Goal Line (Madison Howlers #4)

by Camellia Tate

  “How old is your sister?” Annie asked. “You didn’t mention her when you talked about growing up. Is she very much younger than you?”

  “Yeah,” Devon nodded. “Serena’s twelve, I was fifteen when my mom had her, so growing up it was just me and her,” he explained. Susie had been a great mom, even if financially she had often struggled. It had pleased Devon so much when he’d been able to start supporting her. Now, he made sure that she could do what she wanted, just the way she’d enabled him to do.

  As it turned out, what Susie wanted was to be a great mom to someone else, too. Devon loved being a big brother. He tried to spend time with Serena. She wasn’t very into hockey, which sucked. But at the same time, Serena had her own passions and Devon loved that.

  Just like she’d been with him, Susie very much encouraged Serena to do what she liked. Including archery, just like Merida.

  “You mean you wouldn’t pick a Disney princess?” Devon teased.

  Annie hummed at that. “I might have when I was twelve,” she answered. “My brother used to tell me I was just like Tinkerbell, too little to have more than one emotion at a time.” Her smile wavered. When it returned, Devon thought it didn’t quite meet her eyes. “He takes after my dad. They’re both over six feet. I’m built more like my mom was.”

  There must have been a question in Devon’s expression because Annie nodded. “She died when I was two,” she explained. “I don’t really remember her. Dad’s got photos of the two of them together, and she looks just as tiny next to him as I do.”

  “Oh. I’m very sorry,” Devon said truthfully. His mom meant so much to him. Devon knew he wouldn’t have been able to achieve half of the things he had if it wasn’t for her. Not having Susie around wasn’t something Devon even wanted to consider.

  He reached out to brush his fingers over Annie’s hand, giving her a warm smile when she looked up. Dead mom wasn’t really the best topic for a first date, but he didn’t want her to feel like she couldn’t mention it.

  “Are you now tall enough for more than one emotion at a time? Maybe two?” Devon asked teasingly, doing his best to brighten the moment.

  It seemed to work because Annie laughed. “Maybe two,” she agreed, giving Devon a teasing look. “I guess you’ll have to find out, as you get to know me better.” Devon liked the slight challenge of it, combined with the optimism of Annie expecting that they would get to know each other.

  “But I wouldn’t have dinner with Tinkerbell,” Annie added, returning to the question at hand. “I think I’ll pick Diana, from Anne of Green Gables. She always seemed way more fun to me than Anne. I’d like to hear the stories from her point of view.”

  Studying Devon’s face, she smiled. “I’m guessing from your frown that your sister didn’t go through an Anne of Green Gables phase?”

  Honestly, Devon wasn’t sure he knew what Anne of Green Gables even was. Some sort of a book, he was pretty sure. And maybe there was like a Netflix film? He gave Annie a shrug, which wasn’t truly all that apologetic. Devon could talk endlessly about hockey, that was his thing. Books? Not so much.

  “No,” he answered. “But I’ll trust your judgment that she’s a good person to invite,” he added with a small grin. “Would I have to cook at this fictional dinner or is all the food fictional, too?” Devon would prefer the latter, his cooking was pretty lacking.

  “Oh, definitely fictional food,” Annie agreed, nodding enthusiastically. After a small pause, she wrinkled her nose. “You might want to go for food out of something other than Brave, though, unless you like haggis and potatoes.” She had a point. Medieval Scotland, if that was even when Brave was supposed to be set, didn’t exactly have the most varied cuisine. Devon only knew what haggis was because Serena had wanted to try it — big mistake!

  Finishing the last of her hot chocolate, Annie set the mug down with a satisfied sigh. “I’d want food from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, obviously. What about you?”

  Devon laughed at her decision. Personally, he had little desire to only have sweet. He did then consider what he would want. “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” Devon decided. There was a lot of variety in that. “And yes, before you ask, all my references are animated kids’ films.” He spent a lot of time watching those with Serena. And really, they were easy to watch. It was either that or the films with explosions that he watched with the guys. There was very little food in those.

