The Playmaker (Fire on Ice) (19 page)

Twenty One

Kian

I was back in the game and itching to get on the ice. I knew Taylor and Zelda were among the spectators and I wanted to show Taylor that all the sacrifices we’d made were worth it. I wanted to show her that I was in the “bigs” to stay and that I deserved to be there.

The coach held me back for the first half of the opening p
eriod. I finally saw the ice during the tail end of an abbreviated power play and I took the opportunity to strut my stuff.

I read the play and saw where a Vancouver player was going to try and ice the puck to kill some time in the man advantage. I sped over to fill the gap and knocked the puck out of mid-air, keeping it in Vancouver’s end and maintaining the pressure in the offensive zone. I quickly corralled the loose puck and sent a
seeing eye pass across the ice for a quick one-timer to our off winger past a stunned Vancouver lineup. The crowd erupted and I saw Taylor and Zelda jump to their feet.

On my next shift, I took a stretch pass and then undressed the defender on my side allowing for a 2-on-1. The defenseman took the passing lane away forcing me to shoot the puck. It was between me and the Vancouver goaltender. I gave a slight head fake and dip of my shoulder, causing the goaltender to show his hand. Then I ripped a snapshot just over the goaltender’s catc
hing glove, beating him cleanly.

A resounding clank could be heard around the arena as the puck struck the crossbar and shot off to the corner. We kept the pressure on but couldn’t cash in on this opportunity.

Early in the third period Vancouver had us hemmed in our own zone, applying the pressure and looking for the equalizer. Our goaltender let a big rebound out and it was headed to the top of the circles on the back side of the play. Vancouver’s defenseman stepped in from the point and was leaning into a slap shot toward the empty cage.

I was helping out in front of the net and was the closest to the puck. I took one hard stride then hit the ice, sliding out in an effort to block the shot. Vancouver’s defenseman unleashed a howitzer of a shot and I managed to get a skate in the way and deflect the puck away from the open net. The crowd went crazy!

One of our defenseman retrieved the puck and fired it hard off the boards. The Vancouver defenseman who had just fired the puck tried to keep the puck in but only got a piece of it. It got past him and skittered out to center ice. I had just got back on my skates and found myself closest man to the puck. 

I put
my head down and immediately hit full speed. I picked up the loose puck and headed toward Vancouver’s net. I quickly saw that a Vancouver forward and one of his teammates were also scrambling back up ice. The other Vancouver defenseman had an angle on me and he knew I wasn’t going to get to the net cleanly.

I intentionally slowed down and drew the defenseman toward me, allowing him to try and make a defensive play on the p
uck carrier. I saw that my teammate had been caught by the Vancouver forward, evening up the play. I leaned into Vancouver’s defenseman as I closed in on our forward and waited for the player to try and grab a handful of jersey.

I anticipated the clutch and grab and slid the puck through the defenseman’s skates and then ducked down as he hit the brakes. The defenseman was left with nothing but air to grab as he went by our forward. I quickly took the loose puck and let loose a backhand pass through the
slot to our onrushing player who one-timed the puck past the out-stretched blocker of the Vancouver goaltender. The roof almost came off the building when the red light went on.

***

“You look happier that I’ve ever seen you,” Novak said as we were getting changed in the locker room. “What’s going on?”

“My girlfriend is in town. She was watching the game.”

“That explains why you played so well. Not that you aren’t always on point but tonight was magic out there.”

“Thanks.”

***

I instructed the driver to wait with the girls in an area where I knew there weren’t many fans. I didn’t want Taylor to be ove
rwhelmed by the crowds.

She took my breath away when I saw her. She had her hands in the pockets of her skinny black jeans and she was looking around, as if she was trying to spot me.

When our eyes met, I could see her smile light up her face. I hurried over to her and took her into my arms, lifting her off the ground. I breathed in her clean scent, with just a hint of strawberry. When I put her down, I placed a kiss on her incredibly soft lips. Lips I wanted more of. Lips I would have kissed all night, if we weren’t standing outside the stadium and weren’t being stared at by Zelda and the driver.

I could hear Zelda coughing. When I glanced over at her, she grinned. “Great to see you, Kian.”

“Great to see you, too, Zelda. Thanks for making the trip with Taylor.”

“You two will have plenty of time for making out later. I don’t want to keep Rob waiting.”

“Who exactly is Rob?” I asked. This was the second time his name was mentioned.

Taylor just shook her head. “Don’t ask
.”

“He’s very excited to meet you,” Zelda
explained. “He’s a big fan.”

All I wanted was to get Taylor alone, and with any luck, n
aked and in my arms. I hoped Rob wasn’t expecting too much time.

***

Rob downed another gulp of beer and said for probably the fifth time, “I can’t believe I’m sitting here, drinking beer, with Kian Kavanagh. It’s unbelievable.”

I smiled, trying to be polite, but it was getting harder. When I glanced over at Taylor, she smiled in appreciation and it diffused my annoyance with the preppy guy completely.

I downed what remained of my beer and yawned. I hoped that would give Rob a clue. Not that we’d been talking all that long, only about forty-five minutes, but if was forty-five minutes too long when the only thing I wanted to do was be with Taylor—alone. 

I grabbed Taylor’s hand and stood, pulling her up with me. “It was nice to meet you, Rob.”

He nodded. “Great meeting, you, too.” He put out his hand and I shook it.

“Hope to see you again,” I said.

He nodded.

“Talk to you later,” Taylor said to her sister.

Zelda smiled. “Don’t get up too early. Maybe after noon.”

