Breakout (San Francisco Strikers Book 1)

by Stephanie Kay

  “Stop. We were having a serious discussion, and you’re distracting me,” she said against his lips, and then leaned back in her chair, putting distance between them.

  “Sorry. Hockey, right?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes. Hockey. You know, that sport you play,” she teased. “Did you ever play in an All-Star Game?”

  “I’m hurt that you don’t know my entire Wikipedia history,” he said, pretending to be shocked. Her grin was adorable.

  “I might’ve scanned through it quickly when I first found out who you really were, but I didn’t memorize it. I wanted nothing to do with you, remember?”

  “How could I forget? But, to answer your question, yes, I played in an All-Star Game a few years ago. It’s a lot of fun, especially since my team won the final game of the weekend. I did place second in the accuracy competition. Took me six tries to destroy four plates. The current Penguins captain got it in four.”

  Hanging out with the elite in the league was an honor. Animosity was pushed aside and they hammed it up for the fans. He’d go back if they ever asked again.

  “Are you sad that they didn’t ask you this year?”

  “Not really. And I get a break to spend the weekend with you. If you could’ve torn yourself away from work, we could be on a beach right now, soaking up the sun in very little clothing.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she laughed.

  “Have you seen me? I’d be loaded up with sunscreen, under an umbrella, and wearing a shirt. The sun and I do not get along.”

  “Then we’d spend the weekend inside. Maybe skinny dip in our own private pool.” He shifted in his seat again, thinking about all her pale skin on display for his eyes only. He needed to rein it in, or he was going to put on a show for the rest of the people in the restaurant when he stood up.

  “I’ve never gone skinny dipping. Too much of a risk. What if your clothes get knocked into the water or someone takes them? Or you get caught?” She shook her head. “Definitely too risky.”

  “I’ll convince you one day. Just you wait.”

  “We’ll see,” she said, taking a final bite of the brownie. “Shall we get out of here?” That twinkle in her eye almost had him jumping up to flag down the waitress. He contemplated just throwing money on the table and steering her toward the door more than once since they’d sat down.

  Luckily the waitress chose that moment to walk by. He had his credit card out and in the woman’s hand faster than she could ask if they needed anything else. He ignored Penny’s chuckle. She was definitely the troublemaker in this situation.

  “Are we in a rush or something?” Her smile belying the pure innocence in her green eyes.

  “You could tempt a saint, you know that?”

  “Only interested in tempting you.”

  “The feeling is definitely mutual.” He signed the charge slip as soon as the waitress dropped it off, and then propelled Penny out of the restaurant.

  Her laugh turned into a huff as the cold air washed over them when they stepped outside. The wind chill tonight was brutal, but it gave him an excuse to wrap her tightly in his arms and steer her toward his car.

  “Well, if it isn’t the golden boy,” a familiar voice cut through the brisk air. Ethan would know that voice anywhere. He waited for Julie to pipe in with her own remark, but only heard Penny’s growl of irritation. Which was hot, and he wished they weren’t about to be interrupted by his family. Especially his brother.

  “I’m so sorry,” he whispered into Penny’s ear before he turned to face Darren, who was blissfully alone. Wait. Why was his brother walking out of a bar alone?

  “Hello, Darren. Where’s the rest of your group?” Ethan asked.

  “Left them inside. Gotta head home. The wife needs me for something.”

  Ethan didn’t miss the emphasis on wife, nor did it bother him to hear Darren say it. At one point in his life, he’d imagined calling Julie his wife. He’d dodged a bullet with that one. And he never would’ve found Penny if he’d ended up with Julie. That in itself was a blessing.

  “What is your problem?” He was tired of tiptoeing around the issue.

  “My problem? You come home after six years of nothing, and now I’m the bad guy in the family again.”

  “You slept with my girlfriend, who I was still dating, and then you married her and everyone just had to accept it,” Ethan said. Jesus, his brother had some big balls to whine to him. Ethan had started to question just how on board his parents had been with his brother’s marriage. Had he pushed them away because he didn’t want to see whose side they’d pick? Had he judged too quickly and missed out on years that he could never get back?

