Kissing Micky (Washington Guardians Hockey Book 1)

by Ellen Devlin

  Liz looked at Tom under her lashes questioningly. “Are you actually asking me to this? It’s all right if you don’t want to.”

  Tom started, as if surprised by her statement. “Of course I want to. Yes, I’m asking.” He smiled.

  “Okay, then. I would love to go.” She brightened. “Yay! I get to go talk about dresses with Paige!” She practically skipped off to the kitchen.

  Chris had returned with his beer and handed a new one to Tom, who was now watching Liz and Paige talk animatedly in the kitchen, presumably about dresses. Chris wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulder.

  Tom said, “I have no idea what the fuck just happened.”

  “She just made something that you hate sound like fun. And now you kinda want to go, just because she’s going to be there.”

  “Shit.”

  Chris clapped him on the shoulder again and laughed. “If I knew how she did that, I’d tell you.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The charity ball was a week away. Paige needed to stop somewhere to drop something off for someone because someone else needed something or other—Liz had lost track of all of the reasons behind the various errands they were running. She was just tagging along, enjoying the day spending time with her friend, talking about things, window shopping when possible, drinking coffee almost always.

  They pulled up outside a formal shop. “I’m meeting Chris here for a few minutes to make sure he doesn’t screw something up with his tux. He would, you know.” Liz laughed and walked inside with her. She sat down to wait while Paige fussed with Chris. While she was waiting, Tom walked out of the dressing room to the big mirrors, with an attendant working to make sure everything was properly fitted.

  The earth stopped turning. Tom stood in a tuxedo, and Liz forgot how to breathe.

  Paige walked by on her way toward the door. “Okay, all set. Disaster averted.” She was four steps further on before she noticed Liz wasn’t following her.

  Tom looked up into the mirror and saw Liz looking at him. He started in surprise, not expecting to see her there, and then just watched her. She hadn’t realized he had seen her; she wasn’t looking at his face. Yet.

  Liz was taking in every inch of his six-foot-four inches. Slowly. Starting at his legs. The tux already fit beautifully, and where he was standing in front of the mirrors, she got a full view of both his back and front. She watched his strong hands adjusting the cuffs. By the time she had reached his immensely broad shoulders, she had started breathing again, a little faster than normal. Her eyes travelled up past his now-thick but well-trimmed dark beard, to his beautiful blue eyes. He was looking at her.

  He waited until her gaze made it up to his eyes. Then he smiled that little half smile, his eyes darkly playful. Her face flooded with color, and her heart started beating wildly.

  Paige was standing next to her by this point. She cleared her throat, and Liz turned to her, startled. “Shit. I did not count on him looking that good in a tux. I might need you to remind me to do simple things. Like breathe.”

  Tom watched her leave with Paige and chuckled to himself.

  The evening might not be an entire loss.

  ***

  Liz was enjoying getting ready. She might almost never wear a dress and makeup, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t fun to do it every once in a while. She just had no desire to take that kind of time every day. Because it happened so infrequently, Paige had decided they should make a whole big day of it, so she had made salon appointments for their hair and makeup. Later, they came back to Paige’s house to finish getting ready.

  Paige’s dress was a deep red, and Liz was wearing more of a turquoise color. When she’d tried it on at the store, Paige had stopped her immediately.

  “That’s it. Don’t try on anything else. Your eyes look amazing, and so does the rest of you.”

  Liz trusted Paige’s judgment on these things, so that was that. The dress was long and satiny. It draped and clung in nice places but was not tight, and the neckline was low without showing any real cleavage. It was very classy, and Liz loved it. She wore three-inch heels. It was strange to think she was still going to be four inches shorter than her date. That was not something she was used to, and she loved that too.

  Paige walked downstairs first, to an appreciative wolf whistle from her husband and applause from Tom. And then Liz descended. She was greeted by complete, stunned silence, which Chris broke.

  “Holy shit, Liz.”

  Paige smiled and rolled her eyes.

  Liz stood at the bottom of the staircase and just let them look.

  Tom was completely speechless. He knew she was going to look good. She always looked good. But this…he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to walk up and kiss her and then take her back to her apartment. Or maybe take her right here. He definitely didn’t want to share her with a room full of other guys from the team, not looking like this. Except—he wanted everyone to see him walk into the room with her on his arm, because there couldn’t possibly be any woman more beautiful there. Liz looked him in the eye and winked.

  He just said, “Fuck.”

  She laughed.

  ***

  They had only been at the event for about a half hour before Tom began to remember how much he hated these things. Liz was a good distraction, but she could see he was already beginning to feel stressed and anxious. She slipped in next to him and took his hand.

  “Hey, handsome.”

  He looked down at her, and his expression softened. He put his arm around her, and she walked him away from the group and over toward a quieter standing table. “You doing okay?”

  He tried to ungrit his teeth. “I don’t know why this shit bothers me so much.” There were furrows forming in his brow. “There’s no real reason for it.”

  “Hmmm. I was hoping that this dress would last as a distraction longer than this.” She looked at him from under her lashes and used one finger to trace a pattern on the hand he was using to hold his drink. The furrow had disappeared, and he gave her a smile that made her heart flutter.

