by Toni Aleo
I am so focused on the puck that soon the noise falls away, and all I see or hear is the puck. It’s cool how this works for me. I can hear the way puck moves when it is hit. When it’s slapped, I know it’s gonna come in hot but with a little bit of a wiggle to it. Wrist shots are sorta silent, but they move like lightning when they come toward me. All I see is the puck, but also, I see the fucker who tries to mess with me. Everyone always wants to take an extra poke at me when they can. They hate how good I am. How I can ruin their night while lying on my back like a turtle. I can still block their shot, no matter what. I will. I’m that damn good.
Seventeen minutes have already passed, and I’ve blocked all nine of their shots. My boys are throwing pucks at their net with no accuracy at all. They didn’t put up high shots last game, and while we won, it took the whole night to score that goal. Coach ripped into them for being too clean. He wanted grittiness. He also said that if it weren’t for me, we would have lost. He’s the best for stroking my ego. He and Aviva. After my shutout the other night, which she called a “shutoff,” she kept saying how impressed she was by me. It made me feel way too much.
I think I’ve fallen for her.
But I can’t think of her right now. I have a game to win. I focus in just as Chandler gets the puck. He holds it, his eyes moving like crazy as he tries to set up the play. A forward comes toward him, so he passes it out to his partner, Kurri, who holds it once more. He sends it back to Chandler, who shoots…but misses the goal completely. I don’t know why he does that. He was drafted early; shouldn’t he know how to hit the net by now? The puck moves up the boards and Kurri tries to stop it, but the bugger jumps over his blade. One of the forwards is in the right place at the right time, and he’s off.
Coming right for me.
Bring it.
I square up, watching every single inch of his body. I can usually tell if they’ll go top shelf by the positioning of their back leg. By the looks of it, this dude has no clue what he is going to do. He’s coming in hot, though. I watch the puck, ready, and when he pulls his stick back, I think he’s gonna slap it. What an idiot. Like I expect, he slaps it, and I block it with my blocker. Unfortunately, the damn thing rebounds right back on the asshole’s stick. I guess he was hoping for that because his back leg slides, and I know he is going top shelf. When I swallow the puck with my glove, I stand up, towering over the guy as the few IceCats fans cheer.
The Sharks guy is not happy. “Fuck.”
“Maybe next time,” I call, and then I chuckle. “But probably not.”
I mean, not to be cocky, but I know I’m that good.
I let in two power play goals, but in my defense, our defense was sucking. I don’t know what is going on with our second defense pair, but they need to get their shit together. Thankfully, our boys put up four goals, so we won. Yet, those two goals haunt me. I sit at the front of the plane, my legs stretched out toward the wall with my head hanging over the back of the seat. Usually, the front is for coaches and media, but the first row is mine. They know I don’t do confined spaces, and the guys… I love them, but there is too much stimulation back there. If they aren’t talking about the game, they’re talking about hot chicks. And then the video games—I shudder at the thought. Way too much stimulation. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a game of Mario Kart or even Call of Duty, but with the full plane, and then the lights… Yeah, it messes with me.
I exhale heavily, and when I feel someone fall into the seat beside me, I open my eyes.
Chandler is staring at me. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
He hooks his thumb to the back. “I think we’re gonna play some cards if you want to join.”
I shake my head. “I’m good. Decompressing from the game.”
“I hear you,” he says, nodding. He stretches out his legs. “Going to see Aviva when we land?”
“Yeah, it’s late, but she wants me to come by.”
“Nice. I’m ready to see Amelia and the kids.”
I grin over at him. “I bet. It has to be harder being away.”
His face says it all. He’d give up everything to be home with the kids and Amelia. “Yeah, but the nice thing is my mom is helping a lot. She traded me in for the kids.”
I laugh. “It’s weird not having her on the road.”
Chandler nods because he knows I’m right. His parents used to go all over with us. He comes from some insane blue-blood money, and they do what they want, when they want. They travel with us, rent houses where we are, and enjoy life. It’s awesome. Since the twins came, though, Mama and Papa Moon have not been seen. Instead, they’re home with Amelia, spoiling the shit out of those babies. I find it sweet since they couldn’t have kids biologically.
