Epilogue
Nick
“Hey, handsome.” Camille greets me in the foyer with a kiss. It’s a return-home tradition I’ve grown accustomed to, one that I look forward to every time the team is on the road.
“Hey, beautiful. How are my girls?” Camille and I talk and text all the time. She sends me videos and pictures, though I swear I miss so much each time I go on the road. It’s my only regret.
“We’re good. So is your boy. He tried to wait up for you.” Mason always does. He’s the son we adopted. Our son, in every way that matters. As is our daughter. Yes, we adopted two.
“Come on, Dominator. Let’s check on the kids. I know you can’t wait.” We do this every time I return home.
Alex is first. It’s short for Alexandra. Camille insisted on honoring our Scorcher history by naming our daughter with a variation of my middle name. From our very first glance at her, our beautiful Alexandra stole our hearts.
The baby we wanted so desperately is in her crib, sleeping soundly. “Look at you, my gorgeous girl,” I whisper, and her lips form a faint smile in her sleep. I couldn’t love our precious Alex more if I tried, though my love for her grows each day. I have a feeling it always will. The same is true for her older brother.
“Mason was captivated by your game,” Cami says quietly as we head into the bedroom next door, the same room that’s decorated with Nighthawks flags, posters, and even decals of both our logo and a shot of me from behind in full hockey gear holding my hockey stick, with our last name, GEORGE, emblazoned on the jersey along with my number. He likes it because he feels like I’m with him, even when I’m on the road.
The toddler in the twin bed is sound asleep, sprawled out atop his Nighthawks comforter.
I carefully remove the bedding beneath him, only for Mason to wake up. “Dad, I waited for you.” He’s groggy, his eyes fluttering.
“Great job, buddy.” I kiss his head. “I wanted to see you.”
“Sorry you lost.” He yawns, laying back down as I tuck him in.
“It happens sometimes, but it’s okay. We’ll win the next one. Now, get some sleep. We’ll catch up tomorrow.” It’s the same routine whenever I return home. He thinks he’s succeeded in waiting up for me and I don’t have the heart to correct him. Instead, I give him one more kiss and head toward the door where Camille is waiting with a smile.
We close the door without a sound and Camille leads me to our bedroom. “How are you?”
“Tired, happy, and very grateful.” She touches the bruise under my eye. “That was one hell of a fight.”
I give her one of my cocky grins. “You should see the other guy.”
“You’ll have to explain that bruise to Mason tomorrow. And please remember that he idolizes you. I don’t want him asking me to paint a shiner under his eye with makeup again.”
I scoff. “Why not? It was fun.”
“Yes, it was. Okay, I’ll do it if he asks. Just remember we’re meeting Chris, Serena, and Abby at the park tomorrow, then having dinner at the restaurant.”
I can’t suppress my laughter as we close our bedroom door. The NHL guys who used to hang out and play games on a big-screen TV or meet their teammates at sports bars are now meeting up for family playdates and dinners when they’re not on the ice. “Chris and I have gone soft.”
“Yes, you have. I find it irresistible where you’re concerned.” She kisses me, then walks to her side of the bed in a tank top and yoga pants. She’s always sexy, no matter what she wears. It drives her nuts whenever I say that, but it’s true.
“You’re beautiful.” I wink at her.
She winks back before closing her book and placing it on her nightstand, beside a framed picture of us holding our children. “You’re biased.”
“Did I ever tell you that I’m grateful for Alex and Mason? Because I am.” I stand in front of her, kissing her wrist. “Thanks for giving me two more loves of my life.”
Camille pulls me close. “It was a mutual decision. Thanks for giving me the same gift.”
I love our kids—both of them. It doesn’t matter that they don’t share our DNA. They’re our kids and I’d do anything for them.
“Hurry up and shower. I’ll give you a proper welcome home when you return.” Camille smacks me on my ass and sits atop our bed, waiting for our us time.
I grab my cell then text Chris. How lucky are we?
Chris has been my family for as long as I can remember, and now that family has expanded. Camille and our kids, Serena and Chris’s daughter. My parents are even moving from Michigan to be closer to Alex and Mason. Add Camille’s large, loving, and sometimes chaotic family to the mix and a restaurant we’re running together, and you’ve got the essence of my new life. My new and enlarged family.
Before I can place my cell on my dresser, Chris has already responded. Luckier than we have a right to be, brother.
Truer words have never been spoken.
