Chapter Thirty

She gave herself a headache trying to decide what she could do for him.  She wanted to show him how much she loved him and to repay him for all the wonderful things he had done for her.  Three days ago, she got to meet Sidney Crosby, Matt Cooke and Evgeni Malkin.  Alex had arranged for her and Catherine to meet them after they played against the Caps in DC.  It had been a surreal experience.  They had all been so nice and friendly, just as she had always imagined them.  Sid was even more handsome in person and she blushed when he smiled at her. Geno was huge.  She had no idea how really big he was.  She actually held a conversation with Matt about DC and how she met Alex.  She’d completely forgotten that he used to play here. They all signed the Pens jersey that she was wearing.

Alex had only frowned just a little when he realized she would be wearing it to the game. 

“You were that to my game?” he teased.

“I will have your t-shirt underneath,” she grinned.

“As long as I get to take it off,” he smiled and kissed her quickly.

Just thinking about it made her smile all over again. She had to find a way to make him smile that way. He’d shared everything with her, his life, his passion.  She finally decided that maybe she could share some of her own passion with him.

“What you need me here for?” he asked, walking into the stable.

“I’m going to share something with you.”

“What?”

“I’m going to teach you to ride.”

Alex looked the tall, saddled gelding beside her and then back at her skeptically.

“Alex, you love fast cars and roller coasters and doing things that give you a rush, how can you be nervous about this?” she giggled.

“He bigger than me and he don’t like me.”

She took his hand and brought him closer to Tsar.  “It’s not that he doesn’t like you. He reacts to you that way because he can sense that you are nervous.  He just needs to trust you. Talk to him in Russian,” she smiled. “It worked for me.”

Alex smirked at her and turned his attention back to the 1000 pound beast in front of him.

“Не сделать меня выглядеть плохо,” he said in a soft voice and reached up to stroke Tsar’s forehead.  Tsar bowed his head toward him, snorted, but allowed Alex to pat him.

“See,” said Sophie triumphantly. “Keep going.”

Alex continued to speak in Russian to the horse, moving his hand down his graceful neck and up into his black mane. Tsar shuffled his feet and Alex froze for just a second before continuing to croon in Russian.  His voice was low and his words almost musical.  Tsar stood still and calm and so did Sophie. Alex worked his magic on both of them. 

“Time to get on,” she said, smiling at the stricken look on his face. She instructed him to put his foot in the stirrup and she held Tsar while Alex swung his leg over. Tsar threw his head up feeling Alex’s weight on his back, but stood still with Sophie’s hand gently stroking his neck.  Alex’s lips pursed slightly as Tsar’s reaction, but if he was nervous, he kept it to himself pretty well. 

“Now I’m going to get on behind you,” she said.

“You behind me, that different,” he grinned. She smiled and ran her hand up his inner thigh reaching for the saddle horn and climbed on behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and up his chest.  Tsar shifted his feet again, restlessly. Alex grasped the reins tightly.

“Talk to him some more,” she said.  “And let him loose a little.” 

Alex spoke in his deep, sing-song voice once more and Tsar began walking off toward the woods behind the stable.  She showed him the finer points of steering and acceleration, likening Tsar to his Mercedes. 

“It not like driving a car, Sophia,” Alex laughed.

“It’s better.   You urge him to run and he does it because you ask him to. He is not a machine. He has a mind of his own.  And when you and him are running together, it’s like flying with the wind stinging your eyes to tears. It’s freedom, real freedom.”

Alex shifted back to look at her. She smiled bashfully and kissed his cheek. 

“So, when we run?”

“Well, if you think you’re ready, just squeeze him with your heels.”  Sophie tightened her grip around Alex’s torso as Tsar began to gallop. She felt Alex hunch over just a little and begin moving with Tsar’s stride. He was a natural. He already seemed relaxed and confident holding the reins. Alex squeezed his legs again and Tsar kicked it into a higher gear.  Sophie hugged him tighter and could swear she heard him laugh.

Tsar slowed as they came up to the stream that split the woods in two.  Alex pulled back on the reins and they came to a stop. He took a deep breath and grinned back at Sophie.

