Chapter 16

Mya followed the usher down a narrow corridor and through a numbered door to one of the suites, a box really with lcd screens and plenty of munchies set out. He left her there without a word, standing in the middle of a room that was little more than a glorified kitchenette with more comfortable chairs than the rest of the paying public got to sit in.

And she wasn’t alone.

There was a group of women, young beautiful and well dressed women, sipping wine and leaning out of the box, as if they were watching the warm up, but Mya was almost sure that what they were doing was talking about her.

They’d seen her come in. Every head had swivelled towards the door when she walked in, but now they were all ignoring her. Not one of them was offering any kind of welcome at all.

Mya gazed out toward the ice and thought about Sidney looking up and not finding her watching him. Then she thought about Kris and wondered if he knew she was here and if he did, if he was looking up at the box and wishing she wasn’t. It was enough to make her want to pack up her sandbox toys and go home to her apartment and wait for him to come to her.

“They’ll get over it,” a familiar voice whispered in her ear and Mya felt herself smiling as she turned to see the very pregnant wife of Sidney’s teammate raiding one of the appetizer plates. “It’s just with you being the Captains girlfriend, you automatically become Queen of the WAGs and one or two of them have their surgically altered noses out of joint.”

“Queen of the...the what?” Mya hissed back at Tish who was munching thoughtfully on a breadstick.

“WAGs. Wives and girlfriends. A very secret society, akin to the wives of the god Amun back in Ancient Egypt I think,” Tish replied sardonically.

“I don’t want to be queen of anything. I haven’t even gone on a date with the guy,” Mya insisted, feeling a little panicked at the thought of being labelled his girlfriend already. It seemed like bad luck.

“I heard you’d been for coffee a few times,” Tish answered with a shrewd glance towards her that made Mya wish for a hole to open up into another dimension where things weren’t so complicated and everyone didn’t seem to know your business.

“Does everyone on this team have to know about this?” she asked, eyeing a plate of, so far, untouched desert squares. Right about now a plate of Nanaimo bars seemed very tempting.

“Not everyone, but Jordy and I talk...I mean a lot lately. I mean, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but right now, I’m the size of a small planet so we’re not having sex so we talk, a lot...it’s actually pretty annoying,” Tish explained , causing Mya to hide a grin behind her hand as she raised her eyebrows at the statuesque woman who was nonchalantly sharing details of her sex life. “Not that Sid is the kind of guy to share a lot of information mind you, but he mentioned that you two had been out for coffee a couple times and believe you me, that’s more of a date than Jordy and I had before we found ourselves in the family way,” she added, with a sigh as she reached for another bread sticks. “These two are carb whores I’m telling you.”

“Well coffee or not, we’re not exactly dating,” Mya said decisively, turning her attention back towards the ice. She could hear pucks ringing off of the glass even above the heavy techno beat filling the arena.

“Believe me, it doesn’t matter to them,” Tish explained quietly, shooting the gaggle of pretty girls a meaningful glance. “The fact that he put you up here is all they need to know. Plus...half of them probably ended up with the guy they’re with by trying to get to Sid anyway. Silly stick figures.” Mya felt her mouth drop open and quickly turned her back on the group to stare at Tish, wide eyed. “Oh c’mon, don’t look surprised. Your boy earns five times more than the next highest paid player on the team with all his endorsements and bonus contracts.” Tish eyed Mya speculatively for a moment and then tilted her head to one side and pursed her lips. “You seem like a smart girl to me and you don’t strike me as a gold digger, which is why I’m talking to you and not them,” she added, glancing towards the girls and then back at Mya. “A lot of the guys on this team are pretty fucking young, so they don’t really care as long as the chick is hot and has a nice pair of bombs and puts out. Believe me, they don’t take it personally. Sid, on the other hand, is a little...well he’s a lot more picky. He doesn’t fall for all that...pretty wrapping paper. According to Jordan, he’s practically been a monk apart from Randi.” Mya pulled a face and immediately turned her head away, trying to hide it from Tish, but it was too late. “It’s okay, I get it. I guess it probably is pretty fucking hard to compete with a dead person,” the woman laughed, before reaching for a carrot and steering Mya towards the seats, her head tilted so that what she had to say would remain unheard. “And that’s the other thing. Once that boy puts his mind to something...or in your case, someone, well, that’s it. He’s all in. He puts all his chips into one bet, which is why you need to give him a bit of a break.”

Mya let Tish lead her to the seats and allowed herself to be pressed down into one. She could feel the eyes of the other women on her, but she tried to ignore the way it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

“So...what is this...Queen thing?” she asked quietly, taking a carrot that Tish offered and chewing on it nervously.

