The Bad Boy Hockey Collection: A Collection Of Single Daddy Romances

by Cass Kincaid

“Do you want a drink, Cooper?” she asked without looking at me. I watched her head to the fridge and pull a bottle of white wine from it.

  “Are you trying to get me drunk already?” I pressed my hand to my heart, feigning shock. “I’m not sure how to feel about that.”

  She held up the bottle, revealing that it was less than half full. “If we shared this, you’d get less than a quarter bottle of wine to yourself. If you can get drunk off that, you’d better go home, Cooper, because I won’t be able to resist making fun of you for being a lightweight.”

  My hand was pressed against my chest again, and I took the bottle from her. “Jesus, first you insinuate I’m not a superhero, then you call me a lightweight. I’m really not doing a very good job of making a decent first impression, obviously.” I poured a generous amount into one of the glasses and handed it to her.

  Samantha took it with a nod of gratitude, her eyes shining with humor. “You made my son smile from ear to ear, cooked supper, and cleaned my house. Yet, you think you haven’t made a good impression?”

  I pushed the bottle onto the counter, pushing the second wine glass away with it. The movement also brought me closer to Samantha, and I found myself close enough that I could smell the sweet scent of her perfume, lingering tones of vanilla and sugar. “Trust me,” I said in a low voice, my mouth dangerously close to her ear. “I could definitely leave a better impression.”

  It may have been a figment of my imagination, but I thought I heard her gasp. Just a sharp little noise as she sucked in a breath, but it spoke volumes.

  “You’re not going to have a drink?” she stammered, trying to cover it up.

  “I rarely do, to be honest.” Without thinking, I reached my hand up and gently brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t indulge.” In anything, I wanted to say. Whatever you want, Samantha, I’m game.

  The way she was looking at me, her gaze hovering somewhere between my hand and my face, I thought maybe she was reading into what I’d said, too, and I paused, waiting for her to make the next move. I didn’t want to come on too strong, but there wasn’t a chance in hell I could step away from her now and risk her thinking I’d second-guessed myself.

  When her words came, though, they weren’t the ones I’d hoped for. “Your turn,” she said, sounding breathless. “What’s your story, Cooper? Because men like you aren’t exactly a dime a dozen.”

  “Men like me?” I quirked a brow.

  She lifted her wine glass between us and took a long drink, forcing me to distance myself from her a bit. “Men like you,” she confirmed. “Highly attractive, domestic gods with a professional hockey career and their head on straight.”

  “Domestic god?” I bit my lip. “Shit, Samantha, I’m going to need you to say that more often, because it’s kind of stroking my ego,” I laughed. “Hell, maybe I should get you to call my mother, too, and tell her what you just said. I think she’d be proud.”

  She laughed. “You don’t think she’s proud enough that you’re one of the most sought after hockey players in the NHL?”

  “Thought you didn’t watch hockey?” I narrowed my eyes.

  “Google knows everything.” Samantha slid from between me and the countertop, chuckling, and I followed her into the living room. As she took a seat on the beige leather sofa, she said, “You’re stalling, Cooper. Which tells me there’s a story there somewhere. What’s the deal?”

  I contemplated glossing over the details, or even giving a vague answer, focusing on the subject of hockey, but Samantha had been upfront and honest with me. It was only right I offered her the same. “You’re not the only one who’s been burned,” I admitted, taking a seat beside her. “I’d been with Zoey for two years. We lived together.” I pointed toward the wall, indicating that we’d both lived in the apartment beyond it. “I thought we were on the same page, that we were happy with what we had together.” I lifted my gaze to Samantha, a sad smile on my lips. “I was wrong.”

  “I’m sorry,” Samantha said softly, staring down at her hands. “She left because she wasn’t content?”

  “If there were signs she wasn’t happy up until that point, I missed them.” I shrugged and tried to keep my voice light, but I’d rarely spoken about my breakup with Zoey since it happened more than five months ago, and it still wasn’t easy to now. “But, there really isn’t any other way to interpret a rejected marriage proposal after our son was born, now is there?”

