I am a mess. She went into her bedroom to change and the second she dug the phone out of her pants pocket and tossed it on the bed, it rang. Diving for it, she missed and sent it sliding across the slippery chintz comforter. Hannah chased the foolish thing all around the bed and finally snagged it just before it slid off the edge of the other side.
Lying on her stomach, she hit Accept and put it to her ear with a breathless “Hello?”
“You sound out of breath. You okay?”
“Chased the phone around the bed.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind.” She rolled onto her back and scooted up to lay her head on the pillow. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m great. How’ve you been?”
“Missing you.” There was a silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and she began to worry that what she’d said had shocked or dismayed him. “Scott?”
She heard him clear his throat and, when he spoke, his voice was deep and thick. “I missed you, too, babe. I’m dying without you. I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve gotta see you. This phone-only thing sucks.”
“I’d like that.”
“Lemme see. We’ve got a game Friday night, so a long practice tomorrow and you’re at work anyway. How about we make a big date for Saturday? Dress up a little, go to a cool restaurant or something…”
“That’d be great.”
“While I was away I thought about how I should take you out more often. I’m always so anxious to jump your bones, I don’t let us do much else. I know it’s not like we’ve been seeing each other for months and all we do is have sex, but you’re a great girl. You deserve more to be taken to fabulous places. I’m not a horny bastard all the time, I swear. I like to go out and do the town now and then.”
She laughed softly. “It’s not as if you acted alone those times we wrecked the sheets, you know.”
“Yeah, but still. I want to take you out for a nice evening in the city. How about if I pick you up at your apartment around six Saturday night? By the time we get back to the city and settled in a restaurant, it’ll be seven at least. I have a surprise for you after dinner.”
A little jolt of excitement went up her spine. What could he be planning? “That surprise wouldn’t be hiding in your pants, would it?”
“Hey! You wound me. No, this is something else, smartass. I can be a gentleman, you know. My mom taught me well.”
“Okay. I’ll be ready when you get here at six.”
Scott expelled a loud, deep breath and then said in nearly a whisper, “Wear something pretty and sexy. I’m tired of seeing you in hockey jerseys, even if it’s mine.”
“I’ll see what I can come up with. Bye.”
“Saturday. Six. Bye.”
Hannah panicked the minute she set her phone down. She had absolutely nothing in her closet that was dressy and sexy. Her office was casual and she’d recently lost a bit of weight, making anything dressy she had too big. That meant she’d be spending tomorrow night shopping, and she hoped she could find something that would please Scott.
It took her over an hour to get ready Saturday. She’d never spent so much time getting ready for anything, ever. At Macy’s, she’d splurged on a slender, black velvet dress with tiny rhinestones all over it and a snug bodice that ended in spaghetti straps. With her heart in her throat, she’d also purchased a short, faux fur black jacket to wear over it. Good thing Scott was going to be paying for the evening because she’d spent a ton of money on her outfit.
When the doorbell rang and she opened it to find Scott on the other side, Hannah decided it had all been worth it at the look on his face. He simply stood there staring at her for several seconds and then whispered, “My God, you’re beautiful.”
She found herself speechless at his reaction to her all dressed up. “Thank you,” she managed to get out eventually. He looked incredibly luscious too, with a long black dress coat and a gray pinstripe suit showing between the lapels. She fought the urge to just drag him inside and christen her own bedroom with him.
He cleared his throat. “Are you ready to go?”
Hannah smiled. “Yep.” She picked up her fur coat and Scott jumped in to hold it for her. Then he put his arm around her shoulders and led her out. He put her into a big, black Lincoln and joined her in the back. “I decided to use a car service so we don’t have to worry about parking and all that.”
They had an incredible dinner at Le Bernardin in midtown Manhattan, a place Hannah knew for a fact had won several awards for best restaurant in the city. Even a quick look at the prix fixe prices made her gasp. She knew Scott made a lot of money — millions — but what he must’ve ended up paying, what with wine and dessert, made her realize she was entering into an entirely different world than the one she was used to. Of course, he didn’t let her anywhere near the bill, coolly extracting an American Express Black card and handing it to the server after a quick glance, seemingly unconcerned glance at the amount.
He helped her into her coat again and said, “I’m glad you have this warm fur coat on, because your surprise is outside.”
“Outside in the dark in the middle of winter? And this is a good surprise?”
“You got it. But you’ll be warm, I promise you.”
He led her out the front door of the restaurant with his hand at the base of her spine, and she looked up to see a horse and carriage in front of her. Stopping dead, she looked at Scott. “We’re going on a carriage ride? How did you know that I’ve always, always wanted to take a carriage ride in Manhattan?”
“Just lucky, I guess.”
The black carriage was bedecked with red bunting and the horse had a red plume on her head. It looked festive and romantic. She grabbed his head, pulling it down to kiss him soundly. “Thank you! I love it!”
He grinned and helped her into the carriage. The driver helped them surround themselves with fluffy, warm fur blankets. Then he climbed back up on his perch and drove them away from Le Bernardin.
“Would you like to drive through Central Park?”
