by Brynn Paulin
“Oh, please! Like your man isn’t giving you regular romance and dicking.”
She gave a single, satisfied laugh. “Okay, yeah, you’re right. But he’s not a professional hockey player.”
“Nah, he’s just a badass CEO. Try again, sister.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty awesome,” she agreed. “I’m a lucky girl. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want all the deets.”
“Oh, you know I’ll tell you,” I laughed, getting out of the car and heading for the building. “Gotta go and turn off my phone now. I’m not allowed to have it on in there.”
“Okay, have fun. Talk to you later. Love ya.”
“Love you, too.” Disconnecting, I powered off the cell and stuck it in my small purse. It was actually easy to get through security and inside since Brayden had me on a list. I followed his directions to the section he’d designated and made my way down to the seats near the glass.
The team was already on the ice, different groups of them in separate parts of the ice. A couple were just skating the perimeter, faster than I could ever go on ice, and I wondered if it was a cardio building thing. I figured if I stayed with Brayden, I’d learn all the ins and outs.
Though they were all bulked-out in their pads and their skates made them even taller than the giant-size they already were, most of the guys were without helmets and I easily located Brayden. He was amid a group of guys racing across the ice then smacking pucks into the net.
After he lobbed one in, right over the goalie’s shoulder, he skated away, heading my directions before going back to the lineup. A smile split his face and he headed right for me. His stick tapped the glass and he winked, nodding. Then off he went.
Two seconds later, a girl settled in next to me, moving from the other side of the row. The guy with her followed.
“You’re Jane,” she said.
“Hi, yes. You’re…?”
“Blake!” she gushed.
“Oh, you’re his sister.” She looked nothing like him. “Hi, nice to meet you.”
“This is Gavin,” she said. She leaned toward me. “My shadow.”
“Blake,” he warned.
“He prefers when I call him husband,” she added. “He’s also Brayden’s agent.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, leaning forward to look around her. He nodded and replied in kind then refocused on the ice.
“He’s working,” she said. “One of his guys from this team is out with a concussion, and they don’t know if he’ll be able to play for the playoffs. Probably not since they’re about to start. You don’t mess with that kind of injury. Gav is checking in on some performances and getting ready for contract negotiations.”
I cringed inside thinking of Brayden being hurt. I wasn’t sure how I’d handle it. I knew hockey could be dangerous. Chances were, it was when he got hurt, not if.
“Bray has been lucky this season. Nothing broken not even any fingers or ribs. No knocked out teeth,” she went on, unaware of my thoughts.
“Babe, you’re going to scare her,” Gavin said, not taking his eyes off the ice.
“Oh, sorry! Oh, you shouldn’t worry about my brother. He’s careful; hardly ever gets hurt.”
Not helping…
“Blake, what do you do, when you’re not here?” I asked, changing the subject.
“I just graduated from college and Gavin and I got married—we eloped. Thankfully, my school isn’t far from here so I was able to come to most of the home games. I’m planning to do as much of the post season as I can. I try to see Brayden as much as possible. Being away from my twin is hard, even if he is a boy.”
We laughed together. Then watched as the goalie skated from the net to talk to one of the coaches. Brayden and the guys with him lobbed pucks at the net from various angles before another of the coaches skated over. I watched as they were broken into smaller groups of three—lines, Blake called them—and started skating drills that frankly dizzied me. Watching them fly across the ice, I could barely keep up. I wasn’t even sure how they managed to keep their eye on that little black puck when they moved so fast.
I leaned forward to rest my elbows on my her knees as I watched the drills. My gaze flew between the players, studying the formations. Brayden was in the middle. Of course, that made sense. Blake had told me earlier that her brother played center. With clear admiration in her voice, she’d explained it was because he was stronger and faster than a lot of the other guys.
“He’s so smart,” Blake said.
“He as ice vision,” Gavin supplied.
Ice vision. I’d have to look that up. All I knew was the skill displayed in front of me was awe inspiring. “How have I not fallen in love with hockey before now?” I murmured
“I know, right? This is great, but wait until you see them in action against the other team.”
