Keeping Ice On The Wound

She giggled and turned in his arms, trying to give him a fierce look. "I'm no one's prey," she replied.

He merely grinned and kissed her, his tongue and lips drawing such a sigh from her that she ended limp in his arms.

"Whether you know it or not," he murmured, brushing kisses along her cheek. "You've already fallen."

***

And so it went for the next few days.

Hilary, when she wasn't working, would pack a few essential items in her purse and head over to Mark's house. Sometimes they'd get through an entire movie or game before jumping each other. Other times he'd be falling over his crutches trying to get to her.

Hilary would be lying if she didn't say she was enjoying this time with him. She was spending very little time at home and Lena was being nice enough to not comment on it. Other than the few brief chats they'd have in between work and passing mugs of coffee, they hadn't been together much.

One evening though, Lena was home when Hilary rushed in from the cold, anxious to get changed before heading over to Mark's again. She'd been held up at work and was already late.

"Hey Lena!" she called as she raced down the hall to her room.

"Hil, slow down!" Lena replied with a laugh. "You have a message on the machine."

Hilary laughed and peeked her head back out of her room, looking down the hall to where Lena stood near the kitchen entrance. "Leave it on there," she said. "I'll check it when I get home later."

"Uh, you should probably check it now," Lena replied as Hilary ducked back into her room.

Something in Lena's tone made Hilary pause in her frantic search for her 'sexy' black lace panties. She dropped the sweater she'd picked up and walked back out and down the hall. She watched Lena's face as she approached and hated the sympathetic look in her eyes.

"Who called?" she asked, her finger hovering over the 'play' button on the machine.

"Mark," Lena answered and continued speaking before Hilary had a chance to respond. "But don't read too much in to it. I'm sure he means exactly what he says and-"

Hilary cut her off with a sharp hand gesture, her heart already sinking into her stomach. She hit 'play' and listened as Mark's deep voice spoke to her.

"Hey Hilary, it's me. Listen, I know we were planning to see each other tonight but the guys are back from the road trip and a bunch of them are hanging out here now. I don't think you'd like to be here with them here as well. So why don't we get together tomorrow? Coach wants me at practice even though I can't skate but we can hook up after that. Call me when you get in."

Hilary punched the 'erase' button and spun away from the machine without a word.

"Hilary, stop," Lena spoke up, following her down the hallway to her bedroom. "He's telling the truth. The players are all back and they're not leaving him alone. Anatoli told me as much when I talked to him earlier."

Laughing mirthlessly, Hilary turned to face her roommate. "It's fine, Lena," she assured her. "I never expected this... this... whatever this is between us to last forever. It's just a fling."

"If it was just a fling, he wouldn't have called to reschedule," Lena replied, a frown marring her face.

Sighing, Hilary walked over to her desk chair and sat down. "So he still wants to get some action. Big deal. It just has to wait for a more convenient time."

"God, Hil, don't do this," Lena said as she began to pace the floor in front of her. "You can't just assume he's the same sort of jackass as that guy from college or Scott or Hugh. Maybe he really likes you and wants to see more of you."

"Then he could have just let me come over and I guess I would have had to deal with meeting his friends," Hilary replied, still reeling from his message. She didn't want to admit how much it hurt. This was easier; telling herself that she just didn't care.

"Would you have?" Lena asked.

"Would I what?"

"Have dealt with meeting his friends? All his friends and teammates all at once?"

Hilary hesitated before answering. She supposed it did sound rather daunting. "Didn't you?"

"I didn't meet them all at once, are you kidding?" Lena laughed and plopped down on Hilary's bed. "Anatoli introduced me to a few at a time. Most of them knew who I was before I met them, which helped but he would never spring them all on me at once. That's exactly what Mark is doing too."

Shrugging, Hilary shifted on her chair, uncomfortable with the entire conversation. It had barely been a week since she'd met Mark and she was already tangled up more than she'd wanted to be.

"Please, just don't shut him out, Hilary," Lena spoke again and Hilary looked over at her. "He's nice guy and I still think he was telling the truth on the phone. He just didn't want you to get freaked out by going over there and seeing them all."

Hilary had to admit it sounded reasonable. If the situation were reversed, she was certain Mark would nervous to meet every friend of hers.

