Blue Lines: The Assassins Series: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance

by Toni Aleo

  Get drunk, find a guy, and hook up. Maybe not sex, but at least make out some. It was simple really, and Allison, her roommate, had said that the Trails Pub was the place to do all three.

  After parking her car beside Allison’s, Fallon headed inside.

  “ID, please,” said a big black man, as tall as a giant and named Pinky, according to his nametag. Fallon had no clue what was so pinky about him, but she had learned quickly that in California ya kinda just go with it. Fallon smiled nervously as she opened her clutch and pulled out the ID she had made. “Thanks, Amanda, have a nice night,” Pinky said with a grin as he handed her the ID.

  Fallon looked confused but then remembered the name on the ID. “Why, thank you so much, have a nice night yourself.”

  Pinky smiled again as Fallon made her way into the bar. She spotted Allison with Hannah and Kristin, the girls from the dorm room across the hall from hers, at a corner booth by the bar. The Trails Pub was packed wall to wall with every type of person imaginable. As Fallon made her way toward her friends, she noticed guys glancing her way with appreciative looks on their faces. She smiled confidently, knowing the short jean skirt and dark red tank that matched her boots was a great combination for man-catching.

  “Damn, Fal, looking good!” Allison said when Fallon reached their table. Hannah and Kristin smiled and waved as Fallon sat down. They weren’t used to sexy Fallon. The Fallon they knew walked around campus in sweats all the time.

  That was freshmen Fallon; sophomore Fallon was sexy.

  “Thank you, thank you,” Fallon gushed as she looked around the bar.

  “A round of tequila, Teagan!” Allison exclaimed.

  The bartender smiled over at the girls before very efficiently pouring four shots and handing the drinks to a waitress. As the waitress set the shots on the table, the girls picked them up, bringing the glasses to the middle for a toast.

  “Here’s to the first of four years done!” Allison exclaimed, as all three girls joined in with her, clanking their glasses together and downing the shots quickly.

  It burned Fallon’s throat. She wasn’t sure what the awful liquid was, but, Lord, it was disgusting. Fallon looked off to the side, noticing that there were some good-looking men in the bar that night. She was giddy with excitement at trying to pick one up—she had become used to keeping to herself over the past year but now she was ready to branch out.

  As Fallon’s eyes skimmed the bar, they met with a pair of smoking gray ones. She blinked twice as her eyes were held hostage by his. He was gorgeous. Shaggy, dark brown hair framed his face, his nose was wide but fit his face perfectly, and his lips were thin, she noticed as he bit his bottom lip. He had a very boy-next-door kind of look to him but with an edge. A dangerous edge, Fallon decided as he slowly stood. He was tall and had powerful arms, one covered in tribal tattoos, the other bare. His eyes never left hers as he got up, away from the table of equally huge guys, and came around to lean against the bar, watching her.

  He didn’t seem to care who noticed him staring or if it was rude. It was as if he saw what he wanted and was waiting to pounce. The craziest thing ever! Fallen thought.

  “Jeez, that dude is staring at you hard, Fal,” Hannah said.

  “Like, really hard,” Kristin added.

  Fallon looked back at her friends for a second before turning back to the mysterious guy at the bar. He was wearing a nice tailored suit but had left his jacket at the table. His shirt was a pale green, rolled up to his elbows to show off his tattoos, and the first couple of buttons were open at the neck so she could see that there was writing on his chest. She wondered what it said, and she wondered why his friends were wearing suits, too.

  Who were these guys?

  “Go talk to him, Fal!” Allison yelled. “He’s flipping hot!”

  He sure was.

  “I don’t know,” Fallon said nervously, as thoughts from the freshman Fallon intruded. What if he’s some guy with the mob, or something? He’s muscular and dark and sexy and … mmm …

  “Don’t be a wuss! Go!” Allison said, interrupting Fallon’s thoughts.

  Fallon looked back at the guy and then at Allison, before she nodded and slowly got up to make her way toward him. As she sauntered over like a girl on a mission, his face broke into a grin so wide that she was completely dazzled by his straight white teeth. He looked rugged, lustful, with dark hair dusting his chin. Fallon didn’t say anything as she leaned against the bar, feeling him rake his eyes over her body before returning to her face.

