Kings and Queens

Mike’s POV

I yawned and rolled over in bed, expecting to find more empty space.

I didn’t.

A soft, skinny, and warm body met my open palm. My eyes shot open. What was going on today? I rubbed my eyes and looked again. The long mess of brown locks and the small section of inked words that I could see on her hip where her shirt rode up was enough to make me breathe a sigh of relief. It was Bridgette. And she was clothed. Dammit.

I heard her giggle and she rolled over onto her other side to face me. “Had a little scare there, Richards?”

“I was just worried I’d done something stupid,” I said groggily. “We didn’t…?”

Bridgette shook her head. “No, we didn’t.”

“Good,” I brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes. “I want to be coherent for that.” I wiggled my eyebrows and she laughed, pushing on my bare chest. “But, uh, if you don’t mind my asking… why are you here?”

“You had a little too much to drink last night,” she explained. “And when I brought you back here, you wouldn’t let me leave. My compromise was that you let me go change and then come back.”

“No Jeff?”

“He disappeared about halfway through the night,” Bridgette shrugged. “It seems we can’t go out without one of us getting drunk.”

“We’ll work on it,” I assured her. By then, the light streaming in from the windows was hitting my eyes and I could feel the onset of a nasty headache coming. “Ow.”

“I’ll get you some meds,” she offered and before I could stop her, she threw back the sheets and was in my bathroom. “I borrowed your toothbrush last night, hope you don’t mind.”

Strangely, I didn’t.

“I don’t,” I accepted the two white pills and glass of water. “And thank you.”

She bent from her place kneeling on the bed next to me to press her lips against mine. “Don’t mention it, Mike.”

I felt around for the bedside table to set the glass down without disconnecting our lips. Once my hands were free, I pulled her down closer and she emitted a surprised sound as she landed against me chest.

“Whoops,” I breathed against her.

“Like you’re sorry,” she huffed. “We both have terrible morning breath.

I silenced us both with another fiery kiss that was quickly going from careful and needy to sloppy and wet. Bridgette’s fingers worked against my temples taking care of the last of my headache while my own played against the exposed skin at her waistband.

She broke away for air a few minutes later, but I only moved my mouth to her neck. I quickly found the spot near her collarbone that I’d discovered the day before while half-watching our second movie of the day. I let my hands wander up her back and came to the realization that she had no bra on.

Fuck.

I felt her hands against my chest and the smallest amount of pressure. “Mike,” her voice was insistent. “Mike.”

I groaned but didn’t stop.

“Mike,” again her voice was stern.

“What?” I grumbled finally.

She brushed her nose against mine and smiled. “Breakfast.”

Once again, before I could stop her, she was out of bed and wiggling away. I heard her soft steps begin on the stairs.

“Oh, come on!” I groaned. “How was that fair?”

“All’s fair in love and war, buddy!”

“Well then this is the war!” I countered as I forced myself out of bed and into the bathroom. This was definitely war.

*~*~*~*~*~*

“What time do Dustin and Lang get back in?” I asked a good 45 minutes later. We’d finished eating and were in the process of cleaning up the kitchen.

“Around dinner, I think,” she shrugged. “But actually, I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah, you’re supposed to be my date for that party?” Bridgette reminded me. “I managed to snag Jeff an invite so he can choose to bring a plus one or not. But that’s not the point,” she waved her hand. “Lang’s and my stylists are going to be picking out your clothes for the party tomorrow around six. We need to be out of here by 7:30. You three can meet us at our house around then and we’ll head out. We’ve got a driver for the night so it’ll be all good.”

“Movie star treatment, eh?” I laughed as I wrapped my arms around her and rubbed her stomach. “But I think I can pick out my own clothes. I’m a big boy.”

“Just want to make sure you don’t embarrass me, that’s all,” she smiled. “I need to go for a run.”

“Sure,” I agreed. “On the beach?”

“Nah,” she shook her head. “Let’s go run in the Hills.”

“The place where all the paparazzi take pictures of celebrities ‘exercising’?” I asked.

“The very one,” Bridgette nodded. “Let me go change and I’ll meet you at your car? We can bring the dogs.”

“Sure,” I pressed a fleeting kiss to her lips before swatting her ass as she walked away.

“I know exactly what you’re doing, Richards,” she warned. “And trust me, you will lose.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”

“But honey,” she instantly reverted into that beautiful, Southern accent. “You’re playin’ with fire. Just don’t want you to get burned.” She blew me a kiss before shutting the door behind her.

I looked at Arnold and shook my head. “These girls will be the deaths of us, man, I swear.”

After I changed, I found a text on my phone from my agent.

Have you considered the offer anymore? It’s not very negotiable?

I’d completely forgotten what he’d talked to me about nearly two and a half weeks ago. While we were on our last road trip, the league had expressed interest in having a special done on me that followed me around 36 hours. NHL36 or something like that.

I’d have cameras on me and everyone I spent time with for a day and a half. Was this something I should talk to Bridgette about? Probably. But she was so used to the camera that it wouldn’t make much of a fuss.

Let’s do it. Keep me posted on the details.