Icing, page 18
My vision left me, replaced by straight red fury. I’d always thought seeing red was an expression. I didn’t realize it could actually happen.
“I'm sorry what? What did you just say?”
Drake’s arm was around my shoulders out of nowhere and he held up a hand to the gaggle of reporters as Asher stepped between Topher and me and firmly moved his still outstretched hand to the side.
“Interview is over. Thanks for the questions everyone, see you next time!” Drake said loudly as he pushed me into the locker room.
“What the fuck was he talking about?” I ripped open my locker and grabbed my phone as my hands shook violently. I had numerous missed calls from Greyson and a couple from Trevor, in addition to Mattie and Cohen. There were also a shit ton of text messages from apparently everyone I knew, and more social media notifications than I could even comprehend. Nothing made sense as I fumbled the device and sent it skittering across the locker room floor.
“He assaulted her? What does that fucking mean exactly? I'm going to fucking kill him. I have to get to her.” I furiously punched the locker in front of me until Drake stepped in.
“There's a video.” He handed over his phone while Asher hung over my shoulder to watch. My hands shook as I took it from him and watched as that piece of shit insulted her, degraded her, and put his hands on her.
“You need to check the anger, Gavin. There's nothing you can do from here. Relax.” Drake took the phone back and ignored my heated glare.
“How do you expect me to relax? You were watching the same thing I was right? You, of all people, are telling me to relax when a man put his hands on a woman? On my woman?”
Drake’s face screwed up in annoyance when I snapped at him, and I knew if I hadn't been so fucked up, he would have punched me.
“I agree he needs to get a beat down. Save it for the ice. Get yourself a penalty and be done with it, at least until the next game. You go after him now you'll fuck up your whole season, maybe even your career.”
“Her safety is more important than my fucking career. You think an on-ice fight is good enough? After what he did to her?”
“He’ll get taken care of,” Asher assured me. “Trevor probably already killed him.”
He peeled off his jersey and leaned down to snag my phone off the floor as it began to ring. Greyson’s face lit up the screen and when I answered the video call, I heaved a relieved sigh.
“Gavin? I'm so sorry you found out that way! You legit looked like you were going to snap that reporter in half. I tried to call you; I wanted to explain before you saw the video. Did you see the video? I’m guessing you did by now. I’m sorry.” She talked so fast I could barely understand her and I caught a glimpse of Trevor as he passed behind her in a room I didn’t recognize.
“Where are you? Are you safe? I’m so sorry I’m not there. This wouldn’t have happened if I was there.”
“I’m at Trevor’s. He’s being absurd,” she said the last word louder as she lifted her chin to speak at her brother. “He won’t let me leave, keeping me like a prisoner.”
“As he should.”
“I can take care of myself, Gavin.”
I bit my tongue before I could respond in a way that would piss her off. In this case I did not feel she could. Apparently, Trevor agreed.
“Well, he’s worried about you, and I’m personally glad he’s being absurd,” I replied gently.
“I know. I feel so stupid. I listened to KJ at first. I let him in, and then his switch just flipped completely and he, well, you know.”
She chewed on her lip and shook her head as embarrassment clouded her delicate features. Asher and Drake grabbed their bags and moved to the other side of the locker room so I had some semblance of privacy, and I sat down on the bench with a heavy sigh.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just glad you got out of there when you did.”
A doorbell rang and I saw Trevor again, followed by Mila. Greyson stood up, and when the phone jostled, I caught a glimpse of her arm, where purple fingerprints were clear. The evidence of his hands on her filled me with a murderous rage I’d never experienced. She walked through the house and passed the kitchen where Delaney, Mila, and Trevor pulled takeout boxes from paper bags. Greyson moved into a bedroom and closed the door. Her whole demeanor changed when she was away from the people who held court over her, as if she were a tire that had finally gone flat.
“I’m not sure how closely you watched the video but … the guys who came in and took me away, they’re from Biscuits in the Basket.”
