Chapter Fourteen

Most of the game was uneventful until late in the second period when Max decided to be a moron and get into it with Dean McAmmond. The first couple seconds of the fight were standard, nothing too severe. But soon, I was on my feet with the other 12,000 fans around me when a right hook from McAmmond sent Max hurtling to the ground. He was only down for a few seconds, but a trainer quickly made his way over and helped him off the ice. About two minutes later the period ended. I wanted to go see him, but not with all the guys around. So I stayed in my seat throughout the whole intermission and when the third period was about to begin, I left the arena and made my way to the player’s entrance. I saw my guard and with a wave he let me pass through. I quickly walked towards the locker room and slowly pushed the door open. Sure enough Max was sitting at his stall looking through his phone.

“Hey,” I said quietly, making my way over to him.

“Hey yourself,” he replied giving me a bright smile.

“How are you feeling? What’d they say?” I asked quickly.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. And it’s nothing really, no damage done,” he said easily. I looked at him hard and I already saw the beginnings of a black eye forming. He saw me looking at it and reached up his hand to touch it. I swatted it away.

“Don’t touch it! You’ll make it worse,” I said.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” he laughed. I stared at him intently.

“Just shut up for a minute okay?” I asked him and he nodded. I gently put my hand where his had been. Tracing over the right side of his face with my left hand. I watched him wince a little. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be, you’re doing much more good than bad,” he answered softly. I smiled a little as he closed his eyes. I let my hand wander from his face up to his hair. Running my fingers through it slightly. He took my other hand and laced our fingers together, resting on my thigh. He opened his eyes again and he were face to face. Then he leaned forward and found my mouth with his own. I kissed him back, not entirely sure why. I soon moved both hands to the back of his neck and his hands lingered on the small of my back. After a minute we pulled apart and he stared at me. “Are you doing this because you feel sorry for me?”

“Maybe…I don’t know,” I answered honestly, because I wasn’t too sure myself.

“Okay,” he replied and moved back to my mouth. Again, I let him and again I found myself enjoying his touch. It was new to me and different and I had wondered what it would be like to kiss him. And, I had to admit, he was skilled. His tongue worked expertly through my mouth and his hands caressed my back in all the right places. After our last kiss, I looked at him, his face still close to mine.

“I’ve wanted that. I needed that,” he spoke tenderly. I smiled at him and looked around the room. And almost instantly, I wished I hadn’t. My eyes landed on the place where all of Geno’s belongings were and a surge of guilt washed over me.

“Geno,” I stated. One word was all I needed to explain to Max just how bad I felt.

“It’s okay, Riley,” he tried to comfort me, but his effort fell flat.

“It’s not,” I said simply. I got up to go. “I’m sorry?” I heard the questioning tone in my voice. He got up too and before he let me leave, he kissed me one more time.

“Again, don’t be,” he said and I turned to leave.

Max’s Point of View
I watched her leave and I couldn’t wipe this ridiculous grin off my face. I was an idiot. Why should a girl get me this crazy? I walked back over to my stall and sat down again. Without thinking I ran my tongue over my lips briefly and I could still taste her. It was a sensation I never wanted to go away. I shouldn’t be enjoying it this much anyway because she felt sorry for me. Maybe that kiss would have happened one day on its own, but today, it was because she felt sorry for me. Although, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it than that. Everything about it felt so right. It felt as if from that one kiss, the pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place. I wanted to be with her, I had to be with her. I allowed myself to get lost in replaying our kiss in my mind and before I knew it, the guys were barreling through the door. And by the excitement in their voices, I could tell that we won. I barely acknowledged them until I was spoken to.

“Dude, why are you blushing?” Jordan asked causing everyone in the locker room to turn and look at me. I put a hand to my cheek and felt the heat.

“Um, no I’m not,” I replied defensively. Jordan squinted his eyes and looked at me knowingly.

“You totally are! Did something happen with Riley? I saw her come in here just before we were going out,” he raised his eyebrows suggestively and at the mention of Riley’s name, Geno turned on his heels and Ryan shot daggers at me.

“Whaaa….what the fuck? No,” I answered quickly. “She’s dating Geno.” At this remark, Geno breathed a sigh of relief and went back to undressing. While Ryan continued to give me the death stare. Jordan looked as if he wasn’t buying this one bit. In a sudden motion, he bent down and was about a quarter of an inch away from my face.

“Hmmm, your lips look swollen. You were definitely kissing somebody,” he said, a grin breaking out across his face.

“Dude, back the fuck away from me. I was just punched in the fucking face. I’m pretty sure that if that happened to you, some parts of your face would be swollen too,” I answered, shoving him.

“Okaaaaay Maxie, whatever you say,” he called as he headed off to talk to Tyler. That was such a close one. Ryan continued to glare at me as he made his way over to sit down next to me.

“Listen to me,” he began in a low tone, “you stay the fuck away from her. Do you hear me? I don’t want you in her life messing everything up for her, okay? Just leave her alone, or I promise you, I will make your life a living hell.”

“Well, well, well, those certainly don’t sound like the words of just a protective cousin. If I didn’t know any better, it sounds like you have some sick, creepy incestuous ‘thing’ for her,” I said triumphantly as I watched his face flicker first to shame, then to rage. I felt his fist connecting with my face before I actually comprehended it. But in an instant Jordan and Sid were holding him back. Blood trickled down from my nose and I could feel someone putting a towel up to it. It was Kris.

“Thanks man,” I said gratefully and pinched my nose with the towel. Kris nodded but remained seated next to me.

“Dude! You need to calm the fuck down,” Jordan started. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately, but you’ve gotta stop. Seriously Ryan.” I watched as Ryan shrugged the guys off and in a huff returned to his own stall.

