Hooked On Her: Ice Kings, #3

by Stacey Lynn

  And… I’m hard. My dick is pressed against her hip and I know she feels it. I also know she sees it when she looks down at me and smirks. I’m about to demand she tells me everything about this dream when my phone dings with an alert saying breakfast is here.

  “Saved by the bell,” I tell her, gently sliding her off my lap. “Our breakfast is here, but later… we’re going to continue this conversation.”

  “Yes sir,” she says, mock serious with the worst salute I’ve ever seen.

  Goddamn, I love this woman.

  I answer my phone and text down to the front lobby that they can send up the delivery and wait by the opened door for the elevator to open. I get a wide-eyed look from the middle-aged man delivering me my food but I’d forgotten I was only in my underwear. I don’t know if he recognizes me or if he’s stunned by the fact my dick is still semi-hard. Oh well.

  When I return to the kitchen with a bag filled with food, Tessa has wrapped her hair into what looks like a bird’s nest on top of her head and she’s on her laptop, sipping her coffee.

  “What’s up?” I ask, placing the containers on the table before I turn and grab silverware. “And do you need a refresh?”

  “Please.” She pushes away her coffee mug and closes her laptop. “And I was drafting my resignation letter.”

  I try to minimize the excitement this causes me as I pull out the silverware and pick up her coffee. As I’m refilling it, she says, “Yeah. I figure I can call Antoine today. It’s a Saturday, but he won’t mind me calling him at home, but I’d at least like to give him a heads-up. Then I can officially submit my resignation on Monday. Since I already have a job, I plan on giving him two weeks but I doubt he’ll make me come back and work given the circumstances so I guess… that’s done.” She chews on her lip for a moment before continuing. I slide her fresh cup to her and take the seat across from her. “Then there’s my apartment. My lease isn’t up until the end of the year, so I might have to pay a fee.”

  “I’ll cover it.”

  “No.” She shakes her head but I stop her.

  “Pay me back if you want, but let me make this easier for you. You don’t have the money for two month’s rent, do you?”

  Her face curls up into something happy but she eventually shakes her head. The nest of her hair on top wobbles to and fro. “No. I don’t. And thanks. I’ll pay you back.”

  I’ve offered because I have the money, but no way in hell will I take her money. Unless she insists when the time comes, but then I’ll just spend it on her anyway so I let it go. I have millions. A few thousand dollars to break a lease is pocket change.

  “You okay with all of this?” I dig into the bag and pull out the containers. As I do, Tessa moans happily when she sees the massive pile of bacon. This girl. I love her excitement for food. It’s almost as sexy as the sounds she makes when she comes.

  “Yeah. Guess it feels weird, not returning. Like I don’t know… like I’m not getting closure?” She chomps on a piece of bacon and focuses on me. “Does that sound weird?”

  Kind of, but I doubt she’s really asking for my opinion but more thinking out loud. I reach across the table and take her hand in mine. “What can I do to make it better for you?”

  She sets down her bacon and picks up my hand covering her other one, kissing my palm. Then my wrist. Never once does she take her shimmering blue eyes off me and eventually she smiles. “I think… I think all I need is you.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Tessa

  * * *

  It is freaking cold as the winter air whips through the streets. I have definitely not missed this kind of weather and even for early November in Chicago, this seems brutally cold. The local news said they’re in an unseasonably cold snap. All I know is that the North Face puffer coat I bought a couple weeks ago especially for this trip and the scarf wrapped around my neck are doing very little to protect me from the biting chill. It was still ninety in Charlotte last week and I spent most of one of my days off lounging in the pool and Katie and Jude’s house.

  Currently, my teeth are chatting as I do my job, standing on the sidewalk as the guys from the Ice Kings step out of the bus and grab their luggage. It’s one of the most mundane parts of this job, but sometimes herding a professional hockey team is much like what I imagine it is to manage a group of kindergartners.