Greyson’s statement hung in the air, and even though I was alone at the end of the locker room her voice carried enough for Drake and Asher to look over in surprise. It was no secret I thought they were all pieces of shit, and her dealing with them and KJ in one night made me feel like a failure as a boyfriend.
“Why would you go with them?” I demanded, more sharply than I intended.
“They took me away from the cell phones and the man who was trying to choke me out. The one who left his fingerprints on me. The one who gave me whiplash. Forgive me for accepting their help without considering how it would make you feel.” Greyson waved her arm and showed me the bruise that filled me with a concerning amount of rage. “They were the only people who stepped in to stop it rather than record it for internet fame.”
The rest of the guys were finished dressing, so I set the phone up on the shelf in my locker and hurriedly pulled off my jersey and pads, shedding all my gear down to my underwear. I was about to peel them off when I realized Greyson had stopped talking and watched with wide eyes.
“Holy mother of gorgeous, Gavin.” She blinked rapidly and pulled at her pendant. “I’m not sure if you’re just trying to distract me, but I’m begging you not to get completely naked where I can see. Like, move the phone or something because if the first time I see your dick is when you’re literally in another country and I don’t get to immediately touch it, that’s just not cool, you know?”
A few of the guys tried to swallow their laughs, and the rest didn’t even attempt it.
“I’m not alone, Greyson,” I reminded her as I flipped the phone upside down while I quickly changed into clean clothes. “But I very much appreciate your excitement for certain activities.”
“Fuck. Of course you’re not. How many men just heard that?”
“More than a few, less than a ton,” I answered. As I turned the phone back towards me her cheeks darkened multiple shades. “I’ve got to get on the bus, but I’m not done talking to you. Do you want me to call you back when I get on, or a video call when I’m at the hotel?”
“Video call for sure. Preferably sans clothes.”
“Still not alone, Gigi!” Asher crowded into the frame and laughed as she rolled her eyes. “How are you doing? We’ll take care of him on the ice, don’t worry about that. If he doesn’t get suspended, anyway. Or arrested.”
Greyson sighed and smiled weakly. “I’m alright. Sore, tired, humiliated. Better now that I got to talk to Gavin.”
“He does that to people,” Asher grinned and blew a kiss at the phone. I gathered the rest of my things and told her I’d call back soon as I jumped onto the bus and settled in next to Drake.
“How’s she doing?” he asked, while I pulled up the Biscuits website and watched the full video. They had also written a blog post on the incident in which they rallied around Greyson which made me despise them a little bit less.
“If I had to guess, I’d say she’s in shock,” I answered, watching repeatedly until I knew I was going to lose my shit if I saw KJ touch her one more time. By the time we made it back to the hotel Drake had talked to his teammate, Noah, and found out the shit had hit the fan in the Dallas front office. I had déjà vu back to when I got called into an emergency meeting two summers earlier about Sullivan’s behavior at his own wedding. It wasn’t the image Chicago wanted associated with them, and I was more than happy to add my opinion into the mix.
“I can’t believe this happened,” Asher said as we got to the hotel and stepped into our suite. “He was always an arrogant prick, but I never saw him going this far. Do we know why he was there?”
“Not yet. I mean, she hasn’t told me the whole story. The video only shows part of their conversation. I’m sure it wasn’t interesting enough for the vultures behind the phones until he got violent,” I replied with a growl, pissed again. Or still. I wasn’t even sure what the emotion I felt was. It was a mix of rage and sadness, with a little inadequacy thrown into the mix. It was close to the same feeling I’d had when Olive died, but this was more violent. The moment I’d lost her the day before my thirteenth birthday was the worst pain I’d ever felt. The most helpless, the angriest. Until now. Rationally I knew I couldn’t have done anything for either of them, but it didn’t stop the weight of failure from crushing me. I was supposed to keep Greyson safe, and barely a full day after that became my most important job, I failed miserably.
