Sticks and Stones (33 page)

            Both
teams tapped their sticks against the boards as the two fighters were sent to
the sin bin.

            Rick
removed his helmet and shook the sweat from his head and dried off with a
towel. He glanced across the ice and spotted Zee sitting next to a brunette.
His eyes lit up in hope.

            His
hopes were quickly dashed when the brunette turned. It was a long-haired dude.

*          *          *

            After
Grace left her aunt’s house she called Justice. “I’m on my way.”

            “I
look forward to seeing you,” Justice yelled into the phone.

            Grace
pulled her phone from her ear. “Why ya yelling?”

            Justice
exited the building and stood on the sidewalk. “Sorry, I was inside the bar.
It’s a bit noisy in there.”

            “Well,
it is a bar,” she giggled. “Are Declan and Camryn there yet?”

            “No,
they’re on their way. I can’t wait to see you.”

            “Back
at ya. I’ll be there soon.”

            She
flipped through the radio stations and hit the AM button, wanting to catch the
news. Instead, she listened to the hockey game.

*          *          *

            Rick
carried the puck up the ice, making a stretch pass to Kanga.

            The
Stars were short a player, thanks to a penalty and the Wind planned on
capitalizing on their weakness.

            Dmitri
urgently tapped his stick on the ice. Kanga was ready to shoot the puck to him
when a Star player sped in front of Dmitri, blocking the play. Instead, Kanga
shot the puck to Rick.

            Rick
shot a one-timer at the net; the goalie never saw it coming because of the
screen of Wind players.

            Grace
whooped in the car and sang along with the goal song as hats flooded the ice.

           
“Ricochet
just scored his first hat trick of the season!”
the announcer yelled into
the microphone. “
Look at all of those hats! It’ll be a while before the ice
is cleared! O’Shea is on fire tonight! Not only did he get a regular hat trick
but he also earned a Gordie Howe hat trick! Assisted on a goal, got into a
fight and then scored three goals!”

            Suddenly,
Grace stopped singing and groaned. “Dear Goddess! I need your help!”

*          *          *

            “Great
game Ricochet!” Coach Banks slapped him on the back.

            “Nothing
like being a fucking show-off!” Dmitri teased.

            Rick
grabbed a towel and wiped his face off. Camera crews were already lining up
outside the locker room door.

            “Hey,
you up to celebrating tonight?” Kanga asked him.

            “Fuck
yeah!” Rick laughed.

*          *          *

            Grace
adjusted her dress and pulled her black cape tightly around her as she walked
towards the bar. Her body trembled slightly, sure it was the cool lake breeze,
but then again, it
was
the first time she was in the city since she was
attacked. Justice offered to pick her up, but she declined. She needed her life
to get back to normal.

            She
smiled when she spotted him waiting outside the bar and waved a hand.

            He
walked towards her with arms outstretched. “I’ve missed ya, love.”

            Kissing
him gently on the lips, she grinned. “It’s only been two days since we last saw
each other.”

            Nodding,
he laughed. “Aye. Two days too long. You look stunning by the way.”

            She
lifted her brow. “In my cape?”

            “Aye.
Looks very witchy. I like it.”

            Three
twenty-something’s exited the bar, yelling. “The Wind rules!”

            Justice
passed Grace a worried glance, but she seemed nonplussed walking into the bar.
He led her to a table near the dance floor where his friends waited for them.

            “Grace!”
Camryn grinned. “It’s so good to see you!”

            Declan
stood and wrapped his arms around her. “Tis grand to see you again.”

            With
Justice’s help, she slid off her cape. His eyes nearly popped from his head.

            Her
black dress was not only short and sleeveless, but it had a cut-out in the
back, indicating she wasna wearing a bra. When he turned her around, his eyes
widened. A large tear-dropped shape was cut from the top of her dress, exposing
her ample cleavage. As his eyes traveled further up he noticed the neck of the
dress concealed the now-healed wound on her neck.

            “Aye,
Flynn? I think you’re drooling,” Greg teased.

            Grace
shot Justice a wicked smile and kissed him gently. “Wanna dance?”

            “I
doona know if I can in me condition,” he spluttered, adjusting the crotch of
his jeans.

*          *          *

            An
hour after the interviews Rick was headed towards Murphy’s for serious
celebrating. Since he was on such a high he decided to place a call that he’d
wanted to make for the past week. He frowned when the call went to voice mail.

            “Hi
Grace. Um, it’s Rick. I had such a great game tonight and the fucked up thing
about it is that you weren’t there to see it. I got a Gordie Howe hat trick,
along with a regular hat trick!” He took a breath and paused. “I miss the fuck
out of you! I’m an asshole, a jag-off, fuck-face…all those rotten expletives
I’m sure you’ve called me. I just really miss you, babe. I don’t care what’s
happened between you and the Irish dude or what
is
happening with you
and him. I want you back in my life. No, switch that. I need you in my life. I
love you Grace.”

*          *          *

            Three
dances into it Grace had to pull Justice off the dance floor for liquid
refreshment.

            “Are
we done dancin’ then?” he said into her ear, mulishly.

            “Heck
no! I just need some water. I’m kinda hot.”

            Justice
leered at her. “You’re most definitely hot.”

            She
pushed his chest. “Flatterer!” After downing her mug of beer she tugged on his
arm. “I need to use the washroom. I’ll be right back.”

            He
watched closely as she crossed the room. Declan stood next to him and nudged
him with an elbow. “A bit protective of her, aye?”

            Justice
nodded, “You have that aright.”

*          *          *

            “Holy
shit! Did you see that chick?” Kanga gulped.

            Harpo
choked on his beer. “That was Ricochet’s girlfriend, wasn’t it?”

            Kanga
nodded. “This should be an interesting evening.”

