by L. P. Dover
“Nice try, angel,” I shouted triumphantly, tossing the puck out of my glove.
She skated by me, showering me with ice when she stopped to get the puck. “I still have three more tries.”
I burst out laughing. “Good luck.” She tried again and failed, her smile steadily disappearing when I blocked the goal. “Just two more, angel.” I passed the puck back to her.
I watched her take a deep breath and close her eyes. As far as her usual tricks, she was limited to what she could do in a bikini. She couldn’t ram into me without getting hurt. The closer she got, I focused on the puck. But then she tripped and I watched her fall to the ice, her scream echoing in my ears.
“Callie!” Ripping off my glove, I dropped my stick and raced over to her. I couldn’t see her face as she lay on the ice. “I’m here,” I murmured, gently grabbing her around the waist to pull her up. I didn’t know what to expect when I looked at her face, but I definitely didn’t anticipate a smile.
“Gotcha!” she squealed, jerking out of my hold. She rushed to the goal and slammed the puck into the net. As she lifted her arms triumphantly in the air, I couldn’t help but notice the bruising on her hip. She took a nasty fall just to trick me into leaving the goal. A protective yet angry feeling washed over me, and I didn’t like it. Her smile faded as she skated up to me. “What’s wrong? I thought you’d laugh.”
Grabbing her wrist, I pulled her closer so I could touch her hip. She hissed at the contact. “You’re hurt. Why would you do that?”
She shrugged, her eyes searching mine. “You know I have my tricks. It’s the only way I can beat you.” I wasn’t about to let her hurt herself again.
Huffing, I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Not like this. I forfeit. All I wanted was a fresh start with you, but if you can’t, that’s fine. I just hope one day you can. I’m not going to let you hurt yourself just to prove a point.” I slowly let go of her wrist, but she made no effort to leave. Instead, she took my hands and looked straight into my eyes. I wanted her to see that I was serious, that for the first time in my life, I cared.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t realize it’d make you that upset.”
“Getting what I want isn’t worth watching you get hurt. I’d rather be the one to suffer.”
Her lip trembled, but then she bit it and looked away. “You’ve surprised me tonight. I wasn’t expecting it.”
She shivered from the cold and I put my arm around her. “Come on, let’s go.” I walked her to the ladies’ locker room and then went to change in mine. She stood by the rink, her eyes on the ice, as she waited for me. When she heard me approach, she turned around, her lips pulling back in a sad smile.
“Make sure to ice your hip when you get home,” I told her.
Nodding, she wrapped her arms around my waist. Pulse racing, I held her back. I’d been dying to hold her in my arms. “I will.”
“Don’t let your brothers see the bruise. They’ll ask questions.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m going to tell them everything.”
Holding her arms, I pulled her back. “What?”
She smiled up at me. “I’m going to tell them about you and me.”
“Why?”
She glanced out at the ice and then back to me. “You let me see a side of you I didn’t know you had. I felt safe and protected. I could see the concern in your eyes when you knew I was hurt.” Bringing her hands up to my face, she pulled me down, her lips so close to mine. “I don’t want to hide from my brothers anymore, or anyone for that matter. I’m agreeing to start fresh.”
“You sure?” I held her close, loving the way she smelled like raspberries. All I wanted to do was kiss her.
When the word “yes” escaped her lips, I didn’t waste any time. I kissed her, sliding my tongue against hers. She tasted amazing, and all I could think about was wanting more. My fingers ached to touch her breasts, to squeeze her thighs as I spread her wide beneath me. There were so many things I wanted, but it wasn’t the right time.
We broke the kiss, our breath coming out in rapid pants. “When do you want everyone to know?” I asked.
She grinned wide. “Tomorrow. That is, if you’re ready to face the wrath.”
Putting my arm around her, I walked her to the door. “I’ll be at your house at six.”
Chapter 17
Callie
To soften the blow to my brothers, I got up early the next morning to cook them breakfast. It was Saturday and I didn’t have to work and Justin didn’t have a game. My hip hurt like a beast, but I’d been hurt worse before.
