On and Off The Ice

"Who's punishing who now?" he asked, his voice hoarse with desire.

She shrugged, an impish smile on her face. "I guess it's mutual."

"It certainly is," he agreed and dropped to his side on the bed, pulling her over top of him as he went.

She lay across his chest, palms pressed against him and hair sliding over her shoulders. He lifted one hand, brushing it back and cupping her cheek with one hand. Smiling, she leaned down and kissed him, undoing the button at the waist of his jeans and reaching inside. He jerked against her hand when she reached his hardened cock and she smiled against his lips.

"You're killing me, Lia," he murmured, throwing an arm across his eyes and groaning as she circled him with her fingers, giving him a long, slow stroke.

She smirked and withdrew her hand, watching the way the muscles in his stomach tensed as she did. She took hold of the waist of his jeans and underwear, tugging them down over his hips. He rolled and shifted with her, helping her to slide the last of his clothes off. Then she practically leapt on top of him, spreading her entire naked body over his.

He reached down and grabbed her thigh, dragging it up over his body until she had her knees on either side of him. Then he reached between them, finding and stroking her soaking center as she moaned, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead to his. He tilted his chin up and kissed her, licking her lips before pressing his tongue inside her mouth. She angled her head over his, bracing herself on her elbows and kissing him back as his hand continued to fondle her.

She thrust her hips against his hand over and over, pressing her body down until he had to pull his hand away. Her soaking and over sensitive core came in contact at last with all his hard length. They both sighed together and she moved her hips again, sliding her wet lips all along his cock. He dropped his hands to take hold of her, pushing up with his hips.

"Sean," she breathed against his lips, inhaling his scent as she brushed a hand over his chest.

Reaching down between their bodies, she wrapped her hand around his erection and pushed the tip back and forth against her hole. He groaned, his fingers digging into her skin and she lifted her head, wanting to look into his eyes as she took him inside of her. He blinked his eyes open, meeting her gaze with his cloudy hazel eyes and she sank down around him. They both sucked in a breath and she braced herself against his chest as he moved within her.

God, how Amelia loved to feel him moving inside of her. He was so strong, moved so smoothly against her, making her feel so full. She clenched her hands into fists as he moved one hand up to squeeze her breast, gently pinching a nipple between his thumb and forefinger. His other hand stroked her thigh in time to their movements together. He stroked from her thigh all the way up her body until he was holding the side of her neck. He pulled her down and kissed her. She melted against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying her body against his.

Swiftly, he rolled them over, pressing her down into the bed and pushing up between her legs. She lifted her hips, meeting his thrusts and kissing him passionately. Their tongues tangled and their bodies slapped together. Sean stroked her side with one hand, holding himself up with his other arm. He rubbed his palm down over her ribs and waist until he hooked his hand around her knee, bending it and drawing her leg up along his side. His next thrust went deeper than before and she gasped, trembling all over.

"Sean," she whispered his name again.

At the sound of his name on her lips, he began to move faster. Amelia pulled on his neck, drawing him down to her until he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Their bodies slid together, moving in time, their sweat mingling. Amelia lifted her hips, meeting his body as he pounded against her. Her trembling body tensed and then she wailed into his mouth, coming apart as she climaxed. Sean moved faster, pushing hard and deep as she rode the wave and a moment later he was coming as well, groaning against her throat, his breath hot and damp against her skin.

A little while later, when their hearts were still racing, Sean rolled off of her, planting a kiss on her temple. She rolled with him, tucking herself against his side and sighing happily when his arms tightened around her.

The night closed in around them and they drifted off to a relaxed and contented sleep together.

***

Sean held Amelia close as she slept, going over their strange conversation in his mind. It hadn't reached a conclusion, not that he was complaining about what sidetracked them both. He was beginning to feel the pressure of the season and his outburst after leaving the locker room that night had just been one of many to come, he was sure. His teammates liked to give him a hard time about his habits and routines and following tonight's loss, he didn't take it as well as he usually did.

