Illicit Love

Two weeks had passed since her informal first meeting with her brother's teammates. Sure, she knew all the guys by heart and had heard countless funny stories about them from Chris, but she still didn't like that she was being hidden from them. Chris wouldn't even let her come to any of the games for fear of her coming back to the locker room afterwards. It was ridiculous, to be quite honest.

Despite the fact that she was under house arrest, she was capable of keeping herself entertained. Her classes always gave her something to do during the week, though she didn't have to take that many since she had taken a lot of AP's in high school. When she wasn't in class or doing homework, she varied her schedule between touring the city with her roommate, practicing, and lounging at Chris' apartment. Though she usually only did the last one on the weekends, when her roommate had to be at her internship nearly all day. To strangers, it may seem odd that the siblings spent so much time together. Truth be told, Chris loved how she came over on the weekends. It gave him a down to earth person to talk to and prevented him from gaining a feeling of loneliness. And Gabriella never overstayed her welcome, always retreating to her dorm room at the end of the night, unless instructed by her brother not to.

Today was one of those days, one at Chris' apartment. Chris had just left, however, to go do a media appearance with some of the other guys to unveil the stadium series jerseys. Knowing he would be gone for at least two hours, Gabriella put her phone on the stereo, and immediately went to work on cleaning the hard wood floors, making sure they were perfectly slippery when sliding with socks on. That had only taken her about half an hour, giving her plenty of time to practice some footwork.

For her next competition, she needed a new sequence for part of her song, for her old one had become too easy for her, which eventually led to boredom. She needed to have a rough idea of a complex foot skills sequence in her head by practice on Monday, per her coach's request, and this was the perfect time to do it. With her music on repeat, she immediately went to work.

After about forty-five minutes of unhindered creativity, there was a harsh knocking on the door. She yelled a quick "Coming!" before twirling her way over to the door, not bothering to see who it was through the peep hole.

John Moore, who was patiently awaiting for the door to be opened, was pleased when the younger Kreider opened the door, instead of his teammate. "I like how you never wear clothes when I'm around." Leaning against the door frame, he quickly eyed her up and down. Her nike pros perfectly accentuated her round butt, while her tank top dipped just low enough to make any man swoon. Her glistening skin and lightly tousled hair were just the cherry on top.

Gabriella stepped aside, allowing him entrance. Walking in, he did a quick look around for Chris. "Can I help you? I was kind of in the middle of something." Her tone clearly displayed her annoyance from being interrupted.

"Interrupted from what? Dance party for one?" he asked, immediately heading towards the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. Gabriella grabbed the remote, turning off the stereo before following him.

"Ha ha. You are just too funny," she answered sarcastically. "But no, actually. I was working." She hopped up onto the island, crossing her legs. She eyed the defenseman curiously, wondering the motives of his visit were. "And what, may I ask, are you doing here?" she quickly added.

"Working?" he questioned, furrowing his brows together. Gabriella couldn't help but notice how adorable it was. "I don't see any work being done here." Looking around the apartment, there was not a single piece of paper or laptop to be found. "What kind of 'work' were you doing?"

"I asked you first," she scoffed.

"Jeeze, you're bossy. But if you must know, Kreids, Hags, Brass, and I are supposed to coordinate our Halloween costumes today. We were supposed to meet here in about an hour, but when Chris made a big deal about not coming until exactly 1:00 or later, we figured we should come an hour early to figure out what he was hiding here." Gabriella put a small smile on her face, rolling her eyes and letting out a slight groan at her brother.

"Halloween costumes? Really? Are you guys still five years old?" she questioned as she pulled herself off of the counter upon hearing another knock at the door.

"Ah, so this is why he didn't want us coming over," Carl observed as Gabriella opened the door. She rolled her eyes at the blonde, motioning for him to come in and follow her to the kitchen.

"I'll have you know, the Rangers Halloween party is some serious business. But now it's your turn to answer my question: what kind of ungodly work were you doing?" John questioned as the duo returned to the kitchen.

