Matter of Fact: A Hockey Romance (The Hart Series Book 7)

by M. E. Carter

I’m not positive who Kade is but I vaguely remember hearing something about him working at the bar, too. Now it makes sense as to why no one was hitting on her while she was working the other day, though. She’s already taken.

  “Forget me,” Nicole says. “Watching someone use heavy knives to slaughter our dinner before setting it on fire? That sounds right up my boyfriend’s alley.”

  All my new friends continue chatting about different restaurants in the area and picking various cheese and meats off the board to snack on. It’s very relaxed and I find myself easing into the conversations with no problem whatsoever.

  “What’s Kade doing today anyway?” Lauren asks Nicole as she herds us out to the large covered back patio that is clearly used for entertaining on a regular basis. My eyes take in the backyard and how immaculate it all is. From the huge fenced-in pool to the fully loaded outdoor kitchen, it’s like a little oasis.

  “He’s gaming for a little bit before he goes into work,” Nicole says as she makes herself comfortable on a wicker swing that looks like she’s sitting inside an Easter egg.

  “Paul’s working, too?” Lauren asks, plopping down next to Kiersten who is carefully laying the charcuterie board on the table. Lauren isn’t quite as gentle with the pitcher when she puts it down in front of her.

  Kiersten takes a sip of her drink before answering. “Can you believe it? I can’t remember the last time Lauren and I had the same night off to just hang out. Not that we can hang out for long. Mom duty and all that.”

  “We’ll just move the party to your place so we can hang out with Carson,” Lauren suggests. “I’m sure he won’t mind us coming over.”

  Kiersten snorts a laugh. “You mean so he can swindle you out of any change you have in your purse?”

  Lauren holds up her hand. “Listen, blame Heath. All I did was teach Carson how to play Kings in a Corner because I read somewhere it would help him with his math skills. His favorite uncle is the one who turned it into a gambling game.” Ignoring Kiersten’s eye roll, Lauren continues. “Actually, I have a better idea. Why doesn’t Paul just drop Carson here? That way we don’t have to drive anywhere and Heath can become victim to the little gambling addict he created instead of him bleeding me dry.”

  “Where is Heath anyway?” I ask, realizing I haven’t seen him in his own house at all the last two days.

  “At the gym,” Lauren and Kiersten say simultaneously and then start laughing.

  It’s so strange seeing how in sync this group of friends is. I’ve known Kiersten and Lauren for years and yet I don’t seem to know them at all. At least not with the same kind of closeness they seem to have with each other. Once again, I’m hit with how much I missed by keeping my focus on Kevin and Kevin alone. I never want to do that again.

  “Which is probably the same place Liam is, right?” Kiersten asks as I settle myself deeper onto the most comfortable lounge chair I’ve ever sat on.

  “Perks of dating an athlete,” Lauren adds. “They’ve got rock-hard bodies for a reason. If they’re not at home, they’re somewhere sculpting those abs.”

  Ignoring Lauren’s waggling eyebrows, Kiersten gets back to the one topic I’m nervous to discuss but really need some female perspective on. “How is it going with Liam, anyway? Do you like him like him?”

  I do. I really do. But being here makes me wonder if this is all too rushed. Like maybe I’m moving too quickly. Am I doing the same thing with Liam that I did with Kevin—putting the man so far in front of my priorities that I miss out on everything else?

  “I really do, but, well….” I bite my lip as I consider how to phrase my question. “Do you think it’s too much too fast?”

  “Because you just broke up with Kevin?” Lauren asks.

  I shrug. “Well, yeah. Maybe? I’m starting to think I did my relationship with Kevin wrong.”

  “How so?” Nicole asks

  “Like… I know you’re supposed to put your partner first and all that. But, I think maybe I did that to the extreme and ended up putting myself… last.”

  All three of them nod and murmur things like “been there” and “it’s so easy to do.” Their confirmation that maybe I’m not the only one who’s gotten myself in a precarious situation makes me feel a little less embarrassed about the whole thing.

