Overtime

by Toni Aleo

  “No, and neither do you,” he snapped and Jordie groaned.

  Silence fell over them and Jordie nearly choked on the tension. Pulling his phone out, he checked his Facebook and noticed that Karson was doing the same.

  That was until Kelly said, “So…um. Sir, um…er, I mean, Mr. King, I’d like to speak with you. In private, please.”

  Both their heads popped up and Jordie looked at Karson, confused. What the hell did Liam want to talk to Karl about in private?

  Karl’s face scrunched up in annoyance. “Whatever ya gotta say to me, ya can say in front of these two. I’d tell them anyway.”

  “Oh,” Kelly said, nervously moving his hands together, and Jordie’s stomach dropped. What the hell was he doing? “Well, you see, I’ve been dating Kacey for a while now with the permission of Karson,” he said, nodding his head to Karson, but Karson didn’t acknowledge him. He only stared as Kelly swallowed hard, his nerves visible. “Um…and well, we are really happy, and there is really no one I’d rather spend the rest of my life with. So, um, I’d like to ask her to marry me. But first, I’d like your permission.”

  What. The. Fuck.

  Kelly plastered a huge grin on his face, and Jordie wanted nothing more than to pound his fist into Kelly’s face, but he was stunned to silence. His jaw actually dropped, and when he glanced at Karson, his had too. Karl though, he was stone-faced, his eyes picking Kelly apart before his head slowly started to shake.

  “What? It’s only been a month or two,” Karson blurted out and Kelly looked over at Karson, nodding.

  “When you know, you know,” he said, his voice shaky.

  “But she doesn’t love you!” Jordie said, his heart picking up in speed. This douche was going to offer Kacey what she wanted. What if she said yes?

  “You don’t know that,” Kelly said dryly, his eyes cutting Jordie’s, which was surprising. The dude didn’t have a mean bone in his body. The guys teased him all the time because he never got a penalty, never got into a fight because he was too busy saying sorry or excuse me than actually fighting for the puck. If he didn’t have a sick-ass shot, Jordie would have questioned Elli on her decision to keep him on the team.

  “I actually plan to love her and never hurt her,” Kelly said then, and that made Jordie scoff.

  So she’d told him about them.

  He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad.

  And before Jordie could tell Kelly exactly what he thought, Karl cleared his throat, bringing the attention to him.

  “Liam, I can call you that, right?”

  “Why, yes, sir,” Liam said nodding, his grin directed to Karl.

  “Liam,” he started, but then he paused, sitting up and then back before leaning onto his knees, his eyes meeting Liam’s. “Not even no, but hell, fuck no, you can’t marry my daughter.”

  If Jordie were a man-kissing man, he’d kiss Karl King right at that moment.

  Sputtering, Kelly went to say something, but Karl stood, holding his hand up as he shook his head. “Marry her. The fuck? Cold day in fucking hell.”

  He then walked to the door, slamming it open before hollering, “Kacey Marie King, it will be a cold day in fucking hell before I allow you to marry this idiot!”

  “Oh shit,” Karson said, hopping up to follow as Kelly ran in behind Karl.

  Jordie slowly stood, a grin on his face as he headed toward the show.

  He only wished he had time to make some popcorn.

  Kacey saw the whole thing go down.

  She wasn’t too comfortable with Liam going out to hang with the guys but he was pretty persistent, and she had to say he’d been acting a little weird since he got there. He was holding her a little too much and kissing her and being really nice even though every other word out of her father’s mouth was the f-bomb. Liam seemed to like him though, so when he got up to go out, she didn’t stop him. Even though Jordie was out there, looking utterly delicious despite the done-up hair and beard job he had. Shelli and Posey must have gotten ahold of him and, of course, that made her want to aww.

  But she didn’t.

  She couldn’t pay much attention to him though. Because soon her father’s face twisted up when Liam turned to talk to him. Then Karson’s and Jordie’s jaws dropped and they both said something that Liam just waved off. When her dad stood, throwing his hands up over his head as he yelled violently, she knew it wasn’t good, but she didn’t think it was what she thought her father just said.

