday for a road trip and won"t be back for a week, but once I am, I"d like to take you out on a date, if you"re up to it."

"A date, huh?" She smiles at me.

"Yep." I pop the p. "I don"t know what"s changed between the two of us, but I know that I want to explore whatever this is. I understand if you want to take things slow. Just like tonight, you"ll be in charge of how fast and far we move."

"I don"t even know what to think about this," she says, and I know she"s vulnerable at this moment. "What will Ryan think?"

"Let me deal with Ryan," I tell her. I know my best friend, and while he might not be ecstatic that I"d like to date his sister, he also knows the kind of man I am and that I"d never do anything to hurt her or Jax.

I can tell she"s hesitant about that idea but eventually concedes. "Okay, but please don"t ruin your relationship with my brother because of me. Especially since we have no idea what this is between us."

"Don"t you worry your pretty little self about my relationship with Ryan. We"re good, and he"ll deal with it just fine," I say before kissing the tip of her nose.

Courtney yawns, which makes me look at the clock. It"s well after midnight, and I know Jax will probably be up early tomorrow. "I should probably head home so you can get to sleep."

"Yeah, Jax is an early riser, especially on the weekends. I swear his internal clock only works on the days I"d like for him to sleep in."

"Sawyer is the same way. Maybe when I get back, we can plan something with the boys. Let them meet, which will allow us to spend more time together."

"I"d like that, but I have one request," Courtney says.

"What is your request?"

"When we"re around the kids, we keep things PG. I don"t want to confuse him, and I think him seeing me with a man right now might do that. I know he"s comfortable around you and already likes you, but I think we need to take things slow."

"I can agree to those terms. Like I said, you"re in control, sweetheart."

"Are you sure you"re real?" Courtney pinches my side.

"Ouch," I yelp, then immediately cover my mouth with a hand.

"Sorry." She laughs. "I just had to check for myself."

"Like the orgasm I just gave you wasn"t enough of the real thing?" I quirk an eyebrow at her as I roll her on her back and kiss her hard. I slip my tongue past her lips and tangle it with hers before abruptly pulling away, leaving us both panting and wanting more.

I slide off the bed but don"t take my eyes off Courtney. I get my fill of her beautiful body, which is still mostly on display.

She sits up and slides off the bed, bending down to grab her sleep pants that she didn"t put back on earlier. Once she pulls them on, I snag her hand, linking our fingers together. "Walk me out?" I ask.

We make our way out of her room and down the short hall to the entryway.

"When do you leave on Monday?" she asks.

"I think I have to be at the airport around nine, maybe nine thirty."

"And you"ll be gone an entire week?"

I tuck her hair behind each ear, then drop my hands to her hips. "Yes, Monday to Monday this time. We have four games while we"re gone. Tuesday and Wednesday, then Friday and Sunday, before returning on Monday. We"re going to Seattle first, then Vancouver, then Edmonton and Calgary."

"Sounds like a cold trip."

"Definitely." I chuckle. "Visiting any of the northern teams in the winter can sure be a shock to the system sometimes."

"Be safe, and text me if you have time."

"Every night. You can text me, too, anytime. If I"m busy, I"ll get back to you when I"m off the ice. That"s really the only time I"m away from my phone."

"You sure? That won"t cramp your style?" she asks.

"I wouldn"t have told you to if I didn"t want to hear from you. Just like I didn"t go out with the guys tonight, I don"t usually go out for more than dinner and maybe a drink in the hotel bar if I"m feeling up to it one night on the road trip. I usually hang out with the guys during the day and then keep my nights open to talk to Sawyer when he"s free, which isn"t all that long between his school day, dinner, hockey practice, and a reasonable bedtime."

"I can"t even imagine what it would be like with Jax in a competitive sport. Our evenings are already busy enough, and we basically just come home and have dinner."

"You"ve got time. Do you think he"s interested in any particular sport?"

"After tonight, hockey." She laughs.

"Touché."

"Will you text me when you get home so I know you made it safe?"

"I can do that," I agree before I pull her in for one last kiss.