Never Enough Time

Hearing the rain pattering down on his house, Anze Kopitar was glad that he didn't have a morning skate or a game today. Rolling over, he noticed that his girlfriend was in bed beside him. She hadn't been there when he had gone to bed the night before. She had the late shift at the restaurant she worked and so he fell asleep after she called on her break to ask him to do something for her. A little after ten he ended up in their bedroom asleep. He was tired, he hadn't even heard her enter the house of feel the bed move when she got in after getting home. Hearing his phone ring, he leaned over to the side table and picked it up. Seeing that it was just a reminder that there was no practice that morning, he shut off the phone and put it back on the table before his girlfriend started moving in the bed to get comfortable.

Looking down at her light brown hair, Anze laid back down on his side before draping his arm over her waist. The mornings he had to just lay in bed with his girlfriend happened less than he wanted. Even though she was still sleeping, Anze treasured the time where it was just them. He love having his family living with him and Dakota got along with them great, but there were times where he just wanted it to be the two of them.

The first time he laid eyes on Dakota she was shooting Daggers at his team Captain Dustin Brown. Brownie had grown up with Dakota; they were best friends and shared a brother sister relationship. Like all siblings they fought. This particular morning she was mad that he'd woken her to accompany him to practice.

Dakota clung to Dustin as a kid. Growing up an only child was lonely so Dustin was always there to make sure she had sibling style fun. Not only was Dakota an only child, she dealt with parents who fought day in and day out. Their relationship finally ended in divorce when Dakota was eighteen, but she'd already reached her personal breaking point. She packed up the bare necessities and headed west to LA.

As he ran his fingers through her hair three years after her arrival he thanked god she chose the city of Angels. She could have gone anywhere really, but here she was with him. Resting his head behind hers, Anze closed his eyes and let sleep take over his still tired body. The next time he woke up, he was on his back and Dakota's head was resting on his bare chest while her hand was in his. After lacing their fingers together and bringing her hand up to his lips, he kissed her wrist where she had a temporary shooting star tattoo that was starting to come off.

“That feels funny,” Dakota laughed feeling his beard on her arm. Letting go of his hand, she brought her hand to his face. “Someone needs a trim.”

“I thought you liked it.”

“I do,” Dakota smiled as she sat up. “But not when its so bad that its going to leave marks on my skin when I kiss you.”

“Did you get off late?” Anze asked as he watched her yawn.

“I got off half an hour early because I said that my stomach was feeling funny,” Dakota laughed. “So I think it was around one or so when I got home. You were already asleep. I almost went over to Dustin's place to sleep in the guest bedroom there.”

“Why?” Anze asked.

“Because if you were sleeping I didn't want to wake you up. I hate disturbing you. You look so peaceful when you sleep.”

“So if you didn't want to wake me, why did you come here and not to Brownie's?”

“I like sleeping next to you,” Dakota told him. “I don't like sleeping by myself.”

“And what do you do when I'm on road trips?”

“I stay here or at Dustin's with Nicole and the kids. It depends on how I feel,” Dakota said. “But I always wear one of your shirts.”

“You have your own clothes.” he smiled at her.

“I know, but they don't smell like you and when I miss you I can't always talk to you. So that's what I do when you are off playing hockey and I'm stuck in here.”

“But when I get home-”

“When you get home everything is better,” Dakota said with a smile on her face as she cut him off. “Did you know that I love you?”

“Yeah?” Anze asked, moving over so that he trapped her body between his and the mattress of the bed. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer to her before placing her lips on his and giving him a small kiss.

“You are so late for practice,” Dakota laughed. “Dustin is gonna be on your ass.”

“No practice today,” Anze told her as he leaned his head down to her neck as he kissed the skin. “And no game.”

With her eyes closed and her hand in his hair, Dakota let out a content sigh. She couldn't help herself. The way Anze made her feel, even after three years, he knew how to make her want him like it was the first time all over again. Feeling his hands on her hips before moving to the edges of the waistband of her lace panties and slowly peeled them down where she could kick the under the covers. The sparks between them were explosive. The moment Anze pulled off his pajama bottoms, he filled Dakota and sent her into waves of pleasure. And pleasure there was. Anze knew exactly where to touch her and for how long before she felt like she'd explode. The only thing separating their skin was his Kings hockey shirt that she had slipped on before crawling into bed with him early that morning.

Dakota opened her eyes and stared into his. She missed him, she missed the time that they spent alone together. With both their schedules being busy and her still not moved into his home, it made things harder to know when they would see one another. Feeling his hands on her hips, she gasped in surprise when she felt his teeth sink into her ear. “Anze...” she moaned as he moved his head away from her skin and pulled the shirt over her head and tossed off the side of the bed.

