“I’d rather it be me than anybody else,” he answers seriously, his eyes still following his brother as he yells in our direction.
“I’ll be out, Daryl! And you’ll answer for this! Fucking traitor!” He roars before Earl shoves him into the back of a cop car as he howls in pain.
“If I get to have you, then it was worth it,” Daryl says, turning to me.
“Well, you’re stuck with me.” I assure him and he looks deep into my soul with those gray eyes that always tell me so much about him.
In such a short time, we’ve already been through so much, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that Daryl loves me, and he knows that I love him too. That’s enough for me, and I’m over the moon with the fresh start I’ve dreamed of, and ecstatic that now I get to experience with my dream man, just like it was intended.
“I think you owe me some muffins,” I say, turning to Daryl.
“I owe you a lot more than muffins, but we’ll have to check with the doctor too just how much you can handle, he teases before pressing his lips to mine, kissing me passionately until I can’t catch my breath, but I don’t want to. I just want to get lost in Daryl, forever.
The End
I wanted to thank you for taking the time in reading Southern Riders. This is book one of the SCARS series that follows the lives of Daryl and Jessie and the small town of Danville Kentucky.
It brought me great joy to write this as this book and if you can do me a favor and take the time to review my book. I would like your honest feedback that I will take with me as tools to improve this book’s future drafts and the follow-up books in the series.
Thank you once again, and I’ll see you in the next one.
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Penalized
A Sports Pregnancy Romance
By Robin Edwards
© Copyright 2017 by Robin Edwards
and Second Chances Press
All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited, and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher. Names and persons in this eBook are entirely fictional. They bear no resemblance to anyone living or dead. To protect the privacy of certain individuals the names and identifying details have been changed. This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
No table of contents entries found.
Chapter One
AIDEN
My head was throbbing as I looked into the mirror, forcing myself to remember the previous night. The hotel suite was in complete disarray, much like my life. Looking around the bathroom, I wondered why a wet bath towel was thrown in the corner. My tailored suit from the previous night was hanging over the bathtub.
I knew I’d attended a charity event, and as usual, I drunk way too much. I’d sponsored the open bar and made a joke about testing out the products before grabbing a bottle of Jameson from the bartender. I remembered walking through the fundraiser, handing out shots of whiskey, being the life of the party as I always was, and then I saw the blonde that I just had to have.
I smiled at my reflection in the mirror as I remembered her innocent little face perfectly framed by her long blonde hair. There was something about her that made me crave her all night. Whenever she tried to leave to find her friend I made an excuse for her to stay with me longer until the party was over and we decided to come back to my room together.
I didn’t even plan to stay at the hotel that night, although it was kind of necessary for my drunken state. I had a condo downtown and a penthouse apartment close to the arena, but I regularly booked hotel rooms for wild nights like the one I’d just woken up from. After looking around for the beauty I’d spent the night with and realizing she’d already left, I worried she may have been a ‘puck bunny,' what we called the hockey groupies, who would take anything they could get their hands on to hawk on eBay, but nothing was missing.
My iPhone was charging on the coffee table in the sitting area, my Rolex was on the nightstand, and my wallet had fallen out of my suit jacket and into the bathtub, yet it still held over $8,000, in addition to my credit cards. So she wasn’t after my money that much was for sure. I decided to shower with hopes it would sober me up a bit as I tried to make sense of this mystery woman.
It was usually me who left before the women could wake up, or often times before they even went to sleep. While I slept with plenty of women, there was rarely any sleep involved. It was uncomfortable being on the other side of the scenario. I hadn’t seen any remnants of her throughout the suite, so I was pretty sure she was gone for good.
Looking around the bathroom for the Advil room service always stocked in my suites, I tried to remember more about the blonde beauty. The details were coming back to me slowly, but no matter how hard I focused, I couldn’t think of her name. However, her bright blue eyes were engrained in my memory. They seemed to glisten whenever she smiled, and I could remember trying my best to keep her laughing all night just to be rewarded with that twinkle.
I spotted the small bottle of pills hidden behind my cologne and headed towards the bedroom to retrieve a bottle of water from the minibar. You knew you partied hard when the hotel staff correctly assumed you’d be hung over the next morning. It was true; my reputation preceded me wherever I went. My life was beginning to feel like one long binge, and as much fun as it had been in my twenties, it was starting to run its course now that I was thirty-three. Besides, I wasn’t as agile as I once was, my knee was killing me, and I couldn’t be sure if it were an injury from the rink or the bedroom.
The possibility of a bedroom injury gave me a flashback to the night before. I could see my mystery blonde’s face as I lay on top of her. She looked at me as if I were in complete control of her and it drove me kind of crazy. I’d slept with a lot of women, but they were always just casual experiences with no real connection. I can’t even remember the last time I made eye contact during sex, but last night her icy blue eyes were piercing through me.