"You'd better call him back," Lena said and stood up. "Since you're so late getting home, he's probably in a panic that you might still show up there."

Hilary had to smile at the image. She might not know him so well yet but he didn't strike her as the type to panic. She followed Lena out to the front room to retrieve the cordless phone before heading back to her bedroom to call Mark.

"Hello?" someone strange answered the phone and for a second, Hilary was thrown. "Hello?" the man on the other end tried again and Hilary could hear a lot of noise in the background; a television, deep laughter and shouts.

"Uh, hi," she said finally, clearing her throat when it came out a little hoarse. "Hi. Is Mark there?"

"Yeah," the man replied. "Hey, is this his lady?" he asked before passing the phone.

Hilary blushed, which she knew was stupid since no one was in the room with her. "I guess so," she replied.

The man hooted with laughter before shouting for Mark. "Awesome," the man said to her. "I was hoping you'd call. I wanted to tell you about him."

Hilary laughed. She wondered just what this guy would tell her about Mark. "Who are you, anyway?" she asked instead.

He laughed again before telling her. "I'm Drew Stamenski. I play with Mark on the team."

"I know who you are," Hilary replied, picturing his face as she spoke. "I follow hockey a little bit."

"Cool," Drew said and shouted for Mark again. In the background, Hilary heard a few other guys take up the call, some of them adding in kissing noises when Drew said it was his girlfriend. She decided to ignore the moniker for now, telling herself it didn't mean he'd given her the label.

Finally the phone was passed with some muffled cursing and more boisterous laughter. "Hello?" Mark's voice came over the line, instantly making Hilary relax.

"Hi," she replied shyly.

"Hilary!" he exclaimed and sighed. "I'm so glad you called."

"Are you?" she asked, striving for playful.

"Of course-" he started to reply but someone shouted from nearby, something that sounded like "I can't believe you think he's hot!"

Hilary laughed and shook her head. It was a small relief to know that his teammates sounded like typical guys.

"Ignore that," Mark grumbled into the phone. "So you got my message?"

"Yeah, I just got home a few minutes ago," Hilary said. "Sorry I'm so late."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm just sorry I had to cancel."

You didn't have to cancel, she thought unkindly but didn't say it out loud. "It's all right. I'm kind of beat anyway. It was a long day."

There was a pause before Mark replied. "I was really looking forward to seeing you," he said in a lower tone. "I could have helped you unwind."

The low tone of voice mingled with the noise in his apartment made Hilary smile. She could almost picture some of the guys trying to eavesdrop on his conversation, which would explain his low voice. "I can unwind without worrying about you falling over every other second," she replied.

He laughed, the sound sending a shiver down Hilary's back. She squeezed the phone and closed her eyes, willing her body to calm the hell down. There was a good chance she'd never see Mark again. His team was back and if she recalled the schedule correctly, they were in town for nearly two weeks straight. She also remembered Lena being especially excited about that.

"Are you working tomorrow?" Mark asked.

"I'm not on the schedule," she replied honestly.

"You want to come over around four then?" he suggested. "I'll make dinner and we can watch a movie. Your choice."

"Dinner and a movie? Wow, I feel so privileged." Hilary winced even as she spoke the words. They sounded terribly sarcastic to her.

"You should," he agreed, obviously not hearing the same thing she had in her tone. Someone else shouted in the background and there was more laughter. "Oh crap," Mark breathed. "I should go."

"Yeah, you should!" someone shouted close enough to the phone that Hilary recognized his voice.

"Tell Obie to back off and leave you alone or I'll sic Lena on him," Hilary suggested.

Mark paused before answering. "Uh, you sure?"

Hilary recalled then that they hadn't discussed telling others about them. She'd told Lena obviously and her friend would never gossip about her, even with Anatoli. Hilary had not considered what it would mean if Mark told everyone on the team about her. She suspected he didn't want to deal with the good-natured ribbing.

Or he doesn't want anyone to know he's sleeping with me, she added silently and cringed at how negative that sounded. Mark was still waiting for a response. "Uh, you can if you want," she replied feebly. "I have to go."

"All right," Mark agreed but sounded surprised. "I'll call you tomorrow when I get home from practice."

