Blocked: A Breakaway Novel

by L. P. Dover

  “We’ll see.” I had no doubt there’d be a fight. There always was when we played Minnesota.

  We spent the rest of the day searching for houses and gathering as many brochures as possible before I had to take her home. I pulled up at her house and the front door was open. “If you don’t want to deal with your brothers, you can always stay at my house.”

  She snorted. “You’re the one who’s going to be with Justin all week. I’ll have this place to myself.”

  On my set of keys, I had an extra one to my house. “Take this,” I said, handing it to her. “Even if you don’t stay over this week, do you mind checking up on my house every other day? It’ll save me having to deal with my weird neighbor to get my mail.”

  Giggling, she nodded. “I’ll be sure to check it and set it on your kitchen counter.”

  Grabbing the back of her neck, I pulled her close, pressing my lips to hers. “Thanks.” She moaned into my mouth and I wanted to take her right then and there.

  “Play hard this week,” she murmured. “I’ll be watching the games.”

  I kissed her again. “I will. I’ll call you every day.”

  Her smile was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. “Don’t forget.” Opening the car door, she slipped out and waved before disappearing inside. There was no way in hell I could forget her.

  Chapter 20

  Callie

  I walked through the door, not knowing what to expect once I got inside. Luckily, no one was around. I set the house brochures on the counter and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. As soon as I turned around, Justin was there, looking at my brochures.

  His blond hair was wet and he had a towel around his bare shoulders. “Moving?” he asked, holding up one of the brochures. Judging by the way he stared at me with such disappointment, there was no doubt he knew where I was last night.

  I took a sip of my water. “That’s the plan. You know this.”

  Pursing his lips, he nodded. “You were with Easton last night, weren’t you?”

  “What I do is my business,” I replied.

  He tossed the brochure back onto the counter. “He’s using you, Callie. Don’t you see that? He got what he wanted.”

  I shook my head. “That’s not true. He’s different from what I thought he was.”

  “It’s because he’s playing you!” he shouted. “You’re fooling yourself if you think he cares about you.”

  As calmly as I could, I walked over and fetched the brochures. Inside, I was fuming. “I’ll be the judge of that, Justin. It’s my choice.”

  “Then don’t be surprised when he doesn’t call you back. It’s what he does.”

  Without another word, I hurried to my room and shut the door. A part of me wanted to leave and go straight back to Dallas, but I couldn’t. I could deal with my family on my own. I’d barely had time to breathe when a knock sounded on my door.

  “I don’t want to hear anymore, Justin,” I growled.

  The door opened and Corey stuck his head in. “It’s not Justin.”

  Sighing, I flopped down on my bed. “Did you hear that downstairs?”

  He nodded and came into my room, dressed to perfection in a pair of black pants and a blue button-down shirt. “It was kind of hard not to. You okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I lied. “I know Dallas has a past, but he’s different around me—”

  “Says every girl he’s been with,” he interrupted. I glared at him and he held up his hands. “Sorry, it just came out.”

  Memories of our night together flooded my mind. We connected in a way I’d never felt with any other man. “He spent all day helping me find a place to live. What guy’s going to do that? He could’ve easily gotten what he wanted and brought me home, but he didn’t.”

  Corey squeezed my shoulder. “I already told you I’ll give him a chance, as long as he doesn’t hurt you. If you’re happy, I’m happy.”

  “I am,” I said, smiling wide. “I feel different when I’m around him.”

  Now it was his turn to grin. “I feel the same way about Hannah.”

  “Is that who you’re going to see looking all fancy?”

  Chuckling, he ran a hand down his shirt. “We’re going out to a nice dinner since I’ll be gone all week with Justin.”

  “Well, I hope you two have a blast. I’ll probably get her to hang out with me some this week after work.”

  He winked. “Good. Keep her out of trouble.” Taking a deep breath, he sat beside me on the bed. “There’s something you need to know.” His smile faded and I stared at him, my brows furrowed.

  “What is it?”

