Chapter 11

Erik

There is no doubt I’ve got a problem. I can’t seem to keep my eyes off Blue as she works and I’m taking a lot of ribbing from the guys.

“For fuck’s sake, Erik,” Dax growls at me from across the table. “Pay attention to your cards.”

My eyes slide from Blue, who is currently serving Coach Perron a cup of coffee, to the cards in my hand. I pull out an eight of hearts and six of clubs, placing them facedown on the table. Dax deals me two cards to replace them. I pick them up, barely give a glance at the jack of spades and three of hearts that I gained, before I turn my attention back to Blue.

She bustles around the rear cabin of the team plane, picking up empty glasses and ensuring that everyone is taken care of. The uniforms the flight attendants are wearing today are stylish and chic. Navy blue dresses that are well fit but not overly tight. Very simple, except for the classic scarf in team colors they wear at their neck. I’ve watched Blue tug at hers at least ten times since the plane took off for Houston.

To my dismay, Blue disappears from my sight into the back galley to unload her tray of empty glasses.

I haven’t seen her since the night of the Halloween party. That was just night before last, although it seems like forever, and that must be my reason for not being able to keep my eyes off her. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the way she got herself off on my leg as we kissed.

Or the easy way we talked.

Her laugh.

That fucking Catwoman costume.

“Earth to Erik,” Dax says as he snaps his fingers in front of my eyes. “You in or out?”

“Huh?” I say stupidly as I keep my eyes on the galley for Blue to reappear.

Dax, Legend, and Bishop all start snickering and I look around the table at them. Legend shakes his head with a knowing smirk.

“You’ve got it bad, brother,” Bishop says with a chuckle.

I toss my cards facedown and push up out of my chair. I smile down at my teammates. “A lesser man would deny that, but I’m confident enough in myself to own it. I’m out the next hand.”

The guys laugh as I retreat to the rear of the cabin and walk straight into the galley. Blue doesn’t hear me as I enter, allowing me to walk right up behind her where I do nothing more than place my mouth near her ear. “You look especially gorgeous today, Miss Gardner.”

Blue jumps slightly but continues to load empty glasses into a dishwasher that had to have been custom built to fit into this sleek, efficient kitchen, because it’s really narrow but taller than standard ones.

“You shouldn’t be back here,” she admonishes me but I can hear the playfulness in her voice.

Taking her by the arm I spin her toward me and remove a glass from her hand. After I set it on the counter, I pull her in closer to me with my hands at her waist. Her arms dangle by her side and her head tips to look up at me. She’s got her blond hair in a sleek ponytail that’s tied at the base of her neck and it makes her look younger than her twenty-six years.

I grin down at her. “Did you miss me these last couple days?”

Her lips twitch and her eyes sparkle with mischief. “Not a bit.”

“Little liar,” I reply with a chuckle. “Tell me truthfully…Have you been thinking about the way you came writhing on my leg?”

Blue sucks in a tiny amount of air and her eyes darken slightly. “A little bit,” she admits to me.

I dip my face closer to hers and give her an admission of my own. “I’ve been thinking about it too. You were spectacular.”

Her gaze cuts away from me as her cheeks turn a brighter pink. I find it absolutely fucking adorable that a compliment such as that embarrasses her.

“Did you like what we did, Blue?” I murmur and her eyes slide back to me slowly. She gives an almost imperceptible nod but it’s enough for me.

“Do you want more?” My voice is husky and raw.

“Yes,” she whispers and it makes me want to beat my fists upon my chest like Tarzan.

I rub a thumb over her cheekbone letting my eyes roam over her face before I answer. “We’ll see…I’m not in a rush.”

I’m teasing her, of course, and she well knows this. She gives it right back to me with a bland smile. “Neither am I. I’m a very patient woman.”

I can’t help but laugh because I doubt either one of us are patient enough to drag this out too far.

I didn’t get to see Blue yesterday as she had plans with Billy during the day and plans with Sadie in the evening. I was too proud to ask her to ditch Sadie so I could see her and I wasn’t about to interfere with anything to do with Billy. I realize that Blue might not be able to be as spontaneous as me when it comes to plans, because much of her free time is devoted to her brother. I’m going to have to plan ahead if I want to spend time with her.

After our game in Houston tonight, we’ll be flying to Dallas in the morning where I will have a good chunk of tomorrow free as our game won’t be until the night after that. I capture her hands in mine and squeeze.

“Would you like to go with me tomorrow to the Dallas aquarium?” I ask her. “It would have to be after our morning practice, but then we can eat a nice lunch somewhere and if you’re not sick of me, we can do dinner out too.”

