by J. H. Croix
“I’ll go with you,” he said firmly. “Dogs are splendid.”
“Really?”
“Really,” he said with a grin. “Luv, if you want a dog, you should get a dog.”
A short while later, we stood inside a small fenced in yard. It was blessedly not raining today, and the woman at the shelter who seemed to be the meet and greet person had suggested we spend some time with Bentley outside in their play area. Bentley was even cuter in person than in his pictures. With one ear perpetually up and the other down, he looked almost comical. He was medium sized and brown all over from his eyes to his short and wavy fur. Bentley was friendly with a mellow personality and estimated to be about three years old. Liam was presently playing fetch with him. I wasn’t sure who was more delighted with the activity—Liam or Bentley.
I didn’t even ask, but left them to play and walked inside to the desk. “We’d love to adopt him. Tell me what we need to do.”
The woman glanced up at me, immediately handing over a clipboard with forms to fill out. I must’ve looked surprised because she grinned. “I saw you holding him, and your boyfriend obviously loves him, so it seemed meant to be,” she explained.
I quickly filled out the paperwork and paid a fee. I was pleased to learn Bentley had already been neutered and was up to date on all of his shots. After everything had been done, I asked, “Do we need to wait?”
“Sometimes we ask for a waiting period, but we’ll waive it for you two.”
My puzzlement must’ve shown on my face. She flushed slightly. “Well, we’re aware that’s Liam Reed from the Seattle Stars, so it’s not like we can’t find him if there’s a problem.”
I flushed beet red, realizing this kind of thing might happen more often. She smiled apologetically. “I didn’t mean to be weird. I don’t really follow soccer, but my mom does, so I knew who he was. You must be the woman he was talking about last night.”
My momentary discomfort passed. I’d have to get used to this, so I might as well start now. “I am and don’t worry about it. He’d be hard not to notice.”
In short order, Liam and I were walking down the street with Bentley on a leash. Liam had offered to walk him, and in fact, seemed completely smitten with him. We paused at the corner where Bentley wagged at everyone who passed by. I looked up at Liam. “You seem to be pretty into getting a dog.”
Liam glanced down and nearly took my breath away. His eyes were as blue as the sky and locked onto me. In a flash, it felt as if we were all alone, despite the fact cars and people were all around us. “I like dogs, and Bentley’s splendid. It’s not just that though. We’re adopting him, so that means you’re stuck with me. I take dog ownership very seriously,” he said, closing the distance between us and snaking his arm around my waist. Flush against him, my pulse took off and I wondered how I’d gotten so lucky.
Epilogue
Liam
I stood on the sidelines, my breath heaving and energy coursing through me. Even at the end of a game when I was worn out, I felt energized. I rested my hands on my hips and glanced around for Alex. He’d just given us a shut out against the other team, cleanly blocking every shot they had. I finally found him standing beside Coach with a few of our teammates surrounding him. Per usual, Alex looked entirely unmoved by the moment. Just another day’s work for him. Meanwhile, he was getting clapped on the back, and everyone in his immediate vicinity looked overjoyed.
I wove through the team to his side. “Well done,” I said with a nod when I caught his eyes.
Alex cracked a grin. “That it was. Great play today. As usual, you led a bloody brilliant offense.”
I rolled my eyes. “Can’t take any credit, can you? Not throwing shade at the rest of us, but we won because you made sure they didn’t score.”
Alex shrugged. “Right then.” He looked past my shoulder, another grin stretching across his face.
“What?” I asked.
“Here comes your girl,” he replied, his eyes flicking to me and away again. “Hey Olivia.”
I felt Olivia’s presence behind me as soon as he spoke. I turned just as she reached my side, slipping her hand through the crook of my elbow. “Hey Alex. Great game as usual.” She caught my eyes and leaned up to kiss my cheek before turning back to Alex. “I never know exactly what to say to you after a game like this because it’s all about what you made not happen,” she said with a grin.
