Goal Line (Madison Howlers #4)

by Camellia Tate

  This was good.

  They’d make it work.

  Chapter Seventeen

  ANNIE STUDIED HER frowning reflection in Devon’s bathroom mirror. Her hair was pulled back with blue-and-white barrettes, matching the blue-and-white Mammoths’ jersey. It was the same outfit she’d worn to games a hundred times. But today it felt different.

  Devon had been so understanding about Annie’s dad’s ownership of the Mammoths. Annie knew she’d hurt him by not telling him - by not trusting him. By contrast, the actual fact that her dad owned a rival team seemed to hardly bother Devon at all.

  It had been him who’d suggested she support the Mammoths openly. A flutter of nerves flipped Annie’s stomach over. She wasn’t worried about Devon. She just didn’t know if his team would be as sympathetic. Or Serena.

  Devon had promised her it would be fine. Annie was making a conscious effort to trust that, to prove to Devon that she knew how worthy he was of her trust.

  After applying a fresh coat of lipstick, Annie went to find Devon in the living room. They were leaving for the game together. Devon needed to be at the rink much earlier, but Annie was going to pick up Serena and spend some time with her and Susie.

  She wished that Devon could be with her when she turned up at the Howlers’ rink. Without him, Annie was going to have to be brave.

  “How do I look?” she asked, unable to completely keep the genuine nerves out of her voice.

  Devon turned to look at her. Annie tried to judge the emotion in his expression but she didn’t think she was very successful. “Awful,” he announced finally. Annie’s eyes widened. Before she had the chance to... something, maybe go and change? Devon laughed. “You look great for a Mammoths’ fan,” he assured her, getting up from where he was sitting and walking over.

  Tugging against the side of her shirt, Devon pulled her in closer. Leaning down, Devon pressed his lips against Annie’s. “They’re your team, Annie. It’s okay to support them.”

  The solidity of his body was reassuring. Annie let herself lean against him, feeling the warmth of Devon even through their clothes. “I know,” she agreed, trying not to nibble on her bottom lip. It was a bad habit that she had whenever she was nervous. It would ruin her lipstick if she did it now.

  “I don’t feel as torn as I did before,” she admitted. Everything was just easier now that Devon knew the truth. “I still want to support you as a player,” she added, then smiled. “And as a person. But I don’t need to wear your name for that bit.” Annie wanted to be a good girlfriend. A better one than she’d been when she’d been keeping secrets.

  “I know you support me,” Devon assured her. His tone sounded so easy, like it was obvious. Annie liked to think that, for Devon, it was. She was certain that there were guys on his team - and on any team - who wouldn’t want their girlfriend to wear the opposing team’s colors. Especially when that opposing team was their biggest rivals.

  Yet, Devon didn’t seem to mind. It made Annie’s body warm with affection. She reached up to stroke a hand over his cheek. “Will you wish me luck?” Devon asked.

  Annie went up on tiptoes, pressing a kiss against Devon’s full lips. “I do wish you luck,” she confirmed. She had seen Devon after games that the Howlers lost. Annie never wanted that for him. He handled it as well as could be expected but it still made Annie’s heart ache to know that he was sad, that he was blaming himself.

  “Do you think Serena will be willing to be seen with me?” she asked, more teasingly. Annie remembered being twelve, how everything had been all black or white with nothing in-between.

  But Serena seemed a much smarter twelve than Annie felt she had been.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Devon hummed. Annie rolled her eyes. She wasn’t going to fall for that twice. Devon seemed to realize that, too, because he laughed, shaking his head. “Serena thinks you’re great,” he promised. “And besides, I spoke to her on the phone and told her that I’m fine with it. That’s what she cares about.”

  That made Annie’s heart leap. Knowing that Devon had taken the time to explain to his little sister why Annie would be wearing a Mammoths’ jersey instead of a Howlers’ one.

  Leaning in, Devon pressed another kiss against Annie’s lips. “You worry too much,” he informed her.