Riley’s Point of View
I hastily made my way out to my car. How could I do that? I had been so good all day with Max and last night. Sure I teased him and tempted him, but that was fun. Just fun. And here we end up kissing. There were so many opportunites to do it yesterday when the sexual tension was at its highest, but I didn’t want to then. Actually, I didn’t even know if I wanted to now. I did feel sorry for him, but why did that mean I had to let him kiss me? And more importantly, why did I kiss him back? I couldn’t quite put a finger on what I felt in that moment or what I felt now for that matter? I drove a few blocks but then realized that I didn’t even stay to congratulate Geno. He played a great game with a goal and three assists. So, I hooked a U-turn and made my way back to the arena. Once I parked the car, I hastily made my way to the locker room and without even knocking opened the door. Thank God no one was completely naked, but the scene I saw before me was even worse. Max with a bloody towel up to his nose, Ryan fuming at his stall, and all of the other boys just simply confused.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked to no one in particular. Jordan took the liberty of answering on behalf of the group.

“Well, Ryan went ape-shit and punched Max in the face because Max made some kind of remark to him, I don’t know what he said though,” Jordan explained. I looked over at Max although he wouldn’t meet my gaze. The crowd began to disperse and I took a seat next to Max and waited for him to say something. When he didn’t, I started the conversation.

“Let me see,” I said referring to his nose. He removed the towel and while it was a bloody mess, it didn’t appear to be broken. “You’re a fucking moron, you know that?” At this, Max gave me a small smile.

“I know,” he said, “but it’s all part of my charm.” I rolled my eyes at him and his smile grew wider.

“What’d you say, Max?” I asked tiredly. He looked down, almost with guilt.

“All I said was that it sounded like he had a creepy incestuous thing for you, you know with the way he’s so overprotective,” Max said. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest. I didn’t know that it was that obvious or that Max was that perceptive.

“You know that’s crazy, Max,” I answered calmly.

“I know, but it really set him off, it was weird,” he said, contorting his face into an expression of curiosity.

“Max, wouldn’t you be upset if someone thought you had an “incestuous thing” for one of your cousins?” I asked trying to divert the attention away from myself and Ryan.

“I guess so,” he replied, placing the towel back up to his face. At that moment Geno walked out of the showers. He was wearing black gym shorts and he had a towel draped over his shoulders, his bare chest glistening with droplets of water.

“Well, I guess I should…” I trailed off. I had no idea why I was making it sound like going back to my boyfriend was a chore.

“I know,” Max answered looking down to avoid meeting my eyes. I got up to go but before I took one step I turned back to him.

“Please take care of yourself, okay?” I asked quietly. And with that I turned and sprinted at Geno. When I reached him, he lifted me off my feet and held me in his arms for a deep kiss. I kicked my feet in delight until he eventually set me down.

“You played so great tonight,” I gushed as he took both of my hands in his.
“Thanks,” he answered with a smile. “I like you wear my jersey.” I looked down almost forgetting about my earlier purchase.

“Oh, really?” I asked doing a small spin.

“Yeah, look good,” he said proudly.

“Oh Geno,” I laughed sitting down on the bench while he continued to dress. Geno was oblivious to it, but I could feel the tension in the locker room. I had my back turned to them for the most part, to give them privacy. But no one was speaking except for a few nervous comments here and there. I could see Ryan out of the corner of my left eye and all of his actions were being completed in huffy, pissed movements. I wondered why no one was making a bigger deal out of this. Maybe it’s the “everybody gets one” policy? Where everybody gets one flip out no questions asked? But still, attacking another teammate seems in a completely different category. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Geno finished dressing and had his bag ready to go.

“You want go dinner?” he asked as he straightened up his area.

“Actually, why don’t you come over?” I smiled sweetly at him. His eyes seemed to light up as he placed his arm around my waist and led me out of the locker room.

Chapter Thirteen

Once again, I opened my eyes, but this time found the sunlight streaming through the window. I looked to my left and found Max still asleep. His breathing was even and he muttered a little. I gently nudged him until he woke up.

“Whoa, what are you doing here?” Max asked startled. He blinked his eyes in the bright sun.

“Waking up,” I replied easily.

“When did you come in here?” Max questioned. He was staring intently at me.

“Oh, last night, around three in the morning,” I answered. My nonchalant attitude caught him off guard.

“Um, why?” he asked.

“I don’t know, I was bored,” I laughed.

“Damn, I can’t believe I missed sleeping with you!” he buried his face in his pillow. I laughed again and laid back down.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I decided to come in here. Sometimes it’s easier to sleep if you have someone next to you.” He pondered this as his cell phone rang. He answered it and put it on speaker phone.

“Where the fuck are you dude?!” Jordan’s voice was frantic on the other end.

“At home, in bed,” Max answered, “Dude, calm down.”

“You need to get your ass to practice right now,” Jordan spoke quickly.

“Oh shit,” Max said. “I forgot about that. Ugh I’m coming.”

“Hurry up! The coach is gonna kick your ass, this practice is mandatory!” Jordan said before hanging up. Max rolled over and out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. I heard the shower turn on and fifteen minutes later Max emerged, wearing only a towel. He shook his head and water sprayed all over me.

“Thanks for that,” I said sarcastically.

“Anytime babe,” he replied going over to his closet and pulling out some gym clothes. He brought them back into the bathroom, dressed, and headed downstairs. I followed him, right on his heels.

“I’m not going to practice today,” I said watching him in the kitchen.

“Don’t wanna see Ryan?” he asked while rifling through the pantry.

“Not at all,” I said as he tossed me a granola bar. “Thanks.”

“No problem. I wish I had time to make you something better. Sorry about that,” Max answered apologetically.

“This is fine with me,” I said while unwrapping the granola bar. I bit into it and only then did I realize how hungry I actually was. “Is this the first time that you had a girl sleep over and you didn’t hook up with her?”

“Actually, yeah it is,” he answered. He smiled at me, grabbed his bag and headed for the door. I grabbed my bag and followed. I opened my car, then threw the bag into the back. “You’re coming to the game tonight right?”

“Yup, I love a good hockey game,” I answered. “We’re season ticket holders.”

“Oh really?” he asked pleasantly surprised.

“First row,” I answered, “but I haven’t been to a game in such a long time.”

“Nice, where at?” Max questioned.

“Right next to the penalty box,” I replied. Max thought about this for a moment.