  We’re here for three days for two back-to-back games against the Chicago Storm team before heading up to Buffalo and then Toronto. It’s the beginning of a weeklong travel schedule, the longest I’ve done yet and while I’m not at all excited to head back to Toronto, I am excited to see my parents who will have seats next to me at the game, courtesy of Jason.

  Next to me, Katie has traveled this leg of the trip with the team so she can come back to her old stomping grounds, see Jude play against one of his best friends and Storm goalie, Garrett Dubiak. She also is excited to see her old co-workers who will be at tonight’s game with her and her best friend, Lizzie.

  “I never imagined how crazy their travel really is. And I’m impressed, you have this down to a science already.”

  “I’ve been getting a lot of practice.” Seven away games in the last five weeks since the regular season has started. Sylvia has had me traveling with her to most of them, doing more than she usually does but she wants to know I can manage it without her at some point. Which means her eagle eyes hidden behind the glasses are never far from me. Even now I can feel her boring into me, making sure I don’t screw up. Thankfully, it’s happened infrequently.

  My job is incredible. Never boring. I’m always on the move and there’s always some sort of fire to put out or a schedule to change. Minor injuries mean guys who would travel stay home and someone gets called up from the bench meaning flight manifests need changing. Rooms need rearranging. There was the trip to Anaheim a few weeks ago where somehow half of the gear wasn’t unloaded from the team plane and half the team was in the locker room waiting for the gear to arrive up until warm-ups started instead of hours earlier like it should have.

  That did not make Sylvia happy. Fortunately, she didn’t blame me.

  Katie might see me with my iPad that I can’t live without, checking to make sure all the guys disembark from the bus we brought from the airplane to the hotel, and they’re all grabbing their right luggage items beneath, but this is the easy part.

  The hard part is herding them all to the stadiums after a night of partying on the road wins even if all the drinking they do is just in the hotel lobby.

  Some of these guys can get monstrously grouchy when hungover.

  Plus, I’m usually tired and not in the mood for them mostly because Jason and I do our own celebrating… in my own travel room… late into the night.

  No, the hardest part is coordinating the deliveries of gear, ensuring everyone who is traveling has their name on the flight manifest on the team’s private plane. It’s double-checking and confirming the reservations for the hotels because more than once those have been missing and it was a race to get a new block scheduled close enough to the venues where they’d play, not so close they’d be hounded or found by fans.

  I never realized so much went into all their travel either, and frankly, I’m learning none of the guys on the team pay much attention. Jason himself has been surprised when I come home exhausted and worn out from dealing with parts of my job, but all of it has been absolutely thrilling.

  I don’t miss Toronto or my job. I haven’t given Will a single thought since I made the decision to stay. Instead, my life has become surrounded by friends, both wives and girlfriends of the players, my co-workers at the team’s headquarters, and even a book club I joined but have only been able to attend one meeting. Still, the women were incredibly fun and we did more dishing about life over a few bottles of wine than the latest fiction book we were supposed to read.

  Essentially, there’s nothing I’m missing and sometimes I pinch myself because I’m so damn happy.

  As Jason once pro
mised me, we fight. A lot. We bicker over who leaves more dirty clothes all over the condo (unfortunately, that’s me), who leaves more dirty dishes in the sink (definitely him). We bicker over whose car to drive when we go out on dates. I’ve recently bought a brand new Jeep Wrangler truck I freaking adore, but Jason always insists on driving his Escalade.

  We fight over what to eat for dinner, whether or not I’m cooking… which... nope. Not after a day at work. We argue over whether to stay in for a night or head to George’s Bar with his teammates. Which honestly, is my favorite place to go. We show up and it’s like one huge boisterous family and even often includes the other customers joining in on the fun in a way that still says the guys can be themselves. I’ve joined Jason for a few marketing events and fundraising dinners.

  We are busy. And I love every minute of it.

  And him.

  Plus, I’m in full swing helping Debbie plan her wedding which is going surprisingly easy, mostly because she’s so laid back. The only thing she keeps worrying about is her dress fitting when the day comes because now, at almost twenty weeks, her tummy seems to grow every time I see her.

