Anna

"Thank you so much for meeting with me Jen" I tell her at the end of our conversation. "I hope that I can do a fraction of what you do."

"Just because there is more of me doesn't mean that I do the job of two people" she says as she rubs her very pregnant stomach.

"Ha ha" I reply. "Seriously though, I'm a little nervous about taking over PR for the Pens from you."

"You're hardly an intern anymore Anna. You're going to rock it and I'll be a phone call away if you need me but you won't."

She tries to stand, takes three tries, but falls back each time. I look at her and incline my head to which she answers with a nod. After helping her out of the chair, we leave her office, now my office and walk down the hall. The PR team is all sitting around their common table in the bull pen apparently to wait for us. When we approach, they all get up and encircle Jen. Adam is first of course.

There are lots of hugs and everyone seems to be chatting at once. I've missed this organized chaos. I didn't realize how much I missed these people and this job. It's like a family. We spend so much time together eating, living and travelling that it's not just the players who grow closer. The coaches, equipment staff, trainers, and our PR team all grow closer too.

When Adam slips away from the pack, he walks over and stands next to me.

"Nice to see you, boss" he says with a dose of sarcasm.

"That's Ms Boss to you" I rejoin.

"Not Mrs. Crosby?"

"Adam!" I shush him under my breath.

"Sorry" he says. "But we really need to grab a drink so you can tell me everything."

"Ok, we can talk, but I'm not telling you everything so don't ask."

He chuckles and replies "ok fine. But I want to hear some of it at least. I'm surprised that you and that fine man have even made it out of the bedroom."

"Adam!"

I shush him again to which he waves his hand at me.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, fine. I'll stop here but we are getting that drink and picking up where we left off."

"On a business note" I begin. "The only thing that we can't figure out is if the media here is going to make me a story or if they will ignore that I'm here and part of a major story in Pennsylvania."

"I don't know for sure Anna but my gut tells me that they'll ignore that you're here. At least the story about you part. I think that they are going to be very excited to have you back. They always liked you."

"That's good news" I look at my watch. "Because we need to head downstairs and get ready for the scrum after practice. The guys should be on the ice in the next thirty minutes or so."

We all say our last goodbyes to Jen and she waddles off. She looks so happy.

"Ok everyone" I say to the team. "We're going to go down for the media scrum and then we'll have a team meeting. Please be prepared to talk about the upcoming road trip, ok?"

Everyone smiles and nods then goes back to their desks. I take the familiar walk down the hall and then the elevator to the ice level. When I walk into the hall outside the locker room, the familiar stench the hockey equipment hits me. I've been nostalgic all morning but this is one thing that I haven't missed. The smell is nauseating.

I walk faster until I'm in the player's lounge where most of the guys are eating breakfast. When Pascal notices me, he stands and starts clapping slowly. Kris sees me and joins in clapping. The rest of the guys, coaches and trainers too, stand and clap. It's really, very sweet. I almost lose it when I see Sid smiling at me from across the room. Very, very sweet.

"Thank you all" I tell them. "I'm happy to be back."

A few of the guys that I knew well, and haven't seen since I came back, each hug me and say some very kind words to me. It's a little overwhelming but very kind.

The room clears out and it's only me and Sidney remaining. He walks to me and kisses my cheek.

"How is your first day going?" he asks me. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine Sidney. It's been good so far" I tell him and smile back. "The real test is going to be the media scrum. We'll see how they react to me being here."

"It will all be fine" he tells me and kisses my cheek again. "Let me know if you need me for anything, ok?"

I agree but am left wondering what he means as he goes to the locker room to finish getting dressed for practice. What would I need him to do for me? It's a sweet offer but weird. I shake it off and walk down the tunnel to ice level. I want a few minutes to collect myself and it's been a while since I've watched a practice. The stands seem like a perfect place to do both.

They'll be on the ice for thirty or forty minutes since they're playing tonight and then we'll have the media scrum. The guys most likely will have meetings and watch film after that, Sid will go home for his nap and I'll be here all day and night. It's going to be a long few days until the road trip. Everything is going well here but there's a lot to catch up on in both process and people. It's a whole new intern team from my time so I'm very grateful that Jen hired Adam on full time. He's going to be indispensable to me.