  “And you’re still upset about it? Still have feelings for my wife?”

  “Absolutely not. I moved on ages ago. I’m more pissed that my own brother thought it was okay to sleep with my girlfriend. That everyone would have to accept it and be one happy family.”

  “It doesn’t bother you that she preferred me?” Darren sneered. A calm reassurance settled over him. It took him a minute to realize it was Penny slipping her hand under his coat, trailing her hand slowly up and down his lower back. The same thing he’d done for her when they’d run into Michael a few weeks ago.

  “Let’s be honest. She preferred your money. Your stable career path. I was a gamble. I might’ve never made it to the NHL or had a contract that brought in enough money for her.” He let out a harsh chuckle. “Funny thing is, I was home early to tell her about the deal I’d just signed with New York. Guess she should’ve held out a little longer.” The dig was immature, but he’d needed to say it. He was done with the nonsense. He had his family back. He was moving on to better, so much better.

  “Oh, look. Here’s a cab,” he said, holding his hand out to grab the cabbie’s attention. When it pulled up to the curb, Ethan held the door open. “You should get home. Sleep off the booze. Maybe we’ll see you at the next family dinner.” He slammed the door shut, tapping the roof of the car before his brother could say anything else.

  Penny laughed softly next to him. “Feel better now?”

  “Yeah, that was completely childish of me, but I couldn’t resist.”

  “I’m glad you finally told him to shove it. After everything he’s done to you, the riff he caused within your family,” she trailed off, shaking her head. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, but look where you are now.”

  “Yes, I’m about to take my girlfriend home with me and do things to her that we couldn’t do in Italy because she had a bum knee. And then tomorrow morning, we are going to wake up and do it all over again. Maybe if you’re good, I’ll throw in some popcorn and a chick flick.”

  She chuckled. “You do know the way to a girl’s heart. Shall we?”

  He tugged her close, kissing her with everything he had, swallowing her moan, before releasing her just as fast as he’d grabbed her.

  “Let’s go.” He pulled her toward the car, still trying to figure out just how he’d gotten so lucky.

  Chapter 22

  “The client cannot show more in meals and entertainment than gross income,” she said as she reviewed one of Kevin’s files on Monday afternoon. The account had been hers, so she knew what she could deduct, and Kevin appeared to just throw random numbers into the accounting software to see what he could get by her. “You cannot show a massive increase in something like that if the gross receipts haven’t drastically increased as well.”

  She wanted the day to end. With every question he asked, the less time she had for her own work, but she refused to let her clients suffer because she missed something or rushed the review of their files.

  She already wasted a good chunk of the morning thinking about that run-in with Ethan’s brother this past weekend. She was so proud that he’d stood up for himself, but would it cause more issues with his family, now that he’d put his brother in his place?

  “Maybe they were wining and dining a lot of new clients,” Kevin said, jabbing his pen at
her computer screen, and pulling her from her thoughts.

  “Not that many clients,” she retorted as she pulled up her notes and changed the amount in that field.

  “If you are going to continue to correct me, why don’t you just do all the work yourself?” he bit out.

  “I might as well,” she grumbled, wishing she’d kept that thought internal as soon as she’d said it. Boss’s son. Boss’s son.

  “This is a waste of time. As soon as I’m running this place, I’ll never need to do this stuff, so why bother showing me?” God, he was a sniveling punk.

  “It’s not a waste of time. Clients expect the owners of this company to know what they are doing, why else would they trust their taxes with us? If they end up getting audited, it comes back on us.” She was so tired of reiterating that to him.

  “So just do the work for me, and then we won’t risk an audit, since you’re so perfect,” he sneered.

  “Please don’t speak to me that way,” she replied. Calm. Calming breaths. Holy hell, she wanted to throat punch him. She clenched her fist in her lap, willing the day to end.