“Oh yes! That would be lovely.”
“Good, because that’s where we’re going.” Then he pulled her into him and lowered his head for a real kiss. They clung together, their tongues searching and sucking, and he shucked his leather gloves to hold her closer.
Pulling away a bit, he looked at her intensely, appearing to be trying to get his breath back. “Oh, hon, you don’t know how good that feels. I’ve missed the hell out of you.”
“Me, too.”
Then he went back in for another mind-shattering kiss. They kissed back and forth as the carriage headed into the park and then he let her go. “It’s incredible kissing you, all snuggled up in these furs and all, but I want us to enjoy the ride too. We can kiss later when we get back to my place.”
With a mock sigh, Hannah nodded. “You’re right. This is too romantic to pass by. When I’ve pictured going on a carriage ride, I’ve always envisioned sitting arm in arm with a sexy hero. You fit that pretty well, so I want to see if reality lives up to my fantasies.”
“I hope I do.”
“So far, you’ve exceeded them. By a mile.”
They settled into the furs and watched the park go sliding by, holding hands under the covers. Even holding hands with him felt good and she realized they’d never done it. Several miles later, the driver pulled up his horse and spoke to them from his seat.
“This is where you asked me to drop you off, Mr. Richards. Do you and the missus still want to get out here?”
Scott laughed. “We’re not married. Not yet, anyway.” He turned to wrap his arm around her shoulders again. “This is my girlfriend, Hannah.”
Girlfriend. Man, that sounds good. She let Scott hold her around her waist and help her down. “My place is just past the trees. There’s a back entrance.”
She looked up at him with a smirk. “Girlfriend, huh?”
He wrapped his arms around her. “That’s what you are, aren’t
you?”
“Yeah. I’m your girlfriend.” Raising one eyebrow, she asked, “And you said something about marriage in the future?”
“Oops. Yeah, I guess I did.” Scott didn’t look sorry at all. Be still my heart.
They started toward the high-rise. Strangely, the words “marriage” and “not yet” didn’t bring the panic she thought she’d feel after only a few weeks of being together. When she’d realized how she felt about Scott, Hannah had discovered that it was not the hockey uniform she was involved with, but the man inside that uniform. And he was worth it. For now, just being his girlfriend made her feel warm and happy.
She slanted a look at him. “Come on. Let’s get to your apartment. I have plans for you.”
He stopped and watched her for a second as she walked away, her head turned back to him. Then he grinned and caught up with her. Yeah, this was just about perfect. For now.
About the Authors
Cynthia Racette, writing as Cindy Carr:
My hubby and I moved to Buffalo, NY, to be with our daughters and grandchildren, so you can see that family is very important to us. We spend as much time with our wee grandchildren because we know what a short time they are little. I have written since I was a teen and was, at various times, a reporter, an editor, and an author. I joined RWA with my daughter Cassandra and we have each had great success since then.
In our spare time, we like to travel, especially to warmer climes in the middle of winter, swim in our pool here at home, read and watch hockey. We're big fans of the Buffalo Sabres. My hubby is a runner and I am a watcher—I watch him run. LOL I will read anything, including a cereal box but I draw the line at phone books.
Friend me on Facebook at facebook.com/cindy.racette
My available books:
Married to the Job
Windswept
Uncharted Fate
Cassandra Carr:
Cassandra Carr is a romance writer whose work has been praised by many prominent publishing industry media outlets such as Publisher's Weekly and Romantic Times. Her books have won several "Best Of" awards. Her novella Unexpected Top was nominated in the E-book Erotic Romance category of RT's 2013 Reviewers' Choice Awards. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out online.
She thinks the best part of being a writer is how she writes about love and sex while most others struggle with daily commutes, micro-managing bosses and cranky co-workers. Her inspiration comes from everywhere, but she'd particularly like to thank the Buffalo Sabres, the hockey team near and dear to her heart.
To learn more about Cassandra, check out her website at booksbycassandracarr.com; like her on Facebook at facebook.com/AuthorCassandraCarr, or follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/Cassandra_Carr.
Other hockey romances by Cassandra Carr (in order of publication date from newest to oldest):
Hiding In Plain Sight (Safe Harbor 2)
Underneath It All (Storm book 2)
Going All In
Moving Day (Storm book 1.5) - FREE SHORT STORY
Should’ve Known Better (Storm book 1)
See the Light (Safe Harbor 1)
Double Vision (Buffalo Intimidators 3)
Cold As Ice (Buffalo Intimidators 2)
Head Games (Buffalo Intimidators 1)
Talk to Me
Crashing the Boards
Seattle Sockeyes--1.5
© Jami Davenport
Can a party crasher melt the icy heart of a reluctant party guest or will she crash and burn along with her fledgling business?
Professional party crasher, Izzy Maxwell, has been hired to ensure the Seattle Sockeyes team party is a rousing success, while team captain Cooper Black is determined that it will be anything but. Armed with killer heels, a provocative dress, and loads of confidence, Izzy is determined to win over the ruggedly handsome hockey player and save the party and her business.