“Ah that,” Tish grinned, putting her feet up on the wall in front of them and letting out a contented sigh as she crossed the ankles of her Steve McQueen hounds tooth stiletto ankle boots. “You’re basically in charge of all the charity functions, the sort of...,” Tish looked thoughtful for a moment and then brightened. “You’re the hostess with the most-est.”

“And if I don’t want to be?” she asked quietly, watching Sidney line up a slap shot that rang off the post.

“It comes with territory my dear,” Tish replied with a sigh. “It’s all part and parcel with dating the crown Prince of Pittsburgh.”

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Tish had left her in the crowded hallway outside the dressing room while she went in search of her own significant other who had blocked a shot with part of his face and was in the trainer’s room getting stitched up. Mya pressed herself against the concrete wall and tried not to make eye contact with any of the media or the few lucky fans and puck groupies that had found their way down to the dressing room, hoping to catch a glimpse of a half naked Penguin.

Her inattention was likely the reason he was able to sneak up on her, causing her to squeak in surprise.

“Max said you were here. I thought I’d see for myself.” Kris stood in front of her, shirtless, a towel draped over his shoulder, sweat making his long dark hair fall into his eyes. He ran his fingers through it, slicking it back, while he eyed her with obvious impatience. Mya steeled herself and waited for whatever ugliness might be forthcoming. She didn’t begrudge him any negativity towards her. She wouldn’t even try to defend herself she decided as he stared her down. “So...just tell me one thing,” he began, dropping his dark gaze from hers’. “Just tell me you didn’t do this to get to him.” He glanced up at her through his damp hair and Mya felt her chest get tight.

“No...no...it wasn’t like that. I promise,” Mya stuttered, shocked that he would think her motives could have been that deceitful, but when she saw the sneer on his face, marring his handsome features, she thought of what Tish had told her about those other girls upstairs. “This...I met Sidney before I met you. I’m not like that.” His dark gaze searched hers’ and then he merely shrugged and ran his other hand through his damp hair as his expression softened.

“I hoped you’d say that,” he said quietly. “I don’t know if I believe it but...,” he shrugged his muscular shoulders again and gave her a lop sided smile.

“Believe it.” Sidney’s hand closed over Kris’s shoulder, but his eyes were all for Mya. She felt a shiver run down her spine as his caramel coloured gaze locked with hers’. His hair too was damp, but his skin glowed with a freshly scrubbed look, and the smile that reflected back at her made her feel like she’d just had a sip of whisky, warm and giddy, right down to her core. “Now, if you’re done, Mya and I have a date.” Kris bristled, sending Sidney a less than friendly look, but headed off in silence. Mya watched his retreating form, admiring the width of his back, but the cool fingers that wrapped themselves around her own quickly made her forget all about her little Frenchman. “Ready?” Sidney asked quietly, the corner of his full lips turned up slightly in question.

“No,” she answered honestly. “But I guess we can’t stay here can we?”

“Well we could,” Sidney smile was shy but sincere as he stepped into the spot absented by Kris. “But it’s kind of funky smelling down here and I don’t know about you but...I don’t really want any more interruptions.” Mya managed to nod and smile at him but could barely breathe as his other hand reached up and his thumb ran gently over her bottom lip. “You and Tish have a good time with that bucket of pop corn?”

“You could see that from all the down there?” she asked, amazed.

“You’re very...distracting,” he admitted quietly, his eyes glued to her lips as he licked his own before managing to drag his focus back to her eyes. “I want to kiss you,” he whispered, his voice thick and hoarse with need, “but I can’t here. Can we go?”

Mya nodded, biting down on her own lip as his hand gave hers’ a gentle squeeze before he turned and lead her through the crowded corridor filled with equipment, travel cases and warm bodies.
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Considering the imperfect memories they had already made at her apartment, Sidney had decided to bring her to his own. It was also a test. If he was ready, if he was truly ready to move on, then he would be able to get through this surrounded by his memories of Randi.

So far so good.

She sat cross legged on the end of his bed, a pillow clutched to her chest like a shield, her eyes watching him warily as she digested the story he’d told her. He hadn’t held anything back from her, even when it was hard to say out loud, even when he had to wipe away a tear or two. He’d emptied his soul, laid his heart bare at her feet and she sat there, silent, waiting.

“And then I met you and... from the very beginning....”

“Don’t go all 'August Rush' on me. I don’t believe in love at first sight and I don’t think, as pragmatic as you seem, that you really do either,” she said quietly, her gaze searching his face before returning to the tassel at the edge of the throw pillow. There were so many of those in this apartment.

