“Yeah, of course,” he said. He paused and Seraphina could hear him sigh through his nose. “I’m sorry about earlier. I hate not being able to do anything and I just –“
“Hey, it’s okay,” Seraphina said quickly. “There’s no need to apologize.”
“Listen, we’re still on for tomorrow night, right?” Brandon asked, almost tentatively. “With my sister?”
Seraphina’s brow pushed. She had completely forgotten about dinner with Cameron Thorpe. She had been too distracted by what was going on that she hadn’t even remembered to be stressed at the fact that she was meeting Brandon’s sister or elated that they were at this step in their new relationship.
“Of course,” she managed to say.
“Are you sure?” he asked. “You hesitated.”
She rolled her eyes.
“And you rolled your eyes.”
“Everything will be fine, Brandon,” she said, trying to hide her attitude. Damn him for knowing her too well. “I will be at your place tomorrow night. I’m really looking forward to meeting Cameron. Okay, got to go, love you!”
And she hung up before she could hear his laughter.
Chapter 22
Seraphina arrived at Brandon’s place just after six o’clock in the evening. The sun was already down, the night black, save for the half-moon that glowed almost supernaturally. That would change in the next couple of weeks, thanks to Daylight Savings Time. Seraphina wasn’t looking forward to losing an hour of sleep but she was excited about the sun staying out until seven or eight o’clock at night.
Her heart fluttered in her chest, which was ridiculous since they had already slept together, had already confessed their love for each other. They were already serious about each other; there shouldn’t be any logical reason for her to be nervous. Save for the fact that this was the first time Seraphina had ever been to Brandon’s place before and she didn’t know what to expect.
Oh, and his sister was visiting. Again. And the last time his sister was here, Seraphina hadn’t realized that was his sister and thought she was some woman who had a thing for Brandon Thorpe and might have unwittingly shot her a couple of dirty looks.
She hesitated, sitting in her car and looking at the one-story house. It was a relatively modest house in the Westcliffe neighborhood. She smiled at how quiet it was here. It was the perfect place for him. This neighborhood was filled with retirees. Unless they were Gulls’ fans, they would have no idea who he was.
This was the absolute worst time for her to be meeting one of the most important people in Brandon’s life. Seraphina’s head was everywhere. She was worried about those photos leaking, she was worried about the possibility of giving Brandon up to Vegas, she was worried about him being forced to retire just so they wouldn’t get in trouble. No matter what option she chose, Phil Bambridge won. And that was the worst thing about the whole situation – the fact that there was a good chance Seraphina wouldn’t be able to think about something where Bambridge didn’t win. Where the photos weren’t released, where Brandon didn’t go to Vegas, and where he didn’t have to quit the playoffs right before the end of the season.
Don’t focus on that right now, a voice in her head pointed out. This is a little more important than that.
Seraphina got out of the car and grabbed a box of assorted chocolates. She had no idea what to get her and she thought flowers or a Visa gift card would be too tacky. Brandon had mentioned she liked chocolate so this was the best Seraphina could come up with. She walked up to the door and knocked with the back of her hand, shifting her weight from foot to foot.
At that moment, the door opened and a beautiful blonde woman beamed down at Seraphina. She had the same pale green eyes Brandon had, the same sharp jaw, the same cheekbones. The only difference, really, was the hair color. And the fact that Cameron seemed to smile way more than her younger brother.
“Hi,” Cameron said, reaching out her hand. “I’m Cameron. Brandon has told me so much about you!”
“Hi,” Seraphina said, her lips curling up as she shifted her eyes in order to look for Brandon.
Brandon popped up behind his sister and shrugged, almost as if to say, She insisted on answering the door and I’m powerless to stop her from doing anything.
Seraphina refrained from rolling her eyes and held out her gift. “This is for you,” she said. “Brandon wouldn’t really give me many details about what you like and what you don’t so I had to make do with what I know about girls and how much they love chocolate.”