“You should just say it was like skating as fast as you can go!” He reached around, putting his arms around her and pulled her from behind him to his lap.  He kissed her hard and she could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest.  His kiss brought the same kind of reaction in her.  Tsar shifted his weight, interrupting the kiss. 

“Thank you,” Alex smiled. Sophie grinned back at him, delighted. 

“You never cease to amaze me, my Alex,” she whispered and kissed him again beside the babbling brook, with the brilliant sunlight shining down on their shoulders.

THE END.

Chapter Twenty nine

There were boxes scattered here and there in her living room. Deciding what to take with her and what to leave behind was a difficult process.  She had decided to keep the house. It was her parents house, after all.  She wasn’t ready to give it up and Alex really seemed fine with it.  At least, he didn’t act like he thought she was keeping it in case things didn’t work out.  It had crossed her mind, but her heart was completely Alex’s and she couldn’t imagine being without him.  He made her believe he felt the same.  She was so happy. She’d just finished closing up a box with masking tape as he walked in.

“You have lots of stuff,” he teased her.

“This is nothing, handsome. I’m leaving half of it here.”

He walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist. She leaned back against him and sighed.

“You sad?”

“Sad? No, I’m happy.”

“I would understand if you sad. You leaving your home and friends behind.”

She turned to face him and wrapped her hands around his neck.

“I am happier than I have ever been, Alexander Ovechkin. I have a new world waiting for me and there is no one I’d rather share it with.”

She stood on her tip toes and kissed his soft lips.  He wrapped his hands in her soft hair and held her close.

“We could stop for little bit and go back to your room,” he tempted her, nuzzling her neck.

“Can’t you wait until we get home?” she smiled.

“Home. I like this. Okay, wait for home,” he slapped her lightly on the pockets of her new Ovi jeans.  “I park truck up the street. You move Mustang out of drive?”

She nodded and squeezed his hand before he moved out the door. 

Sophie picked up the box and moved it to the kitchen table, smiling to herself. She turned to get her keys off the hook on the wall and froze.  He was standing in the doorway, grinning with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“So, what’s going on here?” Dave asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Sophie backed slowly toward the doorway to the living room, panic rising in her throat making her unable to speak.

“Packing?  Where do you think you’re going, Sophie?” he sneered.

She made a break for the front door. He chased after her, shoving her from behind into the door itself.  She crumpled and he pinned her to the door.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he hissed in her ear. “You think you can just leave and start a whole new life somewhere else, with someone else? That’s not gonna happen, Sweetheart. You’re mine – always have been, always will be.”

Sophie forced herself to get her breathing under control. She was close to hyperventilating. If that happened, she could pass out. She couldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t make it that easy for him.  She swallowed hard and braced her hands against the door.  She took a deep breath and brought her foot down hard on Dave’s.  She tagged him right at the base of the ankle. His grasp on her let up in his surprise and she pushed hard against the door, knocking him off balance. She slammed her hand against the panic button on the alarm pad and fumbled with the door. In her panic, she didn’t realize that it was locked and before she could get it open Dave was on her again.  She tried to fight him off, but his right connected with her jaw first and she slumped to the floor. She was dazed for a moment and barely registered another voice.

She fought the fog from her head and saw that Alex had Dave pinned to the floor.  Dave had his hands around Alex’s throat, but Alex continued to pummel him with his right hand.  Dave was shorter than Alex, but somehow he was holding his own against him. Sophie could hear Alex growling in Russian as she tried to get to her feet.  The alarm was wailing throughout the house. She could hear the distant sound of the phone ringing.  She stumbled toward the table to the phone.  Dave’s eyes shot toward her and he flashed his hand out to grab her ankle. Alex was momentarily distracted by Sophie’s fall and Dave flipped him over onto his back. Dave landed two solid punches to Alex’s jaw, then wrapped his hands around Alex’s neck.  Sophie regained her feet and ran into the kitchen.  She grabbed the bat she kept in the corner - the bat with Dave’s name on it.  She ran back to the living room. Alex was still punching at Dave, but his eyes were slightly bigger and his lips were turning blue.  Sophie raised the bat over her head and brought it down across Dave’s shoulders before he even registered that she was there. He collapsed on top of Alex and she heard Alex take in a deep breath.  Alex pushed Dave’s unconscious body off of him and reached for Sophie. She was trembling and the fog was starting to come back. She didn’t have the strength to hold the bat anymore. Alex caught her before she fell and held her until the swimming in her head subsided. Just then, two uniformed police officers burst through the front door.

