by Cari Quinn
“You’re such a joker, isn’t he, Cedric?” She looked to Cedric for confirmation.
Cooper’s best buddy opened his mouth to back him up, only no words were spoken. Instead, his confusion turned to an evil grin, revenge lighting up his pale blue eyes. “Seriously, Coop, You know how your princess gets when you play jokes on her.”
“This isn’t a joke. I don’t know this woman,” Cooper ground out the words, his foul mood fouler.
The rent-a-cop, identified as Carl by his name badge, stepped forward. “Mr. Black, I’ll have her removed. I can see she’s harassing you.”
“Carl, I told you, he’s my boyfriend. He’s just a little upset at me for having my way with him and his credit card. Check your list again, I’m sure my name’s on it. Isabella.”
“No need to check the list.” Cedric held out his arm. “Come on, Isabella, I’ll escort you inside if this asshole won’t.”
Grumpier than ever, Cooper followed Cedric and Isabella into the ballroom. The woman winked over her shoulder at him as she sauntered into the room as if she owned it, a huge purse clutched in her delicate hand and walking with the grace of an athlete on impossibly high heels. Once inside, she extricated herself from Ced’s hold.
“Thanks so much, Cedric.” She gave him a peck on the cheek, which really annoyed the hell out of Cooper.
“It was my pleasure, Isabella.” Cedric dialed up the charm.
“You can call me Izzy. That’s what Coop calls me.”
“I don’t call you anything.” Cooper stiffened as she advanced on him, not sure what she’d come up with next. By the twinkle in her dark brown eyes, she wasn’t done with him yet. She put her hands on his collar and gazed up into his eyes like a loving girlfriend.
Loving? What the fuck? Feeling a bit claustrophobic, he backed up a step, running into a support post behind him. Her gentle laugh reminded him of the songs of the little birds he fed every day on his front porch. He loved listening to those birds in the morning. Her, not so much. And no way in hell would he be listening to her voice in the morning or any time.
She pressed that sweet body against his in that intimate way lovers had. “I see people I know. I must say hi. You don’t mind, do you, darling?” She kissed his cheek.
“Not one damn bit,” Cooper growled, catching Cedric holding his stomach out of the corner of his eye. The jerk would be rolling on the floor laughing any minute.
Isabella strolled away, as if she were out for a walk in the park. Cooper swallowed as he stared at that nice rounded ass of hers and briefly wondered what it’d feel like in his hands. She nodded at a few people as if she knew them, and joined a group of men several feet inside the doorway, charming them immediately. Their hearty laughter bounced off the walls of the otherwise quiet room as she told some entertaining story, which must have involved a high heel, a little dog, and a motorcycle judging by how she expressed everything dramatically with her hands.
Despite his best intentions, Cooper was mesmerized, then he reminded himself of his intentions not to have a good time just to prove his point. He didn’t know this woman, even though she did attract him on the most basic of levels. But then she’d attract any man as she was drop-dead gorgeous. He’d had any number of gorgeous women on his arm in the past so she shouldn’t be anything special.
Tell that to his dick. It considered her damn special right about now, most likely because he’d boycotted everything Seattle since he’d arrived a month ago, including its coffee and its women.
“Your girlfriend is one hot number, Coop. You’d better keep an eye on her or one of these fuckheads will be moving in on your territory. Including me.”
“Fuck you. You set me up.”
“And it was damn funny.”
In another place and time, Cooper would be angling for a piece of that nice ass, but not tonight, not while the new ownership and coaching staff was watching. Cooper Black couldn’t be bought, even if they did buy his team.
That coaching staff, led by a young first-year head coach, mingled with the crowd, shaking hands and selling the team since the team currently refused to sell itself. Cooper glared at every coach and staff person stupid enough to attempt to engage him in conversation, and his teammates followed suit, loyal to the last man. So far.