  Oh… and the nursery has now been painted a dark navy blue and is fully decorated for the boy they’re having. Just thinking about their baby brings tears to my eyes. Along with how I ever could have thought of leaving them during all of this.

  Or Jason. We might fight a lot, but we also laugh more than I ever thought humanly possible.

  We also have more sex than I ever could have imagined. And it’s not just good sex. It’s incredible sex. Always. Every single time he ensures he finishes me off at least once and my abs have never been tighter. My stamina has never been better and I’m not even getting the opportunity to run as much as I want. It’s him.

  Speaking of, Katie nudges me in the waist with her elbow, hard enough to poke through my thick and fluffy coat. “Hotties at three o’clock.”

  I snort, but I still watch Jason and Jude stumble off the bus, shoving each other playfully and laughing. They both have a pair of headphones draped around their necks and fancy wool pea coats on over their suits.

  “Damn. They are so freaking hot,” I mutter.

  This time, Katie laughs. I’ve become closer to her more than any other girlfriend outside Debbie, mostly because we spend a lot of time at their house in the suburbs. So much so that when a house in their neighborhood came on the market a couple of weeks ago Jason asked me to go look at it with him. I’d hesitated, but only because the thing was so big and I like our condo and easy life. He didn’t end up making an offer, but I think that was only because I was uncertain.

  Since then, he’s talked about us getting a house together. Moving somewhere bigger. He’s pushing me gently but I know where he’s leading.

  To us—starting a family together. And it’s not that I’m opposed, it’s just that I like things how they are right now and I want to enjoy them.

  “Hey handsome,” I say through my chattering teeth, rolling to my toes to kiss him.

  “You’re as cold as ice,” he says, smiling against my cold teeth.

  “I suppose you’ll have to warm me up then.”

  “After the game, I’m all yours.”

  They only have a few hours to rest and unwind at the hotel before we head over to the Storm’s arena. Until then, I have to make sure all the guys get their room keys and get to where they need to be. I’ll head over early with Sylvia so this will be the last time I see Jason until he takes the ice.

  Which is always a sexy sight to behold.

  “Play hard and good luck.”

  “Please,” Jude scoffs, Katie wrapped in his arms and shivering almost as much as me. “We don’t need luck when we’re the best.”

  I roll my eyes. Their confidence has no limits. But it’s also warranted. The Ice Kings have taken an early lead in their division this season and they’re already up three games in the first place spot.

  “You watching with our parents tonight?” Jude asks.

  I’ve already confirmed, double-checked, and triple-checked their tickets. “Yup. I’ll be in the box with them, Katie, and Lizzie and… Noah?” I ask, turning to Katie. I think that’s the name of her co-worker she invited.

  “Yep. He’s bringing his boys. Should be a blast.”

  “Only if Dad doesn’t threaten to roast a goat when he doesn’t like a call.”

  I throw my head back and laugh. John Sr. is hilarious and has the most colorful cursing language I’ve ever witnessed. For some strange reason, it usually involves farm animals. I’m not certain what he has against them, but I’ve almost peed myself laughing at him more than once in the few games they’ve come to.

  His mom Sonya is adorable. Sweet and classy but her innuendo knows no bounds.

  I love Jason’s entire family and I can’t wait to spend Thanksgiving with them. They’re all headed down to Charlotte. Joey has a game the next night in Tennessee so he can make it and because of Sawyer and Debbie’s wedding plans means Jason won’t be with his family then, Jude and Katie offered to host.

  “All right, boys.” I clap my hands and shoo them inside. “Go get your rooms. We’ll see you later, okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Jude salutes me, kisses Katie and pulls her along with him.

  Jason leans down and gives me my own kiss on still frozen lips that quickly warm under his tender but persistent kiss. “Love you, Tessa,” he murmurs, pulling back.

