On the Fly Page 8

  “I know, and I’m sorry,” he said, sounding sincere. “I promise I won’t do it again.”

  She studied him for a moment and finally nodded, coming to the conclusion he really meant what he was saying. She patted his knee and sighed.

  “I hope you won’t.”

  She also hoped she could manage to keep her heart from being broken. She just needed to keep reminding herself she was leaving, and not let Court too close. She could do this.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Court skated to the bench before the game started and looked up to see Lana watching her. She smiled and Lana waved. When Court returned her gaze to the bench, she saw Gail watching her, a smirk on her face.

  “What?” Court asked, sounding defensive even to her own ears.

  “Nothing,” Gail replied, shaking her head.

  Court chose to ignore her for the time being, because she knew Gail would corner her later and want all the details about what was going on between her and Lana. Court and her line mates, Savannah and Kelly, stood at the blue line for the national anthem. When it was over, she couldn’t resist another glance at Lana, who seemed to be watching her intently.

  “You want to go out after the game?” Kelly asked as they skated around center ice waiting for the puck drop to start the game. “Savannah and I are going to Allentown.”

  “I have plans,” she answered with a shake of her head.

  “Not with a teenage boy, I hope,” Savannah said, causing them all to laugh.

  “No, with his mother.”

  Court hadn’t expected it, but her words managed to shut them up. Court grinned as she put the blade of her stick on the ice and began jockeying with the opposing team’s center in anticipation of the puck drop.

  Court could tell the game was going to get out of hand when the officials made it clear they were going to just let them play and only call the most blatant of penalties. When she got cross-checked hard enough to knock her to her knees and they still didn’t call it, she started to lose her temper. Someone was going to get hurt if they kept calling the game this way.

  They made it through the first period without any major incidents and a two-goal lead, but Gail pulled her aside once they were in the locker room.

  “This is bullshit, Gail,” she said, barely resisting the urge to throw her helmet across the room.

  “I know,” Gail said, her exasperation obvious. “Complaints from both benches are falling on deaf ears, though. They seem determined to let the game go on like this.”

  “What do we do?”

  “I don’t want us to start anything, but I don’t want to back down from anything either,” Gail said, both of them looking at the room full of women trying not to let their frustrations get the better of them. Gail met Court’s eyes and nodded once. “Hopefully, the other team will use the same approach, but if not, you ladies know how to handle yourselves.”

  Court hated fighting. It wasn’t allowed in most of the women’s leagues, but this one was trying to develop into a league that played more like the men, and as a result, there were more people in the stands, which meant more money in everyone’s pockets. She loved a good hard hit in the corner as much as the other players, but fighting took away from the game, in her opinion. However, when frustrations ran as high as they were tonight, a good old-fashioned skirmish was inevitable. She nodded her understanding and headed toward her locker.

  “What the hell’s going on out there tonight?” Savannah asked.

  “They’re letting us play hockey,” Court answered as she ran a hand through her hair before turning and facing the rest of her team. “Listen up, ladies. If the officials aren’t going to call a clean game, we need to take matters into our own hands. Don’t go looking for a fight, but if one comes looking for you, deal with it however you feel is best.”

  Usually, as a team, they avoided melees, which tended to piss the other teams off because they almost always ended up taking penalties, and the Warriors had the best power-play unit in the league. They all understood it was inescapable at times, though. It looked like tonight was probably going to be one of those times.

  “We have to fight?” asked someone from the back of the room. Court didn’t recognize the voice, but she shook her head at all of them.

  “Nobody’s telling you to fight, but nobody’s saying you have to turn the other cheek either. Nobody on this team will ever tell you you have to fight.”

  “Let’s go win this game,” Kelly said, standing and putting her helmet back on. She clapped Court on the back. “And I’ll do everything I can to keep that handsome face of yours from getting pummeled, seeing as you have plans for tonight.”

  “Thanks,” Court said with a chuckle. “I appreciate it.”

  Midway through the second period, Court had a breakaway. She skated fast, managing to stay a couple of strides ahead of the closest opposing team member. Just as she was about to let a shot go, she was slashed in the shins and went down, slamming hard into the boards. She stayed down for a few moments, taking stock of everything. Nothing really hurt other than her shins, which wasn’t surprising since they’d shattered the stick of the player who slashed her.

  She heard a lot of yelling to her left where Savannah and Kelly were involved in a shoving match with a couple of players from the other team. Court waved off the trainer who was starting to make his way out to her and got to her feet to an eruption of cheers from the fans. She was pushed from behind as she started to skate away from it all and everything seemed to fade away except for her frustration and anger.

  She turned and saw a woman sneering at her, standing a couple of feet away. She watched as the woman dropped her gloves and removed her helmet. Court did the same without even thinking about what was happening. The other woman threw the first punch, which caught Court right below her left eye. Fuck, that hurt, but she wasn’t about to show any weakness. Court landed the next two, and the woman ended up flat on her back holding her nose between both hands.

  “You fucking bitch!” she yelled, but made no move to even try to get up and come after her again.