Oh shit. I never thought about whether Adam may have wanted this job or not. He might have thought that he would step in for Jen in her absence. I really need to talk to him about it and soon. He seemed really happy to see me so hopefully he's ok with it.

The whistle on the ice brings my attention back to practice where the guys start doing line rushes. Sid is with Patrick and Conor. They have been Sid's wingers ever since they won the Cup. He hates change so I'm glad they are still working out for him. He had Chris and Pascal as his wingers for years until Pascal had to retire. The then-new coach, Sullivan, played around with the lines until settling on Patrick and Conor which proved to be great chemistry. They've been together for years now. It's that stability that Sid craves and plays best when he has it.

My eyes follow Sid's movements around the ice. He has incredible speed and grace when he skates that it's hard not to watch him. When they finish their rush, he stops at the end of the ice and then laughs at something Patrick says to him. I think he's happiest when he's on the ice. Ok, after our 'reunion,' maybe he's not the happiest but …

"If you smile any wider your cheeks are going to split" Adam says interrupting my thoughts as he sits beside me.

"Hi" I reply. "I've missed watching practice."

Adam raises one eyebrow.

"Fine" I tell him. "I miss watching Sid practice."

"Just practice?" he asks sarcastically.

"Ha, my lips are sealed, at least right now they are" I reply cheekily.

Adam looks stunned for a few moments.

"Anna" he says in a fake southern accent. "That's down right scandalous."

We both start laughing until there are tears in our eyes. It's so good to see him again and I'm very grateful that he's here. Oh, that reminds me.

"Adam" I begin when we both regain our composure. "Please be honest with me. Were you hoping to fill in for Jen when she went on maternity leave?"

He purses his lips for a moment.

"Ok, honestly, yes. I was hoping that I was going to fill in for her" he tells me. "We never talked about it or anything so it's not like you're taking 'my job'."

"Ok, I was a little worried. You know I'd never do anything to hurt you."

"I know that girl."

"Good" I tell him and turn my attention back to the ice.

They are having a shoot-out and it's Sid's turn next. He roofs it high glove and it goes in of course.

"Don't you just want to jump him when he does that?" Adam asks.

"Actually" I tell him. "It's when he has the puck and he's running some guy around chasing Sid behind the net. All the speed, hard turns and edge work. That's when I want to jump him."

We both laugh again. It feels good to be able to gossip with a friend about my relationship with Sid.

"They'll be finishing up soon" I say. "We should get down to the locker room."

"You don't have to Anna" Adam says as we walk down the stands. "We're a well-oiled machine. I've been handling Sid's scrum for Jen for a while now and the other interns know their jobs."

"Thanks Adam but we've got to do this sometime and I'd rather just rip off the band aid all at once. The media know that I'm back so I want any questions or issues to come up during practice and not at tonight's game."

"Ok" he says and smiles. "I'll go get them."

"Actually" I begin. "Let me. This way, if there's a feeding frenzy, then it's contained away from the team."

He nods and we part ways at the end of the tunnel. I take a deep breath before going into the media room and to try to get ready for anything.

I walk into the room and, before I can speak, one of the guys who has been covering the Pens for over twenty years notices me. Then another reporter notices him noticing me. Quickly, a hush fills the room and everyone is looking at me. I take another deep breath but there isn't any time for me to say anything.

First one reporter begins to slowly clap, then another, then another and then another just like the players did. Faster and faster they clap until they're cheering too. A few yell 'welcome back.' I put my hand up hoping to quiet them. It does.

"Thank you so very much. Wow, I'm overwhelmed by your reception. Thank you" I tell them and feel my eyes getting wet. "We'll be opening the scrum in a few minutes."

Everyone closes computers and gathers their things so I turn to leave the room. I don't go very far before I hear my name.

"Anna!"

It's Dan Potash.

"Hi Dan. How are you?"

"Good, good" he gestures for me to follow him a few feet away.

When we're definitely out of earshot of the media room, Dan speaks in a low tone.

"Anna, just so you know, the old guys have taken some of the new guys aside to make sure that all they're going to talk about is hockey. This is a hockey team, they're hockey players, and we watch hockey games. There's no need to talk about anything else" he tells me.