“I’ll make sure I look for you,” he said.

“Alright,” I laughed, “see ya tonight.” I hopped into my car and drove off.

When I arrived home, the flowers and gifts were still all over my steps and walkway. I pulled into the driveway and hacked a path to my house. I opened the front door and left the flowers outside. I checked the answering machine and it flashed with 53 messages. I didn’t even bother listening to them. I just pressed “delete all” and headed upstairs to go lay down. When I awoke a few hours later, I needed a nice hot one to relax myself. After my shower, I came out and dressed. I didn’t have jersey so I figured I’d just buy one once I was at the arena. I ran downstairs, out the door, and hopped into my car. Once I was on the road, I decided that I actually did have time to stop at a sports store and pick up a jersey for a price that wasn’t a rip off. I pulled into the parking lot and eased into a spot. I got out and made my way inside. A friendly looking man who looked to be in his mid-forties stood behind the counter.

“Hi there,” he said with a pleasant smile, “can I help you?”

“Um, yes,” I replied, “I’m looking for an Evgeni Malkin jersey.”

“Oh, those sell out so fast,” the man said, “but let me check in the back, I might have one left. What size?”

“Well, if you have women’s then medium, but if you have men’s, small,” I said. The man nodded and headed to the back of the store. He disappeared behind a heavy metal door.

“Um, excuse me?” I heard a woman’s voice behind me. I turned and instantly recognized her. She was the woman from the Russian restaurant I went to with Geno the other night.

“Yes?” I said as she approached me.

“You asked for an Evgeni Malkin jersey right?” she asked.

“Yes, I did,” I said.

“Well, didn’t I see you with him the other night?” she questioned. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.

“Um, yes you did,” I laughed. The woman smiled at me. She was older. Maybe late forties, early fifties.

“Are you…together?” she asked gently. Her voice was soft and she waited eagerly for my reply. I contemplated her question. I had never discussed with Geno whether we would make this public or not.

“Um, Geno doesn’t like to discuss his personal life,” I said as evenly as I could. The woman continued smiling at me.

“I’ve been around quite a bit and I can see from the way you talk about him that you are together,” she answered. “Don’t worry, darling. You’re secret’s safe with me.” She winked, took her bags, and left. I turned back to the counter and thought about the odd encounter. A moment later, the man came back out of the storage room.

“We’ve got a small men’s in black,” he said.

“I’ll take it,” I answered. I paid the man and took the bag out to my car. I cut the tags off and slipped it over my head. It was so cute. Then I wondered how Geno would react if I called his jersey cute. I laughed to myself and got in the car and made my way to the arena. I parked in the lot and walked towards the arena. I caught up to the throngs of people headed in the same direction. The man checked my ticket and I made my way inside. I walked through the fans and past the little kids staring around in wonder. It made me remember my first game. Ryan’s dad took us. We sat right up in the front row and when Ryan saw Mario Lemieux skate by, he almost had a heart attack. That was such a good day. I walked down to the glass and stood there. The players were getting ready to come out for their little pre-game skate. I waited patiently, took out my phone and texted a little bit, then turned my attention back to the ice. The players came out with a roar from the crowd. Max came out first. I caught his eye and he winked at me. A girl to my left squealed, assuming he was winking at her and I laughed to myself. She looked to be about fourteen and she was with another girl her age and her father. It was a cute scene that reminded me of my own childhood. Max picked up a puck and threw it over the glass right at me. It caught me off guard and I almost dropped my phone as I tried to catch it.

“You’re an idiot,” I mouthed at him as he laughed.

“You love it,” he mouthed back and skated away. I heard the girl to my left gasp.

“You know him?!” she asked in amazement. I turned and smiled at her.

“Yeah I do,” I said as she continued to gaze at me. “I’ll tell you what, you take this puck. I don’t need it.” I handed her the puck and she looked close to tears.

“Thank you so much!” She said and she turned to her friend and the two of them talked excitedly. A few minutes later I caught Geno’s eye and he smiled at me. However, unlike the moron before him, he knew better than to come over to me and risk causing a scene. I gave him a thumbs up and he smiled in acknowledgement. Then, he too skated away. They all looked so cute warming up. I got even closer to the glass just staring. It was mesmerizing. I loved watching them skate and I would definitely be seated here more often. Just as I was starting to relax, I saw Ryan. He was talking to Sid about something. When we made eye contact, I quickly looked away and I could feel him trying to catch my attention. I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. I would not look at him. He didn’t deserve it. Looking at him would be like accepting his apology and I was nowhere near ready to do that. That is, if I even accepted it at all. After a few more minutes, the guys eventually went back to the locker rooms and the game was about to begin.

Chapter Twelve

“I am so glad that we cleared everything up,” I said into the phone, “But you really should get to bed. You have a game tomorrow!” Sergei translated this to Geno.

“He says he wishes he could actually talk to you and that he’ll try extra hard to learn English. But he’s glad that it was cleared up too,” Sergei said. I breathed a sigh of relief and Sergei continued. “Well, he wants me to go, just so he can say goodnight. I’m glad I could help you guys.”

“Thanks so much Sergei,” I told him sincerely. I heard a click then it was only me and Geno.

“Goodnight Riley,” he said, “See you at game tomorrow night?”

“Of course,” I answered, “goodnight babe.” I snapped the phone shut and looked at Max who was still watching me.

“I’m glad for you,” Max spoke.

“Thanks Max,” I smiled. “Actually I’m gonna head up to bed. You should too.”

“Right behind you,” Max said devilishly. I rolled my eyes and headed up the stairs.

“Where’s the guest room?” I asked as we reached the top landing.

“Guest room?” he asked as he grabbed my hand. “You’re sleeping with me.”

“Guest room,” I continued. Max sighed and led me down the hall and to a giant bedroom.

“This is it,” he said. The room was fantastic. It had a gigantic bed in the center and the walls were painted a cute yellow. The bay window had a bench and an incredible view of the backyard and the greenery behind it.

“Wow,” I said. “Do you bring all the girls you’re trying to get with to this room?”

