The Final Move

by Victoria Denault

  “You taste incredible,” he murmurs into me, creating a vibration that makes me gasp. His tongue slides over me again and again before pushing past my folds and into my middle. The breath is sucked out of my lungs.

  “Ohmygodyou’rekillingme,” gushes from me in one long word.

  “I can stop if you want,” he whispers and then his tongue moves upward and takes a long, soft swipe at my clit.

  “Don’t you fucking dare,” I murmur and my lower back arches. I feel his hand move and a finger plays with my outer lips teasingly as he sucks my clit into his mouth and rubs his tongue over it. I whimper.

  “You want my fingers inside you, baby?” he asks before delving back at me with his tongue.

  “Fuck, yes,” I moan. “Touch me, Devin.”

  He pushes a finger into me and my back rises even higher off the bed. I tug hard on his hair in my hands. He seems to like that. His tongue moves faster and harder over my clit and another finger pushes into me and pumps me hard and fast.

  I can’t feel anything but his hot, wet mouth and his strong, long fingers. My body is wound tighter than a guitar string about to break. A warmth builds in my abdomen and then his fingers curl in just the right way and his tongue licks up and down and around and…

  I let out a loud gasp and my spine curls and I pant his name as my orgasm rips through my body. I feel my pussy squeeze his fingers and he just keeps going, never stopping his tongue or pulling away.

  Finally, after what feels like forever, my spine lays flat against the mattress and Devin pulls his hand from me and I feel him move up. He kisses my cheek and my ear. I can do nothing but whimper and reach for him, but he pulls away. By the time my eyes open, he’s off the bed and walking toward the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  He turns back and smiles softly. “To my room.”

  “What?! Why?” I’m shocked. I want desperately to make him come as hard as I did.

  “You want me, Callie, then you’re going to have to admit that you want all of me,” he tells me in a riddle my orgasm-slammed brain is having trouble understanding. “I’m done with the casual sex.”

  I try to argue but he closes the door before I can think of something to say.

  Chapter 42

  Callie

  When I get home from work two days later, after a night shoot, I brace myself in case he’s already up. I’ve been able to avoid being alone with him since that night. My work schedule has been crazy and the only time I saw him was after a fourteen-hour day. He, Donna and Wyatt were on their way out to dinner with Luc and Rose. I used exhaustion as my excuse not to join them.

  The shoot I’m coming back from now went from ten at night until ten in the morning. I sigh and open the front door. At least, after an all-nighter, it won’t be odd if I beeline straight for my room. But as I enter the hall I hear a familiar voice coming from the kitchen. And then a different, equally familiar giggle. I head straight for the sounds.

  “Cole!” I scream and rush over to where the youngest Garrison brother is leaning against the counter. He puts his coffee mug down and wraps his long arms around me.

  “Hands off my husband,” his wife, my childhood friend Leah, says as she stands up from her seat at the kitchen table, and then she laughs. “I have always wanted to say that!”

  As we pull apart, my eyes land on Devin. He’s looking at me with a small smile on his face and his soft hazel eyes seem to have more gray flecks than normal. I look away like the coward I’ve become. I feel weird after our last encounter. I mean it was amazing, but he had all the control and I had none. And I hate ultimatums. I always do the exact opposite of what someone who challenges me wants me to do, just to spite them. To prove no one can tell me what to do. But…something about Devin’s ultimatum makes that knee-jerk reaction I usually find instinctive impossible. The problem was giving in to what he wanted…that was impossible too, wasn’t it?

  “I’m so excited you’re here!” Leah says with her usual beautiful warm smile. “I knew you were in New York but I didn’t know you were living here with Devin.”

  “Yeah,” Cole pipes in, shooting Devin a quick, hard stare. “Somebody forgot to mention that. Among other things.”

  “It’s only temporary,” Devin replies lightly. “She wants to get a place of her own.”

  They all look at me. “I was thinking about it.” I shrug and change the subject. “So what’s with the visit?”

  Cole nods. “We came to see Jordan get his ass kicked by Luc and Devin.”