“I’m not saying that,” Sidney corrected her, a smile finally tugging at the corners of his lips after what seemed like hours of cutting out his own heart with his own hands. “I guess I mean that I’ve just wanted you and maybe I wasn’t ready right away, maybe I didn’t want to be but I am now and it’s not just that I want you, it’s...more.” He searched her gaze, wondering if he was scaring her away. It wasn’t what he wanted but it was so hard to read her body language. She wasn’t like an opposing center facing him over the face-off circle. His best guess was she was doing her best to hide what she was thinking, which seemed a little unfair considering he was exposing his soul.

“I want to like you Sidney,” she said finally, picking at the corner of the pillow before setting it aside and looking up at him, facing him. “I just...I don’t know if I can trust you and I feel like there’s all this...stuff around you that’s so crazy that I’d have to trust you to let myself feel anything.” She bit her lip and her brow furrowed, like she hadn’t quite said what she’d meant to, but he understood, or thought he did.

“I know...my life is pretty...complicated and I haven’t given you any reason to believe in me at all but...if you could just give me one more chance...,” his voice trailed away as her full lips turned up at the corners. “Please Mya. I know I don’t fucking deserve it after what an ass I’ve been...,” he continued as she crawled on hands and knees towards him. She stopped, just short of her body touching his and knelt in front of where he was sitting up against the pillows at the head of the bed. It was kind of cocky to have brought her straight into the bedroom but he had piles of laundry on the couch that Nathalie had brought over a few days ago that he hadn’t put away yet and the kitchen just didn’t seem like the right place to have this conversation. Still, now that she was sort of looking down at him, as her hands ran through his hair and her lips brushed his, he couldn’t decide if it had been a good choice or not.

He wanted her, of course he did. Every time they were together it was better than the last time but he’d promised himself that he wouldn’t just have sex with her again. If he wanted her to trust him, and he did, there had to be more than just this animal hunger and yet, as her lips moved over his, as her tongue ran along the length of his bottom lip, he couldn’t deny that he wanted to ravage her.

Luckily he didn’t have to make that call. Just as his tongue reached to stroke along hers’, she withdrew. She looked down at him, her hands flat against his chest but a playful, if shy, smile on her face.

“Okay...we’ll try. Just...no more running away or I’ll slit your Achilles tendons,” she said, her emerald gaze searching his once more before placing another gentle kiss on his lips. Sidney, relieved, let out a breath in long sigh that had Mya giggling.

“It’s a deal,” he grinned, pinning her down to the bed, and laying a kiss on her neck, making her sigh but not in a relieved sort of way, but in a ‘do that again’ sort of way. It was more than tempting, god knows, but Sidney drew back, using all of his willpower, which was essential considering the way she looked lying on his sheets, her hair fanned around her, her dress having ridden up her thighs and fallen from her shoulder. “Hungry?” he asked, his voice catching in his throat as she ran her index finger slowly and deliberately down his chest.

“I could eat,” she replied, biting down on her bottom lip, looking appetizing in every way as she grinned, mischievously, up at him.

This was definitely not going to be easy he decided as he turned and forced himself to walk out of the bedroom towards the kitchen, and it seemed like she had no intention of making it any easier on him either.

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Her body lay warm and relaxed, against his, fitting naturally into his arms. It had been his idea that she stay, after they’d talked for hours, before, during and after dinner. It was like when they’d first met, he just felt comfortable with her, like he could tell her anything.

She’d finally fallen asleep, curled up against him like a contented kitten.

For his part, Sidney couldn’t sleep. How could he with the curve of her ass pressed against his groin, not to mention that she’d stripped down to a pair of black lace boy shorts and matching black bra which she’d covered with one of his work out shirts before climbing under the covers with him. He’d already seen it all she’d said and maybe that was true but it didn’t mean he didn’t want to again. In fact, as he lay behind her, one arm draped over her waist, the other cradling her head, his hands itched to touch her, to roam over her body, to discover every inch of her.
Just a brush of skin on skin, the palm of his hand running gently over her hip and she made the smallest of noises, relaxing against him. He waited until her breathing returned to the slow even breaths of deep sleep before he slid his hand up over her hip, down the slope of her waist, up over her ribs until his hand came to rest beneath her breast, where skin met lace. She sighed, backing her shapely ass into him, and he had to clench his teeth or let the moan out at the feel of her pressed against an erection he couldn’t help, after all, he was only a red blooded male. He could hardly help it if he wanted her, especially with her in his bed wearing sexy lingerie. He wished he didn’t. He wanted to be good. He wanted to be respectful. He wanted to earn her trust. He wanted to build something meaningful. He also wanted to press her down into this bed and feel her body wrapped around his.