Anze's lips made a trail of kisses from her neck before he slowly moved his lips downward to the area between her breasts leaving her wanting more. Her legs wrapped around his waist bringing him farther inside of her. As soon as his lips met hers again, her hand went into his hair and made sure that he wasn't able to get away with a small kiss and his hands cupped her breasts.

By the time they finished the fourth round, Dakota was exhausted. After sleeping for a few hours, she rolled over expecting to find Anze's body next to hers, but there was just an empty space. Letting out a heavy sigh, Dakota moved over onto the side of the bed where Anze would usually sleep on the bed. With her head on his pillow, she inhaled and smiled. It smelled like him and she couldn't help but love that smell.

Hearing the door creak open, she stayed laying on her side on the bed. A new scent filled the room, it was a scent that smelled delicious. It brought back memories of the first date she had with Anze. The weather was just like it was on this day and she had been in Los Angeles for barely a month. Dustin had her coming to the rink at the Toyota Sports Center to see if she could skate after the Kings ended their practice. It was like they were kids again and just like back then, Dakota found herself falling many times. It felt like half the time she was on the ice, she was on her backside glaring at Dustin as he laughed at her. One week, Anze had stayed and as much as she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of anyone else, she did. But after that little session, she had made slight progress. She wasn't holding onto the edge of the ice the entire time. Instead, she held onto Anze's hands as he skated backwards, attempting to help her. That was the day he had asked her out on their first date. And it was one she would never forget.

“So are you awake?” Anze asked her, setting the plate on the bedside table before he noticed that she was on his side of the bed. “Spot stealer.”

“You left, you gave up the right to claiming this side of the bed.” Dakota mumbled into the pillow. Looking up from the pillow, she couldn't help but smile when she saw his amused look. Leaning down he kissed her lips gently before motioning her to scoot over in the bed.

Scooting over so that she was in the middle of the bed, she watched him crawl into the bed and under the covers before grabbing a plate of food before looking at her. “I thought maybe you would be hungry.”

“What gave you that impression?”

“You haven't eaten since you got home. I know you ate the pizza that was leftover in the fridge.”

“So?” Dakota smiled. “I was hungry. What did you bring?”

“Banana pancakes, grapes, strawberries and whipped cream.”

“Anze...” Dakota smiled at him as she leaned over and grabbed the shirt off the end of the bed before slipping it on and dropping the sheet from her chest. “This is what we had on our first date.”

“After your skating lesson.”

“I don't know how you still remember that, but I'm glad you do,” Dakota said as she sat up and snagged a grape off the large plate on Anze's lap. “Wait, no I don't. I love it.”

“Do you ever think about our future?” Anze asked.

“What do you mean? Like a week from now? A month? A year?” Dakota asked picking up the strawberry and took a bite of it before offering a bite to him. Taking a bite he bit down gently on her thumb. “You took the whole thing!”

Smiling at her, he kissed her. After swallowing the fruit he kissed her again. “Where do you see us down the road?”

“I see us, in the living room at some point. And in two days at Dustin and Nicole's for dinner.”

“What about our relationship?” he asked tearing a piece from one of the pancakes and feeding it to her.

“That's good. I love when you make me breakfast foods,” she told him. “I love you. Nothing can change that.”

“Hold this.” Anze asked as he held out the plate of food to her before slipping out of the bed and walking out of the bedroom.

“Anze! What are you doing?” Dakota called out.

Once he came back into the room, he crawled on top of the bed. Slowly making his way up to where she was sitting up with the plate off to the side, he kissed her. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Anze.”

“You never let me finish, do you?”

“Are you surprised?”

“No, but let me finish what I have to say.”

“Okay,” Dakota said looking at him in the eyes. “Go on.”

“I love you. And I want to be with you. Marry me?” he asked opening his hand and showing her the diamond ring in his hand.

“Anze...” she said. “Is this because-”

“No,” he cut her off knowing what she was about to say. “I love you. I want you to be my wife.”

Feeling the tears fall from her face, she had known for awhile that Anze was the one for her. “Yes,” she smiled at him. “Yes, I will marry you, Anze Kopitar.”

Sliding the ring onto her finger, Anze leaned in and kissed her.

“Promise me something?” Dakota asked.

“What's that?” he asked with a smile on his face.

“Promise that you'll make me banana pancakes.”

Placing his large hand on her small belly bump, he leaned down and kissed her stomach where their child grew. “I'll make both of you banana pancakes.”