Chapter Fourteen

Monday was pure hell at the shop.  Thankfully my mom heard my complaints the other day about not having someone to at least run the register because at 6am, she was walking in the door and putting on a smock.

“Mom?!” I exclaimed happily.

“I took a couple days off…” she smiled breathlessly when I pulled her into a tight hug.

“You are the best!  You don’t know how much this means to me…”

“It just means you are in charge of making all the bake goods for Thanksgiving and Christmas,” she laughed.

Unlike my other helper from Friday night, this one knew how to use a register and wasn’t giving out things for free.  However, it seemed word had gotten out over the weekend that Alex had been here because my customers practically doubled from my normal Monday morning rush.  Mom and I were tripping over each other and I found myself tired of answering questions on if Alex was going to come back to the shop and if this time I could advertise before hand.

I was explaining for the 100^th time that it wasn’t planned when the man in question cut in and began speaking with the mesmerized fan.  Before I knew it, Alex, Semin and Carly were surrounded by a crowd, happily signing autographs for them.

“Is that the hockey player they keep asking about?” my mom asked curiously while we watched the frenzy.

“Yup.  Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin and John Carlson,” I informed her, pointing out each guy.  John was finally able to break free from the group and happily bounced over to the counter.

“Hey Lana!” he greeted.  “We just got done practice…”

“Ya’ll know each other?” My mom suddenly asked.

I laughed as John looked over at her and then back at me. 

“Is this your mom?!”

I nodded, still laughing.  “This is my Mom, Julie.  Mom, this is John…”

“You’re daughter makes the best baked goods ever!” John exclaimed, shaking her hand wildly.  “Plus she’s a lot of fun to hang out with…”

“Why you make my girlfriend blush?” Alex cut in, making me jump when he surprised me by putting an arm around my waist and pulling me towards him.  I hadn’t even noticed he had come around to the back of the counter.  Before I could even say anything, he kissed me fully on the lips and I could have sworn I heard a few phone cameras clicking.

When I turned back around, my mom’s eyes were as large as saucers and I knew I was going to have more than a little explaining to do.  Lucky for me, Alex laid on the charm and soon had my mom inviting him over for a family dinner in the near future.  Of course once Carly heard something about home-cooked food, he was also inviting himself along.  I lost it at this point and excused myself into the kitchen so that I could check on some cinnamon rolls that were baking.  A few moments later, Alex was walking through the door, by himself.

I closed the oven door right before he scooped me up into his arms and kissed me again.  “Little Lana…”

“Thanks for announcing my new relationship status to my mom,” I grimaced playfully. 

“I figure she would be scary since she’s in the military, but I find she is you.  Or I guess that would be the other way around,” he laughed.

I shook my head at his words.  “Yes, I’m her…So what brings you here besides getting my customers all in a frenzy?”

“I want to take you out tonight…”

“I am exhausted and it’s only 1pm,” I sighed.

“Just dinner,” he said smoothly, removing my hat and kissing my forehead.

The heat of his body was a vivid reminder of yesterday, which made me physically unable to say no to him.  “Fine…what time and where?”

“I pick you up at 6pm,” he said with a cocky smile before dropping his arms from me, winking at me and walking back out the door, leaving me with my heart beating a hundred times a minute.

I showed up at her place right at 6pm.  Before I could even ring the doorbell, she was walking out the front door.  She was in a pair of boot-cut jeans with black boots, a dark grey knit sweater with an oversized collar and her hair was pulled back in a straightened pony-tail.  She looked chic and ready for a night out on the town.  Her smile lit-up her face when she saw me.  I couldn’t help but think that maybe this could be more than what I had with my other past girlfriends.  However, I was quick to push the idea from my head.  I would never allow myself to become too attached.  Lana was more like an escape from reality for me.

“Hi!” she smiled happily, despite looking really tired from her day at work.

“Hi,” I smiled back, immediately wrapping my arms around her so that I could breathe in her scent that was becoming so familiar to me.

We climbed into the car and off we went to the Russian House, one of my favorite restaurants off of Connecticut Ave in DC.  After handing over the keys to valet, we walked over towards the private entrance.

“You come here often?” she giggled, obviously finding it funny that I didn’t even bother with the main entrance.

“All the time,” I admitted.  “They make the food taste like it does at home.”

