I hook my arm around her back and pull her to my chest, dipping my head down to slip my tongue inside her mouth. This is the first time in weeks I’ve been able to hold her with both hands. My arm is still a little stiff, and I can tell I have a long way to go, but at least that fucking cast is gone.
Jade presses her palm to my chest, her fingers slowly creeping down to the seam of my boxers. With my now free hand, I place hers over my growing erection. I’m rock hard and so ready to fuck her without having any restrictions.
“You’re hard. And you’re not even racing.” She giggles.
“This time…” I say against her lips, “… it’s all you. It’s always you.”
She cups the side of my face with her hand and smiles. “How did we get here?”
“In your car.”
“And this time you didn’t have to steal it.” She chuckles. “You know what I mean, Killian. We’re complete opposites, and somehow we’ve made this work. So, what’s next after we graduate?”
“My plan was to go pro and buy a place for us to live with the money. But that kinda went to shit after I broke my arm.”
“You want to live together?”
I nod. “I can’t stand the thought of you going back to New York when I need you here with me.”
She kisses me softly, her sweet perfume filling my nostrils. “I can’t wait to start my life with you, Killian Kade. First, you stole my car. Then, you stole my heart.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Killian: Six months later
“Killian, stop distracting me.” Jade tilts her head to the side as I kiss her neck. She sucks in a deep breath and moans. “I have to focus if I want to pass the exam tomorrow.”
I’m so proud of Jade for getting into nursing school. She’s a few months into her classes and already crushing it. And most importantly, she’s happy now that she doesn’t have to live under her father’s thumb and can do what she wants with her life.
I drag my teeth along her skin. “You look hot in scrubs.”
She shivers from my breath and then shakes me off. “I’m serious. I have to study. This test is important. You know, some people actually have to study to get good grades.”
“Well, I guess everyone can’t be perfect,” I joke with a smirk crossing my lips.
“Like you.” She chuckles. “School doesn’t come as natural to me as it does for you.”
“I’m glad that’s in my past,” I confess. “I don’t miss college one bit.”
My cell phone rings and Jade lifts it from the couch. “It’s a local number,” she says, passing it to me.
I consider sending the call to voicemail and dismiss the thought, sliding my finger across the screen to answer the call.
“Killian Kade,” a man with a deep voice says on the other end of the line.
“Yes.”
“It’s Tyler Kane. General manager of the Flyers.”
“Uh… yeah… um, hi.” I sound like such an idiot.
What do I say to someone like Tyler Kane?
“Holy shit,” I mouth to Jade, and her eyes widen.
For the last few months, I’ve been working my ass off to get back to where I was before the accident.
Coach, Preston’s mom and my new agent, had agreed to take me on as a client. Risking my life to play hockey for Strickland University has its perks. I knew when I made all of the hard decisions over the years they would all pay off in the end. I never would have had access to famous hockey players and agents if I never played with my teammates.
A few weeks ago, I had a tryout with the Flyers, and now, I’m talking to Tyler Kane, a player I’ve idolized since I was a kid. I can’t even think straight, let alone breathe. This is surreal.
“Killian.” A woman says through the speaker. “It’s Coach. I’m here with Tyler and Alex. They’re happy with your tryout and want to sign you.”
“Hey, Killian,” Alex Parker says.
I stare at Jade in awe and hold out the phone, my entire body trembling. I’ve never been more nervous in my life.
“Who is it?” Jade mouths, eyes full with curiosity, and I mouth back that it’s Coach.
“Oh my God,” she whispers.
We’ve been waiting for this phone call for the past two weeks. I was so sure I blew the tryout and had no shot at getting into the NHL. I don’t care if it’s for a month or a day. I just want the chance to play for my favorite hockey team at least once.
Since graduation, I’ve been working for Jamie at his father’s new company on his development team for Quest for Shanaya, still holding out the hope that I would have a chance at making it pro.
“Killian, can you come down to the Wells Fargo Center?” Coach asks me.
“When?”
“Now,” she says, her tone firm. Coach is a real no-nonsense kind of woman. I’ve never met anyone like her.
“I’ll be there in ten,” I say, grabbing my keys from the coffee table.
