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. They 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


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Chapter Three




Hilary had grilled her relentlessly on the Bannen Warriors, jam-packing so much information into Denise’s head that she was sure it was going to explode very soon. She had her laptop on the coffee table, set on the Bannen Warriors website- more specifically, the player bios, and had several of Hilary’s sports magazines scattered on the table and sofa.

Halfway through the evening, Denise had found a way to make this hockey information session more enjoyable. Gleefully opening a bottle of merlot, she and Hilary filled their wine glasses full. That had maybe happened two hours ago, now the bottle was almost gone. The girls had the case of the giggles, from consuming a little too much.

“Look at this guy. Could he lose any more teeth? Hello!” Denise pointed to a player profile picture on her computer. Hilary giggled.

“I dunno, I think he looks kinda cute with his two front teeth missing.” Hilary replied. Denise raised an eyebrow.

“Honey, its cute on 5 year olds. Not 25 year olds.”

Hilary had informed her of some of the background stories on some of the players, from their professional career to their personal life. Whatever was in the media. Denise couldn’t quite remember everything, but she didn’t tell Hilary that. The last thing she wanted was for Hilary to tell her the stories 100 times more.

“Then there’s this guy. I mean, could you look any more egotistical?” Denise clicked on the link that brought her to Graham Kelly’s profile. In it, it listed his height and weight, his professional record, what position he played, his age, and birthplace. His picture was what caught her attention, and influenced her opinion of him. It was a headshot, Graham wearing the Bannen Warriors jersey, smiling for the camera. He was a super-hottie, as Hilary would say, but his grin and the look in his eyes spoke of overconfidence and boldness. He looked like one of those daring, nervy guys that Denise hated to be around, much less date.

“Ahh, that’s Graham Kelly! I love, love, love him! Isn’t he so hot?? Look at his eyes, the look he has. Man, I’d like to be on the receiving end of that. He probably knows how to treat a woman.” Hilary gushed. Denise stared at her friend, disbelieving.

“Puh-lease! His haughtiness is almost suffocating. He probably only dates bimbos anyway.” Denise looked at his profile picture again, crinkling her nose.

“You don’t even know him. How can you say that he is haughty? He just knows he’s good, that’s all. He was born in Canada, moved to California for awhile, then came back and started playing for the Bannen Warriors. He’s been on TV a lot too, he’s pretty popular with the press. I think that’s just because they like looking at him.” Hilary was going into information-mode again. It made Denise laugh.

“Well, we both know you like looking at him!” She stuck her tongue out at Hilary in a teasing manner. Hilary grabbed a cushion and whapped Denise with it.

Denise had met Hilary a few years ago, when Hilary was working for a coffee shop. Denise would stop in and grab a coffee every morning before going to work, and eventually they started talking, forming a friendship. Hilary was guarded around Denise, still to this day, but she had gotten used to it and didn’t push Hilary to open up to her completely. She figured that when Hilary was ready, she would do it.

Unlike Denise, Hilary was tall, about six feet, and somewhat plump. She had a slightly round face, shoulder-length blonde hair, and pretty green eyes. She was attractive, in an everyday sort of way, but hardly exotic. As much as it was a little unkind of Denise to think, she couldn’t understand how Hilary had been able to sleep with so many men in her lifetime. She was hardly a knock-out, and not always pleasant to talk to. She didn’t exactly have a sunny attitude. Compared to her, Denise had only a few sexual partners in her lifetime, and they had to prove their worth before she slept with them. She didn’t see that as a bad thing. She believed in quality more than quantity. Hilary thought differently.

“Well, I think you’re now up-to-date on the hockey team and coaches.”

“And some things I’d rather not know. How did you find out the size of his penis?” Denise asked, taking a sip of her wine. Hilary shrugged.

“Well, some ex of his posted it on a forum somewhere. It was meant to embarrass him, but since then he’s been getting a lot of positive attention.”

“And a lot more girls to sleep with, no doubt.”

Hilary stood, gathering her magazines together.

“So, what’s up on the list first for you?” Hilary asked her friend. Denise closed her laptop.

“Well, first things first, I have to start thinking about putting next year’s summer collection together. I’m getting behind in that. The winter collection will be released sometime this month, if all goes accordingly. After I get some sort of a schedule for that, I have to plan the Christmas charity functions and a Christmas banquet for the hockey team. That’ll be time consuming.” Denise sighed, not looking forward to all the work she had ahead of her. Hilary smiled at her.

“Do you need any help with the hockey portion? I mean, I could help you plan out everything.” Hilary looked hopeful. As much as Denise wanted to believe that Hilary could help her, she knew her friend was only interested in meeting the hockey players. Hilary wouldn’t help her with the workload at all.