I’d definitely be watching. Practice wrapped up, and Blake and I chatted some more while Gavin disappeared. I supposed he needed to talk to the players he repped. Before too long he reappeared, Brayden with him.
He came right to me and pulled me into his arms. His mouth went to mine, giving me a hard kiss, deep but fast. “I’m glad you came.”
“It was amazing!”
He grinned, but Blake interrupted before he could say anything. “You rocked, baby brother—”
“I’m older than you by three minutes.”
“Yeah, whatever. We’re off, but we’ll see you after the game tomorrow. We’re picking up Mom and Dad and the fam from the airport in the afternoon while you’re napping.”
“Good deal. See you then.” Keeping his arm around me, he gave her a side hug, pressing a kiss into her hair then gave a nod to Gavin. As soon as they walked away, he pulled me close again. His lips brushed over mine while his arm stayed banded around me.
“Maybe, you can come to the game tomorrow?” he asked. “My family will be in my suite.”
“I’d imagine having them all here will cause quite the stir,” I hedged.
“You have no idea. I’d really like you to come. If you’d rather, I’ll get you a seat on the glass.”
“We can talk about it. I’d like to see you in action—against another team, I mean. Practice was pretty impressive on its own.”
He nodded and slung his arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go eat. Practice always leaves me starving.
Chapter Six
~ Jane ~
I wasn’t exactly sure how we’d ended up here. We’d grabbed Panera takeout then headed to my place. After eating we’d moved to the couch to Netflix and not-Chill, as Brayden put it. He’d cued up Miracle a hockey movie I hadn’t seen—though it wasn’t hard to find one I hadn’t. My viewing experience there went as far as the first Mighty Ducks movie when I was a kid. Back then, I’d been more interested in the kids in it than the hockey.
When it was finished, he started The Proposal. “This is one of my favorites,” I told him.
“Good.” He pulled me closer to him. By midway through the movie, he was over me, and we were kissing, moving together with abandon and making out like teenagers. My couch was too small for us to do this with Brayden’s big frame, but he didn’t seem to mind.
He cupped my face, kissing me fast and hot, over and over while we rocked. My hands swept down his back, over his ass, feeling his body through the layers of clothes. Jesus, his rear could have been cut from rock. His powerful thighs were just as hard between my legs while we lost ourselves.
Brayden cupped one of my breasts, his thumb finding my nipple through my shirt and bra. “I can’t wait to see you naked,” he breathed into my neck. He panted, gathering himself I thought, but he never stopped tormenting that tip through my clothes. “You have no idea how much I want you,” he muttered.
I rocked against the bar of steel hidden in his jeans. “I have some idea.”
I didn’t mention that if he reached down, he’d find me equally needy. My own jeans likely did little to hide the heat growing there. I wanted to feel him
buried deep inside me more than anything. “I won’t hold you to your promise.”
He groaned. “But I will. You need to know I’m a man of my word, no matter what.”
“Brayden…”
“Nope.”
“So you’re going to be honorable.”
“Yeah.”
“Get off me, torturer.”
“Nope.” This time, I heard humor underlying the sexual frustration doled out to both of us. “I’m just going to keep doing this.” He rolled his hips into me, making me groan. “And this.” His hand flexed, his thumb brushing over me. I was so sensitive, I cried out, arching beneath him and he rocked those damn hips again. “And this,” he added, kissing along my jaw until he nipped the sensitive skin behind my ear. My eyes closed as a mini-orgasm rolled through me.
“You’re the devil,” I breathed.
“Your personal angel of pleasure.”
“You feel like one of Michelangelo’s angels…or David,” I said, running my hands along his marble-like ab muscles. He caught my hand before it traveled too far and brought my wrist to his lips.
“Nah,” he disagreed. “My dick’s way bigger than that. But you don’t get to find out tonight.” He leapt up and reached a hand out to me. “Let’s go find a snack. You have snacks?”
My eyes were pinned to the impressive erection trying to escape his jeans.
“Hey, perv, I’m up here,” he teased.
