What Happens in Stockholm

Settling down had never been the thing for me. It had always been about seeing the world, traveling. There was just so much to see, what was the point of settling somewhere? After all, that’s what it was; settling. However, the only problem with being constantly on the move was that it did tend to get lonely.

I technically had a place in Ottawa, but I was rarely ever there. I mean, how could I when I worked for a travel magazine and places like Athens, Barcelona, Moscow and Rome awaited me? There was just so much more of the world that was more fascinating than the most of North America. However, through all my travels, I began missing having a close daily contact with friends and family. While I loved traveling, nothing could replace social comfort.

That being said, when Douglas voiced some newfound space inside his apartment-ish-condo, I eagerly accepted. While he was currently in a relationship, the vastness of his living situation gave me the human contact I so desperately needed. After speaking with my editor, it had been arranged that I would do a piece on Stockholm while at the same time meeting up with Douglas. He insisted that I meet his teammates before I moved in with him so that I was at least somewhat familiar with what I was getting myself into.

I hadn’t seen Dougy in a year, maybe more. As I climbed off the plane, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Knowing him, anything could have changed. My only hope was that he hadn’t decided to turn all professional and actually look well-groomed.

Douglas and I had always been seen as twins separated at birth rather than cousins. It was still to be determined that we did, in fact, have different parents. Not only did we both look fairly similar, minus the fact that I got more attractive genes, but we both acted almost exactly the same. We both loved to have a good time and were never afraid of a little adventure.

As I entered the luggage area for arrivals it took me only a matter of two minutes to find my closest family member. His muscles had become much more defined since I had last seen him. It was obvious that he had been working out and trying to improve his game. Other than that, the only difference was his hair.

Contrary to my fear of him turning professional, Douglas had become more casual. He had grown out his hair a bit more so that now it flowed much more freely. It always amazed me how little he had to take care of his hair to keep it perfect. A gene I wish we shared.

Once I knew for certain that he had seen me, I quickened my pace so I was in his arms, my bag at our feet, in less than ten seconds. It finally felt like home being with him again. With my body wrapped tightly around his and his arms securing me to himself, I was in perfect bliss.

Once I was fully welcomed back to our native land, Douglas and I headed out to the rental car he had been forced to use. I could only imagine how distraught he was about a rental. Dougy loved his Swedish car even more than he loved his truck back in San Jose, and being in the same country but not being able to use it must be torture. However, when we reached the rental I was surprised to find it not completely empty.

There sitting in the passenger seat was a very calm looking man. As he saw us approaching he politely climbed out of the vehicle to greet us. The first thing I noticed about him was his tall stature. He appeared to be just a bit taller than Douglas but had a more sophisticated air about him.

The second thing I noticed about this man, upon closer inspection, was his eyes. At first glance they were just a perfect crystallized blue. But on second glance, there was something more. It wasn’t necessarily right there on the surface, but there was just something about his eyes that made we want to get to know him better. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Well, it just so happened that this mystery man had the curtains drawn on his soul.

Douglas greeted the man with a solid pat on the back and thanked him for waiting. They may have shared a few more sentences, but I was still too caught up in Mystery Man’s eyes to pay attention. It was Doug’s voice that finally brought me out of my trance.

“Brianna? Bri?”

“Hmm?”

“Bri, I’d like to introduce you to my friend and teammate Dany Heatley. Dany, this is my younger cousin Brianna.” As Doug introduced us, this ‘Dany’ kept his gaze steadily on mine as if trying to unlock the secrets behind my own eyes.

Mystery Man –er– Dany stretched his hand out to grasp mine. Due to our previously extensive eye contact, I expected something. But when our skin finally came in contact with each other, I received quite the shock. There was absolutely nothing. There was no spark, no fire, no tingling sensation; nothing.

I gave Dany a gentle smile as he dropped his fingers from mine. After he helped my cousin load my two bags into the trunk, he moved back to my side to open the passenger door for me, thus electing himself to sit in the back. The entire ride to the hotel we were all staying in was filled with idle talking. Douglas and I caught up a bit and I also got to know Dany a bit more.

When we finally arrived at the hotel, Dougy helped me check in and then he and Dany proceeded to help me up to my room. Both men refused to let me carry anything other than my purse. I swear some men were just far too traditional. Before leaving to let me get some jetlag-induced rest, Douglas made a point to inform me which room was his, which one was Dany’s and which rooms the rest of the guys were staying in should I need anything. He also told me they were all planning on going out to one of the closer bars tonight and that I was welcome to come if I felt like it.

After the two men left, it took only five minutes before I was completely unconscious in the soft hotel bed. When I woke up a few hours later, I felt surprisingly well rested. I figured I might as well go out with the guys so that I could at least meet them all when I realized Dougy never told me when they were all leaving. Changing into a comfortable pair of sweatpants, I headed down two floors and knocked on Douglas’s door where I received no answer. With a sigh, I walked down two doors and knocked on what I hoped was the door to Dany’s room.