“No, but thanks anyway. I think I pretty much have it under control. I’ll go see Bob sometime this week and he and I can sketch out a plan.” Hilary looked defeated.

“Ok. But if you need anything, just call.”

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Graham woke, groaning at the bright sunlight. He had forgotten to close the bedroom drapes when he came home the night before. Now the sun was obnoxiously bright and shining right in his face. Pulling the sheets off his naked body, he padded to the washroom. After relieving himself, he started the shower. His muscles felt tighter than he would have liked, most likely from the poor stretch he did before yesterday’s practice.

*I’m getting sloppy*

He stood under the hot spray for a couple minutes before washing his hair and body. Once he was satisfied with his work, he turned off the showerhead and stepped out, wrapping a white towel around his waist. Standing in front of his bathroom mirror, he brushed his teeth and shaved.

After arriving at Harold’s, he hadn’t given Miss Woods any more thought. He enjoyed his time with the boys, drank a few beers, signed some autographs, posed for some pictures, (like he had predicted) and flirted innocently with a few blondes seated close to his table.

Side-stepping some dirty laundry on his bedroom floor, Graham went over to his dresser and picked some clean clothes to wear for the day. There was no practice scheduled, but his heart was never far from the rink. He thought he might talk to Connor, or perhaps help out in the pee-wee hockey practice scheduled for the afternoon. The kids always loved being around their hockey idols- they got so excited they could hardly contain themselves.

Deciding that’s how he would spend his afternoon, Graham rushed downstairs, grabbed his car keys, and headed outside. He would grab breakfast at a diner and head over to the rink.

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Bob was always at the rink, or that was what he told Denise. After taking a look at her winter and summer clothing collection, she decided that she would put off the work for now. She didn’t exactly feel inspired to start creating.

Hopping in her car, she drove over to the ice rink. Bob had said there wasn’t a practice for the Bannen Warriors today, so she felt a bit more relaxed about going there. Only a kids hockey team was scheduled in the rink today, and she hardly felt intimidated by children.

Parking in the large lot, she locked her vehicle and entered the building. It was eerily quiet, the hum of air conditioners seeming loud to her. Occasionally, she could hear a whistle blown from inside the rink, as well as faint voices, but only if she strained her ears.

It was hot outside, being early in October, and Denise thought she had dressed accordingly. She forgot to take in account that the ice rink would be heavily air conditioned.

*Well, aren’t I a dummy* She thought to herself.

She had tied her thick, wavy hair into a ponytail, leaving a few strands out to fall onto her temple and by her ears. She had worn a pink halter summer dress, with aqua earrings and necklace to match. The aqua jewellery only served to enhance her mysterious blue eyes. She wore brown high heels, a few shades lighter than her own hair colour. She was pleased with her appearance when she looked in the mirror that morning, so she didn’t worry about it now.

Walking into the building, she easily located Bob’s office. He was in there, typing away at his computer. Denise knocked on his door. Bob turned to look in her direction, and seeing who it was, waved her in.

“Come in, come in. Ready to get to work?” Denise sat in a chair across from his desk, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen.

“Hi Bob. I did some research last night and came up with a few things. I know the last events coordinator wasn’t too ‘with it’, so the events weren’t very good and poorly planned.” Bob agreed with Denise. She continued,

“So, I’m thinking in order to change things around, we have to start right now. We’ll have to start booking events within the next two weeks. When it gets to Christmas, everything is busy. We can’t leave any bookings until then, or we will be out of luck. I’ve called the Children’s Hospital, and they gave me a list of dates that would be acceptable for the players to come in to hold their holiday social. I will run that by the Coach, and then send out a mass email to all the players.

Next on the list is the Christmas Banquet, for the players and their families. This one might be a little tough. I’m thinking of doing it really close to Christmas, because I know the Coach still holds many practices in December and I don’t want to interfere with any. December 22nd is the best day I can come up with.” Denise ran through her checklist, sharing her ideas with Bob.

They agreed on a number of things. From decorations and dinner menus for the banquet, to gifts for the children at the hospital, they seemed largely on the same page. Bob smiled at Denise when their ‘meeting’ was over.

“Now it’s just a matter of getting in touch with the Coach, management, and players. If you’d like, I’ll ask the Coach your questions and send you back an email, and you can get in touch with all the players about what’s going on.” Bob offered. Denise nodded.

“That would be great, thanks.”

“No problem.”

Denise stood and exited Bob’s office, leaving him to finish the work she had interrupted. As she was leaving, she noticed the kids were done their practice.