I quickly understand what he means. The reporters have basically policed themselves and made sure that no rogue reporter is going to question me about politics or make the story about me.

"Thank you Dan" I tell him sincerely. "I truly appreciate it."

He winks and then goes back to the media room while I continue on to the locker room. I find all of the interns outside of the room and they turn, as a group, when they hear me walking up. It's odd because they are silent.

"HI" I tell them. "Everything ok?"

They look at each other until one of the girls, Laurie I think, speaks for the group.

"Did you want to talk to us before the scrum?" Laurie asks.

Oh. They are as uncertain as I am. We're getting to know each other so there is going to be situations and processes that are uncertain.

"No" I tell her and then look around at the team. "You are all very good at your jobs and I don't want to get in the way of you doing them. We'll have a team meeting this afternoon to talk about the upcoming road trip but, as to the day to day, you guys have it nailed."

They just continue to look at me.

"Seriously guys, unless you need me for something, go do your jobs" I tell him with a smile.

I receive some tentative smiles back then they each walk into the locker room and into position so that they are ready for the media. As I watch them, I can see what Jen meant when she told me the PR team is great. I see some of them chatting together clearly figuring out who is going where for the scrum. Some are in position waiting for their player.

The players begin to trickle in shortly followed by some of the reporters. Adam reminds the media who which players will answer questions and they get into position. Some have already walked directly to Sid's stall because he always speaks to the media.

I'm observing the room, trying to ignore the stench that becomes stronger with each player that comes in, when I feel someone walk up to me. When I turn, I'm surprised to see that it's Sid.

"Hi" I say confused.

"Is everything ok?" he asks me.

It has not gone unnoticed in the room that Sid came directly to me rather than his stall when he entered.

"I'm fine Sid. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just want to make sure that no one has been bothering you with questions" he tells me.

"Sid, I'm fine. Please go to your stall where Adam and the scrum are waiting for you."

He looks surprised for a moment and then narrows his eyes as he continues looking at me. It's almost like he's trying to see right into me. He must like what he sees because he turns and walks to his stall for interviews. Why is he acting so weird?

Sidney

I know that I need to focus more on the questions being thrown at me but my attention keeps diverting back to Anna. I hope that she really is ok. Our core media group won't make her the story or bother her but there are always a few reporters who get credentials and are unknown.

"Sid?"

I glance up and everyone around me is looking at me expectantly.

"I'm sorry" I say. "Would you repeat the question?"

The reporter does and I force myself to focus on the question and my answer then staying present during the rest of the scrum. Adam must notice that I'm unfocused because he ends it soon after.

"Everything ok Sid?" Adam asks me when we're alone.

"Yeah, thanks Adam. There's just lots going on right now. Sorry that you had to step in like that."

"Don't worry about it Sid."

He smiles and walks to the locker room doorway to stand beside Anna while I take off my equipment. Anna looks at me and frowns. Oh no, is something wrong?

Adam and Anna are gone before I can stand and walk to her. I'll have to catch up with her after lunch and see if she's ok. It has to be a difficult day for her. When I talked to Adam earlier, he said that he would look out for her and make sure she's ok. It took a little while but in the end he promised to text me if anything happens too.

"Want to grab some food before the meeting?" Sheary asks me.

"Yeah, sure" I tell him.

We walk to the change room and put on shorts and tee shirts before going to the player's lounge. In the lounge, the caterers have set up lunch for us and some of the guys are already sitting down and eating. Sheary and I grab some food and sit with the others. As soon as we're sitting down, Geno stands up.

"Ok, ok, you guys. Quiet" he tells us. "Russia is taking over."

We all look at him confused. Sometimes Geno still has trouble with his English but he doesn't seem to be struggling right now.

"Taking over?" Tanger asks.

"Yes, too many French babies around here" Geno says.

Tanger stands and hugs G. I still don't get it. Tanger looks at us and raises his eyebrows.

"Anna's pregnant" he tells us.

Oh. Geno is going to be a dad again so there's more Russian babies. We all stand and take turns congratulating Geno on the good news. Wow, he's going to be a dad again. I wonder how soon Anna wants to have kids. Maybe we should talk about getting married first. Ha, maybe we should get her moved in first. We need to do it right this time and not rush everything or get ahead of ourselves.