When the door opened, my jaw dropped slightly. It was Dany’s room all right, but the person standing before me did not at all look like the Dany Heatley I had met only hours before. Now his hair was visibly damp and he wore nothing but the white hotel towel wrapped around his waist. I had no control over my eyes as they fell over his body, taking in the muscles that his clothes had so cleverly hid. When my eyes moved back to his, I saw a hint of amusement etched into the depths of the blue irises.

“Did you need something Brianna?”

“I, uh, um, realized Douglas never told me when you guys were planning on heading out,” I choked out.

Dany glanced behind him to someplace in his room causing his muscles to flex. “Probably in a couple of hours. I can have him call you when we’re ready.”

“That, uh, would be great.”

“Does he have your number?”

“Oh, probably not.”

Dany disappeared for a second, propping the door open with a suitcase, and returned moments later with a pen and paper. “Just write it down and I’ll get it to him.”

I took the tools from him and quickly scribbled down the needed information. As I handed it back to him, our fingers made contact for the second time today. Maybe it was just from the shower he had taken, but it seemed as if his skin was warmer than it had previously been. I gave him a soft smile and turned back down the hall, uttering a small “thank you” as he shut his door, a lazy smirk still etched into his features.

Once back in the safety of my room, I began scurrying around to get ready. With the roughly two hour limit Dany had given me I had just enough time to squeeze in a shower and get ready. Normally I probably wouldn’t have cared so much about my appearance, but I was meeting Doug’s entire team. Being a still single woman, I felt the need to dress to impress.

Exactly two hours later, just as I was putting the finishing touches on my ensemble, I received a text from my cousin alerting me that he was on his way down. I slipped my feet into the sexy heels I had picked out, grabbed my small clutch that held the necessities and awaited Douglas’ arrival. I was only waiting a few moments before a casual knocking sounded through the quiet and empty room. As soon as I opened the door, Douglas was blatant to check out my outfit, making sure it was appropriate for the evening. He obviously underestimated me.

When he deemed me fit to mingle with the public he sent me a broad smile and held his arm out for me to grab. He mentioned that we were meeting the rest of the team down in the lobby as we waited for the elevator doors to open. Once inside the privacy of the metal walls, he voiced what was on his mind, cutting right to the chase in typical Douglas Murray fashion.

“What’s up with you and Heatley?”

“Beg pardon?”

“You and Dany Heatley,” he spoke slowly as if I had a learning disability. He thought he was just so clever.

“There’s nothing going on between us. I just met him today. How desperate do you think I am?”

“Have you seen what you’re wearing?”

“Have you seen your track record?”

“I’ll have you know that I was just recently in a very committed relationship.”

“Was? Point proven.”

With a defeated sigh, Douglas continued. “Brianna, I’m just trying to look out for you. I know my teammates better than you do.”

“I appreciate it Dougy, but right now I’m single and am just looking for a good time. Besides, tonight is strictly business. If this bar ends up being a nice place I’ll add it to my article.” Douglas was just about to interrupt when I put a reassuring hand on his arm and gave him a peck on the cheek. “You don’t always have to worry about me.”

“You make it sound so easy,” he mumbled as the elevator finally reached the ground floor.

As the doors opened I was greeted with the very pleasant sight of the entire San Jose Sharks. Dougy wrapped a protective arm instantly around my waist as he led me towards the group. I knew he still suspected something was going on between me and this Heatley when he steered me in the complete opposite direction to meet his other teammates. As I greeted them, they basically all whispered the same thing after I had passed: ‘damn she’s hot.’

By the time we had reached Dany, who was at the tail end of the group, Doug’s grip on my waist probably couldn’t have been released by death itself. He seemed perfectly content to ignore Dany altogether until said man lifted my hand in his and pressed a gentle kiss to my finger tips, shooting me a playful wink at the same time. While Douglas looked about ready to commit a murder, a paper-thin blush spread over my cheeks.

“We ready to go?” Douglas mumbled to no one in particular.

“Just waiting on Clowie,” the boy I had learned to be Pavelski or ‘Baby Joe’.

Just as the words left his mouth the elevator doors dinged open once again. Out stepped a fairly tall man who just carried himself with an air of confidence. He had a sexy smirk on his lips as he noticed my presence and made a b-line in my direction. I noticed the scowl on Dougy’s face deepen which only meant that this was the kind of boy I could enjoy.

“Dude, Dougy, there’s no way you can land a girl this gorgeous.” My cheeks deepened in color as I heard Dany snort behind me.

“Clowie, this is my cousin Brianna. Bri, Ryane Clowe.”

Ryane shot his hand out for me to grasp. “At your service, beautiful. I’ll be your private escort for the evening.” He shot me a cheesy smile as Douglas let out an unhappy growl.

“Relax Douglas,” I mocked, running my hand down his arm as Ryane began pulling me toward the exit. “I’m just having a little fun.”

As Ryane and I were out of Dougy’s earshot I moved closer to his body. “You’d better not disappoint.”

He raised his eyebrows, shocked that I would even think that about him. “Baby, I’ve never left a woman unsatisfied,” he replied smoothly with a sexy smirk.

I had a feeling that my expectations for my visit to Stockholm, much like Ryane Clow, wouldn’t disappoint.