On Thin Ice Ch. 03

What are they doing?

He didn't care for their sake but when the players - opponents or not - started to get sloppy, that's when bad things happened.

"Pritchard! Get in there!"

Zane didn't even look up as the coach yelled at him. He was up and over the boards with his linemates in seconds. They skated after the puck and Zane was so focused on the frozen disc that he didn't see the Flyers captain until he crushed Zane against the boards.

Zane's breath left him in a whoosh and he groaned as the ice rushed up to meet him. He registered the eruption of cheers from the crowd but he didn't care. That hit had had a whole lot of elbow in it and Zane went from focused to pissed off in seconds. He shot to his feet and checked the Flyer in the back with his stick.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Matt Robinson whirled around with a scowl on his face. "What's wrong with me?" He shoved Zane in return. "You just cross-checked me!"

"Because you just pulled a dirty fucking move." Zane couldn't remember the last time he'd been so furious with another player.

"Don't be such a pussy, Pritchard."

"Who you calling a pussy?" In the back of his mind, Zane knew he needed to back off and let it go but something was boiling up inside of him, it had been for weeks now. If Robinson said one more thing to him, Zane wasn't going to be able to contain it anymore. Before Robinson could speak, Zane flipped him off.

That's when the other man scowled and shoved him. It was enough to send Zane off the deep end.

Later, Zane couldn't be sure who threw the first punch. All he could recall was that they'd both dropped their gloves and gone at it hard. Zane felt Robinson jerk him off-balance and knew right then that the other man had gained the upper hand. So he went on the defensive and managed to keep himself protected until they both fell to the ice.

The officials moved in to break it up as players from both teams banged their sticks on the ice and against the boards. Zane skated off to the penalty box, his head pounding.

Well, maybe my bruises will get me sympathy points with Meg.

The thought stayed with him all through his five minute stint in the penalty box and kept the smile on his face even though he'd lost the fight.

****

Meg thought she might vomit as she watched the fight between Zane and Matt Robinson. She'd managed to get onto an earlier flight on stand-by and made it home in time to watch most of the Devils-Flyers game. They were always intense match-ups but she couldn't believe Zane was letting Robinson goad him into a fight.

She saw blood on Zane's face before the cameras went back to the game. She chewed on her nails and watched the rest of the game, disappointed when Zane didn't score at all. In the end, the Devils managed to win but Meg still couldn't relax.

She'd called and left a message for Zane before flying back and now she wished she hadn't. She didn't regret what she'd said but she couldn't help feeling that it would have been better to save it all for when they could talk face-to-face.

There's nothing I can do about it now, she reminded herself.

She turned the TV off following the post-game interviews and went upstairs to go to bed. She stood at the top of the stairs and stared at Zane's open bedroom door. She wasn't sure when he'd be coming home, if the team would fly back tonight or not. They didn't have another game until the following Thursday so they might fly home in the morning since there was no hurry.

With a sigh, Meg went into Zane's room and crawled into his bed. It smelled like him and she was comforted enough by that to fall asleep.

****

Meg was stirred awake when the bed was jostled. She rolled over and into a warm body and that startled her.

"Oh!"

"Calm down." Zane's gruff voice came to her from the shadows.

With a gasp, Meg fumbled at the side of the bed until she managed to find the light and click it on.

"Agh!" Zane threw up a hand to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness.

Meg regretted it as well, groaning and squinting down at Zane. "When did you get home?"

"A few hours ago." Zane lowered his hand and gave her a rueful smile. "You were out cold so I didn't want to wake you."

Meg glanced around him at the clock and sighed. It was already past seven in the morning.

"Can you shut the light off now?"

"No. We need to talk."

Zane blinked and smiled at her. "Talk? Now? You won't even let me have another couple hours of sleep?"

Meg couldn't help but smile back. She held firm though. She sat up and pulled the bedcovers up over her knees. Zane watched her and blew out a noisy breath when he saw that she wasn't going to relent.

"All right." He arranged the pillows and sat halfway up, his naked torso exposed almost to his waist.

Meg bit her lip at the sight and reminded herself to focus.

"What do we need to talk about?"

"You can't pretend to not know," she replied with arched eyebrows.

He chuckled and tucked his arms behind his head, keeping his eyes on her face. "You're right."

Meg let her gaze wander over his raised arms and back down his bared chest. Her body stirred and she had to fight the strong urge to lay her body over his. She didn't even need to peek under the covers to know he was probably naked. A flush spread across her cheeks and she had to look away.

"Meg, come on. You wake me up at the crack of dawn and now you won't talk?"

She let out a nervous laugh before turning back to face him. "Fine. Just give me a minute. You...you're...distracting me."

Zane wiggled his eyebrows at her and let one hand fall to the sheets over his waist.

"Don't!" she cried and smacked his hand away.

Zane laughed and caught her hand in his. He brought her fingers to his lips and winked at her as he kissed her knuckles.

"You're making this very hard."

His eyebrows quirked. "Ditto."

Well, at least he wasn't mad at her anymore.