I put my arm around Taylor and pulled her close as we hea
ded out of the bar and up to her room.

As soon as the door shut, I pulled Taylor into my arms again. I would have been happy just to stand there and hold her all night long.

But I wanted so much more. I knew I had to be careful, though, and take things slowly. I didn’t want a repeat of what happened last time. I had to make sure she was completely and totally comfortable and ready before we did anything.

I leaned down and hovered
over her lips for a moment, teasing her and testing the waters at the same time.

“Kiss me,” she whispered and I did what I was told.

I placed my lips on hers and enjoyed the taste of her. I missed her taste so much I savored it for a moment before I deepened the kiss.

It wasn’t long before our tongues started an exquisite dance and our hands roamed each other’s bodies. The territory was familiar yet still a bit unfamiliar at the same time. The last time Taylor and I were together, she was so thin and fragile but that was no longer the case. She was now muscular and firm. It really
turned me on. I could feel my erection spring to life and push against my zipper.

Taylor moaned as I kissed her neck and nibbled on her ea
rlobe. When she gazed up at me through her lashes, I could see her cheeks were flushed. Then she licked her bottom lip and I nearly went wild. I pulled her so close, and I was so hard, I was sure she could feel my desire for her.

I watched as she began to unbutton her shirt. I quickly fo
llowed and unbuttoned mine. We stared at each other as our shirts dropped to the floor.

She was wearing a black lace bra that looked sexy against her smooth pale skin. She gave me an impish little half smile as she unhooked her bra and let that fall to the floor as well.

I took in the sight of her, half naked. She looked so beautiful. I was overcome with the need to possess her, to claim her, to own her.

“See something you like?” she teased.

I nodded slowly and deliberately.

“See something you want?” she continued.

“Very much.”

Our eyes locked as I reached for the top button of her jeans and undid it. “Let me know if you want to stop, okay?”

She nodded. This time, things felt different. She didn’t seem so unsure and off balance. She seemed eager and filled with desire. And her passion fueled my desire even more.

When she placed her hand on the top button of my jeans and bit her bottom lip, I sucked in a breath. She undid my button and then pulled my fly down. I quickly removed my pants and underwear and she took in my full erection.

“You’ve still got clothes on,” I teased.

She squirmed out of her jeans and her panties came down just as fast.

Now we were both fully bared to each other. I closed the small space between us, grabbed her ass and pulled her so close that my erection was pressed hard against her stomach.

I crashed my mouth into hers, our lips and tongues couldn’t seem to get enough of each other. Then I lifted her and she wrapped her legs around my waist as I headed over to the bed.

I placed Taylor on the bed and carefully slipped between her legs. I hesitated for a moment, suddenly afraid that she might get upset.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Really.”

I moved over her and kissed her again then I made my way down her body, trying to kiss as many inches of her as I could. When my mouth found her breasts, I caressed each of them with my tongue, nibbling a little on each nipple until she squirmed in delight.

I continued to kiss my way down her stomach until I found myself between her legs. I slowly moved my tongue inside her and glanced up to make sure she was okay. She wore the hint of a smile, so I continued, licking and sucking until I heard her moan.

I was so hard, and I wanted to be inside her so badly, I could hardly control myself. But I knew I had to be slow, and sensitive, and not be too rough or forceful. I needed to take my time, and be gentle, even if it was the last thing I wanted to be.

Even though I had been inside Taylor many times since we got together, this felt like the first time all over again. It was the
first time since she was assaulted and I wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt her.

I worked my way back up to her lips and gave her a soft kiss. I wondered what it was like for her to taste herself on my mouth. She didn’t seem to mind.

“I want you, Taylor,” I whispered in her ear. “Do you want me?”

She nodded. I looked at her, deep into her eyes, to try to gage how she was feeling. She had a twinkle in her eye that I hadn’t seen in months.

“Tell me you want me. I need to hear you say it.” I wanted to give her time to be sure. I wanted to make sure she was ready.

“I want you, Kian. Make love to me.”

I didn’t hesitate another moment. I moved inside her. She was so tight, I had to thrust a little harder and I could see her wince.

“Did I hurt you? Tell me if I hurt you. I’ll stop.”

“No,” she stated. “Keep going.”

I did as I was told. I thrust a little harder and deeper and Ta
ylor let out a moan. As I continued to pump, I noticed that she closed her eyes.

“Look at me, Taylor. Please.”

When I looked into her eyes, I wanted so badly to be able to read her mind. She put her hands around my neck and looked at me with so much tenderness and so much devotion, I thought my heart would burst out of my chest.

“I love you so much, Kian,” she said.

“I love you, too,” I replied as I continued pushing into her.

It had been so long since I’d been inside her I knew I wasn’t going to last very long but I wasn’t sure she was ready.

“Are you almost there?” I asked.

“A little harder,” she urged.

“Are you sure?” I didn’t want to hurt her.

“Yes!”

I pushed harder, and faster, until I was lost in the sensation. I kept pace until I could feel her muscles tense around my dick and I felt like I was going to explode.

I gave one final thrust and erupted like a volcano. I pulled Taylor into me as we both
soared into oblivion.

As soon as the aftershocks wore off, I looked down at Taylor. “Are you okay?”

She had a dreamy look in her eyes. “Great,” she muttered.

I ran my fingers along the edge of her cheek. “Do you have any idea how much you mean to me?”

She smiled. “I have an idea.”

“Everything. You are
my everything, Taylor Thompson.”

She tried to cover a little yawn that escaped from her mouth. “Sorry.”

I lay down next to her and offered my chest as a pillow. “You can lay your head right here.”