Three days later and it was Mika’s last evening. Benoit had missed one game and he would miss the next one in Pittsburgh. They would fly out the next day, Kara along with them, play the day after and another day later they’d move on to Philadelphia. Benny would fly out for that game and he’d hopefully be allowed to play. It had already been enough to miss out on one game, let alone the next one. He enjoyed playing against the Penguins too much and he had to sit out that game. He’d definitely convince everyone that he was ready to play against the Flyers.
And he would only see Kara when he landed in Philadelphia. He would see her today after nearly three days of no contact. He wouldn’t say that he’d missed her, well, in some way he did, but he’d just gotten used to having her around and talking to her, touching her, kissing her.
The morning after he’d gotten checked into the boards, Kara hadn’t even stayed for breakfast. She’d woken up along with him and got up immediately. He was still groggy from the painkillers and from sleep.
“Where are you going?” he’d asked her, rubbing a hand over his eyes.
“Home.” She’d stepped into her shoes and combed her fingers through her hair. “I shouldn’t have come here. I don’t even know why I cried so much.”
“You were in shock. It’s okay.” Slowly he’d gotten up to reach for her hand, but she’d stepped away from him.
“I usually don’t cry in front of others.” She’d grabbed her purse from the floor. “I’m sorry, you shouldn’t have seen me this way.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Kara.” Finally he’d stepped closer to her and put his hand on her cheek. “It’s okay. And it was nice to have you here.”
“Okay”, she’d nodded, avoiding his eyes. “Still, I need to get home and finally start working. I’d wanted to do this days ago.” A tired smile had appeared on her face before she’d left him. No kiss, not even a hug.
She’d ignored his phone call. Usually he didn’t text people, because he preferred talking to them, but he’d given in and had written her if she was okay. Her answer: “Yes, just busy with work.”
That had been it. When Tuukka had talked to him about having a little get together on Mika’s last evening in Boston, he’d immediately said that they could do it at his house. There was enough space and it was a lot better than going to some fancy restaurant. More private. And he’d probably have the possibility to talk to Kara alone and look in her eyes when he asked her whether she was okay or not.
They’d ordered food for this evening and the guys helped him unwrap everything. They didn’t want to have a party or do something spectacular. All of them could use a night without that much action, especially because they had to be up early the next day. The guys had decided to have dinner with Kara and Mika and then watch Slapshot.
The usual suspects were there. Gregory, Brad, Tyler, Shawn and of course Tuukka. They could never say no to free food and watching a hockey movie, especially that one. Having Kara and Mika around was a plus, because they genuinely liked the two women. And they knew how much Tuukka liked Mika. He’d been talking about her non-stop. Of course they didn’t know all the details, but they knew that they’d spent a lot of time together.
Mika and Kara had to leave around ten that night so that Mika would catch her flight. The one in the middle of the night had been the cheapest. When they arrived, Gregory opened the door, because Benoit was just bringing the last two glasses to the living room.
“What is this?” he asked as he looked down at the thing Kara held in her hands.
“Cupcakes”, she stated matter of factly. “I had some time on my hands on thought I’d make a couple.” She shrugged her shoulders, nearly dropping the cupcakes to the ground, which prompted Soupy to take the tray from her. “Thanks. Well, I thought, I’d make them Bruins themed.”
“They look amazing.” Soupy walked in front of them towards the living room. Both women followed and dropped their jackets on a chair in the corner.
“And they taste as good as they look.” Mika grinned at Greg, before she turned to the other guys and hugged them. She would miss them.
“Mika!” Kara looked at her friend and tried to look shocked. “I told you to keep your fingers off them.”
“And I knew you secretly wanted an opinion.” Mika winked at her before she turned around again to talk to Tyler for a moment.
“We’ll find out later.” Greg flashed her a smile before he gave her a big hug.
Benoit looked at them and stepped closer. It took a lot of willpower from him not to pull her close and kiss her in front of everyone. She certainly looked a lot better than when he’d last seen her, which was a relief. “Hey.” He gave her a quick hug and looked deep in her eyes when Campbell finally stepped aside and examined the cupcakes a bit closer. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She smiled at him. A genuine smile that he’d missed seeing. “I’ve just been really busy with work. I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize.”
“Can we get something to eat now?” Brad asked from behind them and took a plate. “I’m starving.”
“Help yourself.” Benny gestured towards the cartons of food. “As soon as everyone’s got something we can start the movie.”
They didn’t have to be told twice. Everyone got up again and filled their plate. Kara and Benoit were the last ones, so they had to sit on the floor. Benoit got a blanket and a few pillows so that it was a little more comfortable.
When they started the movie everyone was completely silent. Even Brad and Tyler kept their mouths shut until they were finished with their food. Everyone started talking along to the movie. They must have seen it a couple of times and Kara was the only one who saw it for the first time.