"I was trying to come up with my new routine," she admitted. She took a seat at the barstool next to Carl.

"A new ice princess routine?" Carl piped in. "I rather enjoyed the performance you had the other day," he added with a wink.

"I'll have you know," she started, mocking the tone John had used previously, "figure skating is some serious business. It's not all glitz and glamour. It takes just as much training as hockey does." If there's one thing that Gabriella hates more than anything in the world, it's when people insult her sport. Not everyone realizes the physical and mental strength and endurance that are needed to skate.

"You're an ice princess!" John exclaimed, giving her a slightly quizzical look. "Lame," he sang under his breath. Gabriella quickly shot him the death stare.

"Well what I want to know is, how good are you?" John nodded his head, agreeing with Carl's question.

"If you're so goddamn curious why don't you just Google me?" Her confidence turned on the two men in front of her, although one significantly more than the other.

"We would, but we kind of don't know your name," John admitted sheepishly, raising an arm to rub the back of his head. Carl proceeded to lightly smack his teammate in the back of his head, telling him to never tell a girl that he has no clue who she is. "It's not my fault! Chris never formally introduced us!" John quickly defended. The two turned their attention towards Gabriella, signaling their want for a formal meeting.

"My name is Gabriella Kreider. If there is anything else you want to know about me, I'm sure my Wikipedia page will fill you in. As for me, Chris talks about the team all the time so I don't need introductions."

The two immediately pulled out their phones, wanting to know as much as possible about her. She giggled to herself as they squinted their eyes and furiously scrolled away, absorbing all the information in front of them.

Upon getting to a piece of information he didn't understand, John picked up his head and raised his hand. She nodded at him, acknowledging his curiosity. "I thought figure skating was in pairs. Why do all of your pictures just have you skating alone?"

"I tried doing pairs and couples a few times. But, I am my brother's sister. We both skate fast. I never found a partner who could keep up," she explained. "That seems to be a recurring problem in my life," she smirked. Standing up, Gabriella leaned forward, resting her forearms on the counter.

"That's just because you've never skated with me," Carl said in a breathy tone. Getting off the barstool, Carl walked behind Gabriella, placing his hands on the counter on either side of her, locking her in place. He pushed her against the counter, allowing her to feel the hardness of his abs and chest. She could feel her body temperature rising at the provocative position they were in. "People tell me I'm fast on the ice, but I'm definitely not quick in bed," he whispered in her ear, reciprocating what she had done to him the other day.

"Dude! What the fuck are you doing? Kreider would be chopping your dick off right now if he was here," John nearly shouted. Both Carl and Gabriella let out long sighs, for their moment had quickly been ruined. Carl quickly retreated back to his safe seat: the barstool.

"Let me guess. Chris told everyone I was completely off limits?" The two men exchanged glances, not wanting to rat out their teammate. That just went against the bro-code completely. "Fine, don't tell me," she huffed. "I already know that he did. He barely lets me go out just for fun. You guys didn't even know my name before today! And it took two months of me being in New York for you to even know I existed!"

Gabriella could no longer stand her lack of a social life. Ever since leaving Massachusetts, she has only been to one party, which, coincidentally, was the only time she had been out past 11. Due to her social restrictions, she only had about three friends on campus, which is why she spent much of her time at Chris' when she wasn't busy. As much as she wanted to achieve her dream, she also wanted to be able to let loose and have fun every once in a while.

"Kreids is a little overprotective?" John questioned. Gabriella gave him a wide-eyed nod in return.

"You have no idea."

Carl and John quickly gave each other devious glances, planning a scheme. Gabriella could feel the corners of her mouth turning up, knowing they were about to do her a favor. "Well then, today is Saturday. Why don't you come to the game tonight, our treat? And seeing as we are playing the Islanders, it's practically a guaranteed win. After the game, you can come down to the locker room, and I will personally introduce you to every one of the guys, before we go out and celebrate," John offered.