Cameron’s eyes widened and a smile slid onto her face. “I love chocolate,” she said. “Especially the expensive kind.”
“Sera, won’t you come in?” Brandon said, finally deciding now would be the perfect time to invite his girlfriend inside his home. “Unless you want her to eat outside, Cam.”
Cameron rolled her eyes. “Okay, Smartass,” she said, but she gave Seraphina a smile and stepped aside so Seraphina could walk into the house without any obstruction.
Brandon walked over and gave Seraphina a peck on the cheek, taking her hands in his. He leaned down to her ear and whispered, “I apologize in advance for anything that comes out of her mouth.”
“So it is true,” Cameron said, setting the box down on the marble island in the middle of the kitchen. “My baby brother has finally found himself a serious girlfriend. When are you going to bring her home? I’m sure Mom would love to meet her. She’s constantly going on and on about grandchildren and we both know I’m not going to give her any.” She looked back at Seraphina. “I actually prefer girls.”
“Oh.” Seraphina nodded once. “Good for you. When I was going through a breakup in high school, I wanted to be a lesbian because women are so much easier to be around and understand than men are.”
“Sometimes,” Cameron said.
“You know we just started dating, right?” Brandon asked his sister, quirking a brow. “You’re talking about us like –“
“Like what?” Cameron interrupted. “Like you haven’t been talking about her for the last year and a half? Hmm, okay. So you aren’t serious? She could just go out and date somebody else, then?”
Brandon shot his sister a dark look and she laughed. “That’s what I thought,” she said. “See, Brandon? You are serious about her. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. I’m glad, actually. If anyone deserves to be in a serious relationship, it’s you.”
Brandon rolled his eyes. “Can we get this dinner over with?” he asked, walking back into the kitchen. Seraphina’s eyes found his butt-clad in form-fitting sweatpants without even trying. Immediately, her eyes snapped away. There was no way she wanted Cameron to catch her staring at her brother’s butt, even if it was an amazing butt. “The food is going to get cold.”
“Well, we can’t have that,” Cameron said, and looped her arm through Brandon’s. “Come sit by me. I want to know everything about you.”
Seraphina felt her face turn red but she followed Cameron over to the far side of the table and took a seat next to her. From there, Cameron asked her everything she possibly could to learn about Seraphina. Seraphina, in turn, was as honest as she could be: she had no idea what she was doing when she had inherited the team but she learned as much as she could, as fast as she could. She didn’t want to sell the team because she wanted to keep her grandfather’s legacy alive. When Brandon was accused of killing her grandfather, Seraphina had no idea why she thought Brandon was innocent other than a gut feeling.
“You must have a big pair of balls to have believed in my brother when no one else did,” Cameron murmured, taking a long sip of red wine. “Especially when it would have been easier to just support the police no matter what, as a new owner and manager, of course.”
Seraphina shrugged. “Yeah, well,” she said. “My team is my priority. Not what anyone thinks of me.”
“Clearly,” Cameron muttered. “The media likes to talk a lot of shit about you that has nothing to do with hockey.”
Seraphina
snorted. “Don’t I know it,” she said.
“So I take it you and Brandon aren’t going to be public anytime soon?” Cameron asked, though there was no judgment in her tone. She looked between Seraphina and Brandon, who sat directly across from Seraphina.
“I support whatever decision she makes,” Brandon said, looking over at Seraphina. “As long as I get to be with her, I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
Cameron rolled her eyes. “I never expected you to be such a romantic,” she said to Brandon. “Really. I think a lot of the girls you were with before would have hung on to you if they had known you even had the ability to talk like this.”
Brandon shrugged. “I don’t particularly care about them,” he replied.
“Typical male,” she said. “See, this is why I like girls.”
The three ate in friendly company, with Cameron telling long stories about Brandon as a child. This amused Seraphina to no end; it was eye-opening and explained a lot about how quiet and reserved he was, even as a captain.