This wanting wasn’t the same as it had been with Randi either. In fact, she wasn’t really much like Randi at all when he thought about it. Sure she looked a little like her, but at the same time, she really didn’t. She was...stronger and not just physically, although that was clearly evident in the round of her hip and the breast that didn’t fit in his hand at all.

He stroked his thumb over her nipple, feeling it harden more with each light brush of his hand. She made a small sound, almost like purring, and he thought that she wasn’t so much like a kitten at all. She was like a big cat, a lioness, and though having lost Randi had broken his heart, he suddenly knew that Mya could rip out his heart and eat it and he’d gladly let her if only he could have her in his arms and in his bed, like this, all of the time.

Sliding his hand beneath the lace, he cupped her breast, massaging it gently, pressing his lips to her shoulder, the back of her neck until she moaned and reached back and grabbed a handful of his thigh and pulled him harder against her.

“Don’t be such a tease,” she sighed, grinding her ass against his erection until, to suppress a moan, he bit down into her shoulder, making her writhe against him.

“Teasing is about the last thing on my mind,” he promised, tugging on her nipple until she sucked in a sharp breath, his name escaping in a long, drawn out sigh.

It had been his intention that the next time he had her naked in his arms that he was going to do this the right way, the face to face, slow and sweet way. But now, with the taste of her skin on his tongue and the way she whimpered when he pushed his barely constrained erection against the lace of her panties, Sidney knew the time for nice, the time for sweet and romantic would have to be later.

Rolling her onto her stomach, he urged her onto her knees and tugged her panties down until they were at her knees, making it impossible for her to spread her thighs any wider. Not that he cared. He barely tugged his own boxer briefs down before he was sliding into her.

God she was tight, and hot and wet. He had to squeeze his eyes shut and take quick, sharp breaths to stop himself form cumming immediately. He stayed there, sheathed inside of her, his hands gripping her hips, until her muscles squeezed around him and she whimpered, pushing back against him.

No, he couldn’t be slow, couldn’t take his time, couldn’t be careful. He could only fuck her, mindlessly slamming into her until the headboard was banging against the wall hard enough that he thought he could hear the neighbor complain.

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Mya wasn’t complaining though. She was begging for more. Words coming out of her mouth she didn’t think she’d ever said before. At least not out loud. She may have thought them, a time or two, in traffic probably. Never in bed, and never like this.

This was a good way to wake up, she decided as she made noises she thought the women in porn movies made, the ones she’d always thought were so fake. Now she was making them and she was grinning and very, very happy. She even liked it when he brought his hand back and spanked her, hard, turning her ass into stinging, tingling flesh and she really liked it, when he reached forward and wound her hair around his hand, tugging her hair back and used it like a Bronc rope, like he needed it to hold on.

No one had ever done that, but then he was as amazing in bed as he was on the ice. Every time it got better. Every time they fucked it was better than the last time, better than she remembered it and she had a very vivid imagination.

“Harder. Fuck me harder,” she begged, glancing over her shoulder at him, letting him see how wild he was driving her, how much she liked the way he filled her, how close to the edge he was taking her. His eyes were narrowed, his jaw was thrust forward and his lips pursed in grim determination. He was in control and he let her know it, raising his hand off of her ass and bringing it down with a resounding smack that had her bucking back against him as she whimpered and asked for more.

He looked amazing like that, his back arched, his six-pack tight, his biceps bulging, and the light filtered through the curtains from the street making his hair glow blue black. He looked like some kind of hero from a romance novel; the buff, domineering dark haired sex god straight off the cover of one of those bodice rippers that Hannah loved. She imagined she could see him as one of those turn of the century swash buckling pirates, swinging down off the yard arm to steal her from his rival, taking her down to the galley and having his wicked way with her, marking her as his.

And she liked to be marked. She wondered if she’d be able to see his hand print on her ass in the morning. There was no doubt she’d be able to take a dental-mould from his teeth marks in her shoulder and she didn’t mind one bit. It would make working tomorrow tricky but she was sure the girls could come up with something to cover the marks.

“On top,” he moaned, pulling out and dropping down beside her, on his back. Not needing to be asked twice, Mya straddled him, lowering herself over him, slowly, inch by delicious inch. She felt him fill her, felt his hands supporting her breasts, and then it was her turn to arch her back as he pushed up to meet her, his hips meeting hers’ as she ground against him.

She wasn’t entirely in control and she didn’t care. She closed her eyes and just let herself feel, let the waves of pleasure flow over and around her. She let him take her to the edge, let him push her over, not once but twice more until she was panting, until her entire body was tingling and cooling from the loss of blood.

Only then did he finally flip her over, and, pushing her thighs up and apart, thrust his way deep inside of her and let himself go, his eyes blazing as her name left his lips in a feral growl, leaving her in no doubt that he was all in.