The image of her biting her bottom lip while I pumped into her, made my cock rise underneath the towel wrapped around my waist. Sometimes I’d have to do a lot of foreplay to get in the mood, especially when I was drunk, but with her, I was aroused from the second we got to my suite. She followed my lead and just gave herself to me. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I could still smell her sweet scent – a mix of lavender and rose. I reached down, feeling my hardness as I remembered every detail about her. Just as the image of her slim frame seductively squirming beneath me became clear, there were three loud knocks on my door, I instantly knew it was Jeff.
“One second!” I yelled before cursing under my breath. I unwrapped the towel from my waist and tossed it on a chair. Noticing a scratch on my abdomen as I pulled a white t-shirt over my head, I was reminded how aggressive she’d been. I smiled remembering her nails digging into me as she begged for more. After slipping on my gray sweatpants, I hurried to open the door.
“You’re up early,” I teased while opening the door to my suite. Jeff was always up early; he was a ‘real adult,' as I called him.
“Funny. I can’t believe you've dressed already,” he said as he brushed passed me before plopping onto the couch in the sitting area. He was dressed in his team sweat suit, and I laughed thinking how he’d probably had a full breakfast after a good night’s rest while I was exhausted and confuse
d.
“I wasn’t, but I figured you didn’t want to see me naked so early,” I laughed before offering him a drink.
“Are you serious? So early, Aiden?” He chastised me.
“Well now that you mention it, I think I will have a real drink, but for the record, I was offering you a non-alcoholic beverage,” I moved to open the minibar before selecting a bottle of tomato juice.
“Throw me a bottle of water,” Jeff requested.
Tossing the drink over to him, I took a swig of my tomato juice before deciding to add a little vodka. I ignored his disapproving look as I shook the small bottle to mix the now potent drink. It wasn’t much alcohol, just enough to help me fight through the hangover.
“So what happened last night? Where’s the blonde you were all over?” He asked the second question in a hushed tone as he looked over his shoulder towards the bedroom, concerned she may still be there.
“I was all over her, wasn’t I?” I quizzed, realizing my memory was right about how attracted to her I’d been. I could remember draping my arms around her and kissing her neck. She blushed when I first asked her to stay the night with me.
“I’ve never seen you like that. Usually, the women are all over you, but you wouldn’t let this one out of your site. Is she here?” He again whispered.
“Oh, no. I don’t know where she is, actually. I hope she comes back with breakfast,” I joked, but I seriously wanted her to return. We both had laughed before Jeff continued his interrogation.
“So you think it could be more than your typical one nighter?” He looked optimistic. Jeff wanted me to settle down more than my parents. He was like an older brother with his constant encouragement for me to get serious about my private life.
“I would’ve at least liked to have a morning after session,” I raised my eyebrows as I spoke before adding, “I felt a little used, bro. She was all over me last night, then I wake up, and she’s just gone.” I ran my fingers through my thick hair, hoping Jeff didn’t pick up on how serious I was.
“A little taste of your own medicine, huh?” He joked before sipping his water. Of course, he didn’t take me seriously. How could he after all of the women he’d seen me dismiss over the years of our friendship?
“It’s honestly never happened to me. I mean, I don’t enjoy asking them to leave, but I guess that’s better than wondering where they went.” I shook my head, wondering why she’d left so early. I pang of anxiety hit me as I wondered if I’d done something to make her go.
I’d been told I could be an asshole, especially when I was drunk, but I couldn’t remember doing anything that would make her uncomfortable. A lapse in memory wouldn’t be the strangest thing that had happened to me though. It was nothing new for me to read an article about a fight I’d started or a woman I’d kicked out of a hotel room, despite having no recollection of the event.
“Well, I see you two must have had a good time,” Jeff teased while motioning towards my neck. I turned to catch my reflection from the full-length mirror hanging in the corner of the sitting room, and sure enough, there was another bright red scratch, obviously from my mystery blonde. I could actually remember when she’d scratched me there, as she moved to straddle me, gripping my neck for support.
Struggling to push the vivid memories to the back of my mind, I rubbed my hand over the stubble that was growing on my cheek since I had yet to shave. I made a mental note to schedule a facial soon. I bet my fans would be shocked to know that the badass forward for the Kings gets facials regularly, but I was rich way before I was a hockey star, and facials had been customary to me since middle school. My mom was pretty strict about her grooming regimen, and I’d picked up the expensive habit early on.
“Yeah, she was definitely a handful, but…” I rubbed my face as my words faded.
“But what?” Jeff asked, confused by my pause. Although he always lectured me about my fast life, I knew Jeff secretly enjoyed hearing the stories from my unpredictable social life. I could see him living vicariously through me as he sat on the edge of his seat, desperate for every detail about my nights with women.
“Well, for starters, I can’t remember her name.” I lightly shook my head as I again tried to recall what I’d called her the previous night.