Alex shrugged. I glanced down at Olivia. “He’s bloody awful at taking a compliment.”
She smiled up at me, her green eyes bright in the crisp air. Just like that, nothing more than a smile from her while my teammates bustled around us and the stadium noise rumbled with the crowd filing out of their seats, and my heart clenched. The air around us heated as if lit by a flame. My body tightened and I leaned forward, about to kiss her, when Alex cleared his throat. I glanced back to him, arching a brow. Alex merely nudged his chin to my other side where I saw a cameraman approaching with his camera trained on Olivia and I. Instead of a kiss, I leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“Later, luv.” I couldn’t resist dropping a quick kiss in the delectable curve of her neck. As soon as I lifted my head, the cameraman and an interviewer from a sports channel were upon us. Thanks to the focus on Alex’s shut out, I got away with only a few questions and managed to keep Olivia’s hand firmly in mine the entire time.
I was in the thick of my second season with the Seattle Stars. We were on track to win our division this year. After we got through the after game interviews, I made my way to the locker room, reluctantly leaving Olivia to wait. She assured me she’d meet me out front and pick up pizza for us. I showered in record time, my mind spinning back over the last year. The mess I’d felt inside after my mum’s death, my move to the US and my knee injury felt like distant memories. I still missed my mum, missed her like crazy sometimes, but time had dulled its sharpness. As torn as I’d been about signing with the Stars at the time, I wouldn’t change a thing now. I felt the same about my knee. Without those two events, I’d never have met Olivia. About now, she was the sun in my universe and everything that led to her was bathed in its glowing light.
I hurried out of the locker room, glancing over my shoulder when I heard a chuckle from Alex as I passed by his locker. “What?” I asked.
He’d been in the midst of pulling a sweatshirt on and tossed the hood back once it was over his head and shoulders. His brown eyes held a teasing gleam when he met mine. “Mate, it’s a good thing Olivia’s so good for you because you can never get to her fast enough.”
I shrugged and grinned. “Bloody right about that. You’ll find out someday,” I said with a wink as I spun around and made my way down the long hallway that led outside. I pushed through the doors into the late afternoon sunshine. I found Olivia right away. She sat on a bench nearby with Bentley beside her, his leash looped around her hand and a pizza box beside her. She often brought Bentley to games with her because Coach was kind enough to let us leave him in his office during the actual game. I stopped where I was and just looked at Olivia.
She’d come to the game from the clinic with her hair pulled back in a tidy knot perched on top of her head and wearing a fitted black skirt and rich blue blouse, buttoned almost to her neck of course. I couldn’t wait to take her hair down and tear her blouse apart. She was still working at the clinic and managing a waitlist of high-profile cases. She’d received a written reprimand from the clinic’s board for her involvement with me. Dr. Adams had actually met with me and given me the option to file a complaint if I felt the need to do so. I’d burst out laughing and assured her it was entirely unnecessary. Even then, I’d been relieved at the outcome because I knew it had weighed on Olivia. She was by nature an honest person who played by the rules. I was happy to be the one who’d inspired her to break a few.
I suddenly realized I was stuck in place when someone bumped me as they walked by. Olivia had that effect on me—everything else fell away around her. I gave my head a shake
and walked to her. Bentley leapt off the bench, his entire body wiggling when he saw me. “Bentley boy,” I said as I knelt beside him to greet him.
I straightened when Olivia stood up. I hooked my arm around her waist, pulling her flush against me and fitting my mouth over hers when she opened it, presumably to speak. She gasped, and I took full advantage, sweeping my tongue inside and groaning when hers slid against mine. A low whistle nearby nudged me out of my haze, and I pulled back, looking down at Olivia. Her cheeks were flushed, pretty and pink, and her eyes were bright. “Hi,” she said simply.
“Hello luv. That was for the kiss I didn’t get right after the game.”
She giggled and started to step back, but I held her firm. “Liam,” she whispered fiercely, pausing to take a breath. “There’s people everywhere, and you know any minute now someone will take another picture that will end up…”
“Online,” I finished for her. “I don’t give a bloody damn. I love you and I don’t care if the whole world knows it.”