  “I’ll get us another hot chocolate and you can then tell me what fictional place your dinner would be set?” Devon asked, finishing his own hot chocolate. Annie hadn’t done anything to indicate that she didn’t want to carry on spending time with him, so Devon felt it was worth asking.

  Annie beamed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her smile made Devon’s heart beat a little harder, a warmth washing through him that had nothing to do with hot chocolate. “That sounds great,” Annie agreed. “I’ll have a good long think about where I’d want to visit.”

  Her gaze swept over Devon, lingering on his shoulders and the muscles in his forearms. Sensing that she’d been caught, Annie blushed, but she didn’t apologize.

  If Devon swayed his hips slightly more than absolutely necessary as he headed back to order more hot chocolate, then no one was any the wiser about it. As he waited in line, he did glance at Annie. She was looking out of the window, missing his gaze completely.

  Devon had no idea if she was the Antonia, but he looked forward to figuring it out.

  Chapter Three

  WHEN DEVON HAD said he liked kittens, Annie had known exactly what to plan for their second date. One of her classmates had mentioned volunteering at a shelter. It had only taken a little persuasion on Annie’s part to get her and Devon’s names down as one-time volunteers. It was going to be a surprise! Annie could hardly wait to see Devon’s reaction.

  He’d been constantly on her mind in the few days since they’d met. She’d even gone home and rewatched Brave, just because she kept remembering their conversation. So far, Devon seemed to be everything she wanted. He was strong, sweet, not to mention being hot like only a professional athlete could be.

  The deep timbre of his voice played on a loop in Annie’s thoughts, especially late at night. He’d called her determined. It wasn’t a word Annie thought she’d ever heard used to describe her. Maybe this, maybe Devon, was going to be the thing that she finally stuck to.

  There was only one way to find out.

  Dressed in dark jeans and a nice blouse under her comfy sweater, Annie bounced out of her car and hurried over to where Devon was already waiting. She wasn’t late. At least, not more than two or three minutes, which Annie felt hardly counted.

  “Are you ready for your surprise?” Annie asked, eagerly. She’d refused to tell Devon anything about where they were going, except the address.

  He reached out to pull her into a hug. Suddenly, Annie’s excitement grew in a completely different way. She hadn’t anticipated a hug. That didn’t stop her from hugging back. Even through the layers they were wearing, Annie could feel how warm Devon’s body was.

  “I am ready,” he nodded when he let go of her, taking a step back. “I don’t often get surprises,” he admitted. “Well, last month one of the guys put hair dye in everyone’s shampoo as a joke. But I imagine your surprise is going to be nicer than that. And isn’t going to make my hair green.”

  Tilting her head to one side, Annie tried to picture Devon with neon green hair. It made her giggle, which she didn’t bother trying to hide. “I’m sure you still looked good,” she informed him, resting her hand briefly on his arm. It was true. Not many men could pull off that look, but nothing could completely distract from all of Devon’s beautiful muscles. He was an Adonis. And that was before Annie had even gotten a peek at him out of his clothes.

  “Does that kind of thing happen a lot?” she asked, slipping her hand into his to lead the way. And because she wanted to. She wiggled into the gaps between his far larger fingers. “Practical
jokes and stuff?”

  “It’s just part of being on a team,” Devon commented. Annie definitely had heard of pranks before. Her dad’s team had had a whole season that seemed to consist of nothing but pranks. Not that she could share that with Devon. It made her feel a traitorous tickle of guilt. But at the same time, Annie doubted Devon would be here with her if he knew her dad owned the Mammoths.

  It wasn’t a very long walk to get to the shelter. Of course, Devon didn’t know that, so when they reached it, Annie had to slow them down.

  “This is it,” she declared, waving at the building. It didn’t look very impressive. Annie knew that would all change as soon as they were inside. It took a little time, but finally, they were signed in and shown up to the room where the kittens were kept. “If you weren’t so tall, I’d cover your eyes,” Annie teased, giving Devon’s bulk a little push so that he’d go through the door first, rather than holding it for her. Being a gentleman was very nice, but just this once, Annie wanted him to see the kittens first.

