by Ciz, Alley
“Hi, Husband,” Maddey greeted Sean.
“Hi, Wife.” The little charmer winked.
“Hi, Sister-Wife,” Maddey said to Carlee with a hug.
“Sister-Wife?” Gage questioned.
“Sean was my little husband before the Donnellys moved next door to the Donovans and he met Carlee here.” Maddey pulled the younger Donovan into a side-hug. “So now we share him,” she explained while stealing a chicken wing off of Deck’s plate.
“You owe me a kiss if you take my food, Madz,” Deck said, puckering his lips at her.
Maddey rolled her eyes, placing the now bare bones back onto his plate. “Please, Deck. You couldn’t handle me. We all know you could never be with a girl who could beat you in a fight.”
Rocky laughed as she did the same to Gage’s own plate. He grabbed the back of her chair and pulled her closer as he pushed his plate toward her.
“Pfff. You’re barely my warm-up weight when I lift, you’re so tiny,” Deck countered.
“I was referring more to being raised by a guy who could kill you ten different ways with his pinky alone.” She held up the finger for emphasis. “You really think Jack McClain didn’t make sure his little girl knew how to defend herself?”
“I love your dad,” Rocky chimed in around a mouthful of his food.
“Hold on,” Gage cut in. “Your dad has the same name as one of the most badass cops in film franchise history?”
“Yup.” Maddey nodded. “But to be fair, we spell McClain different and he goes by Jack and not John.”
“And he’s more Liam Neeson in Taken,” Rocky added.
“You mean he’s more I have a particular set of skills and less Yippie-ki-yay?” he clarified.
“He’s a little bit of both,” Maddey said. “He was a SEAL for years before retiring to become a police chief.”
“You know, the more I learn about you girls, the more I understand why the guys call you The Coven,” he mused.
“Oh, yeah? And why’s that?” Rocky challenged him with an arch of one her black brows. Why the action made his pants tighten, he didn’t want to delve into.
“You’re a bunch of badasses.”
“Damn straight,” all six of them chorused from around the room, not missing a beat.
Everyone was remaining in the suite for the second period, so he made sure Rocky was close when they settled in to watch the game again.
His hand hung over the armrest, tracing circles on her knee. Her entire focus was on what was happening in the game below, but there was no missing the way she squirmed in her seat. Or the sharp hiss of her breath as he trailed a finger up the toned muscle of her thigh, under the hem of her jersey.
He was working his way toward the v between her legs, toward the heat at her center, when he was startled by shouting.
“Someone take the baby. I can’t hold her during a Storm power play.” Jordan held out the baby.
With the moment broken, he hesitated. But he had probably teased her enough, so he moved his hand to cup her knee and stayed away from the danger zone.
He still hadn’t worked out all the details yet, but this cat and mouse game he had been playing was about to come to an end.
Chapter Nineteen
High above the dance floor at Rookies, Rocky braced her elbows on the railing, bottle of beer dangling between her fingers, while she watched people gyrate below and tried to work out the conflicting emotions that always came from a Storm/Blizzards game.
As long as the Storm weren’t on their way to another road game right after they played their Jersey rivals, Jase skipped the team bus and stayed with their group for the night. Whenever he did—with the exception of a missing Tucker, who played for the Chicago Fire—it brought back memories of college, and how happy she was to be out as an honorary member of the Titans.
She missed working with puck heads something fierce.
Of course, she loved her job. Mixed martial arts, judo and boxing were as much a part of her as her gray eyes. Working with fighters and knowing she helped keep them in the cage past an age most would think they could fight gave her an immense sense of satisfaction. That wasn’t the issue. The problem was the lack of options she'd had in choosing her workplace.
“You know, for a girl whose team won tonight, you sure don’t seem like it.” Gage’s deep voice cut into her thoughts.
Canting her head to the side, she took a moment to soak in the hotness that was Gage James in a tight black t-shirt—it was sinfully unfair what the man did to simple black cotton—as she debated how much she should reveal to him.
“I’m always happy when the Blizzards win." A smile tugged at her lips. “Jordan and I already gave Jase a rash of shit over it.”
“You guys are really that close, huh?”
After what happened earlier at the gym, though unnecessary, she was more cognizant of the jealousy he was feeling.
“We are.” She paused, knowing she needed to choose her words carefully. “I think Jase and Vince’s ridiculous bromance with each other helped more than anything else.”
He looked like he was trying not to smirk but eventually lost the good fight.
“I could see that,” he said with a nod. “Your brother is quite the character.”
She snorted. “That’s one way to put it.” She looked over her shoulder to where the two guys were yucking it up at the bar. “They are the worst. It gets especially bad when Tuck comes home for the summer. The three of them together"—she leaned in as if she were parting with state secrets—"are the ultimate pranksters.”
He moved in, playing along. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good.” She shifted back and took a long pull on her beer. Bantering with Gage helped to chase her troubles away.
“So…” He shifted until his arm rested along hers as he mirrored her position on the railing. “Wanna tell me why you seem so down?”