“It’s over, Sophia,” he whispered to her, rocking her in his arms.  She clung to him as tight as she could.  Over, she thought. Finally over.

Chapter Twenty eight

“He’s beautiful, Sophie. I can’t believe he got you a horse.”  Catherine stepped over to the fence with the apple that Sophie had offered.  She extended her hand and Tsar snorted at her before accepting the treat.   Catherine had come to Arlington for the afternoon.  After a lovely lunch at the bistro in town, Sophie had taken her to the stable to show off her new prize.   

“He’s wonderful.”

“Who, the horse or Alex?” her friend snickered.

“Well, both, but I meant Tsar. Come ride with me. The stable has a couple of other horses that I’ve used before. Charlie won’t mind.”

“Okay, but just slow, not too much bouncing around.”  Catherine’s ribs were still tender at times.  Sophie discussed one of the horses with Charlie, the owner of the stable.  He brought Copper out for Catherine to ride. Copper was a 7 yr old sorrel mare.  She was very gentle and Charlie routinely used her for more inexperienced riders. Sophie saddled Tsar and she and her best friend took off down the path to the woods behind the far pasture. 

“So, are you going to tell me?” Catherine asked after they’d been walking for a few minutes.

“What?”

“Sophie, you’ve had something on your mind all day. I’m tired of waiting. Tell me.”

Sophie smiled. She never could keep anything from Catherine. Her friend knew her like an old tattered book.

“Cat,” she sighed and smiled. “He asked me to move in with him.”

Catherine pulled Copper’s reins up short and looked at her friend in shock. Sophie’s smile faded just a bit.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m really surprised. Are you – I mean, do you want to?”

“Well, he wanted me to think about it,” she said quietly, perplexed by Catherine’s reaction. She thought sure that Catherine would be so excited that she could hardly keep from jumping up and down.

“And have you thought about it -- pros and cons?”

“Well, sure I have. I thought you’d be happy for me. I thought you liked Alex.”

“I do like Alex, Sophie, but moving in is a big step. Have you thought about what happens when he’s on the road or what you’re going do for a job? What are you going to do with your parent’s house?”

“It wouldn’t be any different than when he’s on the road now and I don’t have a job anymore in Baltimore. There are plenty of things I can do in Arlington. I don’t know what I’ll do about Mom and Dad’s house. I haven’t decided.”

“But, clearly, you’ve decided to move in with him.”

“Yes, I have. I’m moving in with him.”

A smile started at the corners of Catherine’s mouth and spread to a wide grin. “Then you better give me a hug.”

Sophie laughed and leaned over on the horse to hug her friend.

“I’m going to miss you.”

“It’s only an hour away. We’ll see each other all the time.”

“Hell, maybe I’ll get to see more of Mike this way. You might not be the only one who gets to live the dream.”

Chapter Twenty eight

There was nowhere else Sophie would rather be than right here.  He held her close to him, her head on his chest, swaying back and forth to the music.  She never pictured Alex as a dancer, but as she’d come to discover, he was full of surprises.  He seemed to thrive on finding new ways to catch her off guard.  Unpredictable was definitely the word for him.  He never failed to put a smile on her face. He seemed just a little bit nervous tonight.  It was odd considering he was never short on confidence and she found herself getting anxious, wondering what was on his mind.  She did her best to dismiss the feeling. She knew he would tell her in his own time. Besides, he was holding her in his arms, running his hands over her back and into her hair and what possibly could be better than that. She felt his soft lips on her forehead and his fingers on her chin, raising her mouth to his.  His kiss was slow and gentle. At first, short and then starting again developing into a deep, long kiss, making her weak in the knees. She loved it when he kissed her that way. It always left her breathless. 

