Taking Shots (Assassins) (38 page)

“
No, I just…I don’t know.”

“
What’s going on with her dude? You don’t call to go out no more, you are always with her, is it really that serious?”

“
Yeah, it is.”

“
Really?”

Shea looked up at his long time best friend. He knew it was weird for Shea to be in a relationship but he was, he had changed.

“
Things are different now, Jake, I’m not the guy I was six months ago.”

Jakob laughed, “Well, no shit, Shea, I knew that, but are you seriously for real about her? I mean, we all know I’m for real about any girl I get involved with, but are you?”

Shea didn’t even have to think, he just nodded, “I am, I love her.”

Jakob grinned as he nodded, “Good, you’re getting older, you need to settle down.”

Shea cringed, “I never said anything about marriage, Jake.”

Jakob laughed, pulling his computer out from under the bed, “You didn’t have to; you love her, so it will only be a matter of time. Since this is the one and only girl you have spent more than a day with.”

Shea just shook his head, “You sound like my mom.”

“
Cause she’s a smart woman.”

Shea smiled as he looked through his playlist. Jakob was so easy going, so easy to talk to. That’s probably why he was Shea’s best friend; he had always been good to Shea as Shea was always good to him.

Everything was quiet until Jakob started screaming, he jumped up, tearing apart the room.

“
What the hell are you doing?”

“
I need my phone!” he yelled, Shea pointed to the TV, where his phone laid right beside Shea’s. “Ahh, thanks!” he yelled picking it up, he then pushed some buttons, until a huge grin came across his face.

“
Hey there,” he said into the phone as he sat down, “I saw your status, oh no, you don’t, don’t deny it, baby girl, I saw it! Haha, I hate to say this baby, but I told you so. Haha, okay, love you, alright, bye.” Jakob smiled over at Shea, “Harper changed her relationship status to dating me.”

“
That’s awesome dude.”

“
I thought so.”

They sat back in their bed, looking at their computers. Shea decided he would make Elli a playlist and send it to her for her iHome, he was just beginning it when his phone rang. It was Grace.

“
Hey sis.”

“
Hey! How are you doing today?”

“
Good, tired, about to take a nap after I send Elli this email.”

“
Cool, I’m so glad you have learned how to use that stuff. Ryan just loves his emails from you.”

“
Yeah, it’s was about time, huh?”

“
Well past it,” Grace said laughing

“
Have you seen Elli or talked to her?”

“
No, I’ve been meaning to but been so busy. I’ll call her Monday, maybe she’ll want to do lunch with me and the kids, then go shopping for a little while.”

“
Sounds good, make sure you do. I miss her.”

“
I know you do,” she
acknowledged,
“Ready for the game tonight?”

“
Yup, you guys gonna watch?”

“
But of course, thinking you might win tonight?”

“
I hope to.”

The Assassins had lost every game since they had been on the road. He just didn’t understand it; it was like his head wasn’t in the game or something. He hadn’t had one point the whole time they had been out, nothing. It was embarrassing actually.

“
You need to; you haven’t been playing too good.”

Leave it to Grace to tell him the truth. He knew he had been sucking lately, and even Elli wouldn’t comment on it, she just ignored the whole fact and talked about something else.

“
I know, I don’t know what’s going on.”

“
You’re love sick, missing your woman, you big sap!”

“
You shut up,” he muttered, even though she was right.

“
You need to leave your feelings off the ice Shea, don’t let your emotional issues mess with your game. You gotta learn to separate them. I know it’s hard, you’ve never had to do this before, but it’s time to put your big boy pants on and step up to the plate…I mean blue line, and play some damn hockey. My brother doesn’t suck, so get your shit straight and play the damn game!”

The talk with Grace was what he needed because his head had been everywhere but where it needed to be and that was in the game. He just hoped he would remember that when he went out on the ice that night.

“
Oh my god, Harper, your boyfriend is ridiculously hot,” Piper giggled as she leaned back on the couch with a glass of wine and a bowl of popcorn between her legs, “Like stupid, crazy hot. You lucky bitch.”

“
Oh girl, let me tell you, you should see him naked,” Harper giggled, taking a hefty drink of her wine. It was the first time in days that Harper was happy. It was probably the first time in days for Elli, too, they just loved Piper and Reese. They were two little balls of sunshine.

“
I wish,” Reese agreed while she shared the bowl of popcorn with Piper. Elli and Harper sat on the floor at the coffee table looking over the pictures as they watched the pregame on Shea’s humongous TV. They were clicking through Harper’s pictures, picking out her favorites, which included boobs, a little bit of lace, and crotch-less panties.

Yeah…

“
Ooh, I like the black.”

“
Yeah…hot,” Elli said, trying not to look, she had seen naked Harper all day, and she had seen more than she wanted of her best friend, but she had to admit, the pictures were hot. Piper had done an amazing job with Harper’s hair, doing it in big curls, pulled up on one side with a huge black flower, while Reese did her makeup very bold. Needless to say, Harper was one hot mama when they were done with her, and Lord knew the girl wasn’t shy. She was posing in ways that Elli didn’t even know existed.

After picking out her favorite poses, Elli started editing. Between her and Harper, she was the best at it, and usually did all the edited for the studio. She could make people’s skin look like a newborn baby’s; she could make them skinner, hell, she could do just about anything.

Elli was in the middle of erasing one of Harper’s birth marks when Piper screamed out, “Holy shit! Is that him, Elli!?” Elli jumped at the ear piercing scream, and looked up at the screen to see her boyfriend laughing near the boards with one of the Kings’ players. He looked positively scrumptious in his away uniform and it made Elli’s mouth water at the sight.

“
Why, yes it is,” she cooed, watching as he hit the guy in the shin with his stick before skating off.