Her sigh was as heavy as his weight class. “It’s nothing.”
“Rock,” he drawled.
“Fine.” She rested her chin on her shoulder so she could look at him while she confessed to something very few people knew. “Being here"—she circled a finger to indicate Rookies—"with all the guys, reminds me of how it was with them back in college.”
“And you miss it.” His eyes remained locked on hers, ignoring everything happening around them.
“Yup.”
“What else?”
Damn him for not letting it go.
“And…I guess I’m sadder about not being a part of it than I realized.”
“What do you mean?”
She looked away, picking at the label on her beer. “Did you know I was offered a staff position on the Blizzards?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I remember hearing about that. I wondered why you didn’t take it. I know those spots are hard to come by.”
“They are.” Her heart squeezed as the familiar sense of a lost dream hit her. “But it was never part of the plan.”
“The plan?” A little v formed between his dark brows as he looked at her with way more compassion than she thought she could handle at the moment, forcing her to look away again.
“The Steele Maker is a family business.”
“Ahh.”
Why did him reading between the lines hit her in the feels?
“Don’t get me wrong…I love my job and family, but it would have been nice if it was my choice, ya know?”
Gage reached out and squeezed her to his side. She focused on the way the suction cups of the tentacles of his tattoo looked like they were actually grabbing on to the skin in an effort to blink back the tears she felt threatening.
She gave herself a second to enjoy the comfort of his hold. He had an uncanny ability to give her the validation she sought without even trying. He saw behind the mask, beyond the role she played at the gym, to the core of her.
He cleared his throat. “I know you feel like you were pushed into your position, but”—he hooked a finger under
her chin to turn her face to his—“you were made for it.”
She stared at him in surprise.
“You have this way of picking up on things no one else does. Not even your dad or uncle. Your eye for detail is the best I’ve ever seen. There’s not a doubt in my mind that your brother will win his upcoming fight and it’s because of you.”
She scoffed. “Yeah, right. Vince trains his ass off. That’s why he will win.”
“Obviously he couldn’t do it if he didn’t train. But the critiques you give him and areas you have him focus on are more valuable to how he’ll handle himself during his fight than any amount of hours he practices with me.”
She blinked as tears pressed against the back of her eyes. He saw her in a way no one else did.
“Thanks Gage.” She rested her head in the hallow between his arm and body.
“I got you, Blue.”
With his arm around her she believed it to be true.
Having enough of the heavy, she used the excuse of needing a new beer to escape. Gage was able to pick up on all the things she didn’t say and she wasn’t sure how to feel about it.
She joined her friends at the bar. They all joked as they watched the Lions/Fire game but only parts of their conversation broke through the emotional fog she was in.
The circumstances surrounding her job were complicated enough on their own, adding Gage to the mix—talk about complicated.
“I asked Wade to make sure to hit Tuck a little extra hard tonight.” Jordan’s comment was the first thing to really register with her.
“You did?” Jase asked.
“Of course. He may be my BB3 but you”—she pointed to him—“are my twin. It means I love you most.”
“Hey?!” Ryan and Jake cried in unison, offended to hear they weren’t her favorite.
“You’ll always be my favorite big brother.” Jordan patted Ryan on the chest placating him. “And you will always be the love of my life.” She raised up onto her toes, throwing her arms around Jake’s neck and laying a kiss so hot on him, it was obvious to him, as well as anyone else watching, how much she loved her husband.
Rocky sighed, longing for the kind of love her friend had found with her husband. She dreamed of finding the person who would put her above all else.
Could Gage be that person?
Only time would tell.
WHEN ROCKY WENT to join her friends at the bar, Gage remained at the railing that overlooked the rest of Rookies. He had suspected some of what she had revealed to him, but he doubted many people understood how deep it ran. He was honored she had trusted him with it.
He rejoined the fighters from the gym at the couches they'd claimed and was happy to see the smile had returned to Rocky’s beautiful face. He just hated that she was standing next to Jase Donnelly when it happened.
Knowing they had history, romantic history, got under his skin like a splinter, festering under the surface until he wanted to cut off the infected area.
The time for games was over. No more teasing or drawing things out between them. He needed to stake his claim and make it known to Rocky and everyone else exactly who she belonged to.
Forcing himself to remain seated and not go all irrational caveman, he refocused his attention from the group at the bar to the hockey game on the TV. His LA Lions were currently up by a goal on the Chicago Fire.
He must not have looked away fast enough though, because Vince leaned over close enough for only him to hear and said, “There’s nothing going on between them besides friendship.”
He knew it was true, but he still shot Vince a skeptical look.
“Seriously, bro. Jase is like Becky to my sister. Except with a dick.”
It was the dick part he was having trouble accepting.
“What’s the deal with all that then?” he asked, pointing to where Rocky leaned her shoulder into Donnelly's side as she said something to Jordan. They looked cozy. He fucking hated it.
If he thought about things rationally, he wouldn’t be bothered. The guys at the gym stood around with her much the same way, but he wasn’t feeling all that rational at the moment.
