Donovan (Face-Off Series Book 3)

by Jillian Quinn

  So, like an idiot, I mutter, “Hi.” Real smooth.

  Sydney strokes my arm with her nails and peeks up at me from beneath her long, dark lashes. Her blue eyes are so wide they’re like saucers. “Hey, big guy.”

  She’s more reserved than normal and so unlike herself. This version of Sydney is not so bad. Maybe the princess needed to be knocked down a peg and thrown from her throne for her to come to her senses.

  “Carter,” Kennedy says, as she tugs on my arm to give me a hug, ending my staring contest with Sydney.

  I bend down to hug Kennedy back and plant a kiss on her cheek. Kennedy was upstairs getting ready when I came over. She’s glowing already, has the same look my sister had when she was pregnant with Kyle, despite spending most of her morning in the bathroom and throwing up. Tyler lucked out when he found Kennedy. And he deserves someone like her to make up for all the shitty parts of his life.

  “So, I’m sure you know the reason we brought you here,” Kennedy announces, pushing her hands onto her hips and speaking with authority.

  Tyler takes his place at her side and hooks his arm around her back. He’s like a trained dog with how he responds. “We wanted to ask you guys to be the godparents of our child.”

  “I already knew I was the godmother,” Sydney says, confident. “That much was a given.”

  Kennedy smiles. “Naturally.”

  “You could’ve asked your sister,” Tyler interjects.

  “Penny is out of the question,” Sydney says, rolling her eyes. “She would make an awful godmother. Trust me I am a much better choice. If you two were to die suddenly and needed someone to raise your child, you would not want Penny to be the one to do it.”

  Tyler’s gaze shifts to Kennedy. “I still haven’t met any of Kennedy’s family.”

  My mouth opens in shock. “K, how could you let this man impregnate you and not even introduce him to your father?”

  She shrugs. “I don’t know. With my family losing their company, I didn’t want to add another thing to the list for my dad to worry about. You know how he gets.”

  “That’s why we need to have a party,” Sydney declares. “Once you’re far enough along that we can have a gender reveal party, I am throwing one for you. It will be the perfect event for your families to meet.”

  Tyler bites down on his bottom lip. “I haven’t told my parents either.”

  “You two are a mess.” Sydney shakes her head, disgusted. “We need to arrange a meet and greet for your families. They need to find out about the baby before you pop the kid out.”

  Her comment makes me chuckle, which catches her attention. Sydney locks onto me, never letting go once she meets my gaze. “You will help me, big guy. If we’re going to be the baby’s godparents, then you will plan the parties with me. It will be fun.”

  “I don’t know about all that,” I croak. “I have no idea how to plan a baby shower, and family shit is not really my thing.”

  I look to Tyler for confirmation that he’s okay with Sydney arranging for their families to meet. He nods in agreement.

  It was bound to happen at some time, but I see no rush. Anything family related equals drama to me, so I do my best to distance myself from it whenever possible. Jenny is the only family I need. Well, Jenny and Tyler. And now, this baby, which comes with Kennedy and Sydney.

  “I’m famished,” Sydney says in an overly dramatic tone, fanning herself.

  Why does she insist on being so over-the-top all the time? And why do I think it’s so fucking adorable? Also, when do I use the word adorable?

  I need my head examined. This woman is crazy and intoxicating. When I’m around her, I have trouble saying no—to anything, which is why I went along with her games. She breaks me down, makes me weak. Sydney Carroway is my own personal brand of Kryptonite. But I cannot get enough of her.

  “Where do you want to eat? In here or in the kitchen?” Kennedy asks Sydney as if her opinion is the only one that matters.

  There’s probably some truth to that. Tyler and I could eat standing next to a dumpster and not give a shit, and Kennedy is about as go with the flow as a girl can get, but Sydney…I never know how she will react. Miss High Maintenance is always prim and proper. But sometimes, Sydney surprises me.