“But here’s what I don’t get,” Cameron said, looking between the couple. “How did someone as quiet as you get to be team captain?”
Seraphina chuckled and Brandon shrugged. “It was after out last home game my third season with the team,” Brandon said. “Ken was there and he gave a little speech about how he was proud of us but that he expected us to work hard in the off-season to come back strong. He really believed with could make playoffs if every piece fit together just right, and he thought that as long as we put in the work, we would be rewarded. And then, in front of the team, after Sammy Sanders announced his retirement, he asked the team to vote. Everyone said yes, so next year, I got the C.”
Seraphina gave her boyfriend a grin. “I remember that,” she said. “My grandfather talked to me before the game. I think I was still in high school. He wanted to know if I thought you deserved to be captain. He said the guys weren’t too friendly with you because you can be standoffish.”
“Not a lie,” Cameron murmured.
“I told my grandfather that while it does matter what the team thinks of you as a player, it doesn’t really matter what they think of you as a person,” Seraphina continued. “If they follow you regardless of how quiet you are and if you come to the ice every day with passion for the sport and effort, then, of course, you deserve the C. But the team should vote on it because it’s a team thing, not a Grandpa thing.”
Brandon gave her a long look, a look that sent shivers down her spine and settle in her pelvis. A look that caused her tummy to erupt with butterflies and fireworks at the same time.
“Okay,” Cameron said, standing up. “Well, I’m going to go.”
“No, there’s no need –“ Brandon said as Seraphina asked, “Are you sure?”
“Look,” Cameron said, staring between the two. “When you guys are making goo-goo eyes across the table at each other, that’s my cue to get the hell out. I really don’t need to see that, even though it’s a nice change of pace.”
Brandon and Seraphina stood and Brandon pulled Cameron into a tight hug. “Thanks for coming, Cam,” he murmured.
“Of course, thanks for having me.” Cameron broke from her brother and pulled Seraphina into a tight hug. “You lucked out with this one, Brandon. Don’t fuck it up.” Her eyes found Seraphina’s. “Be patient with my brother. Please. He means well, I promise. When he gets frustrated, he withdraws into himself and he needs someone who can bring himself out – if that makes any sense.”
Seraphina nodded. “It does,” she said. “It was lovely meeting you.”
“Also,” Cameron said as they walked her to the door, “you’re lucky to have my brother. I hope you know that.” Seraphina paused and gave Cameron a gentle smile. “I know you’re risking a lot, being with him. But he’s risking a lot by being with you, too.”
Seraphina nodded. “You’re right,” she acknowledged. “But I know I’m lucky to even breathe the same air he does.”
Cameron scrunched her nose. “I can’t deal with such saps,” she said, opening the door. “Okay, I’m out. Thanks again!”
Chapter 23
“So?” Brandon asked, cocking his head to the side.
“So… what?” Seraphina asked, scrunching her brows from her seat on the couch. She was on her second glass of wine and was leaning against the pillows behind her, her head slightly fuzzy. She felt extremely relaxed.
Brandon chuckled. “My sister,” he said, coming to sit next to her and gently taking the glass of wine from her hand. “What did you think of my sister?”
“She’s wonderful,” Seraphina said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “The real question is what she thought of me.”
“Honestly?” Brandon asked. “She’s just happy I’ve started dating again. The fact that you’re educated and beautiful and successful is just the cherry on top.”
Seraphina felt herself grin. “Well,” she said. “I really liked her. I’m honored that she wanted to meet me. Even though she grilled me like a drill sergeant.”
“That’s her being protective,” he told her. He coiled his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him so her head hit his chest. “I’m glad you’re with me.”
“I’m glad you’re with me,” she replied. There was a pause, and then, “what are we going to do?” Seraphina hadn’t meant to ask that question. This moment wasn’t about stress or worry. This was about relaxing with red wine and enjoying each other’s company. But she couldn’t help it. She wanted to come up with a plan. She wanted to finish this now so she could go back to worrying about playoffs.