*Cute. They're all so small, and some will grow up to be professional athletes*

As she was walking by, a man caught her attention. His back was facing her, but her eyes were still drawn to his frame. He was tall, much taller than her, and extremely well built. The t-shirt covering his body did little to conceal the muscle definition underneath. He was talking to a shorter, older man, turning just as she walked by. He was still smiling as he turned from the man he had been speaking to, when their eyes met.

Denise felt like she had halted, mentally, but forced her feet to keep moving. She turned her head away after catching the man’s eyes, but started to feel a flush come to her cheeks. She willed it away, but the warmth was still inside her body. The man looked very familiar to her.

*Where have I seen him before?*

She struggled with remembering. She had seen his face before, strong and handsome, confident –

He was one of the hockey players she had been looking at. Which one?

*Which one? ……Kelly, I think.

Oh yeah, Graham Kelly, the arrogant one!*

She didn’t bother looking back. If she had, she would have seen that he was following her to the front entrance, and then out to the parking lot. He had to go there anyway, but now it was more fun, the woman from yesterday only a few metres ahead of him. They had locked eyes for an instant, but an instant was all he needed to pursue her.

He had seen the faint blush come to her cheeks before disappearing completely, wanting to read more into it, but waiting until they spoke.

And if he had his way, it would be very soon.

Tiring of chasing her, (even though she had no idea) he called out to her.

“Miss Woods?” That seemed to startle her enough. She turned, and seeing who it was, became instantly on defense. He slowed to stop in front of her. Extending his hand, he chose to introduce himself first.

“I’m Graham Kelly, I play left wing, front line.” He didn’t see how any of that was relevant, but seeing a look of understanding in her eyes, he figured she at least must know who he was now.

“Denise Woods.” She took his offered hand and shook it, surprised at the strength in his grip. He wasn’t hurting her, but she could definitely tell that if he wanted to crush her, he could.

He gave her a smile, straight white teeth only serving to make him more attractive. Not like some of the pictures she had seen of the players, with missing teeth and such.

“I finally know your first name now. Bob only introduced you by your last name yesterday.” He said. Denise clasped her hands in front of her. She wanted to tear her eyes away from him, but she couldn’t. He held her in a penetrating gaze. She thought he could see right through her.

“I didn’t see you yesterday.” She said. Graham smiled again, that smile that Hilary said made female reporters gush. Denise tried to resist it. She swore she would not be like the rest of them.

“I was farther back. News spreads fast with the boys. So, you’re the new events coordinator? The last one wasn’t so good. I hope you survive.”

She raised her chin, her nose in the air. She looked at him defiantly. Was he questioning her abilities? Did he think she was some weak, measly worker? That she was a slacker?

“I assure you, Mister Kelly, that I can do this job and I will ‘survive’, as you say. It is well within my capabilities.” She bit out. She hated when people questioned her ability to work. In her industry, she had to work her ass off, and colleagues used to doubt her all the time. With hard work, she proved to them that she was as capable as they come.

He gave a wolfish grin, bright blue eyes twinkling. He liked that she had a spark in her, that she wasn’t just a pretty face without a personality. She had a backbone, and an interesting character. He would take pleasure in getting to know all about her, how to push her buttons, and see just what this defiant attitude was all about.

She was still looking at him that way, with that certain boldness. She was waiting for him to say something. All he could think about was how tremendously sexy she was, with that beautiful face, heavenly figure, and fiery attitude. He tried not to look her up and down while she was still staring at his face.

“I don’t doubt that you can do it. I have a few ideas myself for charity functions and socials, if you want to get together sometime to talk about it.” He said.

That was hardly what Denise was expecting. She thought they would have a heated argument, and she would storm off. Instead, he says that. Entirely unexpected. She wanted to say, ‘forget it, why don’t you just stick to the stuff you know’, but if he had ideas, she couldn’t reject them without hearing them out first. Maybe he actually had a worthwhile proposal.

“Well, I’m really busy right now. If you want to get in contact with me, Bob has my email. I’m in the middle of doing something really important, so if you’ll excuse me…” Denise didn’t even wait for a response from Graham, turning and leaving the building, heading towards her parked car. Graham still stood in the doorway, watching her leave.

He thought that Denise wasn’t even aware of her allure, her hips sashaying back and forth as she walked away. He had ample time to admire her figure, eyes raking over her body appreciatively. Definitely not like the girls he was used to. She had a desirable full bosom, (he guessed, through experience, around a 34D) small waist, and, from what he could tell from the pull of the fabric around her ass, a firm, but rounded bottom. She knew how to take care of herself.

He watched her pull out of the parking lot, only stepping out when she was gone. If she thought the only contact they would have would be through email, she was sorely mistaken.





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A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far. I really appreciate them!!