Winger

by Samantha Whiskey

  “You didn’t mention how Nine was,” I said, eyeing Rory.

  “She and Katherine are fine.” I’d never seen him look so guilty.

  “Don’t,” I said. “I’m glad she went to your place.” I glanced at Gage. “Would’ve been happy with her at yours, too. As long as she and Katherine are safe. Happy.”

  “She’s not happy,” Rory said, and I snapped my eyes to him. “Katherine is fine. Perfect, actually. But Nine? She’s a fucking mess, dude. Went on and on last night about how she never wanted to trap you and pin you down when you like to be free. I tried to run interference, but Paige shut that shit down quick. She could tell Nine was in pain, and me speaking on your behalf only made it worse.”

  “Thanks, man. Sorry you were in that position.” I sighed.

  Trap me? Fuck, is that what she thought?

  I bought a ring.

  I wanted her to be mine forever.

  “It’s fine,” he said. “Just wish I could’ve done something other than bring in a truckload of ice cream.”

  I laughed, the motion freeing up some of the tar that had caked around my lungs after last night. The weight lessening, the hope returning.

  Just as quickly, it vanished.

  What if she hadn’t been talking about me? What if when she was talking about me wanting to be free and not trapped, she really meant herself. We’d both run wild before Katherine, and now that she was here…was Nine missing that? Craving it?

  “What are you going to do?” Gage asked.

  “I don’t have a clue,” I admitted.

  Bentley cleared his throat, and I half expected him to motion over his shoulder to explain a quick exit from the heavy talk. But he didn’t. He stood there, his stick in his hands, and there was something in his eyes…something like understanding and regret.

  “I know I’m not up to speed on all the details,” he said. “But I’ve heard enough bits and pieces to paint a picture.” He paused, gauging my reaction like he thought I’d tell him to fuck off. When I didn’t, he continued. “I can tell you really love this chick,” he said. “And that should be enough.”

  I raised my brows. “Enough for what?”

  “For everything.” He shrugged. “Circumstances shouldn’t matter. Not when it comes to the woman you love. The chance to be with her every single day? Do you know how rare that is? How rare a situation each of you have?” he glanced over all three of us. “We all fuck up, make mistakes. But you haven’t crossed the line where there is no coming back. Not even close. You still have a shot. And if you don’t take it? You’re a fucking idiot.”

  I jolted, shock coursing through me at the insight from the rookie.

  “Damn,” Rory said, gaping at me. “Rookie just went full blown Oprah on your ass.”

  Gage snorted.

  I skated to within an inch of Bentley’s space, our helmets almost touching. A tiny bit of fear sparked in his eyes before he flexed, holding his ground, chin held high. “Or,” I said. “He’s not just talking about me.” I challenged, watching as a muscle in his jaw ticked.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Maybe I was an idiot. Maybe I wasn’t. Maybe I just don’t want every pick-up game to end up being an episode of The View anymore.” He shrugged, but the cockiness didn’t reach his eyes. There was real pain there. Experience. That was where this was coming from, and I actually felt bad for the kid.

  “All right,” I said, clapping my hand on his shoulder.

  “All right, what?” He asked when I didn’t continue.

  “You are,” I said, nodding. “You’re all right, Rookie.”

  I skated backward to stand next to Rory and Gage, the three of us all in agreement. The kid had earned his place, me the last one to acknowledge it. “We’ll have to celebrate your initiation later, Rookie,” I said, glancing at Rory and Gage. “I’ve got a banquet to get ready for.”

  Gage fistbumped me, then Rory.

  “Go get her, dude!” Rory called as I hurried off the ice.

  Twenty minutes later I was back in my empty house, searching for my best suit.

  Maybe she be pissed if I showed up.

  Maybe she wouldn’t listen to me.

  But I had to try. Because this pain? This hole in the center of my chest where Nine and Katherine were missing? It was no way to live.

  Rookie was right. I’d be a fucking idiot to let her slip through my fingers.

  Nine’s was packed for the private event, tons of press snapping photos of all the A-listers as they made their way inside. A few of which I assumed were her potential investors.

  Luckily, the bouncer didn’t stop me at the door. Instead, he held it open for me, giving me a thumbs up like he knew I needed the encouragement. More likely he was a fan, either way, I didn’t question it.

  I paused once inside, blown away by the transformation she’d done to the place for the event. Her usual setup of cozy tables and booths had been rearranged for a more open plan, allowing double occupancy. Tall, standing tables now scattered throughout the main room, waiters offering guests mini-versions of her specialties on cloth-covered trays. A champagne bar set in the far corner, along with another table lined with food. Music filtered lightly through the place, a background to everyone who chatted or laughed or ate.

  Magic.

  The woman was magic.

  But I’d already known that.

  I scanned the crowd as I weaved through the restaurant, my eyes grazing over suits and sparkly dresses, looking for one particular blonde I couldn’t live without. After a few minutes, I was about to head to the kitchen when I heard her say no.

  Snapping my head in the direction of her voice, I spotted her with her arms crossed, tucked into a corner by her actual bar. A tall man was in front of her, asking her something with his cell phone raised like a damn recorder.

