by Cari Quinn
“Whose greater good? Yours, his, or the company’s?”
Izzy opened her mouth to answer, but Bethany held up her hand. “Do what you have to, but don’t compromise what we stand for.”
“He’s going to dance with me. Once he hits the floor, the team’s boycott will shatter.”
Bethany almost smiled. “I’ll do my part. I’ve been eyeing that tall Swede all night. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Bethany winked and sashayed off.
And that left Izzy a hell of a lot of leeway.
Taking a deep breath, Izzy refocused on her job, making this the best party ever. Right now it wasn’t. In fact, far from it. The team sulked at the tables in the back of the room, either wolfing down food or guzzling alcohol and ignoring the advances of the women and the attempts of the coaching staff to get them on their feet. Even though some of the younger players looked ready to cave at times, threatening glares from the veterans pinned them to their seats.
She had to take action soon before the players were too drunk to notice and management was too disgusted to care and her fledging business crashed into the boards on its first skate across the ice.
A few couples braved the dance floor, including Ethan and Lauren, while Emma and Avery grabbed mics and sang a popular country song in their sultry voices. Several hockey players licked their lips as they watched the twins. It wouldn’t take much to break this party wide open. All she had to do was get the cooperation of Cooper, who currently didn’t look the least bit ready to cooperate. He stood in the back of the room, behind the team tables, like a sentinel, in his usual stance of arms crossed over his chest and wearing his trademark scowl. He’d gone back to pissed off mode, despite her best efforts and his.
Time to push him further and see how far he’d go.
* * *
What a fucking wuss Cooper had been.
Pretty women had been his weakness in the past, and he’d paid dearly for it with expensive gifts, trips, even an apartment or two, and once with his heart. He’d hardened that very heart to women after his fiancée stomped all over it and left the gory remains spread all over Twitter, Facebook, and the gossip sites.
Never going there again. Women were for recreation. That was all. Because in his world, all the good women were married, attached, had kids, or were too young. Cooper didn’t rob the cradle. He liked his women mature, sexy, and adventurous. Yeah, like a woman who’d do him on a public bathroom counter.
Now that turned him on, and he’d lowered his guard twice, forgotten his mission, betrayed his former coach and fans, and the charity he’d left behind. Hell, the whole Gainesville community was mourning the loss of the Giants. At least he liked to think they were.
Izzy was a dangerous woman. He’d never felt such instant physical chemistry. Never wanted to fuck a woman as badly as he did her. If Lauren hadn’t pounded on that bathroom door, who knows what they’d be doing about now.
He’d be fooling himself if he thought she was done trying to manipulate him into doing her bidding.
Izzy walked toward him, determination etched on her beautiful face. She wanted that dance. And if he danced with her, his teammates would follow. Parker would win, and he’d have betrayed the very city and fans who’d been so loyal to him over the years. Yet, in the words of his take-no-prisoners agent, loyalty has no place in professional sports. This was a business, plain and simple. A guy goes where the money is, or in his case, where the team happened to be moved.
“There you are, honey.” Izzy slid up next to him, cupped his face in her hands, and kissed him soundly. Several of the guys hooted and whistled. Cooper stood completely still, arms at his sides, refusing to touch her, even though his fingers itched to stroke that creamy skin. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed and then some. She pulled him to her like the planets were pulled to the sun, and his body definitely wanted to be in her orbit even as his head warned against the idea.
Push her away now. End this stupid charade. Hell, he could report her to management as a party crasher, and they’d lock her up somewhere for the remainder of the cruise.
Cooper stared into her chocolate brown eyes, soulful eyes, eyes that’d seen a lot, and continued to fight. He liked that. He liked her, and he hated himself for liking her because when he liked a woman, he wanted to please her. That was the way he rolled.
And he knew what this woman wanted.
A piece of him. Not just his body but something infinitely more dangerous. And he didn’t give that away, not anymore.
Pulling away from her, he headed outside for some air to the deck that circled the entire boat. It was a chilly night, but the earlier misty rain had given way to stars. An almost full moon cast a ray of light across the calm water. It was a beautiful night, and he steeled himself against that beauty.
He heard Izzy’s heels clicking on the deck behind him, and he walked faster, hoping she’d give up.
“You owe me a dance,” she called out to him. Her heels tapped louder until she grabbed his arm and spun him around.
“I don’t owe you anything. I believe I paid you quite nicely already. Seems you owe me something.” He stared down at her, vacillating between running like hell and kissing her ruby red lips until they both collapsed to the deck in a tangle of writhing bodies.
“Dance with me.” Her chin jutted out stubbornly, and he had to chuckle. She was a fiery female, and he loved women with spunk because their enthusiasm carried over nicely into bed.
“What do you care? You’re a party crasher.”
She didn’t respond, instead she leaned against the railing, shivering and hugging herself. Cooper couldn’t staunch the wave of sympathy that rolled through him. He put an arm around her waist, pulling her close, as he, too, stared out at the water.
“So how long have you and your sisters been doing this?” He tried to sound casual, but her hip rubbing against his caused his voice to drop to a husky rasp.
“Crashing parties?”
