Edge (15 page)

Me: I wish I could slide them down and taste u.

Dell: Me too…

Me: Take them off.

I waited, wrapping a hand around my hot, hard cock. The image of Dell’s dark red hair splayed on a white pillowcase while she fingered herself wearing only a purple tank top made me want to jerk one off fast. But I wanted to savor this, since it was as close as I could get to her right now.

Dell: Okay, I did.

Me: Good girl. Do u know how much I miss u?

Dell: Really?

Me: Really. Don’t show anyone else that gorgeous pussy.

Dell: You’re making me wet.

Me: Slide one finger in, and imagine it’s mine.

Dell: Feels really good. Are u touching yourself?

Me: Oh yeah. I’m stroking my cock right now.

Dell: Damn, I wish u were here.

Me: Me too, baby. Put another finger inside.

Dell: I loved the way u did this to me.

Me: Shit. Ur gonna make me come. Rub ur clit.

Dell: Luke … it feels so good.

Me: Come for me.

I was imagining her – back arched, legs apart, fingers circling her clit, and that was it. I shot a load, groaning loudly with satisfaction.

Me: U here?

Dell: Yes.

Me: Did u come?

Dell. Yes. U?

Me: Yeah. That was fucking awesome.

Dell: So it this where we say goodnight?

Me: I guess so. Can I call u sometime just to talk?

Dell: Always.

Dell

Sadie was on a date, leaving Kyler and I alone for a night of hockey watching. I sat down with a bowl of popcorn, setting it on the couch’s center cushion so we could share.

“Is Grandpa’s team playing tonight?” he asked, shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

“No, not tonight. This should be a good game, though.”

“Isn’t Chicago Luke’s real team?”

“Yes.”

“Is he there?”

“Yeah, he should be.” I scanned the screen for the man I’d sexted the night before. “There he is – see the
Hudson
sweater?”

“Yeah!” Kyler folded his legs beneath him, grinning with excitement. “I hope his team wins, he’s really nice.”

“You think so?”

“He always says hi and talks to me. Some people ignore me just ’cause I’m a kid.”

“You may be a kid, but you’re still cooler than most adults I know.”

“Really?”

“For sure.”

“Puck drop!” he cried, eyes glued to the screen. “There’s Todd Treadwell, the guy who got in big trouble.”

“He got suspended for a bad hit.”

“Did Grandpa ever get suspended when he played hockey?”

“I don’t know. You should ask him.”

“Grandma said Grandpa doesn’t mean to yell when he’s talking to his team,” Kyler said, reaching for another handful of popcorn.

I was saved from responding when he jumped from the couch when a fight broke out on the ice.

“Go, Luke!” he cried.

I wrinkled my forehead and wondered if I should be encouraging this sort of thing by watching it with a bowl of popcorn and letting him cheer on fighting. But this was hockey. I’d grown up in it and turned out pretty normal. At least, I thought so.

Luke

I did a mental run-through of my day while I brushed my teeth. Practice, sign stuff for the front office, lift weights and nothing on tap for the evening.

I leaned down to spit in the sink, pausing like I’d gotten used to doing when I lived with V. No boxer shorts or socks soaking in my sink, of course. I rinsed out my mouth and stood to look at my reflection in the mirror. I was a rich, pretty decent looking 28-year-old guy. I had everything to be happy about, so why was I so fucking moody lately?

The thoughts of V led my mind where all thoughts of my time in Rockford did: Dell. I’d hoped the longer I was gone, the less I’d miss her, but it was the opposite. She was constantly on my mind.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the way she’d looked at me when I touched her. Even if it was just my thumb on her cheek, she was so damn responsive. Her breath had caught so many times in our night together, and not just when she was getting off. I was pretty sure she’d never been touched in some of the places I explored that night.

It wasn’t just her body I missed. I’d gotten used to seeing her on a daily basis. Her smile, her light laughter, her jabs back at the guys who gave her shit. She was the only one I’d ever talked to about my dad.