  “What can I get for you, sugar?” the bartender asked.

  “A Bud Light, please,” Fallon said.

  “Four bucks,” the bartender said, as he placed a bottle in front of her.

  As Fallon reached into her pocket to get the cash out, she saw the guy shake his head, saying, “Put it on my tab, Teagan.”

  “Yup,” Teagan said, then leaving to go help another customer.

  Fallon looked up at the guy, a sexy smile on her face. “Thank you.”

  “Sure,” he said, as he held his beer out to her.

  She clanked her beer to his then took a hefty sip. The cool liquid went down her throat and she wanted to gag. It was her first time drinking beer, and she decided that it was disgusting.

  “Don’t like it?” he asked.

  Fallon shook her head. “I usually only drink wine.”

  “No wine here, baby girl. Teagan, a Mule please.”

  “A Mule?” Fallon asked, as the bartender nodded and went to work on her drink.

  “Yup, good stuff. Tequila, ginger ale, and lime juice. Drink of champions.”

  “So I guess you’re not one since you’re drinking a beer?”

  They both looked down at the beer in his hand; he chuckled before looking back up at her. “This is my warm-up drink.”

  “Oh, is that right?”

  “Sure is.”

  The bartender returned and placed the drink in front of her.

  “Go ahead, try it,” the guy said.

  Fallon picked it up and took a sip. It was fantastic. She couldn’t even taste the tequila. “It’s good, no bite at all,” she said with a nod.

  “No bite now, but tomorrow you’ll be singing a different tune if you have too many.”

  Fallon laughed and he laughed along with her. “I’m Lucas, by the way.”

  Lucas held out his hand, and Fallon took it. He had huge hands, swallowing hers, and people said that she had big hands. “Fallon.”

  “Fallon? Interesting.”

  “Thanks,” she said with a grin.

  “You live around here?”

  Fallon looked up and her eyes were drawn to his again. From across the bar she couldn’t see how gray they were. Now that she was closer, she saw they were like smoke, or maybe a dark rain cloud. They were captivating, hypnotic even.

  “I do. I’m a sophomore at Stanford,” she said, still being dazed by his eyes.

  “Oh, really, a smarty-pants, then?” he asked with a lazy smile.

  She giggled. “Something like that.”

  “Wait! If you are a sophomore, you’re what? You’re not twenty-one.”

  Shit on a shingle. “Um, well,” Fallon sputtered, as she looked toward Allison for help, but Allison was giggling and flirting with a guy who had come over to the table. When she looked back up at Lucas, he was leaning in close, a naughty grin on his lips.

  “Oh, someone has a fake ID, huh?” he whispered, as Fallon turned deep red.

  “Are you going to tell on me?”

  The words flew from her mouth before she could stop them, and she saw a devilish grin cross his face. God, she sounded so damn young! Seductress? Yeah, right!

  “I don’t know. What do I get if I don’t?”

  Fallon weighed his statement for a moment before looking back at him. She had nothing to offer him but money, and by the way he was dressed, she was sure he had enough of his own. If he thought she was gonna give him sex, he might as well go on and turn her in! So sh
e blinked twice at him before saying, “Um, what do you want?”

  Lucas Brooks chuckled as he looked down at the beauty who had walked into the bar.

  After losing the Stanley Cup playoffs earlier that evening he was feeling pretty crappy, but then she walked in. Lucas’s eyes had been drawn to her as soon as he spotted the naughty little red cowboy boots that she was wearing. Didn’t she realize that red is an eye catcher? He was sure she wanted attention, and he wanted to give it to her.

  Fallon—what an awesome name—was by far the most gorgeous girl in the bar. She looked like a porcelain doll. Yeah, her breasts were a little smaller than he liked, but her ass made up for it. He liked big butts on girls and she had one. It might have been her hair, too; it was long and wavy, a golden brown that brought out her wide, heavy-lidded deep caramel eyes. She had a deer-in-the-headlights look to her but he knew, just by talking to her, that she wasn’t dumb. Her nose was small and dainty, and when Lucas set eyes on her luscious, glossy red lips, he knew he had to talk to her—and have her.