“Yeah, but it’s nice to know that the kids and Amelia are cared for,” he says. I love how happy he is. He deserves it. “Though, my mom is on my last nerve.”
I laugh. “How? She’s awesome.”
He gives me an exasperated look. “She wants us to get a bigger house. Says the beach house isn’t good enough for the kids. I mean, she’s right, they don’t have their own rooms, but they’re little. It doesn’t matter right now.”
“Yeah, I can see both sides.”
“Amelia says she’ll do what I want, but I don’t want to leave the place where we fell in love.”
God, he’s so mushy-gushy. “I hear you.”
“I think I might build on to it instead.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“Yeah,” he says, and then he turns to look at me. “So, things are good with you and Aviva?”
“Real good,” I admit.
“I thought being on the road would be hard for you. Usually you’d already have been through a few girls by now.”
I would have. It’s how I handle being on the road and losing, or hell, even winning. I love sex, but I guess it’s different now. I don’t want to jeopardize what I have at home. “Don’t need them when I have my baby at home.”
Chandler seems impressed. “That’s awesome, dude. You seem happy.”
“I am. Really.”
He nods as he looks away. “Listen, I need to talk to you.”
I sit up, crossing my legs. “Yeah?”
“We both know how much I love Amelia,” he starts, and I just give him a dry look.
“No! You love her? I’d never suspect that.”
He snorts, and I grin over at him. “Yeah, and I know we were waiting to get married so that we can have a huge shindig. But last night, we were talking on FaceTime, and I was watching her with the babies, holding them, and just looking like an angel. I decided I didn’t want to wait.”
“No?”
“No. So I told her I want to get married. Now.”
I jerk my head back. “Did you marry her without telling anyone?”
He laughs. “No, but we decided that during our little game break, we’re gonna have a small wedding on the beach.”
My heart warms. “No shit.”
“Yeah, and I want you to be my best man.”
I swallow hard. I know I should just say yes, but I find I’m starting to sweat. I’ll have to stand with no gear on in front of how many people? I know they’ll probably only be looking at Amelia and Chandler, but I’ll be up there. “It’ll be small?”
“Yeah, my family, hers, you. Fifteen people max,” he promises. “Everyone who will be there will be people you know.”
He thought this through, and I swear, I don’t know what I would do without this man. He’s my brother, and my love for him is soul-deep. Just acknowledging that brings the guilt back. I should tell him. Right now, right here—tell him the truth. He loves me, cares for me, yet I can’t. “Yeah, of course.”
He cups my shoulder. “Awesome, but just a heads-up, Shelli will be there. With Aiden.”
I wait for something. A feeling. Sadness, anger, resentment—anything. But nothing comes. I shrug. “That’s fine. Can I bring Aviva and Callie?”
He nods eagerly. “Absolu
tely.”
“Awesome. Yeah, I’m there for you, bro.”
“Fantastic. I was worried. I know you don’t do crowds.”
I slowly nod as I bite my lip. “Yeah, but I’ll do this crowd to watch my two favorite people tie that knot.”
Chandler is excited; it’s radiating off him. “We’re gonna head to Barcelona after the wedding for a few days just as a mini-honeymoon.”
I laugh. “No shit. Callie wants to go there.”
“Really? Barcelona? That’s weird.”
“Has something to do with some Ed Sheeran song. I don’t know. But she really wants to go. I said I’d take them in the summer. But shit, since you’re going, you should take her.”
He gives me a deadpan expression. “I’m gonna be banging my brand-new wife the whole time we’re there, not caring for a sixteen-year-old.”
I chuckle. “I didn’t think of that. Maybe I’ll take her since I can’t get Aviva to shut the shop down.”
“She won’t let you.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s her sister, and you are the boyfriend. People don’t just hand over their sisters to their boyfriends of a few months to go to foreign countries.”
I shrug. “You’re probably right. She’s a helicopter sister, for sure,” I laugh, and he smiles.
