Casey's Valentine

"Holy shit, LeBlanc!" Kellan's voice screamed into his ear as he knocked his helmet in celebration.

Jason wanted to collapse onto the ice in relief; it was the first goal he had scored in weeks. His heart soared as he thought back to Casey and the dingy bar, knowing he just gave her something to scream about.

After the ice emptied and the game stars were named, the Avs made their way back to the locker room, yelping in celebration. LeBlanc stopped when he felt light pressure on the crook of his elbow and looked up into a reporter's face.

"Jason, do you have a minute?" the stout man asked as a camera flashed in front of him. LeBlanc merely nodded, still trying to calm his heart from the excitement of his game-winning goal.

"You just scored your first goal in thirteen games and the game-winner to boot. How does it feel?"

Jason smiled into the camera, praying that his plan would work. "Like a relief!" he all but laughed.

"You led the team in points for defensemen last year. Do you think you'll be able to accomplish that again this season?"

"As long as I can stay out of the penalty box, I certainly am going to make a go at it."

The reporter nodded, satisfied with his response. "Speaking of the penalty box, you seem to be spending a lot more time in there lately. Any reason why?"

Jason smiled and his eyes lit up as the question he was waiting for came up. "Yes." He swallowed hard and looked directly into the camera, though all he saw were sparkling hazel eyes. "Because Casey Taylor still hasn't called me."

Jason offered the camera one more brilliant smile before walking back into the locker room laughing.

-----

Casey's jaw fell open as she dropped the glass she was holding. It shattered as it hit the floor, but still she didn't move.

"What the fuck did he just say?"

She looked around at the guys at the bar. They looked just as shocked as she felt.

Mac was the first to respond. "That he's been playing like shit because you haven't called him."

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," she muttered as she went to the storeroom to grab a broom and dustpan.

"Tell me you kept the card, Case!" Mac's voice yelled at her. She took a minute to steady herself against the wall and forced herself to take a few deep breaths. "You're going to single-handedly fuck up our chance at the playoffs!"

She was sure that the regulars were laughing, but all she could hear was a faint buzzing in her ears.

She emerged a minute later to clean up her mess, though she was sure that her cheeks were still flushed in embarrassment. Casey swept up the broken glass and went about wiping down all the tables and empty chairs, though they didn't need it. She was finding anything to do to keep from talking about it.

"Go home, Casey," Mac commanded her not even an hour later. He had been watching her do laps around the bar for a while.

"But the guys are still here," she responded as she waved her arm at the regulars. It was a lame excuse, but she would do almost anything at this point to be away from her phone. Soon she would be out of reasons why she shouldn't call her favorite player.

"For the love of all that is holy, go home, take pity on him and call the man."

Casey looked up and into her boss's face. He looked more earnest than when he had admitted that she was like the daughter he never had. She bit her lip and nodded.

"But it's late," she offered meekly.

"After a goal like that, I'd be surprised if he sleeps at all tonight." Casey nodded at her boss's words and went to grab her coat from the office.

"Good night, guys," she called out as she walked into the cold, bracing herself against the wind. "Fucking freezing," she muttered to herself as she wrapped her arms around her body and waited for the bus.

Casey spent the twenty-minute bus ride home contemplating what she would even say to Jason LeBlanc when she called. What do you say to a professional hockey player after you've already fainted into his arms and asked for an autograph? What do you say after you've thrown away his roses, after he's mentioned you by name on national fucking television?

She let herself into her apartment, nearly dragging her feet as she did. After carefully removing and hanging up her jacket, taking a long shower, and eating her frozen dinner, Casey just couldn't put it off any longer.

"Oh fuck it," she whispered as she dug for the card.

-----

Jason had already fielded curious calls from both his mother and sister when an unfamiliar Denver number popped up on his caller ID. His heart pounded as he answered.

"If this isn't Casey Taylor, then I'm hanging up right now." He heard her laugh and immediately relaxed.

"You've got some balls, you know that?" was her response.

"Darling, you have no idea." He threw himself onto the hotel bed, almost giddy with relief. Finally, mercifully, he was talking to her. Jason's voice unintentionally dropped as he asked, "So did I make you scream tonight?"

