Page 66 of Wanting the Winger

He sighs heavily.“I did suggest that, didn’t I?”

“We could always go out later.For lunch?”

A smile plays on his lips.“Dinner.I’ll make us some lunch later.And don’t worry, I’ll carry you to dinner.”

I frown.“Why would I need that?”

“Because you won’t be able to walk.”

I smile, my girly parts already tingling with anticipation.“We’ll see about that, Mr.Stone.It would take a lot of fucking for that to happen.”

“That’s exactly what I have planned.”

ChapterTwenty-One

Bash

A bumpy planelanding wakes me from a deep sleep.I wipe the drool away from my mouth and sit up.

We left Vancouver late last night and we’re arriving in Tampa now.The regular season has started with a bang.We left Cleveland a few days ago for a six-day stretch of travel.With the crazy travel hours, we have to just catch sleep when we can and make do with what we get.

We’re 3–0, though, so no one’s complaining.

Missing Lainey is a lot harder on me than the travel.We got three nights together before I left, and we made the most of them.

I wasn’t her first, but there was so much she’d never experienced before me.Shitty Shane never gave her oral.He never tried ass play or fingering her.From what she’s said, he’s as boring and vanilla as I would’ve guessed.

Fine by me.It’s incredible seeing her experience things for the first time.She’s adventurous, with encouragement.Every time we’re together, her confidence grows.

Though I didn’t even realize it was happening, I found the one.I don’t want anyone else, and I don’t like being away from Lainey.There’s no way around it when I’m traveling for hockey, but that’s not what I’m most concerned about.

I can’t stop thinking about the letter I sorted out of the pile of mail for her.The return address was in Israel.It has to be from the place that’s one of her top two choices for her next research position.

Just the thought of her going back to Columbus at the end of the semester is hard; I can’t even imagine her going to another fucking country.

Leo scowls at me as the interior lights of the plane are turned on.

“The fuck?Where are we?”

“Tampa.”

“Shit.”He rubs his face.“Feels like we took off five minutes ago.”

“We get to sleep for a few hours at our hotel,” I remind him.

“Good.I’m a zombie.”

It’s dark and humid out as we all file off the plane and walk to the bus that’s taking us to our hotel.My teammate Andrei has a newborn at home, so he doesn’t even sleep much there.He curled up in the corner of our locker room and took a nap yesterday.

I love this game.Even the demanding travel schedule.If it was easy, everyone would do it.The work and discipline it takes to hang with these guys is part of the reason I love and respect them so much.

But I’m turning twenty-nine next month, and I’m starting to think about having more than hockey in my life.I’ve been doing this for eleven years, and I’ve got a few more in me.

Then what, though?I’ve always known I wanted kids, and I’m not sure how Lainey feels about that.She’s worked hard to get where she is, and all the dreams she talks about are professional.

Does she want a family?She’s only twenty-four, so I get why she might not be thinking about it yet.

It’s frustrating as hell, respecting what she does, but wondering if that’s her only priority.Sort of like being with a pro hockey player; we can have relationships and get married, but our partners have to respect that we don’t get to choose where we live.We travel eight months a year—if we’re in the playoffs—and we could get traded and have to upend our lives.