Declan (Wild Men Book 8)

by Melissa Belle

  “Let’s wait until after your game tonight,” I stall. “I don’t want anything to disrupt your concentration.”

  “So we’ll talk tomorrow?” he says.

  “Yes. Tomorrow.”

  And between now and then, I’ll try to figure out how to get a hold of my body, which is galloping away from my brain at a fast clip. Not to mention my heart, which is what I’m most concerned about. Lust and incredible sex are one thing. Emotional involvement is another. And the more I get to know Declan as a man, the more I wonder if I can stop myself from wanting it all with him.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Declan

  Tex puts out his hand, and we bump fists. I do the same with Arch, Jared, and Max before we walk out of the locker room.

  Time to take on my old team.

  And Mia’s going to be in the stands.

  As I hit the ice with my teammates, I glance at the section where her seats are located, right behind our bench.

  Empty.

  The swirling sensation in my gut is concern. Mia is nothing if not true to her word, and when she said she’d be here tonight, I know she meant it.

  Cam and Brayden wave as they take their seats, and I fight the urge to go ask my brother if he can call Mia.

  I take my shots on goal. As I miss two in a row, I can tell my concentration is off. So, the first chance I have, I approach the security guard standing by the team bench.

  “Can you let me know as soon as my wife gets here?” I gesture to the empty seats behind him.

  “Of course, Mr. Wild.”

  Cam calls out to me, but before I can ask him about Mia, Coach Tucker beckons.

  “Everything all right?” he asks.

  I remember our last conversation, so I skip the bullshit this time. “Mia’s not here yet. I’m a little worried.”

  He smiles. “It’s not even game time yet.”

  “I know, but I asked her to get here early. She said she would.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be here soon. It’s her first time.” He claps me on the back. “Get your head in the game.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Mia

  Jamie Beth and I hop into her beat-up minivan she inherited from her sister when her sister and her husband upgraded to a new one. We’ve just left the cabin when we run into Luke, Chase, and Cooper standing in the middle of the road leading up to the main house.

  All three are wearing cowboy hats, yet I can still see the tension etched on their faces.

  Jamie Beth pushes the button to lower the driver’s side window. “Aren’t you cowboys going to the game?”

  Luke nods. “We’re running a little late.”

  “What’s going on?” I ask him.

  He leans into Jamie Beth’s window. “One of the horses has gone into labor early. We’re waiting on the vet to arrive. My dad’s in the stall with her now.”

  “Oh, my gosh. Is there anything we can do?”

  “No, you ladies should get going. I can imagine Dec’s anxiety if his wife isn’t in her seat by the start of the game.”

  “He won’t even notice,” I say. “He’s going to be a little busy playing hockey.”

  “I’m with Luke,” Jamie Beth says. “He’ll definitely notice.”

  As we’re chatting, a truck comes barreling down the road, stopping right in front of Chase and Cooper. It pulls off to the side, onto the field.

  “Vet’s here.” Luke taps the top of the van. “See you at the game. We’ll be sitting right behind y’all.”

  As we wave goodbye and drive past them, Jamie Beth says to me, “You didn’t tell me the guys are coming to the game too.”

  “Of course they are,” I say. “Is that a problem?”

  “No,” she says quickly.

  “You and Cooper…”

  “Aren’t anything at all,” she says firmly. “Next topic, please.”

  I laugh and reach for the radio.

  We’ve made it onto the highway when we hear a thump-thump-thump. Jamie Beth grips onto the wheel hard.

  “The steering…what the hell—it’s the tire!” she says. “We must have hit something.”

  “Pull off to the side,” I suggest.

  She eases the van over to the shoulder of the highway and puts it in Park.

  We both get out on my side to avoid any passing cars and look at the tires.

  Yep. The back right tire is blown.

  Jamie Beth and I look at each other. “We’re going to be so late,” she says. “Roadside assistance could take ages to get here…”

  “I know how to change a tire,” I say. “I’m not super-fast, but I can do it.”