I step into the shower and Camille joins me. I love this time together, when she brings the baby monitors in the bathroom and surprises me. Naked and wet, she soaps me up—it’s sensual and arouses me.
Smiling at how quickly my blood rushes to my cock, she squeezes, then rubs her thumb over my head until I harden beneath her touch. “Clearly you’ve missed me, and I’ve missed you. A lot.”
“Do you want to show me how much?” I ask, though I already know her answer.
Ditching the washcloth, she’s lathered me and is massaging me with her hands, teasing my cock, then squeezing it, until I’m fully erect. Then her hands move upward, her nails trailing up my abs, past my chest, to my neck. Making my skin prickle in her wake. Camille then licks and bites my earlobe. “Fuck me, George.”
She’s using our last name, which always turns me on. When Camille told me she wanted to be my everything, she meant it. She’s my wife and my lover. Still, two kids later and we haven’t lost that lust. Raw and electrifying, it’s one of the many facets to us.
We’re loving, we’re passionate, we’re gentle, and sometimes rough. We’re unpredictable, but we also know each other in a way that I would have once considered impossible. We know how to turn each other on, know what each of us needs at any given moment. Through it all, though, the main thread is and always has been love.
Pinning Camille against the travertine wall, I lift her, and she wraps her legs around my waist. “You asked for it.”
Then, I make love to my wife. Fucking her hard and fast, moaning softly as she tightens around my cock. Her fingers knead my neck, her nails digging into my flesh as I stifle her moans with a kiss. Hard and demanding, meeting her hunger with my own, until we’re sated and spent.
“Welcome home,” she whispers, breathless.
That’s our thing, one of our many inside phrases rich with history. I wanted something meaningful, and I found a home. Not only with Camille, but inside her. She is where I feel most at home, when we’re joined like we are now, in the most intimate way, with our two children sleeping down the hall.
We’re lucky. We’ve found that happily-ever-after. Sure, there will be bumps along the way. That’s life. Through it all, we’ll tackle it together.
“I love you, Nick.” She threads her fingers through the hair at my neck, meeting my eyes with a look of pure adoration that never gets old. It doesn’t matter how much time elapses, I still get lost in her rich, tawny eyes.
“Not as much as I love you.” I kiss her, this time gently. Though we’ve often argued this point, it’s an argument she can’t win—she’s stopped trying. Because my love for Camille knows no bounds.
What no one tells you about happily-ever-afters is that the end is just the beginning. I went on Scorcher to find something meaningful and instead found my meaning, my purpose. It’s to be the best damn husband and father I can possibly be.
I’m Nic
holas Alexander George. I love my wife and children, play hockey professionally, am a business owner, and restore classic cars in my free time. My favorite things include making love to my wife, holding our kids, and all the little moments in between. How’s that for a profile?
I wanted a meaningful date and found an epic love.
This isn’t the end, but rather a continuation of what has become the most fulfilling journey of my life. To be continued…
This novel is dedicated to Gina Wachtel. Thank you for your never-ending belief in the Nighthawks. Not only is it a great honor to work with you, but it is also a joy and an experience I will cherish always. oxox
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, thank you to my husband and children. I am so grateful for your love and support. I love you and am forever blessed to be loved by you.
Thank you to Mary Lindsey—your friendship and support means the world to me. Finishing this novel, at your home, on your private island is an experience I will forever treasure.
Thank you to my agent, Nicole Resciniti. You know why.
BY TRACY GOODWIN
New York Nighthawks
Ice Hot
Ice Hard
Ice Storm (coming soon)
Scandalous Secrets
Dance with Deception
Enticing Eve
The Skilled Seduction
The Wolf of Winterthorne
What an Earl Wants
Shadow Souls
Cursed
Cursed Coloring Book: A Cursed Companion
PHOTO: GOODWIN PHOTOGRAPHY
TRACY GOODWIN is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. Throughout a career spanning a decade, she has achieved both traditional and indie publishing success. She is the author of sexy contemporary romances and sweeping adult historical romances. In addition, Tracy pens vivid urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels that burst with excitement. Though the genres may be different, each story delivers her unique blend of sensuality, poignant emotion, humor, and unforgettable characters that steal readers’ hearts.
TracyGoodwin.com
Facebook.com/AuthorTracyGoodwin
Instagram: @author.tracygoodwin
Twitter: @tracy_goodwin
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Ice Hard Page 22
