A Very Furry Christmas
Chapter Eleven

"Did you enjoy your bath?" Jason was busy in the kitchen when she eventually got out of the lukewarm bathwater.

"Yes. Thank you." She had to be blushing on the outside when she was hot enough inside thinking about what she'd been doing. To herself. In someone else's house. When had she become this brazen hussy?

"Good. Dinner's ready. Take a seat." He nodded over at the table he'd already set for two complete with flickering candles and glasses of wine.

"Thanks for the shirt by the way." She'd been glad not to have to get back into her work clothes so she could truly feel as though she'd left the hospital behind her. He'd left her one of his hockey jerseys to change into. Big enough for her to wear as a dress and not be self-conscious about her lack of underwear beneath it.

"No problem. It's clean, by the way. In case you were wondering." His sudden awkwardness was sweet. As though they were almost having their first date. She supposed it was in a way. Up until now they hadn't done much in the way of conversation. Not that she was complaining about their rush into a physical relationship, but she didn't want mundane real-life creeping in and ruining everything. If she was about to replace out he filled his free time plane spotting or flower arranging it might diminish some of the excitement surrounding this new sexual awakening she was experiencing.

"I'm sure you're very domesticated."

"You have to be when you live alone." He set down two plates of food, hers first of course, before taking a seat opposite.

Caitlin pictured her own place, dirty dishes piled high in the sink and the dirty clothes lying on her bedroom floor but decided against contradicting him. "This smells lovely."

"Knowing how to cook is essential when you end up transferring between teams or else the takeaways start to show." He patted his belly though she knew from first-hand experience it was as rock hard as the rest of him.

"How long have you been here in town? Sorry, I don't follow the local team." She cut off a piece of the chargrilled chicken and teamed it with some of the sweet potato fries on her plate. For such a simple looking dish she could taste lemon, garlic and chili flakes tickling her tastebuds. It was delicious.

"This is my second season. I came from Manchester. Nottingham before that and Edinburgh prior to that."

"Is that where you're originally from?" He had a lovely soft Scottish accent compared to the harder Glaswegian one she'd heard on occasion. Perhaps he'd lost the edge off his after moving around so much.

He nodded as he chewed his food. Swallowing before answering. "Yeah. We have to go wherever we're wanted. The hockey league in the UK isn't as lucrative and doesn't have as many opportunities as the rest of the world."

She understood that. Ice hockey was still a relatively new sport here and perhaps not as well endorsed as it was with their American and Canadian counterparts. "You've got your own fanbase though."

"Yeah." He smirked, as though there was more to it than the hordes of supporters she'd seen leaving the arena in their replica jerseys.

"What? Have I said something funny?" She didn't want to seem ignorant when she was doing everything she could to show interest in his career. Clearly, she was going to have to attend more than one match to gain some insight. She had to admit it had given her a thrill watching her man bodycheck the opposition, knowing he was coming home with her at the end of the night. In fact, she could quite happily sign up for a season ticket now.

"No. It's just...we get a few over enthusiastic fans."

Caitlin took a sip of wine to help swallow the swell of sudden jealousy rising in her throat. "Oh?"

What she wanted to ask was were these over enthusiastic female followers but that would sound petty. It was early days for them and though she didn't know where they were going, she didn't want to put him off by coming across as territorial. She had no right. Up until now they hadn't been much more than a two-night stand. Three if they counted this afternoon...

"Puck bunnies we call them. Women who just want to bed a hockey player." His honesty made her choke on a piece of chicken. She had another gulp of wine to wash it down.

"Isn't that what I was?"

"Did you want to fuck any hockey player or just me?" He was teasing in his tone but the steely look in his eye sent shivers rippling over her skin as though he wanted to stake a claim on her too.

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"Why, would it bother you?" She eyed him over the rim of her wine glass. The answer should've been obvious when he knew she wasn't a hockey fan and her obsession had been over something much cuddlier than a defenseman. It didn't prevent her from wanting to hear him say it.

"Yes. It would." There was a hint of danger in his low voice and intense gaze which only made her long for him to get even more worked up at the prospect of her bedding one of his teammates.

"You know I was only interested in one big teddy bear." She tried to lighten the mood, smiling as she teased him, but his frown deepened.

"I think you should go, Caitlin." Jason's sudden change in personality let her know she'd gone too far.

"Sorry. It wasn't only about the outfit. I mean, yes, that's what caught my attention, but I still want you, in or out of your onesie." It was true. While having her fantasies played out in real life was a real turn on, it wasn't the be all and end all. She genuinely liked the guy beyond the bear.

Unfortunately, it seemed her apology and back pedaling had come too late. Jason carefully set down his cutlery and stood up from the table. "I'm serious. I think you should go home. I'll get you a taxi."

Without any further explanation or a chance to talk things over like rational human beings, he walked out of the room. The evening was over, and Caitlin was afraid they were too.