  “Are you going to tell on me? Or maybe you can just have Ethan tell his uncle,” he said.

  “My relationship with Ethan has nothing to do with my job. My personal and professional lives are completely separate. I do not appreciate what you are implying, but I have worked very hard for my position in this firm, prior to even meeting Robert’s nephew.”

  “And Ethan isn’t helping you into a new position?” His tone was lewd and she’d had enough.

  “This conversation is over. If you ever think about speaking to me that way again, I will go to Human Resources and report it. I do not care what you last name is,” she replied, keeping her voice as even as possible when she was about ready to explode.

  “Right. HR. The department your best friend runs? You really know how to get an in with the correct people,” he replied, rising from the seat next to her.

  “Get out.” She walked around her desk and opened her door.

  “Just remember that when I’m running this place, you had better clean up your attitude. Oh, and sleeping to get to the top won’t be happening.” He shut the door behind him after his last parting shot, and Penny stifled her scream. Fucking asshole. Why did she put up with this shit?

  ***

  “He said what?” Ethan growled as Penny relayed her afternoon with Kevin to him later that night. They’d settled on the couch at her place, and after tossing back a glass of wine, Penny had filled him in.

  “I’m going to talk to Robert. That asshole can’t speak to you that way. It’s a shame I don’t work in your office, maybe I could trip him on the stairs. Accidentally, of course.”

  “You can’t do that,” she said, turning to face him.

  “Which part?”

  She bit back her smile. “Both. That would prove Kevin right.”

  “I guess. What can I do? That little punk needs to be put in his place,” he replied.

  She put her hand on his chest. “Thank you. And while I appreciate your support, I need to ignore him and continue to do my job. Or I could quit and not have to deal with the rumors about us and all the high school nonsense that surrounds me.”

  “Don’t quit because of him. You’re stronger than that. Stay because you deserve that promotion you’ll eventually get, or leave because you want to go out on your own, for your own reasons,” he replied as he took her hands in his, rubbing his thumb across the soft skin. “There’s steel under all this softness.”

  Her heart raced. “Have I told you how amazing you are?”

  He chuckled. “Not today, so I guess I’m due.”

  “Fishing for compliments is not attractive.” She grinned at him.

  “I wasn’t fishing. You offered.”

  She leaned in and brushed her lips against his. “You’re amazing.”

  “I know.” She swatted his shoulder as he grinned at her. “But in all honesty, if I can help in any way, just let me know.”

  “Thanks. Dealing with Kevin has made me seriously consider going out on my own.”

  “While I don’t agree with you running away…if starting your own CPA practice is something you want, what’s stopping you?”

  “It’s a risk. I’d have to generate my own business and dip into my savings that I wanted to leave untouched. There are so many things that could go wrong, but if Kevin keeps this up and I never get promoted, I’m not sure I can stay there.” She dropped her head. “I’ve worked so hard to get where I am, and it feels like it amounts to nothing.”

  He brushed a kiss across the top of her head. “It’s not nothing. And if you want to go out on your own, I’ll do whatever I can. I’m sure some of the guys need a new accountant. I can highly recommend you.”

  “I’m not asking you to leave your uncle. If I do decide to start my own business, your account will stay with Robert. It would be too shady to quit and take you on as a client if I go out on my own.”

  “Then I’ll send you the entire team,” he said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “And I have complete faith in your determination and organizational skills. You’d be a success in no time.”

  Her heart melted at his words. How long had she waited to find someone who believed in her?

  Ethan charged down the ice, the puck on his stick. He’d snagged it from a Vancouver rookie when the kid had been trying to make a pass. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted one of Vancouver’s defensemen gaining on him. He tuned out the shouts, only hearing the tap on the ice. He glanced left. Cheesy was open and that damn defenseman was on Ethan’s heels. He shot the puck to Cheesy, and the captain sank it into the back of Vancouver’s net.

