Page 103 of Pipe Dreams
“Now who’s pushy?” He gave her a long, lingering lick that made her see stars.
“Please,” she panted.
One second later, his big, beautiful body rose up over hers. He grasped one of her knees, lifted it and filled her completely. “Oh yeah,” he said, thrusting his hips right away. “I do good work. First rate. Pro level.”
She arched her back and tried not to make any noise, but that was hard to do when you were as full of joy as she was.The things coming out of Mike’s mouth were cocky, macho boasts. Yet this man knew exactly how it changed your life to have a baby, and he’d wanted one with her anyway.
“Kiss me,” she demanded, her eyes wet with happy tears.
Without further comment, he did.
TWENTY-EIGHT
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
JUNE 2016
Mike had been right to celebrate when he had the chance, because the Stanley Cup finals against Dallas were a serious challenge to both his sanity and his body.
Three days after their Detroit victory, they lost game one in Dallas. Then, forty-eight hours later, they won the second game. But veteran Beringer sustained a knee injury during the overtime period and wasn’t expected to play again until next season.
The team flew back to Brooklyn feeling low. By the time they landed at La Guardia, they had just over forty-eight hours to get ready for game three.
Beacon called home and asked Hans to pick up four steaks and a bag of charcoal for the grill out in back of the townhouse.
“Four?”
“I want Lauren to join us. Make it five if Justin is free. And pick up a bottle of whatever you feel like drinking.”
“What does Lauren drink?” Hans asked.
These days? Water. “Anything. You pick.”
“Sounds like fun,” Hans agreed. “I’ll make that pasta salad that Elsa likes, with the olives in it. She’s a little blue today.”
“She is?” He rubbed his temple, where a headache threatened to develop. “Any idea why?”
“I asked, but she would not say. Even my offer to play Bach duets at twice the normal speed did not cheer her.”
“Shit.”
“You’re coming home, though. She’ll like that. I’ll tell her to finish up the math homework now.”
“Thanks, man. See you soon.” Beacon tossed his duffel bag onto the back seat of a yellow cab and slid in after it. “Willow Street in Brooklyn Heights,” he told the driver.
His next move was to dial Lauren. “Team huddle,” he said when she answered.
“What’s the play, Coach?” she asked immediately.
“Any chance you can come to dinner at my place? I would have asked sooner but this was a plan I hatched at thirty-thousand feet.”
“I could probably make a little room in my busy social calendar.”
“Then I’m honored. Bring a change of clothes, maybe? I’d like to keep you overnight.”
She was quiet a moment. “If you think Elsa’s ready for that.”
“I love that kid so hard, Lo. If she hasn’t figured that out by now, I don’t think another couple weeks of easing her into it is going to help.”