After I've finished lunch, I text Anna to see how her day is going but she doesn't text me back. I wait for a few minutes and, when she hasn't responded, I call her. I begin to worry when it goes to voicemail. There's only ten minutes until the team meeting but maybe I have enough time to run upstairs.

"I'll be back" I tell Sheary.

The elevator will take too long so I run up the stairs. When I don't see Anna in her office, I walk by the intern's bullpen. It's empty too. Shit. Where is she? Double shit, I'm going to be late for the meeting if I don't go back downstairs right away, so I jog toward the stairwell. As I go around a corner, I almost walk directly into Anna.

"There you are" I tell her.

"Yes, I'm here. What's wrong?"

"I sent you a text and called but didn't reach you" I tell her. "I got worried. Are you ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be ok Sid? I'm fine, just super busy since it's my first day and we're planning for the road trip."

Oh. I feel relief run through me knowing that she's fine.

"Ok" I tell her and look at my watch. "I have to go. I'm late for the team meeting."

"Ok" she says.

I run down the stairs and to the team meeting room. When I walk in, everyone turns to look at me, everyone being all of the players and coaches, turn around to look at me surprised. I'm almost never late for team meetings and, when I am, it's usually because of something that I couldn't control.

"Sorry guys" I mumble and take my seat.

Shit.

Sully starts the video and talks about the play. I have to make an effort to stay focused on the video and what the coach is saying. It's weird how hard it is to stay present today.

After the meeting, we each get changed and head home to nap. Before I leave, I text Anna to let her know and this time she responds. She's going to stay at the rink before the game so I head home alone. The rest of the afternoon is familiar and I'm basically on autopilot going into the house, changing and crawling into bed for my before-game nap.

I wake to my alarm slightly disoriented. It's only when I turn the alarm on my phone off that I remember I'm having my pregame nap and we're playing tonight. It's going to be Anna's first game back and I'm excited to have her there. I feel like I'm back in juniors and my girl is going to come to the game. Anna will be working of course but she'll be able to watch too.

Just like when I came home, I'm on autopilot getting ready for the game too: shower, dress, grab a bottle of water, drive to the rink, change into warm up gear and have my meal of pasta. When I sit down with some of the guys, Geno is actually showing around a picture of the ultrasound Anna had this afternoon. He's convinced that he can see a penis and that it's a boy but there is no way you can distinguish that in the picture. The only noticeable body part is the head. The body looks kind of like a tadpole so the guys with kids start chirping him.

Warm up goes as usual too. There's a run on the treadmill, stretches, muscle activating activities and then the two-touch soccer game. When I'm out, I make my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When I turn from the fridge, I'm excited to see Anna.

"Hi" she says.

"Hi yourself. How was your afternoon?"

"Good, busy, really busy, but good. I met with the team and then had a chat with everyone individually. The road trip is prepared and we're ready to go after practice tomorrow. It's all handled."

"Has anyone said anything about, you know?" I ask.

"Everyone has been great Sidney. They're all very welcoming and friendly and helpful getting me up to speed. In some ways it feels like I never left."

I feel relief wash over me. No one has given her trouble about the break up with Matt or coming back here to be with me. We can just focus on ourselves.

"That's great babe" I say and lightly kiss her lips.

"Sandwich time?" she looks down at the PB&J I'm holding.

"That's how you knew where to find me, right?"

Anna and I both laugh. Before a game it's easy to find me because I do the exact same thing at the same time at every game.

"I'll be at press level for most of the game but will be in the locker room afterward" she tells me.

"How long will you need to stay afterward?"

"Um, I'll want a quick chat with my team but that's it. I have some reading to do but thought I'd do it at home."

"Home?" I say. "I like the sound of that."

She smiles and replies "I do too."

"So I'll just meet you at home after the game?"

"Sounds good although I will see you before then."

"Ok."

"Ok" she says, looks around and then kisses me.

It's not a quick kiss. The moment her lips touch mine I feel the spark and the kiss quickly deepens.

When we part, I calculate how much time we have for a quickie. Not only isn't there enough time but it will also mess with my pre-game.

