Off the Ice (The Penalty Kill Trilogy) (Volume 2) (4 page)

“
Yep, let’s play ‘Who knows Presley?’”

“
Enough-” My father tries to stop me.

“
No!” I shout and they are taken aback. “No!” I point my finger at him. My blood is boiling with anger and hurt from all the years of Trevor being their prize child, and I was invisible. “What day does Trevor take Econ?”

“
Pres-” Mom starts.

“
Answer me!” I slam my hand so hard on the table that I thought I broke my hand, and I see Marley jump. I look at Trevor and he is looking at the floor. I can feel his pain from all the way over here.

There is silence before Dad says, “Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

I nod. “How many goals did he score last season?”

Silence before Mom says, “42.”

"Name one class that I’m taking.” They both look at each other, and I know they can’t answer it. “Okay, here is an easy one. How many classes am I taking?” There is more silence.

“
Presley.” Dad’s voice is low.

“
No!” I shout again. “How many of Trevor’s games last season did you miss?”

“
I missed a couple,” my dad says.

“
Who was the only person at the finish line of the marathon Marley and I ran last year?” Again, my parents look at each other. They had no clue that we trained for months to run the New York Marathon. “Trevor was. Trevor has been the only person, besides Marley, that cares about me, my whole life.” I look up, and Trevor has tears in his eyes. “And now, I have Levi. Because you two have never been there for me.” The tears begin to stream down my face.

“
Sweetheart-” Mom has tears in her eyes.

“
No, it’s too late. I’m not even sure if you know that I exist. Of course, unless I need money.” I shoot a dirty look at Dad.

“
Presley, it’s not like that, at all.”

“
I don’t care. I don’t care anymore. Because I bet you can’t even remember the last time you said you love me.” For the first time in my life, my father drops his head. I can’t handle it anymore. I push past them both and rush to bedroom. I collapse on my bed, sobbing. All the years of pain and feeling alone pour out of me.

Levi

Watching the faces of Presley’s parents while all of that just happened, I’m pissed. Now, they are standing around looking a bit dumbfounded.

In a low, stony voice, I say to her parents, “All she wants is to be acknowledged for who she is as an individual and to be accepted. She’s a wonderful, independent woman, but you don’t know that because you won’t give her the chance to show you. You both should be ashamed for making her feel like what she feels is not right or not how it really is. We all know damn well how you treat Presley. She’s
your child
, just like Trevor.

“
There is so much more I want to say, but I’ll stop for now. If you don’t mind, could you get the hell out of her apartment?” I look at everyone in the room. “I’ll walk you all to the door.” When no one goes to move, I do. Reaching the door leading out of her apartment, I open it and wait with a glare to her parents. Trevor and Marley are the first to move and thank God, her parents do too. I would hate to have to force them to leave.

I lock the door behind them and go straight to the bedroom, the sound of muffled sobs easily heard. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I rub her back. Honestly, I’m not sure what exactly would make her feel better so I’m running on instinct. Smarty turns, sits up, and clings to me. My heart shreds at what this is doing to her. Scooting back to lean against the headboard, I keep Presley in my arms and hold her. I don’t say anything, because I doubt anything would make her feel better right now.

The thing she appears to need is just me holding her. That, I can easily do for her. I’d hold her forever if it would make her happy. My shirt is quickly soaked with her tears, and I wait until they come to a stop. When they do, I take her hands and remove them from me. I walk over to her dresser to find her a change of clothes. It takes me a few minutes of rummaging, but I find her a pair of pajamas and take them back to her.

“
Go get ready for bed, Smarty,” I say gently.

Presley sniffles as she gets out of bed and goes to the bathroom. By the time she returns, I’ve stripped down, and I’m waiting in bed for her. Smarty crawls in, attaches herself to me, and holds me tightly as if I might leave.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“
That your parents suck?” I sigh. “There’s nothing for
you
to be sorry about, Presley. Just forget about it for now and go to sleep, okay?”

Smarty nods against my chest. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, I say, “I love you.”

She squeezes me. “I love you more.”

~ ~ ~

“Walk of shame again, Carr?” Harper says when I walk into our apartment.

