The Tao of Hockey (Vancouver Vice #1) (7 page)

“
Y
our cat’s a perv
,” Josie said as she and Misty walked out of the bathroom. I was a perv too, because I’d been lying in bed and waiting to see Josie to come out. Naked, she moved as naturally as when she was fully dressed—like a panther or cougar. We’d been seeing each other for a few weeks now, and I still couldn’t tear my eyes away when she was in the room.

“Did Misty watch when you flushed the toilet?”

Josie nodded. “And she stared at me the whole time I was sitting there.” She patted Misty anyway, and when Josie bent down, the view was awesome. The cat did one circuit of the room and then disappeared through the cat door Joe had installed when we both got sick of letting her in and out.

Josie stretched and then started looking around. “Where are my clothes?” She knelt down and peeked under the bed.

“Maybe it’s a sign.”

“What’s a sign?”

“Not finding your clothes is a sign that you should stay over.”

Josie jumped on top of me in bed. “Did you hide my clothes?”

“Maybe….”

“Eric! How old are you? Where did you put my stuff?”

I pulled her down on top of me. “C’mon, X-Ray. You said you don’t have to work tomorrow. And it’s Saturday, so I can set my own time at the gym. Please stay over?”

“X-Ray? Is that my hockey player nickname?”

Did she forget that was what she had called herself when we met? I remembered every single thing that had happened between us.

Josie rolled off me, but I kept an arm wrapped around her. “If you stay, I’ll go to that bakery you like and get you cinnamon buns in the morning.”

“Why is this such a big deal for you? We just spent hours together: we ate dinner, walked through Stanley Park, and had sex. I think that’s enough.”

“I want to sleep with you, feel you next to me all night, and then wake up with you. Besides it’s our anniversary.”

She gave me a blank stare. “What?”

“It’s exactly a month ago that we went out on our first date. You know, dinner at that Italian place?”

“Is there a fourteen year-old girl hidden in that jacked body?
‘Dear Diary, tonight we had our first date. Swoon.
’ Then you wrote ‘
I’m Josie’s guy!’
fifty times down the opposite page.” She dissolved into giggles.

“A fourteen year-old girl?” I huffed. “That’s sexist.”

“Nawww. It’s how I used to be at fourteen.” She laughed again, but I found it pretty hard to imagine Josie as a lovesick teenager. No way.

But me as a lovesick guy? Unfortunately that was more the truth. It had been an incredible month. At first, Josie came over only at night—like a sex vampire. Once I got her to let down her guard and relax, sex got better and better. Her early difficulties in having orgasms wasn’t anything we’d ever discussed, but now it was way easier. Our bodies responded to each other. It made me sweat to think that if I’d just fucked her the first time and she didn’t come, she might never have come back. At least all the time I’d spent having sex with random women had paid off when it mattered.

And eventually we had moved into regular dating. It was still tough to pin her down, and she always insisted on meeting me, so I hadn’t even seen her place yet. Still, it was great to go out with someone who was a lifelong Vancouverite. She knew all these cool places and things to do. We both liked to do outdoor stuff like hiking, swimming, or running. She wanted to do some hard-core mountain biking, but I wasn’t going to do anything that might get me injured so close to camp.

“Okay.” Josie got under the covers.

“Okay, what?”

“I’ll stay over. Consider it my anniversary gift to you. But I think one month is normally the chewing gum anniversary.”

I pulled her in close, so her ass was against my cock. “I think it’s the latex anniversary.”

“Every night is the latex anniversary for you.”

“Hey, I’ve got an idea. Maybe we can stop using condoms. You’re on birth control, right?”

She rolled over to face me. “Yeah. Hey, I have an idea too. Since I’m staying over already, maybe you could relax for one minute.”

“Okay, sorry. I just wanted to let you know that I’m not, you know, having sex with anyone else.”

“Considering how much we have sex, it would be a miracle if you were.”

I waited but she didn’t give me the same reassurance back. Unless what she had just said meant she couldn’t be having sex too. “So, does that mean—”

Josie shushed me. “Eric. Let’s go to sleep now. We can hold each other and quietly appreciate how nice it all feels.”

I nodded and kissed her. It was weird. For so long I had avoided saying what I knew women wanted to hear, because I didn’t want to get tied down. And now that I wanted commitment, those scripted lines weren’t working.

But Josie was right; I was worrying too much about the future and not appreciating the now. Her warm body next to mine felt fantastic, and she snuggled even closer.

I
n the morning
, I woke up early. Josie was lying beside me, and I got up on one elbow to stare at her. She looked beautiful. It was like she was this talisman for me—I could relax when she was around.