Her fingers fumbled with a couple of the buttons on his shirt and he groaned softly when her lips touched his chest.  She gently pushed him backwards making him sit down on the couch.  She leaned over him and kissed him again.  He ran his hands up her thighs and slid the hem of her dress up while urging her to straddle him. He moaned softly again as he discovered she had left her panties upstairs. He unzipped the back of her dress and slid it off her shoulders leaving it bunched around her hips.  He buried his face between her breasts, kissing first one then the other.  She continued to unfasten his buttons and slid her hands across his massive chest under the fabric.  She loved the feel of his soft skin under her fingers. She ran her hands over his massive shoulders and up his neck pulling his face back up to her and kissing him hard.  His large hands cupped her butt cheeks as he raised his hips toward her so that she could feel how hard he was trapped against the fabric of his pants.  She reached down and rubbed his stiffening cock through his pants for a minute before unzipping them and allowing him to escape.  He moaned as she squeezed him, wiping the precum from the tip of his penis down the shaft.  He swiftly grabbed her hips and pulled her down on him, impaling her as far as he could go.  She gasped, arching her back and tossed her hair back so that it teased his knees.  He cried out in Russian, his voice low and breathy. She didn’t understand the words, but his tone imitated her own as she moaned his name.  She moved her hips up and down as he raised his to meet her.  He kept his hands high on her thighs and thumbed her clit as he thrust into her. She held the back of his neck and pressed her forehead to his gazing into the deep blue pools of his eyes.

“Oh, Alex,” she moaned, feeling the orgasm tingle at the base of her spine and begin to shake her. It rushed through her like a wildfire out of control consuming ever fiber in her body as if every nerve was being licked by flames.

“Sophia,” he grunted.  She felt his own body shake as he exploded into her. She rode him until he was completely spent and then collapsed onto his chest, breathless.  He lay his head back on the couch panting, but with a smile.  He slid his hands into her hair and cradled her as he lay her on the couch, kissing her neck softly.

“My Alex,” she whispered dreamily. “I love you.”

“я тебя люблю, Sophia. I love you.” He answered, his low voice like a song in her ear.  He covered her body with his and held her close, caressing her hair and running his finger over her cheek.

“Stay with me, Sophia.”  He reached for into a dish on the coffee table and pulled out a small silver key. “No go back to Baltimore.  This can be your home.  I want this to be your home. Stay with me.”

She looked up into his eyes and then at the key he held up.

“You no have to answer me now,” he said putting his finger over her lips. “Think about it. I know it is big decision to leave your home and your friends.  You should think about it.  But I want you here with me. I no want you to go back to Baltimore.”

She was completely shocked.  She never expected him to ask her to move in.  The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind.  She would do as he asked and think about it, but she already knew what her decision would be.  She looked up into those astounding blue eyes and back over to the key he held in his hand, complete with Pittsburgh Penguins keychain, and kissed him with all the love she had in her heart. 

Chapter Twenty seven

There was nowhere else Sophie would rather be than right here.  He held her close to him, her head on his chest, swaying back and forth to the music.  She never pictured Alex as a dancer, but as she’d come to discover, he was full of surprises.  He seemed to thrive on finding new ways to catch her off guard.  Unpredictable was definitely the word for him.  He never failed to put a smile on her face. He seemed just a little bit nervous tonight.  It was odd considering he was never short on confidence and she found herself getting anxious, wondering what was on his mind.  She did her best to dismiss the feeling. She knew he would tell her in his own time. Besides, he was holding her in his arms, running his hands over her back and into her hair and what possibly could be better than that. She felt his soft lips on her forehead and his fingers on her chin, raising her mouth to his.  His kiss was slow and gentle. At first, short and then starting again developing into a deep, long kiss, making her weak in the knees. She loved it when he kissed her that way. It always left her breathless. 

