Out of the Game3 (5 page)

She found herself wondering what Alex’s body looked like after a game. She’d seen the red marks on his forehead from his helmet when he did interviews. Did he have those marks elsewhere, too?

“Feed her some tongue, Sully!”

Snapped out of some dirty fantasies of Alex taking a postgame shower, Claire turned to see who had yelled that. About a dozen people had gathered near the rink, but no one else was putting on skates. She couldn’t tell who had shouted, but she knew it must be a Barracuda.

Alex skated in front of her, shielding her from the heckler. “Show some fucking class, Pasta. We’re at a wedding!” To her he said, “Sorry about that.”

Claire laughed as he put an arm around her waist so they were hip to hip as they skated forward. After a moment’s awkwardness, they synced up their strides. She forgot about her dress, but it didn’t get tangled at all. Instead, it floated behind her. She really shouldn’t be laughing at that kind of language, but she couldn’t help it. When she’d called Alex a pencil dick, she’d actually felt proud of herself. She’d always believed language was powerful, but she’d never explored the power of foul language.

“What do you think’s for dinner?” he asked as they made their way around the far end of the rink. “Think we’ll have to hit a taco stand later?”

“Didn’t you fill out one of the menu choice cards when you RSVP’d?”

He looked chagrined. “Um, no. I lost the card thing. What were the choices? I hope pork belly wasn’t one of them.”

“Steak and Lobster, Champagne Chicken, or Roasted Vegetable Lasagna.”

“Oh, I should be fine. Tim knows I’m a carnivore.”

When they glided to a gentle stop, he steadied her as she stepped off the synthetic ice.

“How’s it feel?” Mike Primavera asked. “Does it feel like ice?”

Alex shrugged. “Yes and no. It’s weird. You should try it.”

“And was that a lutz, Sully?”

“No, dumbass. It was a double loop.”

“You planning on doing Stars on Ice after retirement?” Mike asked, laughing. “We’re gonna have to start calling you
Sally
.”

“That’s pretty funny coming from a guy who watches
Glee.
”

“All right, all right, boys,” Claire said. “That’s enough.” She picked up her skirts and walked toward the bench where her shoes were. “Besides, I think you promised me a drink. Sally.”

Mike hooted with laughter as Alex rolled his eyes. “I think I’ve created a monster.”

* * *

Alex went to the bar to get drinks. He was still chuckling to himself about Claire’s newest incarnation, that of a beautiful, funny, chirp-tastic vision in blue. It had taken a lot of willpower not to kiss her when prompted to by Primavera. He’d wanted to, badly. He wanted to take her hand and find a dark corner somewhere they wouldn’t be disturbed so he could lift up that skirt and fuck her against a wall until she came, impaled on his prick. But he didn’t think she was one for possibly public displays. Some girls got off on that kind of thing. They liked the danger aspect. Claire wasn’t like that. She’d be hot and responsive, but only when they were alone. He’d be the only one to see her give it all up, and that was fine. As long as she surrendered eventually.

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, buddy,” Tim said.

“Well, if it isn’t the groom himself. Congratulations, bro.” Alex pulled him into a full-on man hug.

“Thanks. And thanks for standing up for me.”

“You bet.”

The bartender put two drinks down in front of Alex. “One apple martini. One light beer.”

“Thanks, man.” Alex grimaced as he put a ten into the tip jar. His one drink of the night, and a light beer at that.

Tim followed Alex back to the table, looking slightly nervous. “Hey, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Shoot.”

“You’re not planning any pranks tonight are you? Because Erin doesn’t want anything to ruin the reception and I promised her I’d make sure there weren’t going to be any surprises.”

“Tim. I promise you, the reception’s going to go fine.”

It’s afterward that you’ve got to worry about
,
bro.

Alex and Mac, the team prankster, had bought a gigantic, ugly-as-fuck dildo. Thing had to be eighteen inches long with veins and even a little set of balls. With the help of one of Erin’s friends, they’d snuck it into her honeymoon suitcase with a note signed by every member of the team.
Dear
Erin
,
congratulations
on
marrying
Tim.
He’s
got
a
big
heart
but
unfortunately
,
a
very
small
penis.
This
should
help.
With
love...

