She sighed. She didn’t really want to tell him about her ex, but she would. They told each other everything. “He was here, waiting, when I got home. I managed it.”

“Laura said you were pissed.”

“She got that right.” He nodded and his hand slid over her body and settled on her hip. “I never wanted to draw Laura into the battle, you know? I don’t expect her to take sides.”

He grinned at her. “But she took yours, didn’t she.”

Kate giggled and bit her lip. “Yes. It was awesome.”

He gave her a squeeze and she must have seen him wince.

Kate picked up her head and looked him in the eyes. “How’s your shoulder?”

David groaned. She’d watched the game, and must have seen the hit he took into the boards during the third period. When they first got together, she freaked every time he got checked. Lately, she’d been handling the physicality of the game better.

“Sore, but not too bad. It’s just bruised.”

“How many games are you out?”

“Two or three.” It was worse than he was letting on, and would probably need surgery in the off season. But after the day she’d had, Kate didn’t need to know about it yet.

She gave him a little nudge and wriggled on top of him, planting a kiss on his lips. “Poor baby. I’ll have to take care of you.”

“Yeah? What do you have in mind?” Homecomings didn’t get any better than this. Kate’s hands ran up his sides and David saw the mischief in her eyes. Maybe her day wasn’t as bad as he thought. It was certainly possible she needed to face down her ex more often. The bedroom aggressiveness he was seeing was a nice surprise.

Her fingers ran through his hair, her lips touched his, and raw electricity shot through him. David needed her right now, wanted her more than anything, and his hard-on was proof. The last time they were together was at his house in November, almost two months ago. He’d missed the feel of her, but he’d been waiting for Kate to be ready, both physically and emotionally. Apparently, she was.

His good arm wrapped around her and his hand travelled up and down her spine. “Are you sure?”

She nodded and kissed him again. “I’ve missed you.”

This was real. The kisses she left over his face and across his shoulder released all the tension in his body. How soft she felt, the way she smelled, was familiar and comforting. This was what David wanted for the rest of his life.

Her lips connected with his, and the kiss was so intense he almost went blind from the lust she triggered. Leave it to his girlfriend the writer to get imaginative. Before he could focus again, he felt her mouth leave warm kisses over his neck, chest, and stomach. Finally, when he could see, Kate’s eyes met his and he realized what she had in mind. His breathing became more rapid as she worked her way south, teasing him like a seasoned bad girl. Her hands slid inside his boxers, and pushed them down and over his hips, releasing him.

After that, David’s mind went blank.

Chapter 30

‡

David’s phone rang as he walked into his kitchen. He’d spent two hours at the orthopedist about his shoulder, and fortunately the news was good. It was badly bruised. No separations, nothing torn. With a little time, and therapy, he should be fine without any surgery. It was a good thing, too, since he hoped he and Kate could get married this summer. He hadn’t asked her yet, thinking if it was too soon, but proposing felt right. Dropping his mail on the table, he answered.

“Yeah?”

“Padre?” It was Jack.

“Nelly, how was practice?”

“Dave, I just left the GM’s office.”

Shit. David knew the tone in Jack’s voice. He’d heard it countless times over the years from other teammates, most recently from Tyler Graves, and he braced himself for the news.

“I’ve been traded.”

“Shit,” he said aloud. He could only hope it was someplace close. He hated losing Jack as a linemate, but he’d hate losing him as a friend even more. “Where?”

“I can’t believe it. I’m going to Vancouver.”

“Vancouver?” David let the word ring in his head. Vancouver. Nice city, but three thousand fucking miles away. They barely played the Canucks.

“I have to leave tonight.”

“This blows.” Having never been traded, David didn’t know how he would deal with the sudden upheaval and being thrust into the unknown. A new town, new people, having to find a new home… all of it sounded like a nightmare. But it came with the job. They all knew it, but no one talked about it until it happened.

“I thought things were going good.” His voice was lost, confused.

“Jack, it’s the game. No one is indispensable. They traded you ’cause you were worth something.”

Jack groaned. For a young player, a trade sometimes shook their confidence. The kid was just putting down roots and settling into a system, and boom—he finds out he’s only as valuable as the player they can get for him.

“I’ve got a late flight out tonight. I meet the team in St. Louis for a game the day after tomorrow.”

“I don’t know what to say. You’re going to a good team. A good organization.”

“Yeah.”

“You packing?”

“Yeah. I’ve gotta go get my stuff at the arena. I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do about my apartment. God, this sucks.”

“I can give you a hand if you need it.”

“Nah, thanks.” There was a pause, a breath. What else could be said? “I guess I’ll talk to you later on.”

David hung up and thought about his own situation. He had a lot more to lose than Jack if he should get traded. And while he never really thought about it, Kate not teaching anymore might be a good thing, since her job was one of the things that tied her to the area. With the team possibly in a trading mood, he didn’t want to take any chances. Jack’s trade had been the wake-up call. He wasn’t going to wait for the perfect moment—he was going to talk to Kate about making things permanent.

*

Laura went to grab a pen in her bag, and she saw the light flashing on her phone. She was in the library, it was her lunch period, and even though she knew she shouldn’t, she took it out and went to her inbox. There were two texts from Tracy, who was sitting across from her at that moment, a text from Dan, the boy in her Psych class, and a notification from the Flyers. She’d been getting team updates for two years, but today’s update was about Jack. He’d been traded.

And he was going to Canada.

Laura stared at the message. She’d so completely zoned out, that when Mrs. Gardella, the librarian, finally touched her shoulder, Laura flinched. “Laura, are you alright?”

Laura looked up, unable to speak for a few seconds as she wrapped her head around the news. Traded.

“Honey, did you get bad news?”

“Just something about a friend of mine. It’s fine. He’s not hurt or anything.” She looked at Tracy and then back at the librarian. “He’s moving.”

Tracy’s mouth dropped open and Laura locked her phone. “I’ll be fine, Mrs. G. I shouldn’t have taken out my phone.”

“No, but I’m worried about you. You haven’t been yourself the last few weeks. Can I help?”

“Thanks. I’ll be okay.”

“Okay.” Mrs. Gardella left them and Tracy leaned across the library table.

“Who’s moving?”

Laura drew a shaky breath and dabbed at her eyes again. “Jack’s been traded.”

Tracy dropped back in her chair and stared. “Where?”

“Vancouver.” Laura gulped down the air and glanced toward the desk. Mrs. Gardella was looking up from her work and watching. She had to hold it together. Falling apart in school was not an option. She’d gotten through her parents’ divorce without a referral to student services; she wasn’t going to be sent there because she broke up with her boyfriend.

“You’ll never see him.”

“I wasn’t going to see him anyway. Maybe it’s better.” It would certainly be easier if there was no chance they’d see each other. But she knew it was hard for him, and while part of her wanted him to leave, her heart was breaking for him. Jack would be miserable. She wondered if she should send him a text or something. No, that was a bad idea.