Protecting Her Heart: Indianapolis Eagles Series Book 4

by Samantha Lind

  “Fun! I’ll be sure to mark off the date.”

  “Speaking of marking off the date, what would you say to being my Maid of Honor?” she asks.

  “Are you serious?” I ask, flabbergasted at the privilege.

  “Yes! I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.” She laughs.

  “Absolutely! I’m so honored you’d ask me!” I tell her, as I stand to give her a hug.

  “Thank you, I’ve really enjoyed having you as a friend over the past year. You’ve truly become one of my best friends, and I wouldn’t want to have anyone else standing up with me on my big day,” she tells me.

  “I’m still so shocked and honored.”

  “We’re going to have a small wedding party, just a couple people on each side. I plan on asking Becca and Kinley to be bridesmaids, and Richard will be asking Scott, Brian, and Mark to be groomsmen.”

  “I’m so excited and happy for the two of you. Tell me anything I can help you with.”

  “Don’t you worry, I’m sure I’ll be taking you up on that, and soon,” she assures me. “I’m already so overwhelmed with everything I need to plan between now and then. And planning a wedding with less than a year is no joke, I’m learning. So many places are already booked solid for the next year, so we’ll be making most of the big decisions very quickly. I also need to go dress shopping soon.”

  We catch up on everything else happening in our lives as we devour our sushi and drinks before heading to our respective homes. Once I’m home, I change into my running clothes and shoes, and head out for a run.

  Chapter Ten

  Mark

  Our afternoon skate went well. Coach didn’t run us too hard, just enough to get the blood flowing and keep us from stiffening up. We got word that Benjamin Morris will be joining us late tonight as an IR replacement to the roster for Zach Elmore, one of our right wingers who’s out for an unknown amount of time with a possible ACL tear.

  After our light practice, we head back to the hotel. A group of us all make plans to head to a local steakhouse for dinner that’s only a couple blocks away from the hotel. We stay far enough from the arena and can usually blend in well when not in our team apparel, that we aren’t recognized that much. Occasionally, that isn’t the case, and of course, there are always the puck bunnies that have radar on the single, and sometimes not so single, guys in the league. They learn what hotels the teams tend to use to put us up in, and know when to expect us in town.

  I sit down between Austin and Brian, and we’re accompanied by Scott, Richard, Johnathan, Erik, and Tyler. The eight of us have all been on the team together for a few seasons now, and these guys have become like family to me. Living with Austin and Johnathan since I arrived in Indy makes me feel like I’m back in the dorms of summer hockey camp. They are both young single guys and definitely still live like it. They don’t mind playing the field still, and are a little more on the party side of the team. The other guys here at the table, besides Tyler, who’s single, have all settled down in the past couple of seasons. Scott’s married to Becca and they have a young son, Michael. Brian is married to Kinley, and is expecting their first baby later this season. Richard is, of course, getting married to my agent, Madison, and Erik has been married for as long as I’ve known him, to his high school sweetheart. She moved to the USA with him from Sweden when he was drafted. I know they go back to Sweden every summer to see family and such, but they consider Indy home.

  “Haven’t seen much of you in the last couple of days, what’s up with that?” Austin questions me.

  “Just spending all my free time with Laura.”

  “Ah, so I take it someone’s pussy-whipped?” he says, laughing.

  Brian’s hand comes swinging behind my back and smacks the back of Austin’s head at that comment.

  “Fuck, what was that for?” Austin asks him, rubbing at the back of his head.

  “I know you’re just trying to give Mark some shit, but watch it with the inappropriate comments. Laura is almost one of our bosses, and don’t forget she is the owner’s daughter. You don’t need him hearing you talk about his daughter like that.”

  “Shit, sorry, man. Just trying to give you shit. You haven’t been at the apartment much.”

  “No hard feelings, but just watch it, okay? She doesn’t want things to get weird with her position in the organization. And don’t be surprised if I’m not at the apartment much. No offense, but I prefer her company better than I do yours,” I say, reaching for my water glass and taking a refreshing drink.