  Court glanced around and saw a couple of other fights in progress, and officials trying to break it all up. She didn’t feel the least bit sorry for them, though. They were the ones who’d allowed things to get to this point.

  She skated toward the bench and touched the spot under her eye that stung like hell. She pulled her hand away and her fingers were covered in blood. Gail handed her a towel when she got to the bench and she pressed it to the spot. Once the fights had all ended, she skated to the locker room with the trainer so he could stitch her up.

  “How are you doing?” Gail asked when the team came in after the period was over.

  “It’s gonna leave a mark, that’s for sure,” Court said.

  “You broke her nose, so there’s that, right?” Gail said with a slight grin. She squeezed Court’s shoulder briefly. “You might as well get dressed. We’re up by four, and I can’t risk you getting seriously injured.”

  “Eight stitches,” the trainer said while he finished cleaning up the mess. “You should be good to go, Court.”

  “Thanks, Lou,” she said before he walked away.

  “Get dressed and go spend the rest of the game with your girlfriend.” Gail’s singsongy teasing tone made Court shake her head.

  “Not my girlfriend.”

  “Sure she isn’t, Abbott,” Kelly said as she walked by. “You should have seen how worried she looked when you left the ice.”

  “Seriously, Court,” Gail said when Kelly was out of earshot. “What’s going on with you and Lana Caruso?”

  “Nothing.” Court stood from the table she was sitting on, bracing herself in case she felt a little woozy. She let out a sigh of relief when she didn’t. “We enjoy spending time with each other.”

  “She has a kid,” Gail said, teasing her again.

  “It’s not like I’m looking to marry her or anything,” Court said, feeling a little on edge. “
We haven’t even kissed.”

  “Yet.”

  Court watched Gail turn to walk away, and she couldn’t help but chuckle to herself.

  “Yet,” she said under her breath. But she was definitely hoping it would happen sooner rather than later.

  * * *

  “Oh, my God, Court, are you okay?” Lana asked, her voice full of concern, when Court took a seat next to her in the stands. “It looks like it hurts.”

  “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t,” Court answered with a shrug. “But I’m fine.”

  “Then why are you up here and not out there playing?”

  “Because the game is pretty much over, and Gail doesn’t want me hurt any more than I already am.”

  “You’d better not be lying to me.” Lana caught her gaze and held it, silently daring Court to argue with her. She gently touched Court’s cheekbone with her fingertips but pulled away quickly when Court closed her eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

  “You didn’t,” Court assured her with a wink, which apparently did hurt if her wince was any indication.

  “Should we get out of here?” Lana asked. She had the indescribable desire to take care of Court, not to mention the fact she was afraid she might not be able to keep from kissing her if they were to sit there much longer.

  “I have to stay until it’s over,” Court told her with a glance at the scoreboard. The Warriors were up five to nothing with ten minutes left to play. “It’s in the standard contract. Unless you’re in the hospital, you have to be here for the games.”

  “Okay.” Lana couldn’t say she was happy about it, but she smiled slightly when Court reached over and took her hand. At least she wouldn’t have to wait around for her to shower and get dressed after the final buzzer went off.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lana had never been on a date with a woman who held her hand as they walked and opened doors for her. She decided she kind of liked it. She smiled at Court when she held the car door open for her. They’d decided to take one car from the arena and Court would take her back to get her car after they got something to eat.

  “You’re probably sick of pizza, aren’t you?” Court asked as she pulled out into traffic.

  “I love pizza,” Lana answered, a little surprised at the question.

  “I thought maybe since your family owns the pizzeria you might have been forced to eat it a lot growing up.”

  “I’ll admit we did have it more than anyone else I knew, but it could be why I still love it so much now.” Lana put her head against the back of the seat and looked at Court as she drove. She sighed. Court was beautiful, and she took the time to really study her while she was busy keeping her eyes on the road. Her hair curled up slightly in the back. Just about halfway down her neck. She turned slightly in her seat and reached over to touch the curls. She knew she shouldn’t have done it, but she couldn’t help herself. She smiled when Court glanced over at her. “Does this bother you?”

  “No,” Court said, returning her eyes to the road in front of her. “Well, yes, but not the way you’re thinking.”

  Lana laughed out loud and moved her hand to Court’s thigh. As she moved it slowly toward Court’s center, running her fingernails along the seam of her jeans, she stifled a moan when Court shifted slightly in her seat. Court’s hand covered hers quickly and moved it back toward her knee.

  “I’m sorry,” Lana said, putting her hands in her own lap, sitting up straighter, and looking out the windshield. “I’ll try to behave myself.”

  “Only because I don’t want to get in an accident,” Court said quickly, glancing at her again. “God, if I wasn’t driving…”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Lana said, turning her hand over when Court reached for it. She watched as their fingers intertwined, and wondered silently to herself what exactly she was doing.

  Court was a distraction. A very attractive, charming, and desirable one, but still, it was dangerous to think of her as any more than a disruption to her incredibly boring life while living at home for a few months. As long as Court understood how things were, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?

  “Lana?”