He stiffened and prepared for battle as the man he called the asshole—Ethan Parker—walked toward him, as comfortable in an expensive suit as Cooper was on the ice. Cooper tugged on his collar and loosened his bowtie. He hated wearing a damn tux, wasn’t even sure why he’d put it on at the last minute when he’d planned on wearing a Gainesville Giants hoodie. Blame it on his parents. They’d drummed duty and loyalty into his head since day one. His father, a real life Army hero, and Cooper’s personal hero, made sure his son did what was expected of him. In Cooper’s mind, he was expected to attend this party dressed correctly, and that was as far as duty took him. Fuck the rest of it. His loyalty remained in Gainesville with the fans who’d earned it.
He glared at Parker, hoping to intimidate the guy, but even his best you’re-going-to-get-the-shit-kicked-out-of-you glare didn’t dissuade the man.
“Cooper.” Ethan nodded and then smiled at Cedric. “Cedric. So good to see you, gentlemen. Beautiful Seattle night, isn’t it?”
“If you like drizzle and gray,” Cooper snorted. The weather was pretty much par for the course, and it was fucking July already.
Cedric, being a loyal friend for once, shrugged and stared at the shoreline.
“Seattle is ready for a hockey team. Did you realize we have the largest adult hockey program in the country?”
Cooper grunted.
“And you’ll be natural rivals for the Canucks up north.”
Cooper yawned.
Ethan leaned forward, his eyes narrowing to glittering slits. “Listen, Black, if you think your crappy attitude is going to move you back to Florida, you might be right. Only the team won’t be going with you. I’m willing to be patient, but only for so long. This team is here to stay, whether you fucking like it or not.”
Cooper stared straight through Ethan, forcing his face into stone, but he could feel a muscle jerking in his jaw. Satisfied that he’d made his point, Ethan strolled away as if enjoying himself.
“He’s right, you know,” Cedric said from next to him.
Cooper whipped his head around. “Right? About what?”
“He can trade your ass any day to a team with no hope of winning, now or for the next decade.”
“Maybe I want to be traded.”
“No, you don’t. Not when we came so close last season.” Cedric sighed, as if he was weary of all this but was too loyal to say so. “Don’t look now, but here comes your girlfriend.”
“Just what I need. And quit calling her that. I don’t even know the woman.”
Isabella took a detour to the DJ, spoke to him, and continued across the dance floor. She paused, her gaze directly on Cooper. A slow smile crossed her face, and she raised her eyebrows, glancing pointedly at the dance floor, then at him. He frowned so hard his teeth hurt. He was not dancing with her or anyone else tonight.
She graced him with a sexy little smile, one of those come-and-get-me-big-boy smiles. He looked away. Despite the fact that his dick skated into the rink, he was staying on the bench. His little head had never been very smart anyway, especially when it came to women.
The music started, some pulsing, sexy, upbeat dance tune, and Izzy’s hips swayed with a seductive, hypnotic rhythm while she kept her eyes on him. Pretty soon a few other women joined her, dancing together as women often did. A set of twins, blond-haired versions of Isabella, gyrated on the dance floor. The uncanny resemblance set off his warning bells.
His teammates leaned forward in their chairs, especially the young guys, probably imagining every guy’s most perverse fantasies involving twins. Another equally gorgeous woman with auburn hair joined them, twirling, laughing, having a great time, as if they were the only ones at the party. She, too, coul
d be a sister to the other three. Another weird coincidence? Not a chance. Cooper didn’t believe in coincidences.
Regardless, he dismissed his suspicions. So they looked like cloned versions of Isabella. So what? He had bigger problems. He glanced at his guys and sensed a mutiny in the making. Even Cedric’s tongue was hanging out. Cooper jabbed him with an elbow and got an “umph” along with a couple “fuck you”s.
One of the twins danced over and grabbed Mike Gibson’s hand. The horny rookie just about fell out of his chair.
“Let’s dance.” The cute blonde never quit moving those hips, not once. Cooper shot Gib a look of pure homicide, and the rookie caught it. With reluctance, he shook his hand from the woman’s and pulled away. She frowned at Cooper, then gave him a charming smile; he just glared back. The blonde flounced off in search of another sucker.