  “Figures. And another one bites the dust,” he mumbles under his breath.

  “Just you wait. You’re going to meet some woman, and you’re going to change your ways for her. Mark my words.”

  “Nope, I’m content being single.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I said,” Brian says. “And look at me now. Married, with a kid on the way, and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. Kinley was the best thing to happen to me.”

  “You fuckers are all lame now,” Austin fights back. “All married or about to be married, pussy-whipped is what you all are.”

  “Yep, and proud of it,” Brian and Scott reply in unison.

  “The right woman is a game-changer, man. I promise,” Scott tells him.

  “Okay, enough about your women and how perfect your lives are. Let’s eat and talk about something else,” Johnathan adds to the conversation.

  We all turn our attention to our menus, so that we’re ready to order when our server returns. He’s a pretty funny guy and actually recognizes us. Gives us a little shit, as he’s a Capitals fan, but is a good guy about it, as well. We have fun razzing him about cheering for the wrong team, and he takes it all in stride. He kept up with us all evening and we made sure to tip him well.

  Back at the hotel, I part ways with the guys in the lobby. Austin and Johnathan were headed to the bar—wouldn’t surprise me if they end up finding some willing bunny to have a one-night stand with—while all the other guys do as I’m doing and head for their rooms, I’m sure to check in with the women in their lives.

  It’s almost nine by the time I get back to my room from dinner. I strip down to my boxers, then slip on a pair of athletic shorts and pull out my iPad. After getting it connected to the internet, I quickly check my emails, replying to one from my mom about when she and my dad can visit for some games. I always enjoy when my parents come to visit, so I reply, telling her to just pick a time when we have a string of home games and I’ll make it work.

  Once I finish up with my email, I pull up the FaceTime app and hit Laura’s contact.

  “Hey!” she says, obviously out of breath when she answers the call.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, as the screen is still black.

  “Just finishing up my run, can I call you back when I get home? I’m only a couple blocks from my house.”

  “Yep. I’m in for the night, so take your time.”

  “It will just be a few minutes. Talk soon,” she says before we disconnect.

  While I pass the time, I pull up my Instagram app and scroll through. I notice I have a shit ton of notifications, more than normal, so I check to see what’s blown up today. The picture I posted earlier today has a ton of comments, so I pull it up to see what people found so interesting about my shot of the empty ice at the CapitalOne arena.

  After reading through the first hundred or so comments, it appears I’ve created quite the frenzy with my mentioning I now have someone special in my life. I guess I didn’t realize my dating status was that big of a deal.

  I’ve gotten good about ignoring comments on social media. It’s better to ignore the comments than to engage them and make a PR nightmare. So that’s exactly what I do, I read a few more, just to see if anyone speculates about who the woman in my life is, and after no one mentions Laura, I close out of the image and keep scrolling through my feed. I guess we need to discuss if we want to take our relationship public or try and keep it private. I’m sure, no
w that I mentioned I have a girlfriend, people are going to be on the lookout for who it is, and try to get pictures of the two of us together and start hounding her.

  As promised, Laura calls back a few minutes later. I adjust the pillows behind me, propping the iPad up on my bent legs and answer her call.

  “Well, look at you, looking all broody and sexy,” she says as soon as our video connects.

  I just laugh at her. “You’re looking mighty sexy yourself. Did you have a good run?”

  “I did. Had to run off all the sushi I had for dinner, and all the tacos I’ve eaten in the last couple of days,” she says, pointing to her non-existent stomach.

  “Ah, sushi tonight?”

  “Yep, met up with Madison for dinner.” She laughs. “We caught up on life and she caught me up on wedding planning. She asked me to be her Maid of Honor tonight!” she excitedly tells me. “Now, I’m ready for a hot shower, my PJs, a little kindle time, and my bed. It would be better if you were here in my bed, but I’ll take what I can get.” She winks at me through the camera.