Her fingers fumbled with a couple of the buttons on his shirt and he groaned softly when her lips touched his chest.  She gently pushed him backwards making him sit down on the couch.  She leaned over him and kissed him again.  He ran his hands up her thighs and slid the hem of her dress up while urging her to straddle him. He moaned softly again as he discovered she had left her panties upstairs. He unzipped the back of her dress and slid it off her shoulders leaving it bunched around her hips.  He buried his face between her breasts, kissing first one then the other.  She continued to unfasten his buttons and slid her hands across his massive chest under the fabric.  She loved the feel of his soft skin under her fingers. She ran her hands over his massive shoulders and up his neck pulling his face back up to her and kissing him hard.  His large hands cupped her butt cheeks as he raised his hips toward her so that she could feel how hard he was trapped against the fabric of his pants.  She reached down and rubbed his stiffening cock through his pants for a minute before unzipping them and allowing him to escape.  He moaned as she squeezed him, wiping the precum from the tip of his penis down the shaft.  He swiftly grabbed her hips and pulled her down on him, impaling her as far as he could go.  She gasped, arching her back and tossed her hair back so that it teased his knees.  He cried out in Russian, his voice low and breathy. She didn’t understand the words, but his tone imitated her own as she moaned his name.  She moved her hips up and down as he raised his to meet her.  He kept his hands high on her thighs and thumbed her clit as he thrust into her. She held the back of his neck and pressed her forehead to his gazing into the deep blue pools of his eyes.

“Oh, Alex,” she moaned, feeling the orgasm tingle at the base of her spine and begin to shake her. It rushed through her like a wildfire out of control consuming ever fiber in her body as if every nerve was being licked by flames.

“Sophia,” he grunted.  She felt his own body shake as he exploded into her. She rode him until he was completely spent and then collapsed onto his chest, breathless.  He lay his head back on the couch panting, but with a smile.  He slid his hands into her hair and cradled her as he lay her on the couch, kissing her neck softly.

“My Alex,” she whispered dreamily. “I love you.”

“я тебя люблю, Sophia. I love you.” He answered, his low voice like a song in her ear.  He covered her body with his and held her close, caressing her hair and running his finger over her cheek.

“Stay with me, Sophia.”  He reached for into a dish on the coffee table and pulled out a small silver key. “No go back to Baltimore.  This can be your home.  I want this to be your home. Stay with me.”

She looked up into his eyes and then at the key he held up.

“You no have to answer me now,” he said putting his finger over her lips. “Think about it. I know it is big decision to leave your home and your friends.  You should think about it.  But I want you here with me. I no want you to go back to Baltimore.”

She was completely shocked.  She never expected him to ask her to move in.  The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind.  She would do as he asked and think about it, but she already knew what her decision would be.  She looked up into those astounding blue eyes and back over to the key he held in his hand, complete with Pittsburgh Penguins keychain, and kissed him with all the love she had in her heart. 

Chapter Twenty Six

She spent every morning for the next week at the stable with her new friend.  She discovered he had a very smooth gate and a fondness for apples. By the end of the week, he would come to the fence to greet her, waiting for his treat. He pranced around the paddock tossing his mane until she produced the apple. His impatience reminded her of Alex. He was beautiful. He had a long, graceful neck and powerful shoulders and he looked at Sophie with the same kind of intensity that Alex did, though his eyes were a deep dark brown.  She watched him interact with the other horses.  He was friendly enough, but held his head high. It seemed clear to her that he thought he was in charge.

Alex joined her at the fence and watched the horse stomp his feet and snort.

“You no ride today?”

“No, I was just enjoying watching him.” 

Alex watched as the horse tossed his head and snorted again.

“He do not like me,” he observed.

“That’s not really true. You haven’t been around much. You are still a stranger to him. He will like you after he gets to know you,” she smiled. “I did.”

He grinned at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, kissing her forehead.

“Have you chosen a name?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Want to tell me?” he said raising his eyebrows.

“Tsar.  I think he is a Tsar.”

“Tsar? What make you think this?”

“Watch him for a little while. He thinks he is.”

Alex watched the gelding trot around the enclosure, tossing his head and whinnying to a couple of other horses in the pasture behind his.  Alex smiled and looked at Sophie.

“Okay, you may be right.”

“He’s just wonderful Alex. I can never thank you enough for him.” She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.  He looked down at her.

“I’m sure I could think of something,” he said raising his eyebrows.  He leaned down and kissed her softly. Suddenly, there was a snort right next to them. Alex jumped and Sophie stifled a laugh.  Tsar had come back to investigate.  Alex eyed the horse suspiciously.

