Ice Dreams

Disclaimer: Characters in this story are my creation, as is the city of Bannen,(as far as I know, Canada doesn’t have a city named Bannen in it), and the hockey team is fictional as well. California doesn’t have a team named the Demon Dogs, that is my creation. The characters in this story are not based on any specific person, so any similarities are purely coincidental. I do not own any rights to the Stanley Cup, and I don’t make any money off my stories.

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I tried to keep the hockey facts as truthful as possible, so please excuse any slip-ups. While this is a story based on a sports team, it’s not my intention to focus completely on it, but instead on the romantic story. I also don’t bash hockey players in real life, as I’ve met a few and they are lovely people. It just works in my story for now. I was inspired from the recent playoff games, when this plot bunny jumped into my head. Please enjoy.

Warnings: angst, lemon, oral, death, fluff, language, m/f


** Asterisks indicate thoughts

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Chapter Eleven



The Bannen Warriors had creamed the opposition, easily enough. They were just enjoying the last night in the city before catching the plane home the next morning. Graham was aware that Neil wasn’t talking to him as much as usual, and seemed a little nervous as well. In all the time that Graham had known his friend, Neil was never nervous. Neil was the one that hit the most and blocked all kinds of hard shots on the ice. He was fearless. For him to be acting this way made Graham concerned. He wanted to pull his friend aside and have a word with him, but wasn’t sure if that’s what Neil wanted. He supposed his friend would seek him out when he felt ready.

It happened sooner rather than later. As the Warriors were making their way into one of the trendy bars in the city, Neil asked Graham to stay outside with him for a minute while the rest of the team went on in. Graham was sure that Neil was finally going to tell him what was on his mind.

“Listen, what I’m going to say to you, well, don’t laugh.” Neil said, looking rather awkward. Graham nodded.

“Sorry I didn’t tell you this earlier, Grammy. I wasn’t sure when it would be the right time. I figured that now was better than any, and I might as well get it off my chest. I met this girl, Amanda, well, Mandy….I’m crazy about her. We started dating a month ago. I think that I’m in love with her.” Neil said. Graham could tell that his admission made him really uncomfortable, mostly because Graham’s opinion meant a lot to him. Neil was giving him a look, daring him to say or do anything wrong, prepared to give him a pounding if need be. Graham smiled at his friend.

“Well, about fucking time you got a girlfriend. I was starting to think you were a eunuch.” Graham joked. Neil relaxed. He punched Graham lightly in the shoulder.

“Shithead. So, you don’t think I’m a pansy or anything? I thought that Mandy and I fell for each other pretty fast. At first it kinda freaked me out. Now, I can’t imagine not being with her. Even right now, it kills me to be gone from her so long.” Graham completely understood what Neil was saying. He was feeling the same thing.

“No, I don’t think you’re a pansy. I think you’re an idiot though, for making yourself believe that I would say or think such stupid things about you. We’re friends, remember? You’re allowed to have a girlfriend. You better watch out though, with the way you’re acting, the guys will start to realize that you’re whipped.”

“I am NOT whipped.” Neil growled. Graham laughed.

“Oh yes, yes you are.”

Neil wasn’t about to argue. He didn’t want to dig himself a hole. He knew that he was as whipped as they come, he would do anything for Mandy. Luckily, she didn’t use that to her advantage. If anything, the lovely blonde would do anything Neil asked her to do. Graham cleared his throat.

“Well, I guess it’s time for my admission.” Graham said. Neil raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve been holding out on me too?”

“Kinda.” The two, muscular friends shuffled on their feet on the patio outside the bar. Graham hadn’t been with Denise nearly as long as Neil had been with Mandy, but he felt like he had known the gorgeous brunette for a lifetime.

“Well?” Neil urged. He was curious now. Graham had always been the ladies man. He just had to talk, or flash a smile, and the women would swoon. Even grandmothers were after him. Neil hadn’t seen his friend abuse that position of power, and he had met a few of Graham’s past girlfriends, but they were never serious relationships. For Graham to actually be keeping a relationship a secret from everyone, that was a curious thing.

“Remember that gir- woman, that we saw? It was around 2 weeks ago, she came to the rink, and Bobby was leading her around? Long, dark hair, blue eyes?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah.”

“Well,” Graham began, “that’s who I have been seeing. She’s a little resistant to me right now, but she’s had bad experiences. I think that she’s starting to trust me now. She’s completely different from any woman I’ve ever been with. I like the way she handles herself – how she moves, how she talks. I dunno, there’s just something about her.” Graham didn’t realize he was starting to get dreamy-eyed. Neil sure did though.

“You’re just as hopeless as I am. We’re both goons.”

“I am not.”

“Listen to yourself.”