No wonder she offered to help Benoit when he got up to put the dishes away and the rest of the food in the fridge. She’d have to watch this movie again, alone, when she could actually concentrate on what was happening instead of getting distracted by others quoting half the movie.
She opened the dishwasher and bent forward to put the plates in there. Feeling Benoit’s stare on her made her straighten and turn around. Before she could say anything, he’d pulled her close and kissed the air from her lungs. Objecting was not an option. She was stiff in his arms until she relaxed into his body, into his kiss. When he parted from her lips, it was too soon for her.
After crying at his house she’d thrown herself into work. All this time she’d convinced herself that she hadn’t missed this, missed him, but right then she couldn’t tell herself that anymore. However, it had been good to be on her own, or with Mika, for these days and stay clear of Benoit.
“That was a proper hello.” His hands clamped down on her bottom. He wasn’t ready to let her go right now.
Kara wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. She pressed her whole body against him, making his head spin, when she finally let go of him again. He wasn’t ready for that, ready for her soft, warm body to be removed from his.
“We should get back to the others.” Kara closed the dishwasher again.
“Come back here, when you’ve brought Mika to the airport.” He wanted, needed to see her. He’d have to wait till Philadelphia until he saw her again otherwise.
“I can’t.” She turned around to him. “I have to get up really early tomorrow or I’ll miss my flight. But I’ll see you, when we get back from Philly.”
So, she didn’t know he’d be in Philadelphia. Should he tell her? He decided against that and would surprise her there. Once again he leaned forward to kiss her. This would be the last time he’d taste her lips for a few days.
Kara took the cupcakes from the table in the living room and passed them around. She endured the rest of the movie, hardly understanding anything because of the guys around. Even Mika quoted the movie. She was holding Tuukka’s hand all the time, never letting go. Kara was probably the only one who noticed though.
When it was time to go, Mika gave each of the guys a hug and took some extra time with Tuukka. Just when Kara thought they’d never let go of each other, Mika stepped back.
“Soitan sinulle”, she said with a smile and kissed his cheek. Tuukka simply nodded and stepped back.
“I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” Kara waved to them and got in the car with Mika. She was unusually silent, so Kara asked if she was okay.
“Kinda.” Mika took a deep breath. “It’s just hard to go back, you know?”
“I’ll see you in a month. Just after Christmas.” She took her friend’s hand and squeezed it. “And I’ll bring the boys. It will be a Christmas pool party, okay?”
That made Mika smile a little bit. She would still miss Kara and most of the guys, but that made it a little more bearable. But there was still one thing on her mind. “Will you be alright? With Benoit and everything?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Kara stopped the car in the parking lot and got out along with Mika.
“Come on.” Mika got her suitcase out of the trunk and they started walking. “I’ve known you too long. You’ve been avoiding him since you came back from his place. What happened?”
A sigh escaped Kara’s lips. “I was embarrassed that I cried in front of him. You know that I hardly cry in front of others. I didn’t want to look so vulnerable in front of him.”
“But what’s the problem?” Mika didn’t understand this at all. “It’s obvious that you have feelings for him, hun.”
“I care about him, that’s all.” Kara faced her friend. “I care about you, too. We’ve talked a lot and I consider him a friend. I would have reacted the same way if that had happened to Soupy.”
“Are you sure?” Mika grabbed her friend’s hand. “Because I have a feeling you might really be falling for him.”
“I’m not.” She shook her head and took another deep breath. “You could call it friends with benefits. I told you that I would put an end to whatever that is between us, should I really develop feelings for him.” Kara thought for a moment but she decided she would say it out loud. “For a moment I thought I might have deeper feelings for him. That’s why I worked so much, you are right, but today proved that I was wrong. There were no butterflies or whatever you want to call them when I saw him. I like it just the way it is.”
“Okay.” Mika wasn’t so sure whether Kara was telling her the truth or not, but she would believe her for now.
And then it was time to say goodbye. They hugged and Mika didn’t want to let go. Eventually she turned around and went her way. One month. Only one month until she’d see them again. And she would call Kara at least twice a week and Tuukka as well.


Kara was a little exhausted when she put her suitcase down in the hotel room in Philadelphia. She’d hardly slept the night before which had been mainly Tuukka’s and Campbell’s fault. They’d talked her into going for a drink after their glorious 3-1 win over Pittsburgh. They both more or less knew about what was going on between her and Benoit. They wouldn’t ask her any questions, they just wanted to hang out and have some fun, so why not take her along?
They’d been in bed at four in the morning after a few shots of Tequila and a lot of stories that had made them laugh. Tuukka had shared some of his stories from Finland and Kara had told them about the one time she’d been at the Oktoberfest in Munich. She’d gone there with a couple of friends and they’d ended up in the “GAY-tent/marquee” which had been the most fun they’d had at the whole thing (Yes this tent really exists and friends went there).