Seattle Sockeyes team captain Cooper Black can’t get beyond his anger over the new owners moving his team to Seattle, the one place on earth he swore he’d never live. Izzy hijacks Cooper, posing as his girlfriend, and his best buddy plays along despite Cooper’s protests, but Izzy’s persuasive talents, their undeniable chemistry, and a couple of intimate liaisons destroy Cooper’s resistance.
But when Cooper finds out Izzy had been hired to crash the party, and he’s been played a fool, the beginning of something special ends before it starts. Can Izzy convince Cooper to take another chance on her or will they both crash into the boards?
Chapter 1—Shutdown
Cooper Black skidded across the ice on his ass and slammed into the boards behind the net, taking the puck with him. The Boston defenseman was on the puck like Coop’s old tabby cat attacking the neighbors’ chickenshit dog. Cooper scrambled to his feet, digging the blades of his skates into the ice, trying to get his balance, only to fall again. Stevich fought like a crazed man, gaining control of the puck, and executing a perfect pass to his center.
If Cooper hadn’t been so preoccupied with keeping one eye on the clock winding down and the other on the puck, he might’ve seen the Russian coming on his blind side. He might have had one more chance on goal, one last desperation shot for a tie to send game seven of the semifinals into overtime.
Only he didn’t get that chance.
The final buzzer sounded.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to end with Boston celebrating on the Giants’ home ice. His five-year-old nephew skated better than he had tonight. Struggling to his feet, Cooper skated around the victors and headed for the locker room with his head down. Boston moved on to the finals, and his team moved on to prepare for next season. Always next season.
He couldn’t avoid the press blocking his exit. Too weary to put up a good fight—he’d left all his fight out on the ice—he patiently answered their inane questions.
How do you feel after coming so close but coming up short?
“How do you think I feel?”
What are your plans for the off-season?
“Take a few weeks off for my body to heal and go back at it.”
How many more seasons do you plan on skating?
“Heck if I know.”
And so it went, he’d just managed to extricate himself from the bloodsuckers when the Giants’ PR guy pulled him off to the side. “There’s a group of kids from Make-A-Wish anxious to meet you for pics and autographs.”
Cooper almost said no. He was that tired, but he never said no to kids, especially kids with disabilities. He’d never forget his childhood hero walking right past Cooper and his little brother as if they didn’t exist despite their pleas for an autograph. They’d waited outside the visiting locker room shivering from the cold for what seemed hours, and the jerk couldn’t take one minute to make two small boys’ dreams come true, completely destroying Cooper’s image of the man. Cooper would never be that guy. As long as a kid wanted a moment of his time, he’d give it.
Several minutes later, he put on his best team captain face and yanked open the locker room door. Despite how miserable he might be inside, he’d never let the guys see him defeated or discouraged. Cooper paused in the doorway and swung his gaze around the solemn locker room. He’d attended funerals more cheerful than this.
“What the fuck is going on? Who died?” Cooper faked a grin he didn’t feel and strode into the room, the picture of upbeat confidence. There were too many young guys on this team to let this setback get them down.
No one even looked up at him.
“Hey, guys, we'll get ’em next year. We were that close.” He held up his hand using his thumb and forefinger to illustrate just how fucking damn close they'd been to winning that last game and making it to the finals—the dream that had eluded him for thirteen years.
Finally, Cedric, his best buddy on the team, lifted up his head and rubbed his beefy, scarred hands over his face. Heaving a deep sigh, he turned toward Cooper. Cedric’s stricken expression struck fear deep in Cooper’s gut. “They fired Coach.
”
“They? Who the fuck is they?”
“Our new ownership.”
Cooper stared at his friend, certain he’d heard wrong. “New ownership? I've been gone from the locker room thirty minutes and we lost a coach and gained new owners? You guys are playing me.”
Ced just stared at him.
“Right? You're bullshitting me. Isn’t he, Crandall?”
Crandall glanced up and then buried his head in his hands again. The young guys wouldn’t even look at him.
A cold shiver sliced through him. They weren’t shitting him.
“What new owners?” Sure, there’d been all sorts of rumors, but there’d always been rumors. He’d been with this organization since he’d come up from the minors, thirteen years ago. And he’d heard every rumor known to man until he quit listening.
“The Puget Sound Hockey Alliance.”
“That Seattle group that's been stalking every team with a shaky fan base and money-starved owners?”
“The very one.”
“They do have deep pockets, so that’s a good thing.” Cooper forced himself to remain positive. The team’s now former owners had been douches that bled the team dry.
“Sure, if you like rain.”
Cooper sank onto the bench. “No.”
“We’re moving to Seattle.” Cedric confirmed his worst nightmare.
Cooper’s future turned as dismal as a gray Seattle sky. He knew all about Seattle weather. As a kid, he’d been forced to spend a few weeks there every summer with a crotchety old aunt. He hated it there, swore it was one place on earth he’d never live.
He looked at all the down faces in turn, and the truth was reflected in each one. “We’re going to Seattle.” He said the words with such despair, a guy would think he’d been sentenced to death row. In his mind, he was.
Seduced by the Game Page 14