  Shaking her head, she jumped to her feet along with her mother and cried out, “What?”

  He pointed at her, his brows touching as his face filled with anger. “You aren’t marrying this guy! No! Over my dead fucking body!”

  “Karl!” her mother yelled as Kacey stood there, shocked. Her eyes cut to Liam as he stepped in front of Karl, his back to Kacey

  “I’m sorry, sir, but I’d like Kacey to—” Liam started, but Karl wasn’t backing down.

  Not that she’d expect him to.

  “I said no! You hear me? Get out of my face,” he said, pushing past Liam while Regina took ahold of his arm, trying to stop him. But he just dragged her along with him. “Let go of me, Regina. Do you hear what is going on? They’ve only known each other for a couple months! She don’t even love him!”

  “Karl, hush! You don’t know that,” Regina yelled back.

  “I’d really like to talk to you privately, Kacey.” Liam tried to be heard over all the yelling, but Kacey couldn’t even move.

  Was this really happening?

  Was she dreaming?

  She looked to Karson for help, but he was standing there, his mouth gaping open, no help at all. She looked to Lacey, but she was holding Mena, her eyes wide as she looked back and forth to each person who was yelling. When his eyes met hers, Jordie just grinned in a slow, very condescending way. Almost like he found this not only hilarious but downright stupid. She could read him like a book; it was easy for her, even with him holding back so much of himself. But sometimes, he opened up, and when he did, she absorbed everything he said and stored it in her heart for later. Now though, she wanted to smack him as his arms went over his chest, his eyes watching her so intently.

  Waiting for her next move.

  Asshole.

  Not that she wanted his help, but Jesus! Could someone help out here?

  “I won’t allow it, Kacey Marie King! I refuse to!” her father yelled, bringing her attention to him.

  “Allow it?” she muttered, her eyes narrowing angrily. “Daddy, I’ll do whatever I please.”

  “The hell you will! You don’t even like this guy! Better yet, love him!” he yelled at her, his nose flaring, and she really didn’t understand why he was so mad. Yeah, he was right, but why did he feel the need to make a scene like this? Her daddy was overdramatic, but even this was a little crazy.

  “Kacey, can we go outside?” Liam asked, but she held her hand up, stopping him.

  “In a second,” she said sharply, her eyes never leaving her dad’s. “Why are you so mad?” she asked him then, trying to keep her cool even though she was beyond embarrassed.

  “Because I don’t like him.”

  “But what if I do? What if I want to marry him?” she asked and Karl basically shot steam out of his nose.

  “What?!” he said, along with Karson and Jordie.

  Jordie came off the wall, his aloofness gone as his eyes burned a hole in her head.

  “You can’t be serious,” Karson said then. “You just met him.”

  “You sure as hell don’t love him,” Jordie added as Karson nodded.

  “You don’t know that,” Liam shot at him and Jordie laughed.

  “Dude, I know her and she don’t love you,” he snapped back and Liam glared as Karson nodded.

  “Yeah, what he said,” Karson agreed.

  “Kacey, maybe you should think about this,” Lacey said then.

  “What the hell, Lacey!” Jordie yelled and she shrugged.

  “Hey, don�
��t yell at her,” Karson shot at Jordie, but then he looked back her. “But really? What the hell?”

  “I’m just saying! She needs to think this through.”

  “No, she don’t,” Karl said. “There is nothing to think about. This guy is not for you!”

  “Kacey, can we please go outside and talk?” Liam asked again.

  “We are trying to talk to her!” her mother yelled, but Kacey’s eyes never left her father’s as her face burned with embarrassment. This was her family and she knew if she looked at Liam, his face would be full of horror. Everyone was so loud, so opinionated, and that wasn’t what Liam was about. She knew this and also knew that they were all right. He wasn’t the man she was going to marry.

  “Don’t you think I can make my own decisions, Daddy?”