  “I can’t speak for Kevin,” Kiersten says, “Because I don’t know him except for in passing a couple of times when we would go dancing way back when. But I think if you like Liam, go for it.”

  Lauren pops a cheese cube in her mouth and wipes her hands together. “I agree. I’ve known both of these guys and trust me, Liam is nothing like Kevin. For starters, he’s less of a follower.”

  Kiersten nods vigorously. “This is true. He’s not as…” she bobbles her head for a second before deciding on her words. “…flirtatious as say, Tucker Hayes.”

  Nicole giggles and covers her mouth and I suspect there’s a story there but I don’t ask, too curious about Kiersten’s assessment.

  “But he’s a great guy. Doesn’t really date much that I’ve seen.”

  “Really?” This information is such a surprise. I’ve just assumed Liam dated around and that’s what we’re doing. Or at least what he’s doing. I’m enjoying myself maybe a little too much. “He doesn’t date?”

  Kiersten pulls her legs up, folding them underneath her. “I’m not sure he’s ever been opposed to dating. He just has never been the type to pick up a woman in a bar. He must think you’re really special to break his normal pattern.”

  Her kind words make me feel fluttery inside. It’s been a long time since another woman has given me a compliment like that. I forgot how nice they feel.

  “He’s no dummy,” Lauren adds. “If he hadn’t seen you first, someone else would have. Ellery, you’re a catch. You’re smart, beautiful, successful. Kevin is… nice?”

  “You don’t sound convinced,” I say with a laugh.

  “I’m not. In his case, nice is a cover for being a pushover.” I can’t say I disagree with Lauren there. “But Kevin’s also not that impressive. He’s kind of meh. You were always way above his pay grade.”

  “So, what you’re saying is, I should stop overthinking whatever is happening with Liam and go for it.”

  One of her shoulders shrugs. “Listen, the worst thing that could happen is you have a little fun, have some great sex, and then you go your separate ways with more knowledge about how good a relationship can be. But the best that could happen?” Lauren’s sigh has a dreamy quality to it. “The best could completely change your life.”

  I think that might be part of what I’m afraid of.

  Chapter Twelve

  Liam

  There is an unwritten rule that if you really like someone, you’re supposed to wait three days after going on a date to text them and ask them out again.

  I’ve never been good at following the rules.

  My impatience didn’t surprise me nearly as much as Ellery agreeing to let me make her a low-key dinner at my place tonight. Maybe it’s because we had a great time at the hibachi grill last night. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t feel like cooking. Or maybe it’s because I reminded her that my surgery is in a couple of days and I have no idea how long it’ll be until I can take her out again.

  It was a bit of a cheap shot to use my injury to my advantage like that, but I like Ellery and I really wanted to see her again.

  Doing a quick once over to make sure no dirty socks are sticking out from under the couch or something, I nod, satisfied that my bachelor pad looks like a responsible man lives here at least.

  My two-year-old grey cat, Patches, jumps up on the back of the couch and runs his face up against me, ensuring a few pets from me. But only until the doorbell rings.

  “Sorry buddy.” He gives me the cat equivalent of the evil eye as I leave him to greet my guest. “Important people are waiting.”

  Swinging the door open, I take in Ellery’s appearance. Her hair is up in a messy bun thing and her make
up is much lighter than last night. She looks sun-kissed and relaxed. I like this look on her.

  Her nose crinkles just slightly. “I hope you don’t mind. I came straight from Lauren’s house. We were just hanging out so I didn’t bother going home to change.”

  “No, no. Please come in.” I wave her in and shut the door behind her. “Like I said, low-key.” I gesture down to my athletic shorts and bare feet. “I just feel bad I pulled you away from your friends. We could have done this a different day.”

  She looks around my place while we chat. I wonder what she sees. A space well-maintained by a meticulous guy? A bachelor pad with more warmth than most?

  “It’s fine. Perfect, actually. Once Kiersten’s son showed up and brought out a deck of cards, I knew it was time for me to leave.” She laughs to herself. I don’t understand whatever the joke is, but I don’t need to. She’s happy and she’s here. That’s all I need.