"You mean completely defy everything my loving brother has worked so hard to do for the past two and a half months? Are you really suggesting that I go out and have... Fun?" she gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. Carl and John stared at each other, puzzled. "I strive to give Chris agida. I'll be there. But for now, I'm off." She grabbed the keys of Chris' Range Rover before grabbing her duffle off of the floor. "Just tell Chris that I let you in on my way out. I don't want to have to deal with him all afternoon."

"Make sure you don't wear clothes!" John added as she made her way towards the door.

***

Practice was a brutal one. Her coach, Erik, had her practice her triple axel triple flip for an hour straight. Needless to say, she fell, a lot. Bruises had already began to form on her arms, legs, and hips. Every fall was worth it though, for that one moment of extreme satisfaction after landing it perfectly. That feeling alone was the sole reason she never gave up skating. It was the only way she knew how to obtain it, and she never wanted to lose it for good.

Back in the safety of her dorm room, Gabriella stood in front of her small closet in solely her bra and thong, trying to figure out what to wear. She was so thankful to have Chris live just three blocks away. His guest bedroom and bathroom house everything that doesn't fit in her dorm, which is quite a bit.

Hearing the door of her dorm open, Gabriella quickly spun around, grabbing her roommate and pulling her towards the closet. The two had quickly forged a close relationship, so them being nearly naked in front of each other wasn't awkward. "I need something to wear tonight!" she said frantically. For the past half hour she had been staring at her closet, and she needed to leave in another half hour if she wanted to make it to the game on time.

"Chris is letting you go out on a Saturday night?" Abby asked sarcastically. She had met Chris a couple of times, but having no interest in hockey, she wasn't very impressed. She was more annoyed at him for forbidding her from going out and having a good time with Gabriella. Frat parties would be more fun with her around.

"Well, no," Gabriella replied, running through the hangers frantically. "He doesn't know yet."

"Yet?" Abby questioned. Although she wasn't looking, Gabriella could tell that she had crossed her arms and raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Some of his teammates came by while I was at his apartment while Chris wasn't home. They invited me to the game and to celebrate with them afterwards, and since tomorrow is an off day, I had no reason to decline. Plus, I haven't had any form of physical contact with a member of the opposite sex in like, three months. I'm dying Abbs," she added, turning around to face her friend.

"Well it's about damn time! I was worried you may explode soon from all the sexual frustration! I have no idea how you have gone this long." Saying Abby was a little bit of a party girl was an understatement; she lived for Friday and Saturday nights. It's seems as if she was getting laid by a new guy every week. Gabriella found this slightly gross, but that's what made Abby happy, so she never said anything about it.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "So if I wear my jersey with my black jeans and my black Vince Camuto pumps, will I look like a whore?" She held the top and bottom up against her body, displaying it for her friend.

"No, but you better throw this shirt in your bag because I'm not letting you go clubbing dressed like that." Abby grabbed a silver, sequined long-sleeve shirt off of a hanger. It had a modest neckline, but swooped down low, revealing the top half of her back, just enough to drive any man wild.

"You're a life saver!" she squealed, giving Abby a quick hug before changing.

***

Gabriella checked the section on her ticket one last time before opening the door to the suite. The last thing she wanted to do was walk into the wrong one only to find a bunch of lawyers in suits staring at her in her oversized Kreider jersey. At first glance, however, the suite looked empty. She placed her bag down on the counter, fishing through it to find her phone which she had thrown somewhere while she was rushing out the door of her dorm.

"You're late," came a deep voice.

Gabriella jumped and let out a small squeal, thinking that no one else was in the room with her. Looking up, she saw Carl staring at her, looking rather dapper in his grey suit, which he paired with a black tie and white shirt. It was a classic look, one that suited him well. "You need to stop scaring me like that!" she scolded.

Throwing his hands up, as if feigning innocence, Carl replied, "It's not my fault that you scare so easily." Placing both hands on her hips in reply, Gabriella simply shook her head at him. She couldn't defend herself, because she does scare too easily. It's a trait that has haunted her for her whole life.