Casey's responding laugh had him shifting uncomfortably in his jeans.

"When you were dumb enough to high stick a guy right in front of the ref, yes. You made the poor boy bleed, LeBlanc."

"Well his face shouldn't have run into my stick," Jason chuckled despite himself, his mind reeling over his name leaving her lips. He hadn't been too thrilled with his actions at the time, but everything felt right now that he was talking to Casey. "What about after that goal?"

His question was met with a few moments of silence. He could almost picture her lips pursed in a feeble attempt not to smile.

"Maybe," was all she offered.

"Don't worry, darling, I'll make you scream for all the right reasons soon enough," he muttered before he could stop himself. Jason paused to gauge her response. When she stayed quiet, he decided to press on. "So what are you wearing?" he nearly growled into the phone.

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know," she replied, her voice low.

Jason's body immediately reacted to her tone and found that he was glad that Kellan was out of the room and down at the bar. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

"God yes."

Casey let out a little hum and Jason could have sworn that her breathing got heavier. He couldn't help but picture her lying in his bed wearing nothing; her hair sprawled out on a pillow while he made her writhe and pant under him. Well that certainly wasn't helping the situation in his pants. He reached a hand into his jeans and palmed his erection as even more explicit images flew through his mind.

The sound of Casey clearing her throat snapped Jason out of his reverie.

"So when do you guys get back in town?" she asked.

Jason took a minute to consult his schedule before responding. "Friday evening."

Casey seemed to hesitate before quietly asking, "You going to come see me?"

The laugh escaped his mouth before he could stop it.

"Darling, I just announced to the world that you're under my skin enough to throw off my game. You think you can keep me away from you now?"

"I'm under your skin?" she whispered.

Jason could just picture the blush coloring her cheeks and had to bite his bottom lip to keep from groaning.

"More than you know."

"But you barely know me!" she squeaked.

"I know enough."

A comfortable silence passed between the two of them, neither wanting to break the spell. The door to Jason's room flew open and hit the doorjamb with a loud thunk, causing him to jump. Kellan came into the room laughing loudly, a few teammates in tow.

"LeBlanc, get your ass off the phone and come celebrate, you dickhead!" O'Brian's voice roared.

Casey's laugh resonated through the phone.

"Not exactly subtle, is he?"

"No, not really."

"Do you need to go?" Casey asked. He could hear the hesitancy in her voice.

"It would probably be for the best," Jason conceded. "Can I call you tomorrow?"

"You can, and maybe I'll answer," she teased. He could hear the smile in Casey's voice. "Good night, Mr. LeBlanc."

"Good night," he finished before hanging up and turning to his smiling teammates, ready for the ribbing he was about to endure. But Jason was in far too good of a mood to let it bother him. "You guys are assholes, you know that?"

-----

Casey spent the rest of her week working and fielding nightly calls from Jason. He was surprisingly easy to talk to, but there were still so many new things to get used to. She called him 'LeBlanc' for years; Casey was finding it hard to call him Jason. And the fact that he was calling her in the first place, pursuing her, was just so strange, not to mention that he desired her. Jason made no secret of that.

It happened nearly every night as their conversation wound down. Inevitably, Jason's voice would drop and growl hoarsely into Casey's ear, hinting and promising at what was to come. Her pulse raced, and she had to press her thighs together to fight off the feelings he was causing. Casey never spoke, but she was sure that Jason could hear her breathing become labored. She was almost scared of seeing him again. His deep voice alone was nearly enough to send her over the edge. The idea of what he could do to her in person was almost too much to think about.

Friday came and Casey found herself nearly skipping into the Wunderbar with happiness and anticipation. Jason had promised to drop in tonight when he got back into town. The thought preoccupied her so much that she didn't catch what her boss said the first time around.

"What was that?" she asked.

Mac laughed before repeating himself.

"I said, my dearest Casey, that you must be in a good mood because you haven't complained about the weather all week."

Casey found herself laughing along with him, feeling lighter than air. She just shrugged as she pulled her scarf and jacket off and went to stuff it back into the office as usual. The sight of gerbera daisies sitting on the desk caught her by surprise.

"Gift for the wife, Mac?" she yelled out.