Everyone thought that I was pretty laid back. But I had this constant low-grade worry about the future, specifically my hockey future. Right now, things were great because I was training hard and the only pressure was to get into better shape. But in a couple of weeks, I’d be at the Vice training camp. The pressure would be amped up then. Even the idea was starting to twist up my stomach.

I slipped out of bed and pulled on sweats and a t-shirt. I grabbed my flip-flops and wallet, then went out into the backyard. I stretched slowly, and then moved into a sun salutation. This was the best time of day, when the sun was rising and the neighbourhood was quiet. It was getting colder though, and the leaves were turning golden shades and falling. Then I sat down to meditate. Time to quiet my worries. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing, on the sunlight on my eyelids, and on the peace I was still feeling. Calm.

Once I was finished my meditation, I put on my sandals and tucked my wallet in my pocket. I walked briskly to this nearby bakery. We had found it one evening when Josie got sugar cravings after I made her dinner.

When I got back inside with a paper bag of pastries, the bed was empty and the drawer where I’d stashed her stuff was slightly ajar. Shoot. How like her to take off. I had been looking forward to spending the morning with her.

Then I heard a voice in the bathroom. “Cat, you are weird.” The bathroom door opened. Misty exited first and then Josie. She was dressed, and towelling her hair dry. She smiled at me, and I grinned back.

“Misty watched me shower too,” Josie said.

Sounded like something I’d like to do myself. “Really? She’s never done that to me.”

“Maybe she’s a lesbian cat, and your body is not turning her crank.”

I pulled her in for hug. “As long as my body turns your crank.”

Josie kissed me. “Oh, definitely. I borrowed your toothbrush.”

“No problem. I’ll get you one of your own for next time.”

She shook her head. “Oh, Eric. Is your middle name Commitment?”

“No, it’s Sky.”

Her eyes widened, and she laughed.

I frowned at her. “What? That’s normal where I come from.”

“Yes, mythical, mystical Nelson, B.C.”

“I want to take you there, you’ll like it. It’s a beautiful place—spiritual and welcoming.”

“One sleepover and I have to meet the parents.” Josie was smiling though, she didn’t seem to mind my scheming.

“My mom will love you,” I said.

“Apparently not your dad,” she observed.

Shit. Nothing escaped her. “Well, my dad wants me to concentrate on hockey all the time. He keeps telling me it’s my last chance to make it. So, he doesn’t approve of any extracurricular activities.”

“Ahh, like me? Awesome, I’m the sexual equivalent of taking jazz band. Let’s see what you got at the bakery.” She moved into the kitchen area, and I followed. I put the kettle on and put the pastries onto a plate. Then I got out the makings of my breakfast bowl.

Josie frowned. “Are you going to eat hamster food while I’m gorging on cinnamon buns? I could feel guilty.”

“Are you kidding me? You have less conscience than a super-villain.”

“Ya, you’re right. But maybe I’ll try a little of your breakfast too. Then I can have dessert. Although, it looks like you stole this stuff from a bird feeder.”

She ate the oatmeal with flax, chia and pumpkin seeds that I made but passed on the boiled eggs and wholegrain toast. She looked far happier when she tore off a piece of cinnamon bun and popped it in her mouth. Then she frowned and returned to the subject of my family.

“I don’t understand what more your dad could ask from you. You work out harder and eat cleaner than anyone I’ve ever met. And I’ve met some extreme people.”

I exhaled. “None of it means anything unless I make the team. There will always be something I didn’t do or should have done.”

Josie nodded and patted my arm.

“Parents are never happy.” She sounded calm, but she began tearing her cinnamon bun into smaller and smaller pieces. “Bike courier isn’t exactly my dad’s career of choice for me.”

That was the first time she’d ever mentioned her family. I waited, but she didn’t continue.

“Besides, Ricky, hockey is the Canadian dream, right? At least you’re getting paid to do it.”

“Yeah, but it’s never enough. Europe isn’t the AHL, and the AHL isn’t the NHL.”

“Seems like he needs to back off. Is he paying for your training stuff?”

“No, I’m using the money I saved up from last season.”

“Then who cares?”

“It’s not that simple, Josie. I love my parents, and I want to succeed for myself and for them too.”

“Okay.” That was something else I’d noticed about Josie. When she gave her opinion, she only said it once and then never argued. It was like she thought you were an idiot if you didn’t agree, but she couldn’t be bothered to convince you. She moved onto my lap. “You want to fool around before I go?”

I grinned. There were some things we could always agree on.