It was going to be epic.

Tim visibly relaxed. “Okay good. I really want today to be perfect for Erin.”

When he returned to Claire with her martini, she said, “Thanks. I was beginning to worry.”

“I wasn’t gone that long. Tim had to talk to me.”

“I think they’ll want you to do the toast soon, that’s all.”

“What do you mean, ‘do’ the toast?” He sipped his beer.

Claire stared at him. “Oh my God. Alex, you’re the best man. The best man always toasts the happy couple at the reception.”

“Oh,
that.
” He scoffed. “Shit, I know about that already. I’ve made toasts a billion times. I can do that with my eyes closed.”

“Alex, this isn’t just a ‘here’s to the happy couple,’ clink and you’re done. Traditionally, it’s a real speech. People expect it. Usually the best man pokes fun at the groom—”

“That’ll be easy. I do that all the time.”

“While at the same time complimenting the bride.”

“Again, not a problem. Erin’s great.”

“I’ll find you some paper somewhere. Or maybe you can just make a crib sheet on your phone.”

He scoffed again. “Claire, seriously. Don’t worry.”

She didn’t look convinced. “This is important, Alex. Did you or did you not prepare something?”

He put his hands on her bare shoulders, which were a bit chilled, but her skin was silky. “I did not, but I promise you I’ve got this.”

Chapter Six

Claire was talking with her uncle on the far side of the tent when Alex gave the toast. He ended up nailing it. He was funny, witty, charming, made fun of Tim, the captain of the team, and even himself. And at the end, when he talked about how much Tim obviously loved Erin and how the rest of the team wished they could trade places with him, Claire sighed happily as she raised her glass.

The man seemed shallow and self-centered—he’d even admitted to being an attention hog during the toast—and he went to some trouble to project that devil-may-care attitude, like he didn’t give a crap about anything. But she’d seen his tender side, strangely enough, in the back room of a bar.

As she made her way to the head table, she thought back on how much fun she’d had with Alex in the past twenty-four hours. Had she ever had fun like that with Vic? No. Not even in the beginning of their relationship.

She noticed a woman approach Alex and immediately felt proprietary even though they hadn’t come as each other’s date. She was very pretty and very stacked and wore a vivid purple dress that looked as if it had been painted on.

Attempting to look nonchalant, Claire smiled and pretended to be looking out over the party and having a good time, people watching, when in reality she was paying close attention to Alex and the unknown guest. He looked so casually sexy, one hand still holding his champagne glass, the other in his pants pocket. The woman must have thought so too because she leaned forward and groped him. Flat out jiggled his junk.

Claire gasped. She would have been unsure about what she’d seen if the woman’s hand wasn’t
still
on his groin.

Alex just smiled and eased her hand away, shaking his head until she gave up.

Claire discovered she had balled her hands up into fists. Who
was
this woman? She looked around, trying to find Tim. He was with Erin, all the way on the other side of the enormous party tent. She started toward him, trying to figure out what she was going to say when she got over there.
Um
,
that woman over there in the tight dress?
Is she a friend of yours?
Because she just felt up Alex Sullivan.

She was halfway to her destination when her cousin Shawna waylaid her. “Claire, sweetie! How are you?”

“Hi, Shawna, I’m great. Kind of busy...”

Shawna ignored that. “This is the most beautiful wedding I’ve ever been to. I still can’t believe that Erin married a hockey player. I didn’t see that one coming, did you?”

Claire actually had. She’d met Tim at the very beginning and had known immediately he was something special.

“It’s amazing.” Claire edged away but Shawna grabbed her arm.

“Hey, tell me something,” she said in a lowered voice. “Does Tim have all his teeth?”

“What?” Claire reared back, frowning.

“Does he have all his teeth? Because lots of hockey players have missing teeth. I saw that on the internet.”

“Shawna, I really have no idea if he has all his teeth or not. You should ask Erin.”

Shawna blanched. “Oh, I couldn’t.”