  “Ah, yes, the Garrison-and-Richard-against-another-Garrison game.” A huge yawn overcomes me suddenly. “Sorry. Long night.”

  “How was work?” Devin asks.

  “Good.” I stifle another yawn.

  “When does the show start?” Leah wants to know. “Is it already on the air?”

  “No.” I shake my tired head. “It airs tonight for the first time. They were going to wait until January but one of those shows they debuted in September tanked so they’re putting us in their spot.”

  Devin looks shocked. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I don’t know. It’s not that big a deal. I was just going to order pizza and watch it.” I shrug and yawn yet again. “I have to sleep before I fall into a coma.”

  “You’ll come to the game tomorrow night, right?” Leah asks hopefully as I hug her again.

  “Are you kidding me? Wouldn’t miss it. I’m gonna make a ‘D. Garrison Is Better Than J. Garrison’ sign and get myself on national TV!”

  Devin laughs at that and I can’t help but wink at him with a small smile before heading up to bed. I peel out of my clothes and nose-dive into my bed, sinking immediately into a deep sleep.

  I wake up panicked. The show starts in ten minutes. I almost missed it! I run my hands through my hair and grab a pair of black leggings and an oversize shirt as I rush down the stairs. I should have the place to myself. Devin had mentioned the family was going out to dinner.

  I look up as I hit the landing and see Wyatt standing in the middle of the living room. He’s grinning at me as he waves excitedly. He’s surrounded by Devin, Rose, Luc, Donna, Cole, Leah, Jordan and Jessie. There are plates of cheese and crackers and bowls of chips and dip all over the coffee table. Everyone is holding a glass of wine or a bottle of beer. I freeze and can do nothing but blink.

  “Surprise!” Rose squeals and everyone laughs except me. I’m still frozen.

  “Devin told us your show was airing tonight,” Wyatt says, walking over to me and hugging me tightly before guiding me into the crowded living room. “We wanted to watch it with you and celebrate!”

  I look over at Devin. He looks nervous, like he’s scared I might get mad. How could I be mad? This is amazing. I wish I could tell him that but I’m still in shock. Rose hands me a glass of wine. I take a big gulp, which makes everyone laugh, and then grab Jessie in a bear hug. I had no idea she was even in town again.

  “Why didn’t you tell us, silly?” Jessie wants to know.

  “There’s so much else going on with everyone,” I say, finally finding my voice. “I just didn’t want to add another thing to everyone’s plate.”

  “This is just as big as me being traded,” Luc notes and I give him a grateful smile. I can’t believe he just said that. He’s proving once again why Rose loves him.

  I hug him tightly and kiss his cheek. “Thank you for saying that, French Disaster.”

  The oven makes a loud ding sound from the other room. Devin jumps and puts his beer down on a side table. “That’s my wings!”

  I watch him hurry by me and head for the kitchen. “His wings?”

  “He is cooking for you,” Cole notes with a look that says he’s amazed too. “I don’t know who he is anymore.”

  I laugh.

  Devin comes back with a platter filled with piping hot teriyaki and buffalo wings, and a few minutes later we all settle down to watch the show. I’m ridiculously nervous. I want them to like it. More import
ant, I want America to like it. If the show doesn’t do well and it gets canceled, I have to leave New York, which means leaving Devin and Conner, and the thought of that makes me feel sick.

  I sit on the edge of my seat for half of the hour-long drama. Devin is beside me and Rose is on my other side on the couch. All the outfits look as good as I’d hoped and that’s all that matters to me. One of the main actors, the youngest girl in the cast, is a little stiff in her dialogue and then the main guy actor delivers a cheesy line to his love interest and everyone in the room groans. I raise my hands. “I don’t write it, people!”

  As we reach the commercial break midway through, Devin places a hand casually on my lower back and leans forward.

  “I’m not hating this teen angst as much as I think I should,” he whispers jokingly. “And the clothes look amazing.”

  “Thank you,” I reply with a small laugh.

  When it’s over, everyone claps.