“
B
omber
, heads up,” I yelled out as this big centre headed towards him behind the net. Some of these guys from junior had size, but no sense of timing, and they made out like wrecking balls out there. Bomber made a neat deke that left the kid slamming himself into the boards. A few strides and Bomber had the puck in the neutral zone.

I mirrored him on the other side of the ice, our skates gliding across the blue line at exactly the same time. Bomber went wide, so I headed straight for the net. I knew Dirk was trailing, so all I needed to do was take one defenceman out of the play, and he’d have a clear shot. I took one look over my shoulder and realized that Reeds was hustling to backcheck, and he was going to take Dirk out of the play. The d-man coming at me was slow though, and maybe I could use his indecisiveness to create a little room. I faked a move to the left and behind the net, and he started to follow me. I cut back sharply. Then,
swish.
The puck arrived on my stick, and I roofed it.

Cellies during scrimmage were for kids. I pointed at Bomber and he grinned. We skated back to the bench.

Dirk smacked me on the back. “You’re on fiyah, Yogi. What’s your secret?”

“Healthy living. Shit like that.”

“Ugh. I’m not going to start eating your sprouted crap and doing yoga. I was hoping it was some magic pill.”

Bomber shook his head. “There are no magic pills. And if there were, the League would be testing for them.”

A few minutes later, we finished up and headed for the dressing room.

“I can’t believe that this is the end,” Dirk said sadly. “It’s been great working out with you guys.” Our training together was coming to an end. Reeds and Bomber were both leaving on the weekend. NHL training camps started a couple of weeks before the AHL ones. Dirk and I would still be working out, and then it would be our turn to leave. The whole place was starting to turn over as hockey season geared up.

“Nothing like the beginning of hockey season,” said Bomber happily. I knew what he meant. Training was fun and stress-free, but I was starting to long for meaningful games—if I got through the tryout. Bomber was the guy I felt closest to. He had given me lots of advice and encouragement. I felt sure we’d all keep in touch.

“Don’t forget about the barbeque at my place tonight,” Reeds said.

“What barbeque?” I asked.

“What is wrong with your brain, Yogi? I told you a week ago. It’s our goodbye bash.”

“I’ve got plans to meet Josie. But maybe we can drop by later.”

Reeds groaned. “Ever since you started dating her, it’s like you’re in a fog.”

“All his mental energies are being drained down here.” Dirk rubbed his crotch. “He’s achieved nirvana.”

“Actually, nirvana is a state of enlightenment beyond desire,” I corrected him. Dirk threw a sweaty hockey sock at me.

But they were right. Ever since I’d started seeing Josie, I’d been in a bit of a daze. For a while, I was worried that staying up late and having strenuous sex was going to cut into my training regimen, but I’d been playing better than ever. It felt like my mind was clear and I could really focus. But I had added a pre-dinner nap into my day. You couldn’t fake sleep, and as Reeds said, I’d been a little absentminded.

And I really liked hanging out with her, but I couldn’t pin her down much, which was both frustrating and freeing. Reeds would say it was karma for all the women I’d brushed off when they wanted a relationship.

Today, Josie was working at some location in the valley, but we going to meet afterwards for dinner. I checked my phone but there was no message from her.

When I got out of the shower, the room was strangely empty. Usually, the guys hung around and shot the shit a little. But it looked like everyone had taken off.

Then it hit me that the guys might be planning some kind of prank, especially since I wasn’t going out with them tonight. I opened the dressing room door carefully. No bucket of anything fell on my head. I peeked down the corridor, but it sounded completely empty.

I headed out to my truck. A bunch of the guys were gathered beside it, and I sped up. What the hell was up? If they were attaching dildos to the truck like I’d seen once in the A, I’d kill them.

“This is one nice ride,” said Mars, one of the younger players.

“Sweetest motorcycle I’ve seen,” Dirk chimed in.

“Dude. This is not just a motorcycle! It’s a fucking Ducati Panigale. This baby could smoke any car on the road.” Bomber was as excited as I’d ever heard him. “How fast can she accelerate?”

“Zero to 100 clicks in three seconds.” I could hear Josie’s calm voice although I couldn’t yet see her amongst the crowd. Then someone moved, and I saw her. She was leaning against her bike in a leather jacket, jeans, and aviators. The breeze spiked up her hair.

“Oooh, man. It’s a beauty.” Bomber was practically jizzing out there. “How did you get this bike anyway?”’

“I bought it from a little old lady who only used it to go to church on Sundays.”

“No, seriously, Josie.”

“I had to learn to race motorcycles for a movie, and I really liked it. Mario, the guy who taught me to ride, knew someone who wanted to sell the Ducati. So, we made a deal, and now I—” She looked up and saw me. “Oh hey, Ricky.”