  “You’re good, Williams. You’re very good. You look stunning. But you did receive full and fair warning that I’m an asshole at these things.”

  “Very true. But I have made it my personal mission to figure out just what it will take for you to actually relax and have a good time. Because I definitely intend to have a good time tonight. I would love for you to, as well.”

  Tom grunted noncommittally, but his brow wasn’t furrowed back up, so…small victories.

  A few of his teammates were walking by just then, including Zee, who gave Tom a friendly slap on the back and stopped to say, “Hey, Micky! Nice to see you here. Why don’t you introduce me to your lovely date?”

  Zee turned and looked at Liz. She flashed him a smile and was rewarded with the most stunned, dumbstruck expression she had ever hoped to see on his face.

  “I think you’ve already met her, Zee,” Tom said. He had begun to get irritated when he heard Zee’s voice, thinking the younger player was stopping by to flirt with Liz or give Tom a hard time, but seeing Zee’s expression was deeply satisfying.

  “Holy shit, Liz,” Zee whispered and then gave her a bow. “I am well and truly speechless. You are lovely. Please save a dance for me.” He turned to Tom. “I don’t know how you scored this, Micky, but I am a jealous man.”

  Liz blinked as he walked away and said, almost to herself, “That might be the first time I have ever seen him behave like an adult. Will wonders never cease.”

  She turned back to Tom. His look made her heart beat a little faster. It was a little edgy, slightly primal.

  He put his arm around Liz’s waist and spoke into her ear. “He should be jealous. You are the most beautiful woman here, and you’re sleeping with me.”

  Her heart was definitely racing now. “So I just thought of something that would help you relax and enjoy yourself more, that would last longer than seeing me in this dress.”

 
Tom looked at her and smiled. “Really? Is it seeing you out of that dress? Because that’s pretty much the only thing on my mind right now.”

  “Actually, it is.”

  Tom blinked. “Shit.” He fidgeted and then said, “Vixen. It’s a good thing tux coats cover as much as they do.”

  She took his hand and started leading him back over to the crowd.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Making you think of two things at once. I’m overloading your brain so you can’t be grouchy.”

  He stopped and gaped at her. “If you were kidding about the other thing, I am absolutely going to be grouchy.”

  She laughed. “I was not kidding.” She took hold of the lapel of his jacket and gently pulled him down so she could whisper in his ear. “I would never kid like that about sex with you. It’s much too good. You know that.” She let go of his jacket, but he didn’t stand back up right away. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Go mingle, Tom.” And she walked away.

  Chris walked up to Tom at that point and pulled him into a conversation with some person or another he should be talking to. Liz watched from across the room with Paige for a few minutes.

  “How are things going?” asked Paige.

  “Great,” Liz replied. “Zee was actually speechless when he saw me. I will forever have you pick my fancy clothing, Paige.”

  Paige laughed. “Like you wouldn’t have done that anyway. But I meant with Micky. Chris has said he really can be in a foul mood at these things. I want to make sure you have a good time, even if he can’t remain pleasant.”

  “Actually, so far so good. I promised to rescue him from the conversation he’s currently having, though, so I’m going to go do that. And then I’m going to make him dance with me.” She smiled and headed off.

  The music was changing to a slow tune just as she slid up to the group and slipped her hand into Tom’s. “I’m so sorry to interrupt. Would it be possible to steal my date away for a dance? I love this song.” Tom stared down at her as if she had sprouted out of thin air. The “important person” he was talking to with Chris laughed indulgently.

  “Of course. Mr. McCullin, you should never keep a lovely woman like that waiting if she wants to dance.”

  Liz slipped her arm through Tom’s and led him toward the dance floor.

  “How did you do that?” he asked in amazement.

  “Feminine wiles,” she replied. “Of course.”

  “Wait,” he said, realizing she was seriously leading him to the dance floor. “I don’t dance.”

  “Oh, sweetheart, you do now. That nice gentleman is watching you take me over to dance to this song that I love, and you are not going to disappoint either of us, are you?”

  She turned to him, having maneuvered him onto the dance floor, to see he was looking irritable again. “Do you even like this song?”

  She laughed lightly and stepped close to him, positioning them to dance together to the slow-moving beat. “I have no idea what it is. But I just brought you from talking with men about things that don’t interest you to holding me close while I whisper to you about sex. Isn’t that an improvement?”

  Tom started to wonder if there was such a thing as mood whiplash. He looked down at her. “I hope you’re not actually just teasing, Liz. Because as much as I enjoy you being playful, I don’t think you understand just how much I hate these things. I’m starting to get a headache already, and I think we’ve only been here an hour. I still have to make it through dinner.”

  Liz looked up at him and saw the furrows in his brow. She reached up and stroked his beard with her hand for a moment. “I’m sorry. Just dance with me for a little while longer, and then I will explain my plan. And I will adjust my tactics.” Her smile was sweet but not teasing, and Tom relaxed enough to make it through one song. She then guided him off the dance floor and over to get a drink.

  “I would like to get you alone,” she said. She was speaking low and close to his ear to keep the conversation private. “Very much.”