Heat filled my cheeks, and I stood. “How about ice cream?”
“My favorite. One of these days, I’ll show you some fun we can have with it. I have plenty of ideas.”
I growled. “You’re killing me.”
He grabbed my hand. “C’mon. Some ice cream will cool us off.”
“I doubt it.”
He chuckled, and I wanted to punch him. But if he insisted he wanted to be all principled, I wouldn’t fight him. It was my own fault anyway. He was bent on proving he wasn’t just in this for sex. Slowly, I was getting that.
“It’s cookies and cream. I hope that’s okay,” I said, leaving him by the island and opening the freezer. I dropped the container on the counter and went for bowls and the scoop.
“What’s not to love?” he asked, pulling open the container. “Ice cream. Cookies. It’s a two-for-one.”
He scooped a bit onto his finger and held it up to my mouth. Watching his eyes, I drew his finger into my mouth and sucked, swallowing without letting him go.
“Fuck,” he groaned. The bowls clattered to the counter as he cupped my face and kissed me hard, almost as if he were determined to steal that bit of ice cream back from me. My arms went around his shoulders, holding on in the storm. A moment later, my ass was on the counter and he was wedged between my legs, never letting up the claim on my mouth.
“Fuck,” he whispered again, tipping his forehead to mine moments…minutes…hours later. I wasn’t sure.
“Nuh-uh,” I denied. “The stubborn man I’m dating says we can’t yet.”
“Right,” he sighed. “He’s stupid.”
Stepping away, he grabbed the scoop from where it had fallen then washed it at the sink. Coming back over, he pushed it into the hard ice cream. “After we eat, I should go,” he said. “Before things go too far. I don’t know how many more times I can stop. We’re both adults, we’re both in control of ourselves, but you have to know I’m in for the long haul. You have to be ready for that. I’m not playing a game and I can think with more than my dick. Once we’re together, that’s it. I will never let you go.”
“You’d let me go now, though? Before we have sex?”
We leaned against the counter facing each other, bowls in our hands. He took a bite of his ice cream. “Not on your life. I knew the second I saw you in that bar that you’re my future. Nothing will change that. So tomorrow night,” he started, changing the subject. “Come to the game. Go out with me after. Win or lose.”
“Won’t your family want to see you after the game? Since they’re all here for you?” I asked.
“Yeah. We can see them for a little bit before we leave them to their own devices. They’ll understand. Besides, they have tickets to all the round one games—maybe, more if I know my dad. They’ll see me.”
“All right. I’ll be there.” I fed him a bite of my cookies and cream. “I’m finding you rather addictive, Brayden Sterling. Very, very addictive.”
“Good, because you’re in my veins, and I don’t think that will ever go away.”
Chapter Seven
~ Brayden ~
“Brayden has a girl,” Blake announced as my family and I stood around the suite before the game. I sipped water while they drank an array of other things and snacked on the food I’d had delivered.
“Really?” my mom asked. “I want to know everything.” She sipped her sparkling water, her drink of choice. She might be a mother to six, but Addison Sterling still managed to rock her starlet body. Of course, I knew a personal chef and trainer were partially responsible for that. Even when we were little, she’d spent hours in the gym daily. Not that she’d neglected us. She wouldn’t dream of it. Both my parents were pretty in your face when it came to being…well, parents. I hoped be a lot like them someday.
“Her name is Jane. She’s a teacher. I’ve known her for a couple months but we’ve just started dating.” Mostly true. “I’m completely in love with her, but she’s reluctant.”
She glanced at my dad, who’d moved to stand beside her. Together they were a Hollywood power couple. Almost too good looking to look at. I was fortunate that I’d inherited a mix of their looks. We all had. Except Blake. She was the odd man out, even though she was my twin. Not that she looked unrelated. She was just shorter and had red hair and brown eyes. None of the rest of us did.
“And she knows about us?” she asked, meaning the family. “And that you’re a professional hockey player.”
“Yep.”
“And she’s still reluctant. I like her. When do we get to meet her?”