Bentley nudged my knee. I glanced down and followed his gaze to see a photographer, likely from one of the sports news teams departing from the stadium, with his camera aimed right at us. I looked back to Olivia, gesturing over my shoulder. “There, see already done. Now let’s go home, so I can have you all to myself.”
I couldn’t resist giving her bottom a squeeze as I slid my hand down to reach for hers. The flush on her cheeks deepened, and she stopped where she was, glancing up at me again. “Well, if we’re going to be in the gossip pages again, we might as well give them something good.”
My oh-so-proper fiancée slipped her hand around my neck and yanked me down for another kiss.
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Please enjoy the following excerpt from To Win Her, the next book in Brit Boys Sports Romance!
Excerpt: To Win Her by J.H. Croix; all rights reserved
Alex
My breath came in steady gusts as I ran along the walkway. It was barely past dawn, my favorite time of day, and I was out for my morning run. The park was quiet as I followed the path along the shore. Gulls called in the distance, the only noise to speak of at this hour. I ran for a solid half hour and slowed to a walk as I made my way through the forested part of the park back to my flat. The air was cool and damp, typical for a spring morning in Seattle. A sudden burst of chatter from squirrels in the trees caught my attention, and I glanced up to see a woman walking toward me with a giant dog at her side. The dog almost reached the woman’s shoulder, tall and stately, the dog walked with grace at her side. I didn’t realize I’d stopped where I was until the woman got close enough for me to realize I knew her. The moment this realization dawned, a prickle of awareness ran up my spine.
Harper Jacobs was a good friend of my best mate’s fiancée. Harper also got to me—big time. I couldn’t put my finger on why. She was attractive, but in an understated way. I’d met her a bit ago when Liam, the best mate in question, invited me to meet him for coffee. Harper was there with Liam’s fiancée Olivia. I’d encountered her a few more times since then, seeing as we shared best mates in a way. She was polite and friendly, but she always seemed to have an invisible bubble around her. I wanted to know why she kept herself protected behind that. I waited for her to reach me, which she eventually did. She slowed to a stop, rested her hands on her hips and glanced up at me.
“Alex, right?” she asked.
“That would be me. I see you’re out for a walk,” I said, instantly wondering why I couldn’t have slightly better conversational skills. Stating the obvious wasn’t particularly inviting. I usually didn’t give a bloody damn about conversing, but I wanted to know Harper.
Harper nodded, her deep blue eyes crinkling at the corners with her small smile. “I am. I’m going to guess you’re just finishing a run,” she replied with a nod to my feet, which were encased in running shoes.
“That I am. I come here almost every day. I think I’d have seen you before if you’re here often, what with…?” My words trailed off as I gestured to her giant dog.
“Stanley,” she filled in, her smile stretching.
Damn. I wished I could see her smile more. Her whole face lit up and that careful, controlled look in her eyes softened.
As if in response to his name, Stanley stretched his head to my hand and slowly sniffed it. After a moment, he dipped his head further, nudging it under my hand as if he expected me to pet him. So I did. He was easily taller than my waist, his large eyes blue and his fur dappled steel gray.
“He likes you,” Harper said. “Stanley can be picky, so take that as a compliment.”
I stroked his head slowly and looked over at Harper. Her glossy brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail high atop her head with loose locks escaping. She blew a breath, effectively blowing one lock of hair out of her eyes. She wore fitted leggings and a fitted top, both bright blue, which brought out her eyes. She was clearly in good shape, but also managed to be curvy at the same time with full hips and generous breasts. I realized I was staring at her and forced myself to recall what she’d just said.
“I’ll take it as a compliment then. What kind of dog is he?”