  Annie laughed. “Only in comparison to you,” she informed Devon, poking his stomach. It did her no good. His muscles were so solid that he barely even noticed. “You’re so sure of yourself, you only worry once in a blue moon.” Annie wasn’t like that. Perhaps that was part of why she admired it so much in Devon. Even so, Annie didn’t think she worried more than average.

  Still. Perhaps Devon had a point and Annie should let go of her worries for the evening. “I’m looking forward to tonight,” she said. “I don’t think ice hockey gets much better than watching your boyfriend while sitting with his adoring little sister.”

  “Tell that to Serena, she’ll love you forever,” Devon advised with a grin, before pressing one more kiss against Annie’s cheek and then taking a step back. “Alright, we do need to go. You’ve got the tickets, right?” Annie nodded in confirmation. Devon had got them a box to watch the game from, which was nice. Annie didn’t particularly want to sit with the Mammoths’ fans. And sitting in the general crowd in a Mammoths’ jersey would be a terrible call.

  Annie gave Devon one more kiss for luck before they separated. He was driving straight to the rink, while Annie took her car to his mom’s house. Serena was dressed head-to-toe in Howlers’ colors, wearing an ‘Oakley’ jersey that hung down to her knees.

  Remembering Devon’s words, Annie once again made the conscious decision to trust him. She knelt, holding her hand up for a high five. Something nervous in her stomach unclenched when Serena unresistingly returned it.

  “Would you like to come in for some hot chocolate before the game?” Susie asked from the front porch. “You’ve got ages before the audience actually needs to be there. Besides, Devon insisted on buying me some of the fancy make-at-home sachets. He said it was your favorite drink.”

  The warmth that flushed Annie’s skin had nothing to do with hot beverages. Devon had gone out of his way to mention to his mom what Annie liked. It made Annie’s heart leap in her chest.

  “It is,” she agreed eagerly. “I’d love to come in.” She and Serena sat next to each other at Susie’s kitchen table, while Devon’s mom made them drinks - even going so far as to add mini marshmallows.

  Annie blew on her cup to cool it, then lifted the drink to her lips. The thick, rich hot chocolate filled her senses, making her give an appreciative sigh. It wasn’t quite as good as the shop Devon had taken her to, but pretty close.

  “So do you two have pre-match rituals?” Annie asked. Having grown up following the hockey industry, Annie knew plenty of families that did.

  “Not really,” Susie answered. “Maybe apart from dressing Serena up.” She laughed. “She’s pretty capable of dressing herself now, but I still do the ribbons in her hair.” To illustrate the point, Susie reached across the table, tugging on Serena’s braids to which she gave a loud ‘but mom!’ whine.

  It made Annie laugh. She’d never had these kinds of experiences but they were lovely to watch. “What about you? Have you got pre-match rituals?” Susie asked.

  “Did your dad take you to games?” Serena interjected.

  Annie nodded. “Yeah, me and Sawyer had season tickets,” she answered. “That’s my brother,” she added, unable to remember if she’d told Susie and Serena his name before. “He was the one who’d sit with me, and explain what was going on. Dad was always busy with clients or coaches.”

  They were good memories. Annie loved her dad, but if it hadn’t been for Sawyer’s interest, she’d have grown out of hockey sometime before college. She was glad, now that she knew enough about the game to follow along when Devon talked about his love of it.

  Nipping at her lower lip, Annie shrugged. “Dad said that pre-match rituals were only for the pl
ayers. But Sawyer and I used to try to sneak them behind his back.” That, Annie felt, had been half the fun. “And he’d always buy us Sno-cones before the last period,” Annie added. “He said it was the only appropriate snack.”

  Serena’s face was serious as she swiveled on her chair towards her mom. “Mom, can Annie and I have Sno-cones?”

  Susie laughed at Serena’s question but gave a nod anyway. “You can if Annie lets you. Once you leave here, she’s in charge of you, so you have to be on your best behavior,” Susie instructed. Annie was suddenly struck by how true that was. She’d be in charge of a child. She’d never been in charge of a child before.

  Her face must’ve given her thoughts away. Susie gave another laugh, but this one was softer. She reached out to give Annie’s hand a squeeze. “Don’t worry, just keep her close and don’t lose her in a crowd.”