  “I knew you were my best friend for a reason.” She heads for the back of the van. “I think the spare is back here.”

  Turns out Jamie Beth has no idea where her spare tire is. We finally locate it underneath the car, but in order to access the jack, we have to unload several boxes from the back of her van that are blocking the door to the compartment where it’s stored.

  The entire sequence takes far longer than I’d like it to, and by the time we’ve jacked up the car and successfully changed out the tire, we’re extremely late for Declan’s game.

  I text him, but I assume he’ll have no way of seeing that until after the game ends.

  Add in the fact that we can’t drive as fast with her spare, and it’s midway through the first period before we’re inside the arena and heading for our section. The score is tied at zero.

  As we approach our seats, I notice Luke and his brothers aren’t here yet. But Cam and Brayden are.

  “How’s Savannah?” Jamie Beth asks Cam.

  “Good. She’s so close to her due date that she wasn’t up for a big crowd,” Cam explains. “Leleila said she’d stay with her. I didn’t want to leave her, but I want to see Dec crush his old team.”

  I smile at his enthusiasm. Cam and Declan are loyal to each other, a trait I find very endearing.

  We’ve just settled into our seats when a security guard approaches me.

  “Ma’am.” He tips his cap. “You must be Mrs. Wild.”

  “Yes. Hello.”

  He gestures to the ice. “Your husband has been worried about you.”

  Cam chuckles from behind me. “That’s interesting.”

  I glance out at the ice. Number twelve with Wild on the back of his jersey is skating toward the goal. He’s got the puck, but the opponent takes it away before he can get a shot off.

  I frown. “Go, Wild!” I shout as loudly as I can.

  A timeout is called, and all the players head toward the bench just a few feet in front of where Jamie Beth and I are sitting.

  The security guard smiles at me, his dark eyes bright. “I’ll let him know you’ve arrived safely. I think it will help.”

  As he heads down the stairs toward the bench, I turn to Jamie Beth. “You don’t think Declan noticed we weren’t here, do you? I figured he’d be preoccupied with the game.”

  Her eyes widen. “Um, Mia?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Turn to your left.”

  I do as she says, and then I gasp. Declan, skates and all, is climbing the stairs toward us.

  When he reaches me, he pulls off his helmet. Sweat pours off his forehead, and his cheeks are flushed from exertion. His gray eyes lock with mine, and we both break into a smile at the same time.

  “You’re here,” he says simply.

  “Of course. I’m so sorry we’re late. I know I promised I’d be on time, but…”

  “It’s completely my fault,” Jamie Beth chimes in. “My minivan got a flat tire. And Mia’s so awesome—she changed it herself.”

  “Shit.” Declan’s brow creases with worry. “Did it happen on the highway?”

  I nod. “But we were very careful. The tire was on the shoulder side of the van. And it was nobody’s fault,” I add with a stern look over at Jamie Beth. “Just an unfortunate situation. We’re totally fine, and Luke and them will be here shortly. One of thei
r horses went into labor. So you head back out there and kick some ass, Mr. Wild. I’m sure you’re—”

  Declan leans down and kisses me.

  On the lips.

  Just a quick, closed-mouth kiss. The kind of kiss a husband would give his wife in public. Not attention-seeking and no PDA.

  But for me—for us—it’s more than that.

  He knows it.

  I know it.

  Cam and Brayden, who I can hear laughing behind me, know it.

  Hell, Jamie Beth knows it, and her muted squeal of surprise makes that clear.

  Declan’s sweaty and sexy and so freaking gorgeous. I stare up at him as he backs away.

  “See you after the game,” he tells me as he heads back to the bench.

  “What. The. Fuck.” Jamie Beth slaps my leg as the game starts up again. “Declan just kissed you like this is…” She leans in and whispers in my ear, “Like this is real between y’all. Did you catch that?”