“Yeah.”
She sighed, as if the wind had gone out of her sails. “Since we were kids and our parents would be gone for weeks at a time, leaving us to fend for ourselves after the meager amount of money they gave us ran out.”
He frowned, feeling indignant for her and protective at the same time. “What the hell? Why weren’t they reported?”
“We lived in a private neighborhood, and we did everything we could to keep from being broken apart into separate foster homes. Our parents aren’t bad people, but they should’ve left the condoms on and not had kids.”
“Why did they leave you guys alone? Where did they go?” He really wanted to know. The answer was important to him for some unfathomable reason.
She tilted her head and looked up at him, as if assessing his worthiness to hear the next bit of information. “Ever heard of To the Max?”
“The rock group?”
“That’s the one. Rock and Fawn Maxwell are our parents. They’ve spent their entire lives either chasing the dream or trying to recover it.” Something flickered briefly in her eyes, pain, sadness, vulnerability. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and promise he’d always keep her safe and secure. Only he didn’t because he couldn’t care, shouldn’t care. Yet a part of him did.
Izzy stared out at the water, her beautiful face an expressionless mask, but Cooper had glimpsed the truth behind the mask.
“They never recovered their dream?” he asked.
“No, and they still haven’t stopped trying, but at least we’re not under their roof anymore.”
“I’m sorry. That must have been tough.”
“It was. Especially when the house got foreclosed on, and we lived in a fifth wheel on their friend’s five acres. But as our parents’ children, we could sing, dance, and entertain like no one’s business.”
“So you took those talents to parties?”
“Yes. One night when I was sixteen, we were out and about, looking for a way to score some food, maybe a generous stranger or a shopkeep
er who’d hire us for a few hours under the table. We stumbled upon an old house used for weddings and such. There was huge reception going on, and the caterers were bringing in tray after tray of food. We were starving, and the food smelled so good. We looked at each other and decided to give it a shot. Weddings are great because usually one side doesn’t know the other side’s guests and family. And we were relatively well-dressed in Mom’s vintage designer clothes.”
“So you crashed the party.”
“We didn’t just crash it, we made it. It was the dullest party ever, and we walked in and got the party started. Both the bride and groom thanked us profusely, even though I don’t think they ever figured out who the hell we were. We snuck out with tons of leftovers and ate off them for a week.”
“And so your career started?”
She frowned for a moment. “You could say that.”
“Why did you pick this party to crash?”
“Hot hockey players and a cruise on Elliott Bay. What party crasher could turn away from that?”
He smiled. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“I appreciate it.”
Something seemed a little off with her, as if she weren’t telling him the entire story, but he couldn’t imagine what else there’d be to tell. She’d been open with him, so why hide anything? Yet, something didn’t add up.
“So how about you? Why are you being such a douche about this party? You seem like a nice guy.” She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he pulled her closer to his side.
“I am a nice guy, but I don’t want to be here. I want to be cut or traded, and I’ll take my chances elsewhere.”
“Seattle isn’t such a bad place. I’ve lived here all my life.”
“You’re used to the incessant gloom.”
“You’ll be playing hockey indoors during the gloomiest months, so what difference does it make?”
He stared into her eyes, and forgot for a moment what difference it did make. “I, uh.” He shook his head in an attempt to ward off this weird spell she’d put on him. “I’d been with the team my entire career, loved the city, the weather, the fans, my coaches.”
“The fans here are great. Just wait and see. Seattle is going to be an incredible hockey town.” Her eyes lit up and the corners of her sexy mouth tipped up into an engaging smile. She almost made him want to believe her.
“Are you a hockey fan?”
“I will be. That’s how most Seattleites feel now that we have a team.”
He nodded, absorbing her words, and even toying in his mind with the excitement of starting something new and different in Seattle. But those were traitorous thoughts.
“You’re hurting yourself and your teammates more than anyone else. You know that, don’t you?” She glanced over her shoulder at the party going on inside, or at least attempting to go on.
“I’m proving a point.”
“For what purpose? This team isn’t moving back to Florida. This is Sockeye country now. Why don’t you embrace it? Help us build something to be proud of, instead of tearing it down and undermining it. You’re a leader. Lead. Make the best of this situation. Your teammates need you to be that guy. To shuck off your grudges and move forward.”
“I’m not holding grudges.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been reading a thing or two about this team. Mr. Parker fired your beloved coach and his staff, only brought a few existing employees with him, including his now fiancée, and he changed the team’s entire identity.”
“There was no reason to fire our coach.”
“I don’t know Parker. I don’t know his rationale. I did read he wanted a fresh start, and the old coaching staff wasn’t going in the direction he wanted to go.”
“We were one goal away from playing in the Finals. Parker doesn’t know a damn thing about hockey.”
“He’ll learn. He’s got the money, the time, and the ambition. The team’s old owners were idiots. They bled the team dry and wasted the meager profits on gambling in Vegas. You know that.”
Cooper nodded. She’d done her research, and he couldn’t deny the truth. He’d hated the old team’s ownership. They’d been slimy assholes who’d used the team as their own private bank account until they’d raided the coffers to the point that the team had fallen deeply in debt.