Blue’s entire face brightens and the smile she gives me is almost blinding. “That sounds like fun. Do you think we should invite the others?”

By “others” I know she means the group that we’ve normally been hanging around with for meals or drinks during our road games. That would be Valerie, Lyla, Sadie, Bishop, Legend, and Dax.

“No fucking way,” I tell her with a shake of my head. “This is a date and it’s just me and you.”

Blue tilts her head and grins. “In that case, I gladly accept.”

“Can’t wait,” I tell her and that is the honest to God truth. While I’m excited about our upcoming games against Houston and Dallas, I’d have to lump a date with Blue right up there with them on the exhilaration scale.

“You know,” she says with a contemplative expression on her face. “This was what I sort of imagined would happen five years ago when you asked me out on a second date. Wanting to spend actual time with me—out of bed, that is. It’s weird that it’s happening now.”

Her words make me feel like shit again for the way I treated her, but they also give me hope because I’m giving her what she needs. “I was different then. Honestly, I never wanted to just spend time with a woman. I was a bit of a douche, you’ll agree.”

“Agreed,” she says impishly.

“It’s different now,” I tell her.

Her voice is soft and wistful. “Yeah…it is.” She then gives a slight push to my chest. “Now get out of here so I can work.”

I consider kissing her but instead I step away. That would just be too typical. Shooting her a wink, I leave the galley and return to the table where my buddies are already immersed in another hand of five-card draw.

I sit down and watch the action, sipping at the bottle of water Blue had brought me right before the plane had taken off.

My phone buzzes in my back pocket so I pull it out. An incoming text from my father, compliments of WiFi on the plane.

I open it up and read, Hey, buddy. Just checking in to see how things are.

With a grin I shoot a quick text back. Going great. On the plane to Houston. You?

He responds back immediately. Things are great. Got a hot date tonight with a realtor I met in a loan closing yesterday. She’s got a set of double D’s on her that I couldn’t take my eyes off of.

I snort when I read that. My father is a bigger player than I am. In fact, I would have to owe much of my own playboy ways to the way Pierce Dalhbeck raised me.

He and my mom, Lauren, divorced when I was twelve years old. My mom got primary custody at first and she quickly remarried a man that I despised. Her new husband, James, was a religious nut and a strict disciplinarian. While my mom tried to act as a buffer between us, we had not been living together a mere six months before it was clear it was not going to work out. My parents agreed that I could stay full time with my dad and just have weekend and holiday visitation with my mom, who I was still incredibly close to.

Living with my dad did not make me love my mother any less. In fact, she is the most important woman in my life. I could never hold it against her for marrying James because despite how much I couldn’t stand the man, I could see that he made her ridiculously happy. Once I moved in full time with my father, things even got a little better between James and me.

Life in my father’s house, however, was a complete contrast to living with my mom and James. In hindsight I can say he was not the best role model when it came to teaching me about women and relationships. He and my mom divorced because he had cheated on her with his twenty-year-old secretary at his law practice. It was something I do believe my father was regretful about because he never wanted to hurt my mother. But it also became clear after they divorced that he probably just wasn’t the marriage type.

In other words, he liked variety and youth among his women. During my formative years when a boy turns into a man, I basically watched my father have a revolving door of young beauties on his arm who I knew were there only to fulfill his base needs. Anybody that knows Pierce Dalhbeck would not be surprised in the slightest that I ended up just like him.

Despite all of that, or maybe because of it, my dad and I are very close too. He went to all of my hockey games growing up and encouraged me to pursue my dreams. He paid for me to attend fancy training camps and always bought me the best equipment. Much of my success in the league comes straight from the opportunities that my father gave me growing up to hone my skills.

I shoot my dad back a text that ignores his description of his date tonight. Are we good for lunch in a couple weeks?

The team is flying to my home state of Minnesota to play the Raiders. My dad always attends several of my games a year because he can afford to take time away from work and travel to them. But I can’t miss up an opportunity to hang out with him when we’re in the same city. It’s an early-morning flight and I’ll be able to squeeze in a late lunch after a practice skate.

My dad texts back, You betcha. Lunch is on me.

Deal, I text back.

Sadie walks up to our table and asks, “You boys need anything?”

“Yeah,” Dax says with a laugh. “Send Blue over here before Erik perishes from not being able to see her.”

The guys all start laughing but I don’t even bother looking up from my phone.

“Bite me,” I tell the guys and then shoot another text off to my dad. I’ll be bringing someone I want you to meet.