"So why are you up here anyways? Are you the healthy scratch tonight?" she asked, despite knowing that he was still rehabbing his injured shoulder. She picked up her things and walked over to the outside portion of the suite where the seats were located.

Carl couldn't help himself but stare as the heels she wore caused her hips to sway a little more than usual. Licking his lips, he knew he was in for a treat having her to himself during the game tonight. Taking her lead, he trailed behind, claiming the seat next to her for his own. "I just wanted to be able to have you all to myself," he said seductively. He shot her a quick wink when he saw that she had taken a sideways glance at him.

Gabriella's mind immediately went into the gutter at the handsome Swede's words, thinking of everything and anything that she could do with him. She had been deprived of anything remotely sexual for entirely too long, and if he kept up this game she could easily see herself jumping him during the intermission. "Look, I'm totally one for flirting, but just not during the game. This is the first one I've been to all season, and I would like to watch it." she stated quietly, trying to emerge herself into the game instead of the intoxicating cologne of the man sitting next to her.

"Don't pretend like you don't enjoy it," he stated with a smirk. Feeling slightly embarrassed, a blush crept onto her cheeks. "I knew you enjoyed it."

"Please just let me watch the game in peace."

"It's a damn shame that boy doesn't let you get out more often."

The two remained silent for the remainder of the first period, except for when Gabriella would mutter profanities or angry coaching advice under her breath. Carl found this hilarious, thankful to have entertainment for the night. The game remained tied at zero, but the Rangers were completely dominating the game. They just couldn't get the puck in the net.

"This game is giving me anxiety," Gabriella sighed, getting up to retreat over towards the counter where endless bottles of water were lined up. Carl quickly followed her.

"You and me both," he agreed. "So tell me miss Gabriella," he started, standing on the opposite side of the counter from where she sat, placing his folded hands on the marble. "What do you do for fun since Chris keeps you on lockdown 24/7?"

"I'm dumbfounded," she replied, her eyes wide in amazement. Carl stared at her with a baffled expression. "You just asked me a question with absolutely no sexual implications. Do you feel well?"

"You're right, that actually made me feel ill," he quickly countered. "So do you have any hot friends?" he asked instead.

"What? I'm not good enough for you anymore, or did you finally realize that I am so completely out of your league?"

"You're kidding, right?" he scoffed. "If anything, I'm out of your league. I'm the professional athlete."

"Professional leagues were created simply to find a place big enough for the egos of guys like you," she jested before getting up to go analyze a picture of Mark Messier hanging on the wall. She could feel him follow her, both with his eyes and his physical body.

"You think you're so much better than me, don't you?" he asked. He roughly grabbed one of her shoulders, turning her around and pinning her against the wall. "Because I may have to teach you a lesson then," he growled.

He lightly brushed his calloused fingers along the bare flesh of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Pulling his fingers back, he replaced them with his lips, nipping lightly at the exposed skin. Her eyes fluttered closed as a response to his touch. Gabriella could feel herself losing her senses to him. He was barely even touching her and she was in a state of euphoria. "Mmm, but I already know I'm better in bed," she moaned. Her eyes shot open upon the realization of what she had said. "The games back!" she rushed out. Wiggling under his arm, she was able to release herself from his grasp to hurry back to her seat just in time for the start of the second period.

Carl could only stand there for a moment, feeling cold in the places her body had just been touching. He barely knew this girl, but he was so completely infatuated with her.

He had to have her.

The remaining two periods were filled with silence between the two. Gabriella kept her distance, leaving the suite during the second intermission to wander, simply to prevent herself from doing anything in such a public area. Carl did so because he was formulating a plan to get her into his bed tonight. The only noise between them was cheering when Chris scored the only goal of the game.

Gabriella felt giddy as she made her way towards the locker room after the game. She was in a high from the beautiful goal from Chris and knowing she was finally going to be able to meet the people she had heard so much about. Upon getting to the doors, Carl went in first, just to make sure everyone was fully dressed this time. Once she got the all clear, she ran over to Chris, jumping on his back while he was facing Derick Brassard.