“She mine. You step back. I make you glue,” he said to the horse.

“Alex!” Sophie swatted at him and followed as he led her back to the car.

Tsar snorted again as they walked away.

Alex smiled at her in the car and she eyed him suspiciously. 

“What are you up to?” she asked.

“Who me?”

“You are the only other person in the car, Alex,” she grinned.

He smiled but was silent and she couldn’t get any more information out of him.  She walked into the house to find the kitchen table set with a white table cloth, china and tall candles. There was a bouquet of roses on the counter.

“Alex,” was all she could muster as she caught her breath.  He pulled her hand to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.

“Dinner will be served soon. Go upstairs and change,” he said softly. Her jaw dropped slightly and she moved toward the stairs speechless. She looked back over her shoulder at him and he grinned that devilish smile that never failed to melt her resolved.  She dashed excitedly upstairs to find a beautiful white dress lain out on the bed.  It was a sleeveless sheath dress with a white, embroidered lace overlay. She slipped into it and admired her look in the mirror.  She sorted through her jewelry box and found a crystal clip that had been her mother’s and pulled back the front of her hair to better show her features.  Her eyes were her best feature, in her opinion, and her mother always said that wearing her hair this way brought out her eyes.  She found herself wishing that her mother was still around. She would want her to meet Alex.  She’d missed her so much since the accident. Maybe her grief played a part in why she was so blind to who Dave really was. Losing her both parents in the car crash had sent her reeling into a whirlwind of turmoil that she never thought she’d recover from. Now, with Alex, she was the girl her mother knew again. She was happy. Her mother would have loved Alex. Sophie took a deep breath, remembering that her Prince Charming was waiting downstairs and hurried with a touch of lipstick before heading for the door.

He was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. He had changed clothes himself, into a pair of black slacks and a blue dress shirt.   He was smiling at her. She could tell he was pleased at how she looked in the dress.  She stood in front of him, looking into his eyes.  He touched her hair, smiling.

“I like it this way. You look so beautiful, Sophia.”

He took her hand and led her to the table. The candles were lit. There was soft music playing over the speakers. Alex brought out two large bowls and placed them on the table.  Sophie quickly realized what he had done.

“You cooked for me?  Borscht?”

He smiled at her.  She looked down at the bowl. It looked beautiful. He’d dropped a bit of sour cream and dill on top of the red of the beets to make a lovely presentation. 

 “I can’t believe you cooked for me,” she kept her sweet, happy face on trying to disguise her skeptism.

“You trust me. You like it. I promise,” he said, not fooled by her smile.

She raised the spoon to her lips and tasted. She smiled at him. He grinned a satisfied smile.

“What I say?  You like it.”

“It’s not as bad as I thought,” she said grinning. “I’m overwhelmed Alex. Why did you do all of this?”

“I want to have special night,” he said. “Very special night.”

Chapter Twenty Five

When she woke up in his bed the next morning, she never dreamed of the surprise he had waiting for her.  It was just a little chilly and she was warm and comfortable under the quilt with him. When he got up to go to practice, she resisted.

“No, don’t leave me in here by myself. It’s cold,” she pouted. “And I’ll miss you,” she added, taking his hand and covering her breast with it.

“Not fair to tempt me. I have to go to practice,” he said smirking, but did not remove his hand.  He leaned over her and kissed her lips softly.  Her lips parted for him and he kissed her deep and slow.  She sighed as his lips traveled down her neck.  He pulled the blankets down to reveal her breast and sucked her nipple into his mouth. She shivered with desire and from the sudden chill.  He looked up at her and grinned. Then he jumped out of bed and flung the quilt to the floor.

“I have to go to practice,” he exclaimed laughing as he made his way to the shower.

“Alex!” she called after him in frustration, scrambling for the covers. “Not cool! You’re going to pay for that!”

She slipped her naked body into a pair of sweats and one of his hoodies and went downstairs to make coffee.  She had finally learned how to use his fancy cappuccino machine, so she could make more than one cup at a time.  She stopped short and decided he didn’t deserve any coffee after that display and refused to make a pot.  She was still standing at the counter over the French press when he bounded down the stairs.