  Samantha’s eyes widened. “You proposed after your son was born, and she ended the relationship instead?”

  “Well, when you put it like that...” I pretended to mull it over. “Yeah, that’s exactly what she did.”

  “What a cruel thing to do.”

  “Always the politically correct one, huh?” I teased, nudging her knee with mine. “I prefer to say it was a bitch move, but who am I to judge?”

  “Judge away,” Samantha replied with a smirk. “Sounds like you’ve earned the right.” She paused to take another sip of wine. “I guess I just don’t get it.”

  I leaned back against the couch, letting out a breath. “Get what?”

  Straight faced, Samantha lowered her glass. “Not wanting to be with a superhero. I mean, really?” Then, she winked.

  I’m telling you, it took everything I had not to kiss the hell out of her right then and there.

  Instead, I scoffed. “I know, right? I mean, and I’m a highly attractive domestic god to boot.” I held up my hands in surrender. “Your words, not mine.”

  “I’m not going to live that one down, am I?”

  “Not any time soon, pretty lady. I liked the way it sounded way too much.”

  She held the glass to her lips, staring at me in silence over the rim of it, then took another drink. “I kind of like the way that sounded, too.”

  “What?”

  “You calling me pretty,” she explained, a hint of pink in her cheeks.

  I leaned forward a bit, a devilish smile on my face. “I told you before, Samantha, I just call it like I see it.”

  The pink tinge deepened quickly into a fiery crimson.

  I watched her a moment longer, relishing in the reaction I’d caused, then sat up straight. “I should probably go,” I sighed. “You must be exhausted.”

  Samantha looked suddenly alarmed, and I knew what she must be thinking—that she’d said or done something to turn me away.

  It was easy to recognize blatant insecurity when you harbored it yourself. Anyone who’d ever been hurt by someone knew that kind of doubt.

  I didn’t want to come across as disrespectful, and I certainly didn’t want to cross any lines, but I reached out and patted her knee gently. “This was nice, Samantha. Tonight, I mean.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, it was.”

  Her gaze kept flitting down to my mouth, and if she was trying to hide it, she wasn’t doing a very good job. Goddamn it, she was silently begging for me to kiss her. I could see it. Hell, I could feel it. The want. The need. The chemistry.

  But, I couldn’t risk giving her a reason to jump to the conclusion that I was on the rebound. Wait, I scolded myself. She needs time to trust you.

  “And I thought I’d already had an awesome day with Little Man Levi.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “He’s a good kid, Samantha. You should be proud.”

  “I am. And thank you for staying with him. I’m sure it’s not your idea of an ideal day.”

  Mentioning Levi seemed to have rescued her from her embarrassment, and I stood up, offering a hand to help her up from the couch, too. “Let me tell you something. I was raised with two sisters. Trust me when I say that getting to hang out with Levi and play trucks and superheroes is much closer to my ideal day than the hair barrettes and makeup and Barbie dolls I’ve been subjected to in the past.” I pointed a finger at her, daring her to laugh. “And, believe me, contrary to what you might think, pink is not my color.” I gave her a wink. “Not having my own son around all the time is hard, Saman
tha, but getting to spend the day with Levi today—that helped. Now, walk me to the door, will you?”

  She chuckled softly, and the sound stirred something within me as I tugged her the ten feet toward the door with me. “Thank you,” she said as I pulled my shoes on. “All joking aside, thank you. You were a lifesaver today.”

  “A real, live Superman,” I reminded her with a wink.

  “Yes. For Levi,” she said as her eyes met mine. “And for me.”

  I felt my stomach clench at the weight of her words. Something smoldered in her eyes, and if I wasn’t careful, the fire burning in mine was going to collide with it and there’d be no going back. “I’m here, Samantha,” I promised her, my voice now hoarse. “For Levi, and for you. If you need me, for anything, I’m here.”

  “I’ll be sure to remember that.”

  I leaned forward, my hand gently grazing her forearm, and I kissed her cheek. “Do me a favor and remember that domestic god bit, too, okay? A guy can never hear that enough.”