  My jaw drops and I’m speechless. He’s never said that to me. Not like this. I’ve heard a lot of I love the way you sleep. I love fucking you. I love your blue eyes. I love your damn sexy shoes. When it comes to Jason, he’s liberal with things he loves about me or us, but he’s ever once said he loves me.

  I can’t even come up with a response because by the time I will my mouth to remember how to work, he’s already walking through the hotel revolving doors, tugging his headphones back over his ears.

  He didn’t even look back at me!

  The jerk. He didn’t wait for me to say it back.

  Love you, Tessa.

  Love you, Tessa.

  I have no idea how I’ve gotten any work done since Jason walked away from me. And then, it seems he avoided me once I finally was able to get into the hotel to settle in my room. I tried texting him, asking to see him, and he never responded. It’s like he wants me freaking out!

  Now, we’re in the third period of the Chicago game. Lizzie and Katie are both on their feet with ten minutes to go and the game tied at three. Lizzie’s wearing a Storm jersey, Katie is in Jude’s and they’ve been playfully bickering back and forth all game over who has the better goalie.

  Maddox is, obviously.

  Lizzie is adamant it’s Garrett Dubiak. I do have to admit, he’s playing one hell of a game, stopping everything Jason flung at him so far. The goals have come from Lutzgo and Jude and I can almost feel Jason’s frustration from way up in the box.

  John Sr.’s frustration for his son is equally palpable, but that’s just because he keeps screaming.

  “Yes! Take that chicken feeder!” he yells at one of Chicago’s defenseman who Jason skates by, dribbling his puck before releasing it to Lutzgo, he doesn’t get a shot before he’s lodged into the corner against two of Chicago’s players and they come out with the puck, slapping it away from the goal.

  “Freaking holy roosters. Score, damn it.”

  I could sit through every single game next to John and never grow bored. The man is crazy… also, crazy handsome. All of the Taylor boys look so similar to their dad in build and height and muscle mass but get their darker coloring from Sonya. Jason, though, is the only one with John’s dark eyes. It’s like seeing what Jason will look like in twenty or thirty years, and the view is not disappointing.

  Unfortunately, I need to be downstairs and in the hallways before the game ends to ensure everyone gets to where they’re supposed to be on time. Fortunately, I don’t have to stick around to make sure the crates of gear are loaded fo
r our flight out since we have two more nights in Chicago. There have been a few away trips where I don’t make it back to the hotel until hours after Jason and the rest of the team, it can take so long to get everything loaded and checked.

  “I need to head out,” I say, kissing John Sr. on the cheek and hugging Sonya. They’ve made it clear they’re huggers, and give their affection freely. “You take care and we’ll see you soon?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” John mutters, waving me off. He’s already focused on the game. “Damn cheatin’ cheetahs out there is what they all are.”

  I snort, pushing his animalistic curses out of my mind and say goodbye to the rest of those with us and hugging Katie. “See you tomorrow?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it,” she says.

  We have plans to do some serious damage to the stores on Michigan Avenue.

  I’m back downstairs when the final buzzer goes off and Carolina takes the win with a goal scored in the final two minutes by Jason. Finally.

  That’ll put him in a good mood. Although, I’m hoping what I have to tell him makes him smile just as much.

  I’m in shoes. New shoes with a bright red heel and nothing else, propped against the large writing desk in the hotel room before he returns. It’s a replay of the night at the bar, except this time, my heels are more conservative and I forgot to pack the negligée. The heels and the length of my hair covering my breasts with already hardened nipples are my only accessories, but this time, I’m no longer nervous as I hear Jason use his key card to enter the room.

  I’m off to the side and around the corner so he can’t see me when he enters, but I stay quiet as he heads to the bathroom, flipping on lights and almost blinding me with it.

  The bathroom door opens and he calls my name.

  “Over here,” I say quietly.

  I love the way he looks at me, the way I can surprise him. The way his jaw drops and his dark eyes heat as he takes me in.

  He rips at his tie, loosening it before throwing it on the bed. “What’s this greeting for?”