  One second I was standing among the happily buzzed crowd, the next minute I was there.

  Jeannine’s eyes flashed when she saw me over the guy’s shoulder.

  “We’ve heard rumors of who the father is,” the guy was saying. “Everything from Hollywood’s hottest bachelor to—”

  “I told you I don’t want to comment on that,” she cut him off. “It’s none of the press’s business,” she continued in a professional tone. “And it has nothing to do with tonight’s events.”

  “Fair enough,” he said. “Do you care to comment on the rumor you’re tied to one of Seattle’s Sharks?”

  She bit her bottom lip, her eyes catching on mine. “No,” she said. “My best friends are married to Sharks. That’s all.”

  I felt the words like another blow, but I didn’t flinch.

  She was protecting me.

  Didn’t want to tie me to something she thought I didn’t want.

  Fuck, she really thinks she is trapping me.

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

  My stubborn, fierce, woman.

  “Excuse me,” I said, tapping on the man’s shoulder. He spun around, and instant recognition clicked in his eyes.

  “Mr. Kinley,” he said, excitement buzzing off of him. “Can I ask you about—”

  “Not tonight,” I cut him off. “It’s a party,” I continued, motioning behind us. “Go enjoy yourself.” There was no room for argument in my tone. Lucky for him he picked up on it and made quick work of leaving us alone in the secluded corner.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

  “I told you I’d be here.” I trailed my eyes up and down her body, smiling at the way the black dress hugged her curves and showed off her long legs.

  “That was before,” she said. “You didn’t have to…”

  “I want to be here, Nine,” I said, my voice low, primal, as I stepped into her space. “Don’t you get that?”

  “I…” her breath caught as I came within an inch of her body.

  “It doesn’t matter if you try and push me away. It doesn’t matter if you’ve made yourself believe that I don’t want this.
Want you. Believe this: I wanted you before Katherine. I haven’t touched another woman since our first night together, that’s how deep you’re in me.”

  “All those months while you were gone…”

  I shook my head. “No one else. Just. You. And I’m here. I’m right here.”

  “For how long?” she asked, the question echoing through my memory.

  Bare skin and silk sheets and the smell of her all over me.

  The memory was enough to make me growl.

  “For as long as you’ll have me,” I said, and dropped to one knee.

  Her lips popped into the shape of an O as I brought the ring box out and opened it before her.

  “I love you, Nine,” I said, gazing up at her, my heart fucking racing in my chest like I was speeding toward the goal in a shutout. “I don’t know what I was doing before you,” I said. “Before Katherine. But I want this life. Our life. You. Me. Her. Every day until the rest of forever. I don’t want anyone or anything else.” I smiled up at her. “Is that too much to ask?”

  Chapter 19

  Jeannine

  “I choose you,” Warren’s words rocketed through my entire body.

  I gasped into my hand, wishing like hell my mouth would work but the words just weren’t there.

  “Nine?” He asked when I hadn’t said anything.

  I looked down at him, still on one knee, the ring before him.

  Open, inviting, mine.

  “Yes,” I said, and I’d never been more sure of anything in my life. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  He shot upward, his lips instantly connecting with mine. Electricity sparked across my skin, and my insides melted under his touch.

  Home.

  He was like coming home.

  “I love you,” he said against my mouth.

  “I love you,” I said, kissing him hard and long and probably way too intimate for the setting.

  Applause erupted around us, reminding me exactly where we were and what I was doing. I drew back, but Warren held me close as we turned to face the onlookers. Every guest I’d invited to my banquet was now smiling at us.

  Mortified.

  “I’m supposed to be hosting,” I whispered to Warren, who laughed.

  “All right, all right. Go. Work.”

  I intertwined our fingers. “Don’t think I’m letting you go,” I said, and tugged him around the room with me.

  After mingling with everyone–including introducing Warren to the owner of the building of my dreams—and checking on the food twice, I was finally able to steal a moment alone with Warren. I pulled him into my office and locked the door behind us.

  Warren cocked an eyebrow at me.

  “I can’t wait a second longer,” I said.

  “Oh, thank God.” He pressed my back against the closed door.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said against his kiss. “I was so stupid and scared and—”

  His tongue darted over mine, stopping my apology. “No,” he said between kisses. “I was. An idiot. I—”

  It was my turn to swallow his words. I sucked on his tongue, relishing the taste of him, the way he made me come alive with just as kiss.

  “You really want this? Want us?” I asked, drawing back enough just to catch his eyes.

  Nothing but sincerity and love shined back.

  “Yes. You’re all I want,” he said, then his brow furrowed. “Are you sure you can handle being married to a Shark?” He asked. “You know what the territory comes with,” he continued. “But I promise you, you and Katherine will always come first. No matter what.”

  I smiled, his words soothing every fear I ever had.

  A smirk shaped my lips. “I can handle you.”

  A flash of a smile before he crushed his lips on mine. His hands gripped my ass as he hefted me upward, and I locked my ankles around his back, my dress hiking up so barely anything separated us. He was already gloriously hard, his perfect cock pressing against my lace panties.

  It’d been too long.