  She turned to face me just as I pulled away from her, but I halted, my face only a breath away from hers. Heat radiated from her skin. Mixed with the desire in her eyes and the sweet scent of wine on her lips, I was suddenly intoxicated by her.

  If Samantha had planned to follow up my witty comment with something else, it was lost amongst the electricity that sizzled where my fingertips touched her arm and the fiery spark between us.

  “Goodnight, Samantha.” I breathed the words against her lips, in hopes of conveying that it was taking every ounce of restraint I had in me to leave her standing at that doorway, wine glass in hand, the breathy promise of what we could become left on her cheek.

  “Goodnight,” she whispered, still as a stone.

  I let my thumb trail lightly down her arm, and I stepped away with a sigh. I’d just told that woman about the hardships I’d recently dealt with regarding my ex and my infant son, and yet nothing seemed to compare to how difficult it was for me to walk out of that apartment, leaving the beautiful woman staring after me, especially when I could see it in her eyes that she wanted me just as much as I wanted her.

  Chapter Five

  Samantha

  Last night, I barely slept. My mind had been racing with thoughts of Cooper and all he’d done for Levi and me without even being asked. Then, to top it off, I’d had to make things awkward just as I always did. Never fails.

  Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I threw my blankets off and forced myself out of bed. If I could have just stayed snuggled in there all day, I would have. I snuck down the hall to Levi’s room and saw my precious sleeping boy with his Superman and Spider-Man action figures tucked into bed beside him. A smile stretched across my lips, and happiness flooded my heart.

  Kissing Levi on the forehead, he barely stirred, so I quietly retreated from his room to start getting ready for the work day.

  My phone vibrated briefly, alerting me that I had a text message. Looking at the screen, I saw it was from Ethan. My heart dropped into my stomach.

  Please don’t cancel on him again...

  Ethan: I’ll be there at 7:30 to pick up Levi.

  Well, holy shit, I thought to myself. Tuesday was already off to a surprisingly pleasant start.

  Fresh out of the shower with a towel still wrapped around me, I heard a knock at the door and quickly grabbed my phone. I clicked the middle button to view the time. It read 6:00.

  Who the hell was knocking on my door at this hour?

  I rushed down the hall, reached the door, and peered through the peephole.

  Cooper.

  Seriously? It was as though he’d timed it perfectly, popping over at the exact moment he’d catch me in only a towel. I pulled the door open a crack, hiding my body behind it as I peeked around the side of it to see what he was there for.

  “Hi?”

  “Hi. I must’ve caught you at a bad time...” He smirked mischievously, and it sent a warmth through my core.

  This man was irresistible, and it frightened the hell out of me. But it was also kind of nice. I’d never thought I’d be able to look at a man and see anything but distrust and betrayal, as if all men wore a big red stamp on their foreheads that read, I’m a heartbreaking, scheming liar! Beware!

  “I was just stopping by to see if you needed me to hang out with Levi again today? I’m available, and we had a ton of fun yesterday, so it doesn't put me out by any means.”

  There went my heart, completely melting into a puddle at my feet. Maybe Cooper was a superhero and didn’t have ulterior motives. Again, he’d left me speechless.

  “So, is that a yes or a no?” Cooper’s voice rumbled through me. Then, I caught his gaze peeking through the crack in the door. I looked down at myself. He could definitely see the side of my body, covered only in the towel. I hadn't realized I’d moved at all.

  “Uh, yeah, bad timing,” I said awkwardly. “Just got out of the shower. But, no, you’re free today. His dad is picking him up. Thank you, though.” I was nervously rambling. I scooted further behind the door again.

  Cooper’s face clouded with disappointment, but I could tell he was trying to hide it. “I’m sorry about the bad timing. But, okay. If you need anything, or if he bails again, I’m here in a heartbeat. Don’t hesitate...” His voice was firm, but it trailed off as his bright blue eyes pierced mine. Then, he nodded his head toward me to say goodbye and turned away.

  “Thank you,” I stammered.

  He looked back my way and winked just before I closed the door.