"Nope. Check the card. And for the love of God, don't throw them away this time."

Casey took a deep breath and approached them slowly. A week ago, the sight of those roses nearly made her sick. But this time, she didn't feel the stirrings of nausea that flowers usually brought her. There was no question about what, or more accurately who, had caused the change, and it scared her a little. It had been three years since Casey had felt so enamored with someone. She felt a little sick come up her throat as bad memories of Valentine's Day flooded through her. And then she realized that it was February 10^th and swallowed hard.

"It's not a bomb, Case." She jumped a little as Mac's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. He had apparently come to peek in on her when she still hadn't reappeared from the office. "Just open the damn card so you can get to work."

She nodded and grabbed the card from its holder. Casey, it read. Since the roses didn't seem to work the first time, I figured I'd try again. I can't wait to see you. It was signed with a little #4. Casey couldn't help but smile, though her stomach still hadn't settled from before. Quite the opposite; it now felt like it was filled with butterflies.

For the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, Casey felt her heart jump every time the door to the bar opened. It was inevitably followed by a sinking feeling as she realized it wasn't LeBlanc coming in, but regulars pouring in for the Wild-Blackhawks game. As much as it pained her to root for someone in the same division as her beloved Avs, Casey just couldn't find it in her to support the Blackhawks. It's not like the Wild had been much of a threat this season anyways, and there was just something about the nearly toothless Blaine Bricker that made it impossible for her to root for Chicago.

The game started and Casey lost herself in the sounds and sights of the ice, all of her anxiety and anticipation forgotten. The first period came and went, the Wild up by two. She watched in horror as the second period started, and Bricker almost immediately pushed the Wild's team captain Kanto into the boards head first. The poor man didn't even have enough time to get his arms up to soften the impact. The hit was so hard that she could see the player's back buckle upwards as he came in contact with the wall. Casey was so involved with screaming at Bricker for being an asshole and the refs for not calling him for boarding, that she didn't even notice the door open.

-----

Jason stood in front of the Wunderbar for a few minutes before he gathered enough courage to go in. He pulled open the door and was immediately greeted by Casey's raised voice.

"What a fucking asshole!" she yelled.

Jason couldn't help but grin. Hearing her screaming at the TV was the best greeting she possibly could have given him that didn't involve public nudity.

"What happened?" he piped up as he took a seat in front of her at the bar.

Casey didn't even turn to him at first.

"Fucking Bricker!" she spit out before she finally shifted her body to face him.

Whatever words were going to follow seemed to get caught in her throat as she realized that he was sitting in front of her. Jason couldn't help but chuckle at the flush in her cheeks. God, she was sexy when she got riled up over hockey.

"He is quite the asshole," Jason agreed with a smile. It took him a few moments to register the silence that seemed to have settled over the bar as the other patrons recognized him. "So what did he do this time?"

In stark contrast to the last time he was in the bar, Casey seemed to be too worked up to be shy around him.

"He fucking boarded Kanto and didn't even get called on it!" Jason's eyes shot up to the screen and saw the Wild trainers still surrounding the player. Kanto was on all fours on the ice, trying to get up on his own. "And Bricker is just sitting on the bench with that giant shit-eating toothless grin on his face!"

Jason reached over and rested his hand on top of Casey's without even realizing it. All he knew is that she seemed to be genuinely upset by Kanto's injury, and he wanted nothing more than to make her feel better. Sure, cuts and bruises were expected in his line of work, but it was always hard to watch anyone get seriously hurt. He was surprised when her eyes met his to see a tear threatening to spill over. The rest of the bar patrons seemed to realize that the time was over to listen to Jason and Casey's exchange and quickly started their own muttered conversations.

"Kanto's tough, Case. He'll be okay," Jason said, his voice low but reassuring.

"I know he is, but still," she replied, fuming with anger. They both watched as Kanto got up and slowly made his way back to his team and off the ice. Casey seemed to breathe a little easier when she saw that he was all right and went about pouring Jason a drink. She slid it over to him, and he smiled as Jason recognized it as the same cocktail that he drank two weeks ago when he first met her. He felt flattered that she remembered what he liked.