Still, he felt infinitely better after just being with Amelia. She soothed him and made him feel normal for a change. He didn't have to deal with the glare of the camera flashes or the questions when he was alone with her. The guys on the team knew that too, which was why they'd ceased teasing him about her at a very early stage in their relationship.

He'd ended up being more nervous about introducing her to the team than he'd been about exposing her to the media. After a couple weeks, the media moved on but the team took a little longer to warm up to her. Sean was certain that many of them were just worried about how she might affect his game. Nothing changed; he skated and put his best effort forward. They won some, and they lost some. When Amelia baked them cupcakes and cookies that she stashed in their locker room as a surprise following a game in late December, she won them over completely. Max had even started to call her on the phone, whether they were on the road or at home. Sean was seriously regretting persuading her to get a cell phone.

All in all, Amelia fit into his life like he'd never expected anyone to. It scared the hell out of him. Maybe that's why he'd reacted a little strongly to the guys' good-natured ribbing about his superstitions.

Sighing, he pressed another kiss to Amelia's forehead and smiled when she murmured something unintelligible in her sleep. Then he settled down next to her before drifting off.

***

The game wasn't until later that evening but Sean was busy at his morning skate, so Amelia walked with her laptop to the Starbucks nearest to her apartment. She smiled to herself as she stood in line, trying to look inconspicuous. It wasn't often that she was recognized but she tried not to take any chances. This was the first morning in a while that she'd be able to sit down with her computer and just write.

She had been enjoying her time traveling with Sean and she definitely loved getting to know his teammates and friends. She was glad they seemed to like her and when her cell phone started vibrating in her jacket pocket, she laughed.

"Hello, Max," she said, without looking at the caller display.

"How'd you know it was me, Lia?" Max's accented voice came over the line.

"Lucky guess," she replied. "Shouldn't you be at practice?"

"I am, but Sean left his phone unattended on the bench so I thought I'd see who he's been calling," Max told her. Amelia noticed he was breathing hard and realized the noise in the background was the familiar cut of skates over the ice and shouts of the team. A shout reached her ear, more familiar to Amelia than all the others.

"Oh shit, I think he's seen me now!" Max said and laughed as Sean's voice grew louder. "Did he tell you that he's been calling some chick named Tanya every day?" He rushed to say the words before Sean reached him.

"Put my phone down, you jackass!" Sean shouted and from the sound of it, Amelia guessed he was right next to Max.

There was the sound of a scuffle and then Max yelped right before a loud snap sounded in Amelia's ear. She jerked the phone away from her head and glared at it, ignoring the strange looks she was getting from the other patrons in the Starbucks. She brought the phone back to her ear but the call had ended. Sighing, she shook her head and tucked the phone back into her pocket. Sean would call her back, or maybe Max would again. She wasn't concerned about Max's last comment either; Tanya was Sean's mother.

After ordering her latte at the counter, she settled at a table, pulling her laptop out and powering up. She went on-line first, checking her email as she sipped her latte. She scanned the familiar junk mail and deleted the majority of emails in her inbox before spotting a new message from someone she didn't regularly hear from; her brother, Jason.

Smiling, she clicked on the email to read it, thinking he'd be updating her on the upcoming birth of his second child in the summer. Her smile faded as each word registered in her mind. Her heart stuttered in her chest and she swallowed, the taste of the latte turning to bile in her mouth. She slammed the lid of her laptop down and barely managed to slide it into her carry case before bolting from her table and the coffee shop.

Within an hour she had her bag packed and was in the back of a taxi heading for the airport.

***

When practice ended, and after Sean had let Max know just how happy he was that his teammate had broken his phone, he hurried out of the arena to meet up with Amelia as they'd planned that morning. As he drove down the street, he whistled to himself, thinking again how lucky he was to have someone like Amelia in his life. He headed to his own place first to change and check his messages since he couldn't use his cell.

There were a few messages; one from Max giving him a hard time about his phone and one from his dad about a road trip game he'd be traveling to see. The last one was a rather garbled, hasty message from Amelia. Sean frowned as he listened to it and hit the button to replay it again.