  Just then, Patches begins rubbing up against her leg.

  “Oh! Who’s this?” Ellery exclaims and reaches down to pick up my cat. He begins purring immediately.

  “That little attention hound is Patches.”

  “What? Why would you call him such a thing?” she coos in his face. “He’s just a sweety pie, aren’t you?”

  If I’m not mistaken, the cat gives me a smug look, like getting all my date’s attention is payback for my lack of chin scratches a few minutes ago. Bastard.

  “Do you have any pets?”

  “No.” She continues scratching his head, cradling him like a baby. “I almost got a kitten once but Kevin was allergic,” she says sheepishly.

  “Well, you’re in luck. No allergies here.”

  She follows me as I turn back to the kitchen, still holding Patches.

  “It smells good in here. What are you making?”

  The timer begins the thirty second count down so I grab my oven gloves to remove the food from my double oven.

  “I’m trying a new recipe. There’s lemon chicken on the bottom and I’m pulling out some roasted veggies now. I’ll start the couscous in a minute.”

  “That sounds amazing.” Ellery puts Patches on the floor and leans up against the kitchen island. “Have you always loved to cook?”

  I drop the tray on the stovetop and begin grinding salt and pepper onto the veggies. A twinge of pain from the twisting runs through my shoulder but I put it out of my brain quickly. I refuse to let it ruin my mood while she’s here.

  “Not really,” I say with a chuckle. “Cooking was just a necessity while growing up. Divorced parents, mom working late, three kids that needed to be fed. Same story as just about everyone.”

  “You’re self-taught, then?”

  “Yep. The older I got and the more I got into hockey, the less I could rely on frozen pizzas and fish sticks. I started sending grocery lists to my parents when I would find recipes. My mom indulged me and always got what I needed.”

  “Not your dad?”

  “Seemed kind of pointless, and in his defense, he was right. We were only there every other weekend and eating out was something we liked to do. It was fine. I got a lot of recipe ideas from those places. Anyway, after a while cooking became sort of a comfort. Like a creative outlet or something. I like messing with recipes and seeing what I can do with them now.”

  “Well, it smells great.”

  I smile at her and open the second oven, pulling out the tray. Cutting into the chicken, I realize it needs just a few more minutes. Perfect. That’s how long I need for the couscous to fluff just right.

  “So, tell me, Ellery, when you aren’t working, what do you like to do to unwind?”

  She opens her mouth to speak but closes it quickly, a confused look on her face. I don’t say anything, just let her think on her answer until she’s finally ready.

  “I don’t really know. I’ve just realized in the last couple of weeks that I’ve not really made any effort to try things outside of work and one failed relationship. Before that, it was all gymnastics all the time. I guess you could say I’m on a journey to figure out what my interests are.”

  Her answer doesn’t totally shock me. Although her honesty is a bit of a surprise. Just last night she had a hard time giving her opinion on a restaurant but here she is recognizing she’s got a lot of exploring to do.

  “Think cooking might be one of them?”

  Ellery holds her hand up. “I can honestly say there is not one part of me that is remotely interested in helping you right now. Watching you cook is probably more my speed.”

  I chuckle at her candor. “Well at least you eliminated one potential hobby before you sunk a bunch of money into small appliances.”

  We continue to chat about our lives, just getting to know each other. For someone who doesn’t know what her interests are, she’s really interesting herself. Her thoughts on new tax laws are surprisingly engaging considering I have a financial advisor to worry about all that shit.

  But it isn’t until we’re sitting down to eat that I realize how much I could get used to this. Having her here, just talking about nothing special.

  Tucking her legs under her, I present Ellery with lemon chicken and roasted spring veggies on a bed of freshly made couscous. Her eyes light up and she licks her lips, ready to dig in.

  Taking her first bite, Ellery moans and I feel it all the way into my groin.

  “Oh wow, this is so good.” She takes a second bite, closing her eyes to savor as she chews.