  There were six adorable balls of fluff, in shades of black, white and grey. Despite the fact that there were three pet beds, all six were piled into the nearest one, pawing and purring at each other for all they were worth. “Aren’t they adorable?” Annie asked, unable to help the squeal in her tone. “I hope you weren’t joking about liking them!”

  The way Devon had dropped down to his knees, one hand already stretched out towards a kitten, Annie felt it was safe to assume he really hadn’t been joking. Devon looked absolutely delighted. One of the tiny kittens came towards him, bumping its little head against Devon’s outstretched hand. He honest to God cooed.

  He turned to glance up at Annie, his face sporting a smile so wide that she thought it must hurt. “This is amazing,” he told her energetically. “Look at how little they are! And so cute!” He sounded so pleased! Annie’s heart skipped a beat simply because of the affection she felt towards him in that moment.

  The kittens looked even littler next to Devon’s massive hands. Annie felt awed by how carefully he touched them. She wouldn’t have believed his fingers could move so delicately, had she not seen it with her own eyes. A blush stained her cheeks as her mind filled with images of how else Devon might use those precise fingers.

  She dropped to the floor beside him, sticking her legs out in front of her and letting another one of the kittens paw curiously at her ankle. She clucked encouragingly as the ball of fluff clambered up towards her lap.

  “Hello, handsome,” she greeted him, brushing her fingers against his soft, fluffy head. A sideways glance showed her Devon, now cradling his kitten in both hands. “Have you ever had pets?” she asked.

  “No,” Devon shook his head, his fingers still preoccupied playing with the kitten. He did turn his head to look at Annie as he spoke. It struck her how good he was about that - making sure he gave her his attention. She wouldn’t have blamed him if he’d been more interested in the kittens.

  Annie smiled back, encouraging him to tell her more. “We couldn’t really afford it. I was out a lot with hockey, mom said it wouldn’t be fair for the kitten and definitely not for a puppy,” he explained. Annie didn’t attempt to hide her surprise. The hockey players she’d met came from well-off families. She knew it wasn’t always that way, but it made Devon’s achievement even more impressive.

  “What about you?” Devon asked. “Did you have pets?”

  Annie nodded, letting the kitten in her lap rub his ears against her stomach. “Dad gave me a kitten for Christmas when I was seven. I called her Sparkle.” Annie smiled softly, and then paused, considering her next words. “We had… help, around the house. A maid, and a nanny to look after me and my brother when my dad was at work.”

  It sounded very different from the way Devon had been brought up. Annie knew that she’d been lucky, that her dad had always given her anything she wanted. Not every child had that. “I didn’t really have to do much more than play with her. If I wanted to go out, there was always someone else who could feed her for me.”

  Devon nodded. He didn’t say anything more about it. Annie wasn’t sure whether that was a good sign or not. But then one of the kittens came right up to her hand so it was fairly easy to ignore her sight anxiety. Especially when Devon cooed again at the kitten playing with his fingers.

  “It’s going to be really hard to leave here without a kitten,” he commented. Annie hadn’t quite considered that particular difficulty. She could see Devon’s point. The kittens were so cute. But they were definitely made even cuter by how good Devon looked next to them. The clash of his broad shoulders and strong posture against the soft fur of the kitten was just so charming.

  “But I wouldn’t know how to choose which one,” Annie said, playfully. There was a third kitten now venturing between them, butting his head first against Annie’s foot and then Devon’s knee. He - or she - was just as cute as the kitten currently attempting to climb up Annie’s sweater. “I definitely don’t have room for six kittens.” She doubted very many people did, especially not people in rented accommodation.

  Leaning her back against the wall, Annie watched Devon, basking in the success of her idea to bring him here. Even if she had accidentally made him even more irresistible. “Is this your best second date?” she asked, with a cocky grin. She felt the odds were in her favor.

  The question made Devon laugh. That, too, was pleasing. He looked so happy. Annie had to admit this was almost definitely the best second date she had ever been on.

