I follow her to the kitchen, holding the stick, watching the two windows, waiting for the magic sign to appear. I check my phone six times in the following one hundred and twenty seconds. There’s no plus sign.
“Maybe it’s defective. You should take another one.”
Violet gives me her annoyed face. “I’m not pregnant, Alex. I’m just bloated. Why do you look so disappointed?”
“I honestly thought you were pregnant.”
“You’re just looking forward to my boobs being huge.”
“That’s untrue.” I wrap my arms around her and pull her against me. “I love your boobs just the way they are.” Bending, I kiss each swell, then come up to give her lips the same attention. “Maybe you should think about going off the pill.”
Violet takes my face between her palms so she can meet my gaze with a shocked one of her own. “Are you serious?”
I pull the tie around her neck and the one below her shoulder blades. “Just something to consider. We can do all kinds of practicing until you’re ready.”
“I love practice.”
“Me, too.” I rid her of her bottoms and set her on the island, fitting myself between her thighs as my swim shorts drop to the floor. “So we should start practicing right now.”
NOTE: A LOT of people were super disappointed that she wasn’t preggers. You guys are a bunch of loons, but don’t worry. I remedy that issue, see PUCKED LOVE for details and keep reading for more details.
Pretty Eyes
Alex
WHY DID I write this? Forever, who published the good luck charm suggested I write a little piece that included Ethan and the gang from Pucked since I made him a trade from Chicago. I had a great time putting him in this super awkward scenario with his former captain and teammates wife ;)
I DROP DOWN on the cedar bench and roll my neck, loosening up the kinks after my workout. Off-season is coming to an end, and that means training starts soon, and my lax schedule is about to change. Randy’s sitting across from me, a towel draped over his lap. Lance is on his left and Rookie is on his right. Rookie isn’t really a rookie anymore, but the nickname isn’t going anywhere.
Darren takes up the space beside me, and next to him is Miller, who pats his stomach. “I ate too many wings last night.”
“Looks more like you’re the preggers one instead of Sunny, aye?” Lance jokes, his Scottish accent more pronounced than normal.
Miller flips him the bird. “Eat a dick. I’m bloated.”
“I only eat Poppy.” Lance grins. “And yer bloated, my ass. Yer gonna need to do some serious sprints at training camp if yer wantin’ to get rid of your dad bod before the season starts.”
Miller looks down at his stomach and frowns. “It’s not that bad.”
Randy looks up from his phone to add his two cents. “You two sound like teenage girls after gym class. What’s next, a vagina-waxing session?”
Rookie snorts beside him, but keeps his mouth shut otherwise.
“We should have a preseason barbecue or something, celebrate the end of summer, eh?” I suggest.
“That’s pretty much every weekend at your place, isn’t it?” Randy asks.
“I was thinking I might invite the whole team this time, kind of a good way to bring in the new season since we’re going in without The Cup this year.” Only making the first round of playoffs last season was a blow after the past few years, so I want to find a way to boost team morale.
“That’s a good idea. Welcoming the new guys to the team off the ice is smart,” Darren agrees.
Rookie laces his hands behind his head and looks over to Lance. “Too bad you’re not still throwing parties, Romance.”
“Pretty sure Poppy would hand him his balls on a platter if he was still inviting the bunnies over.” Randy rubs a palm over his beard.
“Pretty fucking sure my girl would make donuts out of them if I pulled that shit.” Lance shifts around, as if the image in his head makes him uncomfortable. “You’re welcome to invite all the bunnies to yer place anytime, Rookie. Just don’t be surprised if we take a pass on that party.” He motions to the rest of us. “Since we’d all like to keep our balls.”
“And I’m not a fan of sleeping in the spare room,” Miller adds.
“Calm your tits, guys. It was a joke.” Rookie makes a simmer down gesture. “My bunny days are over. I’m just saying, if anyone’s got a sister, or a cute cousin they want to introduce me to—”
Randy swats Rookie with his towel. “Dude. No.”
“What? Miller’s married to Alex’s sister, and Alex is married to Miller’s sister,” Rookie points out.
“Yeah, and you weren’t here to see these two trying to break each other’s noses every time one of them so much as breathed the wrong way. You keep your dick away from our relatives and you won’t risk losing it,” Randy replies.
“He’s only saying that because he has a younger sister,” Darren says with a wry smile.
“Really?” Rookie perks right now. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”
“There’s a reason for that,” Randy mutters. “She lives in Australia, so it’s pretty unlikely you’ll meet her. Ever.”
“Oh.” Rookie turns back to me. “So when’s this party gonna happen?”
“This weekend, maybe? That should be enough time to throw something together.”
“Don’t you think you should check with Violet first?” Miller arches a blond eyebrow.
I wave him off. “I’m sure she’ll be fine with it. We always have people over on the weekend.”
“Yeah, but usually it’s just us, not the whole team. Don’t you remember what happened the last time you threw a big party?” Miller taps his knee and gives me a meaningful look.
“What happened last time?” Rookie asks.
“Nothing.” I turn back to Miller. “There won’t be Jell-O shooters this time. Or a vodka watermelon.”
“You still might want to ask before you go inviting the entire team over is all I’m sayin’,” he mutters.
“It’ll be fine. We’ll plan it for Saturday afternoon. It’s supposed to be nice out.”
_______________
Violet stands in the middle of the kitchen with her hands on her hips. She does not look impressed. Her boobs, however, look fantastic in the bikini top she’s wearing. I love it when she works from home and uses the opportunity to get a little sun at the same time. “The whole team, Alex?”
I drag my gaze back up to her face and give her my best, reassuring smile. “It’ll be great for morale and it’s a good way to get to know the newer players. It’ll help make them feel like they’re part of something awesome. You won’t have to do anything. I’ve got everything covered. I’m already on food and booze. All you have to do is wear a bathing suit and have a good time.” I motion to her current attire. Well, mostly I motion to her boobs.
“You’re already on food and booze?”
She doesn’t seem the least bit swayed by my positive morale for the team spiel based on how incredulous she seems. Also, this is the second time she’s repeated the things I say back to me. I’m taking this as a bad sign. “I’ll take care of everything, baby. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”