Cooper turned toward the rookie. “We all stand together. Remember?”
Gibson shrugged. “The women in Seattle are hot, and this isn’t such a bad place. We might as well make the best of it.”
Cooper stared him down, and Gibson looked away first. The kid might be formidable on skates, but he was no match for a seasoned veteran like Cooper, on or off the ice.
“There’s no disloyalty in dancing with pretty ladies.” Drew Delacorte, a second-year guy from Toronto, bravely jumped in the conversation.
“Do I have to spell it out to you? To all of you? Stay away from the groupies.”
“You came in with one of them.” Delacorte pointed out in a second rare display of defiance.
“She latched on to me at the door. Ced escorted her in as joke.” Why the fuck did he feel the need to explain himself?
“He’s playing hard to get. Isabella’s his girlfriend.” Cedric grinned and took a long pull on his beer.
Cooper heaved a sigh, knowing Cedric would keep this up until the night ended, especially if Cooper made a big deal about it. Unsuccessfully hiding his smile, Drew drank his beer in silence, his eyes on the hot women dancing several feet away. Cooper could feel his hold over the team slipping with each beat of the music. Loyalty was a lost art, but not for Coop, which was exactly why the new ownership would not get his cooperation. Instead they’d understand the full extent of his displeasure. So what if they cut him or traded him?
Cooper leaned back in the hard chair, crossed his arms over his chest, and glared at Cedric. Cedric just grinned his trademark shit-eating grin. Nothing got to Cedric. Everything rolled off his back as he went on with his life, doing shit his way.
“They have to be sisters.” Cedric’s eyes followed the redhead as the song ended, and she strutted off the dance floor, short skirt swaying to the movement of her hips. “I’d like to find out if that one is a true redhead. Only one way to find out.” His slow smile said it all. Ced had picked his woman for the night, and he usually got what he wanted.
The song ended and Isabella danced all the way across the floor to his side.
“Fucking groupies,” Cooper muttered, pissed that they were wearing down his teammates’ resolve.
“Lighten up, man.” Cedric chuckled and nodded toward the banquet table. “Besides, they aren’t groupies. Take a closer look.”
Cooper narrowed his eyes, but he wasn’t seeing what Ced saw. “Yeah?”
“See the big bags those twins are carrying? Watch them cram food in those bags when they think no one’s watching.”
Cooper nodded as it dawned on him. “They’re party crashers.”
“Damn right.”
“They aren’t here for the hockey players, they’re here for the food.” One more reason to hate Seattle. They didn’t even have hockey groupies, just a bunch of hot women more interested in grabbing food than horny, athletic men.
“And the entertainment,” Cedric added. “It’s better than popcorn and a movie any day.”
Cooper’s annoyance gave way as a plan formed in his mind. A slow smile spread across Coop’s face, the first one since this nightmare began what seemed like a lifetime ago. “I wonder how Parker would react if he found out these starving college students or whatever have crashed his perfect little party with his Seattle A-lister attendees, and he’s none the wiser?”
“Pretty damn hilarious, isn’t it?” Cedric continued to stare at the redhead.
“Yeah, here I thought they were enemies, and they’re allies of a sort.”
Cedric nodded. “Even if management suspects she’s a party crasher, they won’t kick her out on the off-chance she really is with you.”
“Maybe I can have some fun with them. Make this party crash in style.” Cooper’s smile spread farther.
“Coop, you scare the shit out of me when you smile like that. It means someone’s going to die or get their body slammed against the boards.”
“No dying, no slamming. At least not physically.” Cooper rubbed the stubble on his chin. His gaze was drawn to Ethan Parker, who’d walked across the room and was trying to engage a couple players in conversation. They weren’t warming up to the idea. Ethan glanced in Cooper’s direction, and their gazes clashed with the intensity of two warriors squaring up on a battlefield. Ethan’s eyes narrowed. He’d deal with Cooper later, Cooper was certain of that. Fine, bring it on.
Shaking his head in frustration, Ethan walked away from the table of players and struck up a conversation with his head coach.
