She exchanged a silent look with Megan, who nodded. Now or never.
“This has been going on long enough. Both of you need to stop.”
Jason crossed his arms in front of him, the muscle ticking in his jaw as he glared at Tyler. Her husband had a similar expression on his face, but he didn’t waste time in a staring contest with Jason. He moved across the room, his body tense as he pulled open the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. He twisted the cap off the bottle, took a long swallow, then turned to her.
“There’s nothing to get over. You know that.”
“You’re being ridiculous.” Jenny moved to stand next to Megan and linked their arms together—a united front against two stubborn men.
Megan nodded. “Both of you are.”
“I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but it’s not going to work.”
Jason pushed away from the island counter, his hand reaching for Megan’s. “Come on, we’re leaving.”
“No.” Jenny shook her head and repeated the word, her voice more forceful. “No. This has to stop. You two have taken this whole thing entirely too far.”
“Jenny—”
“Megan—”
The two men stopped, glared at each other again.
Megan’s eyes narrowed at the two men. “Oh my God, this is ridiculous. Look at you!”
“You’re taking testosterone poisoning to a whole new level!”
“Dammit, Jenny, this isn’t funny. You expect me to just forget? After everything he said to you? After what he did?”
“What I did?” Jason took a step toward Tyler, anger coloring his face. “What about what you did? Sneaking behind my back and—”
“Enough! Both of you. Just—stop.” Jenny’s outburst surprised both of them into silence. Her stomach twisted, threatening to turn inside out. No, please no. Not now. It was the wrong time of day, she wouldn’t allow it to happen.
She pressed her hand against her stomach again and swallowed, trying to control her traitorous body. One deep breath, then another, until her stomach finally settled. Megan squeezed her hand and nodded, silently telling Jenny it was time.
This would work…or it wouldn’t.
Jenny took one last deep breath, her gaze moving between the two stubborn men she loved—even if she did want to smack their heads together.
“You need to stop. Both of you.”
“Jenny—”
She shook her head, interrupting both men. Her hand gripped Megan’s tighter as the words spilled from her mouth. “We want our kids to grow up together.”
Silence descended on the kitchen. Absolute shocked silence. She watched Tyler’s face, saw the way his complexion paled, saw the way his grip on the bottle tightened and the way his knees started to buckle. Oh my God, he was going to faint. He was going to fall flat on the floor and there was nothing she could do, she couldn’t reach him in time—
She didn’t have to because Jason was beside him, holding him steady. Or maybe Tyler was holding Jason steady, because her brother looked like he might hit the floor, too.
“Wh-what?” Jason croaked the word, his pale eyes filled with disbelief as he stared at Megan.
“Both of you?” Tyler’s words sounded like they’d been forced from a raw throat, hoarse and scratchy.
Megan and Jenny shared another quick look then turned back to the men, nodding at the same time.
“Yes. Both of us.”
“But…how?”
Jenny rolled her eyes. “It’s not like we planned it.”
“Yeah. It just sort of worked out that way.”
The kitchen erupted in loud noises. Jenny didn’t understand them at first, was worried that their plan to tell Tyler and Jason together had backfired and the men were suddenly yelling at each other, ready to come to blows once more. But these weren’t yells of anger—they were whoops of joy. Jenny felt herself being pulled away from Megan, felt herself being picked up and spun around. Strong arms held her close, steadying her as Tyler placed her back on her feet and kissed her.
Warm, gentle. Full of promise.
She pulled back and gazed into his eyes, felt Tyler’s love wash over her. His arms tightened around her and he glanced over her shoulder, anger and tension replaced by something else as he stared at her brother.
Jenny held her breath, waiting as silence settled over the kitchen once more. Then Tyler’s mouth curled in a crooked grin, the left side slightly lower as a dimple appeared. He reached out with his right hand, extending it toward her brother.
Jenny held her breath, waiting, watching as her brother stared at her husband—
And breathed a sigh of relief when he finally accepted Tyler’s hand.
Maybe things weren’t completely settled between them, but it was a start. The rest would come eventually, Jenny was certain of it.
Tyler spun her around again, then kissed her once more, pulling back with a grin.
“I just realized where bad ideas lead.”
“Huh?”
“I just realized where bad ideas lead.” He repeated the words, his grin growing wider.
Jenny frowned, trying to figure out what he was talking about. “Where?”
“To heaven.”
She opened her mouth to ask him what he meant, then decided it didn’t matter, not when his mouth closed over hers once more.
Full of warmth. Full of promise.
Full of the only thing that mattered: a future filled with love.
###
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PLAYING IT UP
The York Bombers Book 4
Zach Mummert has never met a woman he didn’t like—or a woman who didn’t like him. Using his position as a winger for the York Bombers and his talent with social media, he always gets what he wants, until he meets the one woman who doesn’t instantly succumb to his charms.