“Just you,” he answered, measuring my reaction.

“Well,” I started, leading him back towards the door, “I’ll see you in the morning.” I closed the door and rested my head against it. I could hear Max’s heavy breathing on the other side of the door. I smirked to myself, waited a minute, and then opened the door again. Max was headed towards his bedroom. “Oh Max.” I called his name and he did an immediate about face. I motioned for him to come back. He practically bounded down the hallway and met me outside of my door. “Max.” I whispered as I let myself fall into his arms.

“Riley?” he questioned, excited but confused. I nuzzled into his neck and felt his arms tighten around my waist. He rubbed his hands up and down my back.

“Oh Max,” I breathed into his ear and felt him shiver. I sucked on his earlobe and heard him sigh and tighten his grip on me. I moved to kissing his neck and bit down hard to which he responded with another shudder. I pulled back and put my hands on either side of his face. His eyes were closed and I moved closer to him. “Max?”

“Mmm?” he answered. I came closer to him and leaned in as if I was gonna kiss him, but stopped.

“Go to bed,” I said and loosened myself from his grip. He looked absolutely astounded and I backed into my bedroom. I laughed to myself and laid down in my bed. I continued laughing as I drifted off to sleep.

Max’s Point of View
I watched Riley shut the bedroom door. I breathed heavily and waited. I hoped to God that she would open the door again. After a moment, I decided to just head back to my room. I was almost halfway down the hallway when I heard her door creak open.

“Oh Max,” she called down the hallway. I turned around to face her and saw her motion for me to come back. In an immediate response to her, I quickly walked down the hallway. “Max.” I heard her say again as she fell into my arms.

“Riley?” I asked as I tightened my grip on her. I didn’t know what she was doing, but I didn’t care. I rubbed my hands up and down her back, enjoying the fact that I was holding her.

“Oh Max,” she whispered into my ear. I involuntarily shivered at her words. Her mouth went to work on my ear and I released a sigh of contentment and held her tighter still. She worked her way down towards my neck. I felt her bite down and again, I wasn’t able to control my shudder. Next I felt her hands on either side of my face. I had my eyes closed and I heard her speak. “Max?”

“Mmm?” was all I was able to respond. I felt her draw nearer to me. I readied myself for her kiss.

“Go to bed,” she said and I felt her untangle herself from me. I was astounded as she backed into the guest room and shut the door, leaving me standing in the hallway struggling for my breath.

“Son of a bitch,” I muttered aloud. I looked down at my growing bulge that had ceased. I slowly made my way back to my bedroom. Once I got there I tried to relax myself. I thought of the most unsexy things I could imagine. As soon as my heart rate returned to normal, I began to process what just happened. I could not understand Riley for the life of me. What was with her? Was she into me? Or did she just like playing games? Well, it was apparent that she loved games, but why did she have to be so damn good at playing them? It was obvious that she was into Geno, but what was that whole deal back there? Just a trick? Really, is that all? It seemed like much more to me. Or maybe I was just reading into it because I wanted it to mean more. I wanted her to want me as much as I wanted her. After what seemed like hours of figuring, I finally rolled over and went to a restless sleep.

Riley’s Point of View
My eyes opened and there was still darkness all around me. I looked over at the clock and it read 3 AM. I heaved myself out of bed and decided to use this time to explore. I gingerly made my way out of the guest room and into the hallway. Making a left would lead me down the hall to Max’s bedroom so I decided to try making the right. I walked until I came to a first door on my left. I opened it and found another guest room. Standard. It wasn’t as big as the one I was in, but it was still nice. I closed the door and continued. On my right was another door. I opened it to find an office. The walls were lined with hockey memrobillia. There was so much of it covering the entire room. I turned on the light to find signed jerseys, signed sticks, and signed pucks. All of which were in cases of different sizes and shapes. I exited the room, closed the door behind me, and turned to walk back down the hallway. I passed my room and was now on the other side. The stairs were before me and I decided to take them. I was now in the foyer and I made my way through all of the places I had been earlier in the day. There was another hallway that I had not seen before and I decided to explore. I opened the first door I saw and was faced with a set of stairs leading down. Why not? I followed them and was standing in the center of a “party room”. It was set up like a club, complete with a bar, a lounge, and even a stripper pole. “That sick bastard,” I muttered under my breath. I wondered how he was going to get all of this stuff out of here when his lease was up. This room was by far the biggest. I figured walls must have been knocked down to make this. I walked around and found that the “party room” was complete with its own bathroom. This was ridiculous. I went back upstairs, down the hallway, through the kitchen, and back onto the bedroom floor. I hooked a right at the top of the stairs and the first door was on my left. It was a bathroom. I closed that door and opened one to my right. Another guest bedroom. After shutting that door, there was only one door left. This was the one that belonged to Max. I slowly creaked open that door and peered into the room. I saw Max sleeping peacefully on the huge California King mattress. I entered the room, shutting the door behind me. I made my way to the bed and gently climbed in, pulling the covers around me. In a response to the shift in weight, Max turned around and put his arm around my waist. This time, I didn’t shake him off. I just breathed deeply, relaxed into the mattress, and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Eleven

After Max brought me the shirt, I closed the door and turned the faucet on. The water drummed loudly and I loved that sound. I quickly undressed and stepped beneath the raining water. I knew that Max was standing just outside the door and, sick as he was, having all these dirty thoughts. So, I decided to have some fun. I stuck my head outside of the shower door and “moaned” just to see his reaction. I immediately heard him bang on the door, then reach for the knob. He twisted it ferociously and I was glad that I locked it before. I leaned back into the shower and laughed for a while. He was so easy. I heard his footsteps angrily clomp down the stairs. After I finished washing my hair, I jumped out of the shower. I looked in the mirror and ran a brush through my dripping hair then put on my make-shift pajamas. The shorts were definitely a hazard in this house. Too short and too tight. I sighed and opened the bathroom door figuring that I had to take my chances. I came downstairs and found Max outside on the patio.

“Isn’t it a little chilly?” I asked walking over to him, feeling the night air on my bare legs. I watched him snap out of whatever daydream he was having, then do a double take when he saw me.