"Not enough time" Anna says.

"You're reading my mind" I tell her.

She gives me a quick kiss and says "later."

I can't help myself from watching her walk away.

"You going to eat sandwich or you hungry something else" I hear Geno say as he comes into the kitchen.

"Both" I answer surprising him.

I rarely talk about my personal life, even with the team, but there are no secrets about me and Anna anymore. Maybe it's time to talk to the guys at least.

Geno laughs at me, slaps me on the back.

"That's ok" he says. "You just be good, ok? Be good to her."

It seems that Geno is still protective about Anna.

"I will G, I promise."

He stares at me for a few moments then smiles.

"Ok then" he says and walks away.

I guess he's ok with it.

Anna

They won the game and all of the PR activities went well. I got to see the interns in action again and they are great. It's going to be a good season.

I see Sid's car as I pull into the garage. I was a little longer than I thought I was going to be. It wouldn't exactly be a good thing for the boss to leave before the rest of the team so I waited for everyone to clear out. Sid wanted to wait for me but I told him to go home. We had two cars at Consol so it made no sense for him to wait.

As I think back, Sid's been acting weird all day. If I didn't know him better I'd think that he was being clingy or overprotective.

"Anna?" I hear Sid call down from the bedroom when I enter the house.

"It's me" I reply. "Who else do you think it would be?"

I chuckle as I walk up the stairs and into the bedroom. When I see Sid sitting in bed, shirtless, watching TV, I feel all of my fatigue fall away. Hmm, maybe I'm not tired after all. I do know that I feel gross and grimy. A shower is definitely required.

"Good game" I tell him. "Two assists, not bad."

"Not bad huh?" he raises and eyebrow.

"Well, Geno had two goals so …"

"Yeah, from my assists."

"That's why I said 'not bad' Sidney."

We both chuckle.

I strip off my jacket and shoes then untuck my shirt from my skirt. I notice that Sid is watching me so I slowly unbutton my blouse and watch his eyes follow my fingers. Maybe I'll have some company in the shower.

When all of the buttons are undone, I let the blouse slowly slide off of my shoulders, down my arms and to the floor. Sid's eyes skim over the exposed skin and linger on my breasts. I trace the swell of my breasts and watch his eyes follow my fingers.

I reach behind my back, unzip my skirt and let it fall down to the floor. Sid's eyes widen and then take in the rest of my naked flesh. I shiver as his eyes grow wider and darker. My skin is itching to have his fingers on me, then his lips, then his tongue. Oh wow, the need is clawing, desperate inside of me.

"I need a shower" I say in a low and breathy voice.

Sid's eyes find mine.

"Want to wash my back?" I ask.

He doesn't speak. All he does is nod and get off of the bed. I leave my clothes on the floor and walk into the bathroom. Sid comes in behind me and goes directly to the shower. When it's running and steam begins to fill the room, Sid walks toward me and stops directly in front of me, as close as he can without touching me.

I reach up, slowly, and slide each bra strap off of my shoulders. That done, I reach behind and unhook my bra. Loose, it quickly falls to the floor and I'm only wearing panties. I shiver when Sid's fingers lightly skim over my waist and tuck inside the waistband. He slides them off of my hips and slowly down my legs until he's kneeling in front of me. I step out of my panties.

Sid slowly kisses across my stomach making me shiver. I have to reach down and hold onto his shoulders as his lips slide lower to the junction between my legs. He nuzzles in slightly and his tongue slips out to flick over my clit. I shiver and moan this time but Sid stops. He stands and pushes down his shorts so that he's naked too.

Sid reaches for my hand and pulls me with him until we're both in the shower. The water is hot and feels so good on my skin. Of course Sid's hands feel better and I moan as he slides his hands up and down my sides. He pulls me closer so that my back is flush to his front and I warp my hands up and around his neck to give him better access to my body. Sid takes advantage.

When his hands start under my arms and slide down, his fingers tease my breasts and flick my nipples as they go by. He continues down over my hips, stomach and then between my legs. Stooping a little, Sid has access to slide his hand between my legs and his fingers between my folds. I'm biting my lip but I'm distracted when I feel his hard dick slide down from my lower back, between my ass cheeks and then lower when his hips tilt. When his finger flicks over my clit, I almost come completely undone.