Haley Addison lives life on her own terms: no rules, no commitments, and no regrets. Fiery in spirit and fiercely independent, she has no interest in being another notch in Zack’s hockey stick. Yet their explosive chemistry won’t be denied, especially when Zach comes to Haley’s rescue.
There’s a fine line between love and hate, a line the mismatched pair crosses with as much passion in bed as out of it. No strings, no expectations. When Haley’s past comes back to haunt her, putting her life in peril, Zach realizes that some things are worth fighting for—no matter the cost—and Haley learns she must let go of the past if she wants to hang on to the future.
Playing It Up, available here.
CROSSING THE LINE
The Baltimore Banners Book 1
Amber “AJ” Johnson is a freelance writer who has one chance of winning her dream-job as a full-time staffer: capture an interview with the very private goalie of Baltimore’s hockey team, Alec Kolchak. But he’s the one man who tries her patience, even as he brings to life a quiet passion she doesn’t want to admit exists.
Alec has no desire to be interviewed—he never has, never will. But he finds himself a reluctant admirer of AJ’s determination to get what she wants…and he certainly never counted on his attraction to her. In a fit of frustration, he accepts AJ’s bet: if she can score just one goal on him in a practice shootout, he would not only agree to the interview, he would let her have full access to him for a month, 24/7.
It’s a bet neither one of them wants to lose…and a bet neither
one can afford to win. But when it comes time to take the shot, can either one of them cross the line?
Turn the page for an exciting peek at CROSSING THE LINE, available now.
“Oh my God, what have I done?” AJ muttered the phrase under her breath for the hundredth time. She wanted to rub her chest but she couldn’t reach it under the thick pads now covering her. She wanted to go home and curl up in a dark corner and forget about the whole thing.
Me and my bright ideas.
“Are you going to be okay?”
AJ snapped her head up and looked at Ian. The poor guy had been given the job of helping her get dressed in the pads, and she almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Between her nervousness and the threat of an impending migraine, she was too preoccupied to muster much sympathy for anyone else right now.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She took a deep breath and stood, wobbling for only a second on the skates. This was not how she had imagined the bet going. When she cooked up the stupid idea, she had figured on having a few days to at least practice.
Well, not really. If she was honest with herself, she never even imagined that Alec would agree to it. But if he had, then she would have had a few days to practice.
So much for her imagination.
She took another deep breath then followed Ian from the locker room. It didn’t take too long for her gait to even out and she muttered a thankful prayer. She only hoped that she didn’t sprawl face-first as soon as she stepped on the ice.
Her right hand clenched around the stick, getting used to the feel of it, getting used to the fit of the bulky glove—which was too big to begin with. This would have been so much easier if all she had to do was put on a pair of skates. She had never considered the possibility of having to put all the gear on, right down to the helmet that was a heavy weight bearing down on her head.
She really needed to do something with her imagination and its lack of thinking things all the way through.
AJ took another deep breath when they finally reached the ice. She reached out to open the door but was stopped by Ian.
“Listen, AJ, I’m not even going to pretend I know what’s going on or why you think you can do this, but I’ll give you some advice. Shoot fast and low, and aim for the five and two holes—those are Alec’s weak spots. The five hole is—”
“Between the legs, I know.” AJ winced at the sharpness of her voice. Ian was only trying to help her. He had no reason to realize she knew anything about ice hockey, and not just because she liked to write about it. She offered him a smile to take the bite from her words then slammed the butt of the stick down against the door latch so it would swing open. Two steps later and she was standing on a solid sheet of thick ice.
AJ breathed deeply several times then slowly made her way to the other side of the rink, where Alec was nonchalantly leaning against the top post of the net talking to Nathan. They both watched as she skated up to them and came to a smooth stop. Alec’s face was expressionless as he studied her, and she wondered what thoughts were going through his mind. Probably nothing she really wanted to know.
Nathan nodded at her, offering a small smile. She had to give the guy some credit for not laughing in her face when she asked his opinion on her idea. “Well, at least it looks like you’ve been on skates before. That’s a plus.”
AJ didn’t say anything, just absently nodded in his direction. The carefree attitude she had been aiming for was destroyed by the helmet sliding down over her forehead. She pushed it back on her head then glanced at the five pucks lined neatly on the goal line. All she had to do was get one of them across. Just one.
She didn’t have a chance.
She pushed the pessimistic thought to the back of her mind. “So, do I get a chance to warm up or take a practice shot?”
Alec sized her up then briskly shook his head. “No.”
AJ swallowed and glanced at the pucks, then back at Alec. “Alrighty then. A man of few words. That’s what I like about you, Kolchak.” AJ though he might have cracked a smile behind his mask but she couldn’t be sure. She sighed and leaned on her stick, trying to look casual and hoping it didn’t slip out from under her and send her sprawling. “So, what are the rules?”
“Simple. You get five chances to shoot. If you score, you win. If you don’t, I win.” Alec swept the pucks to the side with the blade of his stick so Nathan could pick them up. She followed the moves with her eyes and tried to ignore the pounding in her chest.
