by Toni Aleo
Now though, he was outdoing all the married guys because his wife was smoking.
Wrapping his arm around Lacey’s middle, he smiled as she gushed to Audrey and Tate Odder.
“I am so excited for you!”
Audrey’s eyes were misty as she smiled in thanks. “It’s insane and so amazing, but I am really freaking pregnant and so damn sick!”
“Do you know if it is just one or two or four?” Lacey asked, her eyes bright.
Audrey nodded. “The ultrasound showed only one. It’s our little fighter.”
“That’s so beautiful! Karson, isn’t that awesome?” she asked him and he nodded.
“So awesome, I’m not sure who I am more surprised by, you or Harper.”
Audrey nodded, throwing her hands up. “I know, right? I can’t believe it!”
“Everyone is pregnant. Do you remember Jordan Ryan?” Tate asked, and Karson thought for a second.
“He was the goalie before you took over, right? Over on Carolina now.”
“Yeah, his wife is pregnant with their second daughter. She’s due in a couple weeks.”
He didn’t know Jordan well, but he nodded his head as Audrey cried out, “So many babies are coming!”
“We are always having babies on this team though,” Karson laughed.
“Y’all are next!” she said with a promising grin, and Karson’s arm tightened around Lacey.
“If it happens, it does, if it doesn’t, then I’ll try harder,” he said and everyone laughed while Lacey beamed up at him. They talked for a little bit longer and then moved on to where Shea and Elli were.
“Baby, do you need a drink? You haven’t touched anything yet,” he asked before reaching his captain and his boss.
“I’m gonna let you drink tonight,” she said, waving him off. “My belly is a little upset all of a sudden.”
“You hungry?” he asked. “I know how you get when you don’t eat. I duck and hide.”
She rolled her eyes. “Shut up, and maybe I’ll go make a plate. Talk with Elli and Shea for a second. I’ll be back,” she said before pressing her lips to his and then heading for the buffet.
“Hey, get me a turkey leg!” he called after her, and she nodded as Elli grinned at him.
“Having fun, Karson?” she asked and he smiled as he kissed her cheek. She looked gorgeous in a floor-length green dress that made her eyes shine. He’d always had a soft spot for Elli. Or maybe he was deathly scared of Shea and wanted to stay in their good graces. He wasn’t sure, but they had been spending a lot of time with the Adlers. Lacey loved Elli and their kids, so did he, so it wasn’t a hardship to hang out. Especially with the way Elli cooked. She could fry the hell out of some chicken.
“Great time. How are you guys?”
“Good, my husband is getting drunk off eggnog,” she pointed out, and Shea laughed, holding up his cup to cheers with Karson.
Doing so, Karson laughed as Shea drained his cup.
“I’m living it up. We said bye to the kids, and after this, we are heading to the hotel for crazy monkey sex before leaving in the morning for Fiji,” Shea said with an unstoppable grin.
His captain was good and toasty drunk.
“What he means to say is we will have sloppy sex, and then he’ll oversleep and bitch the whole way to Fiji. I am so excited I can’t stand it,” she corrected and Karson laughed.
His boss might be a tad bit drunk too, but he wasn’t going to point that out.
“You guys are a riot,” he declared, and they both beamed at him.
“Where’s that wife of yours?” Shea asked.
“She’s getting food…oh, here she is,” he said when Lacey showed up beside him with no food. “Where’s the food?”
“I didn’t want anything.”
“Where’s my turkey leg?”
She shook her head. “No, it was gross.”
Karson glared as Shea said, “No, man, go get one. I’ve eaten like three of them.”
Lacey laughed as she pointed to him and asked Elli, “Is he drunk?”
Elli nodded. “Damn eggnog gets him every time.”
They all laughed and talked for a little longer before Karson found himself on the dance floor with his sexy wife. She had natural rhythm, and he loved moving against her as the lights glittered above them. Holding her close, he kissed her jaw as the music changed to a soft love song. Looking deep into Lacey’s eyes, he felt nothing but undying love for her. Things had been nuts with her family but they’d overcome it. He had his claws in her, and she wasn’t going anywhere without him. He loved her so much, and the thought of not having her honestly murdered him. She was his everything.