“Anyway, it doesn’t really matter. She loves him, missing teeth or no.”

“And more power to her. It’s just...I don’t know if I could marry a man with missing teeth. I mean...” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s just so...I don’t know. Gross.”

Claire lifted her chin. “Don’t be so shallow. A man is more than his good looks.”

Guilt colored her cheeks. She herself had been obsessing over the best-looking player on the team.

Shawna made a face. “You’re right, but I don’t think it’s shallow to want a man with all his body parts. It’s human nature. Otherwise—”

“You bitch!” a woman yelled.

Now what?

Looking to see who had shouted, Claire saw two women squaring off. One of them was the groper. The other was a slender Asian woman in a long red dress. Alex was standing between them. Rapid movement caught her eye. To her left, Calder Griffin, one of Alex’s teammates, was striding quickly toward the angry women. To her right, Tim and Erin were hurrying over. They had confused expressions on their faces and Claire began to suspect the woman in purple was a wedding crasher.

“What’s going on?” Shawna asked.

Claire didn’t even say goodbye before heading toward the ruckus. By this time, people had stood up to see what was going on and were blocking the aisles, but they made way to let the groper pass. Her face was turning red around her left eye and she was mumbling angrily.

When Claire finally got over to Erin and Tim, they were talking to one of the waiters who nodded and then headed toward the bar.

“Erin, what was that? What happened?”

Tim grinned. “There was a fight! Did you see it? Damn. It made me wish I had a referee’s whistle.”

“It was only one punch,” Erin said. “Calder’s girlfriend was mad because some wedding crasher made a move on him.”

Claire gasped. “I
knew
she was a crasher. She made a move on Alex, too.”

“She did? Oh my God.” Erin looked indignant as she turned to Tim. “You know, if you weren’t a famous hockey player, our wedding wouldn’t have gotten crashed by a puck bunny.”

Tim brushed his fingers against Erin’s cheek. “Honey, if I wasn’t famous, we probably wouldn’t have ever met.”

At that, Erin’s expression went gooey and she put her hand over his, pressing her cheek into his palm. Claire smiled at the silent exchange. They were so in love it almost hurt to look at them.

* * *

Alex grinned when Claire got back to the head table. “Hey, you missed all the excitement,” he said. “A wedding crasher made a pass at Calder and Calder’s girlfriend took her out.”

“No, I saw it.”

“You did? Wasn’t it was great? I think Calder’s serious about her. He’s got that look...” He waved a hand. “And Becca? The girlfriend? I
know
she’s serious. When she saw that Remi woman moving in on her man, I could barely hold her back.”

“How do you know her name? The wedding crasher, I mean.”

“Oh, she tried to hook up with me before she tried Griff.”

Claire sat up all prim and straight. “Not very discriminate.”

“Nah,” he said with a shrug. “Puck bunnies usually aren’t.”

“I wonder how many of your teammates she felt up tonight.”

Alex stuffed an hors d’oeuvre into his mouth. “At least two. Hold on. I’ll ask around.”

Chewing, he pulled out his phone. She leaned over to read what he was typing.

Who got stick-handled by the bunny?

“Now we’ll see,” Alex said. “I texted the whole team.”

Almost in tandem, several men around the tent reached for their phones. A few moments later, the replies began to roll in.

“Well?” Claire asked, leaning again.

Grinning, he showed her the screen. “Okay.” He nodded as he slid his finger to advance the information. “Looks like she got me, Calder, Ford, and Dev, and she either didn’t want or have time for the rest of them.” He cackled. “Gibson’s all insulted.” He put his phone back on the table, then picked it back up and typed Maybe she couldn’t find it to Gibson. Then he laughed again.

“Is that normal for you?” Claire asked. “For strange women to come up to you and tickle your testicles? Do you...like it?”

“Let me see. Is that normal?” He shrugged. “It happens. Most of the time they lay a hand on the chest. It’s the safest. The braver ones go for a pat on the ass. Maybe a squeeze. But Remi just now? That’s the first time one of them went for the grand prize, now that I think about it. And did I like it? Not particularly. I love sex—don’t get me wrong. But I like to consent to it first. When you’re both into it, that’s when it’s good.”