“
Yeah, isn’t that like the second or third time this week?” Nichols adds.

“
Not in the mood,” I quip. Thank goodness I don’t have a morning class today, but Presley did, so I left when she did. As always with Presley, I slept exceptionally well. I grab a change of clothes and head to the gym to work out my frustrations. I’m 97% sure that I’m permanently annoyed this morning because Zack showed up before I left, offering to take Presley to breakfast before class. He seems so smug, and it’s so damn annoying.

Shaking my head, I begin my workout. All it seems to do is make it worse. Between last night with Presley’s dumbass parents and this morning with Mr. Chill, I’m frustrated all over again. After a shower and my only class today, I head to the rink to clear my mind and relax. I lay on the bench, staring up at ceiling, thinking.

The air is chilly, nipping at my skin, but it feels oh, so good. I cross my legs at the ankles and bring my hands behind my head. I wish we had a game tonight so I could really let loose, but if the effects are anything like my workout, it wouldn’t help much. Sighing, I ignore the Zack issue and focus on ways I could maybe help Presley with her parents. Not that they deserve a chance to make things up to her, but she deserves for them to have that chance.

Nothing will help unless they truly want to have her in their lives. Would that change after all this time? Or are they so stuck on her brother that they don’t care? I don’t know what to do! I just want my favorite redhead to be happy. Maybe I just need to let her handle it. I don’t want overstep because I know that she likes being on her own and taking care of things herself.

Closing my eyes, I try to shut everything out because I’m getting nowhere. I don’t want to think of anything other than how good it feels to be here.

~ ~ ~

“Levi?”

Oh, God. My shoulders and neck are so fucking stiff.

“Levi?”

“
Over here, Smarty,” I answer, sitting up. My eyes are glued to the girl I love so much and the body that comes with. She’s wearing my favorite pair of jeans and a low cut white shirt. I drop my legs to opposite sides of the bench, and Presley sits down in front of me, giving me a short kiss.

“
I’ve been trying to get up with you! Have you been here the whole time?”

“
Yeah, I accidentally fell asleep. This bench is a piece of shit. Don’t you want to give me a massage, Smarty?” I give her my best arrogant grin, but she slightly frowns. “Why were you trying to get up with me?”

“
Because I
really
wanted to see Captain Carr.” She rolls her eyes at me, obviously not meaning what she said. “I was worried,” she adds after a second. “Your dad was trying to call you and when he couldn’t -”

“
Pops?” I gulp, my heart sinking. “What’s wrong?”

“
Oh, nothing. He -”

“
Then why was he trying so hard to call me?”

Presley straightens her shoulders and narrows her eyes at me. “Quit interrupting me and I’ll tell you.” I hold my hands up, surrendering. “He wanted to ask you something about this weekend, but when he couldn’t get up with you, he called me. Then I got worried because you didn’t answer your phone and I hadn’t heard from you all day and then you weren’t answering my calls. It was ridiculous, really, because he was about to go to the store and just wanted to know if he needed extra groceries.”

“That’s it? You’re sure? He sounded okay? Maybe I just need to go make sure he’s okay.” I stand but Presley pulls me back down.

“
He’s fine, Levi. If you’re worried, just call him. Don’t drive all the way over there.”

You’re smothering him
. Her words echo in my mind once more. “Fine. Sorry for making you worry.” I lean over and give her a kiss. “Do I still get a massage?”

“
Shouldn’t I be rewarded?” she asks.

“
Having your hands on my body isn’t a reward?” I raise an eyebrow at her.

Shaking her head, she laughs. “You’ve lost it, Levi. Can I have a raincheck? I’ve got some work to do still.”

“Sure. Go study and whatnot. I’ll call my dad and then go do the same.” This time when I stand, Presley takes my hand, and I walk her outside to her car, which is parked beside mine.

“
Don’t worry about your dad so much, Levi. He can take care of himself and if he can’t, I’m sure he’ll call you and go to the doctor.”

“
I don’t know about that, Smarty.” I tuck her into my arms, resting my chin on the top of her head.

“
What do you mean?”