“Um, yeah?” he said in a questioning tone. I laughed and put my arm around his waist.

“Oh, Max,” I said, “you’re so silly.” I felt him bury his face in my hair.

“Coconut,” he murmured before kissing the top of my head lightly.

“Mm, none of that,” I said backing away from him, feeling slightly bad because I instigated it, having put my arm around him in the first place. I studied his face in the moonlight and saw the real, “un-sexual” him for the first time. He was studying me too, seeming genuinely baffled. My cell phone vibrating in the kitchen brought us both back to reality.

“You should get that,” Max said leading me back inside.

“Yeah, depending on who it is,” I answered. I looked down to see a number I didn’t recognize. “Hello?” I answered.

“Um, hi,” the person on the other line said, “I’m Sergei Gonchar? From the Penguins?”

“Hey,” I answered, “I know who you are.” I laughed a little and he seemed to relax.

“Well, I have Geno on the other line and he wanted me to do a three way call with you because he said that there’s things he wants to tell you that he doesn’t know how to translate to English. So, he wanted me to do it for him. Is that okay?” Sergei finished explaining.

“Oh, yeah that’s absolutely fine,” I agreed making my way over to the couch as Max sat across from me. I heard buttons clicking, then I heard Geno’s distinct voice mutter something in Russian.

“He wants to know how you are feeling,” Sergei said.

“I’m good, a lot better than before,” I answered. An exchange of Russian, then Sergei spoke again.

“He says that he knows what Ryan said and that it’s not true. You mean a lot to him. He cares about you so much,” Sergei translated.

“Aw,” I said, unable to repress it. “That’s so sweet! I knew you weren’t like that Geno. Ryan’s just…I don’t know.”

“He says that he doesn’t know what got into Ryan and he’s never seen him like that before. He was vicious and cruel and it was uncalled for,” Sergei said.

“Ugh I know,” I answered. “He’s just really uptight right now. I can’t explain it.” I sighed and relaxed into the couch. It was so much easier talking through Sergei.

Max’s Point Of View
I heard Riley’s footsteps before she spoke.

“Isn’t it a little chilly?” She asked as she walked over to me. To tell you the truth, I didn’t even feel the chill. I had been much too preoccupied thinking of her.

“Um, yeah?” I answered dumbly. It was the best I could think of. I watched her draw closer to me, then put her arm around my waist. She had no idea what she was doing to me, being that close.

“Oh, Max. You’re so silly,” she said. I had no idea what her angle was. She was a flirter just like me. I just couldn’t play my own game without becoming attached. I breathed deeply and the scent of her shampoo wafted up towards me. Naturally, I bent my head down to get a better smell.

“Coconut,” I said into her hair. Before I could stop myself, I lightly kissed the top of her head. I hoped she wouldn’t notice, but she called me on it.

“Mm, none of that,” she spoke, sounding as if she might have enjoyed it just a little. I was content as she turned to look at me, as if studying me. I did the same to her, just staring into her gorgeous green eyes. The moonlight made them appear even greener. We were interrupted by her cell ringing.

“You should get that,” I said, turning to go back inside.

“Yeah, depending on who it is,” she answered before grabbing the phone. She looked at the number quizzically before flipping it open. “Hello?” she questioned. I didn’t know what the person on the other line had said, but understanding had spread across her face. “Hey I know who you are.” She continued and I could hear the relief in her voice. She laughed cutely and relaxed into the couch. I watched her converse with Sergei/Geno and was instantly jealous. The way she laughed at everything that was said. And the way her face lit up after Sergei translated something. It was infuriating. Geno seemed to make her so happy and my own jealousy surprised me. I tried to tune out the conversation and instead focused on her. Riley. Her wet hair dripped down her back and made little individual puddles on the couch. She had her legs tucked up beneath her and she looked as if she was talking to her crush in tenth grade. Her face was so expressive and I could tell what surprised, upset, or delighted her. I made a promise to myself that I would pay more attention to her features the next time I talked to her. She glanced over at me, smiled, and gave me the thumbs up. I smiled back at her, but not feeling anything at all.

Chapter Ten

Once I was safely secure in the passenger’s seat, Max took off out of the parking lot and made his way to my house. I had given him the directions and now we drove in silence. I replaced my sunglasses and sat back with my window cracked a little. After a little while, I felt the car begin to slow but I kept my eyes shut.

“Oh. My. God,” I heard Max breathe incrediously.

“What?” I said finally opening my eyes. I saw him staring in the direction of my house. We were parked outside on the curb and I turned to my right to get a better look. There were dozens and dozens of flowers of every kind. All of which adorned my steps and the path leading up to them. There were balloons bearing the phrase “I’m sorry” tied to the banisters and the railings. And finally, there were stuffed animals of every size scattered throughout the floral mess.

“Wow,” Max stated simply.

“Keep driving,” I said, not wanting to face all of that nonsense in front of my house.

“Where to?” he asked me, pulling out from the curb.

“Anywhere,” I answered, fully meaning it. I resumed my former position. Eyes closed, with my head resting on the back of the seat. I’m not sure if I dozed off or not, but before I knew it, the car was stopped and the engine was off. I opened my eyes to see this adorable house. It was brick-faced with a cute little well kept flowerbed in front.

“I’m renting,” Max grumbled as he got out of my car. He came over to my side and opened the door for me, helping me out of the car. He led me up the steps and into the house. The inside was just as adorable as the outside.

“This is so cute!” I squealed as I walked around the spacious living room.

“Again, I’m renting,” Max countered.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you say,” I responded. “I wish my house looked like this!” At this remark, Max gave a small smile, clearly more comfortable than before.

“It could,” he said wrapping his arms around my waist. “Marry me.” I laughed and stepped away from him.

“Okay, one, you’re renting, so you most likely wouldn’t be living here forever and two, no,” I said to him. “And you say Geno’s infatuated? Take a look in the mirror buddy.” I shoved past him and walked into the kitchen. The granite countertops glistened from the overhead lights. I ran my hand all along the counter until Max pulled it away.