After I hang up, I bend down to kiss Jade on the lips. “I gotta go, baby. I’m getting signed by the Flyers.”
She squeals so loud my eardrums hurt. Then, she jumps off the couch and into my arms, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my back. “You did it, Killian.” She kisses my cheeks and finally my lips. “I’m so proud of you. All of your hard work paid off.”
I kiss her back, my head spinning from the feeling which spreads throughout my body. Every time I touch her, the excitement never fades. “I couldn’t have done it without you by my side. When we are together, we’re unstoppable.”
She smiles. “Who would’ve thought your injury would’ve forced both of us in the right direction?”
“Definitely not me,” I admit, setting her down on the floor. “But I gotta go, baby. Everything’s going to change after today. You. Me. Forever. We’re in this together.”
Her smile widens, no words necessary to know what she’s thinking.
From the night we met until now, Jade has saved me in more ways than I can count. I couldn’t imagine my world without her in it. She’s given me a life I never thought someone like me could have, and to think all of this started with me stealing her car and her blackmailing me. We both wanted something from each other, and from my darkness came her light creating the perfect balance.
Epilogue
Jade: Six months later
Fixing the diamond on my finger, I smile at the engagement ring Killian gave me after he received his first check from the Flyers. He didn’t waste any time proposing, almost too eager to ask me to marry him the second the money hit his bank account. Killian was so afraid it was all a dream, and that someone would take it from him, that he said he wanted to buy the most important thing first.
Sitting in the front row behind the Flyers’ bench with Coach, Killian’s agent, and Bex, who now works for Coach, I stare at the ice where the Flyers are playing the Penguins. The Penguins signed Preston Parker right out of college, and Bex is here not only as his girlfriend but also as his agent.
“Did you pick a date?” Bex nods at the ring I can’t stop playing with. It’s become such a habit over the past few months.
I shake my head. “No, not yet.”
“Because of your dad?”
I nod. “I always imagined my dad walking me down the aisle on my wedding day. I’m hoping my parents will come around, but they don’t want anything to do with me.”
Bex frowns. “Sorry, Jade. Is there anyone else you can ask to walk you down the aisle? Like an uncle or someone in your family?”
“No, not really. I’m not that close to a lot of my family members. Killian’s younger brother, Finn, offered to do it.” I smile at the offer Finn made not long after our engagement. Of course, he hit on me while he was making said offer, which made it even funnier. “I’m considering letting him do it. At least he’s family, and pretty soon he’ll be my brother-in-law, so why not, right?”
She forces a smile. “Yeah. I hope it all works out for you. I couldn’t imagine n
ot having my dad there to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day.”
“How about you and Preston? You getting married anytime soon.”
She glances over at Coach, who has a ridiculous smile on her face. “He talks about it all the time, but he still hasn’t asked me.”
Coach smiles even wider as if she knows when Preston is planning to ask Bex. He’s head over heels in love with her. I’m surprised he’s waited this long to slip a ring on her finger. Of all people, Killian took me most by surprise. He was never the boyfriend type, let alone the marrying kind.
“I was thinking next October,” I tell Bex. “Since I met Killian in October right after the start of his hockey season, but I’m afraid with his schedule, it will be too much for him to do in the fall.” I bite the inside of my cheek, still mulling it over. “Or maybe the summer would be better because of hockey. But I don’t want to sweat through my dress with the heat.”
“You could always do a destination wedding. It’s not as hot in the winter in places like Florida or the Bahamas.”
“Good point. But I doubt Killian’s friends and family would want to fly to an island to see us get married. Honestly, I’m considering eloping with him. This way there’s no fuss over a dress or someone walking me down the aisle.”
She cups my shoulder and smiles. “I’m sure whatever you decide will be perfect. I would marry Preston in my pajamas on the back of a trash truck if that’s what it would take to spend the rest of my life with him.”
Bex and Preston are now living in Pittsburgh in an apartment he bought for them after he was drafted to the Penguins. I haven’t seen her much since graduation, only on a few occasions when all of us got together to hang out for the weekend.
Killian has always been closer with Jamie, so we spent a lot more time with him and Shannon. She was supposed to come to the game tonight but was busy with her new pastry truck she runs on campus called Shake-and-Cake. Killian’s old crew helped Shannon get a good deal on the truck, and surprisingly, they didn’t steal it.