I hadn’t told her this. I don’t know why. Maybe because she didn’t ask, and I didn’t offer. “When he had his heart attack, he was at home. Alone.” Pausing, I try to keep myself together. “I walked in and it was like losing my mom all over again.” My voice is barely audible, and I just want to go home. “That’s why I worry. I’ll catch ya later, okay?” After giving a quick kiss to the top of her head, I open her car door for her. Please just let her go home this time.

“Levi,” she starts.

“
Go home, Smarty.”

I sigh a breath of relief and regret when she does as I ask. Back in my SUV, I grab my phone from the console. Sure enough, there’s a handful of missed calls. I speed dial my dad.

“I don’t need an answer now,” Pops answers with a chuckle.

“
Sorry, Pops. I am coming this weekend, but not sure about Presley yet. Everything okay, though?”

“
Of course, son. Make sure she comes. I have a surprise for you two.”

“
What kind of surprise?” I ask, suspiciously.

“
Don’t you worry about it. I’ll talk to you then. Not a minute before, you hear me? Don’t you have schoolwork or something to take up your time?”

Chuckling, I tell him, “Yeah, I do. I’ll see you then, Pops. I love you.”

“Love you too, son.”

Cranking the ignition, I decide to go visit my mom. My head still feels cloudy. I don’t even want to hear the radio in the background, so I turn that off. Soon enough, I’m sitting on that cold bench, the winter air suffocating me with its bitterness.

“Hey Momma,” I whisper, my eyes glued to her name engraved on the stone. My throat feels like it’s cutting off my air it’s so tight, so I just think about what I want to say to her.

I miss you. A lot. Really wish you were here so you could meet Presley. She’s not having a great time with her parents. She could have come and talked to you if you were still here. I sure as hell, I mean heck, don’t know what to do to help her.

I really wish I could hug you. Miss you so much. Dad seems to be doing better, but now I’m worried all the time. Like I’m going to lose him like I lost you. I was terrified being at the hospital, waiting to see if he was going to be okay. I still wonder if he’ll be okay, even though he’s doing fine. Isn’t there some way you can promise that I won’t lose him too? I won’t be able to handle it, Momma.

My mom’s name becomes blurry to me, and I squeeze my eyes closed for a second before focusing again.

Should probably head home. Love you, Momma. Watch over him, please.

I hope my silent beg reaches her, and that it works. Sighing with exhaustion, I go home.

Presley

“
Smarty, we’re going for a weekend, not a month,” Levi says as he loads another bag of mine into the SUV.

“
Carr, don’t start.” I climb into the passenger seat as he shuts the back hatch. We are spending the weekend with his dad, and I couldn’t be happier to get away for a little bit. I haven’t heard from either of my parents since the night of my breakdown. Since then, Trevor has been smothering me to make sure that I’m okay, which is becoming very annoying. So I’ve immersed myself in studying. Levi and I haven’t even seen each other all week because of our schedules, and I can’t wait to see his dad.

We head off, and I begin telling Levi about this huge project for my Constitution class and how stressful it’s been. Then Levi dives in telling me about his Organic Chemistry class project. Needless to say, it’s going to be a long semester.

“There’s my girl.” I leap out of the SUV, and Victor wraps his arms around me in a big hug.

“
No, Pops, I’m fine,” Levi yells as he goes to the back of the SUV.

“
Hush, Levi. I hug you all the time. It’s not every day I hug a beautiful girl.”

“
Aw, Victor. You’re the sweetest man ever.”

“
Hey, what am I?”

I turn to see Levi, loaded down with my bags. “Meh.” I try not to crack a smile at him, but Victor busts out laughing.

We all get inside and settle down. I help Levi get the bags upstairs, and just as I’m about to walk out of the room, he grabs me.

“
I’ve missed you, Smarty.” He crashes into my lips, and my body relaxes against his.

“
Missed you too.” I’m breathless when I pull away from him.

“
I can’t wait for tonight.”

“
And why is that, Captain Carr?”

Levi leans down and whispers in my ear, “Because I need to be inside you so badly.” His words almost make my legs give way.

“Levi, Presley, come on down. Dinner’s ready.”

Levi groans as he releases me, and we head down the stairs.

“Wow, Victor.” I look at all the food he cooked.