  His eyes burned with fire, his body taut, and she was sure he was two seconds from slamming his fist into something. Preferably Liam’s face, but she wouldn’t allow him to. He was upset over nothing, and really, it made no sense to her. Yeah, he was overprotective, but he never flew off the handle like this. But this was the first time someone had asked to marry her, she guessed, and at least she knew what to prepare the future Mr. for.

  If there ever was a future Mr. She had one proposal and, of course, she couldn’t keep her eyes off the dude who broke her heart. Easy to say she was insane. Or stupid. Or both.

  Karl’s head fell to the side, his chest falling and rising. “Yeah, I do, but—”

  “No but needed. Now, let me handle this,” she said sternly, and he didn’t say anything else as she turned to look at Liam. Like she knew he would be, his face was full of dismay, his cheeks bright red, his eyes wild, and his shoulders back and tight. “Let’s go outside.”

  The room was silent as she went around the group that had gathered and out the front door with Liam on her heels. When she heard him say, “It was nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. King,” she was surprised. After all that, she had fully expected him to run, and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t intrigued. When she reached his Prius, she turned just as he reached her.

  “Well,” he said, tucking his hands in his pockets. “That didn’t go as planned.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at him. “What the hell, Liam? You asked my dad to marry me?” she asked, her words coming out sharper than she’d intended. “We just met. It hasn’t even been two months.”

  He nodded, looking down as he shrugged. “When you know, you know,” he finally said, meeting her gaze. “I wanted you to come by tomorrow, and I had a dinner planned. And then I wanted to get intimate with you, and if it went as well as I’m sure it will, I wanted to ask you.” He was rambling, but all she heard was that he wanted to get intimate.

  Get. Intimate.

  Not what she wanted to hear her future husband say. She wanted him to want her. To yearn, tear her apart, fuck her stupid, not plan to “get intimate.” Ugh, why had she let this happen? Why did she think it would work? He was her polar and utter opposite. Man, she really fucked up here, and now she was going to hurt him because he was obviously in deeper than she was. Something she’d never intended but ultimately would do because she was too much of a coward to let him go when she knew he wasn’t it.

  Looking up at him, guilt slammed into her as she shook her head. “Liam, I’m sorry, but I don’t love you.”

  “Yet,” he said softly, reaching out and taking her hands with his. “But you will, I just know it.”

  “Liam—”

  “No, listen,” he said, interrupting her. “We don’t have to get married tomorrow or even next month. It’s just that I found out from my agent that my contract with the Assassins isn’t being renewed, and I’m more than likely going to go to New York or Florida. I want you to go with me, Kacey.” He paused, taking a deep breath as his eyes begged hers. Her heart pounded in her chest as he went on, “Maybe I jumped the gun, maybe marriage wasn’t the way to go. But please, come with me. We can start a new journey together. You always say you want to travel. This is the best way.”

  “But I don’t want to leave my family,” she said softly.

  “I know, but we can visit, all the time. I like them,” he said with a grimace. “When they’re not yelling at me,” he added with a laugh.

  “They don’t like you,” she admitted and he shrugged.

  “They will.”

  “But I don’t love you,” she said again. “And that wouldn’t be fair for you, Liam.”

  He was only derailed for a moment, his grin flattening for a split second before he squeezed her hands. “But you like me and that can turn to love. I feel something here, Kacey. I do, and I would never hurt you. I’d give you the world.”

  She knew this, but could she do it? Did she want to? She did want a change, but did she want it with him? Could she love him?

  Looking deep into his eyes, she found herself wishing they were brown, and she knew the answer right then.

  Before she could tell him that though, he was talking. “Listen, sleep on it and think it over. I’ll know tomorrow where I am going, and we can discuss it over dinner. I really think this would be best for you, for us.”

  It wasn’t. She needed change, she did, but he wasn’t the one to give it to her.

  “Liam, I just—”

  “Please, I love you, Kacey, and if you care about me at all, you’ll at least think it over.”

  His eyes held so much hope, and soon she was drowning in the guilt as she looked away, shrugging her shoulders. She knew that she just needed to tell him no, but maybe… No, she didn’t want to be with him. It was that simple, but she had brought this on herself and she did care for him as a friend. Only a friend. He didn’t do anything for her. Nothing, but because she cared, she’d think it over, really weigh the options and then let him down easy. She owed him that.

