Page 36 of Powder
“Hey,sexy, we need to get up and pack,” someone tall, dark, and incredibly handsome whispered against my shoulder. He dropped a kiss there, then wiggled closer. I moaned, partly in pain, partly in anticipation of a cuddle, and partly because I was too tired, aka hungover, to form words. “How’s your head?”
“I’ve had no complaints,” I mumbled as said head began to thump in time with my back bruise, knee bruise, and the bruise on my shoulder from a check into the boards from a certain Canuck last night.
“Ass,” Tian chuckled as he nestled in under my arm, the fine hairs on his chest tickling my side. I loved the differences in our bodies. His slim and tight, mine big and… sore. So very sore. “You look like hell. Would you like some OTC stuff?”
I opened my dry mouth to reply when someone hammered on the door. The sounds made my brain ring like a church bell. I was never tossing back shots to celebrate a gold medal ever again. And that was easy to stick to since my craggy ass was just about done being beat like a cheap imported rug. Christ, everything hurt.
“If that’s my sister tell her I disowned her,” I growled, eyes watering, as Tian leaped from the bed like a gazelle. How? How could he not be suffering? He’d been at my side last night, same as Fiona, rocking shots of tequila until the wee hours at some club. Not sure what the name of the club was. Something Italian. Nice place. I think.
Fiona entered with her usual regal grace. “Christ, you look like shit,” she declared, whipping open the room-darkening curtains. My eyes melted. “You have an hour until checkout. I have a ride scheduled to take you to your love nest so rise and shine. Come on.” She clapped her hands. Bad words fell out of my mouth. I shoved a pillow into my face. Maybe I would suffocate, and my agony would be over. Someone stronger than me tugged it off then kissed me on the lips.
“Come on, sunshine.” Tian eased me into a sitting position while my extremely mean sister started throwing clothes into suitcases. “We have one more round of press to do then we can be alone. All alone. Like just the two of us alone.”
Okay, that sounded good. The presser? Not so much. Somehow, I managed to shower. That was it in terms of personal grooming. No shaving or combing of the hair. Just a swipe of deodorant on my pits and a swig of hot coffee that my maybe not-so-mean sister had delivered via room service.
We met the press in the lobby, several dozen hockey players, men and women, and did the blah-blah thing. Yes, we were happy we’d won. Yes, we were anxious to get home. Yes, Milan had been amazing. Yes, we were tickled to get that nice payout for the gold, silver, and bronze medals we had won. There were also sponsorships that would come flowing in for the winners, but I had enough of those. I’d not done this for sponsors like the younger athletes had, I’d done it to prove to myself that I could. And also, to be with Tian. Our time was short. We needed to figure out where we were going as a couple.
Smiling as politely as a man with a bruised kidney, a swollen knee, and a hangover the size of a Zamboni, I excused myself from the throng. Tian was seated at the bar eating a breakfast burrito, his after-medal media stuff concluded for the moment. My tummy growled at the sight of his platter of food. Fiona was on her phone, talking to someone, probably some horny Italian Olympian that I would have to?—
“Excuse me, Jack,” someone to my left called in a thick accent. I stopped and turned. The Latvian player who had jacked me in the back stood in front of me, light eyes filled with remorse. “I’d like a moment, please, of your time. I’m Andrejs Briedis. The one who hurt you.”
“Yeah, I recall the face but not the name. Your English is good,” I tossed out to be polite.
“I want to apologize for your injury. I lost my temper. That is not an excuse to be proud of, but it is the honest one. I did not wish for you to miss games. Have you healed well?”
“Well enough to win the gold.”
“Yes, I watched. Wonderful defensive game. I am sorry. Genuinely so.”
I felt he was being sincere. Surely he didn’t have to linger around and track me down to be insincere.
“Thanks. It’s all good. Hockey is a tough game. You played well.” I offered him a hand. He clasped it then shook it heartily. “You’re welcome to join us for a quick bite before we check out.”
“Sorry, no time. Check out is in ten minutes and the ride is here now. Tian, finish that up. Get your bags and follow me to the exit.” Fiona began motioning us along.
“My sister. Very pushy,” I explained to Andrejs as Tian jogged past, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk, a huge carryout bag on his shoulder. “I better go. Nice to meet you.”
Fiona steered us to the front desk, out of the door, and into a taxi. “You’re on your own now. I have a date in two hours. The driver has the address of the hotel. It’s to die for. Enjoy and please romance each other madly.” She kissed my cheek then Tian’s before shoving us into the back of the taxi.
“Wonder who her date is,” I said as we sped away from the Olympic Village.
“Ugh, I never ate a burrito that fast. I think I might die,” Tian moaned as we raced, and I do mean raced, through narrow streets my truck back home wouldn’t have been able to fit through.
Thankfully, Tian did not die nor did I. If we had we’d have missed out on the suite Fiona had booked for us in a five-star hotel overlooking the Naviglio Grande, a thirty-one mile long canal. I’d never seen such luxury in my life. The room was enormous, with a balcony looking down over the canal. White,brown, and gold bedding and drapes gave the room a classy look. A massive bed, hardwood floors, a huge bath with a rainfall showerhead Tian was already making plans for.
We fell into the bed the moment the porter left our bags by the door. I pulled him close, inhaled the smell of him deep into my lungs, and promptly fell asleep. Sleeping with him by my side under a down duvet until the late morning, showering under a warm rainfall, kissing, touching, making love until the late afternoon then taking a stroll along the canal, hand in hand? Perfect
Typical tourists, we chose to spend the second, and sadly last day, of our mini romantic holiday seeing the sights. We visited the Arch of Peace, ate lunch at a small eatery that made the best saffron risotto, and then made our way to the Cathedral to enjoy the panoramic views at sunset. We were such sightseers it was sickening. I loved every minute. Tian snapped a thousand selfies; most we kept to ourselves even though we were not hiding our relationship. We kissed in public so anyone who cared would know. I heard Tian humming “Adore Me” outside the cathedral and had a flashback to our dance on that pier on the cay. I tugged him into my side to ensure he didn’t get away from me again.
Around seven on our final night we found a tiny pizzeria that seated perhaps twenty. We enjoyed an aperitivo of a glass of wine with a dish of large olives, cured meats, cheese, and bread. The waiter allowed us to linger, bringing us more olives and cheese as we listened to a young woman near the door singing Italian love songs. I never wanted to move. Seated here, warm with wine and buzzed from excursions, Tian’s hand in mine, watching the people of Milan moving past the open door of the pizzeria…
“This is perfect,” I sighed as his dark head came to rest on mine. “Let’s never leave.”
“I wish we could stay forever too. But you have a hockey game against Philly in two days and I have… well, I have to get back to Colorado and figure out what I’m doing.”
I nuzzled my nose into his hair as the street performer began a rendition of “La Cura” that, according to the waiter, had poetic lyrics that added to our romance.
“How will we work this out?” I asked, not moving a muscle when our gorgeous wood-fired Neapolitan pizza topped with cheese, spinach, and prosciutto cotto arrived.