“
Pops, when did you do all this?” We sit at the table. It almost looks like a Thanksgiving spread.

“
Today.” Victor sets glasses of water in front of us.

“
You should have been resting,” Levi mumbles. I reach for his hand and squeeze it. I know that Levi is concerned for his dad, but he needs to give him some space too.

“
Levi, I’m fine. I cooked dinner. It wasn’t like I was building a house. Now eat.” Victor sits down, and we begin filling our plates. We chat about school, hunting, and hockey throughout dinner.

“
So, Victor,” I sing out when we’re about to start dessert. “Levi says you have a surprise.”

“
Oh, Presley, don’t tell me you don’t like surprises?” Victor smiles. It’s the same smile that Levi gives me.

“
I love surprises and I’m dying to know.” I almost bounce out of my seat as Levi and Victor both laugh at me.

“
Okay, I guess you both have waited long enough.” Victor gets up and reaches for an envelope that is on the other side of the table. “It’s for all three of us. So you both should read it at the same time.”

I jump up and sit on Levi’s knees as Victor hands me the envelope. I rip it open, and I’m almost shaking to read what it is.

“It’s hotel confirmation? In Pittsburgh? Why are we going to Pittsburgh? Are you okay, Pops? Is there a doctor you need to see there?” Levi and I both stand up and look at Victor. There could be no other reason, but Victor’s health. My heart begins to pound.

“
Oh, come on you two. Look at the date.” Victor points at the paper. It’s at the beginning of March. “What is going on in March?” Victor hints.

“
Midterms?” Levi guesses.

“
My birthday is near the end of March. But this is for the beginning. Victor,
are
you sick?”

“
My birthday isn’t till June. Pops, what’s wrong?”

“
You two take all the fun out of everything. Here.” He hands us both our own separate envelopes.

Levi and I look at each other before opening them. Then I scream, actually scream, out loud. Inside, there is a ticket to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers game and a meet and greet pass for the Pittsburgh team.

“We’re going to meet the team?” Tears spring to my eyes. No one has ever given me anything so special.

“
Yep, you’re going to meet the team,” Victor confirms as I leap into his arms. “I’m sorry it’s not closer to your birthday, but happy birthday.”

I pull away from his arms. “I don’t care. Thank you so much.” Tears run down my cheeks.

“I figured a family trip is needed for all three of us and I’m using your birthday as that excuse,” he says as he wipes the tears away from my face.

I laugh and look over at Levi. He doesn’t look happy. He almost looks sad. “Levi?”

“What? Oh, yeah, these are great. Thanks, Pops. We just haven’t been to a meet and greet since Mom’s last one.” I can see the sadness in Levi’s eyes, and I know this will be hard.

“
Hey, you went last summer to the hockey camp, and did just fine, right?” Victor points out.

Levi smiles. “You’re right. Time to make new memories, right?”

I squeal again and this time, I hug Levi. We continue our night of eating and then cleaning up, and it's filled with laughter. It’s an amazing feeling to be part of a family. Especially with Levi and Victor.

“
So, Levi, have the Penguins said anymore about you getting drafted this year?” Victor asks as we settle down in the living room.

“
No, I’m afraid my chances are slim. There are a lot of great players out there right now.” He shrugs like it isn’t a big deal, but I know he is just trying to play it off.

“
Maybe they’ll invite you to camp again this year?” I try to sound helpful.

“
Invitations will be going out the next couple of weeks, so maybe.” He shrugs.

I excuse myself to the ladies’ room to give Levi some time with his dad. Coming out of the bathroom, I am able to hear their conversation. I know that it’s wrong to listen, but I can’t help it.

“Levi, stop worrying about my expenses. I have plenty of money.”

“
Pops, those tickets are a lot of money and you got three of them. Plus, all of your hospital bills.”

“
Levi James, enough.” I hear Victor raise his voice. I heard him do that one other time, during Christmas. “Now, I have health insurance, so most of my hospital bills are taken care of. I have plenty of money to survive on. Now, if you want to go to the camp, then you will go. But don’t make it about money.”

“
The camp last year cost you a lot of money.”

“
Son, if it means you being happy and securing your future, I will sell my soul for you. Do you understand?”