  She looks sexy as hell, even sweaty from her run, and it’s making me wish I was there to sink into her tonight. I can feel my cock hardening in my shorts and am going to have to take care of that after I hang up with her, if I have any hope of getting some sleep.

  “Glad you had a good evening. Murph asked me to be one of his groomsmen tonight,” I tell her.

  “Madison mentioned that he was going to ask you. Did you say yes? Oh, before I forget, I heard back from that family with the little boy who’s being granted his wish. They’re coming to Indy in just a couple of weeks. Do you think you could talk to Scott and Brian for me tomorrow, and see if the three of you would be willing to have dinner with him and his family the night they arrive? I can set up reservations somewhere for everyone, if they’re in agreement to join. I didn’t mention this to the family yet, it was something I thought of while I was on my run tonight.”

  “Sure, you know I’m in, and I’m sure the guys will be, as well. What date is that?”

  “They’re flying in on the twenty-fifth. There are a whole lot of things planned that weekend, before they head home that Sunday.”

  I grab my phone from the nightstand and pull up a group text between me, Scott, and Brian.

  Mark: Hey, Laura is setting up a Make-A-Wish for a young kid that wants to come meet the team. The three of us are his top three players he wished to meet, and she was wondering if we would be willing to go to dinner with his family the night they arrive into Indy. It would be on the 25th of this month. Let me know and she can arrange everything for us.

  “Okay, I’ve just sent them both a text asking if they’re in. I’ll let you know what they say.”

  “Oh, thanks. You didn’t have to ask them that quickly.”

  “Not a problem, babe. This way, I don’t forget.”

  “How was your dinner with the guys?” she asks, changing the subject.

  “Pretty good, our server was pretty funny. He recognized us, and we razzed each other as he was a Caps fan. We tried to convince him to switch teams, but it didn’t work.” I laugh. “Hey, I have a kind of serious question for you. I kind of created a social media frenzy, mentioning that I have a woman in my life now. How secret are you wanting to keep this between the two of us? I don’t want to throw you into the spotlight if you want to stay quiet about it, but I also don’t want you to feel like I’m hiding you, either. I also realize this is new, so I’m willing to follow your lead on all of this.”

  “I noticed that when I liked your picture. I almost commented on it, but thought twice about it. I guess I hadn’t really thought much about it yet. Let’s just kind of figure it out as we go. Maybe once you’re back and when something natural comes along, we can post an image of the two of us to both of our accounts, announcing our relationship to the world. Then let it just naturally progress from there?”

  “Sounds good, babe. I’ll let you call the shots on that aspect.”

  “What else do I get to call the shots on?” she asks, a sexy look on her face.

  Groaning, I reach down and adjust my dick in my shorts. It’s now hard as can be, and only one thing is going to solve that issue.

  “Did you just adjust yourself?” she asks, that sexy smirk still on her face. She knows damn well that I just did.

  “Yep. You’ve got me hard, and you’re hundreds of miles away and can’t do a damn thing about it.”

  She just smiles at me naughtily and laughs. “If you say so,” she says in a sing-song voice.

  “What the hell does that mean?” I ask, curiously.

  “I’m just saying that we could always give each other a little show. But if you aren’t up for it, then I understand.”

  I sit straight up on the bed, knocking the iPad over in the process, and hear her giggles come pouring out of the speaker.

  “Are you offering what I think you’re offering?” I ask, righting the iPad on the bed again.

  “Maybe,” she says, a coy look on her face as she removes her workout top, leaving her filling the screen in just a sports bra and running shorts. My mouth waters at what I’m seeing. She isn’t even naked yet, and this is a thousand times better than any porno I could have pulled up from the internet.

  “Damn, Princess. You’re going to drive me crazy.”

  She just laughs, then pulls her sports bra off, and my jaw just about hits the floor. Never in a million years did I think she’d be willing to partake in some sexy time like this, but I’m not about to turn it down, either.