Brant was still out of town so I didn’t have to worry about him just yet. He was always the one who supported me no matter what I chose to do in life. When I began playing hockey, he was the one who toughened me up by hitting me as hard as he could on the ice. Justin and Corey always wanted to protect me.
I’d just finished frying the bacon when Corey appeared in the kitchen. “Smells good, Cal.” He looked over my shoulder at the feast I had laid out on the counter. “You haven’t cooked like this in months.”
I held up a plate and he took it. “Dig in. I figured since it’s Saturday and we’re all free, I could do something nice.”
He loaded up his plate and sat at the table, stuffing his mouth full of bacon. “Thanks, Cal. Hannah should be down soon.”
I piled a load of eggs and bacon onto my plate and joined him. “You two are getting pretty serious, huh?”
Looking down at his food, his lips pulled back into a grin. “We are. I really like her.”
“I’m glad. She deserves a good guy.”
“Hey,” Hannah announced, walking into the kitchen with one of Corey’s T-shirts on.
I waved at her and pointed at the food. “Grab a plate and join us.”
She served herself and sat beside Corey, practically glowing as they smiled at each other. I heard steps coming up from the basement and my pulse quickened. Justin was finally done with his morning workout, which meant it was almost show time.
The door to the basement opened and he walked in, dripping from head to toe with sweat. He wiped his head off on his towel and slung it over his shoulders. “Good morning,” he said, surveying the food. “I’m starved.”
My stomach clenched and I forced down the rest of my eggs. I knew my brothers weren’t going to like me being with Dallas, and that was fine. It was their reaction I wasn’t looking forward to. Justin sat beside me and chowed down on his pile of eggs, bacon, and toast.
“Maddox is having a small party at his house. You guys want to come?” Justin asked. Corey and Hannah looked at each other and both nodded. I could see the excitement on Hannah’s face and it made me smile. “What about you, sis?” Justin nudged me in the side and I hissed in pain, realizing my mistake the second I did it.
The room fell silent and they all stared at me. Justin looked down at my waist and his eyes widened. There was a sliver of skin showing between my T-shirt and pajama pants, and there in plain sight was the blue and purple bruise.
“What the hell is that?” Justin snapped, lifting the hem of my shirt so he could see it.
Corey stood and looked over the table at it. “Damn, Callie. What’d you do?”
Hannah already knew because I told her on the phone when I was on my way home from the rink. She sat back and kept quiet. Grabbing my plate, I got up and moved to the sink. “It’s no big deal. I fell at the rink last night.”
“You fell?” Justin repeated incredulously. “What were you doing there in the first place?”
Clearing my throat, I turned around and faced him and Corey. “I was there with Dallas.” There was no sense in delaying the blow. The tension in the room skyrocketed.
Justin’s gaze narrowed. “Dallas. As in Dallas Easton?”
“Yes. I was there with him. We had a shootout.”
Justin jumped to his feet, a murderous glare in his eyes. “That bastard hurt you? I’m gonna kill him.”
> He stormed to the kitchen door and Corey followed, but I stopped them. “He didn’t hurt me. I fell intentionally so he’d leave the goal to help me. It was self-inflicted, I promise.”
Justin snorted in disgust and sat back at the table. “Why would you even do that?”
I shrugged. “To win. We’d made a bet.”
Justin’s jaw clenched but Corey was the one who spoke up. “What was the bet?”
Licking my dry lips, I sat down and faced them. “That if he won, I’d have to tell everyone the truth about us and give him a chance to redeem himself. But if I did, then I could keep it a secret.”
Huffing, Justin ran a hand angrily down his face. “Please tell me this is a joke. You can’t get involved with him. He’s a fucking scumbag.”
I held my head high. “I think you’re wrong. Yes, he’s made mistakes, but haven’t we all? You and Maddox have your fair share of women, but I don’t think any less of you.”
“We’re different,” he growled.