His forever.
When his phone started to vibrate in his pocket, he pulled it out to see it was Kacey.
“It’s Kacey.”
“Eek! Answer it!” she said before dragging him off the dance floor and to a quiet area of the party.
Putting his phone on speaker, he said, “So?”
Kacey laughed. “So you are speaking to the newest member of the US women’s hockey team!”
“WHOOOOO!” Karson yelled out as Lacey cheered loudly. Everyone turned to look at him and he hollered, “My sister made the US women’s team!”
Everyone cheered and Kacey giggled. “Oh my God, way to make a girl feel special!”
“You are! I can’t wait to watch you kick ass. We’ll come up, right, babe?” he asked as the adrenaline coursed through his body. His sister was going to play in the Olympics!
“Of course. Oh my goodness! We are so proud of you, Kacey!”
“Thanks, guys. I love you, but let me let you go. I’ve got things to tend to.”
“Damn jerk, I’m trying to congratulate you!”
“Oh, shut up. I’ve got billions of people to call. You were first!”
Lacey smacked him and shook her head before saying, “Okay, congrats!”
“Love you, Kacey, really proud of you,” he said, and he was surprised by the tears that were itching his eyes. He was on the ultimate high.
“Love you, Karson, and you too, Lacey. Thank you! I’ll call you guys later.”
Karson was grinning ear to ear as he hung up and looked down at his beautiful wife.
“Man, that made my night,” he said, bringing Lacey in close. “I’m so proud of her.”
“I am too.”
Kissing her jaw, he closed his eyes and couldn’t believe it. He was beyond blessed. Not only was his family doing well, but he was completely and utterly in love with the most gorgeous woman ever. Yeah, it took nine years to get everything he wanted, but now that he had it, he was never letting go.
“I think I have something that is going to make it ten times better though,” she said, looking up at him, her eyes sparkling with tears.
His brow came up. “I mean, if you are talking about that ass and me getting it in the bathroom, then yeah, I think you do have something that can make it ten times better.”
She laughed. “No, dork. Something else.”
He looked at her questioningly. “I don’t need anything else. Just looking at you makes my night.”
She smiled, kissing his jaw before taking his head in her hands and putting her lips right by his ear. “I love you.”
“I love you more,” he answered, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.
She kissed the spot below his ear and then said, “I’m pregnant, Karson.”
Everything stopped as he just stood there. Pulling back, he looked down to see that tears were rolling down her cheeks, and the biggest, most gorgeous grin was on her beautiful face.
“Pregnant?”
She nodded. “You’ve been trying harder than I think you’ve realized.”
He laughed as his heart exploded in his chest. “We are going to be parents.”
Her lip quivered as the tears rushed down her cheeks. “We are. I just found out this morning, and Karson, I am so happy. Scared out of my mind, but I know you’ll be there. You�
��ll coach me through this scary thing, and together, we will be the best parents any child ever had.”
“Damn fucking right, come here, baby,” he said, pressing his lips to hers in a frenzy. Moving his lips with hers, tears stung his eyes as his heart went insane in his chest. He had waited for this moment his whole life. He’d wanted to have children with Lacey since he met her, and now they were doing it. They were going to be parents. The best damn parents in the world. He would get to watch her grow their child; he would love her and make sure that she knew she was gorgeous all the damn time. Shit, how did he get so damn lucky?
Pulling away, he kissed her lips again before saying, “It’s me, you, and now our baby nugget.”
She laughed as she nodded. “Forever.”
“Forever,” he agreed.
And forever never looked as good as it did in that moment, and he really wasn’t sure how any holiday was ever going to live up to his first with Lacey.
But he was excited to try.