“
Oh, my God,” Reese gushed, while Piper looked back and forth between the TV and Elli.

“
Elli, he is gorgeous,” Piper gushed, “I mean way hotter than Justin.”

“
I know, I can’t believe it, either,” Elli laughed as Shea skated around. They were talking about his no goals in the past three games, which was nothing really, he was having a cold streak, he would pick it up in no time.

“
Oh, I can, it’s about time,” Reese said. Elli looked over at her.

“
What do you mean?”

“
I mean that it’s about damn time that you realized that you deserve a hunky man, because darlin’, you’re beautiful.” Elli blushed, as Shea went off the screen.

“
Whatever Reese, hush,” Elli giggled as she looked back at the laptop, bringing up her pictures. Harper started giggling beside her, which made Reese and Piper come look, too.

“
Oh, my goodness! You look so hot, El.” Elli shook her head. She thought she was pretty, but not smoking like Harper had been. Reese had made her eyes smoky, making the green of her eyes stand out a lot more than usual, and had also put bright red lip stick on her lips. Her hair was up in a very intricate up do, with a white blossom on the side of her head. In the picture, she was wearing a purple get up, lace covered her belly as the bra made her natural Cs turned to double Ds. The panties were cute little lace boy shorts, and, to top the outfit off, a beautiful pair of purple Manolo Blahnik pumps that had a diamond studded heel. In the picture she was laying on her back, with her legs crossed showing off the heel of the pumps, and her arms crossed under her head, looking at the camera with a come hither kind of look.

Elli had to admit, she was cute.

“
You do, El, gosh look at them legs! They go on for days!” Piper gushed, as Harper just grinned looking through the various poses she had put Elli in. Standing, sitting, open legged, which was all messed up since Elli started laughing because she felt so stupid.

“
Perfection Elli, I’m so proud, let’s pick some out!” Harper exclaimed. Elli went along with it, knowing damn well Shea would never see these pictures. He would laugh his ass off; skinny girls did this, not chunky ones that had cellulite on their legs. “I know your staring at your legs Elli, they look amazing, so shut up.” Elli cut her best friend a look and kept on looking through the pictures, only picking seven poses out of the thirty-two they had taken. Jakob was gonna get an email full of pictures since Harper had picked out almost thirty pictures, and all of them were amazing and he would love them.

“
The game is starting,” Piper said, Elli looked up just as the puck dropped.

“
Are you going to send the pictures to Shea now, Elli?” Elli shook her head, keeping her eyes on the screen.

“
I will later,” she lied as she shut the computer.

“
Well, give me the computer; I want Jakob to have his when he gets back to the hotel tonight.”

“
Sure,” Elli said handing the computer over to her, and getting comfortable in Shea’s couch. She called Adler over, and he cuddled up under her feet before promptly falling asleep while the girls watched the game. Shea was doing so good tonight, knocking people into the boards and shooting the hell out of the puck. There were thirty-two shots on goal and he had to be twenty of them! He was doing so good! She was so proud!

“
All done,” Harper said, laying Elli’s computer down during the third period. Elli paid her no mind, watching as finally Shea’s puck made it passed the goalie, getting him his first goal in three games!

“
Yes!” Elli gushed, throwing her arms in the air, causing Adler to fly off the couch and run to his bed in the kitchen. She should of felt bad, but she didn’t, she was too happy for Shea. She loved seeing his big ole’ hockey
-g
rin as he hugged his teammates, before making his way back to the bench.

“
God, he is pretty,” Piper basically moaned.

“
Pretty freaking hot,” Reese added as the camera crew did a close up as Shea’s beautiful face. He was sweating something crazy, and he had that in the zone look, something Elli loved.

“
I have to admit, he is,” Harper agreed, Elli’s grin took up her whole face, before she looked over at the three girls who were watching the screen.

“
And he is all mine.”

“
I’m so proud of you! You did so great tonight!” Elli gushed while Shea stood in the terminal waiting for the team bus to pull up. He grinned as she went on about how amazing he played that night, which he had. He was in the game now, thanks to Grace.

“
Thanks baby, I’m so glad that shot went in though, I was sucking for a minute there.”

“
You sucking? Never,” she reassured, “You’re the best of the best!”

“
Gosh, whenever I’m down, I’ll know who to call huh?”

Elli giggles rang over the line and he wished he was with her, holding her close to him. “I miss you, babe.”

“
Aw Shea, I miss you more. What are you doing?”

“
Waiting to board this damn bus to go up to Anaheim for the game tomorrow. I’m already sick of the hotels.”

“
Aw, poor baby. What can I do to make it better?” she cooed in the phone, making it a little tighter in his jeans. God, just her voice drove him nuts.

“
Oh, baby, don’t ask to do things to make it better in less you’re going to follow through.”

She giggled, and he smiled, “Who said I wouldn’t follow through?”

“
Fine, get on the first plane out and meet me in Anaheim.”

“
Now we both know I can’t do that.”

“
Well, that’s what would make it better, you being in my arms. In my bed, for that matter.”

“
Shea Adler! You naughty man, you.” He laughed, and closed his eyes, imaging her standing right in front of him, her big green eyes looking up at him with her arms wrapped around his waist, pressing her body to his. “Plus, what would we do with Jakob?”

“
Kick his ass out,” he scoffed as she giggled.

“
We only have seven more days.”

“
It seems like a life time away.”

“
Yeah, it does,” she agreed just as the bus pulled up.

“
Shit babe, I gotta go. The bus is here, do you want me to call you when I get to the hotel?”

“
No, call me in the morning before you go to practice. I have an early morning so I’ll be up, I’m going to bed.”

“
Alright, baby, I miss you, oh did you get my email? The playlist?”

“
I did, thank you, I do miss you more Shea.”