Chapter 21 - Hat Tricks and High Sticks
“Now spread your legs apart a little more. Hand higher on the shaft. Oh yeah. You’ve got it now.”
Emma turned back to face Ryan with a hand on her hip, eyes rolling at him. “I have played putt-putt before, thank you.”
Ryan smirked at her and nudged her aside with his hip – something he wouldn’t have had the mobility to do a few weeks prior, just after the surgery. “That may be the case, but based on the number of shots it took you to get the last ball in, your form needs work. Hey!” Just as he’d been about to take his shot, she’d nudged him back, sending his ball nowhere near where he’d been aiming it. “I see, having to resort to cheating to win, is that how it is?”
Grinning, but still rolling her eyes at him, Emma retorted, “This is supposed to be a date, y’know? The chivalrous thing to do would be to let your girlfriend win. Or at least not take so much delight in beating her.”
Blushing sheepishly, Ryan still couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “Say that again, I like hearing you say that.”
Emma eyed him curiously. “What part? That this is supposed to be a date?”
Shaking his head, Ryan wrapped his arm around her shoulder, swinging her around so they were face to face again. His voice lower and deeper than normal, he answered, “No, the part where you said you’re my girlfriend.”
This time it was Emma blushing and she ducked her eyes a bit before giving him a shy smile, murmuring soft, “I’m your girlfriend. Just yours, Ryan Perrault.”
Ryan made a low growling noise and leaned down to kiss her, whispering against her lips, “I’m not ever going to get tired of you saying that.” Seeing that Emma was still blushing quite a bit and that they were now holding up the groups behind them, he continued softly, “If I’m going to be chivalrous, we need to get going. I’m pretty sure they have a time limit per hole.”
Punching him with almost no force in the stomach, Emma pulled back with a smile, her cheeks still flushed. “You’re an ass.” As she positioned herself to line up her next shot, Ryan resisted the urge to poke at her club or otherwise distract her, but she still managed to hit the ball well off the intended target.
Losing to her might be more of a challenge than he thought!
~*~
It was this moment that Emma had been working so hard for since moving to Missouri. Maybe not when she first got here, but since she’d become the Blizzard’s beat reporter, everything was about this night. This was the first ‘official’ game at the new arena, the home opener against the team from Springfield, Missouri – the Springfield Rangers. The team whose proximity to Blue Springs would undoubtedly make them the Blizzard’s fiercest rivals.
And while the community had largely embraced their new hockey team, and the stands were generally filled with the Blizzard’s blue and gray colors, Emma could also see some of the Rangers greens and browns as well. Still, this joint was hopping tonight. The entertainment crew had the fans bouncing on their feet in anticipation of the home team’s arrival onto the ice – and as Emma understood it, Luke, as the newly elected captain, would be the one leading them out.
Even Emma found herself a bit excited to see this season start, to see if between Luke and the recently arrived goalie from the team the next tier up would be able to carry this team. As the clock hanging from the big screen continued to count down numbers, the arena went pitch black and smoke started filling in at the ice-level. She could see that the Rangers had come onto the ice, could hear the crowd booing lustfully at them, but still she kept her eyes trained on the Blizzard’s entrance. Just moments after the arena had gone dark, a single spotlight illuminated the area, and Emma realized she could just barely make out Luke rocking back and forth, waiting for the command to lead his team.
“Ladies and Gentleman. Let’s make some noise for your Bluuuuuue Sprrrrrrings Blizzzzzzzzzzzzzard!”
At those words, Luke skated onto the ice, arms thrust up into the air like he was trying to pump up the crowd even more. He was a natural leader, Emma realized – something she never would have picked up about him in their first encounters, when she’d been too busy noticing how much of an ass he could be. He still had his moments where she wanted to wring his neck, but she’d grown to appreciate this man-child, his pampered dog and the way he smoothly moved through a kitchen.
But even as Emma watched all the pomp and circumstance she couldn’t help but be reminded that this should have been a moment that the cousins Perrault were sharing together. Yes, Gabi and Devin were somewhere in the stands, and Ryan could have perhaps shown up as well, but Emma understood his desire to stay home. She knew all too well what it was to lose the one thing that your life revolved around, and having to pick up the pieces and move onward. Still, she hoped that he’d soon join her as the season progressed and his knee continued to heal. Watching these games just wasn’t the same without him by her side.
“Would you please rise to your feet and remove your hats as the Blue Springs High School Chorus sings our national anthem?”