As the goal horn sounds, the entire arena goes wild, snapping me back to reality.
“Dammit,” Bex growls, her mouth twisted in disgust as she looks up at the score. “I can’t believe they lost. Preston is gonna be so pissy when we get home.”
Coach looks equal parts happy and sad over the score. It must be hard for her to pick a side when her husband is the head coach of the Flyers, and her son plays for the opposing team. No matter who she cheers for in this scenario, it’s like she loses.
I was so busy talking to Bex I had forgotten about the game. Even after all this time with Killian, I still don’t understand much about hockey. He doesn’t even bother to explain it to me anymore, though Bex has never stopped trying. She’s convinced she can teach anyone sports.
People rise from their seats, hands raised in the air, chanting and cheering.
The Flyers win the game, and I find number seventy-six in the sea of jerseys on the ice. Because no matter how little I know about hockey, I will always find Killian.
After he finishes congratulating his teammates, Killian skates over to where I’m sitting and slams his gloved hand against the glass. Fixing his emerald irises on me, his lips part as he mouths something to me I can’t make out. I take this as my cue to meet him, pressing my small hand over his on the cold glass. A shiver runs through me, and I can’t determine if it’s from the temperature or the look he’s giving me.
As usual, he’s so intense, nothing but carnal hunger in his eyes when he looks at me. Like I’m his property. Like he owns me. And in many ways he does. But I own him, too. I’ve claimed him just as much as he has me.
His helmet covers most of his head, a few matted strands stuck to his forehead. Sweat slides down his tanned skin, and seeing him wet forces my mind to dirty places. I can’t stop thinking about how much fun we had in the shower last night… and all of the things he did to me.
We stare at each other for a few seconds before a TV reporter approaches him. A woman with a cameraman following behind her points the camera in Killian’s direction, and my heart swells with pride.
“Love you, baby,” he mouths.
I say it back to him. The right corner of his mouth turns up into one of his casual smirks that go straight to my core, and then he skates toward the camera. He did it, just like the character from his favorite movie. Despite every obstacle Killian had to face in his life, he managed to persevere through it all like I knew he would. And by the start of next season, I get to call him my husband.
I started college with everyone moving me in their direction, and because of one fateful night, I found the love my life and my new purpose. Somehow, two broken halves of one messed-up puzzle formed the perfect masterpiece.
Drake Donovan has no problem getting girls and can wow most of them with his big stick… but that won’t work on Taylor. Are you ready to find out how Drake wins her over?
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Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading Kissing Killian. I hope you loved Jade and Killian’s book. If you liked this book, or any of the books in the series, I would love you forever and send a thousand hockey hugs your way if you would consider taking a second to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or BookBub. Reviews help other readers decide if they want to read a book, and I would really appreciate your support.
XO,
Jill
Also by Jillian Quinn
FACE-OFF LEGACY SERIES
Pucking Parker | Keeping Kane Teaching Tucker
Jocking Jameson | Kissing Killian Defending Donovan
FACE-OFF SERIES
Parker | Kane | Donovan | Jameson
LOVE IN THE END ZONE SERIES
Out of Bounds | In the Zone
MORE THAN SERIES
More Than Friends
More Than Roommates
For more information, visit JillianQuinnBooks.com.
About the Author
Jillian Quinn is the international bestselling author of over fifteen sports romance novels. She’s from Philly, a city girl to the core, now living in Southwest Florida, where she still hasn’t adjusted, though she’s not opposed to the warm weather or lazy days by the pool.
Jillian sets all of her books in her hometown, dreams of getting her hands on a real cheesesteak, and still cheers for her local sports teams. She’s a lover of sports, especially those involving tackling, checking, and men in tight pants. A self-proclaimed Coffee Queen, Jillian practically lives at Starbucks, where you can find her most days, drinking all the coffee.
For more information about Jillian’s books, visit her website at jillianquinnbooks.com. Sign up for Jillian's Newsletter for free books, book deals, giveaways, and exclusive excerpts from her books. Jillian loves to connect with her readers on social media. You can find Jillian on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Kissing Killian: Face-Off Legacy #5 Page 15