“Such lovely hands,” he said, grabbing the other one as well. I pulled them both away from him and continued into the living room. Finally, I plopped down on the couch.

“I like it,” I said, giving my seal of approval.

“My offer still stands,” Max said smiling at me.

“I think I’ll pass,” I returned. He looked at me amused.

“Hungry?” he asked making his way back to the kitchen.

“Starving,” I said as I took a seat at the island. “What do you have?”

“Everything,” Max said as he opened the fridge. And it did indeed seem as if he could have everything. It was massive.

“I think I’ll have Chinese,” I said, pulling a menu out from underneath a bowl of fake fruit.

“Ah, good choice,” Max said, looking over my shoulder to read the menu.

“You don’t have to stand so far away,” I said sarcastically. However, he took this as a cue to move even closer. His lips grazed my neck as he read off his potential wants from the menu. I ducked away and walked to the other side of the kitchen and perched myself on a countertop. “Wow, so much more spacious.” I let my legs swing back and forth.

“Even from over there, you still attract me,” Max spoke, leaning on the counter.

“You know that made no sense, right?” I asked him. “Just order.”

“Fine, what are you having?” he looked down at the menu and tried to decide for himself.

“Um, I’ll have the General Tso’s Chicken. Not spicy,” I recited the same order I always had.

“Freak,” he replied.

“What’s wrong with my order?” I asked turning around to look through his cabinets.

“The whole point of that is for the spiciness,” he said, still staring down at the menu. He finally made up his mind because within the next few minutes he was calling in the order. “It’ll be about half an hour. And I know exactly what we can do in that time.”

“And I know exactly what we won’t be doing,” I replied, moving back to the living room. I laid down on the couch and stretched across the whole thing. Max came over and laid on top of me.

“This is quite cozy, dontcha think?” he asked, nuzzling his face into my neck.

“Um, no,” I pushed him off of me and he made a thud upon hitting the floor.

“You like it rough?” he asked me.

“Yes, but in this case, no,” I responded grabbing the remote. I turned on the television and began a boring game of channel surfing. By the time I got to 1024, the doorbell rang.

“A delivery for Max?” I heard the man say.
“Yup,” Max returned. I heard the rustling of the bag and the exchange of money. In a moment, Max walked back into the kitchen. I followed and watched as he sat the food down and opened a cabinet.

“Whatcha getting?” I asked as he continued to search.

“Plates,” he said matter-of-factly.

“You don’t need to impress me, to tell you the truth, I actually love eating out of the cartons,” I said smiling at him as he turned around.

“Thank God,” he sighed, “me too.” Max ended his search and came back to the bag. We each grabbed a carton, then switched when we realized we grabbed the wrong ones. Max then made his way over to the table.

“Nope,” I said pulling him away, “we’re eating on the couch, in front of the T.V. where all Chinese food should be eaten.” Max looked absolutely relieved and grabbed his container as he followed me to the living room. I grabbed the remote and found a hockey game as we settled in to eat our food. It was Dallas against San Jose. I was definitely rooting for Dallas. I couldn’t help it. Loui Eriksson was a hottie. Now I know how that makes me sound like a severe puck bunny. However, I actually do love the sport. I just also appreciate that the men playing it happen to be quite attractive. We ate our food and talked animatedly about the game while I tried to convince him to admit that he’d fuck Loui.

“You know he’s a fine piece of ass,” I said as they showed a close up on him. “Plus he has that gorgeous accent. And those gorgeous eyes. And that gorgeous nose.”

“I would not fuck him!” Max protested.

“You don’t wanna do him even a little bit?” I asked. He contemplated this for a moment before sighing.

“Ugh fine, I guess I would,” Max said, “but I’m only agreeing with you because you’re hot.”

“I’ll take that,” I answered smiling. “I love me some Loui.” I closed my eyes and sunk into the couch. It was one of the most comfortable couches I had ever been on.

“Now what?” Max asked, clicking off the T.V.

“Actually, do you mind if I take a shower?” I asked, starting to get up.

“Be my guest,” he said. With this I scampered out to my car, grabbed my gym bag, and ran back inside. I knew keeping the bag in my car would come in handy someday.

“I have shampoo and shorts,” I said, rifling through the bag. “I just need a shirt.”

“That can be taken care of,” Max said as he led me upstairs and into the master bathroom. The shower was immense, with a rainhead showerhead. After I put my stuff down in the bathroom, Max went into the bedroom and looked through some drawers. He eventually came back into the bathroom with a t-shirt yielding “Talbot” on the back in bold letters, the number 25 beneath it. It was his Penguin’s shirt.

“A little full of ourselves are we?” I asked as I put the shirt down and began to close the door. “Be out in a few.”

Max’s Point of View:
I watched her walk into the bathroom and shut the door behind herself. I heard the door click and the water begin to pound. I closed my eyes and imagined her in the shower, the water glistening over her perfect figure. I had to shake my head clear and keep myself under control. It took so much energy not to bust down the door and run in there. I leaned my head against the door and sighed, dying to be in that room. As soon as I did this, as if on command, I heard her let out a moan and I lost control. I banged my hand on the door without even knowing it and made a grab for the knob. I twisted it sharply and much to my dismay, it was locked. Thank God it was though because I don’t know what I would have done if I was granted access through the door. This gave me time to back up and I took a few deep breaths and headed downstairs. Fresh air was what I needed.

I headed towards the back door and on my way walked through the kitchen. As I walked through, I heard Riley’s cell vibrate on the counter. I looked over to see that it was Ryan.

“Hey Ryan,” I answered.

“Max?” he asked uncertain of who it was.

“Yeah that’s right,” I replied, leaning on the counter.

“Why the fuck are you answering Riley’s phone?” he asked angrily.

“Because she’s in the shower and can’t get to it right now,” I said coolly.

“What?!” he shouted.

“Yeah, so can I take a message?” I asked in a mocking tone. I heard him take a deep breath on the other end of the line.

“Tell her to call me,” he said quickly before hanging up.