"OK. Bye," Hilary replied and hung up before they said anything else. She stared at the phone in her hand, feeling strange about the conversation, about the entire situation.

You knew what you were getting yourself into when you went home from the bar with him, she admonished herself. It's just plain stupid to have any expectations now.

With a sigh, she threw the phone down on her bed and walked out to join Lena in the living room.

***

Mark felt like a world-class heel when he got home from practice the following day. Not only was he not going to be able to keep his promise of dinner and a movie to Hilary but he wasn't even going to be able to see her. This was going on two days without seeing each other and Mark was beginning to feel like he was missing some vital part of his anatomy. It was ridiculous considering that they'd only met a few days ago but it was how he felt.

"You really don't have to stay with me, Brody," Mark said to his teammate, Brody Lang, as the other man helped him into his apartment. "I can manage on my own, have been all week."

Brody just laughed at him and swung the door inward. "I live in the same building," he said. "It's not like I have far to go. Plus I think Drew and Tolya are coming over in a bit too. Oh and Chris said he'd come by as well."

Mark barely managed to stifle his groan of frustration. He knew his teammates meant well and were feeling guilty about his injury. They shouldn't and he'd told them several times but they still wouldn't leave him alone, even when he'd told them he wanted to have his 'lady' friend over. He'd hesitated at labeling her as his girlfriend, especially since he didn't even know how she felt about him.

God, he thought with a rueful shake of his head. I sound like a female, wondering about our relationship status and whether or not she really likes me. Even so, he smiled at the thought. Thinking of Hilary always brought a smile to his lips. She was just so fun and sexy and he couldn't get enough of her. He only hoped he could maintain whatever sort of relationship they had once he was recovered from his injury and playing full time again.

Brody followed him into the apartment, immediately making himself comfortable on Mark's plush couch. The TV came on and Brody changed the channel to the cooking network. The man had a weird obsession with all things culinary. Not that Mark complained much; they'd even been roommates at one time and Brody had made every meal spectacular.

"I just need to make a phone call," Mark said to Brody and picked up the cordless receiver as he hobbled through his apartment.

"Sure, sure," Brody called back as Mark disappeared into his bedroom. "You know, you're going to have to let us meet her sometime!"

Mark responded by slamming his bedroom door. He dialed the number he knew by heart now as he tossed his crutches beside the bed and sat down. Lena answered the phone.

"Hi Mark," she greeted him in a friendly voice. "How was practice?"

"Haven't you talked to Obie about it already?" Mark replied. Practice had been difficult, to say the least. Not because he'd worked hard but because he'd been forced to sit there and watch, weighed down with envy as his buddies skated around and shot pucks at the nets.

Lena laughed. "I did but he just said you were sulking all morning," she told him.

"Oh great," Mark muttered and rubbed his eyes. "You mind keeping that to yourself?"

"Of course. You want to talk to Hilary?"

"Please."

A minute later, Hilary's sweet voice filled his ear and Mark shifted his position as his groin tingled in response. "Hey there," he said.

"Hi, how was practice?" she asked. In the background he heard her shut a door and then there was some rustling, like she was sitting down.

"It sucked, but that's OK," he replied honestly.

"Oh," was all Hilary said and she waited patiently for him to elaborate.

Heaving out a deep breath, Mark flopped back on his bed and began to tell her why it sucked. "I hate having to just watch things. I wanted to be down on the ice so bad it hurt. Coach and everyone thought it would be good for me to observe and stay sharp but I really just wanted to throw something at them because I was so miserable."

"Oh Mark, I'm so sorry." Hilary's voice was sympathetic and he was so grateful for understanding. "That would be hard, not being able to do what you love."

"Yeah, it was," he agreed wholeheartedly. "But enough about me. How was your day?"

"Pretty uneventful. Lena had to work this morning so it was just me. I cleaned the kitchen, did some laundry and watched TV."

"Sounds great," Mark said.

"Liar," Hilary replied with a laugh that had more blood surging to his groin. "So what time do you want me to come over?" she asked.

"I have some more bad news, Hil," he answered and glared at the wall separating him from his teammate. "The guys are hanging out here again tonight so we'll have to reschedule."

"Again?" she asked softly and Mark couldn't quite make out her tone. He didn't know if she was ticked off, hurt or indifferent.