“Thanks, guys. I love you, but let me let you go. I’ve got things to tend to. Oh, shut up. I’ve got billions of people to call. You were first! Love you, Karson, and you too, Lacey. Thank you! I’ll call you guys later.”
Hanging the phone up, Kacey let out a breath and smiled. She was an Olympian. She was going to fight for the gold for her country, and she couldn’t fathom how this had happened. Yeah, she worked hard and she wanted it, but wow, she was going to do it.
When she felt lips along her spine, she looked back at her lover and smiled.
“You do have things to tend to,” Jordie said roughly against her back.
She knew it was a bad idea to come to see him, but she needed him. She was nervous about the phone call and wanted to lose herself while she waited. Jordie Thomas was the best distraction for that. His body was a wonderland of hard muscle and sex. He could have her flat on her back in seconds with only a smile. She loved him.
Which was very stupid.
“Mmm, what do I have to tend to?”
“Me,” he said, laying her back and slowly getting on top of her. He was slow because of his leg, but when he got in her, slow was good. He was big. Very big and it hurt, but it was a good hurt, one she craved. “I want you, my sexy little Olympian.”
She smiled widely before his mouth covered hers, his hand coming behind her knee to open her up to him. Pulling away from her mouth, he kissed her jaw, nibbling at her neck before trailing kisses down her stomach. She wasn’t sure how this happened. At first it was to get back at Karson for calling her gay, but then when she was in bed with Jordie, being fucked to the point of no return, she liked it. A lot. And continued to come back for him. She knew it was stupid, but Jordie Thomas made love like a god.
Her body quivered in anticipation as he kissed her flat belly and her mound before opening her up and feasting on her. Running his tongue along her lips, he took his time, almost as if he was worshipping her pussy, driving her completely mad. When the tip of his tongue slowly traced around her clit, she almost came off the bed, crying out his name. Relentlessly, Jordie devoured her pussy, making her cry out things she never had before. He had that power. He brought out the animal inside her.
And when she came, she didn’t just orgasm. She flew. Rocketed through space as she came. Her whole body seized and she found herself unable to breathe as he kissed her pussy, her thighs, and whispered such wonderful things.
“You are so beautiful, so damn beautiful. I could stay between these thighs for days.”
As he kissed up her body, his beard tickled her chest before his mouth met hers in a fevered kiss. “I can’t get enough of the taste of you,” he whispered against her lips as he slowly moved inside of her, filling her completely. “The feel of you…you drive me crazy, Kacey.”
Closing her eyes, she moaned out his name as he pushed inside her, taking her breath, her existence, her everything.
“So fucking beautiful,” he grunted as he thrust in and out of her, his body heavy on hers. They had been doing this for a month, and in that month, she had fallen completely in love with him. He was funny and sweet but also an asshole, challenging her. She loved messing with him and then getting punished later. He was amazing, but he was clear that they were just fucking. She couldn’t help but think maybe that was changing though. Especially with the way he looked at her. Like she was important and special.
Hating how much she cared, that she had fallen, she pushed into his chest, and he went onto his back like she wanted. Going on top of him, she directed his large cock inside of her, and as every inch of him disappeared, she closed her eyes, loving the feel of him completely inside of her. Taking ahold of her hips, he moved her roughly up and down him, her ass smacking against his thighs as she rode him into oblivion. When she came, she squeezed him so hard, he couldn’t breathe as he came, his fingers bruising her hips.
Gasping for breath, she looked up at the ceiling and knew this had to stop. Every second she stayed with him, she fell harder, and that couldn’t happen anymore. It wasn’t fair to her or him. He would feel bad because he did care for her, but he would never love her. He couldn’t. He wasn’t made to do that; he didn’t have the chemical makeup to trust anyone, and she understood that. Accepted it, and she had to get away because she wouldn’t even be able to be his friend.
Looking down at him, she smiled as he moved his thumb along her nipple, the other hand holding her tightly.
“You’re gorgeous, Kacey King.”