  I keep my voice low. “Of course I caught that. I don’t know what the hell he was doing.”

  “Staking his claim. Marking his territory. Telling the seventeen thousand people in this arena that he’s taken.” Jamie Beth squeals again. “Should I keep going?”

  “Please don’t.” I turn to look at her. “Let’s table this discussion for later. Right now, and for the next couple of hours, I need to put all my energy into making sure the Wild Kings win.”

  “They will,” Jamie says confidently. “They’ve got this. They’re dominating this season.”

  The Kings may be dominant, but tonight is not their night.

  Even after Luke, Chase, and Cooper show up and take their seats behind us with the others, and we all cheer until we’re hoarse, the Kings cannot put the puck in the damn net.

  I’ve been studying the game all week.

  More importantly, I’ve been studying Declan.

  He’s gone cold tonight.

  All his shots are slightly off the mark.

  And the rest of the team is the same.

  Shots that they’d normally make or at least have a good chance of making—they miss by a wide margin.

  Passes are off-target.

  They let the Alphas pressure them into turnovers on the defensive end, and Denver controls the puck for most of the second period.

  I have a sinking feeling in my gut.

  “They’re going to lose,” I whisper to Jamie at intermission.

  “Don’t worry,” she says with a pat to my knee. “You’re not a jinx.”

  “What?” I turn to her. “What do you mean—a jinx?”

  She widens her eyes. “Nothing. I just meant—you know how superstitious athletes are. And sometimes the fans like to lay blame on a player’s significant other. I’ve read about it before with one or two celebrity couples. It’s stupid, though.”

  I gasp. “You mean people will think they’re losing because I’m here? I’m the jinx?!”

  “What are you talking about?” Cam says from behind us. “Something about a jinx?”

  I turn around.

  Luke and Chase lean in closer, and Cooper and Brayden both raise their eyebrows.

  I put my hand over Jamie’s mouth before she can answer. Her eyes sparkle with humor as I say, “It’s just a joke. Nothing to tell.”

  I take my hand off of my best friend’s mouth but shoot her a warning look. She smiles at me but says nothing.

  “Huh.” Cooper leans in so his head is between us and looks from Jamie Beth to me. “I hate to pry…”

  “Ha.” Jamie rolls her eyes at him. “You love to pry, Wild One.”

  “Wild One?” I say to her. “What’s that mean?”

  “She calls me Wild One and Chase Wild Two.” Cooper grins. “You want to hazard a guess as to why I’m the One?”

  I look at Jamie, who smiles sweetly at Cooper. “Chase is more mature than you. He’s a year older mentally and emotionally.”

  Chase laughs. “True.”

  But Cooper’s grin just widens. “I call bullshit.”

  Jamie Beth’s face reddens. I smile to myself. My best friend doesn’t give her hand away often, and a quick call-out is the only thing that works on her. Cooper seems to know that.

  He also seems to know when to stop pressing his luck because he says, “But I’m done messing with you, JB. Plus, intermission’s over. Back to the game.”

  The third period starts out promising.

  Declan gets a great shot on goal, but the goalie makes an amazing save.

  And then, Jared gets into a huge fight with two of the Alphas, but only he gets ejected.

  Behind me, I can hear Luke cursing and Cam shouting encouragement. Cooper and Jamie Beth keep insisting that the Kings will pull out the win.

  But as the clock winds down, Denver scores on the power play.

  The buzzer sounds to signal the end of the game, and my fears come true—the scoreboard reads Denver one and Montana zero.

  “They lost,” I say flatly.

  “They’ll get them in the playoffs,” Cam says confidently. “The Kings are the better team.”

  “They are,” Luke says. “But they didn’t play like it tonight. Just one of those games. It happens.”

  Jamie Beth’s innocent comment about me being a jinx won’t leave my head. Today’s anniversary is making me extra emotional, and I feel ridiculous that I’m fighting back tears as I watch Declan exit the ice.