“Yeah right,” I said aloud as I shut the phone. I replaced it to its original spot on the counter then walked to the back door. I stepped outside and looked up into the sky. It was a clear night and the moon was full. All I could think about was Riley. She was so perfect and all I wanted was her. I never felt like this about any girl before. She was different than any other girl I’d been with. She was so comfortable being herself with anyone. That quality alone made her so attractive. Well, not to mention that she was super hot. She had a body to die for. She was gorgeous. Thinking about her made me crazy. I let myself daydream for a while as I stared up into the sky.

Chapter Nine

I looked up to see that it was Max. I reached up to grab my sunglasses in a desperate attempt to make it appear that I was fine. Then, I turned on the ignition, rolled down the window, then clicked the car off again.

“Hey,” he said softly, leaning against my window.

“Hey Max,” I replied a little too cheerily. Even to me my voice sounded fake.

“Are you okay?” he asked with genuine concern filling his face.

“Um, yeah,” I lied, “I’m fine.” I forced a small giggle and choked back a sob. Max didn’t buy it one bit. He leaned forward, through the window, and took off my sunglasses. I guess he must have seen that I looked like a wreck because he quickly stepped back, opened the door, and pulled me to him. This gesture of kindness made me lose it again. I cried hard into his shoulder. I felt myself being pulled and I saw him open the door of the backseat. He ushered me in, sat me down, then followed. He closed the door gently and I put my head down on his chest. I cried and cried until I thought I couldn’t cry anymore. Eventually, I couldn’t keep myself awake anymore. I let myself fall asleep in his arms.

When I opened my eyes again, the sun was in a different position in the sky. It poured in the back windows as opposed to the front. I slowly lifted my head from Max’s chest and instantly put it back down. It was throbbing.

“Sleeping Beauty,” Max cooed. I looked up at him and he smiled down. I could only imagine just how awful I looked.

“I am so sorry,” I began, but he cut me off.

“If I didn’t want to stay, I wouldn’t have,” he said and I thought about this for a moment. Just then, I heard my phone vibrating from the passenger’s seat. “It’s been going on that way ever since you fell asleep.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry,” I said, “How did you sleep through that?”

“I managed,” he replied, helping me sit up. Once I was in an upright position, I reached over to grab my phone.

“Seventy-three missed calls,” I read aloud, “and thirty-two texts.” I sighed as I opened my phone. Every single missed call was from Ryan and out of the thirty-two texts, only two were from Geno. The rest belonged to Ryan as well. I skipped past all of Ryan’s and looked at Geno’s. The first one read “i talk to sarge. he explain it to me. i’m sorry. is not true.” The second one said “we talk later when you ready.” I then briefly scrolled through Ryan’s, all of which consisted of some form of “i’m sorry”, “i didn’t mean it”, or “i love you”. I rolled my eyes as I breezed through those messages and threw the phone down.

“Ryan?” Max asked apologetically.

“Unfortunately,” I replied. I looked over at Max who was sitting in the silence, not uncomfortably. He just smiled at me and that gesture made me want to hop in the driver’s seat and just keep driving until I was away from here. “Well, I’m sure you have to go.” I said looking down.

“I have nowhere to be,” Max replied. I was surprisingly grateful for this and relaxed into the cushions of the back seat.

“Thank you,” I said to him as I shut my eyes. I could hear his methodical breathing on my left.

“Can I get you anything? Do you want to go somewhere?” he asked me.

“Um, not right now,” I replied laughing a little. Actually all I wanted to do was sit in my car and never go back home again. A Range Rover. Daddy’s gift. It was so comfortable and I always thought that if I ever needed to live out of my car, it might not be so bad.

“Okay,” he said, “we’ll sit. Sitting’s good.”

“Sitting is indeed good,” I replied taking a deep breath. I caught a whiff of his cologne and it was divine. I breathed in deeply a few more times, making sure to breathe through my nose with extra precision.

“It’s Dolce & Gabbana,” Max remarked. He had caught me and I looked away embarrassed. I could see that my face had turned red from the reflection in the window.

“Good to know,” I mumbled into the glass.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” he asked me suddenly serious.

“Your cologne?” I questioned confused.

“No,” he laughed, “what happened. With Ryan.” He was serious again.

“Oh, I…,” I trailed off. I continued staring out the window watching the sun bounce off of other cars.

“It was me, you know,” Max stated, “I hit him.”

“I figured as much,” I answered.

“That son of a bitch deserved it,” he went on, “seeing you cry was horrible. All of the guys felt awful. It was so wrong of him to say that in front of all of us. The way he talked to you was so…so disrespectful. I couldn’t help but to hit him.”

“He made me feel worthless,” I spoke. I surprised myself with my casualty in discussing the matter. If this had been three hours earlier, I would have been a teary mess.

“You’re not,” Max comforted me, “you’re far from worthless. You’re spectacular. You’re not afraid to be yourself around anyone. You’re not afraid to have a good time. And more importantly, you’re not afraid of your feelings.” For a supposed womanizer, Max was pretty deep. “Geno cares about you. He really does. I haven’t seen him act this way with a girl before. It’s almost as if he’s infatuated. And to tell you the truth, I’m a little jealous. I thought for sure that you would have gone for me, as cocky as that sounds. But Geno is one of the nicest guys I know. I’m glad he has you. And I’ve only known you for a little while, but I already know that you’re great. And as much as it pains me, I’ll back off…for now.” He smiled at me as he finished his speech. Then he grabbed my hand and kissed each finger. “So tempting though.” He spoke into my fingers. He released my hand and I looked back at him.

“You’re great at giving pep talks,” I said smiling, this time actually feeling the smile.

“I’m great at giving other things too,” he said deviously.

“I thought you said you were gonna back off?” I asked giving him a playful shove.

“Yeah, I said it, but believe me, it’s easier said than done,” he looked at me as if he was inspecting me.

“Enough,” I said, pushing his face away.

“One kiss?” he asked me looking pitifully at me.

“I cannot believe you right now!” I laughed at him, “You just finished this whole long sweet talk and here you are acting like a womanizer.”