  “And get me a Sno-cone?” Serena added hopefully.

  Annie giggled. “Sure,” she agreed. She’d been expecting Susie to say that Serena had already had enough sugar with her hot chocolate. It was nice that she’d left that decision in Annie’s hands. She would, she supposed, be the one dealing with it if Serena got over-excited or felt sick. Maybe they could share a Sno-cone.

  Glancing at her phone, Annie ate the last of her mini marshmallows. “We should probably think about going,” she observed. Traffic on the way to the rink could be manic. It wouldn’t do for Devon’s sister and his girlfriend to be late.

  “Sure!” Serena nodded energetically, finishing her hot chocolate quickly. “I’m ready.” She nodded and Susie shook her head.

  “You’ll be ready once you have a jacket on,” she informed Serena, making the girl pout briefly. But she did then bounce off to find a jacket to wear to the game. While Serena was out of the kitchen, Susie gave Annie a smile. “Thank you for inviting her. I think it means a lot to her to have someone other than me take her to a game.”

  Annie could understand that. She remembered being Serena’s age, how she’d wanted to be independent of her dad. Smiling, she finished her hot chocolate. “I remember I used to beg Sawyer to take me places so that dad didn’t have to,” she confided. “I get it.”

  She stood, gathering the cups so she could take them to the sink. “It means a lot to me to take her,” she added. “I’ve never been with anyone like Devon. I want to be a part of his life. And that means part of Serena’s life, too. And yours.” Annie hoped she wasn’t pushing too much. She was only doing what she felt Devon would do: being honest.

  Susie surprised Annie by pulling her into a hug. It felt warm and tight, a maternal hug like one Annie had never felt before. “You make a good part of Devon’s life,” Susie told her. “My son’s very lucky to have you.” From her tone alone Annie could tell that Susie meant it. She’d rarely if ever felt as much validation as hearing her say that.

  “I’m ready!” Serena announced bouncing back into the room. “We don’t have time for hugging,” she whined. “Come on, come on, we’ve got teams to support!”

  It made Annie laugh, but Serena was right. They did, indeed, have teams to support.

  The rivalry between Green Bay and Madison was as fierce as ever on the ice. In a box, with Serena excitedly pointing out the strengths and weaknesses - but mostly the strengths - of Devon’s team, Annie felt safely protected from it.

  If the press wanted a reaction from her about her dad’s recent press conference, the Howlers’ security did a great job at keeping any journalists confined to their official duties.

  By the time the match came to a close, Annie and Serena had both cheered themselves hoarse. The Howlers had won, by one goal. The atmosphere in the crowd was electric. Even though Annie felt bad for Sawyer and her dad, it was hard to resist sharing in Serena’s enthusiasm.

  She and Annie related the whole game to Susie before Serena was gently reminded of the concept of bedtime. She’d been reluctant to go, until Annie had promised they could hang out again soon. The beaming smile Serena offered at that was almost as wide as her grin when the Howlers had scored the winning goal.

  Devon’s house was still dark when Annie got home. He’d officially given her a spare key, precisely for moments like this.

  Annie tucked herself up on Devon’s couch, browsing brownie recipes until she heard his front door close.

  Leaping to her feet, Annie ran the length of the corridor and barrelled into Devon’s arms. “Congratulations!” she squealed. “You were amazing.”

  Devon gave her a wide smile at that, reaching out to tug against the Mammoths jersey she was still wearing. “Well, aren’t you the friendliest Mammoths’ fan I’ve ever met?” he teased, before sweeping Annie up into a kiss. She could tell at once that he had a lot of energy left from the game.

  When he set Annie down again, Devon headed for the kitchen to get himself a bottle of water, offering one to Annie. She shook her head, instead going to make some tea.

  “How was Serena? Did you have a good time together?” Devon asked. “I’m really glad you took her,” he added. “She likes you a lot, I’ve got about thirty text messages on my phone about it.”

  Annie beamed. She’d never had a little sibling. While her relationship with Serena was a lot easier than it would’ve been with actual family, it was still rewarding to know that she’d impressed.