"I'm sorry," he replied. "I promise to make it up to you."

"Sure," she said and this time Mark heard the tension in her voice. "I should go. You have a good night with the guys."

"Hilary?" he spoke her name, hoping he'd get her before she hung up on him.

"Yeah?"

"I will make it up to you, I swear. I'll call you tomorrow morning."

"I have to work," she replied shortly.

"OK, then you can call me when you get home."

She agreed but Mark wasn't sure if she even meant it. So they hung up and Mark lay there in his dim bedroom until Brody pounded on the wall and told him to get his ass out there.

***

Hilary called him the next day but there was no answer so she left a message on his machine. Then she waited for him to call back. He didn't that night, nor did he call her the next day. She wasn't about to call him again and make herself into one of those needy, clingy women who called a man five times a day. So she went to work, chatted with her friends and tried not to think about him.

Lena coaxed her into watching a couple of the Caps' games on television but she couldn't get into it. She kept hearing Mark's voice over and over, telling her how much he hated to sit on the bench while his team skated without him. She also didn't want to catch sight of him on camera with some sexy centerfold arm-piece who was his public girlfriend. It was completely crazy but she couldn't help herself or stop the thoughts from entering her mind.

Finally one night after the second home game since she'd last seen Mark, he called her. Lena was out for a late, late dinner with Anatoli and Hilary was home alone with the trashiest romance novel she had been able to find in the store. She was so lost in the descriptions of Susannah and Jack's wild lovemaking that when the phone rang, she didn't bother to check the caller ID before answering.

"Hello?"

"Hilary, it's me," Mark said and she dropped her book. "I'm so glad you're still awake."

"Oh, hi," Hilary replied, leaning down to scoop her book back up.

"Hi," Mark said with a laugh. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, Jack was just about done," Hilary replied absent-mindedly as she flipped through the pages to find her lost spot.

"Who the hell is Jack?" Mark demanded and this time it was Hilary who laughed.

"No one," she replied, going for mysterious. "What's up?"

Mark didn't say anything for a second and Hilary wondered if he'd hung up on her. "Mark?"

"I'm just wondering if you wanted to come over," he said.

"Tonight? It's already after ten," Hilary replied with a quick glance at the clock over the stove. "And I realize that made me sound like an eighty year old but I have an early morning shift."

"You can go to work from here," Mark suggested. "Just bring a change of clothes."

"I'd love to, Mark, but I really need to rest," she lied. She didn't need rest. She badly needed to put some distance between her and this injured hockey player so she wouldn't end up falling in love and nursing a broken heart in another month.

"Oh come on, Hil," he scoffed at her, not buying her weak excuse. "If you don't come over here, I'll just come to your place."

"You don't even know where I live," Hilary replied.

"I can just get a ride with Obie," Mark told her. "I know he's seeing Lena tonight so I'll get him to drop me off when he picks her up."

"Nice try, genius, but he's already been to pick her up," Hilary said. "They've been gone for twenty minutes."

"Shit," Mark swore and Hilary couldn't help but laugh at his tone. "I really want to see you, Hilary."

Her body reacted to his deep voice and she cursed herself for it. "I don't think we... need to do this anymore."

"Do what? What are you talking about?"

"Mark, come on. We both know this wasn't going anywhere. I had fun with you and it was great but you don't want to be in a relationship with me."

"Interesting. Would you mind telling me why I wouldn't?" His voice was no longer warm and inviting. Instead he sounded colder and if Hilary didn't know better, she'd say he sounded hurt.

"Mark, don't do this. We're both adults and we had a fling. Like I said, it was great but we need to get real."

"What is real?" he demanded and she heard him exhale. "And I don't mean that in a philosophical way. I want to know what you're talking about. I want to see you. I've always wanted to see you. I've never thought of this as a fling."

"Yeah, right," Hilary replied sarcastically before she could stop herself. She bit her lip when she heard Mark's muttered oath.

"Why don't you believe me?"

"Because you're a hockey player!" Hilary burst out, unable to hide from her prejudices any longer. "If you weren't injured, you wouldn't have given someone like me a second look. You travel with the team and meet women from all over the country. Why would you ever want to be with someone like me?"

"Is that what you really think, Hilary?" he asked after a moment of silence.