  Fallon wasn’t much younger than him. He was twenty-one, but her innocence made him feel like forty: like the Big Bad Wolf trying to hook up with Little Red Riding Hood. But Lucas’s Little Red Riding Hood was gorgeous, and she seemed to have no clue who he was, which was a big plus in his book.

  “It’s quite simple, really,” he said with a wink of his eye. “Just a simple kiss, and my lips are sealed.”

  Fallon giggled, looking off to the side then back at him.

  He liked that she was tall. Usually the girls he hooked up with were shorter, and the tall ones were models who didn’t eat anything. He couldn’t stand them. Lucas loved to eat and when he was stuffing his face, he hated having a female watch him with a please-feed-me kind of look.

  “If your lips are sealed, how are you supposed to kiss me?” she asked in a low, intimate voice.

  Ooh, she had a little country flair to her. The way she drew out the e in me, told him she wasn’t from California. Mmm, he liked that, too.

  “Naughty girl, who said anything about open-mouth kissing?”

  He was rewarded with a deep blush and a shy smile. “I just assumed.”

  “Or you were hoping.”

  She giggled again and rolled her eyes. “Oh shut up, and kiss me already.”

  A slow grin spread across Lucas’s face before he took her chin between his fingers and slowly lowered his lips to hers. When his lips touched Fallon’s, he swore his whole body caught on fire. She moved a hand into his hair, bringing him closer, so their bodies molded together. When she slowly parted her lips, he drove his tongue into her mouth, sweeping and swirling his tongue with hers. He had never kissed a girl with such passion, never put his whole self into it, never felt the so-called sparks. With Fallon, he did.

  When they parted, only for air, she smiled sweetly up at him.

  “So my secret is safe?”

  Lucas was still stunned as he nodded. “Oh you are safe with me, baby girl. Come here.”

  He wrapped her up in his arms, kissing her senseless, excited for the future that was before them. Yeah, after a kiss like that, he was looking at the future because he knew he had just found the one.

  Chapter 1

  Nine years later …

  Fallon Parker’s feet hurt. Bad. Her decision to wear a brand-new pair of black Kate Spade ankle boots on the night of the Assassins’ New Year’s Eve party would haunt her for weeks. She wanted to look cute because she would be seeing friends and a lot of customers. She had dressed to impress, wearing a high-waisted, black pencil skirt with a lacy white shirt.

  Even if her feet were killing her; it was the price of fashion.

  Fallon tried to walk lightly as she made her way around the bar to look over the crowd of five hundred that had gathered at the Luther Arena. The party was in full swing; the crowd celebrating the New Year and also the run for the Stanley Cup. The Assassins were having a winning hockey season from what Fallon was told, though she didn’t care.

  Those days were over.

  All Fallon cared about now was that the sponsorship was perfect between Rocky Top Wines and the Assassins. For the most part it was. Rocky Top Wines had its own level in the Luther Arena and a restaurant. But what Fallon really wanted was a cellar in the arena. A place where customers could pick up a bottle of their favorite wine for the after-party at home. It was her dream, and she was working hard to make it a reality.

  Fallon leaned against the bar, sipping from her glass of the company’s Chenin Blanc. It was one of her favorites, going down smoothly as she took in the scenery. The team colors, purple and black, covered every inch of the arena. People moved around her, buying bottles and getting refills of their favorite wines.

  God, she loved her job. Being surrounded by wine all the time! Who could ask for more?

  A smile broke across Fallon’s face when she spotted one of her dearest friends. Of course, Elli Adler was dressed to impress, too, in her floor-length, sparkly black dress. Her beautiful brown hair was in an intricate updo and her makeup was done to the nines. No one would ever be able to tell that Elli had just had a baby two months ago. No matter how many times Fallon told her she was beautiful, Elli still didn’t believe it. But it was true. She was also the team’s newest owner, which made her the center of attention that night. Elli wore a full smile as she wrapped her arms around Fallon, hugging her tightly.

  “I know you’ve been here at least an hour! Why am I just now seeing you?” Fallon teased, as Elli rolled her eyes.