*          *          *

            While
Grace waited in the long line at the restroom, she pulled her phone from her
purse and noticed she had a message. Lifting the phone to her ear she heard
Rick’s voice, momentarily, before she lost the call.

            She
pressed a button to replay the message when the chick behind her nudged her in
the back. “Your turn,” she hissed.

            Grace
closed the stall door and jumped when a woman squealed, “Some of the players
from the Wind are here!”

            “Oh
my God! Is Ricochet here?” another woman yelled.

            “No,
but the other hot defenseman is here. Kangaroo, I think.”

            Grace
rolled her eyes and yelled, “His name is Kanga!”
Dumb puck bunnies!

*          *          *

            Rick
stopped and chatted with a few fans and signed napkins along with several
breasts as he high-fived his way to the table. He laughed at the odd
expressions on Kanga’s and Harpo’s faces. “You two look like you’ve seen a
ghost. What’s up?”

            They
motioned with their heads when they spotted Grace exiting the washroom. Rick
turned, his breath caught when he saw her.

            He
moved towards her, but was stopped by Taylor. “Hey! Congrats on the win
tonight!” she chirped, hugging him.

            “Yeah,
thanks,” he muttered angrily, losing sight of Grace.
Just as well
, he
thought. Best to get some liquid courage in him before approaching her.

            “Aren’t
ya gonna talk to her?” Harpo prodded.

            Kanga
whistled low. “Damn! She looks fine tonight.”

            Rick
nodded. “ ‘She’s dazzling. It’s agony to comprehend her beauty in a glance.’”

*          *          *

            Justice
blinked in surprise. Grace walked past Ricochet without as much as a glance.
His insides warmed and his affection for her deepened. Maybe ‘twas safe to give
her his heart after all.

            He
walked towards her as she meandered her way around a group of people.

            She
gripped her cell phone tightly and moved towards the door to listen to Rick’s
message when she was intercepted by Justice.

            “Hey!”
Grace squeaked when she saw him.

            He
kissed her gently on the lips. “How aboot another dance?”

*          *          *

            Rick
stood on a chair and scanned the bar. His insides clenched when he spotted
Grace on the dance floor wiggling her ass at the Irish fuck.

            He
jumped off the chair and grabbed Taylor’s hand. “C’mon, let’s dance.”

            Taylor’s
insides bubbled in excitement. Tonight was absolutely the night she and Rick
would get back together.

*          *          *

            Camryn
saw Rick from the corner of her eye and flinched. She’d seen that look of
determination just before he beat the shit out of Gavlik last year. She nudged
Declan. “Ricochet’s here and he looks pretty fucking mad.”

            Declan
followed Camryn’s gaze and groaned. “Feck!”

*          *          *

            Justice
nearly exploded in his trousers when Grace ground her ass against his thighs.
He couldna tell if she was trying to be seductive or if the gel was merely
dancing. Either way, it drove him barmy. Gripping her hips, he turned her to
face him. She looked so sexy with her hair mussed from swinging her head around
and the breathy way she sang to the music. He leaned down, “Gel, let’s get
something to drink, aye?”

            She
shook her head, “I’m fine. I’ll dance by myself.” She turned and continued
dancing and stopped mid-hip swing when she spotted Rick and Taylor.

            Rick
planted his palms on Taylors hips, gyrating his hips against the small of her
back She took it one step further by bending over slightly.

            Grace
pursed her lips.
That
wasn’t dancing.
That
was acting like a
whore.

            Rick’s
eyes were hooded, but he could see the expression on Grace’s face as he slammed
his hips into Taylor’s backside. For the kicker, he reached around with his
forearm and lifted Taylor, grabbing her tit in the process. When she squealed
he turned her head and kissed her.

            Grace
threw her shoulders back and lifted her chin, leaving the dance floor. She
grabbed the shot of Jameson from Justice’s hand and pounded it back, very un-lady
like and wiggled the glass in front of him for more. He obliged, cautiously,
and watched as she downed the second shot faster than the first.

            “Feel
better, lass?” he murmured.

            “Gimme
a minute,” she snorted, plopping down onto the chair.

*          *          *

            Feeling
confident that he got his point across to Grace, Rick pulled Taylor from the
dance floor and walked past her table. He turned back when he saw the author
and her husband. “Hey! Didja go to the game?” he yelled at them, moving closer
to Grace’s chair.

            Camryn
shook her head. “Couldn’t get tickets. It was sold out.” She shifted
uncomfortably. “Caught it here though. Congrats on the hatties.”

            Rick
preened, “Hey thanks.”

            Taylor
tried to pull him away from the table when she saw him gazing at Grace. He held
his ground, shooting her a glare.

            He
bent down and said something in Grace’s ear. Justice’s hand curled into a fist.

            Grace
nodded and muttered a hasty thank you before Rick walked away.

*          *          *

            After
downing several beers, not to mention shots, Grace’s bladder couldn’t hold it
any longer. “I have to use the restroom,” she muttered to Justice.

            “I’ll
go with you.”

            She
waved a hand. “Don’t be silly. I’ll only be a few minutes.”

            Instead
of taking the most direct path, she made a wide arc to avoid Rick’s table.

            When
she walked into the restroom another line had formed, but luckily she was the
second in line.

            Taylor
got in line behind her. “Hi Grace,” she said happily.

            “Taylor.”

            “What
did Rick say to you earlier?”

            Grace
grinned, “He didn’t tell you?”

            “No.
Not that it matters, really, since I’m the one who’ll be making love with him,
again, tonight.”

            Grace
bristled at her words.

*          *          *

            Rick
waited near the ladies washroom, biting his thumb nail. When Grace walked out,
he grabbed her and pulled her into the nearby coat room.