  “Brant’s not coming back. He’s going to stay in Minnesota with his fiancée, Lily.”

  “Wow,” I replied, fully shocked. “What made him decide that?”

  His grin came back. “She’s pregnant. Found out yesterday, but you weren’t here. Brant doesn’t want to leave her.”

  Tears filled my eyes. I was going to be an aunt. “That’s fantastic. I can’t wait for Mom and Dad to find out.”

  Getting up, he headed for the door. “They already know. You should be getting a call from them soon. I’ll see you in the morning before Justin and I head to the airport.”

  The second he shut my door, my phone rang. I couldn’t answer it fast enough. “Hey, Mom!” I answered excitedly.

  “Hey, baby. How are you?” She sounded so happy and full of life. My parents had been married for over forty years and were still going strong.

  “I’m fine. What about you and Dad? Exploring lots of cool places?”

  “Every day.” She laughed. “We’re going to sail around for a few more weeks and then leave the boat so we can fly back to the States for the Stanley Cup.”

  “What if the Strikers don’t make it to the finals?”

  She snorted. “I’ve been keeping up with the scores. I know they will.”

  “I can’t wait to see you guys. Feels like it’s been forever.”

  “Same here, sweetheart. But is everything okay out there? When I talked to Justin, he sounded on edge when I brought your name up.”

  Huffing, I lay back on my bed. “He’s mad because I’m dating Dallas Easton. He’s the goaltender for the Strikers.”

  My mother burst out laughing. “Love his heart, he’s just being protective of you. He’ll get over it.”

  “I don’t know about that,” I grumbled.

  “If you like this guy then that’s all that matters. You’ve always been a good judge of character.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I hope you’re right.”

  “A mother always is. Take care of yourself and be safe. I’ll talk to you again soon.”

  “Okay. I love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  I sure as hell hoped she was right.

  Chapter 21

  Dallas

  The first two games of the week were against Columbus and we smoked them. Now we were in Minnesota at the coliseum, ready to battle it out.

  “Did you see the way Marcus stared you down earlier?” Braeden said, putting on his gear.

  “Yep. And I know exactly what it means.” He obviously wanted payback for something he started and I finished.

  Kellan huffed and shook his head. “If he pulls the same shit like he did last year, he’s going down. I swear, they must have the refs in their pockets.”

  I couldn’t agree more. “No shit. Whatever happens, I want him.” I never would’ve had a problem with Marcus if he hadn’t kept jabbing me with his stick and bumping me so they could score. He never succeeded, but he did manage to lose his front teeth after I was done with him.

  “You going out with us tonight or are you going to stay in your room and talk to your girlfriend?” Braeden joked.

  I glanced over my shoulder at Justin, who glared at me. I’d spent every night this week after the games in my room, video chatting with Callie. I didn’t want to give her any reason not to trust me. Josh ended up hearing the conversation and butted i
n. “Girlfriend? Seriously? How long is that shit going to last?”

  Gritting my teeth, I started toward him, but Braeden grabbed my arm. “Let it go, man. You know how Josh likes to joke around. The last thing we need is you getting reprimanded and him put in the goal.”

  I thrust a finger at his chest. “Better watch your mouth, Harrison. I’m getting tired of listening to it.”

  Josh bucked up, but one of our other defensive players, Wes Bradley, held him back. “He’s dating Justin’s sister,” he hissed low. “Shut the fuck up before they both go after you.”

  Josh’s eyes widened when he turned to me. “Holy shit, you’re dating his sister? This is classic. No wonder Davis hates you.”

  Maddox slapped Josh on the shoulder. “And Easton knows that if he hurts her, he’ll have me and Davis after him.”

  Justin stormed out of the locker room, followed by Maddox and some of the other players. Kellan shook his head and laughed. “You’re in some deep shit, brother. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  I scoffed. “I hope so. Callie’s different from everyone else. I can’t seem to think of anyone other than her.”