She wasn’t hung-over, but she could use a little more sleep. They guys would be at training in a bit and she’d finished a lot of work in Pittsburgh. Not actual writing, but planning her characters, the hockey team and a rough guideline for her plot. Most of the scenes would come to her while she was writing. Now, when she got back home to her flat, she’d have to put new post-its on her wall.
She got out of the skirt and blouse she’d put on today to fit in with the rest of the guys, opened her suitcase and put on a too big Boston Bruins shirt she’d gotten a week ago. It covered her to the middle of her thighs and it was good enough to sleep in right now, but she doubted that she’d really fall asleep.
She was wrong. Around seven that evening she was woken by a knock on her door. Abruptly she sat up and looked around. A look on her phone told her what time it was. There it was again, another knock. She got up quickly and walked to the door. Without thinking about this further, she opened the door. She stared straight at a smiling mouth surrounded by dark stubble. She didn’t have to look into his eyes to see that it was Benoit, but she still did it.
“Benny!” Surprise was showing in her voice. “What are you doing here?” She hadn’t expected to see him until she was back in Boston.
“I’ll be playing tomorrow.” He stepped inside, making her take a few steps back, and closed the door. “I’m cleared to play and even if I wasn’t, I’d still be here to watch the game.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Surprise?” He dropped what he had in hand on the table to his left. He took his time to look at her. The shirt she was wearing covered everything interesting, but showed a lot of leg, of long, smooth leg. It hadn’t even been a week since he’d last touched her naked thighs, stomach and other places, but somehow it seemed like a lifetime to him. “Take off that shirt and I’ll share my food with you.”
“Did you say food?” Until that moment Kara hadn’t known how hungry she was. For a few seconds she thought about this. Her stomach growled and that was when she grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, tossing it on the bed. “Okay, now give me the food.”
Benoit hadn’t expected her to do this and he was pleasantly surprised. He liked seeing her like this. Hair a little messy from sleep, only wearing underwear and crossing her arms under her breasts. She didn’t realize that she accentuated them that way. His lips curled up in a smile and he leaned against the door. “Not so fast. Come here!”
“Why?” Raising an eyebrow she looked at him.
“What? Do you think I want to slap your ass or something?” Not that he wouldn’t do that. Maybe Kara liked that. But right now he wanted to do something else.
Reluctantly she walked towards him, stopped directly in front of him. The smile was still on his lips when he put his hands on her hips and pulled her against his chest. He couldn’t resist, he had to get his mouth on her.
She sighed against his lips when he kissed her, put her hands on his chest and slowly slid them down his torso. His shirt was in the way. She was standing there only in underwear and he was completely dressed. In addition he was freshly showered, his hair still damp at the nape of his neck and she’d last been in the shower the day before.
“That should satisfy me for a bit.” He pressed one last kiss to her lips before he slowly let go of her. “We should really eat.” Grabbing the bag with on hand and her hand with the other, he moved towards the bed and settled down there.
They turned on some TV show while they were eating and got talking.
“I remember when I thought I’d lost my signed Gretzky puck.” Benoit shook his head in disbelief. On the TV people were accusing each other of stealing valuable possessions. “I looked everywhere for it and in the end my Mom had just put it aside to clean the shelf. I was so mad at her.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned back.
“I cried for two days when I lost my charm bracelet.” Kara finished her cookie that Benoit had brought for dessert and sighed. “My grandma from Germany had given it to me, my Oma. I only had three charms. A pencil, because she knew how much I loved writing, a soccer ball, well that’s obvious and because I played back then, and a star. She always told me to aim for the stars and never give up.” A little smile was playing on her lips. She missed her grandmother.
“That doesn’t sound like you found it again.”
“I didn’t.” She got up from the bed and put the wrappers in the bin.
“That sucks.” He didn’t know what else to say. And she was distracting him with walking around the room half naked. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s okay.” She came back to the bed. “That was twelve years ago or so.” Carefully she sat down on the edge of the bed, but Benoit instantly pulled her onto his lap, placing his hands on her thighs.
Kara ran her hands through his hair and leaned forward. She trailed kisses along her shoulder, up his throat, and nibbled on his ear. With her fingernails she grazed the hair on his chest. His hands roamed over her thighs, up her sides and down her back. She didn’t want to talk anymore. She’d talked enough these last days. And she’d missed this. Missed him. Missed the fact that his touch spread fire through her body and made her go insane. The slightest touch, hell, even a look made her want to press her body against his, which was what she was doing now.
Benoit helped her out of the bra. When her breasts got in touch with his chest, he sucked in a breath. Lust turned her green eyes a shade darker. It was nice to have her sit on his lap, but this look in her eyes triggered some basic instinct in him and he turned her on her back, settled between her thighs and looked in her eyes. Her hair fanned out around her face. He couldn’t keep his lips off her.
They had a couple more hours together and then they should try to get some sleep. Both of them. Benoit had to be at the rink at eight in the morning for practice.