"Zane, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Meg sighed. "For the way I left before."

Zane let her hand go and smiled. "You already apologized for that, Meg."

"I know. But I didn't do it right and I didn't explain why."

She waited for him to respond but he just gave her a patient smile and waited for her to continue.

"I haven't been myself lately, Z." She knew that was the understatement of the year but she plowed ahead. "This whole...thing between us, it really threw me."

"Me too."

"Did it?"

"Of course. You think this sort of thing happens every day?"

Meg frowned. "What sort of thing? Sneaking into each other's beds?"

"No, and don't make it into something less than it was."

Meg was startled by the sudden vehemence in his tone. "I'm sorry if I made it seem that way, Zane."

"Did you mean to?"

"No." Meg gave a helpless shrug. "I didn't know what to do after...after the first night. I was so afraid that I would lose you."

"Lose me?" Zane laughed and propped himself up on his elbows. "Meg, I told you. You can never lose me."

Tears pricked the backs of Meg's eyelids and she blinked a few times to keep them at bay. It wouldn't do to lose it now. She had more that she wanted to say.

"Zane, it was all so sudden and I was frightened. I didn't know what to do and I tried to keep things the way they'd always been with us."

Zane cocked his head to one side. "Is that why you suggested that whole 'friends with benefits' thing?"

Meg blushed and turned her face away. "Yeah. I thought if we kept things as normal as possible, then we wouldn't ruin anything."

"Meg, you didn't have to do that. I would have done anything to keep you close to me." He sighed and Meg looked at him as he shifted upright to sit next to her. "That's the only reason I agreed to it. I thought it would give me time to convince you."

"Convince me of what?"

Zane smiled, that smile that had always had the power to make her knees shake and her stomach do somersaults. "Of how I felt about you."

Meg's breath caught and she couldn't move as he lifted a hand to cup her cheek in his palm.

"Meg, I love you."

"I love you, too." It was an automatic response and it was several seconds before she realized that he meant it in an entirely new way. And still, he waited, always so patient with her. Tears filled her eyes and she leaned into his hand. "Oh Zane. I love you, too."

"Do you?"

"Yes! I was so afraid that you wouldn't feel the same way. I was terrified that we'd take this chance and you'd realize I was just a good friend and that's all."

"Meg, you're more than a good friend." Zane shifted and put his other hand on her face as well. "You're my best friend. I don't want to be close to anyone else the way I'm close to you."

God help her, he was saying everything she'd wanted to hear and she still felt unsure of herself. Her weakness frightened her.

"I know you haven't been yourself," Zane continued. "And I'm sorry that I've made you that way. I want you to know that you can say anything to me, no matter what. I don't want you to stop telling me when I'm being a bonehead or when I've left the dishes in the sink for too long."

Meg laughed and two tears slipped out over her cheeks. Zane wiped them away with his thumbs and leaned in to give her a light kiss on the lips.

"When we argued on the phone, the things you said to me, that's the Meg I want. That's the Meg I fell in love with."

"The bitchy one?"

Zane laughed and kissed her again, lingering a little longer this time. "No. The honest one." He touched his forehead to hers. "My best friend, Meg. That's the one I want."

Meg drew in a shaky breath and closed her eyes. "I can do that."

They fell silent for a long moment and Meg managed to get her emotions under control again.

"You really are a bonehead, you know."

Zane laughed and drew back. He dropped his hands to her waist and pulled her close. "Oh yeah? Why is that?"

She grinned at him, not protesting when he lifted her top over her head. "The game last night, what were you thinking?"

Zane dropped his head to her shoulder and groaned. "Don't say it."

"You picked a fight with Robinson when you were winning. What purpose did that serve?"

"I take it back. I don't want you to always tell me when I've been a bonehead."

Meg scoffed. "Too late now, Z. And you know I'm right."

Zane gave her a half-hearted scowl and lifted his head. "We won the game, didn't we?"

"Barely!"

"God, you really know how to kill the mood, you know that?"

Meg laughed and then shrieked as Zane tossed her onto her back. Before she could gather her bearings, he yanked her bottoms off and knelt between her knees. She looked down and grinned when she realized she'd been right.

He was naked.

As Zane slid his palms up the outside of her legs, she propped herself up on her arms. "Don't try to distract me, Zane. I'm not done."

"Go ahead. I'm listening." He dropped a kiss on her right hip and then her left, pausing in between to give her a playful wink.

"You really need to control your temper." Meg gasped as Zane tickled the backs of her knees and tugged her legs further apart. "You can't...you can't..."

"Can't what?" Zane's breath brushed over her stomach and then he kissed her there.

"Can't what?"

Zane chuckled and lifted his head. "You were saying I can't lose my temper."

"Right." Meg closed her eyes as Zane kissed her again, lower on her stomach this time. He was making it very difficult to concentrate. "You can't lose your temper."

When he laughed this time, she felt his warm breath at the apex of her thighs. A shiver went through her and she let herself fall back on the bed.

"You already said that."