It didn’t help that he still felt like a bit of an outsider when he was with the group. His own doing, but he didn’t know how to get out of his own way and connect with them.
“Okay, time for a little story.” Vince shifted forward to rest his elbows on his knees, dangling his water bottle from his fingers so it hung between his legs. Before he could start, the catalyst for the conversation joined them as Donnelly dropped into the open seat next to Vince. “Perfect, just in time, bro.”
“What’s up?” Donnelly asked while greeting everyone else.
“I was just about to give our boy Gage here a history lesson.”
That casually inclusive reference of our hit him harder than he would have thought.
“Oooh, I love story time. Where are you going to start?” Jase rubbed his hands together gleefully.
“I was thinking the beginning.”
“You mean where your parents boinked like bunnies and had you and Rock so close together?”
“Bro.” Vince reared back in disgust while Donnelly snickered. “Asshole.”
Donnelly shrugged as if to say what are you gonna do?
“Anyway…”
“Oooh, let me start. Because it’s about me and Balboa, right?” The hockey player shifted to mimic Vince’s position so now both guys gave him their full attention.
“Am I going to want to hear this?” Gage asked warily.
“Maybe not,” Donnelly answered honestly. “But I think if you know the history it might help you not look at me like you want to kick my ass, so I’m willing to give it a shot if you are.”
He wanted to dislike the guy. He really did, but he was making it hard. He nodded for Donnelly to continue.
“So let’s see…” Donnelly looked at where the women still stood at the bar. “Okay, I got it.” He resumed eye contact with Gage. “I met Rocky my freshman year when she started working with the hockey team and we became friends.”
He paused to take a sip of his beer.
“We didn’t start dating until junior year when she became close with my sister after we brought her to learn some more advanced self-defense moves after JD’s psycho ex went all if I can’t have you, no one else can on her.”
“Well, shit.” He blew out a breath.
“I know. Don’t worry, he got locked up. Anyway, sometime between graduation and my first training camp things ended. It was like one day we were a couple and the next…we were back to being friends.”
“Really?” His tone bled with disbelief though he had to give the guy props for not waxing poetic about their relationship. “You were able to go back to being friends like you'd never seen each other naked?”
“Dude.” Vince reeled back. “I’m not an idiot. I know my sister is a grown woman, but I do not need to think about her having sex.”
Leave it to Vince to break the tension.
“To answer your question,” Donnelly cut in before Vince could go off on a tangent, “yeah, pretty much.”
“How?”
“Honestly, we were trying to force something that was never there in the first place. And I think it's just the way the girls are wired. They love deeply and unconditionally.”
He nodded his understanding. That was something he’d witnessed the past few weeks. Everyone was treated like family whether they were related by blood or not. It was one of the things that made the team at The Steele Maker so strong and the main factor convincing him to open himself up to them.
“I think the most important thing for you to know is there are no lingering feelings between Rock and I. We’re strictly friends. Some would say best friends, but only friends nonetheless.” Again, he looked back at the bar. “Kind of like how Ry and Madz are.”
“They’re not a couple?” He looked to where Jase’s brother stood with the short blonde leaning against his chest, his arms looped arou
nd her middle.
“Not anymore.”
“Anymore?”
“Yeah. They started dating a few months before me and Rock. I think we all thought they would get married the same way JD and Jake did, but sometime around when Ry proposed, they broke up.”
“Shit, Jase,” Nick said. “When did you become such a gossip.”
“Shut up, it’s not gossip. It’s vital information. How else do you expect our boy Gage here to understand the unique dynamics of our squad?”
He was the second person to refer to him as our boy during this conversation. Who would have thought being accepted by the ex-boyfriend of the girl he was developing feelings for would be one of the first things to really make him feel officially included.
“You know, you guys really know how to bury the lede.” He made it a point to look at each of them.
“How’s that?” Vince quirked a brow.
“You guys said your sister dated some hockey player.”
“Well, yeah. He may be an enforcer but Jase is still a puck head,” Ray pointed out.
“Yeah, but he’s also Jase Fucking Donnelly.” He pointed to Jase. “You guys made it sound like it was just some guy that played for your school, not one of the biggest names in the NHL.”
“Aww, stop it. You’re gonna make me blush,” Donnelly joked.
“To be fair…” Vince pointed at him with his water bottle. “To us, he is just Jase. And Rock spends so much time around professional athletes that she kinda doesn’t think about the whole famous thing. Now”—he clapped Gage on the back—“even surrounded by some of the biggest names in sports, you, my friend, have always been her celebrity crush.”
"What?" There was no way. He was nobody's celebrity crush.
“True,” the guys all agreed.
“So the question is”—again, those familiar gray eyes locked on him—“when are you gonna grow a set and finally do something about it?” Vince challenged.
Well, shit.
Looked like it was time for him to step into the cage.
Chapter Twenty
The open-door policy on the twelfth floor worked in Gage’s favor when it came to tracking down Rocky. The doors to both apartments down the hall were once again propped open and from the sounds of things, he should find most of them inside the girls' place.