  “Okay,” she said softly. “But—”

  “No, no buts. I just want you to truly think it over. Really examine us. See how good I am to you, how I care about you and your needs. I think you’ll see I’m a sure bet.”

  He was like a used car salesman and she wanted to laugh. She was never good at telling them no, always had to have her dad do it, but that wasn’t an option right now. She had to do this herself. She made this mess; she had to clean it up.

  Tomorrow.

  She’d clean it up tomorrow.

  Going up on her tiptoes, she gave him a quick kiss, but before she could pull away, he wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up off the ground and deepening the kiss. Surprised, she opened her mouth in a gasp, which gave him full access, his tongue diving into her mouth. She wanted to say it was the greatest kiss of her life. She wanted to say that it wasn’t awkward, feeling his tongue against hers. But she’d be struck dead by lightning if she didn’t say it felt like kissing Karson.

  Ew.

  After he pulled away, his lips lingered against hers as his hands slid down her back to her ass, squeezing her lightly.

  Which did nothing for her. Not even a little zing to the pussy. Nothing.

  Looking deeply into her eyes, he whispered, “I love you. Call me tomorrow, and we’ll meet up after you get done with the team.”

  She smiled. “Okay.”

  He kissed her again, this one just as long as the last, before kissing her nose and going around to get in his car. He waved sweetly at her and she smiled as he backed out of the driveway before disappearing down the road. Letting out a long breath, she looked up at the heavens and shook her head.

  “Why? Why did I do this?”

  She wasn’t sure whom she was asking, but when the answer didn’t come, she turned to head inside, seeing that her whole family was standing in the windows watching.

  “Son of a bitch,” she moaned, stomping toward the house, which caused all the curtains to fall. She fully expected everyone to be sitting, acting as if they hadn’t seen anything, but Kacey didn’t have a typical, subtle family.

  She had the Kings.

&
nbsp; So when she entered the house, they were all standing there expectantly.

  Except Jordie. She didn’t see Jordie anywhere. Not that she was looking.

  “So?” Karl barked, his hands striking his hips. “It didn’t look like you told him to fuck off!”

  “Did you say yes?” Lacey asked, her eyes wide and full of shock, poor Mena in her arms, the only normal one of the bunch.

  “I swear, you better not have,” Karson grumbled. “When I told you to date him, it was to date. Not marry!”

  “Oh, Kacey, please,” Regina sniffed. “He really was dull, and you have too much…er, passion for him to handle.”

  Really? Passion? What did that even mean?

  Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes; she did not have the patience for this. “I am not speaking to any of you for the rest of the night, maybe not even tomorrow,” she spat before turning and heading down the hall to her room, slamming the door for good measure and to show she meant business. Leaning against the door, she let out a deep sigh, her heart still pounding from the last twenty minutes. It seemed like so much longer, like eons, especially when her eyes had met Jordie’s. He’d looked so confident, like he knew she wouldn’t marry Liam. It irritated her to no end, but it also intrigued her.

  Why was he confident regarding something he knew nothing about?

  Someone he left.

  What was his game?

  Looking at her bathroom door, she sucked in a breath and let it out through her nose. All she had to do was go through that door, then through his, and ask him. Demand to know what he was thinking. What he was doing? And where he had been.

  But…

  Maybe she should go with Liam—

  No, she wasn’t going with him, but she really did need to talk to Jordie. The sooner, the better, but not now. She couldn’t do it now. Her family had stressed her out, embarrassed the hell out of her, and exhausted her. What she needed to do was take a shower, get some ice cream, and cuddle up to watch a movie.

  Yes, that was a fabulous idea.

  Standing up, she threw off her shirt and pants, reaching for a towel before heading inside to make sure Jordie wasn’t there. His door was shut, thankfully. Walking to it, she locked it and turned to his sink to lay her towel on it. Reaching behind her to take her bra off, she looked up and cried out.