“Hopefully tonight. Look, she’s a little older than me.”
“Like Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa eighteen years older, or Joan Collins and Percy Gibson thirty-two years older?” she asked. Leave it to my mom to relate it to industry marriages.
“Actually a little less than ten years,” I said.
My brother, Micha, blew out a scoffing breath. “That’s nothing.”
“I know. I’m working on her.” I glanced at my watch. “I’ve got to go. I have to walk in with the team then suit up. Love you.’ I kissed my mom on the cheek then gave a round of hugs to my dad, sisters and brother. “I’ll see you after.”
“Don’t get hurt,” Blake called. I shot her a salute then ran out. I couldn’t wait to get on the ice and see Jane on the other side of the ice, watching me play for the first time.
* * * *
~ Jane ~
The nerves were still leaping in my middle and truly, I felt a little lightheaded. Watching Brayden platy had been both exhilarating and nerve wracking. A couple times, I couldn’t stop my hands from cover my mouth as I cried. I couldn’t help it. Seeing him slammed into the wall, shocked me. But every time, he just blithely skated away as if nothing had happened.
Until he retaliated. He’d ended up in the penalty box—the sin bin, Tia, the girl sitting next to me called it. She was the team captain’s girlfriend, and it was nice to have a fellow mate, of sorts, sitting with me. She’d explained that, normally, she’d be up with the wives and other girlfriends, but she really preferred being close to the ice once in a while.
“He’s wound up tonight,” Tia chuckled when Brayden ended up in the box a second time. This heady vibration of intensity rolled off him while he sat there, tensed and ready to leap back on the ice. I couldn’t believe how hot it made me. If he brought that same intensity to bed, he’d hammer me right into the mattress. Hashtag: goals.
After the game, a different set of nerves had reared up. Meeting his family had been…surreal. It was like a bad j
oke. Three movie stars, a popstar, a super model and a bestselling romance novelist walk into a room. The first one says: so you’re dating my son…
I tried really hard not to be speechless and starstruck. They were all incredibly nice, but it was overwhelming to be dropped into the crowd of famous people. I could imagine telling Sarah about this. She’d be so jelly.
Thank God for Blake, the only normal one. She stuck by my side while Brayden stuck by the other. But he was a whole other level of making my heart race. Tonight would be the night. I knew it. He was pumped up from the victory and couldn’t stop touching me. It was just little caresses, along my back, my arm, my wrist, my neck. It was almost mindless, as if he didn’t realize he was doing it while we made the rounds, but it ratcheted up my arousal with every stroke.
“Come home with me,” he simply said, when we got in his car.
“Yes.” There was nowhere I wanted to be but with him. I’d already taken tomorrow off work, because I knew I wasn’t missing the night with him.
Brayden’s condo was downtown, not far from the arena, and we were there in a flash. Unlike in the suite, we stood a foot apart, neither of us touching as we took the elevator to his place.
“Jane,” he said quietly as we stepped into the short hallway that would lead to his door. He reached out a hand, and I linked my fingers with his.
If I’d expected a passionate rush or caveman tactics, I would have been wrong. Don’t get me wrong. It was throbbing there between us. I couldn’t explain, the quiet intensity, almost an extension of what I’d seen from him in that penalty box. There was no rushing, but when we got there, when we were freed, we would explode into action.
“I didn’t come home with you because I was turned on watching you play tonight,” said as we entered his spacious home. The glass wall to our right, at the far said of the living room offered a spectacular view of the city lights, but I didn’t even care right now. “I mean, I was—”
“I know,” he said, cutting me off. “It’s more between us. So much more. I feel like…I don’t know,” he was breathing hard, barely holding back. I wanted to reach for him, but I knew if I did, I’d never hear what he needed to say. “It’s like I’ve been on a penalty kill. Coming up short because of that penalty and trying to hold back the other team until we’re full force again. Coming up short because of how you and I met and me being younger. I’ve been biding my time until you know we’re equal. That the age means nothing; that the unfulfilled passion between us the first night, it’s everything. It’s never going away.”
