Chase

I wonder if T.J. is getting sick of me asking how he's been sleeping. It's the only thing I could come up with to see if Lindsey and I have been too loud with our after-hours activities. It seemed weird just going up and apologizing to him every day.

What if he didn't actually hear anything? Then I'd essentially be letting him know that we were doing something, and the rest of his stay at our place would just be awkward.

So, instead, I opted to ask him each morning how he slept the previous night. He always says the same thing, 'fine.' Either he really has been sleeping 'fine' and Lindsey and I have been quiet enough he actually hasn't heard us, or he's just being nice and not bringing up the fact that he can hear us.

Either way, I'm grateful he hasn't said anything about what he has or hasn't heard. I really have been trying to keep my hands- and other body parts- to myself, but I just can't seem to manage when I'm alone with my girl. She brings out an insatiable side of me that craves to be closer to her in every possible way. And my girl is sexy as hell. Can you blame me for wanting her the way I do?

It's like her body is a magnet for mine, and I'm too weak to put up a fight- not that I've really tried. And when we aren't making a physical connection, we're making an emotional one. I can talk to her about anything and everything. And we have. We've talked about our favorite things, our hopes and dreams, our future together. She's easy to talk to, and she listens to me like no one ever has before.

The closer she and I become, the more I fall in love with her. Yeah, that's right. I'm in love with Lindsey. So, crazy over the moon, hopelessly in love with her. And I haven't found the right time or way to tell her yet, but I need to make sure that when I do, everything is perfect. She deserves nothing less than that.

I'm trying to think up the perfect way to tell her after leaving my meeting with Coach. He reminded me that the new guy would be coming soon, and he wants me to make sure he feels welcome. As team captain, it's a big part of my responsibility to make sure the new guys get acclimated without issue.

My phone buzzes, and I smile as I see my girl's name scrawled across my screen.

Thanks for reminding me, beautiful!

You are so sweet. You know that? How do any of us deserve you?

Can't wait, babe!

Yeah, that's all it takes for me to start grinning like a fool. The guys keep giving me shit for being so 'whipped,' but I can't bring myself to care. As long as she's the one holding the whip, I'll gladly claim that title.

Hmmm, I wonder if she'd be into that... I try to pull my mind out of the gutter as I set course for the gym to meet the guys for a workout.

......

After an invigorating workout, Liam and I head back to the apartment. T.J. told us earlier that he wouldn't be around for dinner tonight and wasn't sure what time he'd be in later. He has a meeting with a rep interested in sponsoring him from a protein supplement company. I guess the rep made late reservations for the two of them, so T.J. said he was gonna stay at the rink and get in some more practice before heading that way.

When we get home, Lindsey lets us know that Taylor just got back and was taking a shower real quick before dinner. I can smell the delicious spread my girl has made up for tonight. She really is the best! There's lasagna, salad, garlic bread, bruschetta, roasted veggies, and two different kinds of dessert.

Liam inhales deeply. "Holy shit, Lins, that smells incredible!"

She beams at him. "Thank you! I wanted to do something nice for Taylor since she's been gone all week. A little welcome home dinner for her."

I position myself behind her and wrap my arms around her middle. "You are amazing, babe. Really, really amazing." I plant a kiss on her temple as she leans into me.

A cough across the room grabs our attention.

I peer up and see Liam shooting us an annoyed look from the other side of the kitchen. I return his look with a sheepish grin as I unwind myself from his sister. "Sorry, man, can't help it. She's like a magnet to me."

He rolls his eyes and stalks off to his room to deposit his duffle.

I turn back around to face Lindsey, giving her a proper kiss while her brother is gone. Then, I ask her about her day. She tells me how work was and gives me an update on the office gossip. I tell her about practice and my meeting with Coach. Liam chimes in and adds to the conversation when he emerges from his room.

We're all still chatting away in the kitchen when the timer goes off, alerting us that the last of the food is done cooking. Thirty seconds later, Taylor comes out of her room and starts heading our way.

"Mmm, Lins, you really outdid yourself this time. Look at this spread!"

Lindsey giggles. "I just wanted you to have a good welcome back. And I've been itching for a reason to make a big Italian dinner."

Taylor gives Lindsey a big hug and looks at me. "You better watch it, Chase. I might try to steal this one from you."

I put an arm around Lindsey's shoulder and pull her closer to me. "I won't let that happen, Tay. She's all mine."

Liam shakes his head and rolls his eyes at us. "Let's eat! I'm starving!"

We all sit down at the dining table and enjoy Lindsey's amazing dinner. We catch up with Taylor in between bites and ask her how her conference was. She tells us all about it, sparing no detail. We share with her everything that she missed while she was gone.

I remind her about one particular detail as we start in on dessert. "Oh yeah, don't forget, Tay, we have T.J. crashing on the couch for a while."

She makes a face before she replies. "Oh yeah. Almost forgot about that."

Liam laughs. "You still good with that?"

Taylor takes a sip of water and nods her head. "I'll be good as long as he doesn't hit on me. If that happens, I may pull a Lindsey and slap the shit out of him." She winks over at Lins.

Liam and I explode with laughter, and Lindsey rolls her eyes at Taylor. "It was one time. And Val deserved it."

"I know, girl, just reminding you that you're a badass."

Shortly after that, we all help with clean up and relax for a while before everyone decides to call it a night.

*

*

*

Lindsey

I wake up wrapped in the warm embrace of my incredible boyfriend. It feels so nice to finally say it- boyfriend. Chase is my boyfriend. And I get to wake up next to him every morning unless the team is traveling.

I sigh contentedly as I stare at his still-sleeping form next to me in bed. He looks so peaceful. I don't want to leave his side, but my body is begging for coffee. Slowly and quietly, I unravel myself from his grip and make my way out of the bedroom.

When I make my way to the kitchen, I'm met with an odd sight. I see a very flustered-looking T.J. and a smirking Taylor. When Taylor sees me, her smirk somehow grows.

"Good morning, roomie," she says, throwing a look to T.J., then walking to her room.

"Good morning, Tay," I reply, slightly confused about what I just walked in on.

I look at T.J., who is staring after Taylor. "What was that all about?"

He shakes his head, looking irritated. "Just a misunderstanding. I'm going to the gym." He walks over to his makeshift living quarters and grabs a few things before heading out of the apartment.

Okayyy, that was weird. What the hell did I walk into?

A few minutes after T.J. leaves, Taylor comes back to the kitchen. I try my luck with her. "What was going on with you and T.J. just a while ago?"

Tay tells me that T.J. came in and made some comment about seeing her coming from Liam's room this morning- which she didn't. She corrected him and told him she came from her room which is right next to Liam's. That baffled T.J., and she informed him that she lives here too.

Somehow, he didn't get the memo that Taylor is our other roomie.

That's when he got all flustered, and I walked in. I look down at what she's wearing- pajama shorts and a form-fitting cami that show off every bit of her incredibly toned body.

I laugh and wave a hand toward her outfit. "Are you sure this isn't the reason he was flustered?"

She looks down and shrugs, sending me a sly grin.

I wonder if she wore that on purpose.