Graham thought back on what he had said, and figured there was some truth in what Neil had said. Denise was different. He liked it. He didn’t know if what he felt was love, but he was sure that once he saw her again, kissed her again, and went to bed with her, that there would be no doubt about what he was feeling then.


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Finally, after a week of Graham gone, he was back again. As soon as he had dropped off his equipment in the locker room at the home rink, he left for Denise’s house. He called her beforehand, as to not surprise her. As much as he wanted to, he wasn’t sure if she would appreciate it just yet.

She was happy to see him though, kissing him deeply as he stood outside her doorway. Even though she was standing on a ledge, she was still shorter than Graham. He took her out for lunch, where she inquired about the away game. He filled her in excitedly, sometimes trying to reenact the fancy goals that were scored, not necessarily by him. Denise laughed at his poor acting attempts, but her heart warmed from his enthusiasm.

Graham asked Denise what she had done during the week. She told him of her dilemma, being uninspired with next year’s spring and summer collection, how things weren’t meshing. Pretty soon, she was telling him about her friend troubles, how things just seemed to not be working out in general. He gave her a look of understanding though, and she was amazed that he was listening to her, and being serious about it. He reached over the table, and held her hand in his. She felt dwarfed by the size. Her hand disappeared in his. He squeezed it gently. Her heart fluttered.

“Maybe you’re just trying too hard to make it happen.” Graham was obviously referring to her fashion ideas. “It might be good to take a break for awhile. Maybe go do things that you normally wouldn’t do. My friend’s mom was an artist. She was so used to painting landscapes, and then one day, she just didn’t have the inspiration anymore. She went out and did a bunch of stuff that she thought she would never do, like travel, and then she realized one morning that her passion was actually drawing people. Since then, that’s all she’s been doing. She’s been at it for decades now.” Graham was trying to be reassuring. Denise thought it was sweet.

“Yeah, I suppose I could not think about it so much. Maybe I’ll have a vision sometime soon.”

Graham brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. She smiled at him shyly. That didn’t go unnoticed. Graham felt his heart leap, witnessing her blush.

“As for your friend, I don’t think that she’s treating you very well, from the things you said. I don’t know why you’re even wasting your time on her. You said yourself, that you have more in common with the people you went to school with. Just because they are working around the world, doesn’t mean you can’t still talk to them regularly. You don’t have to put all your energy into Hilary, or whatever her name is.” Graham said. He ran his thumb over Denise’s knuckles, delighting in her smooth skin. He wondered if the rest of her was as soft.

“I still feel like I want to give her a chance, sadly enough. I’ll probably give her a call later, when I’m not so fed up with her.” Denise sighed. Graham wanted to lean over the table and kiss her pouty lips, but thought that would cause too much of a scene. Already they were drawing enough attention, with Graham being a world-class hockey star. He knew that there were reporters in the eatery, and they were dying to make some headlines off of him. If he kissed her, the cameras would be out in a second. He was already tempting fate by visibly holding Denise’s hand. He wanted Denise to be comfortable with him before she was subjected to all the cameras and stories that came with his profession.

They finished lunch, Graham taking Denise’s hand as they left the small restaurant. For the rest of the day, they browsed music stores, (where Denise found out that Graham had a secret love of jazz music), a trinket shop, and stopped at an arcade before dinner. Denise triumphed over Graham in every racing game, though he definitely kicked her butt in the first person shooters.

They ate dinner at a small restaurant, a mom and pop’s style. The food was cheap but exceptionally tasty. They laughed all throughout dinner. Denise delighted in Graham’s childhood stories, where he constantly frazzled his parents with his basement hockey. He used to practice in the basement as a kid, but after one particularly hard shot to the furnace, he was banned from playing indoors again. His parents had gone to great lengths to make sure that Graham was able to play hockey, from making a home-made ice rink in the backyard, to saving up all their money so Graham could afford hockey equipment. His mother would get up early and drive him to the ice rink every morning so he could practice with his junior team.

It had all paid off though. Now Graham was a multi-millionaire, and he had given back to his parents tremendously. For all the money that he had, Graham didn’t flash it around. His three largest expenses were his car, his home, and a cottage by the ocean in Vancouver. A lot of his money had been invested.

Denise told Graham how she first decided on a career in fashion, what university had been like, and how difficult it had been to make a name for herself. Eventually, her line had taken off and she became extremely popular with fellow designers and customers alike. While they might not know her face, they definitely knew her label.

She was a little shocked to hear that Graham had a younger sister. Her name was Jessica, and she was ten years younger. Graham fished out his wallet and pulled out a picture of his sister, passing it over to Denise. She took the photo and looked at the girl on it. It was quite obvious that the two were related. Both brother and sister had the same colour eyes, and Jessica’s hair was only a slightly lighter shade of brown than her big brother’s. Graham and Jessica both had a long oval face, and a long nose, though Graham’s was wider-set than his sister’s. Denise also realized, with a smile, that brother and sister also shared slightly big ears. It was cute.