  She throws her dark curls over her shoulder with a loud sigh. “Right here is fine. Tyler, why don’t you grab the food with Carter and give us girls time to chat?”

  “Um…yeah, sure.” Tyler motions toward the hall with his head and turns to me. “Wanna help me out?”

  I fall in line next to him, glancing over my shoulder at Sydney as we step into the hallway. The corners of her mouth turn up into a smile for a second, before she shifts her attention back to Kennedy.

  Why does she have to be so damn beautiful and have a magnetism about her that draws me to her?

  They start talking about the baby, and I walk out of the living room with Tyler. We are no longer either of their concern. Kennedy is probably starving with all the hunger cravings Tyler has been telling me about, and Sydney just likes being waited on, as if we are her servants. That part of her personality will never sit well with me.

  Sydney and I come from different walks of life. She has no idea that her air of entitlement will not work with me. I will never be the man she wants. But I want her so bad. When I’m lying in bed at night, alone, I crave her pussy and try to remember how it tastes. Just thinking about her in that tight outfit and only down the hall, makes my dick throb.

  Once we’re in the kitchen, I let out the air I was holding in around Sydney. If I don’t do that, she might suck every bit of it out of the room. I never met a girl who makes me this nervous. She intimidates me in ways that I’d never thought possible. One look at where I grew up, and she would think differently of me. I just know it. We are too different to make this work.

  But I have to play nice around Tyler and Kennedy, especially now that we are the godparents to their child. That also means spending a lot of time together. The thought both excites and terrifies me, all at the same time.

  Tyler removes several catering trays from the fridge and sets them down on the island in the center of the kitchen. He flips the lids off them and slides the plastic dishes toward me. “Put some sandwiches on a plate, would ya? Kennedy likes the egg salad ones, so grab a few extra of those.”

  Reaching into the cabinet, I notice Tyler finally has food on his shelves. That’s a new addition along with Kennedy to this house. For years, we’d ordered takeout every time I had come over here. I consider myself lucky if Tyler has a Gatorade or beer to drink. Now, he has the place stocked, like a regular house. Kane Manor is no longer a bachelor pad.

  I help Tyler prepare plates of sandwiches for the girls, and it feels normal as if this is something we do all the time. Maybe I could get used to this. My thoughts contradict the other because I am a walking contradiction. I say I don’t want Sydney when I do. I stopped talking to her even though I was dying to see her again.

  “I was thinking about your problem,” Tyler says after he finishes arranging the plates in his hand. “If you can pinpoint when your game went to shit, then we can figure out what caused this mental block you’re having.”

  Lifting the tray of drinks Kennedy had pre-made from the counter, I balance them in my hands along with two more plates of food. “I don’t see how we’re going to do that. I had no fucking clue when my game went downhill. It just happened over time, and nothing I have done to get it back has worked.”

  Tyler turns his head to the side, thinking as we exit the kitchen. “How many saves did you have last season?”

  “Not enough,” I grunt, annoyed with myself about how much my average has dropped.

  “Look, I asked Liam to go through the tapes for us. We need to figure out when it started. You were killing it at the beginning of last season, and then it was as if you flipped a switch and haven’t been able to turn it back on.”

  “You asked Liam to help with this?” I roll my eyes
at him as we walk down the hall. “I don’t know if I should be pissed or embarrassed.”

  “He’s one of the good ones on our team and knows his shit. I don’t see anything wrong with asking him to go over film.”

  Tyler is the leader of our team. And he’s good at it. Liam West is an alternate captain, right winger, and helps Tyler with getting the guys together. He has that same sense of authority as Tyler when it comes to calling the shots.

  “Well, did he find anything?”

  He shakes his head. “Not yet. He just started looking this week.”

  “You’re all about surprises lately,” I say in a condescending tone.

  “We need you on point this year. I want to make the playoffs, and we need you to do it. You’re the backbone of this team.”

  I laugh. “We both know that’s not true. If anyone is the backbone, it’s you. You’re the team captain.”