“Aiden, you rarely remember their names,” Jeff teased, referring to the many one-night stands he’d seen me go through.
“Yeah, but I usually don’t want to. I’m curious about her. All I know is she likes Red Bull,” I admitted while looking towards Jeff, hoping he could give me some valuable advice. He was my go-to for understanding women. As my only married friend, he seemed like the expert.
“You don’t know her name, but you know her drink preference?” He frowned in confusion.
“Well, you know I don’t drink that shit,” I motioned towards the empty can of Red Bull sitting on the bar. Although I partied hard, I was pretty particular about what I put in my body, and energy drinks were a huge no-no.
“Well, she’ll probably reach out to you. I’m sure it’s not every day she sleeps with a billionaire hockey star,” he joked before finishing the last of his water. His statement brought back the most memorable part of the night. I covered my face with my palm as the memory cleared and guilt set in.
“What?” Jeff asked, looking concerned before adding, “please tell me you used a condom, Aiden.”
“Of course I used protection, but she was a virgin.” I walked towards the window, glancing out at the view of the city before turning to face Jeff. “I took her virginity, and I don’t even remember her name,” I sighed, a little disgusted with myself.
I instantly replayed the beginning of our time together; her small cry as I pushed inside of her, and the way she squeezed me as I tried to bury myself within her. I felt guilty at first, and even a little scared that I would hurt her, but soon the pleasure took over, and I couldn’t dare regret anything about it. She was so tight; it took all my control not to come instantly. Her greedy little pussy was squeezing me like a glove while I slammed into her.
“And this is why I’m always telling you the playboy thing gets old,” Jeff said, disrupting my recollection at the perfect time, choosing instead to use the moment to scold me.
“Give me a pass on the lecture for the day, would ya?” I pleaded for my teammate to take it easy on me. I shook my head, hoping to rid myself of the daydreams that were clouding my mind. I could hear her, see her, and feel her, all so vividly.
“We don’t have enough time for me to lecture you like I need to, but I’ll give you an earful on the ride to practice. Grab your stuff,” he motioned towards the bedroom, and I left to retrieve my practice bag with all of my workout gear. We were just having a film meeting, but we usually worked out afterward or at least got a little cardio in.
“I really think she was different,” I said to Jeff as I walked towards the front door, my gym bag slung over my shoulder.
“So do I,” he smirked as he followed me out.
“I’m serious,” I frowned, looking over my shoulder at my closest friend before opening the door to leave.
“Me too. I don’t think I’ve ever had that long of a conversation with you about a woman,” Jeff claimed as he closed the suite door behind him, and I knew it was the truth. I don’t think I’ve ever thought of a woman as much as I had in the hours since she’d left.
On the way to practice Jeff reminded me how chaotic and disorderly his life had been, much like mine, before he married his wife, Amy. They’d since bought a big house outside the city, where they raised their young son and daughter. I smiled listening to his story because I did love Jeff’s family, but I knew it would never work for me.
I had never even had a serious relationship unless you count my prom date from high school. We’d dated for three months before I moved away for college, and that still stood as my longest relationship to date. I’d never even told a woman I loved them, so the thought of getting married seemed a bi
t impossible.
We arrived at the arena for practice and could hear the guys in the locker room as we approached. My parents had recently begun talking to me about retiring; something I knew was inevitable. Obviously, I didn’t need the money. I was extremely wealthy from my inheritance, so everyone, especially my doctors, didn’t seem to understand why I’d keep subjecting my body to the grueling schedule demanded by professional hockey. The truth was, the friendships and the comradely bond I shared with my teammates brought me back every season. I had as much fun in the locker room as I did in the rink.
“… So she’ll be there waiting for me when we finish up here.” My teammate Josh smiled while finishing up a story as we entered the locker room; most likely referring to a woman he’d spent the previous night with.
Josh was a playboy like me, although a much younger version, and we often exchanged stories while entertaining our teammates with the crazy tales of our bachelorhood. I smiled at him, giving my approval while making my way across the room before stopping to admire the golden nameplate above my locker. I never did tire of seeing my name engraved in bold letters AIDEN BECKETT.
“So tell us about your night, Aiden. I know you’ve got a wild one, I can see the hangover all over your face!” Josh joked as I settled onto the bench between our lockers. I lowered my head as I smirked, and even though I couldn’t see them, I knew all of my teammates’ eyes were on me.
“Unfortunately, I’ve got nothing. I got drunk and passed out last night. I must’ve been too wasted to close the deal,” I lied before glancing over at Jeff. He raised his eyebrows in a bit of shock before subtly nodding his head, acknowledging that I didn’t want the guys to know what had happened. I’d never held a story back from my teammates before. Instead, I often rushed into the locker room to brag about my sexual conquests. I knew I’d hear about my omission from Jeff later, but it just didn’t feel right to tell the guys about my mystery blonde.
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