“She’s heading your way.” Cedric jerked his head, and Cooper forgot all about the team owner. Isabella walked toward him with the loose-hipped stride of a runway model. This time he was ready for her games. In fact, he’d play a few of his own, and he played to win.
Chapter Three
Change on the Fly
Okay, this party wasn’t going as intended. Isabella caught the eye of the team majority owner, Ethan Parker, who’d hired Party Crashers to do this job. He jerked his head toward the players clumped at tables and looking miserable, not mingling, not enjoying themselves. They’d turned down every advance by her sisters to dance. No results, no money. That was the deal she’d struck with Parker, and they needed this money, not just to pay bills, but to take this business to the next level and move a step closer to quitting their day jobs.
She’d step up her game. And that game began with the guy who called the shots, the team captain, Cooper Black. She strolled toward Cooper, as if she had all the time in the world, even though inside her stomach tied in knots. Cooper glowered at her while his buddy wore the biggest grin, obviously willing to play along with her ruse. Thank God, she could use an ally in this place. Cedric abandoned the chair next to Cooper, despite his buddy’s warning scowl, and Izzy sank down into the seat, not as gracefully as she’d like because her feet were killing her in those shoes. What she’d give right now to soak them in a warm bucket of water.
“You’re back? Haven’t you tortured me enough?” Something in his tone caught Isabella off guard. He sounded almost conspiratorial.
She recovered quickly and wrapped an arm around his waist. “Seriously? Not even close. Let’s dance, big boy.”
He watched her for a long moment, and she could almost see the wheels turning. His expression made her uneasy. “I know your game.”
“Excuse me?” She gazed up at him, an adoring smile plastered on her face, but she could tell he saw through it, maybe even caught her moment of uncertainty.
“Your game. I know what your deal is.” His smug smile indicated he thought he had one up on her.
Izzy went all cold and still inside, her smile frozen in place. “My deal?”
“Yeah.” He crossed his arms over his ample chest and leaned back in his chair. “You’re party crashers. Do you go around to parties just to get free meals and free alcohol, or is there more to it than that?”
“What are you insinuating?” Anger replaced her fear. She leaned forward, a hand on his arm and gave him her patented bitch glare. Bad idea. Touching him was like touching an inferno. The heat from his body set fire to the heat inside hers, and she barely knew the guy
. Get a grip, Izzy. Obviously, she’d concentrated on her business too long and neglected her sex life, so now her sex life wanted a front row seat on this hunk’s lap.
“That you do this pretty frequently.” His smug smile slid off his face as he watched her warily. His gaze kept flicking to her hand, as if he felt the heat, too.
“Hey, money’s tight. We do what we can.” She shrugged and sat back in her chair, taking her hand off him and feeling as if she should dunk it in a glass of ice water.
“You are sisters then?” He almost seemed interested and way too cool and calm.
“That’s right. Besides, the twins are huge hockey fans. We couldn’t pass up this chance to party with the players and take advantage of the food and drink.”
“Opportunists?”
“A little. What about you? What’s your story? It’s obvious you don’t want to be here. Your attitude is ruining the party.” She stared into the most piercing set of blue eyes she’d ever seen anywhere, so piercing they sliced right through her tough armor, down to her deepest secrets. Her knees would’ve given out if she’d been standing, so powerful was his steady, unwavering gaze.
“What do you care?” He studied her, as if reading every line in her heart’s history.
“I hate seeing a good party go bad.”
“It was never a good party. You and I could have our own party somewhere away from this place.”
Panic must have crossed her face because he chuckled.
“Well, you are my girlfriend.” He almost smiled.
“I think it’s time to eat.”
“If there’s anything left, the way your sisters have been shoving food in their purses.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” In response, her stomach, which hadn’t been satisfied in hours, growled like an angry lion. “By the way, I’m Izzy.”
“Wouldn’t I know that as your boyfriend?” Another smile tugged at the corners of his generous, very kissable mouth. This man was all kinds of sexy, and she’d bet her grandmother’s support hose his body looked as good as his face.