“Mr. Parker’s group is the richest ownership in the league. He’s committed to bringing a championship to Seattle and putting the best team possible on the ice.”
Cooper couldn’t mount a single, viable argument. The words escaped him.
“Have you ever won the Cup?”
“Uh, no.” Cooper hated admitting it, but he’d never even played in the Final.
“Isn’t it a hockey player’s dream to skate for a team committed to bringing one home?”
Cooper shrugged, starting to feel like a stubborn, misguided idiot.
“Did you know that the Seattle Metropolitans were the first US team to ever win the Cup?”
“Uh, yeah, I heard that somewhere.”
“Give Seattle a chance, Cooper. Quit shooting yourself and your team in the foot.”
“It’s a pretty big foot; makes an easy target.” He grinned his lopsided grin, the one guaranteed to make any woman forget her name but definitely not his.
Only her lecture wasn’t over.
“You need to get over it. You aren’t going back to Florida. Build your career here or get traded or cut. Is that what you really want?” She fingered the collar of his dress shirt and tugged on his tie to pull his face closer to hers. “I don’t want to see you go.”
“You don’t?” He stared at her lips only a few inches away, wanting to kiss her, yet holding back.
“No, I don’t.” She planted a wet kiss on his lips and drew back before he could recover. “Dance with me.”
“Why is it so important to you?” His voice was raspy, husky with lust.
“Because it’s important to you to move on and embrace your new home.”
How could a man say no to a woman who put him first, a woman with beautiful eyes and a delectable body?
He nodded. He couldn’t help himself. She’d decimated his resolve, not to mention his stubborn vengeance. He hoped his guys forgave him, but she was right. Nothing he did would move this team back to Florida, a team poised on the brink of success, a team he’d watch grow over the past ten years. It might not be the same location, but it was the same guys.
He was their captain. They trusted him to lead them in the right direction, and he hadn’t lately, but tonight would be a start.
* * *
Izzy couldn’t believe she’d worn him down that easily. A man like Cooper Black didn’t give up his convictions without a fight unless he believed those convictions hadn’t been correct in the first place. When she’d told him dancing was important for him, not her, she’d meant it. To hell with the money dangling on the line for Party Crashers, she wanted Cooper to embrace this city and give his team a fighting chance. For that, she’d do just about anything, and for Cooper, she’d skate into the great unknown or dance in the stars.
Holding her hand, Cooper led her inside to the dance floor. She winked at her sisters over his shoulder as he pulled her body to his. The music pulsed around them in a sexy, sultry beat, while lights flashed with dizzying speed.
Over his shoulder, the shocked, open-mouthed faces of his teammates swam in her vision. Then they broke ranks and flooded the floor, dancing all around them with any available woman they could find. The party had gone from bust to blast in ten seconds.
And Cooper had led the charge. She was proud of him, as if she had a right to be.
The now crowded dance floor with its pulsating lights and club atmosphere afforded a bit of anonymity to the dancers in the crowd. It was hard to tell where one body started and another ended in the mass of wriggling, gyrating hips, waving arms, and flashes of leg.
She glanced over at Bethany dirty dancing with the gorgeous Swede, Cedric. Bethany had always
been as daring as her red hair, the wild child of the family, though the twins were a close second. Her sister threaded her fingers through Cedric’s hair and kissed the hell out of his mouth, while her hands roamed up and down his back.
Cooper tugged on her hair bringing her attention back to him and his large muscular body pressing against hers. She could feel his erection against her stomach.
“So how the hell did we meet?”
Izzy blinked several times. “Meet?” She tried to switch gears from his dick to his question. It took her a few seconds. In fact, so long he clarified the question.
“Yeah, we’ve been together for what? A month or so. How’d we meet?” He grinned down at her and his blue eyes sparkled.
Izzy laughed. He might be an ass at times, but he could be a charmer, too. “I swept you off your feet when you came into my coffee shop.”
“You own a coffee shop?”
“No, I’m a barista. You ordered a double-caramel macchiato.”
“That’s sounds like a girlie drink.” He made a face, and she had to laugh.
“Oh, honey, that’s what I liked most about you. You weren’t afraid to show your feminine side.”
Both brows disappeared under his shaggy mop of luxurious dark hair. “Trust me, I don’t have a feminine side. I’m all male.”
“Prove it.” A dumb challenge, but hey, she was all-in, regardless of the consequences.
A smile tugged on the corner of his so-kissable mouth. He dipped his head and claimed her lips and took a slow, sensuous stroll from one corner of her mouth to the other. She threaded her fingers in his hair. His lips pressed hers, demanding yet oddly gentle. She opened to him, closing her eyes and savoring the sensations of his tongue tangling with her tongue in a dance as powerful as the one their bodies were engaged in.
She inhaled the pure male scent of him mingled with a trace of aftershave, a heady combination of civilized and uncivilized man. Opening her eyes, she found him watching her with interest, those blue eyes shining with desire. He broke the kiss to nibble on her neck. She sighed a sigh of raw pleasure. His lips rained feather-light kisses on her neck, around the shell of her ear.