Ryke was right – as a single mom, Dell was off limits for fun and games. But the more I’d thought about things since getting home, the more I realized part of my attraction to her was based on her being a mom. Kyler was her priority. She tucked him in every night she was home and left him in the hands of a trusted friend when she was away for work.

She’d also nurtured me when I was recovering. It was a turn from women who only cared about my fame and money. When no one was watching, and when she didn’t have to do it, she’d helped me. I missed that part of her more than anything.

Fuck it. Before I had time to talk myself out of it, I pushed her name on my phone to call her.

“Luke?” She sounded surprised.

“Hey. How are you?”

“Good. I’m good.”

“How’s Kyler?”

“He’s good, too. We read a book after school about a magical toilet that’s on my last nerve, but he was loving it.”

I smiled even though she couldn’t see me. “It’s a guy thing. We’re fascinated by toilets. Especially magical ones.”

“You’ve been playing well.”

Had she been watching my games on TV? I loved the thought of her curled up on her couch watching me play in her pajamas.

“Yeah, I’m having a good run. It’s why I haven’t called, actually. I’ve been wrapped up in getting back into my groove here.”

“Oh.” Her voice fell with disappointment. “You didn’t have to call. I hope you don’t think that because we—”

“I wanted to call. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too.”

“You miss me?”

She paused before speaking. “A lot.”

I sighed and sank into a leather chair in my living room. “I wish things were different.”

“Me too. But we’re still friends, right?”

“I hope so. Don’t call me for advice about guys, though.”

She laughed. “Ditto on girl advice. Not that you probably need any.”

“I’m just focused on my game right now. There were times I wasn’t sure I’d make it back, so I appreciate it more than I did before.”

“Have you heard from your dad?”

“No, but he’s blocked on my phone.”

“You’re feeling okay about cutting him off, right? You did the right thing.”

“Yeah.”

I heard background noise and wondered what she was doing. It sounded like a locker room.

“I just got to the rink for practice,” she said.

“Better let you get to work.”
Massaging and stretching other men’s bodies.
Such bullshit.

“It was great to hear from you.”

“Yeah. Text me sometime if you want.”

We said goodbye and I tossed my phone on the coffee table. Why had I told her to text me sometime? Did she think it was code for ‘send me a pic of your tits’?

Not that I’d mind a pic of her tits … but it hadn’t been. I was shit at communicating with a woman in a way that wasn’t laced with sexual innuendo.

Shit, now I was thinking about her tits. Her pink nipples that stood up when I breathed on them and hardened when I licked them. I’d fantasized nightly about those perky B’s since getting home.

I stood up and went to the bedroom to change. I had to get her off my mind. I’d head to the rink early. Maybe today would be the day that everything didn’t remind me of Dell.

Dell

I hadn’t heard from Todd Landis since the fundraiser we went to. When I returned after talking to Luke that night, he was cool and detached. Not that I cared, since I wasn’t interested in him.

Luckily I hadn’t needed to reach him about any of the guys over the past couple weeks. That would probably be awkward.

But he didn’t seem uncomfortable at all when he appeared at practice one day out of the blue.

“Hey, Dell,” he said, grinning happily. “How are the boys?”

“Pretty good.” I was wrapping V’s wrist, and I finished so he could get back on the ice. Landis sat down on the bench, waiting.

“How’s it going?” I asked him when V left.

“Not bad.” He wouldn’t look at me. Something was up. I hoped he wasn’t going to quit working for the team because of our weird non-date to the fundraiser. He was a good doctor who trusted my opinions about what was going on with the guys and whether he needed to see them.

I sighed, wishing I could come up with some small talk. But I had nothing.

“So,” he said, watching the action on the ice. “I’ve got some tickets to a monster truck show this weekend and I thought you and Kyler might like to come with me.”

He glanced at me, brows raised hopefully. This didn’t strike me as a hanging out as friends kind of thing. I wanted to be on good terms with Landis, but I couldn’t go out with him to make it happen.

“I appreciate that, but I’m … careful with Kyler,” I said.

He turned to me, his brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

“I don’t bring men into his life.”

“Oh. Well in that case, maybe just the two of us? I’ll plan something more upscale that a truck show, I promise.”