  “You know I gotta go around sucking up to people! You become the darn owner and everyone wants a piece of you!” Elli said as she talked with her hands. “Plus, why am I gonna come on over here to my favorite wine bar when I can’t drink?” Elli asked with an annoyed look.

  Fallon stood there for a moment, confused. Was she missing something?

  Elli slowly nodded her head. “Shea knocked me up again!”

  Fallon’s mouth dropped open, but she managed to say, “You just had Shelli two months ago!”

  “I know! He’s on me like white on rice! I swear he’s gonna have me pregnant for the next three years!”

  They both shared a laugh at that. If Shea Adler, the Assassins’ captain, had his way, he probably would. “Well the good thing is that your kids will be like me and my sister. We are ten months apart and the best of friends.”

  “Yay.”

  Fallon laughed, as Elli just looked longingly at the wines. “Oh, come on, I know you’re excited.”

  A small, sweet smile broke over Elli’s face as she said, “I am, but it’s gonna suck the next couple months with him being gone all the time.”

  “I thought he was quittin’.”

  “He said he will when this baby is born, but I know he won’t. He loves hockey too much, and who am I to ask him to quit?”

  Fallon was green with envy as she listened to Elli talk about her perfect relationship with her hunky, gorgeous husband and her perfect baby girl, with another on the way. Fallon couldn’t be happier for Elli. Fallon loved Shea and baby Shelli, but she desperately wanted a family, too.

  Why couldn’t she find her Shea Adler who wanted to impregnate her all the time?

  “So when is this big wine party?” Elli asked, bringing Fallon back to reality.

  “March first. I’ll be by the office to drop off tickets and stuff soon.”

  “Great, Shea will be on a break,” Elli said with a grin. She still got that dreamy look in her eyes when she talked about her husband. It was to be expected though; they hadn’t been married even a year.

  “I know, that’s why I planned it like this. I need all the players. I need everything to tie together. Hockey and wine will work.”

  “Isn’t it beer and hockey?” Elli asked.

  “Not no more, we are gonna sophisticate this damn sport.”

  “Good luck with that,” Elli said with a laugh, just as a pair of arms came around her. They both looked up to see Elli’s husband smi
ling down at them.

  “Hey, Fallon,” Shea said, placing a kiss on Elli’s cheek.

  “Hey, Shea,” Fallon sang, smiling up at him. “Heard ya knocked her up again.”

  “Sure did,” he said with a bold grin. “Gotta keep the baby train going. We’re knocking on thirty’s door.”

  “Oh, Lord! Not thirty!” Fallon said in mock horror, making everyone laugh.

  “It’s the excuse he’s using,” Elli said.

  “I think it’s all a ruse, he just likes making babies.” Fallon giggled as Elli’s cheeks warmed with color.

  Shea let out a booming laugh, exclaiming, “You got that right!”

  Fallon loved hanging out with Elli and Shea, they were so cute and perfect together. Even if their love made her want to puke, she still loved them. She took a sip of wine.

  “Fallon is going to sophisticate hockey,” Elli said to Shea, which provoked more laughter as he looked over at Fallon.

  “Are you now?”

  “Yes, I am. I can do it. I’m awesome.”

  Elli giggled and said, “You sure are, babe! Oh, Shea, there’s Ricky Owen. Hey, excuse us, Fallon, I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Sure, great seeing y’all,” Fallon said. She watched as they walked away, hand in hand, with big smiles on their faces. They were so stinkin’ happy, it was sickening. But then she thought of what they had had to do to get where they were, and she couldn’t help but be happy for them.

  What could she say? She was a sucker for love.

  Fallon stood a little while longer thinking about her friends, then realized she had to work the room. She grabbed a bottle of Rocky Top’s Big Orange Cabernet Sauvignon and started toward the crowd. She always walked with confidence—she had to, otherwise no one would buy from her. Fallon knew her product and was certain that anyone would fall in love with Rocky Top’s wine after only one taste. It was that good.

  It had been in the family for over eighty years. Fallon grew up with dirty feet and grape-stained clothes. She loved Rocky Top and lived it, and now that she ran the PR department, it was finally going to get the recognition it deserved. Rocky Top wine should be at the top, and if Fallon had anything to do with it, it would be.