I tilt my head back against his shoulder so Sid has access to my neck where he alternately kisses, bites and licks the soft and wet skin he finds there. I'm on sensory overload very quickly. The hot water rushes over my body, Sid's hard muscles push against the soft skin of my back, his fingers slide and flick over my clit, he slides up and down slightly between my ass cheeks tilting into me over and over, and his mouth, holy fuck his mouth, on my neck. The softness of his lips, firm pressure of his tongue and his hard, short nips drive me wild.

Sid has to wrap an arm around me to hold me up when he slips two fingers inside of me, deep and fast. Every time he pulls his fingers in and out, the palm of his hand pushes on my clit stimulating me everywhere. Over and over, he moves his hand which rubs his body against mine, everywhere. Fleetingly I'm aware of the pleasure of his hard dick rubbing against my ass in a weird, unfamiliar, but incredibly pleasurable way.

"Cum for me" Sid whispers in my ear and bites down on my lobe, hard.

I do as Sid commands and come completely apart in his hands. I'm vaguely aware of collapsing as I shiver and shake. When I become aware again, it's through the sensations and feelings of everywhere Sid's body is touching mine.

I notice that we are on the shower bench and I'm sitting on Sid's lap facing away from him. One of his arms is crossing my body and his hand possessively holding my breast. His other hand is still between my legs and his fingers on my clit hard but not moving. My legs are very wide, almost uncomfortably so, because he's spread them with his huge thighs. Unconsciously I shift my hips to get more comfortable and his still hard dick slides between my legs, ass to the entrance where I need him most. I moan, loud, desperate to feel his length inside of me.

"Lean forward" Sid orders me and his hands go to my waist to direct me.

I do it, shifting so that my hips are tilted, and reach between us to guide him inside of me. Sid pushes me slightly more forward and fills me completely, uncomfortably, deeper than I've ever felt before. When he thrusts, it's even more uncomfortable. Sid must notice because he stops.

"What's wrong?" he asks breathlessly.

"One minute, I'm ok, just stay still" I tell him and settle back down on him so that he's completely filling me again but stationary.

I wait until I've fully stretched and become use to the deepness so that most of the uncomfortable feeling passes and I just feel full and needy. I rock so that he slides out slightly and then back in. Repeating this action acclimates me to the new position and the discomfort completely disappears until all I feel is the most intense pleasure I've ever felt from penetration alone. His hands are holding my waist lightly to let me take the lead. I shift again so that he almost completely pulls out and then thrusts inside again, deep, and I'm only in ecstasy.

"Now" I tell him.

Sid understands and takes over again. He pulls out and then pushes inside where he waits, probably to gauge my response.

"More" I cry out. "Please, Sidney, more."

I know that I'm begging him, and so does he, but he doesn't make me wait. Sid sets a hard and fast pace that has me climbing high again. I push back and meet him thrust for thrust. He shifts slightly and the head pushes against the front wall of my vagina with each new thrust.

"Ahhhh" I cry out feeling my orgasm about to overtake me.

Then Sid stops and I feel my orgasm slide away, just out of reach, and I cry out again feeling bereft because he's completely pulled out.

"Sid?!" I say in a mixture of need and desperation.

He pushes me so that I'm standing and says "turn around."

When I'm facing him, Sid scoots forward so that I can straddle him again, only facing him now. His eyes are dark, almost black, and the heat inside of them goes directly to my core. I cup his cheeks so that I can look directly into his eyes.

"I love you so much" I tell him.

He smiles and kisses me, slowly, tenderly, and I melt against him pouring everything I feel into our kiss. I can feel everything that Sid feels in the kiss too. It's a perfect moment.

Sid pulls away and says "I love you. I love you more than I knew was even possible."

With my eyes still on Sid's, seeing the depth of love and passion, I shift and then moan as he completely fills me again. Sid lets me set the pace this time and I slowly rock against him, back and forth, so that he enters in shallow thrusts.

This time my orgasm builds slowly, almost imperceptivity in the beginning. I can hear and see Sid's breath quicken and feel my own do the same. I'm acutely aware of every feeling, every touch, and every moment. The moments lengthen even as everything else speeds up. We are the only two people in the world and I'm not even aware of the steam enveloping us or the hot water running down my back. I'm only aware of Sidney and our connection.