  “That’s just great. Where, exactly? Coat room? Classy, Liz.” His hackles were definitely up.

  She wasn’t going to take the bait. She stepped back and looked at him. “We are standing in the ballroom of a hotel.”

  “And? I could take you home after this fucking thing just as easily.”

  “Think outside the box, McCullin.” Tom looked at her sharply. He didn’t remember her calling him by his surname before. “Is there a rule saying that the rooms can only be used at night?” She saw the light begin to dawn. “Or that they have to be slept in at all? What if I want to rent a room and, say, visit that room every hour or so for ten minutes?”

  His eyes widened, then darkened, and then he stood close and positively loomed over her.

  “So,” she plucked an imaginary string off his sleeve and brushed his sleeve smooth, back to teasing now that he understood, “ask for the closest available room to this ballroom.” She looked up into his eyes and said, “And then text me the room number.”

  He bent and spoke into her ear. “I want to see you sprawled across the bed.”

  “No.”

  He was startled by the strength of her refusal.

  She turned and growled into his ear. “Up against the back of the door.”

  “Shit.”

  She turned and walked back into the crowd before he managed to restart his brain enough to turn and head to the front desk.

  ***

  Tom: 403

  She smiled as the text pinged on her screen.

  Liz: I’m on my way.

  Tom stared at the phone. An entire sentence, complete with punctuation. In a text. Who does that? And why? That must have taken several extra seconds that could have been spent on her way to the room. He tried not to pace.

  The knock on the door was soft, and he opened the door and pulled her in. He closed the door by pushing her up against it while kissing her like a drowning man trying to breathe. He fumbled in her long skirt, trying to reach up underneath while still kissing her. She helped by pulling all the fabric up and away while he frantically pulled off her underwear and opened his pants.

  Liz clung around his neck as he entered her in one hard thrust, gasping loudly at the incredible sensation. She wrapped one leg up around his hip as he began to thrust deep and hard, one hand braced against the door and the other holding her ass, trying to pull her into him even as he was trying to drive himself into her.

  They didn’t speak. There were growls and snarls, grunts and panting, but nothing that qualified as speech. They didn’t make love or even have sex.

  They rutted wildly, up against the back of the hotel room door.

  Liz felt the tension building and knew that she was going to come, soon, and very hard, and she could tell that Tom was almost there. The sound and feel of his orgasm triggered hers; he roared, and the sound she made might have qualified as a scream.

  The entire encounter may have lasted all of three minutes. They stood, gasping and shaky. When Liz had caught her breath, she said, “Do you think you can make it for another hour in a good mood?”

  Tom chuckled deep in his chest and said, “Yes.” And then he kissed her and said, “You’re a genius. Thank you. That was amazing.”

  “You’re welcome. Zip up and head back. I will follow you in a few minutes. I have more repair work to do than you do. I’m glad Paige insisted I bring extra lipstick and such.” She picked up her purse and underwear, both of which had been unceremoniously discarded on the floor. She caught his face in her hand and looked him in the eye, stroking his beard with her thumb.

  “And yes, that was fucking amazing, Tom.”

  ***

  Tom had only been gone from the event about ten minutes or so. No one had noticed he had left; no one particularly noticed that he was back. And no one seemed to notice that anything was different, which seemed absurd to him. He felt like there must be an arrow-shaped neon sign saying “Just Got Laid” over his head, but apparently no
t. He chuckled to himself, thinking that maybe people would just misinterpret his look to think he had already been hitting the bar a little too hard.

  Chris walked up to him just then, saying, “Hey, Mick. They’re going to be seating for dinner in a few minutes. Paige has made sure that you and Liz are at our table.” He looked strangely at Tom for a moment. “Holy crap, are you actually smiling? At a black-tie event?”

  Tom surprised himself by briefly laughing out loud, saying, “Apparently the combination of a good bartender and a very nice date have been good for me.”

  “Speaking of which, where is Liz?”

  Before he could answer, Tom felt Liz slide up next to him and take his hand. “I’m right here. Just back from the ladies’ room.”

  Chris took her other hand, bowed formally, and kissed it. “My lady, I am duly impressed. I didn’t think it was possible to see this bastard voluntarily smile at one of these events. He credits good booze and your company. Since I have seen him shit-faced drunk before, I know where the credit truly belongs.”

  Tom actually laughed along with Liz, drawing another small look of surprise from Chris.

  “Anyway, dinner is about to start, and Paige sent me to find you two.”

  Chris walked toward the dining room, and they followed. Tom let go of Liz’s hand and ran his hand up the back of her neck to put his arm around her. He pulled her close and breathed her hair for a moment and then spoke quietly to her.

  “I kinda do feel drunk. I don’t think I’ve ever tried to get up and act totally normal right after sex before. It’s like an amazing buzz. Except I just want to find a couch somewhere and kiss you.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Dinner was quite nice and was followed by the requisite speeches. Tom’s good mood started wearing off sometime between dinner and dessert, and Liz could feel him starting to tense again. She leaned in when the speeches started and said, “No quizzes after, remember?”