After I ran through the shower, I settled into bed and dialed Greyson. She picked up almost instantly. Soft light illuminated her face and created an angelic glow around her head. Her eyes were red and wet, but her lips stretched into a smile when her gaze landed on mine.
“I thought I said sans clothes,” Greyson teased as she propped her head on a stuffed toy. I leaned forward and pulled off my shirt while I tossed the blanket back so she could see I was wearing her favorite shorts. The way she looked at me through the phone made it difficult to keep myself under control. Greyson sat up and started to unbutton her shirt, and I coughed in surprise when I realized she had started to undress.
“No. Don’t.”
Her fingers froze on the third button, and I saw just the hint of a soft multi-colored bra that reminded me of rainbow sherbet. I wanted a lick. Badly.
“You don’t want to see me … I mean … okay. Yeah, of course. Sorry,” she fumbled, as embarrassment tinged her words. Which made me feel like more of an asshole.
“Fuck yes I want to. I just want it to be special, you know? The first time we see each other that way, I want to be able to do something about it. If you take your shirt off right now, you’re going to see me spontaneously come, and I’d like you to think of me as more manly than a fifteen-year-old who just saw his first boob.”
She laughed and nodded in agreement, or just to make me feel better. Either way, she seemed to understand my reluctance and stopped torturing me with my own private striptease. She didn’t re-button the ones that were already popped though, so my eyes were glued like lasers to any glimpse of what was under her shirt.
“I can’t argue with that,” Greyson sighed wistfully. “I missed your whole game. I watched some highlights. You were impressive with your face-offs.”
“You should come to Montreal. Stay for the rest of the tournament.”
“I couldn’t possibly leave the shop for that long on the fly,” Greyson murmured softly. “I’d love to though.”
“What the hell happened out there?” I wasn’t going to beat around the bush. I needed details.
“He was waiting outside when I closed, which was really creepy because I left late. So, he was just … there. For who knows how long.”
“He came to Chicago to assault you?”
“No, he came to apologize.”
I couldn’t help the snort at the idea of KJ ever apologizing for anything. Especially for being a pussy chasing fuck hound. “Sure, he did.”
“He’s in a program, so it was time to make amends. For sex addition.”
“Oh, give me a fucking break,” I couldn’t help the involuntary roll of my eyes at the idea. He wasn’t a sex addict. He was just a piece of shit.
“I know it sounds like an excuse for being a cheating asshole, but—”
“But nothing,” I interrupted. “He doesn’t get a pass for what he’s done.”
“I know, and when I pointed that out to him things went to shit,” Greyson’s voice broke, and I could see she was most likely reliving the assault.
“Do you believe him? The sex addict part?”
She sighed, and it was full of painful memories. “It makes sense, I guess. Maybe. But it just feels like a convenient way to not take responsibility. I just want him out of my life once and for all. I feel like this was a pretty solid goodbye.”
“I’ll make sure he gets my farewell note, too, when I beat his ass.”
“That won’t accomplish anything,” Greyson protested. “I’m pressing charges, according to Trevor. So, he will have consequences.”
“If he’s not suspended when we play the Diablos, I am going after him. You can be mad, but I’m telling you now, it’s going to happen.”
Greyson snuggled back into her bed and laid sideways. The angle of her body caused her cleavage to spill out of the bra and gave me a clear view of her milky white skin. I considered a retraction on my ‘keep your clothes on’ stance.
“The way you protect me, I kind of love it,” she said on a yawn.
“Get used to it,” I replied, entranced by how she wrestled sleep for me. “Go to sleep, Lemon Drop. I’ll call you in the morning.”
“Do you mind staying on the phone? Until I fall asleep? Mila gave me a gummy, so it hopefully won’t be too long.”
“Of course. I wish I could actually be there to hold you all night.”
“I’m not a good sleeper, especially around people, but I just really need you right now.”