My pulse quickens, as does my breathing, so I quicken the pace too. My nipples brush over his chest as I pull him closer and the friction is incredibly exciting. His hands slide down to my hips, over my ass cheeks and pull my hips a little further apart. Sid slips in a fraction deeper and hits that deep, aching spot inside where I need him the most. I cry out and dig my fingers into his shoulders. Sid groans and I know that sound means he's close. I speed up the pace until I'm actually grinding down on him, hard, which sets me off.

This orgasm fills my entire being, my soul, and connects me with this man in a way I've never had with anyone else. I am peripherally aware that Sid is holding me tightly to his body as we each shudder and ride our orgasm. We remain in each other's arms as we come down from the highest of highs.

I pull back slightly and see that Sid is smiling at me.

"Hi" he says.

"Hi back" I tell him.

I can tell that neither of us want to move but, suddenly, a wave of exhaustion washes over me and I yawn.

"I'll try not to take that personally" Sid tells me as he chuckles.

"Funny" I tell him.

Sid helps me stand and then follows me. I turn and dunk myself under the water. When I turn back, Sid reaches up and rubs shampoo into my hair so I shut my eyes and enjoy his gentle touch. I rinse and he repeats with conditioner this time. Before he can start soaping my body, I take the bar from him and wash myself. If he touches me then we may never get out of this shower. I'm so tired that I might have to sleep in here.

We are quickly done bathing and drying off then Sid goes into the bedroom while I dry my hair. I actually find myself humming I'm so happy. I have work that I love, I'm no longer directly in the public eye and I'm finally with the man I'm meant to love forever.

Sid is sitting on the bed, where I first found him when I got home, when I go into the bedroom. My clothes are no longer on the floor so Sid must have picked the up for me. It's such a 'couple' thing to do and very sweet.

I take one of Sid's tee shirts from the drawer to sleep in. It smells like him which makes me smile.

"I need to arrange to have my things packed and moved here" I say.

"I can have it taken care of for you" Sid says. When I look quizzically, he continues "the Pens' travel team can take care of it. They do it when I move back and forth in the off season."

"Oh, I can talk to them."

"It's no problem. I can help."

That reminds me of how weird he's been all day.

"Sid, can I ask you something?"

"Sure babe."

"Was their something bothering you today?" I ask.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for example, when I didn't respond right away to your text or answer your call, you came looking for me and seemed worried."

"It's not like you to ignore a text or call so I worried."

"Sid, I was in the same building as you were and in the middle of meetings with my team. Why would anything have been wrong?"

He frowns and I can tell that he's thinking.

"It was your first day back" he says. "I wanted to check in with you and make sure that you were ok. We didn't know how the media was going to react or what your team was going to think and I wanted to help if you needed it."

I guess that makes sense. It was my first day back and I was overwhelmed at times during the day.

"Ok" I reply and lean over to kiss him. "Thanks."

I crawl into the bed beside him and turn on my tablet. The team is ready for the road trip but there is still so much that I haven't read and need to review. The PR team is great but I need make sure everything goes seamlessly and there are details that I don't know.

I lose track of time and am surprised when the lights turn off.

"What?" I say and look up.

"You've been yawning and rubbing your eyes for the last hour" Sid tells me. "You need sleep."

He's right. My eyes feel like they have grit in them and I can't doubt that I'm tired as I yawn.

"Ok" I tell him.

I turn off my tablet and snuggle into my pillow. Sid pulls the comforter over us both and snuggles down beside me on his own pillow.

"This is awesome" Sid says softly.

"What is?"

"Everything. Shower sex and sleeping with the woman I love. It's awesome."

"Awesome huh? Ok, that's a great word. It is awesome."

Moments later I notice that Sid's breathing has slowed. I've always admired his ability to fall asleep at will. It's unnerving how easily he does it. Although it takes me a little longer, I fall into a deep sleep too.

Author's Note: Still having some wrist trouble so I need to write short pieces at a sitting. Also watching lots of hockey. Stanley Cup is in the house tonight!