“We could go to the police,” he suggested.
“I just don’t want the police involved,” Seraphina said. “I want to be able to handle this on my own.”
“Seraphina, it’s okay if you can’t,” Brandon told her. “That’s what I’m here for. That’s what Katella is here for. Your team. Your staff. They all want to be here for you. When you take this on your own, you won’t win. But if you ask for help, you’ll get it. I’m sure someone will think of something.”
“I thought you wanted to keep this kind of close to the chest,” Seraphina murmured, closing her eyes so she could hear the beating of Brandon’s heart. “You told the whole team it was no one’s business.”
“Well maybe I was wrong,” Brandon said, shrugging one shoulder. “I can admit that I was being protective over you and that meant leaving the team in the dark. But maybe it would be better if they knew. It would show you trusted them.”
Seraphina nodded. “I agree,” she said. “I also want to get Harper to write a follow-up article to the one she put out after interviewing Bambridge.”
He nodded his head. “Basically attack this before he even has a chance to make good on his threat?” he asked.
Seraphina nodded her head. “Do you think it would be low if I did the same to him?” she asked, turning to look at him once again. She had been toying with the idea ever since she got off the phone with him. One of her good friends from high school was a private investigator and Seraphina would have no problem paying her if she needed to. There had to be some kind of dirt on him, something just as bad as making out with a player and getting grainy snapshots. But there was something inside of Seraphina that told her not to do that, that stooping to his level made her just like him, even if he deserved it.
“What do you mean?” Brandon asked, cocking his head to the side. His hand found hers and he turned it over so he could trace little patterns on the inside of her wrist. “Blackmail him?”
Seraphina nodded but her heart wasn’t in it. She already knew the answer… unless Brandon could think of a good reason to do it. Maybe she shouldn’t completely write it off.
“Of course not, Sera,” he told her, letting his fingers linger on the skin of her arm. “You’re better than that.”
“I know,” she told him with a nod. He leaned forward, still keeping his grip on her, as he set the glass of wine on the table
. “I know. I just… I want to protect this team and you and myself and… I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. This whole thing has completely thrown me off and made me doubt myself and all of my decisions.”
Brandon pressed his lips together and nodded. He was silent for a long moment, but Seraphina didn’t mind. She knew he was thinking of the right thing to say. Which she could appreciate, considering she would rather have him be silent rather than have him say the wrong thing.
“I think you should consider taking Drew Stefano’s advice,” he said. “I know it’s not exactly what you want but there might be some pros to taking this head-on, admitting fault, and letting the chips fall where they may.”
“Admitting fault would mean acknowledging the kiss was wrong,” Seraphina said, her eyes flaring gold.
“The kiss was not wrong,” Brandon said, his voice sharp. He softened the look on his face and he pressed his lips together. “I know that and you know that. As people, we didn’t do anything wrong. But we’re not just people. I’m a Gulls player and you’re my boss. In that sense, we acted based on our emotions and not in a way that was best for the team.” He leaned his forehead towards hers until it rested on hers. “No matter what you do decide to do, Sera, I support you.”
She couldn’t stop herself from kissing him if she tried.
The kiss turned heated and he pulled her into his lap, cupping her cheek and tilting her head back so he had better access to explore her mouth. He tasted like wine and she felt herself get lightheaded because he was so damn good at kissing and he tasted fucking delicious.
He tugged at the hemline of her shirt, and without breaking the kiss, she raised her arms so he could take her shirt off and throw it on the floor. His hands immediately went to her bra-covered breasts, squeezing them and causing her to gasp. Her fingers found the back of his head and she ran her fingers through his hair, tugging gently at the roots and making him grunt with approval.
Lip Locks & Blocked Shots: A Slapshot Novel (Slapshot Series Book 3) Page 14