  Locking the deadbolt and leaning up against the door, I let out a sigh. Heat rushed into my cheeks. There was nothing more intimidating than being covered by a mere towel in front of a man who was sexy as sin. At that point, I was selfishly hoping Ethan would cancel.

  ***

  After a long workday, I wanted nothing more than to hop in the tub for a relaxing bubble bath, sip on a glass of red wine, and eat the crème-filled doughnut I’d bought earlier today. Not the classiest of pairings, but nonetheless, it sounded delicious and would hit the spot.

  Setting my purse and keys down on the dining room table, I kicked off my heels and let them lay there. I’d worry about picking them up later. Right now, my main concern was to relax. Even though I missed my little guy more than anything, it was nice to have a break, and it didn’t happen often, so I’d have to take it while the chance was there.

  Staying strong for him during these past couple of weeks had taken its toll on me. An emotional breakdown was necessary, and I was sure it would accompany my wine and doughnut in due time. I needed to get it all out so I could move the fuck on.

  For Levi, and for myself.

  A vibration in my pocket startled me, and I worried something was wrong with Levi. I pulled my phone out and checked the screen. The name Cooper Henley appeared on the display screen.

  Butterflies swarmed my stomach, and, for a moment, I hesitated to open the message.

  Deep breaths, I thought to myself before taking the plunge. I pressed the button to read it.

  Since Spiderman is out fighting crime tonight, we’re going to get a couple coffees and walk around the park. I’ll be over at 7.

  Laughter escaped me as I re-read the text message. Spiderman. So, Cooper had paid attention to Levi and remembered that was his favorite superhero. How could I say no to that?

  Plus, he hadn’t given me the option. He’d told me what the plan was.

  Well, there went the wine, the doughnut, and wallowing in self-pity for the evening. But, really, I would have been silly not to go. I needed to get to know him if he was going to watch Levi in the future, even occasionally.

  But I couldn’t agree to it that easily.

  Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you asking me to come with you, or telling me what to do?

  Shit. I hadn’t thrown in an emoticon at the end of the text, so he would probably take it literally and think I was being a bitch.

  I wasn’t asking, I was definitely telling you. See you at
7.

  With a smile on my face and my nerves going haywire, I scurried to put away my heels and freshen up. After another shower, I realized that he’d hear me through the walls and know I was putting in extra effort for just a simple coffee and walk through the park. But it was too late to worry about that now. I slipped into a pair of jeans, fuzzy socks, and brown boots, and threw on a thick gray sweater.

  Glancing down at my phone, I noticed I had to sit and wait anxiously for another half hour or so, which quickly led to my decision to go ahead and indulge in that godforsaken doughnut I so badly craved. I contemplated on a glass of wine as well, but figured I’d better save that for later in the evening.

  Knowing my luck, it’d be needed.

  Thirty minutes passed overwhelmingly fast, and as soon as I heard the playful knock on the door—five quick raps followed by two slower ones—my stomach filled with butterflies the size of birds. I plucked the paper bag that doughnut had been in from the coffee table and hurried to throw it away. Then, with a deep breath, I answered the door.

  “Well, hey there,” he greeted me.

  His small, crooked grin caused my insides to become knotted and my knees to grow weak.

  Fuck, he’s so delicious. This whole hockey player slash next-door-neighbor slash nanny thing is going to inevitably get me into trouble, I thought to myself. But he’s just the kind of trouble I might be willing to get myself into.

  “Hey.” I brushed my dark hair off my shoulder. “I just have to grab my coat and purse. You can come in for a minute, if you’d like.”

  I stood frozen in the doorway, though, because I could tell Cooper was holding back laughter. “What?” I asked defensively.

  He brought his hand up to my face, rubbing his thumb against the corner of my mouth, sending a trail of wild electricity straight down my spine.

  “You had a little white stuff on your lips.”

  My cheeks filled with heat, and I immediately blurted out, “Oh, it was just a doughnut.”

  Cooper somehow held back his laughter, probably to keep from embarrassing me even further. I was already humiliated, though. Suddenly, I wished I had indulged in that glass, or bottle, of wine.