  “For a teen show, it’s actually kind of intriguing,” Donna says. “I mean, I actually like the story line. It’s smart and there were some witty lines.”

  Everyone nods in agreement. I’m relieved they didn’t find it too goofy.

  “Okay, that purple slip dress that Tasha character wore to the dance.” Leah grabs my hands. “Please tell me you found that here and I can pick up my own one before I leave.”

  “A store in Tribeca,” I tell her happily. “I’ll take you there before the game tomorrow night.”

  “Great,” Cole says in mock annoyance. “Just what our bank account needs, a shopping trip.”

  Everyone laughs. Later that night I glance around the crowded living room and can’t find Devin. I sneak into the kitchen in search of him. He’s loading some dishes into the dishwasher. I walk up behind him and touch my hand to his hip.

  “Thank you,” I say shyly.

  He grins at me. “I was worried it might freak you out, but there was no way we were not going to be a part of your special moment. You are such an important part of all of ours.”

  His kaleidoscope eyes look so warm and inviting and filled with love. And…it’s not freaking me out. It makes me feel…good. Great, actually. So why do I want to cry?!

  “Callie,” he whispers my name and reaches up and cups the side of my face. “Are you going to cry?”

  I shake my head, scared my voice will betray me with a quiver or a crack. I try to take a deep breath. I wrap my arms tightly around his neck and pull him to me and hoarsely whisper, “You’re the best person in the whole world, Devin.”

  I pull back, but only enough to touch my lips to his. The kiss is soft, subtle and tender. Even when he opens his mouth slightly and slips his tongue past my lips, it stays gentle and sweet. And I fucking love it.

  “Oops!”

  We leap apart and find Cole standing there holding an empty chip bowl. His cheeks match his red hair color. He stares at me and then at Devin and then back at me. I don’t say anything; I just walk by him and head back to the living room. I don’t know what to say anyway, so I’ll just let Devin handle that. Rose walks over to me as I reach the living room.

  “You okay?” She must see something in my expression.

  “I feel like I might have a heart attack and die,” I tell her bluntly and take a shaky breath. “And I think I don’t even care if I do.”

  She grins, her dark eyes gleaming excitedly. “Yeah. It’s awesome, isn’t it?”

  “No. Yes. I don’t know.” I shake my head and grab her wineglass from her hand and drink the rest of it.

  “Yeah. That’s part of it too,” she assures me happily.

  “A part of what?” I swallow hard. “On second thought, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know. Just get me more wine.”

  Chapter 43

  Devin

  When we enter the bar, Callie jumps to her feet and yells, “Go, French Disaster, the Hip Check King!”

  Everyone bursts out laughing and I can’t help but join them. Jordan shoves me angrily. “Thanks, bro.”

  “Hey. He’s on my team, you’re not,” I remind him. “And besides, you looked fucking hysterical flying ass over helmet.”

  “Fuck you.”

  Rose runs over and leaps into Luc’s arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, and she kisses him wildly. He keeps one hand under her butt and wraps the other one in her hair. The two stay like that so long even the whistles from our friends and teammates stop.

  “Hey!” Callie barks loudly. “PDA overload.”

  Rose breaks the kiss and drops to her feet. “That hit was the hottest thing I have ever seen.”

  I chuckle. “What is it with you Caplan women and your violence? If I’d known it would get that kind of reaction, I would have hip checked Jordy myself. Twice.”

  The bar is packed and there is a large contingent of both Barons and Winterhawks players there. I notice Avery Westwood slide into the chair next to Callie smiling brightly, and Cole’s bachelor weekend comes slamming back into my brain.

  Ashleigh and I were already solidly on the rocks at that point. I didn’t want to admit it then, but deep down I knew. She hadn’t even wanted to go to the weekend in Atlantic City but I had forced her. I thought that it had done us good. She got drunk the first night and confessed how bad she felt for not being happy and we’d actually had sex for the first time in four months that night. But the next day she was standoffish and cold to me, and then she ended up not even showing up for Cole and Leah’s wedding. We said to everyone she went to see a sick aunt in Jersey, but she told me she had gone back to Brooklyn because she needed time to herself. What I know now is she was probably seeing her boyfriend. Yeah, the summer had been a nightmare of personal drama, but what I hadn’t missed that weekend in Atlantic City was that Callie had slept with the Winterhawks’ captain.