  He glances up at our section and waves, but his helmet’s still on, so I can’t read his expression.

  “Let’s go wait for him outside the locker room,” Cam says.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  We’re all standing in the hallway when Declan emerges from the metal doors of the Kings’ locker room. He’s alone, and I search his face for signs of frustration over the loss.

  I don’t see any of that. He smiles when he sees us waiting for him and heads toward us.

  He’s dressed in black pants and a dress shirt that’s open at the collar. No tie, and his long black coat is casually stylish as he strides toward us. His dark hair is damp from the shower, and his eyes fix on me as he reaches us.

  The guys immediately crowd him with their thoughts on the game—and the refs.

  Jamie Beth and I step back and wait.

  “Boys,” Jamie says, gesturing to them with a flick of her wrist. “Sports is literally like porn to them, isn’t it? Cooper was rambling on about stat lines and all this crap I couldn’t care less about.”

  I’m barely listening to her because Declan pushes past his brother and cousins and steps closer to me. Without saying a word, he wraps his arms around me in a hug.

  I hang onto him like I’m the one who just lost a big game.

  I guess because I feel like I did.

  “I don’t want you driving home on a spare,” he says over my head to Jamie Beth. “I’ll have my mechanic pick up your van tomorrow morning and take it to the shop. For tonight, one of us can drive you home.”

  I step back from Declan’s warm, hard body and turn to Jamie. “You can stay with us tonight at the cabin,” I say.

  “Okay, that sounds fun,” she says.

  “We’ll drive you,” Cooper says, gesturing to himself, Chase, and Luke. “Let the newlyweds ride together.”

  Jamie looks pointedly at Declan’s arm still around my shoulders. “I had the same thought.”

  “But we’re all having a drink at the house,” Luke says to Declan and me. “So make sure you come by.”

  Declan

  Losing always sucks. Every single time, I go over and over the missed opportunities in my mind.

  Tonight is no exception.

  I’m quiet on the drive home, not so much that Mia would think I was upset, just more than my normal.

  But something other than losing to my former team is bothering me. Something about Mia’s expression when I looked up at her after the game ended…she nearly looked like someone had died.

  I’ve seen my dad’s face after a tough
loss, but that’s always more disappointment and anger.

  Mia just looked…sad.

  We’re pulling into the ranch when I say what’s on my mind.

  “Are you going to tell me what you’re so upset about?” I ask her quietly.

  I feel rather than see her jerk her head to face me.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” she says. “I’m fine. I just feel bad that you lost. I know how important winning is to you.”

  We’ve reached the part of the ranch where there’s a pull-out that guests use to access a walking trail into the forested part of the land.

  I pull into the paved semi-circle now and cut the engine. We’re immediately covered in darkness with only the half-moon and the plentiful stars as light.

  I turn in my seat until I’m facing Mia’s profile bathed in the moonlight.

  “You’re important to me, too, Mia. And no offense, but I don’t think you’re fine right now. I saw your face after the buzzer sounded. Maybe I’m not reading things correctly, but whatever was bothering you earlier doesn’t seem to have gone away.”

  She brings her knees up to her chin and wraps her arms around her jean-clad legs. She looks so young all of a sudden, and I have a feeling her sadness is about far more than a hockey game.

  “Declan, I don’t want to involve you in my messes,” she says as she looks down at her knees. “You’re my fake husband, not my real one.”

  Those words hit me like a knife to my gut.

  She’s right, of course.

  Mia and I got married for all the wrong reasons. I admit there’s no way in hell I’d have a wife right now if the circumstances were different.

  But none of that matters in this moment. What matters is that Mia is my wife, for better or worse, for the next year. And I want to…

  Fuck, I don’t know what I want to do. I just know I can’t let her shut me out like this on something that’s obviously paining her.

  I reach over and run the back of my hand over her cheek. Her skin is soft.

  But the part that gets me the most is her reaction to my touch.

  She shivers.