  We finish out our time together, talking each other through an orgasm, before we move on to more mundane things. I tell her about my parents wanting to come and visit sometime soon, and how I look forward to being able to introduce them to her. I know my parents will just love her.

  The time passes quickly. It doesn’t feel like we talked for a few hours, but by the time we do hang up, it’s almost midnight. We both have busy days ahead of us, and I promise to call her when I have a few minutes sometime the next day.

  Chapter Eleven

  Laura

  The last couple of weeks have been great. Mark and I continue to spend every free moment with each other, taking the time to get to know each other, learning each other’s likes and dislikes. We made it through his first road trip, enjoying the intimate moments we could via FaceTime, and being forced to talk about things.

  Communication is so key in any relationship, and I think by being forced to only have communication via phone, text, and video chatting so much of the time with his travel schedule, it will only strengthen our relationship and hopefully allow us to grow closer over time.

  Today is finally the day the Macentire family arrives. I’m so excited to meet all of them and make Brayden’s wish come true.

  The entire team has been briefed that we will have some special guests in-house over the next three days, and we expect them to be on their best behavior at all times. Sometimes, the locker room can get a little vulgar being that it is filled with a bunch of testosterone-filled athletes.

  I’ve been tracking the Macentire’s flight so that I can be down at the airport when they arrive. I’m taking a few employees with me to help with gathering luggage and loading everything up for them. I want this trip to be as relaxing as possible and as low-stress as we can make it.

  “You ready to go?” my dad asks as he approaches my desk. He knows how important this weekend is to me, and how I want our organization to make an impression on this family.

  “Yep, we’ll be leaving soon. The flight is due to land in about forty-five minutes, and I want to be in place just outside of security with our welcome banner when they walk out.”

  “Have I told you how proud you make me?” my dad asks, causing me to choke up just a bit. “You do a fantastic job being one of the faces of this organization. You might not be one of the faces that the public recognizes because you’re not on the ice, but you’re one of the backbones of this place. We wouldn
’t run as smoothly as we do if it wasn’t for you. I know, when the time comes that I’m ready to hang up my hat as the owner of this team, I’ll have no reservations handing over the reins to you.”

  “Thank you, Dad,” I say, as a few tears streak down my cheeks. My dad holds out a hand to me and I come around my desk and walk into his embrace.

  “I love you, baby girl. I’ve been worried about you these past few years, but I can see such a difference in you these past few weeks. I can only assume that Mark is the reason for that change and the happiness I see radiating from you. You should bring him to dinner at the house sometime soon. I’m sure your mother would enjoy getting to know him. Maybe plan on it when Michael will be in town in a few weeks.”

  “Maybe. When is Mike coming into town?” I ask. My brother and I are not the closest siblings, but that’s mostly due to his very busy schedule. We mostly text back and forth every week or so, to check in with each other. He never had the hockey bug like I did growing up, and instead was interested in music. He’s made a big name for himself in the music industry and is the drummer for Reese Blackwood’s band. They are currently on a world tour that is spanned out over ten months for the first leg, and then another eight or nine for the second leg.

  “They play here in early November. I think on the tenth. They have a few extra days between shows and are going to hang here in town for them, to take a much-needed break. Mom’s already promised him and the band a few home-cooked meals while they’re in town,” he says, releasing me from our embrace.

  “I’ll talk to Mom and see what we can schedule.”

  “Sounds good, baby girl.”

  “All right, I should probably go find Marcus, as I’m taking him with me to the airport, so we can make it there on time. I have the catering company scheduled to arrive at noon, and they know to set up in the conference room. Hopefully, we’ll be back shortly after that.”

  “Just let me know when you’re back and I’ll come join you for lunch,” Dad tells me as I grab my purse and head out of the office. I make my way down to the locker room level of the arena and find Marcus in his domain—the equipment room, sharpening skates.