"Sean, it's me," she began, her voice strained. "I won't be able to meet you later. I'm sorry... I've got to go... home. My brother... he said dad's not doing so great. I don't know. I guess I'll try and call you... later. I don't know if you'll get this message. Don't try to call me. I'm catching the first flight home that I can. I'll call later." A pause, as though she was about to hang up, and then, "Oh, I mailed my apartment and car keys to your place. I didn't have time to see you. Can you take care of things for me?" Another pause. "I'll call. I don't... I don't know when I'll be back. Bye."

Sean stared at his phone incredulously for a long minute after listening to her message yet again. So something had happened to her dad; he could understand her taking off to be with the family. Why would she say she wasn't coming back? And what the hell was he supposed to do with her apartment and car?

Hanging up, he quickly dialed her cell phone, hoping that she hadn't boarded the plane yet. She'd called and left that message just a few minutes after Max had broken his phone. The line rang several times before she picked up.

"Jason?" she said briskly instead of 'hello.'

"No, it's Sean," he replied. "Are you all right?"

"I don't know," she sounded extremely upset and if she wasn't crying, she must be on the verge. "Jason emailed me and said my dad collapsed on a job site and was rushed to the hospital."

"Oh, Amelia," Sean breathed, his heart aching for her. He heard her sniffle and clenched his free hand into a fist. He desperately wanted to be standing next to her so he could hold her close.

"I left you a message. Did you get it?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm calling," he replied. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the airport. My flight leaves in a little bit."

"Do you want me to come?"

"No, don't," she said sharply. "You've got a game tonight. I don't want you stuck in traffic because of me."

"Amelia, if you want me to be there with you, I'll come," Sean said patiently, hurt that she'd told him 'no.' "If I'm late to warm-up, then I'm late."

She laughed a little shakily. Sean swept up his car keys and was walking for the front door without even thinking about it. He needed to see her and give her what comfort he could. She sounded so torn up, being so far from her family while her dad was hurt.

"I'll be OK," she said, stopping him as he was putting his shoes on. "Don't come here, Sean. I'm boarding in less than ten minutes now and you'd never make it."

"Amelia-"

"Besides, this town is just starting to warm up to me," she cut him off before he could say anything else. "I'd hate to turn them against me because you missed a game. The team needs you more than I do."

Sean didn't know what to say. He felt torn. Coach would have his hide if he was late for warm-up but he ached to be at Amelia's side. In the end, common sense won out; there was literally no way for him to make it to the airport before she left.

"All right," he murmured. "Will you call me when you get home? Let me know that you're all right?"

"I'll try," she replied.

"Lia..." he began but didn't know what he was going to say. "I-"

"I have to go, Sean," she said and hung up before he could say another word.

He stared at the phone in his hand, bracing himself against the doorway with his other hand and felt like he'd just had the rug pulled out from under his feet. His throat worked around a sudden thickness and his eyes stung.

She'll call, he told himself as he clicked the 'off' button on his phone.

He wondered how he'd make it through the game tonight without her nearby.

***

Amelia glanced up as she ended the call and sniffled yet again. A few people glanced her way but other than a few curious looks, no one disturbed her. She felt horribly guilty for how she'd spoken to Sean and couldn't understand why she'd lied to him about the flight. The earliest flight going anywhere near her hometown wasn't leaving for another four hours. Plenty of time for him to have made it to the airport to see her off. Still, she just couldn't bring herself to admit that she wanted him there.

Sighing heavily, she hefted the bag higher on her shoulder and made her way through the airport to her gate.

***

Her brother met her on the other end, picking her up at the airport and driving them both to the hospital where their father was located. Along the way, Jason explained the situation and Amelia felt some of the tension ease out of her body.

Apparently it was a minor stroke. A few years ago he'd had some heart problems that led to an angioplasty; basically the step doctors take to prevent an actual heart attack. However, due to all the medication and the continuing issues with his cholesterol, he was still susceptible to blood clots. This time, a blood clot had passed somewhere through his body, most likely in a vein leading to his brain, causing him to pass out. He'd collapsed, hitting his head and twisting his knee.

"The doctor's are keeping him in the hospital for a couple days for monitoring but they're very optimistic," Jason concluded.