"Just do me a favor, LeBlanc. Tell Colby McIntire to beat Bricker's ass next week before he has a chance to injure one of my Avs, okay?"

Jason laughed. McIntire didn't get much play time, but he was a mean bastard and their resident enforcer. If anyone could take Bricker down a peg or two, it would be Colby. "You can tell him so yourself tomorrow night."

Casey was busy pouring one of the other men a beer and didn't seem to register what he said at first.

"What, are you going to have him send me flowers with his phone number next?" she teased.

Jason couldn't help but grin as he got sidetracked.

"No, because you don't seem to respond to roses. Or daisies," he finished, enjoying the flush that it brought to Casey's cheeks. Jason wondered if he would ever tire of the sight.

"Thank you for those, by the way," Casey offered as she gave him a small smile.

Jason felt his stomach flip as her eyes lit up when they found his.

"You can thank me properly later," Jason joked with a wink, watching her blush as she caught the double entendre. "Anyway, you can tell McIntire to beat Bricker down yourself tomorrow night."

"Mmm," Casey replied almost absentmindedly. "And how is that?"

"Because you're coming with me to the Mile High benefit tomorrow night."

"Oh I am, am I?" she replied. Her tone was light, but her eyes betrayed her surprise. "And if I have to work?"

Jason laughed. "Hey Mac!" he yelled, loud enough to carry through to the office behind the bar. Mac peeked his head out a minute later, recognized Jason and smiled. "Can Casey have the weekend off?"

She gaped at him but said nothing.

"Sure. She works too much anyway." Mac saw the look on Casey's face and laughed before retreating into the office.

"You were saying?" Jason asked, wearing a smug grin. Casey just sat there, continuing to look stunned. Her mouth was moving, trying to form words, but she was failing. "Great! I'll pick you up at seven." He flashed a smile and stood to leave.

That seemed to snap Casey out of her flabbergasted silence.

"Wait, you're going already?" she asked, her beautiful hazel eyes wide.

"Our morning skate is early because of the benefit," he explained.

"Wait a sec," she instructed, holding a finger up to him. Casey jogged to the office door and disappeared for a minute. When she came out, she was wearing a heavy winter coat and a smile. What was she up to? Mac made his way out of the office behind her and sat on Casey's usual stool. "Come on," she nearly whispered as she led their way to the door.

-----

Casey didn't know what had possessed her to walk Jason to his car. All she knew is that now that he was here, after a week of talking on the phone nightly, she wasn't ready for him to leave just yet. Even with the promise of a date the next day, she was still scared that he might disappear.

She pulled open the bar door and felt her breath leave her as she was hit with the frigid cold. Casey braced herself against the wind and followed Jason as he led the way down the street. A nearly inaudible grumble left her lips as the chill made its way through her clothes and she shivered. She must be crazy to endure this for just a few more minutes with Jason. The thought unsettled her.

Casey was jolted when she literally ran into Jason's broad chest and open arms. He immediately enveloped her before she had a chance to step back from his embrace. She had been so involved with her own thoughts that she didn't realize that Jason had stopped and faced her.

He leaned his head down to Casey's ear and all the cold left her body, only to be replaced with scorching heat as Jason pressed her into him. "Hi," he murmured, his breath warm on her skin. Another shiver ran through Casey's body, but for a very different reason than before.

"H-h-hi," she managed to sputter.

Casey could feel Jason's responding chuckle through her entire body. He pulled back and raised a hand to brush her hair away from her face. The look in his eyes was nearly indescribable, some combination of intensity, warmth, and longing. He was close, so close to her. Casey trembled.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked, a playful grin on his face. Well that one caught her by surprise. Casey's face must have betrayed her confusion because he laughed. "Feeling steady? Not lightheaded or dizzy?"

"No, why?" she barely managed to whisper back. Casey was having a lot of trouble focusing when Jason was touching her.

"Because I don't want you to faint again when I do this," he murmured before taking her face into his hands and kissing her.

Casey gasped into Jason's mouth and promptly melted into him. She felt rather than heard Jason's responding groan vibrate through his chest and into hers. Her head swam as his lips started to move. It felt like electricity was moving over every inch of her skin, and Casey actually had to remind herself to breathe.