  “We had a great time,” Annie confirmed, propping her hip against the counter, one hand teasing with the hem of her Mammoths’ jersey. “I told her about Grace O’Malley. She was a pirate who went to the Queen of England to demand that her father and brother be released from prison. Or father and husband?” Annie’s head for the exact details wasn’t all that great. “Give Serena until lunchtime tomorrow, then I’m sure she’ll be able to tell you.”

  Devon laughed at that. Annie could hear the warmth in his tone. He took a step closer, his hand brushing over her side. “Thank you,” he said, sounding so genuine. “It means a lot to me that you’re taking the time to get to know her better. And I know it means a lot to her, too.”

  Annie wanted to interject, to say how it was easy and Serena was lovely - both were true - but Devon smiled at her in a way that made Annie’s stomach flip. She could tell that he knew that was what she wanted to say.

  “Take a compliment, Packard,” he teased.

  She pressed her body against his, forgetting all about the tea in the microwave. “I like your compliments,” she teased, letting her voice go husky. Like Devon, she had a lot of energy left over after the match.

  “I’ve got a surprise for you,” she added, wiggling slightly out of Devon’s arms so that she could drop her hands to the button of her jeans. “Do you want it here?” she raised an eyebrow.

  Devon raised his eyebrow right back. His gaze dropped down to her hands. “Is this a kitchen-appropriate surprise?” he asked, sounding suspicious. Annie laughed at that. The way Devon could say things that sounded serious when he really didn’t mean them as such was still amusing.

  It could be a kitchen-appropriate surprise, so Annie popped the button. The way Devon’s gaze fixated on the strip of skin exposed between the jersey and the denim made Annie’s pulse race. Slowly, teasingly, she dragged the zipper down.

  Finally, she shimmied the jeans just far enough down to show off her panties. They were in Howlers’ colors, with ‘Oakley’ and Devon’s jersey-number emblazoned across the front.

  “Do you like them?” Annie asked, still holding her jeans up with one hand.

  The way Devon’s eyes widened and his breath caught, Annie was going to guess he more than liked them. She watched with great satisfaction as Devon’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. He struggled to pull his eyes away from her panties. When he did, it was to look back up at Annie’s face, eyes clouding with lust.

  “I didn’t know they even made stuff like that,” he told her honestly. Reaching out, Devon’s strong hand slid behind Annie, pressing against her back so he could pull her in closer. “I’m obviously going to have to take them off,” he
informed her with a grin, before his lips came crashing down against hers.

  A moan rose up from the tips of Annie’s toes, sweeping all the way through her body before finally getting lost against Devon’s lips. He kissed her passionately, tongue swiping into her mouth. Annie wrapped one arm around his shoulders, the other still clutching at her jeans.

  By the time Devon pulled back, Annie felt almost dizzy from the lack of oxygen. But in a good way! Her head was spinning and her heart was beating wildly out of control.

  “Taking them off isn’t very kitchen-appropriate,” she teased. She tip-toed up, pressing her body even closer to Devon’s. “You’ll just have to carry me to the bedroom first.”

  Devon grinned, giving a nod. “I will manage that,” he informed her confidently. Before Annie had a chance to say anything, he’d already picked her up. Her legs instinctively came to wrap around Devon and his hand settled against Annie’s backside, supporting her weight.

  “I look forward to taking this fucking Mammoths jersey off you,” Devon proclaimed. Annie laughed as he carried her off to the bedroom.

  Chapter Eighteen

  DEVON REALLY WAS looking forward to getting the jersey off of Annie. More because he wanted her naked than because he cared about the team colors. Still, Devon did appreciate just how fucking hot it was that she had panties on with his name on them.

  He dropped Annie on the bed easily, reaching for the waistband of her jeans so he could pull them off. Exposing her panties fully, Devon had to pause to take in how good she looked. Her skin was soft, with the lightest tan shading it. Even the idea of touching her made Devon’s mouth water.

  Beginning by her ankles, Devon kissed his way up. His mouth was hot as it teased over Annie’s skin. A kiss against the back of her knee made her breath catch. Devon grinned. He fully intended to take his time and to tease her. There was a burning desire inside him to show Annie how much she meant to him.