  My game fucking sucks. But that has nothing to do with Sydney. I was already off before we had met. And the current season is no better.

  After I set the drinks on the table along with the plates, Sydney gets up, takes a mimosa, and raises the champagne glass to her lips, staring at me the entire time. She drinks the whole thing in one big gulp, before slamming it down on the table. Without another thought, she takes another flute, this time, sipping from it.

  We haven’t spoken a single word, but her eyes do the talking for her. I wonder if mine do the same. A moment of silence passes between us. Studying her every movement, I watch as she finishes off another champagne drink, as if she’s chugging beers at the bar on a Friday night.

  I want to reach out and touch her, slip my fingers into her hair and pull her closer. But I hate myself for feeling connected to someone like Sydney. We are so similar yet so different that I have no idea how we could make a relationship work.

  My life has order, where Sydney’s seems to have nothing but chaos. She’s like a tornado. You never know how much damage Sydney will cause and when she will strike again. Just when I had thought we were getting somewhere, moving in the right direction, she had switched back to digging for information.

  To lessen the tension and to give me something to do other than stare at her like an idiot, I pick up a tiny sandwich and bite into it. Two bites are all it takes to eat this ridiculous excuse for a sandwich. At this rate, I will need to eat the entire plate to fill up.

  Sydney strolls over to the couch and plops down, crosses her legs, and then peeks up at me. “Are you going to stand there and stare at me, big guy, or keep me company?” Patting the cushion next to her, she kills me with one look.

  Kennedy laughs so hard she snorts. She’s getting a kick out of Sydney’s behavior. Is there ever a moment where Sydney is not in control? When she came to my house the other day, she sounded so sad and unlike herself. Now, she’s back to her usual persona. I wonder if it’s all an act. Like how I have to put on a happy face and smile, even when I feel the darkness creeping up, choking me from the inside.

  With a loud sigh, I sit next to Sydney, doing my best to pretend I don’t want this, except I do. I want her with every inch of my being. Just our closeness is giving me a semi.

  “Why the long face?” Sydney asks me, stroking my chin with her fingers.

  Her touch goes straight to my balls. I should have taken control when we had first met, instead of allowing her to dominate the situation. I played her games, all of which gave me a never-ending case of blue balls.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Princess.” I take her hand from my face, pull it down to my lap, and rub her skin.

  Why do I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach every time Sydney is near?

  She scoots along the cushion until our bodies are touching, the heat from hers creating a fire that dances along my skin. I know she feels it too because I can see it in her eyes. The desire, the longing is there.

  Leaning against me, she pushes her palm down on my thigh to move closer, and whispers into my ear, “Look, I’m going to keep it real with you. I’m scared.”

  She moves back just enough that our eyes meet. The passion and intensity burn behind her deep blue irises. For once, there’s seriousness in her tone and in her features. Kennedy and Tyler are too busy eating and talking about the baby to notice what’s happening between Sydney and me. This conversation needs a more intimate setting, but I’m too hard right now to get up and find a more suitable location.

  “So am I,” I breath against her lips, taking in the delicious scent of her lip gloss. She smells good enough to eat. “You are making this harder than I had expected. I thought it was just sex…but—”

  “But it’s more,” she finishes. “I know, Carter, I feel the same way about you. That’s why I want you to let me in. I’ll share my secrets with you if you tell me yours.” Her voice is so soft and feminine it’s like music to my ears.

  “I will,” I confess, trying not to look away from her. “At some point, I will tell you everything you want to know. But you’ll have to be patient with me. I’m not an open book like you.”

  She smiles and then brushes her lips against mine. “I love that you used that phrase with me. I also think you have me all wrong. I’m not an open book. There’s a lot more to my story other than trashy novels and sex. Do you think you can forgive me for everything I have done? I know you’re mad at me, and I would like to make it up to you.”

  I lift her chin with my index finger to make sure I have her attention. Because I need her to understand this is the last straw. “No more rules. No more games. You are mine. Your pussy is mine. I am through with the bullshit. If you want me, then I get all of you. It’s that simple. Understood?”