I stayed on for an hour after she closed her eyes and dropped the phone. Her shallow breaths told me the story of her dreams. Twenty minutes after she first fell asleep, she whimpered slightly, and I wished the camera was aimed at her face so I could see her expression. Ten minutes after that she started talking, fear cutting through the ‘No, stop' and ‘please don’t do this' that tumbled from her mouth. She didn’t wake, but she definitely didn’t rest comfortably. I would have done anything to be in that bed to show her nightmares that they held no power over my love. I was angry to know KJ invaded her mind even in sleep, and I only hung up after she had been quietly asleep for half an hour.
What a way to start the rest of my life.
CHAPTER 26
Greyson
“So, he’s hot? Like, hot enough for me to slip off my panties before we go in?” Mila asked with a grin as I chose the most beautiful assortment of pastries to add to the ‘Thank You for Saving My Ass’ box I put together for my new friends.
“Do you ever stop thinking about the next dick you might hop on?”
Her look was disdainful.
“No. Why would I? Seriously, I hope Gavin uses his talents to show you why riding dick is the greatest American pastime, because it pains me to see you not understand.”
I still hadn’t fully grasped the idea of Gavin and I being naked together in the very near future, and the thought of it filled me with equal parts excitement and anxiety.
“I don’t know what to do with it. Please teach me your ways,” I mock begged as I put the finishing touches on the package and waited impatiently while Mila reapplied her blood red lipstick.
“There’s so much to learn. We can’t waste any more time. First lesson: edible panties.”
“Hard pass. I watched a video of these guys trying on edible underwear, and while hilarious, the consensus was not good. The statement ‘it looks like my dick is bleeding’ was uttered, and that’s not something I ever want to hear out of Gavin’s mouth when I’m trying to be sexy.”
Mila shook her head and stared at me in disbelief. “Lesson two: don’t talk about weird shit that’s going to make him think of anything except you naked.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Try,” Mila answered with pity. We got in my car and I typed in the address to Biscuits in the Basket’s office. It turned out the Falcons backup goalie Evan was friends with Camden Reynolds, and both the hockey and social media teams had tightened around me. The minute it was known I was their captain’s girlfriend, the entire team turned into protective older brothers. They honestly believed I didn’t notice the fact there was always at least one of them occupying the table next to the front door of Icing, as if they were waiting for KJ to come back so they had a legitimate reason to beat the shit out of him. It had only been two days, but the constant presence of Chicago Falcons at the bakery had spread across social media and brought in an unending string of customers from open to close. It was great for business, but it was also completely asinine. No matter how much I begged him to call it off Gavin refused to acknowledge he knew anything about it, let alone dictated the entire thing. Even though he was thousands of miles away, his presence was known and felt by everyone who came near me. I’d never felt more safe or more loved. After Mila had a chance to read up on all of Biscuits’ posts since the confrontation and my back-and-forth conversation with Camden, she’d decided they weren’t total assholes.
We pulled up in front of the understated building, and I read the address four times to confirm we were in the right place. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but a rundown brick two story in a questionable neighborhood was not it.
“Are you sure this is it?” Mila asked with a curl of her perfectly sloped nose. “This is … not pleasant.”
“This is what Evan said,” I replied more confidently than I felt. This felt like an episode of Dateline. “Let’s go. It’s fine.”
“It’s the farthest thing from fine, but whatever you say.”
“Trevor knows we’re here. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was around the corner. We’re good.”
Even so, I ran up to the door and darted inside faster than I’d moved in probably ten years. There wasn’t anyone around, so Mila took it upon herself to walk down the hall peering in doors. I hovered around the front when she came back with a lanky blonde. He was clearly in awe of her and would have done anything she asked, so when she demanded he take us to Camden Reynolds he just nodded in compliance and led us to the elevator. On the ride up he stole a few glances at the box in my hands and I ended up offering him a cupcake, even though it would completely throw off the aesthetic I’d created. I was relieved when he declined.