With her hand at her heart, just as her grandfather had taught her when she was a little girl, Emma found her eyes drifting away from the flag and the singers and instead watching the players on the ice. Both teams fidgeted she noticed. Luke had his stick in front of him with his helmet balanced on top of it and his head tilted down, but still he rocked back and forth on his skates. Beside him, Trent stood staring straight ahead, with his hand over his heart. Further behind them, the Blizzard’s new goalie had put his helmet on top of his goal and while his eyes were on the flag, he too was skating side to side, something Ryan had referred to as “cleaning the crease.”
Soon enough the anthem was over and Luke and the captain of the Rangers were called to center ice for a ceremonial puck drop, which Luke ‘won’, then leaned down to scoop up the puck and tossed it to someone on the bench – one of the equipment managers she soon realized. He and the other captain posed for a few pictures with the Mayor of Blue Springs, who had done the puck drop, and while waiting for the team to get the red carpets and such off the ice, Emma went about making sure her computer and all her other equipment was set up and ready to go.
It was at that point she noticed that her smart phone was blinking, an indication she had a new text. Tapping it on, she laughed soft when she read the message from Ryan.
Lewd message!
Typing a quick message back to tell him that he was a brat and a distraction, Emma was nonetheless grinning as Luke and the opposing player lined up at center ice once more.
This time it was for real.
~*~
He should have been sleeping. He knew damn well Emma would be exhausted when she finally got home, particularly after how wild the game had been, and how exciting the ending had been. This new goalie that was basically ‘given’ to them by their affiliate team at the next level up was good, really good. Between him and Luke, they’d largely carried the team. Ryan wanted to be upset about that – it was supposed to be him! – but as Emma had been so oft to remind him, that wasn’t in the cards for him this year. And so, Ryan waited in what he simply called ‘the chair’ with the outside lights on and Ourson curled up at his feet.
It was Luke who arrived first, hair still wet and his arm around a woman that Ryan recognized as one of the cheerleaders. She gave Ryan a shy smile, but Ryan was aware that if she was hanging out with his cousin there was very little shy about her. “Come to collect your dog?” Ryan teased as he climbed slowly to his feet, nudging the slumbering mutt with his heel as he spoke.
“Indeed.” Luke answered, eyes sparkling. “Did you listen?”
Ryan snorted soft and wandered into the kitchen, opening the fridge up and tossing two beers in Luke’s general direction. “Of course not. I know nothing about you scoring a game-winning goal in overtime, that it gave you a hat trick to open the season. Why don’t you tell me all about it?”
“Ferme ta gueule,” Luke answered, but it was said affectionately, so he really didn’t mean for Ryan to shut the fuck up. Luke came further into the kitchen to give his cousin a hug before whistling for Ourson, who clambered to his feet and went trotting off towards his master. Waving them out, Ryan could hear Luke and the young lady having a discussion on how ‘cute’ Luke’s dog was and Ryan could only chuckle soft. Lucky Luke strikes again!
It was another 10 minutes before Emma showed up, looking far more awake than Ryan would have otherwise anticipated. In fact, she seemed almost amped up about what she had just witnessed. “Story done?” He questioned as he held open the door for her and kissed her cheek on her way in.
“Yep! What an awesome start to the season! I wish you had been there. It was amazing!” Ryan couldn’t remember a time when he’d seen Emma this enthusiastic about anything. And that she could get so excited about hockey was turning him on in ways he hadn’t anticipated.
Licking his lips quietly, Ryan followed behind Emma as she headed towards her bedroom to drop off her work stuff, leaning against the doorway to watch as she began to change. “Mmm. Am I getting a show here tonight?” Emma blushed, but her eyes were sparkling. Still, she threw her work shirt at him and he laughed as he backed out of the bedroom, calling out, “I’ll be waiting.”
“Good!” She called back. “I can’t wait to tell you about the game!”
Briefly, Ryan considered telling her that he’d listened to it on the radio, that he already knew the outcome and what his cousin had accomplished, but the thought of Emma talking hockey to him was enough to send a shiver down his spine. Climbing into the middle of the bed and leaving enough room for her to climb in on either side of him, he tried to wait patiently for her to show up.