  Warren kissed my lips, my neck, and nipped at the spot behind my ear. Our touches were hungry, starved, and frantic. I clawed at his dress shirt, bunching up the fabric as I shamelessly ground against him.

  “Now,” I said, practically begging him. “We’ll take our time at home.”

  “Home,” he growled against my neck while he unzipped his pants. “When I get you there,” he said, teasing the lace with his tip. “I’ll lay you in our bed and worship your body for hours. So much you won’t be able to see straight.”

  My eyes rolled back in my head, from his words and his touch.

  “Yes,” I said, unable to voice more. “Please.”

  He shoved the lace to the side and plunged inside me. I threw my head back, gasping at the contact, and the sweet, sharp way he filled me.

  He was hot and hard and perfect.

  “God damn,” he growled, pumping as I gripped his shoulders. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I love you,” I moaned, rocking my hips in rhythm with his thrusts.

  “So damn much,” he agreed, claiming my mouth, sucking on my bottom lip until I keened. “Say it, Nine.”

  “You first,” I challenged, our eyes locking.

  “You’re mine.” The statement was branding, like fire on my skin.

  “I’m yours,” I complied, trembling as he pushed me to the edge.

  “And I’ll always be yours,” he said, kissing me so tenderly, such a contrast from the way he dominated me between my legs. “You’ve owned me since that first night.”

  “Fuck, Warren,” I moaned, clenching around him.

  “Yes,” he said, pinching my ass enough for the bite of pain to push me full-on over the edge. “Love that mouth of yours.”

  I tightened my thighs around him, clenching harder until he threw his head back and hissed. He hardened inside me, his release only pressing mine farther, longer, more intense than I’d ever had before. I shook around him, quaked and trembled until I was sure my muscles were no longer solid.

  We caught our breath, him holding me against the door like it was nothing. Those massive muscles of his not even flinching at what we’d just done.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said, pushing the wild hair back from my face.

  “You’re not so bad yourself, Shark.” He laughed, and I smiled against his lips as I bit his bottom lip. “Are you sure you’re ready for a lifetime of this?” I asked, still in awe of what lay before us.

  “I’ve never wanted anything more,” he said, no hesitation or doubt or fear in his eyes.

  I kissed him again, long and hard and full of my love. I let go of everything that had been holding me back before and submitted myself fully to the way this man loved me.

  Loved us.

  It was one hell of a place to be.

  Epilogue

  Warren

  Katherine’s eyelids drooped, over and over, as I whispered to her old Shark’s stats until she finally drifted off. I laid her in the crib, taking a few precious seconds to watch her sleep, before quietly heading out.

  Jeannine was in the living room, a bottle of champagne in one hand and two flutes in the other. The black silk robe she wore told me she had not a scrap of lace underneath, and my dick twitched at the sight.

  The ring on her left finger? That made me full on hard and ready.

  Mine.

  It had been one month since I proposed to her that night—one month of baby chaos and bliss.

  “What are we celebrating?” I asked, my eyes hooded as I greedily raked them over her luscious body. I stood my ground, wanting to draw out the moment, knowing she loved the torture as much as I did.

  “I signed on the building today,” she said, her smile warming my chest. “I’m now an owner four times over.”

  I took a few steps closer, allowing myself to be within touching distance but keeping my hands to myself.

  “That’s wonderful,” I said, taking the flute she handed me. She quickly filled the glass, then
hers, and we clinked them in a cheers. “Congratulations,” I said before taking a sip.

  “Thank you,” she said, taking a drink of her own and chasing a few stray drops with her tongue. “I pumped enough earlier today that I’m allowing myself this one glass,” she said. “And I can’t believe there will be a fourth Nine’s.”

  “I can,” I said, setting the glass down on the coffee table. “You can do anything you set your mind to.”

  She arched a brow. “Are you buttering me up because the season starts tomorrow?”

  My shoulders sank, the heat coursing through my blood fizzling. “I’m not, but…”

  “But what?” She asked, stepping close enough that her silk covered breasts brushed my chest—the soft, supple contrast to my hard muscles made a hot shiver run down my spine.

  “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about it.”

  “You’re the best winger the Sharks have,” she said, trailing a finger over my chest. “You don’t have to worry about the games.”

  I growled as she played with the hem of my cotton pants. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

  The tease left her eyes as she reached up on her tip-toes and planted a soft kiss on my lips. “I know, Warren.” She smiled. “I’m not worried, though.”

  “Honestly?” I asked, knowing me choosing my career over her and the baby had been one of her biggest fears when we first came together.

  We’d gotten ten times better at communicating since I’d almost lost her and Katherine because of so many misunderstandings, but we hadn’t actually been tested when it came to shuffling hockey and a family.

  Tomorrow a new season would start, and while I knew Jeannine and Katherine would always be the most important things in my life, I didn’t know if she fully believed that yet. Even if we were engaged.

  “Honestly,” she said, wrapping an arm around my neck, her body now flush with mine. “You think I’d accept this ring without believing you were giving yourself wholly to me?”

  “I never want to lose you.” I pressed my forehead against hers. “Or Katherine. If you asked me to quit, I would.”