  At the time I hadn’t thought twice about it. Now, the thought makes me feel like barfing. Avery looks up at me and raises his glass. “Good goal, Garrison.”

  I had beaten him on a face-off and immediately taken a shot on net, whipping it past their goalie. Still, we’d lost the game 2–1. I nod and force myself to smile at him. Luc shoves a beer into my hand.

  “Thanks, Hip Check King,” I say, and Jordan hears and flips me the bird.

  “That is going to make the highlight reel for years to come,” I warn Jordan. “Get used to it.”

  “It’s already on YouTube!” Chooch, the Winterhawks’ goalie, announces and places his cell phone on the middle of the table.

  Everyone leans around it to watch the clip. Luc has the puck and he’s skating quickly up the boards. He’s got Dmitri slightly in front of him near center ice. Jordan is coming at Luc full force. As Jordan turns his shoulder toward Luc, readying himself to check his lifelong friend backward onto his ass, Luc turns sideways and shoots the puck up ice to me. It was a risky pass but because of that no one expected him to make it and no one was ready to intercept it. Just before Jordan and Luc collide shoulder-to-shoulder, Luc crouches down and the center of his body hits Jordan in the side of his hip. Jordan flies over Luc, cartwheeling through the air skates above his head, before landing hard on his side on the ice. It’s a totally legal, perfect hip check.

  “When the fuck did you ever even learn how to do that?” Jordan snaps as everyone cheers at the image of him flailing.

  “Oh, I have tricks you wouldn’t believe.” Luc lifts his beer toward his best friend and winks. “Can’t wait to show you more next time we play.”

  “Please don’t break my fiancé before the wedding,” Jessie says to Luc, and everyone laughs loudly at that.

  As we all move on to talk about other things, I turn and see Callie whispering something in Avery’s ear. He smiles smugly and laughs lightly. His arm is around the back of her chair. I tighten the grip on my beer and force myself to turn away.

  She doesn’t do repeats. She’s made that her very public life motto. She won’t sleep with him again because she broke that motto for me and me only…Right?
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br />   Chapter 44

  Callie

  This quirky little pub that the players like to frequent is having a country night, and trying to teach Avery Westwood how to line dance is amusing and adorable all at the same time. I know he has rhythm—I danced my ass off with him in Atlantic City this summer—but country is clearly not his thing. He keeps tripping over his own feet and can’t figure out right from left. We turn with the group doing the line dance on the floor with us, but Avery double-steps to his right instead of his left and bumps me hard, almost knocking me over. I laugh.

  “Aw, fuck this,” he says in a bit of a growl as he grabs me and starts swinging me around, holding my body to his and dancing his way.

  I burst out laughing. “I guess maybe two-stepping is genetic and clearly you weren’t born with the gene!”

  “But I was born with many other abilities and skills,” he murmurs in my ear, still holding my body to his as he guides me around a small corner of the dance floor.

  “Yes, you were,” I confirm, because it’s true. He’d been great in bed.

  “I’d like to show you my skills again, Callie,” he says softly and lets his lips graze my cheek.

  “Umm…” I can’t help but murmur, but find myself shaking my head without hesitation. “Sorry, Avery. I’m a one-night-stand type of girl. And the key to one-night stands is they’re once.”

  “Really?” he questions, not buying it. His hands around my waist slip a little to rest at the top of my ass. “Can’t you make an exception?”

  “I can and I have…” I reply. “But that never ends well.”

  “That’s too bad…”

  I look over his bulky shoulder and see Devin standing by our table. Luc is sitting across from him talking to him but Devin’s eyes are on me. He’s holding his beer glass so tightly I can see that his knuckles are white.