"I know."

Zane stroked his hands up the insides of her thighs and planted a kiss to the top of her left leg. "Anything else you want to tell me?"

Meg lifted her head, about to answer, when Zane parted her folds and kissed the very center of her. "Oh God, Zane!"

"How about now?" Zane lifted his head and kissed her right leg. "You have anything you want to tell me now?"

Again, before she could answer, Zane lowered his head and licked her from top to bottom. She shuddered, a strangled moan falling from her lips.

Zane's soft laugh rumbled against her body. "I'll take that as a no."

He kissed her again, teasing her with just the tip of his tongue before sliding his fingers along her opening.

"Zane, wait!"

He froze and Meg could feel the wash of his exhalation against her skin. She shivered in response and somehow managed to lift her head to look at him.

"What's wrong?"

She smiled. "Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to tell you that you're not a bonehead."

He grinned and she felt him move his fingers over her. Her mouth fell open when she felt him slide one finger inside of her.

"What am I?"

She sucked in a sharp breath when she felt him push in another finger. "What?"

"You say I'm not a bonehead. What am I?"

What was he? Her oldest friend, the first person she called with good news, or bad, her favorite hockey player, the best man she'd ever known. Her lover.

"You're mine," she whispered and shuddered when his eyes narrowed.

He pulled his fingers from her body and moved over her. Their lips met in an explosive kiss and Zane surged into her in a single move. Meg moaned into his mouth and clenched her fingers around his arms as he began to move in and out of her.

"You're mine too, Meg." Zane barely lifted his lips to speak.

Yes, she was. Who else's would she be?

After that, she forgot about owning and labels and came apart as he moved over her and inside of her. They moved and pushed and pulsed together until they collapsed sweaty and exhausted next to each other.

The sun was starting to rise, giving the bedroom a pink glow. Meg smiled and turned her face to kiss Zane's shoulder. His arms tightened around her and she giggled. She felt like herself again and hadn't realized until they'd talked how much she'd changed. It hadn't been intentional and if she'd just faced her fears, they wouldn't have had to go through all they had to get to this point. Then again, maybe it had happened that way for a reason. Either way, Meg felt happy now.

Then she remembered what else she'd meant to say to him and pulled away. He frowned until she sat up and swung a leg over his body, pulling herself upright over him.

"Zane, I have to move out."

His eyes popped open. "What? No! Why?"

She laughed at his wounded expression and slid her hands over his shoulders to hold his face. He wound his arms around her waist and pulled her down so she rested on top of him. She suppressed a shiver, knowing she needed to explain before they got carried away. Again.

"You don't have to move out."

"Yes, I do." She silenced his immediate protest with one finger. "You know I'd love to stay but if we're going to give this a real chance, I need my own space."

Zane scowled. "Space from me?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean I don't want to see you, Zane. We both need our own space so we don't get complacent about each other. I don't want you to take me for granted and I don't want to take you for granted." Meg tipped her head to one side and smiled. "Do you know what I mean?"

He gave a grudging nod and she felt his muscles flex around her. Before she could retaliate, he rolled them over and buried his face in her neck. She shivered as he inhaled, sliding her fingers through his hair.

"OK, fine." Zane lifted his head. "I'll let you move out on one condition."

Meg laughed, unsure of what the worst part of his statement was. She let his proprietary tone slide and asked what the condition was.

"You let me pay for your first month's rent and security deposit."

Meg gaped and shook her head. Zane's grasp tightened and she gasped as he slid a knee up between her thighs.

"Please, Meg. Let me do this for you." His eyes were so dark and warm. "It'll be a birthday gift."

She laughed and twisted under him until she felt the member growing and hardening against her. "My birthday isn't until July, you bonehead."

His grin was dazzling and she knew he knew she was already caving in. How could she deny him anything when he looked at her like that?

"I meant it can be your gift to me." He lifted his eyebrows and gave the slightest push to his hips. "My birthday is the day after yours, you know."

She rolled her eyes even as her body softened under his increasing arousal. "No kidding."

They fell silent as she thought about his offer and tried to focus on that as he thrust his hips again. She gave him a pointed look and he chuckled before rolling to one side and cradling her close to his side. Then he waited, one warm hand running a soothing path up and down her naked back.

She loved him so much and felt a swelling in her chest when she thought of how much he must love her. He knew every part of her, all her embarrassing childhood stories and all her horrifying dating trials. He knew how much she loved teaching and hockey and now he knew how much she loved to feel their bodies melting together.

More than anything else, he knew that she would never run away from him again. That was why he agreed to her moving out. It made her love him even more and it made her not want to go anywhere.

Her throat felt thick and her eyes watered as she spoke up. "OK."

Zane cupped her head and tilted her face up to his. "OK?"

Meg knew what he meant, because just as he knew every part of her, she knew him the same way. There was no question of her moving out now. She nodded and he grinned before dropping his chin to kiss her.

"OK." And he kissed her again. His hands moved on her body and she kissed him back.

No. She wasn't going anywhere.