“Great Dane. He’s on the large side for the breed, but he’s nothing but a gentle giant.” Her eyes canted down, and she laughed softly. Stanley had taken another step closer to me and nuzzled his massive head against my hip. “He’s a lover, not a fighter,” she said, looking back up to me. “So you run here on top of your practices?” she asked, referencing my career as a goalkeeper for the Seattle Stars.
I was a Seattle transplant, traded here with three of my teammates from our old team in London. The Seattle Stars were America’s current hot-shot football team. Though I still felt out of step with Seattle and America in general, none of it helped by the fact they insisted on calling football soccer here, I’d come to enjoy Seattle and the team. Being a professional footballer, or professional sports player of any kind really, meant you went where you were sent. Oh, there were negotiations and such, but that was the life. Well, that and dedicating your mind and body to a sport. I loved football and had loved it since I was a lad. I felt lucky to be able to play professionally.
I met Harper’s clear blue gaze and nodded. “Most days I run on my own before practice.”
She nodded, but was otherwise quiet. The silence started to stretch, but it was a comfortable silence. In the few times I’d been around Harper, we’d always been in a group, usually with our shared friends. It occurred to me just now that I didn’t know much about her, other than who her friends were. Stanley nudged my hand, and I realized I’d slacked in petting him. “Sorry ‘bout that, Stanley,” I said, glancing down and stroking his sleek head again.
“I suppose you need to go,” Harper said.
When I looked back at her, she looked, well the only way to describe it was nervous. Seeing as I hadn’t a clue what she could be nervous about, I was flummoxed. But I didn’t want her to go. I wanted to curl my hand around hers and walk through the park. I startled myself by saying so, or something along those lines.
“Why don’t we walk for a bit?” I asked.
Her eyes widened for a beat, and her cheeks flushed. She went still, so still it worried me, and that controlled look slipped in front of her eyes again. Stanley took a step from me and nudged her hip gently before turning to stand close beside her. He exuded a quiet protectiveness toward her. Her shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath, and then she nodded. “Okay, that would be nice.”
I simply nodded and turned alongside her. We began to walk with Stanley between us. He wasn’t on a leash and didn’t appear to need one. He stayed right by Harper’s side and walked quietly, his gaze alert. Aside from the squirrels and birds chattering around us, it felt as if we were alone. Oh, there were a few other early risers out an
d about, but anyone here at this hour loved the quiet as much as I did. Harper was quiet as well. She idly kicked a pebble as we walked. I was torn between relief that we weren’t face to face because Harper seemed more relaxed when I wasn’t looking right at her and frustration because I wanted to look long and hard in her eyes and make the underlying worry and tension in her eyes disappear.
So I just kept walking. I didn’t care to talk. Talking wasn’t really my thing. As we walked along, I felt the hum of tension coming from Harper start to ease. Lincoln Park was an urban sanctuary and preserve situated by Puget Sound. There were the usual park amenities, such as a pool and tennis courts, but there was also a walkway along the beautiful shoreline and a well-preserved old growth forest, offering plenty of peaceful walking in the quiet hours of the day. We followed a footpath through the trees until we reached the walkway where I’d gone for my run this morning.
Salty air gusted off Puget Sound with the sun rising through the clouds. I glanced to the side when Stanley stopped abruptly. Stanley was staring straight ahead at a man running along the walkway. He didn’t raise his hackles, nor did he make a sound, but it was plain he was bothered. I lifted my eyes to Harper. Splotchy red spread up her neck and face, and she looked absolutely horrified. She seemed to have forgotten I was there. I reached for her hand, which was curled in a fist at her side. The second I touched her, she swatted my hand away and then gasped.
“Oh, I’m sorry! I, um, I…” She looked from me back to the man, whoever the hell he was, running toward us. He was still a good distance away. I didn’t know what was going on, but I had two inclinations—go punch the guy because his mere existence upset Harper, or get Harper away from him. Liam was wont to tease me for ‘protecting the whole wide world’ as he liked to put it. I didn’t like seeing anyone hurt. Ever. I had my reasons, but those weren’t particularly important now. What mattered was taking care of Harper.