I pushed my way through the crowd, put my arm around her, and kissed her. It was probably the equivalent of an animal marking his territory. “You getting into trouble again?”

She leaned against me. “Always.”

“Eric! You didn’t tell me your girlfriend rode a Ducati.” Bomber sounded shocked at my lapse. I didn’t even know what kind of motorcycle it was. He kept running his hands over the leather seat and the chrome handlebars.

Reeds laughed. “If he talks about Josie, it’s not going to be about her bike. But we all remember you from the pub.”

“And from all the time that Fairburn spent stalk—” I jammed my elbow into Dirk’s side to shut him up. “Er, I mean,
talking
about you,” he finished.

Josie laughed. Not only had she heard his word slip, but she knew I had been obsessed with her anyway. How else could I have shown up outside her work site?

“Gentleman, Josie and I have plans. So, maybe you can clear out.”

Dirk spoke directly to her. “Hey, Josie, we’re all going out to a bbq at Reeds’ place. It’s a goodbye party because Reeds and Bomber are leaving. Yogi here can’t come because he’s too whipped. So, why don’t both of you come? Please, please?”

“Yogi? Is that what you call him?” Josie laughed. “And you think I’ve got him whipped?”

“Hey, did I say it was a bad thing?” Dirk was eyeing her, and in her leather jacket and studded belt, she did look like a dominatrix.

She turned to me. “It’s up to Eric.”

I was worried that she wouldn’t want to hang out with the guys, but it would be great to go. “Okay, we’ll meet you there.”

“Awesome,” said Bomber. He was probably going to spend the evening caressing her motorcycle.

Everyone headed back to his car. I lifted Josie’s face and kissed her properly this time. I could hear some rude remarks in the background, but I ignored them.

I kept her face cradled in my hand. “You came to see me. That’s sweet.”

“Ugh. Don’t call me sweet, or I’ll never do this again. I was on my way back and I figured this might save time.”

“It will. You are so smart. And cute. And sweet.”

She fake-punched me in the stomach. “Maybe I’ll hop back on my bike and leave.”

“Zero to 100 kilometres in three seconds. I could never catch up with that. How come I never get to ride your motorcycle?”

“I wouldn’t let you drive it.”

“Because of my driving restrictions?”

“No. Because you don’t know how to handle this much power between your legs.” She rubbed my thigh as she said that, and I smiled down at her. If he had a face, my cock would have been smiling too, but instead he settled for getting hard.

I pulled her close to me. “I think I do. And I think I showed you that on Wednesday night.”

Josie tried to hide her smile. I kissed her forehead and kept talking. “I don’t mind if you drive. I could ride behind you.” I rubbed my hand over her ass. “Right behind you.”

She shook her head. “You wanna be my bitch, Ricky? Too bad, but it’s not that kind of bike. It only seats one.”

“Why did you get it? Other than it was fun.”

“I like to do road trips. To clear out the cobwebs in my brain and be alone.”

Josie made it very clear that she needed time alone, and again I worried that I was pushing her too much. But I enjoyed being with her—even beyond the sex.

“Are you sure it’s okay if we go to Reeds’ place? I mean, there’ll probably be a lot of hockey talk, and it’s mainly guys.”

“I like guys.”

“I don’t know if I like that statement.”

Josie laughed. “It beats ‘I like girls.’”

“True.”

She shook her head. “Seriously, if you want to do something—just say so. I’m not big on self-sacrifice. And you know I’ll tell you if I don’t want to do it.”

“I guess. I want our times together to be fun for you.”

“I’m not a princess, and I don’t want you to feel whipped.”

“Because if there’s any whipping, I want to do it.” I slapped her ass for emphasis.

“That’s not going to happen,” Josie said.

“Why not? I think it might be fun.”

“I told you before—I’m not into pain. Not mine, anyway. Yours I can deal with.”

“Why do you do stunt work then? There’s so much potential for accidents and injury.”

“That’s why I’m good at my job. I do the maximum preparation to avoid risks. You always see those clips of fiery stunts gone wrong, but you never see the hundreds of times that things go right—except in the actual movie.”

“All right. I guess I’m meeting you there, right?”

“Yup. Give me the address.” I found it on my phone and showed it to her. She pulled on her helmet and fastened the straps.

“Aren’t you ever going to ride with me?” Although who in their right minds would ride in a Toyota truck instead of the world’s coolest motorcycle?

“Sure. When you get the training wheels off.”

She roared off. Bomber was getting into his Porsche, but he watched her leave longingly. I knew that feeling well.