“
Pops,-”

“
Do you understand?”

“
Yes, sir.”

“
Don’t act like I’m not able to take care of you Levi. You still have money in your trust. I still can take care of you, no matter what. This conversation is over, Levi. If Pittsburgh invites you to that camp, you’re going.”

I hold my breath. I don’t want Levi to put his life on hold because of money issues. Maybe there is something I could do. But I know Levi too well. He would rather starve than ask for money. I come around the corner and act like I didn’t hear anything.

“Boys, I’m tired and I know that we have stuff planned this weekend. So I’m heading to bed.” I hug Victor first.

“
Are you going to sleep with your meet and greet pass around your neck?” Victor laughs at me.

“
Oh no, I’m going to lay it on Levi’s pillow and make him sleep on the couch.”

“
Hey!” Levi yells and Victor laughs harder.

I don’t answer Levi as I head up the stairs. I race to change before Levi comes in. I packed some lingerie just for Levi’s eyes. It’s a light green baby doll nightie with matching underwear. I change, grab a book, and sit on his corner chair pretending to read. I turn off all the lights but the one on the nightstand and wait for him. Levi and I haven’t had sex in over a week, and I know he wants it as much as I do.

I also know that he won’t be downstairs much longer. I’m right when I hear him coming up the stairs, not more than two minutes later. I look down at my book, but the words mean nothing to me as I’m just thinking about Levi. I hear the door open.

“
Smarty, are you reading? In that outfit?” Levi shuts the door behind him.

“
What?” I ask pretending to be nonchalant.

Levi walks over and pulls me up, grabbing the book and tossing it back in the chair. “You suck at lying, Smarty.” He kisses me and our tongues dance around each other. “Are you going to be able to be quiet?” Levi whispers into my ear.

“Do you want me to be?” I tease back.

“
No, but you have to be. I think you might be a little bit embarrassed if my dad hears you.” He runs his hands down my side and grasps my hips, pulling me closer to him.

“
Want to see if I can be?” I swipe my lips against his.

“
Fuck, yeah.” He picks me up, and I wrap my legs around him. Our lips crash into each other as he carries me to the bed. He lays me down and covers me with his body. I can’t help my body as it rocks against his hardness.

“
I’ve missed you so much,” I whisper as he kisses down my neck.

“
You’ve no idea how much I missed you too.” He pulls up my nightie and kisses down my stomach. He pulls my underwear off and bites my hip. There is just no better feeling when he enters his fingers in me and rubs my clit. I moan and do my best to be quiet. This might be harder than I thought.

Levi puts another finger in me and begins to lick me. My insides become like jello as he keeps licking and fingering me. Just when I’m on the brink of exploding, he stops. I’m breathing heavy and trying my best to be as quiet as possible.

Levi pulls his clothes off and grips my wrists pulling me into a standing position. Levi nips my collar-bone. I feel Levi smile as I moan loudly.

“
You need to be quiet, Smarty.” He pulls the nightie over my head, and I run my hand down his abs. His incredible, rock hard body makes me drool. I reach up around his neck and pull his lips to mine. This time, I guide him to turn around and push him onto the bed. 

He smirks as he scoots back towards the headboard. I reach into the nightstand, and I grab a condom. I roll it on him, and he moans as I stroke him.

“You need to be quiet, Levi,” I whisper to him. I straddle him and guide my body to meet his. The connection makes us both moan. Okay, I can’t be quiet, but I don’t want to scream either. I bite my lip as I bounce my hips up and down on Levi. I dig my fingers into his chest as his fingers dig into my hips. I can feel myself building up again when Levi breaks my rhythm and sits up. He flips us around, and I’m on my back. My legs wrap around him to pull him closer to me. His teeth sink into my shoulder, and I’m about to scream when Levi looks up from my shoulder and covers my mouth. I’m never more thankful because I was about to yell out his name. Levi keeps slamming into me, and I raise my hips as my body releases with Levi’s.

We both are sweaty and out of breath, but I never felt more relaxed. Levi lays on top of me kissing my cheeks and lips as we regain normal breathing again.

“I love you so much,” Levi whispers, looking deep into my eyes.

“
I love you more than anything, Levi.”