Off the Ice (Penalty Kill 2)

“Go get ready for bed, Smarty,” I say gently.

Presley sniffles as she gets out of bed and goes to the bathroom. By the time she returns, I’ve stripped down, and I’m waiting in bed for her. Smarty crawls in, attaches herself to me, and holds me tightly as if I might leave.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“That your parents suck?” I sigh. “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about, Presley. Just forget about it for now and go to sleep, okay?”

Smarty nods against my chest. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, I say, “I love you.”

She squeezes me. “I love you more.”

~

“Walk of shame again, Carr?” Harper says when I walk into our apartment.

“Yeah, isn’t that like the second or third time this week?” Nichols adds.

“Not in the mood,” I quip. Thank goodness I don’t have a morning class today, but Presley did, so I left when she did. As always with Presley, I slept exceptionally well. I grab a change of clothes and head to the gym to work out my frustrations. I’m 97% sure that I’m permanently annoyed this morning because Zack showed up before I left, offering to take Presley to breakfast before class. He seems so smug, and it’s so damn annoying.

Shaking my head, I begin my workout. All it seems to do is make it worse. Between last night with Presley’s dumbass parents and this morning with Mr. Chill, I’m frustrated all over again. After a shower and my only class today, I head to the rink to clear my mind and relax. I lay on the bench, staring up at ceiling, thinking.

The air is chilly, nipping at my skin, but it feels oh, so good. I cross my legs at the ankles and bring my hands behind my head. I wish we had a game tonight so I could really let loose, but if the effects are anything like my workout, it wouldn’t help much. Sighing, I ignore the Zack issue and focus on ways I could maybe help Presley with her parents. Not that they deserve a chance to make things up to her, but she deserves for them to have that chance.

Nothing will help unless they truly want to have her in their lives. Would that change after all this time? Or are they so stuck on her brother that they don’t care? I don’t know what to do! I just want my favorite redhead to be happy. Maybe I just need to let her handle it. I don’t want overstep because I know that she likes being on her own and taking care of things herself.

Closing my eyes, I try to shut everything out because I’m getting nowhere. I don’t want to think of anything other than how good it feels to be here.

~

“Levi?”

Oh, God. My shoulders and neck are so fucking stiff.

“Levi?”

“Over here, Smarty,” I answer, sitting up. My eyes are glued to the girl I love so much and the body that comes with. She’s wearing my favorite pair of jeans and a low cut white shirt. I drop my legs to opposite sides of the bench, and Presley sits down in front of me, giving me a short kiss.

“I’ve been trying to get up with you! Have you been here the whole time?”

“Yeah, I accidentally fell asleep. This bench is a piece of shit. Don’t you want to give me a massage, Smarty?” I give her my best arrogant grin, but she slightly frowns. “Why were you trying to get up with me?”

“Because I really wanted to see Captain Carr.” She rolls her eyes at me, obviously not meaning what she said. “I was worried,” she adds after a second. “Your dad was trying to call you and when he couldn’t -”

“Pops?” I gulp, my heart sinking. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. He -”

“Then why was he trying so hard to call me?”

Presley straightens her shoulders and narrows her eyes at me. “Quit interrupting me and I’ll tell you.” I hold my hands up, surrendering. “He wanted to ask you something about this weekend, but when he couldn’t get up with you, he called me. Then I got worried because you didn’t answer your phone and I hadn’t heard from you all day and then you weren’t answering my calls. It was ridiculous, really, because he was about to go to the store and just wanted to know if he needed extra groceries.”

“That’s it? You’re sure? He sounded okay? Maybe I just need to go make sure he’s okay.” I stand but Presley pulls me back down.

>

“He’s fine, Levi. If you’re worried, just call him. Don’t drive all the way over there.”

You’re smothering him. Her words echo in my mind once more. “Fine. Sorry for making you worry.” I lean over and give her a kiss. “Do I still get a massage?”