"That goal was a beauty, Chris!" she beamed before hopping off his back.

"Gab, you're lucky I'm strong or else I would have fallen over," he said nonchalantly, not even bothering to turn around. Gabriella placed her hands on her hips, waiting for it to finally register with him. "GAB!" he shouted, causing all eyes in the room to turn towards them. "What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

Placing her hands on his shoulders (which was quite difficult since she was only 5'5"), she stared him straight in the eyes. "Chris, you need to relax. Carl and John invited me. They pity me because you lock me up all day." A small crowd had started to congregate around them.

"Yes, we have," John Moore said, coming to her rescue. He draped his arm around her shoulders, causing Chris to clench his jaw. "And she is coming out with us, too."

Sensing the objection that would come from the men around them if he said otherwise, Chris agreed. "On one condition, Gab. You aren't allowed to drink."

"Fat chance, buddy," she joked, giving him a pat on the chest. "Even if I was in my dorm by myself I would still be drinking."

Chris wanted to object and to scold his little sister, but before he knew it, she had been whisked away by John to be introduced to everyone. Chris watched carefully to observe how everyone was interacting with her, making mental notes of who to watch out for. Carl watched her, too, noticing how lively and happy and innocent she was around the other guys. It baffled him.

After watching Chris stare for a while, Carl had to interject. "Dude, you need to relax. She's 18. She deserves to have a good time. She's a smart girl. She can make her own good decisions."

Carl was right. Chris knew he should relax. The guys have already heard his warning. And seeing Gabriella quickly reject the advances of Michael Del Zotto, he began to feel that he could trust her.

***

All of the guys already loved her for her quick-witted humor and bubbly personality. There were very few people in the world that weren't attracted to her personality. From her perspective, all of the guys were great, but she saw herself hanging out with Carl, John, Derick, Michael, and Mats the most in the future. Ryan, Derek, and Brian were also expected to make guest appearances occasionally.

Upon arriving at the club, she was immediately greeting by Brian Boyle with a beer in his hand for her. "Chris may not want you to have fun, but I'm going to make sure you do," he said as he handed her the alcoholic beverage. She quickly thanked him before wandering over towards the rest of the group, who were segregated off in a VIP lounge area.

She made herself right at home with the females that were with the guys, namely Derek's and Ryan's fiancées, Stephanie and Kaylee, respectively. They were very friendly and immediately welcomed her into the group. When the three finished their drinks, they made their way out of the VIP area and onto the dance floor. Nothing provocative, just three girls having a good time, that is, until, they decided to leave around 11.

Not wanting to dance alone, Gabriella made her way over to the bar in search of Carl Hagelin. "Hey Gab," he breathed when he saw her come over. He couldn't help but notice how stunning she was.

"Where's Chris?" she asked, having to stand right up against Carl just so he could hear her. This caused both of their body temperatures to rise slightly. Carl pointed to the middle of the dance floor to answer her question. Squinting her eyes, Gabriella eventually found her brother who was making out with some random girl. "And he worries about me," she said in disbelief.

Carl let out a small laugh as he moved a piece of hair that had fallen in front of her face behind her ear. She smile up at him before breaking the silence. "Dance with me?" she asked innocently. "Chris won't be able to yell at you since he's a little bit preoccupied."

"I thought you'd never ask." Putting his monstrous hand on her lower back, he led her out into the sea of people, making sure they were as far away from Chris as possible. The two danced for a while before Carl felt the need to know the answer to the question that had been pestering him all night. "Gab," he said, leaning down low so he was right next to her ear. She let out a low moan in reply, causing something to stir in Carl's pants. "Why do you act so innocent around everyone else, but not with me?"

Gabriella spun around so she was now facing him. "The answer is simple," she said with a smile, running her hand down his chest. She found herself on her tip-toes so she could whisper in his ear. "I want to fuck you, Carl. And if you were to take me to your apartment right now, there's no way I could say no."

And neither could Carl.