  Ethan couldn’t stop his momentum. He crashed into the boards with the defenseman, and then righted himself. Shit. That was going to leave a mark. Just another one to add to the many bumps and bruises. He shook his head and skated over to his teammates. They’d just leveled it with ten minutes left in the third. Plenty of time to win this game—or lose it.

  “Nice shot, Cheesy,” Ethan called out, giving the guy a hug and tapping him on his helmet.

  They skated back to their bench, knocking gloves with the rest of the team. The next line hopped over the board and back out to the center dot for the next face-off.

  In the last minute of the game, Ethan scored on a breakaway and Vancouver never recovered. His team crashed into him and after hugs and slaps on the back, his gaze met Penny’s in the stands. He could see her grin from across the arena as she jumped up and down, clapping.

  When the final buzzer sounded, they headed back to the locker room. Coach tapped him as one of the guys to talk to the media. When they won, the media always wanted to talk to the goal scorers. They asked the dumbest questions, as if asking such mundane and obvious questions would one day result in more than just a canned answer.

  He ducked into the dressing room and grabbed his phone from his stall, firing off a quick message to Penny.

  Ethan: Tapped to do media and then I’m grabbing a quick shower. Don’t you dare disappear without finding me. I need a good luck kiss since you refuse to stowaway on the plane. It’s the least you can do.

  He ended with a wink and a shamrock.

  Penny: Trying to fit in your suitcase would be uncomfortable and I have to work, but I’ll gladly meet you in an alcove for your victory kiss.

  As if his adrenaline wasn’t already up a notch.

  Ethan: Have to meet with Sam, too. Give me at least fifteen, maybe twenty minutes. I’ll be in the office two doors down from the locker room.

  Penny: See you then. And congrats. You were awesome tonight. Wish I could give you more than just a victory kiss. Too bad you have to get on a plane.

  She followed that with a wink and lips. He’d take the fastest shower on record just to have as much time with her as he could before he had to leave.

  After rushing through his shower and providing his sound bite, he ducked out of the room. Sam said
he’d have the final contract for Ethan to sign, and then Ethan was going to wait for Penny so he could kiss the hell out of her before he had to get on a plane tonight. And when he got home this weekend, he had plans. Big plans. He was tired of holding back, of waiting for something to go wrong. He was in love with Penny Connor, and it was about time he told her.

  Not that he was ready to drop down to a knee, but the thought of it no longer made him break out in hives. She was who he’d waited for, and he hadn’t been the same since he’d spotted her that day at the vineyard.

  A copy of his house key burned a hole in his pocket, waiting for him to hand it to her, to ask her to move in, and he didn’t care how fast it might be. They’d known each other for eight months, even if they’d been apart for six of those months, it didn’t matter.

  He pushed open the door to the office, and Sam stood up to shake his hand, and slapped him on the back.

  “Great game, man. Didn’t think you were going to squeeze that last one in,” Sam said.

  “We played great tonight, and that last shot was a lucky bounce, really. So, you have the final contract?”

  “Yes.” Sam gestured to the pages in front of him.

  Ethan couldn’t stop his chuckle when he saw the blue flags. He wondered how many Penny had left in her book.

  “You heading out soon?” Sam asked as Ethan grabbed the pen.

  “Yeah. Three games in Eastern Canada. We better grab a few points, at least,” he said, and tossed the pen to the table. “And thanks for this. Everything looks good.”

  “I told you I’d get you the deal we wanted,” Sam said, cocky as ever, and grinning from ear to ear.

  The deal had been agreed upon earlier today, but Sam had a few details he wanted to iron out, so Ethan hadn’t signed everything. Nor had the team announced anything. That would happen in the next few days.

  “Yes, you did, but I had my doubts. They only signed a one-year deal for me last summer, but five years, and twenty-three million works for me. I’m not greedy,” he said, chuckling. It was a huge sum for anyone, but when you signed a new contract at thirty, the amounts tended to drop unless you were a top player. Thirty was getting up there in hockey years, and the risk of getting an injury you were unable to fully recover from grew.