Emma all but bounced into his room a few minutes later and surprised Ryan by choosing to climb in behind him, so that his back was facing her front. Turning his head back to glance over his shoulder at her, he was even more surprised when she kissed him hungrily then nipped at his lower lip teasingly. Even in the dim light, he could see how much her eyes were glowing. Lord, was that ever a turn on! And then when she started to whisper right against his ear. Oh, Lord have mercy on his soul! “You should have seen it,” She told him in a low whisper that had him shivering once more. “Luke was amazing. He just picked that whole team up and carried them on his back. I never realized what a leader he was.”
She was trying to kill him, of that Ryan was quite certain. Emma’s hand had slid beneath his t-shirt as she spoke and her fingertips were dancing a light path across his stomach and inching even lower by the second. “Y-y-yeah?” He finally managed to question, utterly incapable of anything resembling logical thought at this point. Not with her hands and her voice and oh fuck.
“Like that?” Emma’s voice was a low purr in his ear and now he was positive – she was trying to kill him. Her hands had slipped beneath the waist band of his boxers and had reached their destination, finding out just how hard her words and actions were making him. Ryan could only manage to groan softly and lean his head back against her shoulder, his body on fire as her hand moved along his length in an agonizingly slow manner. “You like this, don’t you? Me telling you about high sticks and hat tricks, and touching you like this.”
“You. Have. No. Idea.” Ryan managed between hissed breathes, being driven mindless by her exploratory touches.
“Give me your hand.” Emma told him softly, and though it took him a solid minute before her words registered through the haze, he finally brought his hand down so that it was interlaced with hers, so they were both stroking him together. “Show me.” She whispered. “Show me how you like to be touched. Show me how to drive you wild.”
Still breathing heavily, Ryan turned his head a bit until he could nip at the sensitive skin at the curve of Emma’s neck, sucking on the skin until he knew he’d left his mark. But still his hand – her hand – their hands – kept moving, grasping his hardness firmly and increasing the pace until he could feel the orgasm building – and it was this point his hand, though shaking, stilled.
“Why are you stopping?” She questioned, her voice still that low whisper against his ear.
“Because.” He panted as he removed their hands and rolled over so they were face to face. “I want you to be able to see the effect you have on me, I want you to see how you make me lose my damn mind.” Emma ducked her head a bit and gave him a shy smile, but Ryan leaned closer to brings their lips together again as he brought their hands back down to his length. Breaking the kiss when their hands touched skin, he hissed out softly, “Crisse de Tabarnak.”
Emma held his eyes and this time she led the drive to reignite his passions, taking little time to bring him right to the edge once again. Ryan was breathing heavily now, but he kept his eyes locked on hers, squeezing her hand a bit so she’d apply just a little bit more pressure - and there it was.
Sweet release. Ryan was dimly aware that he was making enough noise that Luke – if he wasn’t already otherwise preoccupied – would know that Ryan got something. He had to close his eyes for a long moment and leaned his forehead against Emma’s as he tried to catch his breath. “What you do to me.” He finally whispered to her.
Ryan could feel her smile against his lips. “You like? Feel better?” Emma teased as she pulled their hands from his boxers. “You did make quite the mess though,” she continued playfully.
Cracking an eye open at her, Ryan managed a smirk. “I made a mess? That was all you, woman.” Ducking his head just a bit and flushing, he added, “There’s wet wipes in the nightstand behind you. I’ll, ahhh, change.”
When Ryan climbed to his feet and stripped to get a fresh pair of boxers - and a t-shirt he belatedly realized - he heard a wolf whistle from the bed and gazed back over his shoulder to find Emma leering at him. “Don’t feel obligated to get dressed again,” She murmured at him. “I rather enjoy this view.”
Blushing, well, he was pretty sure that blush went head to toe. Ryan still had enough of his wits about him to tease back, “Doesn’t seem quite right that I be the only one in the buff.” Even in the dark he could see the flash of worry through her eyes at his words and he paused for a moment before continuing, “What say we both go sans shirt?”
He could see the hesitation before Emma climbed to her feet and slowly stripped her shirt off, tossing it over towards his desk. Letting his eyes take in her curves in the moonlight, Ryan couldn’t help but lick his lips, even as she climbed back into the bed. “Get your shorts on, hotshot. I need someone to warm me up.”
Fishing a clean pair of boxer shorts out of his closet, Ryan pulled them on then soon climbed back into the bed, pressing as closely to Emma as he could, forehead once again leaning against hers. “I’m sure I could think of plenty of ways to ‘warm you up’.” He told her softly and this time it was her shivering a bit.
“I’m sure you can.” She whispered back. “I’m sure you can.”