After only a moment’s eye contact and a slight frown, she glanced away. He hoped something was simmering between her thighs and that a dozen dirty fantasies were playing out in her head. He also hoped she’d felt something when Remi pulled that move. Judging from Claire’s body language, she seemed a little put out. Whether that was just disapproval of the bunny grope or actual possessiveness, he didn’t know. Maybe a combination of both. One thing was for sure. He was going to find out.

“So, what did you think of the toast?” he asked.

Her demeanor shifted, softened. She laid a hand on his forearm. “Oh, Alex, it was perfect, just perfect. You were very funny, but sincere. I was really touched.”

That flustered him. He felt his face get warm. “Well, maybe you’ll think twice before doubting me now.”

“I definitely will.”

“Then believe me when I say we’d be great in bed together if you wanted to get that post-divorce crazy out of your system.” With her in warm-fuzzy mode, he thought it was worth a try.

“Alex, stop.”

“Come on, Claire. Did you have fun last night getting burgers and eating them in my car?”

“Yes.” Her lips curved upward.

“Did you have fun skating with me?”

Her eyes twinkled. “Yes. It’s not every day I get to see an NHL player harness his inner figure skater.”

He nodded to acknowledge the chirp. “Then think about how much fun we’d have if we went away together.”

“What?” The twinkle disappeared and she got that familiar pinched look on her face. “On a trip?”

“Sure. Why not? That’s the idea I was batting around last night.”

“I...no. No, Alex.”

“Why not? Give me one good reason why not.”

“You just want to sleep with me.”

“And why is that such a crime? You’re a beautiful woman. I bet half the guys here would jump at the chance to sleep with you.”

She frowned at him.

“Don’t believe me? Let’s ask.” He made as if to grab his phone and she squealed as she yanked on his jacket sleeve.

“Don’t you dare!”

“I’m just kidding. I wouldn’t do that. But come on. I don’t see that as a valid reason not to go on a trip with me. We could—” He stopped as the waiter served the salad—no real lettuce, just a pile of multicolored weeds with weird cheese sprinkled on top. On the side of the plate were a couple of midget carrots that looked like they had been detailed. They even had stems and tiny leaves coming out of their tops.

“Shit. I’m calling it. Taco run for sure.”

“Alex, no. Eat the bread. The bread looks good.”

She was right. It was good. He slathered butter all over it and ate it all.

She seemed closed now. She had some shields up. Whatever ground he’d gained with the successful toast had been lost with his bid for the win. Accustomed to overcoming setbacks, he waited until dinner had been served to bring up the subject again. Thank God he got the steak and lobster. And mashed potatoes. He gave Claire his vegetables and she gave him her potatoes.

“So, come on. It’s the off-season, the perfect time to go on a little getaway. You could celebrate your divorce being final.”

Claire rolled her eyes. He was undeterred.

“We’ll get separate rooms. Will you go if I promise not to lay a finger on you unless you ask me to?”

He could tell by her expression that she was still not even close to a yes. Her lips were pressed together and she’d turned her shoulders away from him. Damn it. He was being his most charming. He was providing her with escape routes that he was sure she wouldn’t use for long if she agreed to the proposition. What was the problem? What was holding her back?

“Look, Alex. I won’t deny that I think you’re sexy.”

He grinned.

“But it’s just too risky.”

“I don’t get it. What’s risky? What are you risking?”

“My health, for one thing.”

What?
“Your health?”

“Look, Alex, I know you sleep around. That’s fine. I have no problem with that. Your lifestyle is your business. But when you suggest that I hook up with you, then it becomes my business too.”

“Claire, I’m not stupid. I use protection every single time.”

“And we barely know each other. I don’t go on trips with men I barely know.”

“Maybe you should. How long were you stuck with peckerhead?”

“Ten years.”

“How many of those were you stifled?” She glanced away. “And don’t tell me you weren’t. I know you were. I can see how different you are now that you’re away from him. You’re not in the cage anymore, Claire. The door’s wide open. All you have to do is fly out of it.”