“Hey, after everything they’ve been through, can you blame her?”
I can’t. I actually support it. I couldn’t imagine. Losing her mom, having the gene for the same cancer that killed her mom and then could kill her sister. It terrifies me just thinking about it. “Maybe I can get her to go too. Share a plane.”
He shoots me a look. “I wanted to bang my wife on the plane too.”
“Who said you couldn’t do it in the bathroom?”
He flashes me a smirk. “I forget who I’m talking to.”
He holds out his hand, and I slap it, but before I can pull away, he holds it. “This look looks great on you.”
“What look?”
“Relationship look.”
“I gotta keep up with my brother.”
He grins. “I hear that.”
But I don’t think he does. I don’t think he knows how much he has inspired me. How much I have learned from him and how much he means to me. Which is why the guilt is eating at me from the inside for not telling him. He meets my gaze, and then he brings in his brows. “What’s up? You look like you’ve let a puck in. And by the way, those goals weren’t your fault.”
I can’t even smile as I nod. “I know.”
“Then what’s up?”
I lean toward him, and he leans in too.
“Did you cheat?”
I give him a dry look. “Fuck no. Shut up.”
He lets out a long breath. “Thank God. I was nervous for a second there.”
I clear my throat and then bite real hard into the inside of my cheek as I search his eyes. “I need to tell you something.”
He immediately seems concerned. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I answer quickly. “I’m fine.”
“Okay,” he says slowly, trying to read me with his eyes. “You know you can tell me anything.”
I can. Damn it, I can. “You know how I’m a bit odd about things?”
He shrugs. “Yeah, so?”
“When I was three, I was diagnosed with autism.” I say it so low, I wouldn’t be surprised if he couldn’t hear me. “I am an autistic adult, and that’s why I do the things I do. Why I can’t do crowds or interviews, and apparently, I use sex as an—”
Chandler covers my shoulder with his hand, cupping it hard. “I know.”
All the breath leaves my body. “What?”
His face is so kind as he nods. “I’ve known for a real long time. I overheard Coach talking to your therapist.”
I can’t breathe. “What? You did? Did anyone else?”
“No, man. It was an isolated incident, and your therapist lit into Coach for saying the word. I was the only one in there. No one else heard. I promise.”
I still can’t catch my breath. “So, you knew? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because it doesn’t matter,” he says simply, shrugging. “You’re Nico Merryweather, my best friend, my brother. Everything else doesn’t matter.”
I look away, closing my eyes as he moves his hand, cupping my neck. Emotion is taking over and I want to fall apart, but I probably already look pathetic.
With his voice low, Chandler whispers, “You’re the best person I know. And I love you, bro. Don’t ever feel like you’re not the fucking awesome dude you are. Okay?”
I look back up at him, and I feel like I’m naked in front of him. He knows me. He’s always known, yet he never, ever treated me differently. He’s loved me for me, and I couldn’t ask for a better friend. “Thanks, Chandler.”
He squeezes my neck. “No need to thank me. What are brothers for?”
I never knew until I met Chandler. And now that I have him, I can’t believe I went through life without him for so long.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Nico
Aviva is waiting for me when I pull into the parking lot of the shop.
It’s almost three in the morning, but there she is, standing in the doorway. A wide grin is on her face, and I know it’s all for me. I get out of the truck as she pushes the door open and comes toward me. Shit, I want to swallow her up. She’s wearing a huge shirt and a pair of shorts, and she might as well be in one of those lace numbers I bought her. I reach for her, pulling her in close as our mouths connect instantly. God, she tastes just as good as I remember, maybe even better. I gather her in my arms, holding her so tight I worry she can’t breathe, but I can’t stop. Not seeing her like this, not being able to touch her, has been torture. But now I have her, and I refuse to let go.
Her fingers glide up my cheeks and into my hair as our kiss deepens. I squeeze her in my arms, lifting her off the ground so we’re closer. Her fingers thread into my hair, the tips of her fingers digging into my scalp as she kisses me passionately. I don’t even have to question if she missed me. I can taste, feel it. