Slap Shot (22 page)

The referee was having none of it. Rick was sent to the penalty box for two minutes and the Islanders were on a power play.

They scored.

“Lucky shot!” was shouted from the stands around me. “Fluke!”

Rick was back on the ice, his face more steely and determined than I’d ever seen it.

“Five minutes left,” Carly said, leaning over to me.

Tension electrified the air and I practically sizzled with anticipation. The Vipers needed to score; one to make it even and send it to overtime, two to win.

Phoenix survived a ruthless hit and made it down the wing, puck neatly trapped within the curve of his stick. Before I even had time to catch what was happening, he drove the puck home and scored, bringing the Vipers level with the Islanders.

“You show ’em,” shouted one of the men behind me. The teenagers in front of me jumped up and down and high-fived one another. Phoenix was slapped so hard on the back by Rick and Raven at the same time that he almost lost his balance.

Play resumed and almost immediately Brick got hold of the puck and passed it to Raven who sliced it to Rick. He caught it and barreled down the ice, head down, stick to the ground. My mind was spinning, my heart racing. I was too excited to shout or move. He was gaining on the goal. I saw him glance up, as if visualizing his next move.

He took a shot.

He scored.

The crowd went ballistic. It was as if an explosion of excitement had detonated in the arena. Carly jumped up and hugged me, the players hugged one another.

The final buzzer rang.

“They won,” I shouted over the din.

“Yeah, come on, let’s go down to the tunnel,” Carly shouted, her face aglow with jubilation.

Our two security men immediately stood, their eyes watchful and their shoulders squared.

Carly took no notice of them. “The atmosphere will be awesome down there,” she said, grabbing her purse. “Beating the Islanders in the last minute will have the guys on such a high.”

I nodded. The wild applause and the shouts and screams of the crowd were deafening. Following Carly down the steps, I could almost feel the security man’s breath on my neck. I reckoned he’d had pretty strict instructions from Rick to stick close to me.

When we reached the tunnel the press was swarming around the Vipers players, especially Rick. He’d taken off his helmet, his cheeks were flushed and his hair damp and flattened on his head. He looked like a man who’d played edgy and fast and worked hard to win. As he pulled in panting breaths, I couldn’t help but notice how he towered over everyone, his skates adding unnecessary inches to his height and his shoulder pads increasing an already impressive width. Looking into his elated face I once again felt that lovely warm glow around my heart. He was my man, I was his woman. I was still on a total high that we’d found each other and wondered if I would ever get enough of how he made me feel.

“So now you beat the Islanders in the final minute how will you work your team next time you encounter them?” a young reporter asked Rick, shoving the microphone as high as he could and still not reaching Rick’s chin.

“The same as always. Hard,” Rick said, beaming and wiping his forehead on the back of his arm.

“Did you ever think this might
not
be the Vipers’ year?” asked another reporter, female with a short blonde bob.

Rick shook his head. “Nah, we always have a positive attitude, we always believe we will get the scores we want, that’s what keeps us fighting for it.”

“The Islanders are going to be sorry they conceded that last point,” said an older reporter who I vaguely recognized from TV. “What do you say to them?”

“Their loss is our gain,” Rick said with another, even wider grin.

“Four hundred games as captain. People are wondering how you’ve done it over the years,” the first reporter asked, elbowing his way back through the jostle.

“Clean living,” Rick said with a chuckle.

There was a rumble of accompanying laughter, then, “Tell us what happened yesterday?” the young female reporter asked, aiming her microphone up at Rick. “Rumor has it there was an incident with a fan here at the rink.”

Rick’s smile dropped, his dense brows tugged low and his jaw tightened. He glanced to his right and his gaze settled on me. He sucked in a breath and turned his attention back to the reporter. “Yeah, there was an incident.”

The din of conversation quieted, everyone turned to Rick.

“And is it true there was a gun involved?” The reporter widened her eyes dramatically. “And a shot was fired?”

He pulled off his gloves, which were quickly taken by a hovering equipment manager, and crossed his arms over his huge chest. “Yes,” he said in a steely voice. “But no one was hurt.”

“And is it true the fan was a female obsessed with you? That she’d been sending you letters and gifts for months and you’d had several restraining orders taken out against her?”

Rick’s frown deepened further. “Yes, and she is now thankfully getting the medical help she needs. I wish her well. She is clearly mentally unstable and was delusional about her relationship with me.” He shoved his hand through his hair, causing it to stick up messily. “And while we are on the subject of my personal life, I would just like to say for the record that it will no longer be necessary to include me on any ‘eligible bachelors’ lists.” His gaze sought out mine again.

“Does this mean you’re off the market?” the female reporter asked quickly.

“Yep, I’ve found the woman for me…” He held out his hand and pointed over everyone’s heads. “And she’s right over there.”

Suddenly all eyes were on me. I froze like a deer caught in headlights. Rick was staring straight at me and so was everybody else.

“Dana,” Rick said. “Come over here, baby.”

My legs were lead, my mind whirring. Rick had just made our relationship very public. All I could see were a mass of microphones and a sea of camera lenses angled my way.

“Go on,” Carly said, pushing at the small of my back. “Go to him.”

In a daze I moved forward, people stepping out of my way and cameras following my movements. When I reached Rick, he grinned down, his eyes intense and his skin shiny. There was a trickle of sweat at the angle of his jaw.

“Hi,” he said. “Enjoy the game?”

I nodded.

Rick glanced at one of the cameramen. “You still rolling, Phil?”

The cameraman gave the thumbs-up sign.

Rick grinned then reached forward and grabbed me. Suddenly I was flattened against his big, hard body as his lips took hard possession of mine. I scrabbled for purchase on his stiff shoulder pads as he tipped me backward, lower and lower, my spine arching and my long hair surely skimming the floor.

On and on he kissed me, his tongue probing, his scent, his taste filling my senses and my mind. My heart swelled with love and I kissed him back with as much enthusiasm as he was kissing me. Out in the stands, thunderous applause rolled through the arena, followed by excited screaming fans. The sound of clapping in the tunnel rang through my ears and still Rick kept on kissing me, holding me tight and secure in his arms as if he didn’t ever want to let me go.

Eventually our kiss paused, but only long enough for him to murmur into my ear, “I love you, Dana Wilcox, event organizer.” Then he was kissing me again, this time as if he might truly never stop.

Epilogue

Standing on the chariot, I smiled for our cheesy arrival shot at the engagement party. I was wearing a full-length strapless white dress that hugged my figure and was as toga style as I was prepared to go. It had gold strapping around my waist and under my breasts and I’d piled my hair up and weaved a thin gold braid through it. I’d added thick black eyeliner and ruby-red lipstick and was pleased with the overall look.

Rick, like a lot of the players, had gone for a gladiator outfit, and I had to feel sorry for the barmen who were also wearing shorts and gold armor but looked like a bunch of wimps in comparison to the beefy hockey players.

As we stepped off the chariot, Carly and Brick were waiting to greet us. Carly wore a beautiful pale-pink dress, similar style to mine, and had placed a gold leaf tiara on her head. Brick looked like a pumped-up Julius Caesar in a white tunic top, leather sandals and a crown similar to Carly’s. I couldn’t help but wonder just what she’d done to persuade him to wear it. I didn’t think it would be wise to ask.

“Dana,” Carly said. “Everything is going wonderfully, Maddie is a superstar.”

I glanced over at Maddie chatting to the catering supervisor. She had the clipboard clutched tight against her chest and wore her most serious expression. Next to her stood Cassie, directing two men carrying sound equipment. Mae had offered to sing several of her hits as an engagement present to the couple.

“Great,” I said. “How is the ice sculpture holding up?”

Brick laughed. “It’s dripping, but you can still make out that it’s the Trojan horse.”

I smiled and took a glass of champagne a passing waiter offered. “Is the food okay?”

“Beautiful,” Carly said, reaching a fresh glass for herself and knocking half of it back in one go. “People are already digging in. The fruit is out of this world and the bread and cheese is amazing.” She paused and looked over my shoulder. Her face lit up. “Hi, Brooke, how are you?”

Rick and I stepped aside as Phoenix and Brooke Taylor joined us.

Brooke smiled and pushed curly blonde hair over her shoulder. “Fine, thanks, Carly, and congratulations to the both of you, the party looks great.” She wore a wide white toga-style top and a huge collection of gold bangles on each wrist.

“She’s tired,” Phoenix said, stepping up close to his wife and resting his hand on her swollen belly. “We agreed that she could come if she spent at least eighty percent of the time sitting down.”

“When are you due?” I asked.

“Not for another seven weeks, but he will not stop fussing.” She rolled her eyes but then smiled lovingly up at her husband.

“I’m not fussing,” Phoenix said in his gruff voice. “I just don’t want you to overdo it and then feel ill like you did last week.”

“Oh, that was nothing,” Brooke said, waving her hand in the air.

Phoenix shook his head then grinned at me. “It’s nice to see you again, Dana.”

Brook held out her hand and shook mine. “It’s great to meet you. I’ve heard your name mentioned several times lately.”

“All good I hope,” I said, taking a sip of my drink.

“Oh yes, all good.” Brooke smiled, and I couldn’t help but think how pretty she was. Even though she looked tired there was a glow to her skin and her stunning blue eyes were sparkling.

“We better go out back,” Brick said, curling his fingers with Carly’s. “I think your dad wants to make a speech before Mae starts singing.”

“Okay.” Carly nodded. “You all coming?”

“Are there chairs?” Phoenix asked.

Carly laughed. “Yes, there are chairs.”

Rick rested a hand in the small of my back and we followed the other guests through Carly and Brick’s grand home to the back garden. A stage had been erected, complete with sound system and microphone, and two Roman-style pillars wrapped in fake ivy dominated either side. Enormous vases of tropical flowers were dotted around and the pool had been sprinkled with water lilies and had a huge fountain set in the middle.

“It looks very Roman,” I said to Rick. “The girls really went all out with the theme.”

“Yes, you should be very proud of them.”

I nodded. “Yes, but it’s hard to let go of the reins. Best Laid Plans is something I’ve worked hard on for a long time.”

A passing waiter switched our empty glasses for fresh ones.

Rick pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I know what you mean. Control is something I like too, but one thing I’ve learned over the years as captain is that sometimes you have to delegate, trust other people to do what you’ve asked and also allow them to make decisions without you. It’s called teamwork.”

I nodded and was about to reply when I spotted a gentleman with wavy gray hair taking the stage. The crowd hushed and Brick wound his arms around Carly and looked up expectantly.

The gentleman on the stage tapped the microphone. “Testing, testing,” he said in a booming, echoing voice.

I jumped at the sudden noise and Rick stepped in close behind me, wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me into his body.

“Oops, it’s working then.” The man laughed and everyone chuckled with him. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Carly’s father.” He paused and smiled at his daughter who beamed up at him. “I would just like to take a moment of your time to say how thrilled I am, I mean
we
are
…
” He pointed into the crowd toward a woman who looked so similar to Carly it would have been impossible not to put them together as mother and daughter. “How thrilled
we
are that Carly and Brick have made the delightful decision to spend the rest of their lives together. Marriage has to be worked at but the more laughs you can throw into the mix the less like work it feels. And when I see Carly and Brick together it always warms my heart to see how much time they spend laughing, surely a great starting point to a lifetime together.” He swallowed and his eyes looked moist. “So please, can I ask you all to raise your glasses and congratulate Carly and Brick on their engagement.”