I shook my head. “No, you’re not. That’s why I’m telling you both this now.” Taking a deep breath, I glanced back and forth at them. “Dallas and I are going to start seeing each other. The last thing I want is to keep secrets from my family. He’s picking me up tonight if you have anything to say to him.”
Justin slammed his fist on the table and stood. “I won’t be here. If I see him it won’t be good.” He stormed out of the room, his steps pounding against the stairs.
With a heavy sigh, I looked over at Corey. “Anything to say?”
He glanced at Hannah. “Did you know about this?”
Biting her lip, she nodded. “I’m her best friend.”
Corey blew out a huff and took his empty plate to the sink. “I can’t tell you what to do, but I can tell you to be careful.” He crossed his arms over his chest and faced me. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Dallas has a reputation, and not a good one.”
I nodded. “I know. But I’m a firm believer that people can change.”
“I think it’s awesome,” Hannah stated happily. “You should’ve seen Dallas at the hospital dressed like Jack the Jaguar. He was so good with the kids.”
Corey’s eyes widened. “He came to the hospital?”
I nodded. “He did. I’ve been talking to him all week. I really like him.”
“Just because you like him doesn’t mean he’s a changed man.” Placing his hands on my shoulders, I could see the seriousness in his gaze. “If he hurts you, I’ll break his legs. Got it? Feel free to warn him.”
I hugged him. “I will. Thanks for being semi understanding.”
Once he and Hannah retreated back up to his room, I pulled out my phone. If Dallas was going to come over, he had to be prepared for anything.
I waited in the living room for Dallas to show up. Justin, Corey, and Hannah had all left to head over to Maddox’s house. I hated that Dallas and I couldn’t go. I missed hanging out with Maddox. He was always so fun to be around. It killed me that there was bad blood between my family and Dallas.
The doorbell rang and I opened the door. With his ruggedly sexy smile, Dallas stood there, dressed immaculately in a pair of jeans and a pale blue polo shirt that matched the color of his eyes.
“Hey.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside for a kiss.
He kissed me again. “Hey, yourself. I take it you’re here alone?”
“Yep. Justin was afraid he’d kill you. So he, Corey, and Hannah all left to go to Maddox’s house.”
“If you want to go, you can. I can always pick you up later,” he offered sincerely.
I grabbed his hands. “No, it’s okay, I promise. I just really want my family to get along with you someday. They mean a lot to me.”
He squeezed my hands. “I know. That’s why I’m going to try my best not to be a dick. It’s hard when we’re on the ice.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s all that testosterone overload. To be honest, women are the same, only with estrogen. There are a few nurses at the hospital who drive me insane. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything about it.”
He smiled and it made everything inside of me tighten. Every time he touched me, tingles spread through my body. It was a feeling I hoped never went away. “What do you want to do tonight? I’m down for anything.”
“Since this is our first official date, we can go out to eat.”
His brows lifted. “You want to go out in public?”
“Is that okay?”
He pulled me close and I breathed him in. “Of course. I didn’t think you’d want to so soon.”
I shrugged. “Might as well. Everyone’s going to find out sooner or later.”
His lips closed over mine and I could feel the heat inside of him. I had a feeling he wanted to let go, but he held back . . . just like I did. “What do you want to do after dinner?”
“We could always go back to your place and watch a movie. I mean, you do have your own private movie theater.”
He chuckled. “You’re right, I do. I think that sounds like a plan.” Grabbing my purse off of the couch, I locked up the house and we were on our way in his little sports car. “Where do you want to go?” he asked.
My stomach growled. “How about the steakhouse beside Sammy’s? They have the best sweet potato fries and chocolate cake.”
He burst out laughing. “Please tell me that’s not all you’re going to eat.”
I smacked his arm. “Of course, not. I love their steak, too, silly.”
We arrived at the restaurant and the second we walked in, everyone recognized him, especially, the bright-eyed hostess who couldn’t stop staring at him. “Table for two?” she asked, speaking only to him.
