The Road to the Cup ~ Wattys 2015

We Need to "Talk"

I was uneasy as I drove to practice Monday morning. I had no idea how much Sidney, or any of the other guys, remembered. I had to talk to him today.

Saturday Morning

'Hey, we need to talk to about last night.' It was Sidney.

'I know. Stay behind Monday after practice. We'll talk then,' I replied. 

'See you then.'

That had been it. I didn't know if it was good that he decided we needed to talk, or if that was bad. And I wasn't completely sure about the wisdom in talking to him alone, but I had no choice now. Julia couldn't be backup because she had flown back to Detroit yesterday and I couldn't involve the other guys in this.

I was the first one at Consol Energy Center again, so I took to the ice to clear my head so that I could focus on practice. It worked. By the time the guys had arrived, I had the upcoming preseason opener against Detroit on my mind. We had to be ready for that game. Detroit had a lot of talented players, and I did not want my first loss to be against my home team.

Practice went well, and everyone seemed to have the upcoming game on their minds. Well, not everyone. I could feel Sidney's gaze on me whenever he wasn't in the middle of a drill. Knowing that he wanted to talk unnerved me. What if something happened between us again? It was bad enough that something had already happened. I didn't want to think about the consequences if something happened again.

Finally, Johnston sent them to the weight room. I took my clipboard and followed them. I grew more nervous as the seconds passed, knowing I'd have to talk to Crosby soon. I walked around the weight room, nervously tapping my pen on the board. "Coach," Maatta said, making me jump.

"Yes, Maatta?" I said.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Certainly," I replied, stopping to stand next to the bench where he was lying between reps.

He sat up, "I'm sorry for kissing you Friday night," he said in a whisper so he wasn't heard. "I was a little drunk," he offered me a small smile.

"No, I was a little drunk. You were drunk off your ass," I replied, "but it's fine. Just don't do it again."

He nodded and I turned away. But as I began to walk away, I swore I heard him say, "If I was drunk off my ass, then Crosby must have been shitfaced."

Had he seen us? He must have, or he wouldn't have said that. I turned around, "What did you say?"

"Crosby was shitfaced. I saw him stumbling around before I came over to you and he looked worse off than I was," he replied. He met my gaze, and I knew he wasn't lying. Inwardly, I was crying tears of joy. Outwardly, all I said was, "Yeah, he seemed shaky when I saw him."

Finally, the guys were done working out and they trickled out of the weight room, laughing and talking. My heartbeat was roaring in my ears and the sound the door made when it slammed shut seemed unnecessarily loud. Sid sat at a bench wiping his arms and face off with a towel on the opposite side of the room from me. I nervously rubbed my palms on my jeans and walked over. This was so stupid. Why did I walk to him? I was the coach, he should be coming to me. Ugh, I was so nervous; my mind needed to shut up.

"Not here," he muttered without looking up.

"Huh?" Good one, Erin. You sound so intelligent and in control of yourself. Idiot.

"Security cameras," he muttered. Then he looked up and subtly shook his head before saying, "The guys and I are going out to lunch and we want you to come. I'll text you the details."

"Sounds good, Crosby," I forced a smile and left. I packed my things away in my office and walked out to my car. I shut the door and put my head on the steering wheel. My phone dinged as I received a text message and I sighed, pulling it out. It was Sidney. He wanted me to meet him at his house. What the fuck? How was that a good idea?

I texted him back asking if he was sure. He replied a minute later and said yes, attaching his address and the code to the gate at the bottom of his driveway. Great. I'd be at his house. With him. Alone. Again. I was such an idiot.

I went anyways.

I arrived at his house not too long after receiving his text. It was huge and beautiful. I couldn't believe it was all his and he lived by himself. He opened the door before I knocked, surprising me. He smiled at me, toweling his hair dry as he stood in the doorway in just a pair of shorts. I knew from experience that hockey players have abs and are very toned, but I had never seen a professional player at such close range with no shirt on. "Hi," he said.

"Hi," I was trying very hard not to stare; it wasn't working.

"Please, come in," he stepped out of the way and I walked inside. His home was just as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. Everything was sleek and in shades of grey, black, white, and blue.

"So, uh, we need to talk," I said, turning around to face him, hands in my pockets and face angled towards the ground. I couldn't bring myself to make eye contact with him.

"No, we don't," he said.

My head snapped up and he was no longer standing in the doorway, but was inches away from me, his usually soft brown eye burning into mine with a passion I'd only seen when I watched him play.

"Sidney-" I couldn't speak anymore as he lifted his fingers to trace my face, his cool breath washing over me. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear, and I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my head. He was taking over my senses. I could see him; he was almost as close to me as he had been Friday night. I could hear him breathing, his breath cathcing as I met his gaze. I could smell the aroma of sandalwood and bergamot coming off of his skin, fresh from his shower. I could feel his fingers grazing gently against my skin, lighting me on fire. And as my lips parted sightly, I could almost taste his lips on mine.

"You were saying?" he smirked, realizing his hold on me.

"I don't know," I admitted.

"You never answered my question Friday night," he leaned in and put his lips right next to my ear, "Who do you want?"

"You," I breathed.

"I was hoping you'd say that," and we were done with our talk. He cupped my face in his hands, crushed his lips to mine, and pushed me up against the wall with his hips. His kiss was rough and desperate. My fingers traced up his chest and then down his back, as I returned his kiss with a passion that rivaled his own. He teased his tongue along my bottom lip, and my lips parted in response.

Somehow, there was still space between us, so I tangled my fingers in his damp hair and pulled him closer to me. He obliged, moving his own hands to my waist and lifting me up. He held me there with his hips and started placing kisses along my jaw to my neck where he proceeded to leave his mark. I leaned down and planted a kiss on his shoulder. He pressed his lips firmly to mine once again and I pulled at his bottom lip with my teeth. A groan emanated from his throat and he lifted me away from the wall, carrying me off into his house.

Author's Note

So that happened. Please vote and comment to let me know what you thought of this chapter. A new update will be delivered shortly. Thanks for your support. Let's Go Pens!