Amelia leaned back against her seat and squeezed her eyes shut. She breathed deeply through her nose and tried to calm the pounding of her heart. She'd been on high alert since reading Jason's email almost ten hours before. It was late at night now, even in Winnipeg, and she was exhausted. "I'm so relieved," she whispered.

Jason reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. She opened her eyes and glanced over at her brother, giving him a weak smile.

"Dad will be sleeping when we get there but you can see him," Jason told her. "Mom's there, waiting for us."

"Where's Sandra?"

"She stayed home with Aiden," Jason replied, referring to his wife and son.

"God, Jason, when I saw your email I just about threw up," Amelia confessed a moment later.

"I'm sorry to have made you panic," Jason said with a light laugh. "I wrote you when it first happened and then I didn't get a chance to write or call again until after you left the message that you were coming."

Amelia sighed and shook her head, patting her brother's hand in return.

"I wouldn't have thought you'd rush home," Jason commented.

"Why not? You said Dad was in the hospital. What did you expect me to do?"

"I don't know," Jason shrugged and glanced sideways at her. "Weren't you on the road with Sean?"

Amelia directed a pointed glare in his direction and he had the good sense to flush and avert his eyes. She didn't say anything for a long moment and then she rested her head back again. "They're playing at home tonight," she said quietly. "Don't you follow the schedule at all?"

"Of course I do," Jason replied around a laugh. "I just like to bug you."

"Save it. I'm not in the mood."

"Dad's going to be fine, Amelia."

"I know, that's not what I-" she began but stopped herself abruptly.

"What?" Jason asked. When Amelia didn't say anything, he chuckled and squeezed her thigh. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure he'll understand."

"You do know who we're talking about don't you?"

"Not really," Jason replied mildly. "Your boyfriend, I'm assuming?"

"You know what? We won't talk about it anymore if you're going to be like that."

"Oh geez, I was just kidding, Amelia," Jason said.

Amelia remained silent. She was tired, cranky and now felt guilty for taking off with barely a word to Sean. He deserved better than that. Then she wondered why she felt so guilty. Was it because she'd left? Or because she'd planned on not returning?

"I wouldn't worry about Sean," Jason broke the silence a couple minutes later, just as they were pulling into the underground parkade of the hospital.

"No?" Amelia replied quietly.

"I don't think he's as superstitious as everyone says he is. He'll be fine without you for a few games."

"What about the rest of the games?" Amelia asked, a question her brother had no answer for.

***

Cringing as he came off the ice following another shift, Sean tried to avoid meeting his coach's gaze. But Coach zeroed in on the young player and gave him a quiet, but pointed, talking to as he took his seat on the bench. Sean didn't need to hear it. He knew exactly what was going wrong out there and he was struggling to turn himself around, but something was off. He felt it and it scared him.

Have I lost my touch already? he wondered as he swallowed some water. He shook his head and shot to his feet a second later, shouting as a teammate sailed past on the ice.

It wasn't about his touch or even what was happening in the game tonight. The team was winning by a comfortable two-goal lead. Everyone was meshing and coming together to make up for the enormous gap Sean was leaving on the ice. He was lucky. Another night or two like this and they wouldn't be so lucky.

He would have to push his worries about Amelia and her family out of his mind for the night. The team needed him and he needed to focus. The whistle blew and he was on his feet, skating out to play another shift.

***

When they hit the road, Sean could honestly say that he wasn't looking forward to it. Playing games away from their home arena was always difficult, but there was at least a sense of adventure and a challenge when they left for a five or six game road trip. Without knowing how Amelia was doing, and wondering if she'd ever be joining him on the road, Sean was left feeling upset and lost.

The other guys noticed but wisely said nothing about it. After the initial questions about where she was, they didn't bring it up. Max asked once or twice if Sean had even heard from her about her flight. Wen Sean merely shook his head and looked away, the other player left him alone.

Sean was genuinely worried for her and more than a little hurt that she hadn't even called to say she'd arrived safely in Winnipeg. He wondered if her father was all right and how she was holding up if he wasn't OK. It was starting to affect his game.