  “I’ve never been on one involving kittens,” Devon offered. “It’s a pretty great choice. Hard to compete with.” He hummed. Annie felt pleased with herself. It was difficult to look away from Devon, with how happy he looked. She wondered what he must look like after winning a game, after saving every attempt on goal.

  Picking one of the kittens up now that it was accustomed to him, Devon cuddled it close. “You’re obviously very skilled in dating, I’m going to struggle to match this for a third date,” he said giving her a small grin.

  His easy acceptance that there would be a third date made Annie’s heart leap in her chest. She wanted that, wanted to see Devon again. She needed the chance to learn more about him.

  “I’m sure you’ll manage,” she promised with confidence. “You already know I like chocolate and skating, and dinners with fictional characters.” Honestly, there were a lot of things that Annie liked, or had once liked. Even her relatively new apartment in Madison was already home to three or four half-finished projects she’d abandoned.

  Somewhere, Annie had a list of crafts she still wanted to try. But she was curious about what Devon would pick for her, so she didn’t mention that. Not yet.

  “Did you ever worry you might not become a professional hockey player?” Annie asked, genuinely curious. It was hard for her to imagine what Devon’s focus actually felt like from the inside.

  Devon seemed to pause slightly at her question. It struck Annie how even now, with the kittens, he was focused. This time on the cute little fluff balls as he rubbed the belly of the one he held. But equally, it seemed, Devon’s focus was on her. Annie liked that. It made her feel special in a way she hadn’t quite expected.

  “Yes and no,” he answered. “Sometimes I’d worry that maybe I wouldn’t be able to afford the kit, or skates, or even training. But I was lucky, my mom always made things work.” There was admiration in Devon’s voice. Annie could tell just how much he loved his mom.

  Then, Devon gave Annie a smile, the brightness of it making her warm. “I could’ve been a kitten wrangler, I think I’m pretty good at it.”

  Annie laughed. “You’d have been a great kitten wrangler,” she agreed, watching as the kitten in Devon’s hand turned over to expose his or her belly for more attention. It was obvious the tiny cat already trusted Devon not to do any harm. Annie couldn’t help thinking the kitten was probably right.

  “Does your mom do the same thing for your sister?” Annie asked. She had never known wha
t it was like to have a mom. Let alone one who enabled her to follow her dreams. She knew that Devon’s focus wasn’t specific to men; plenty of women were just as single-minded.

  Still, Annie’s dad had always given the impression that because she was a girl, she was different from Sawyer. He hadn’t expected her to follow him into the business, or be as obsessed with ice hockey.

  “Kind of,” Devon answered. “It’s easier for Serena because I have a lot of money,” he shrugged. It struck Annie how much that wasn’t said as a boast. She had met a lot of men in her life who did boast about how much money they had. But Devon’s statement was just that - a statement. “It’s nice because it means neither her nor my mom have to worry.”

  Despite not being able to have a kitten, Annie was sure that if Devon could he would do a great job at looking after it. He obviously had a big heart that wanted to protect others. It was so sweet that it made her heart give a tug.

  “This is a great date,” Devon said drawing Annie out from her thoughts. “There are kittens. Will you let me take you for food after this?”

  With a grin, Annie nodded. “I was hoping you would,” she admitted. The kitten she’d been petting abandoned her lap, batting at the tail of the one still prowling between her and Devon. “I’ll even eat something that isn’t chocolate,” she promised. “I assume you have a nutritionist or something who’d prefer that not all of your dates be sweet-based.”

  Once again, her gaze moved to Devon’s arms, where his muscles flexed as he wiggled his fingers enticingly at the two kittens. Whatever Devon’s diet, the results were certainly worth it. “Do you ever rebel?” Annie asked. From what she’d seen of Devon so far, his focus seemed unwavering. It was so different from Annie’s own attitude that it was hard to really imagine.

  Devon looked at Annie and then at the kittens. It was like he was trying to figure out if he could tell her his secret. Or maybe to figure out if the kittens would snitch on him. Whatever went on inside his head, it seemed to conclude with the fact that this was a safe space. Annie waited patiently, if perhaps with some amusement at the whole ordeal.