“You aren’t too bad yourself,” she answered back, leaning down to press her lips to his. Bracing her hands at the sides of his head, she looked deep into his brown eyes and decided she was really going to miss him. “This is the last time, Jordie.”
His brow came up. “No, I plan on making you come at least three more times tonight.”
She scoffed. “You wish. You don’t make me come; I choose to.”
He laughed. “Baby, don’t test me. I’ll throw you up on my face and have you coming in seconds.”
Her body was engulfed in flames at the thought, but she reined it back in. That wouldn’t happen. She’d never leave if it did. “Maybe.”
Jordie chuckled. “Are you challenging me?”
“No, shit. Shut up,” she said, setting him with a look before kissing him deeply. When she got off him, that was it. They were over. Never again would she find herself in Jordie Thomas’s bed. Pulling away, she gazed at him as he looked up at her, confused.
“What is it, Kacey?”
“This is it. This is goodbye. We can be friends because I do enjoy picking at you, but we can’t sleep together anymore.”
His eyes held hers as he asked, “Can I ask why? I like what we do.”
“Oh, I do too, but I’ve caught feelings.”
His eyes went wide but he recovered quickly, looking up at the ceiling, his thumb stopping at her nipple. “Caught feelings, huh?”
“Yeah, I love you, and while I know that horrifies you,” she said since she could see it all over his face, “I know the score. I know this was supposed to be just fucking, but somewhere in there, I fell for you. So, yeah. I gotta stop this before it gets so bad that I can’t walk away.”
Glancing away, he moved his hand down his face. “I wish you wouldn’t have done that. I like this. A lot. You. I like you, but I can’t love you.”
“I know,” she said with a nod and slowly got off him, patting his chest. “And I’m not mad. Hurt, yeah, because I could see us having a good life together, but it’s not you.”
She got up, but he took her hand, stopping her. She met his gaze and pushed back her tears as his eyes searched hers. She expected him to tease her, to lighten the mood, but instead, he said, “I wish I could.”
“Me too,” she whispered before swallowing past the lump in her throat. She got dressed in silence as he watched. It took everything not to cry, but she wouldn’t. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t show weakness. As she went for the door, he took her hand, and she was surprised that he ha
d gotten out of bed. His leg was still pretty messed up and it was hard for him to walk, but soon he had his arms around her, his lips at her neck as he hugged her tightly. Kissing her jaw, he then took her lips with his, kissing her long and hard, curling her toes in her boots.
Pulling back, he looked deep in her eyes. “Karson isn’t gonna come after me for hurting you, right?”
She shook her head quickly. “No, I promise. I knew the score. This is my fault.”
“I was just joking. I owned up to being with you.”
“Oh, okay.”
Lifting her chin with his finger, he looked deep into her eyes and whispered, “I’m gonna realize one day that I shouldn’t have let you go, and I’m pretty sure I’m gonna regret it. By then though, you’ll find some schmuck who will love you the way you deserve, and you’ll be happy. That’s what I want.”
Her lip quivered as she looked down at his bare chest, the scars of his past screaming at her. He’d had it so hard growing up; the scars weren’t just internal, they were even visible. She got it. She got him; she just wished it would end differently.
“But if, for some reason, you haven’t found him, you better believe you will be mine, Kacey King. There won’t be any stopping that.”
Smiling, she looked up at him and said, “That might be the only time I’ll let you win.”
His grin was infectious as he nodded. “I always win.”
Kissing his jaw, she had to get away before she lost it. He kissed her once more, and then against her lips, he whispered, “Know that you’re the only girl who has left a mark.”
She nodded. “I wish that mark was enough.”
“Me too,” he admitted, but she knew it wasn’t. He wouldn’t trust someone enough to love them. He couldn’t. Kissing him once more, she opened the door and shut it before walking away as fast as she could to make sure he didn’t come after her. She didn’t want him to see her cry. She wanted him to think they ended things and her heart was intact, but that wasn’t the case. As she rushed to the car, she didn’t cry because they were over, she cried because it happened and she knew she’d never be the same.