“Do you miss home?”

“Dah.  Summers never seem long enough.”

She nodded understandingly and smiled softly.

A few moments later I was sitting next to her at the private table and explaining each dish to her while pronouncing it the way we did back in my homeland.  When the waitress came to take our orders, Lana recited her order, trying her hardest to pronounce the names with the pronunciation I had just taught her.  I lost it when she botched saying Zapechionaya Baranina.

“No laughing at me,” she bumped me with her shoulder.  I’m trying…”

“A southern-accent attempting to speak Russian is easy grounds for laughing,” I laughed even harder.

She rolled her eyes, crossed her arms in front of her chest and fake pouted before also laughing.   The dinner went by quickly and despite my protests, I ended up having to take her home afterwards.

“I really had a nice time tonight, but I’m exhausted and tomorrow is probably only going to be worse for me,” Lana sighed.

I leaned across the console and wagged my finger for her to come closer so that I could whisper into her ear.  She obliged and I growled, “Ya hochu tebya.” (I want you.)  I felt her shiver, despite having no clue what I said.  I took advantage of the moment and began kissing her.  After a few small pecks, our tongues were tangled my hands were firmly cupping her breasts, garnering a few moans from her mouth.

Suddenly she pulled back and panted, “Goodnight Alex,” and got out of the car, bolting for the door.  I dropped my head back against the head-rest of the seat and groaned. 

I didn’t want to rush this.  In fact the more I thought about everything, the more I found myself second guessing my decision to have sex with him yesterday.  For lack of better terms, I was regretting it, for the simple fact that I felt like we were now pushed that much farther into a relationship that still didn’t seem to have any real path planned out.

My mom asked me a ton of questions about Alex and sadly, I didn’t have many answers for her.  It was a grim reminder to me that I made love to a man who didn’t even know my birthday and here we were, supposedly boyfriend and girlfriend. 

Tuesday night, Alex showed up on my doorstep without a phone call or even a text message.  I was down-stairs watching reruns of Cake Boss when I heard the door open and heavy footsteps descend down the carpeted steps.

“Is this your idea of fun?” Alex’s humored accent filled my room.  He was in a pair of light stone-washed jeans that hugged his thighs, a tight red t-shirt, his red-white-and-blue beanie and a pair of flip-flops.  I was learning quickly that his sense of style was sometimes off the wall.  However, it was the clothing choices that made him Alex.

I clambered up against the pillows on my bed and covered myself with a throw-blanket.  It was already 9:30pm and I was technically ready for bed, so I was in just a ratty t-shirt and a pair of boy-short panties.  In no way did I feel like I was dressed for company.  “How did you get in here?” I asked, unnerved by having him in my bedroom.

“I walked in,” he shot me his toothless smile.

“Oh,” I said slowly.

“Faith let me in…” he said slowly.  “Are you mad I am here?”

“No, I just wasn’t expecting you…” I said quickly, feeling bad for making him think that I was angry.  “I’m sorry, I am just surprised you are here…it’s been a long day,” I sighed.

A smile lit up his face once more.  He sauntered his way over to my bed and flopped down next to me before leaning in to kiss me hungrily.  “I was going to ask you to go out with me tonight, but I think I like this idea better,” he growled, threading his fingers in my hair.

Before he could lean back in and kiss me again, I pulled back and put my hand on his hard chest.  “Alex, I have some concerns…”

He smiled and pushed against my hands.  “I think you already know I make sure you feel good too,” he laughed easily.

I laughed nervously and shook my head.  “No, that is not one of my concerns…”

“What is it, my Little Lana?”

I took a breath and let it out.  “I-I don’t want to rush this.  I’m not that kind of girl…”

“I don’t think we are rushing it,” he said in a matter of fact tone before laying kisses on my ear and down my neck.  “We are having fun, no?”

I squirmed away again from him, this time just sliding off the bed and standing-up.  “Alex,” I said firmly to get his full attention.  He looked at me, his eyes looking at my face for just a short moment before they swept down, surveying my body.  I took a few steps backwards and crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling really insecure.

“Don’t cover yourself up, Lana.  You’re beautiful,” he said quietly, crawling across the bed like he was getting ready to pounce me.