“One?” he pleaded.

“What happened to respecting your teammate’s girls?” I asked him.

“Um, uh, I don’t know,” he said backing off. “You drive me crazy. I mean, who can say no to me?”

“Apparently me,” I was laughing so hard it was difficult to catch my breath.

“Well, not for long,” he said again drawing nearer to me.

“You’re incredible,” I sighed.

“And is incredible good?” he questioned. My answer was another laugh and he resented that.

“Oh Max,” I said resting my head on his shoulder. He brushed my hair back from my forehead in rhythmic motion. “See! Why can’t you be like this all the time?”

“I guess I have to learn,” he sighed continuing to brush my hair. “Should I take you home?”

“As long as you’re driving,” I replied, handing him the keys.

Chapter Eight

“STRIP HOCKEY!” Max’s voice echoed all throughout the arena. My ears immediately perked up and I sat up from my previous horizontal position. I was pretty sure that Max had said that purposely to catch my ear and it worked. I looked over quick enough to see him looking at me. Our eyes locked for a moment, then he looked away swiftly.

‘This could be fun,’ I thought to myself as I hopped over the wall and skated over to the boys.

“How does this work?” I whispered in Kris’ ear as I leaned on his shoulder.

“Um…well…you take a shot and if you miss, you take off something and if you make it, you put something back on,” he explained to me. “Normally we just take off our pads and jerseys….but…um…for you?? I don’t know. Maybe the sweatshirt and skates…I’m not sure.” His stammering was so cute I could hardly stop myself from pinching his cheek.

“Thanks Kris,” I said smiling at him. He returned the smile and began to skate away. “Um, I’m gonna need a stick.” He laughed nervously clearly upset at himself that he had forgotten about that.

“Take mine,” he said handing his stick to me.

“Aw, you’re too sweet,” I said before hugging him and skating over to Geno.

“You play?” Geno asked almost incredulously.

“Absolutely,” I said looking up to him and challenging him with my eyes.

“Well, good luck,” he said, a smile playing on his mouth.

“I don’t need luck,” I returned as I hopped in line behind him. Max was not playing, but standing off to the side giving a play by play of each person shooting. He was leaning against his stick with his helmet off and he looked like he was having so much fun. One by one each player went and then returned to the back of the line. Finally it was Geno’s turn and of course he made the shot. He smiled as he skated past me and I got ready to go. I had never ever shot a puck before and was pretty sure that I looked ridiculous. My result was even worse. The puck missed the net by a mile and I could hear Max snickering to my left.

“That’s a tough break,” he said with mock sympathy.

“Yeah yeah yeah,” I said taking off my Northface and placing it on the bench.

We continued this way for several rounds and at the end of the game, I was the clear loser. On my last shot, I was standing up there barefoot, with only my jeans and bra on. I was shivering so badly that the charm on my belly button ring made the loudest clatter ever. I stepped up to take a shot and missed. Not a surprise.

“And with that, we crown the winner and the loser,” Max bellowed in a “game show host” sort of voice. “Our winner for today is none other than our very own captain, Mr. Sidney Crosby!!” The team clapped for him as he did a little victory skate. “And sadly, our loser would have to be Riley Malone.” To my surprise, there was more applause for me than there was for Sid. I guess being half naked in front of a bunch of hockey players would merit that kind of response. “How about a victory…walk?” Max asked. I sighed and began a small walk around one half of the rink. More whistles and applause. I looked over to find Kris almost salivating and I saw Ryan glaring fiercely at the ground. After I finished, I walked over to the bench to retrieve my clothing.

“You did good,” Geno said skating up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. I felt his hands graze my bare stomach and it made me jump with excitement.

“Yeah right,” I said as I stood there happy to be warmed by him.

“Well, you look good,” he said, spinning me around and bringing me into a hug.

“I’m so cold,” I spoke into his chest as my teeth began to chatter on cue.

“I know,” he replied, “get dressed.” He lifted me up and placed me onto the bench. I sat down and replaced each article of clothing, saving my skates for last. “Ready to go?” he asked me as I picked up the skates.

“Yup,” I answered, not wanting to tie them up again. I grabbed his hand and let him lead me to the entryway.

“Where are you going?” Ryan’s voice bounced off the empty seats of the arena. I heard them echo back harshly.

“Geno said he was done and we’re leaving,” I replied with my back still to him. We inched closer to the exit.

“Do you think he really cares about you?” Ryan continued. The edge in his voice picking up.

“What?” I asked, this time turning around to look at him. He skated over so that he was right in front of us.

“There’s no way he cares anything about you. He doesn’t,” Ryan looked over at Geno who was trying hard to process what Ryan was saying. He could tell from the circumstances that whatever Ryan was saying was upsetting me.

“I care,” he said, choosing the words carefully as if trying to think about their meaning. At this Ryan rolled his eyes.

“Riley, let’s be realistic. Do you think you’re any different? Geno has a different girl every night. It’s all part of the job description. You’re just another one. A common whore,” Ryan finished. He looked at me with a face that expressed almost triumph. I inhaled sharply to stop myself from crying. This effort was useless. I felt the hot tears drip down my face. I looked down to see them fall onto the ice. Mortifyingly embarrassed, I looked up at Geno who stared at me in confusion. I looked back down and all I heard was my breath in the awkward silence.

“You’re such a dick,” I heard Jordan speak first. Then after that I heard and felt a multitude of things. Someone skated over to me and made an attempt to put their arm around me, but I brushed it off. My blurry vision didn’t allow me to make out their face. I turned to go and I heard the sound of fist to face contact. I didn’t stick around to see who was the assaulter, although I was pretty sure I could guess who the assaultee was. I darted from the rink, making my way, blindly, down the hallway and eventually to the parking lot. Once I was outside, the air hit my face and it felt good. However, I didn’t slow down until I got to my car. I unlocked it and slid into the driver’s seat. I made a pathetic attempt to put the key in the ignition, but failed. Frustrated, I dropped the keys into the center console, rested my head on the steering wheel and cried. I continued on that way until I heard a knock on my window.