  She blinked, and noticed Court had parked a couple of blocks down the street from Caruso’s. She looked around and shook her head to get rid of the cobwebs.

  “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

  “Where were you?” Court was smiling at her, and Lana returned it.

  “Just thinking. Nothing important.”

  “It didn’t look that way,” Court said, sounding like she didn’t believe her. And why should she? Lana was lying, after all.

  “I promise,” she said with a squeeze of Court’s hand. “Please don’t tell me you’re taking me to Caruso’s on our date.”

  “No,” Court chuckled as she unbuckled her seat belt. She pointed at a bar just up the road a few feet. “This place has the best burgers in town. I assumed burgers would be a safe choice since you made the lasagna with ground beef. Which was excellent, by the way.”

  “Thank you, and burgers are perfect.” Lana smiled when Court jumped out of the car and was at her door before she could even think about undoing her own seat belt. Lana took the hand she offered to help her out of the car, and when she tried to release her, Court held on. She looked at her, one eyebrow raised in question.

  “I like touching you,” Court said softly. “Is that a problem?”

  “No,” Lana answered, even though she thought it could very well turn into a problem. She resolved to not think about it tonight though. Tonight, she just wanted to see where things took them and worry about what it might mean some other time.

  * * *

  “You were right. Those burgers were amazing,” Lana said when they were back in the car.

  Court headed back to the arena so Lana could get her car, but it wasn’t really what she wanted to do. She wanted to take Lana home and spend the night with her. They’d sat close together throughout their meal and touched each other, on the hand, the leg, the arm, a lot. Court was trying to ignore the pulsing between her legs, but it was rather insistent. She shifted slightly to relieve the pressure that was rapidly becoming uncomfortable.

  “Thank you for having dinner with me tonight,” she said.

  “Thank you for inviting me,” Lana answered with a sigh. “I enjoy spending time with you.”

  “Me too.” Court thought about asking her what she wanted to do now, but decided taking her back to her car was the best course of action. Keep it light, and see where it goes. She pulled into traffic and headed back toward the arena.

  “Can we walk for a bit?” Lana asked when they pulled in behind her car.

  “Yeah, sure,” Court said with a nod. She got out and went to open Lana’s door for her, but Lana beat her to it. She took Lana’s hand when she held it out to her. They walked in silence for a few minutes, looking in the windows of the shops that were closed for the night all along the main street of Kingsville.

  “This town always reminded me of Bedford Falls,” Lana said.

  “From It’s a Wonderful Life?” Court asked. They stopped in front of a coffee shop and Court studied Lana’s reflection in the glass.

  “Yeah.” Lana turned and smiled. “All the little shops and businesses. There’s a lot of small town charm here, you know? Where did you grow up?”

  “Allentown. Not a lot of charm there, small town or otherwise.”

  The wind gusted, and a lock of hair obscured Lana’s eyes. Court brushed it away from her face and Lana smiled at her. Court let her hand linger against Lana’s cheek and moved her thumb across her bottom lip. Because she wasn’t sure what Lana wanted, she let her arm drop and looked down the street.

  “Hey,” Lana said, grabbing Court’s shirt in both fists and pulling her closer. “You can’t do that and not kiss me.”

  “Really?” Court grinned at her. “Did I miss that in the instruction booklet?”

  “You must have.”

&nbs
p; Lana stood there, Court’s shirt in her grasp, and just stared at her. When her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, Court thought for sure her knees were going to give out. She put her hands on Lana’s hips and pulled her closer.

  “You’re sure I have to kiss you?” she asked.

  “It’s a rule.” Lana nodded. “If you don’t, then there can’t ever be a second date.”

  “Oh, well, when you put it that way…”

  Court touched her lips to Lana’s, lightly at first, just to test the waters. When Lana’s hands released her shirt and moved up her neck to hold her in place, Court moaned. She skimmed Lana’s lips with her tongue, and Lana parted her lips to allow her entry. As soon as her tongue slid along Lana’s, she felt light-headed. She broke the kiss and took a step back.

  “Why did you stop?”

  Court looked around and noticed a small alleyway next to the coffee shop, so she grabbed Lana by the hand and led her there quickly. She turned, fully intending to press Lana against the wall, but Lana was quicker. Court, her back against the building, smiled as Lana moved in, taking her mouth in a searing kiss that threatened to send Court over the edge right there. Her body tingled with the anticipation of what Lana could do to her if they didn’t have clothes in the way. She was in danger of finding out if she didn’t put some distance between them. She turned her head away to break the kiss, and Lana’s lips began working on her neck.

  “Stop,” she said weakly. She didn’t really want Lana to stop. She was just afraid someone would find them. Probably a cop, and she really didn’t want to end up in jail. Lana pulled away and looked in her eyes. “God, I want you.”

  “Then why stop?”

  “Um, because we’re outside? In the middle of town?” Court said, laughing. “I think we need to go somewhere else to continue this. Will you come home with me?”

  Lana took a step away from her and shook her head. “I can’t. I have to pick Eric up at the pizzeria.”