I sighed again. “It’s not a good idea for us to go out. Things happen and then our working relationship wouldn’t be the same. And I don’t want to lose that. I like working with you.”

He nodded slowly. “I knew you were against getting involved with someone you work with, but obviously something was going on with you and Hudson when he was here, so I thought … Can’t blame me for trying, right?”

“I’m very flattered. You’re a great guy. And about me and Luke … we didn’t get involved when he was on the team.”

It was a half-truth, but Landis didn’t need to know everything. My heart twisted when I said Luke’s name. I was trying to keep busy and not think about him, but he crept into my consciousness often. I missed him.

Landis turned to me with an earnest expression. “What if another doctor took over working for the team?”

Shit. I hadn’t wanted to tell him I was just flat-out not interested in him, and now it was biting me in the ass.

He gave me a wry grin. “I can see your answer on your face.”

“I really like working with you. You involve me in things and teach me. I know from grad school that some trainers don’t have that. And …” I shook my head with frustration. “To be perfectly honest, even though Luke and I weren’t involved when he was on the team …”

“Oh. You are now.”

“I don’t know. We were, but I don’t know if it’s going to be an actual thing. And either way …”

“You still have a thing for him,” he finished.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I hope he didn’t screw you over, Dell. You deserve so much better.”

“It’s not like that. I just miss him.”

Scroggins slid to a stop by the wall, pulling off his glove. “Who do you miss?”

“Kyler,” I lied. “He’s been travelling with Sadie.”

“Your roommate?”

I nodded.

“She’s hot,” Scroggins said. “You want to hook me up?”

“Not on your life. She’s my best friend. She’s way too good for a hockey player.”

Scroggins wrinkled his face in offense. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re a dog who uses women.” I glared at him. “What’s wrong with your hand?”

“I jammed some fingers pretty bad.” He held his hand toward me. “You’d be hot, too, if you weren’t such a—”

I wrapped my hand around his injured fingers and paused. “A what, Scrogs? Say it.”

He glanced at his hand, in a prone position for me to squeeze. “I was gonna say a hothead.”

“Sure, you were.” I examined his fingers.

“I think Hudson liked you,” he said. My pulse kicked up at the mention of his name. “He was always staring at you and talking about you.”

“Think we should x-ray?” Landis asked, saving me from an awkward moment.

“I don’t like this swelling.” I pointed at the top of his hand. “So maybe we need to.”

“I can take him,” Landis offered.

“Are you sure?” Usually I drove the guys to the hospital or doctor’s appointments.

“It’s no problem at all.”

We helped Scroggins unlace his skates and Landis followed him to the locker room. I flopped onto the bench when they left. Landis seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Why couldn’t I be into him instead of a pro hockey star who was an hour and a half away?

I considered. He was much further than that right now. He’d played in Minnesota the night before. Stalking his schedule was definitely not a sign of moving on.

Who was I kidding? I was nowhere close to moving on from Luke. It wasn’t just sex with him I craved, but everything. His smell and his laugh and the way he looked at me from across a room. Surely this would pass eventually, but for now, I preferred dreams of him to reality with any other man.

Luke

A night out with friends was what I needed to get my mind of Dell. It was a big group from the team – single guys and ones who’d brought their wives or girlfriends. Steve Swanson, one of my teammates, was turning 30, and we were celebrating at a Japanese steakhouse.

“Hey.” A female voice and a hand on my back made me turn. Kate was grinning at me.

“Hey.” I reached down for a quick hug. “Where’s Ryke?”

“On his way. He had a meeting for the foundation and now he’s bringing home ice cream for Melody.” She gave me a pointed look. “I think he
really
wants to check up on our new babysitter, though.”

I shook my head and laughed. “The guy’s very protective.”

“That’s for sure.” She glanced at the bar in an adjacent room. “Want to go get a drink?”

“Sure.”

“So how are things now that you’re back?” she asked.

“Good. Same old, same old.”

She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it immediately.

“What?” I asked.

“I just … I’m probably just in counselor mode, but I don’t think you seem as happy as usual.”