  “Yes,” she whispers, nodding her head in agreement. “I am yours, Carter, but I want you to let me in. I don’t expect that to happen right away. I know it will take time. But you can’t shut me out forever.”

  I take her hand and pull it up to my mouth, planting kisses on her skin. “I won’t. Just give me some time.”

  Cupping her face in my big hands, I bring her lips to mine, invading her mouth as my tongue slips inside. I kiss her as if this is the last time we will ever touch. I kiss her as if she’s my drug of choice because I need her right now, and I need this high. She hops onto my lap and straddles me, grinding her pussy against me as she deepens the kiss.

  My fingers slip through her curls, and with a chunk of her hair in my hands, I hold her in a vise because I don’t want this to end. I don’t want to let her go. I missed the shit out of her, even though I have tried to deny it. The only person I was fooling was myself.

  Tyler clears his throat in a rather obnoxious manner. His gesture rips me out of the trance Sydney’s luscious body has me under right now. After we finally come up for air, we turn toward Tyler and Kennedy who are sitting at the other end of the long couch, staring at us, as if we are a show they are watching on TV.

  “I see you guys made up,” Kennedy says with a wide grin and a sandwich in her hand. She bites into the bread, still smiling at us, like an idiot. “I’m so happy you two are the godparents to our child.” She speaks between bites. “And I hope this works out for you. You guys are too cute together.”

  “Thanks, K.” Sydney turns to me and says, “Now, that I have my big guy back I think we need to go on a proper date.”

  “Like adults,” I joke, laughing as I say the words. “I don’t know much about adulting or dates.”

  Sydney punches me in the arm, lightly. Her fist does nothing as it crashes against my wall of muscle. “Yes, like an actual date.” She leans in so only I can hear her next statement. “And it will have the happy ending I know you want.”

  “We both want,” I correct.

  She nods. “Yup. It’s yours, Carter. All of me. Whatever you want. I’m done playing games.” The corners of her mouth turn up into a wicked grin. “Not unless you’re into some serious kink, and in that case, I can be whatever you like.”

  I fist a handful of her hair a
nd speak against her mouth. “Don’t say things like that, Princess. Not when I’m hard and horny. I’ll bend you over this couch right in front of our friends without even another thought.”

  And I will. God knows I want to right now.

  “Let’s save the foreplay for our date,” she says, pressing her palms against my chest.

  “Fine.” I hold her in place, my eyes trained on every inch of her beautiful face. “A date. Tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up and take you somewhere nice, someplace I know you will like, and then, I’m claiming your pussy.”

  She chuckles. “That’s the spirit, big guy. I’ve been waiting for this side of you to come out and play.”

  “It’s a date.” There’s nothing left to say.

  For the first time in years, I have an actual date. The thought makes me a little giddy. I’m not even sure where I want to take Sydney. All I know is that it had better be perfect for my princess. She deserves the best, and nothing less will be good enough.

  Chapter 13

  Carter

  I can’t find a decent shirt or tie for our date. This is not a good sign. Digging through the walk-in closet in my bedroom, I search for the perfect outfit for my date with Sydney and come up empty handed. She will look nothing short of spectacular. That much I already know without seeing her. Sydney could turn heads in a burlap sack.

  On the other hand, I am a giant oaf who has no clue how to dress. Most of the year, I spend in sweatpants, t-shirts, and hockey gear. And I can’t even remember the last time I went on an actual date that wasn’t for the sole purpose of sex. Don’t get me wrong, the night will end in sex, but I actually want to impress Sydney before I claim her pussy, make her mine.

  “How have you made it twenty-six years without learning how to dress yourself, baby bro?” Jenny stands in the doorway of my closet, shaking her head. “You’re kind of a mess. You know that?”

  My hands tremble as I search through drawers and shelves, hoping something will jump out and hit me on the head and say, Wear this, dummy.