Denise slipped on her light fall jacket as Graham paid for their dinner at the counter. When he was done, he escorted her out, holding the door open for her. When she passed by, his eyes trailed her form appreciatively. Denise really was lovely. They drove around for awhile, absorbing the night life. They drove through neighbourhoods, admiring some of the houses, sometimes blown away by how grand in size they were. That brought up the topic of Graham’s house. Denise hadn’t been there yet, and wanted to see where he lived. They drove for about 15 more minutes, until Graham pulled into a brightly lit driveway. They were at Graham’s house. It was a small bungalow, but it was well-kept, on the outside, as far as she could see. It was a modest home, certainly not what she thought a hockey player making a substantial sum would live in. She imagined a three-story place, at least, thinking that everyone who made money lived in a big house. She was wrong. Graham walked around the front of the car and opened the passenger side door for her, extending a hand to her. She took it as she stepped out of the car. He bowed as he shut the door.

“My palace.” He said with a grin. Denise returned it. She linked her arm with his as he led her to the entrance of his home. Keys still in his hand, he unlocked the front door, letting her in first. Stepping in after, he closed and locked the door behind him. Flicking on the lights, he gave her a tour through his home.

Denise was impressed. Graham kept his place moderately clean, though sometimes there was clothes on the ground, or magazines lying on the carpet. For the most part though, it looked fairly tidy. On the wall were framed hockey jerseys, or autographs from great players he had received over time. In the living room, there was leather furniture, and a huge TV. Movies lay on the ground in front of the television, and several game consols were hooked up to the device.

There were also some trophies and medals on the shelves in the living room, and more in the basement. Graham had a few paintings on the walls, and some pictures. She found a family portrait hanging on the wall in the basement. It seemed it was taken recently. There was another large picture on the wall, of Graham and two other men she did not recognize. She asked Graham who they were.

“Neil Hamilton, who plays right wing, and Colin Burkins, one of our goalies. The picture was taken two years ago.” Denise remembered the names from searching on the Bannen Warriors website. They were all attractive men, though Graham always stood out to her.

*Because you’re falling hard for him, that’s why*

After concluding their tour, Graham and Denise went to the living room again, taking a seat on Graham’s black leather couch. He had fixed them each a rum and coke, and they conversed quietly.

Not soon after, conversation died out as desire took over. Graham initiated it, setting his glass down before leaning over to kiss Denise. This time, she seemed more compliant. Usually, he could feel the resistance in her body, though tonight she was surprisingly mellow. Pulling away, he took Denise’s glass and set it on the table.

She slipped her arms around his shoulders and drew him back to her. He kissed her again – it was warm, wet, and searching. He licked at her lips, and she parted them for his prodding tongue. He explored her mouth thoroughly, seeking out her own tongue, and entangling them. She was moaning, and that only seemed to add more fuel to the fire blazing in him. She pulled away, kissing the corners of his mouth, before kissing him on the lips. They shared several open-mouthed kisses before Denise’s tongue delved into Graham’s mouth to taste him.

He rubbed his hands up and down her back. He marveled at the exquisite firmness and strength. The suppleness of her body excited him. Their tongues probed each other’s mouths, their kisses hot and fierce. When they parted, they were breathing hard. Denise ran her hands in-between Graham’s shoulder blades, over his shoulders, and down to his biceps. His large muscles shifted under her touch – the power and strength in his body thrilled her.

Graham kissed her hungrily, not caring that he hadn’t caught his breath yet. The moment was too divine, and she was too wonderful. He could spend his entire day kissing her. She didn’t seem to mind too much. Denise wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her, gripping his hair and slightly tugging on it, caught up in their passionate kisses.

When they pulled away, it was only because they were beginning to be seriously deprived of oxygen. Graham watched her, his chest heaving as much as hers. His arms were still wrapped around her petite waist, and her hands were buried in his hair. He wanted to kiss her again, her face only inches away from his.

“Denise…” Her name never sounded sweeter. Hearing him say it like that, out of breath and full of want, was music to her ears. She had made a decision. To pass Graham up would be to really become a fool. Licking her lips, drawing Graham’s eyes to that area instantly, she said,

“Make love to me.” At first, it didn’t seem to register. But when she kissed him again, much softer than their previous kisses, he leaned into her. When she pulled away, he cupped her cheek. He ran his fingers down to her jaw and across her lips, before following the same trail with his mouth.

Standing, Graham pulled Denise with him and pressed his body against hers. She could feel each of his muscles pressed against her body, and his erection poking her in the stomach. To know that she had that effect on him, filled her with passion.

With an unspoken agreement, Graham led her to his bedroom.




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A/N: Cliffhanger!!! Except not. I was quick to put up the next chapter as to not aggravate you guys. Haha. Enjoy the lemony goodness!


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