“Hey, where’s mine?” he pouted. She raised her eyebrows at him and went back to sipping from her own cup.

“Oh, you not mad. I just playing. Come on,” he said wrapping his hands around her and caressing her stomach underneath the hoodie.

“You cut that out. You had your chance.”

“Don’t be that way,” he pleaded and reached his hands up further and cupped both breasts.

  

“Alexander Mikhaylovich Ovechkin, you cut that out,” she cried, pushing back against him making him let go. “You have practice remember.”

He looked into her face and saw the sparkle in her eyes and the smile that she was almost successful in hiding.

“Okay,” he said. “Your loss. I be back in two hours. I have surprise for you.”  He started walking away from her and she grabbed his hand.

“Surprise? What surprise?” she asked.

“No tell you. That’s what surprise is. Means you don’t know,” he insisted and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge before heading out to the garage.

“Bye,” he grinned, waving the bottle at her.

“Wait!”  She ran into his arms and kissed him good-bye, enjoying how good his hands felt as he cupped her rear.

                                                                                                                                                         

She spent the next two hours, showering and cleaning up the house.  Alex’s home was quite neat and clean, since he’d hardly been home lately.  Though he had some dirty clothes tossed on the floor.  He picked up after him, shaking her head.  She heard a car and rushed to the window, but it was just someone driving by.  She was anticipating his return more than she thought as she caught herself glancing out the window several times over the next few minutes.  Stop it, she thought to herself, he’ll be here when he gets here.  She finally made herself sit down and turn on the TV. The NHL Network was replaying the Olympic Special on Alex and Sidney Crosby.  She remembered watching this special before she’d met Alex. Remembered think how nice Sidney was and how wild Alex had seemed.  He wasn’t though. Not really.  He was exciting and he made everything he did fun, but he wasn’t the crazy risk-taker that the media made him out to be. Except for the speeding.  The speeding was bang on.  She worried about him driving still, though he was adamant that he’d slowed down. That was mainly because he didn’t want a ticket, though. 

The door opened from the garage and she jumped up, quickly pushing the off button on the remote.  The Olympics was still a bit of a sore spot with Alex and she would not have him see what she’d been watching. 

“You not waiting by the door for your surprise, huh?” he teased after accepting her kiss.

She grinned up at him. He took her hand and led her outside.  They walked through the garage and out to the driveway where a trailer waited.  A burly man in jeans and boots was leaning back against a red pickup truck.

“Alex?” Sophie questioned.  He only grinned at her while the burly man went around to the back of the trailer.  He opened the gate and backed a beautiful bay gelding out onto the drive way. Sophie was astounded.  She looked over the beautiful horse with her mouth open.  She reached up to pat the velvet nose and he allowed it before snorting slightly.

“You like him?  He is supposed to be very good horse. He only three years old.  You have to tell me. I don’t know much about horses,” Alex explained.

“Alex, he’s amazing!” she exclaimed running her hand down the horse’s neck and into the long black mane.  He stood about 17 hands high and he was all muscle.  He shifted his footing restlessly on the concrete of the driveway. 

“There is stable about ten minutes away. I thought you might want to keep him there,” he said and added quietly, “unless you would like to take him to Baltimore.”

She smiled at him and suddenly threw her arms around his neck planting a big kiss on his mouth.  The horse threw up his head reacting to her sudden movement, but the burly man had a hold of him and he did nothing but back up a few steps.  Alex noticed though and wasn’t very happy about it.

“Are you sure he a good horse?”

“Yes, I just moved too fast. Horses have reflexes like hockey players. He’s wonderful, Alex.”

Alex looked at her understanding the analogy, but skeptical nonetheless. 

“He really big.  You are really little. Maybe he too big.”

“He’s not too big, Silly. He’s just right.  I’ll teach you how to ride.”

“Me, ride?  Uh, he is for you.”

“Alex? You’re not scared are you?” she teased.

“Of course not!  I never scared.”  Though, he eyed the horse with distrust.  The horse looked back at him seeming to share his feelings.