  Kellan and Braeden both smirked at each other. “Sounds like you’re falling hard,” Braeden said. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

  “Me, either.” I put on the rest of my pads and slid on my jersey. “Now let’s go kick some ass.”

  We lined up with the rest of the team, and once the introductions were made and the music started playing, we took the ice. There wasn’t a lot of blue in the crowd. I took one turn around the rink with the team and then went straight to the goal. The whole coliseum pulsated with energy, the crowd cheering and hollering for their team. Judging by the way the Minnesota boys stared us down, it was going to be a rough game. Even the referees seemed on edge.

  Kellan skated by me. “Stay focused, Easton.”

  I saluted him. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

  Everyone got into position and the game was on. All the action stayed on the other end, which was good. There was a lot of elbowing and clipping going on out there. It was times like that I wished I was an enforcer. All of my past coaches said I was too volatile to be one. That was why I directed all of my anger to protecting the goal.

  Getting bombarded, Kellan passed the puck to Maddox, who kept being jabbed in the side by Daryl Frazier, Marcus’s wingman. “Are you fucking serious?” I shouted, holding out my arms. The refs weren’t calling shit.

  Luckily, Braeden slammed Daryl into the wall, freeing Maddox so he could take the shot. It went in, putting the score at one to nothing. Tension filled the air and it felt like any minute things were going to explode. I was ready for it.

  Everyone headed down my way and I focused on the puck, along with Marcus, who skated right toward me. Bring it on, fucker. Daryl and Kellan fought for the puck, and when Daryl took the shot, Marcus tripped me with his stick, only I was able to stop it from going in. There were loud boos from our people in the crowd, and yet the refs still did nothing.

  “What now, you fucking cunt?” I shouted at Marcus. “If you want to lose more teeth, fuck with me again.” Braeden skated over and Marcus backed off. If the refs weren’t going to handle it, I sure as hell was.

  “He must want his ass kicked,” Braeden huffed.

  Gritting my teeth, I took a deep breath. It was only the first interval and I wanted to kill him. “He’s going to get more than that,” I growled.

  The guys kept it on the other end for a while, with Kellan scoring us another goal. It only infuriated Minnesota even more. I knew what was coming. Marcus headed straight back to me and I focused as one of their players was about to shoot. There were so many players around he had his opportunity to strike. The blow to my back came just as his teammate took the shot.

  “Damn, Easton. Why so clumsy?” Marcus sneered.

  I fell to the ice, leaving the goal wide open. More boos came from the crowd, and that was all it took. All I could see was red. Kellan charged at Marcus, but ended up getting stopped by another player. Sticks, gloves, and helmets littered the ice, but I only had one goal. Marcus threw off his helmet and smiled, taunting me. Braeden skated after him, but I beat him to it, throwing off my gloves and mask in the process.

  Rage consumed me and I tackled Marcus to the ice. “Son of a bitch,” I shouted, punching him right in the nose. Blood splattered across his face and he hit me back, clocking me against the cheek. It spurred me on even more. I punched him again and again until we were separated by the refs and I was pushed away.

  Seething, Marcus wiped the blood away from his broken nose and I smiled as big as I could. “You’re pathetic.”

  Braeden handed me my mask and I took a glance around the rink. “You gave the world a good show. Now let’s finish this.” Apparently my fight with Marcus was the last one to be broken up. Everyone else had already grabbed their gear off the ice.

  Slipping on my mask, I triumphantly skated back to the goal while Marcus was taken out of the game. Victory was mine.

  After a triumphant win, I grabbed a bite to eat with the guys to celebrate and headed straight back to the hotel. There were more missed calls on my phone from Ty, but I didn’t give a shit about calling him back, especially if all I was going to hear from him was about how Callie was bad for business.

  My phone beeped with an incoming text from Lacey: Can’t wait to see you and meet your girlfriend this weekend.

  I replied: Me, too. Callie’s excited.

  Earlier in the week, I’d told her about Callie and everything we’d gone through so I could date her. She was happy to see that I’d stuck with just one girl for longer than a week. Getting comfortable on the bed, I called Callie. The second she appeared on my phone screen, she shook her head with the biggest smile on her face.