  I, on the other hand, have lost my ability to eat, too focused on the look on her face.

  Ellery’s eyes open and she goes for another bite, but stops when she makes eye contact with me.

  Her eyes dart around quickly. “What?”

  “I can’t eat when you moan like that.”

  A blush immediately creeps up her face, but then she surprises me once again. Carefully placing her fork down, Ellery wipes her mouth with her napkin, pushes away from the table, and walks toward me. I watch, barely breathing, waiting to see what she does next. I’m not disappointed when she straddles me and sits on my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck.

  Our lips fuse together and I’m lost in this woman. This tiny, petite thing can disarm me with one look on her face, one moan, one kiss, one impromptu climb onto my lap.

  As our tongues tangle, my hips begin to rock, getting nowhere and doing nothing to ease the tension in my groin.

  Grabbing her by the thighs, I walk over to the kitchen island and sit her on top, giving myself the ability to grind into her.

  Ellery gasps at the feel. “Are we about to have kitchen sex?” Her eyes light up as she says it.

  “Only if you want to.”

  “Oh, I want to.”

  That’s all I need to hear and apparently all she needs to say. We’re suddenly ripping at each other’s clothes, desperate to get each other naked.

  “I really enjoyed our date last night,” Ellery breathes. “But I’ve been hoping to get back to the sex.”

  I smile at her words. “Leaving you with just a peck was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I had to whack in the shower last night. Twice.”

  Ellery pulls back to look at me, lips swollen from my kisses. “That is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “As sexy as me saying I’m about to fuck you on this counter?”

  “No, yeah, that was the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  We continue pulling at each other’s clothing until we’re finally both naked and ready. My hands run all over her smooth skin, pulling her body closer to the edge of the counter.

  “Condom,” she breathes.

  Reaching behind her, I pull open a drawer, riffle around for a second before producing the prize. Ellery starts laughing.

  “Why do you have a condom in your kitchen?”

  I shrug. “It’s a junk drawer. No idea how the condom got there, but I happened to see it this morning.”

  She laughs again but abruptly stops to watch me slide the condom over my
length. Biting her lip, Ellery’s eyes look back and forth from my cock to my eyes and back to my cock again. As soon as I’m sheathed, she wraps her legs around me and pulls me toward her, not wanting to waste any time.

  “Are you ready?” I murmur against her lips.

  “Ready. Don’t go slow.”

  That’s all the encouragement I need.

  We both groan as I plunge inside her. I pause so she can adjust to me and to give myself a second to control the orgasm that already wants to take over. Once I’m satisfied we’re both good to go, the frenzy begins.

  I thrust hard and fast, spurred on by Ellery’s moans and words of approval.

  “Lay back, baby.”

  She does as I ask, leaning on her elbows, eyes glued to the place where we connect. Watching her watch us makes me almost blow. Instead, I bend her knees, placing her feet on the counter so I can get deeper. In mere seconds, Ellery’s head falls back and her arms give out as the orgasm rips through her body.

  I let go and join her, never taking my eyes off the look on her face as she comes. My orgasm slams into me making me nearly collapse on top of her from the sheer force.

  As we come down from our high, both of us breathing heavily, I’m hit with the thought that this is it for me. Ellery is it for me. I don’t want anyone else. Ever.

  It’s a heavy thought and yet, not one that scares me at all. In fact, it feels exactly right. I’ll just have to wait until she’s as ready as I am.

  As she runs her hands down my back, I kiss Ellery’s neck and shoulder and jaw. Small pecks of appreciation and gentle emotion.

  “That was amazing,” she says with a sigh. “Can’t wait to find out what’s for dessert.”

  I bark out a laugh because I know what I’m planning to eat.

  And I do. Right on that same counter again.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ellery

  It’s been two days since my first experience at a hibachi grill. It’s been one day since kitchen sex. It’s been non-stop texting with Liam the whole time.

  We’ve had in-depth conversations about heavy subjects, and light conversations about day-to-day stuff. Nothing seems off-limits and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.