She had so much riding on this. Something told her that Alec was dead serious about being left alone if she lost. It had been a stupid idea, and she wondered if she would have had better luck at trying to wear him down the old-fashioned way.
She studied his posture and decided probably not. He had been mostly patient with her up to this point, but even she knew he would have reached his limit soon.
“All or nothing, then. Fair enough. So, are you ready?”
AJ didn’t hear his response but thought it was probably something sarcastic. She sighed then turned to follow Nathan to the center line, her heart beating too fast as her feet glided across the ice. She shrugged her shoulders, trying to readjust the bulk of the pads, and watched as Nathan lined the pucks up.
He finished then straightened and faced her, an unreadable expression on his face. He finally grinned and shook his head.
“I have no idea if you know what you’re doing or not, but good luck. You’re going to need it.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Nathan walked across the ice to the bench and leaned against the outer boards, joining a few of the other players gathered there. AJ wished they were gone, that they had something better to do than stand around and watch her make a fool of herself.
Well, she had brought it on herself.
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, pushing everything from her mind except what she was about to do. When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was on the first puck. Heavy, solid…nothing more than a slab of black rubber…
Okay, so she wasn’t going to have any luck becoming one with the puck. Stupid idea. AJ had never understood that whole Zen thing anyway.
She swallowed and began skating in small circles, testing her ankles as she turned first one way then another, testing the stick as she swept it back and forth across the ice in front of her. Not too bad. Maybe she hadn’t forgotten—
“Sometime today would be nice!”
AJ winced at the sarcasm in Alec’s voice and wished she had some kind of comeback for him. Instead she mumbled to herself and got into position behind the first puck. She didn’t even look up to see if he was ready. Didn’t ask if it was okay to start, she just pushed off hard and skated, the stick out in front of her.
This was her one shot, she couldn’t blow it.
ONCE BURNED
Firehouse Fourteen Book 1
Michaela Donaldson had her whole life planned out: college, music, and a happy-ever-after with her first true love. One reckless night changed all that, setting Michaela on a new path. Gone are her dreams of pursuing music in college, replaced by what she thinks is a more rewarding life. She’s a firefighter now, getting down and dirty while doing her job. So what if she’s a little rough around the edges, a little too careless, a little too detached? She’s happy, living life on her own terms—until Nicky Lansing shows back up.
Nick Lansing was the stereotypical leather-clad bad boy, needing nothing but his fast car, his guitar, his never-ending partying, and his long-time girlfriend—until one bad decision changed the course of two lives forever. He’s on the straight-and-narrow now, living life as a respected teacher and doing his best to be a positive role model. Yes, he still has his music. But gone are his days of partying. And gone is the one girl who always held his heart. Or is she?
One freak accident brings these two opposites back together. Is ten years long enough to heal the physical and emotional wounds from the past? Can they reconcile who they were with who they’ve become—or will it be a case of On
ce Burned is enough?
Turn the page for an exciting peek at ONCE BURNED, available now.
“Oh shit,” Mike repeated under her breath, too horrified to do anything more than force herself to breathe. Not an easy task, considering she was literally frozen to the spot. The air was thick with heated tension and the buzzing in her ears made it impossible for her to hear anything. She willed herself to move, to do something.
Shit, it’s Nicky. Shit, it’s Nicky. The phrase kept spinning through her mind until she thought she’d be sick with the dizziness of it. Her chest heaved with the effort to breathe and her pulse beat in a tap dancer’s rhythm.
Did anyone else notice the sudden change in the room? Mike forced herself to look away from that face from her past and quickly glanced around. Four sets of eyes fixed on her with varying degrees of bewilderment. She could still feel his eyes on her, too, filled with stunned disbelief.
Feeling like she was trapped in a nightmare where everything moved with the speed of molasses, Mike pushed away from the counter and walked across the room, straight past the frozen figure of Nicky Lansing and through the swinging door. She turned a corner and rushed through a second door that opened into the engine room, not stopping until she reached the engine on the far side, where she promptly collapsed on the back step.
Heedless of the dirt and grime, she let her head drop against the back compartment door, ignoring the length of hose line in her way. Her breathing came in shallow gasps that did nothing to help the lightheadedness that caused black dots to dance across her closed lids.
Hyperventilating. She was hyperventilating. The calm, rational part of her—she was surprised she still had one—told her to lean forward, to get a grip on herself and her breathing. Now bent over, sitting with her head between her knees, Mike grabbed the running board with both hands and concentrated on the feel of the diamond plate cutting into her palms.
The spots faded away and her breathing slowed to something closer to normal. One last deep breath and she straightened, only to choke on a scream when she came face-to-face with Jay, his brows lowered in a frown as he studied her with concern.
Playing For Keeps: A York Bombers Hockey Romance (The York Bombers Book 3) Page 19