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “What?”

  “You. Strutting across the ice after you beat the shit out of Marcus. It’s a classic Dallas move.”

  “What can I say, I kicked ass,” I said, brushing off my shoulders.

  “That you did. Marcus deserved it after those cheap shots at you. I was getting so pissed at the refs for not calling anything.”

  I scoffed. “You and me both. Thankfully, none of us were penalized except for Marcus.”

  She sat back on her bed and I got a good look at her clothes. Her hair was in waves around her shoulders and her purple top dipped low in the front, revealing the tops of her breasts. It was definitely different from the scrubs she wore every day.

  “Did you go out tonight?” I asked her. A pang of jealousy sparked in my gut, but I reined it in. She looked so damn sexy, and the last thing I wanted was for other guys to come on to her when I wasn’t there.

  Nodding, Callie glanced down at her clothes. “Hannah and I went to Sammy’s to eat dinner and watch the game.”

  “I see. How many guys hit on you tonight?”

  Her lips pulled back into a small smile. “Are you nervous about something?”

  “Hell yeah. You’re sexy as hell and I’m not there to keep other men away from you.”

  She burst out laughing. “I can take care of myself. But if you must know, there was a guy who offered to buy me a drink and I refused. I told him I was taken.” Then her eyes narrowed. “I mean, I am taken, right?”

  “Fuck yeah, you are. You’re mine.”

  “Good. Because I have a surprise for you.” She grabbed a bottle of vodka off of her nightstand and took a long draft.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  She hissed as the vodka went down her throat. “Trying to loosen up a bit. What I’m about to do is something I’ve never done before. I figured after the night you had, you could use a little fun.”

  A million things ran rampant through my mind and my dick twitched. Eyes glued to the screen, I watched her situate her phone across the room and smile seductively at me as she flipped open her laptop.

  “Fun, huh? What exactly do you have in mind?” I asked, palming my
dick. Seeing her in that top and those skintight black pants, all I could think about was ripping them off. She clicked on her laptop and turned on Britney Spears’s “Gimme More.” “You’re going to dance for me?”

  She moved close to the screen and winked. I had a feeling she’d had more than just that sip of vodka a few minutes ago. “Yep, and maybe take off a few clothes here and there. Sit back and enjoy it, because I’m probably never doing this again.”

  Completely turned on and hard as a fucking rock, I watched her dance around her room. Callie was a strong, serious woman at times and a vixen in bed, but I had no clue she could dance so sexy and provocatively like a real-life stripper.

  “Fuck, this is so hot.”

  Callie turned around and looked at me over her shoulder. “Ready for it to get hotter?”

  I couldn’t even muster a reply I was so fucking turned on. Swaying her hips, she lifted her shirt, showing only her back to me. She had on a lacy black bra that no doubt matched the thong underneath her pants. Facing me, she lowered them, keeping her seductive gaze on mine as she bared her body to me.

  My fingers ached to touch her, and I’d have given anything to be there and spread her wide on the bed. Callie danced over to her bed and grabbed one of the posts, dancing up on it like it was a stripper pole. I was in heaven.

  The song was close to ending, so Callie climbed onto her bed and took off her bra. On her knees, she squeezed her breasts and thrust her hips, moaning as if she was getting off. I could almost imagine me beneath her as she rode me. Fuck, I was going to come just thinking about it.

  Once the song was over, she fell onto her bed and blew out a breath. “Wow, that was crazy.” My balls felt like they were going to explode. Groaning, I palmed my dick again, hoping to get some relief, with no luck.

  “That was so damn sexy,” I said. She grabbed her phone and smiled. I could still see her breasts, her nipples all taut and swollen. “When I get back home tomorrow night, we’re not leaving my bedroom.”

  She giggled. “Sounds good to me. I’ll be waiting for you. I wish I could be there now. Looks like you’re a little worked up.”