“Alex, I don’t want to sound like some psychotic chick that needs you to propose marriage to me, but I-I just think that we need to be on the same track here if this is going to progress.”

He was now up and off the bed, kicking off his flip-flops and removing his beanie.  I was totally not getting through to him, but the look on his face was causing a familiar burn between my legs.  “We were on the same track on Sunday,” he informed me, licking his lips.

“No, ya aren’t understanding me,” I quickly moved, wishing my room was bigger so that I could get more space between us.  “I don’t know even know that much about you…”

“What do you want to know,” he asked, taking a long stride.

I backed up, only to find myself against the wall.  “W-Well, for one, what other interests do you have besides hockey?” I stammered, trying my hardest to keep my cool because he was now pulling his shirt over-his head.

“Fast cars and women,” he chuckled.  “You?”

“Um…I like cooking shows, books, and spending time with my friends,” I said quickly, trying to control my now elevated respirations.

“Anything else?” he asked, placing his palms against the wall, on either side of my head.

“When is your birthday?” I whispered because that was all the louder my body was allowing my voice to get.

“September 17^th…I just turned 26.  You?”

“January 2^nd, I turn 26.”

“Now I ask you a question,” he said, breathing hotly into my ear.

“Yes?”

“Is Mr. Hippo going to have an issue if we have sex in your bed tonight?”

I laughed loudly and suddenly I didn’t care that I didn’t have all the answers to my mom’s questions.  Instead I figured I’d just learn them as we went along.

Tonight was my last night in DC several days.  We were leaving tomorrow for Edmonton.  After not getting her in my bed last night, I figured the only way I was getting her tonight, was to just show up at her house.  It probably would have been easier to just go out with the guys and pick-up a girl, but I wanted Lana.  Never mind the fact that the last time I had slept with a girl more than once was this past summer with my last real girlfriend.  Never mind the fact that I knew this would not go much farther for the simple fact that I didn’t date American girls.  It was as if she was a comfort food.  I already knew I was going to enjoy the sex.  There was no unknown and that was what I needed tonight. 

Stuff was beginning to get a little crazy at the rink.  Boudreau and I were butting heads and despite my small scoring outburst in Philly; I was still not happy with my role on the ice.  Boudreau and I had an argument this afternoon and because of it, I was already dreading the road-trip.  Fucking Lana was my way of forgetting it all for a while.

“Alex…” she whined as I pressed her body up against the wall with mine.  She wrapped her arms around me, her hands flattened on my back.

“Milaya…” I breathed into her neck.  “I think of you all night last night…”

“Me too,” she whispered, gently kissing my cheek.  As much as I wanted to just fuck her hard like I do with so many of the other girls, Lana’s gentle sweetness made it nearly impossible.  In fact, the look in her eyes made it almost unfeasible to ignore that I might actually have more feelings for her than I was ever going to admit to myself.

I scooped her up, cupping her ass, and held her up against the wall.  I tugged on her shirt collar with my teeth.  She reached down and pulled it off, dropping it onto the floor behind me.  Before it even hit the floor, my face was buried between her full-breasts.  I took a one of her left nipple into my mouth, swirling my tongue around it until it hardened.  When I went for the other one, Lana’s hands were in my hair and she was whining quietly.  Pressing her harder against the wall, I was able to drop a hand down to palm her cleft.  The wetness was already seeping through her sexy boy-shorts.  I groaned.  “Fuck, Lana.”

“Alex…” she cried quietly as I slipped a finger under her panties to run it up and down her slit.  When I pushed it inside, I looked up at her just in time to see her eyes roll back into her head.  That look right there made me carry her over to the bed and drop her onto it.  I quickly dropped my pants, pulled her out of her panties and pulled her legs up onto my shoulders, burying myself in her before she could even take a breath.

I woke-up at 4:30am, wrapped around his warm body.  I looked at him sleeping peacefully, with a faint smile on his lips.  When I went to get up, his arms tightened around me for a brief moment.  “I need to get to the shop,” I whispered, placing a small kiss on his lips.

“Mmm,” he moaned.  “I call you later.”

“Okay,” I smiled at him.  “Thank you for the amazing night,” I murmured truthfully. 

His comment last night about being interested in fast cars and women should have been a big enough warning flag for me to steer clear from him, but it was already too late, I was falling hard.