“Please,” he replied, taking my hand.
She showed us to our table and we sat down. I really wanted to say something about the hostess gawking at him, but I didn’t want to appear jealous. I’d agreed we were starting from the beginning, and that meant not bringing up his past with women, especially since he made no effort to pay attention to her.
I looked over the menu, already knowing what I wanted: steak, asparagus, sweet potato fries, and salad. “What exactly did your brothers say when you told them about us?”
Clearing my throat, I set my menu aside. “Well . . . Justin said it wouldn’t be good and then he stormed out of the kitchen. Corey, on the other hand, said he’d break both of your legs if you hurt me. I’d take his warning seriously if I were you.”
Chuckling, Dallas placed a hand over mine. “I think I’ll be fine. I guess I’ll see how Justin is on Monday at practice.”
“Whatever you do, go easy on him. He has a hot temper and so does Maddox. If you start something, they’ll both go after you.”
“I won’t do anything stupid,” he promised me.
The waiter came over and took our orders and then brought Dallas his gin and tonic and my glass of Riesling. “I just realized I don’t know much about you other than you’re from Maine. Is your family still up there?”
He took a swig of his drink and nodded. “My parents own a skate shop up there right outside of Bangor. Hockey’s really big in our town.”
“Same in Minnesota.”
“I also have two sisters,” he added. “Maggie is married with a newborn and Lacey is in her last year of medical school. She’s coming to stay with me during spring break. I’d love for you to meet her.”
“I’d love to.” Excitement bubbled in my veins. With her being in the medical field, we’d have a lot in common.
His face brightened. “Good. Maybe you’d like to keep her company during the games? I don’t want her to be alone.”
“I’d be happy to.”
Our food came, and the first thing I did was chow down on my sweet potato fries. Dallas held back a laugh as he watched me. “You and Lacey will get along great. Maybe one day your brothers and I can tolerate each other. I have a feeling Maddox is part of the problem.”
I swallowed a bite of my steak. “
Why does my cousin hate you so much?”
He shrugged. “He’s always been a pain in the ass. He wanted to be captain and got pissed when Kellan was named. With Kellan being one of my friends, I sided with him. Plus, Maddox can be a douche. He used to bully the rookies.”
“What?” I gasped. I couldn’t imagine Maddox doing that. He was always so sweet to me. “Does he still?”
Thankfully, Dallas shook his head, which helped the fire burning in my gut. “Not so much anymore. Ever since your brother joined the team, he’s been more of a team player. Guess I can thank Justin for that.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. If Maddox ever talked shit about Dallas again, I could throw that back up in his face. We finished our food, and since I was stuffed, Dallas and I got our chocolate cake to go. It’d be the perfect snack during our movie.
Holding my hand, Dallas walked me to his car and opened the door. It made me wonder if this was all just a show and in another week he’d change. Guess I’d have to find out. Once Dallas got into the car, we headed back to his house.
“How long do you think you’ll keep playing hockey? You’re what, twenty-eight?” In a lot of major sports, once you passed thirty, it was almost over.
“You make it sound so old.” he laughed. “I’m twenty-nine. You’re probably a couple years younger than me, aren’t you?”
I nodded. “I’m twenty-six. My birthday’s in two weeks.”
His smile widened. “Sounds like party time to me.”
“You will be busy with hockey. I’m sure practice will be more intense before the Stanley Cup playoffs.”
He shrugged. “True, but the season’s about to end. I’ll have a short break before we power up before the playoffs. Besides, hockey isn’t all I’m about.”
“Oh yeah? What are you going to do after you retire?” I asked curiously. A lot of hockey players skipped college to play full-time hockey. My parents made Justin attend college and get a degree so he wouldn’t be stuck scrambling for a job after his career ended.
“Don’t know. I’ll decide when the time comes. Right now, you need to decide what movie we’re going to watch.” We turned down his street and his house came into view. My stomach fluttered as we pulled into his driveway. It was going to be a good night.
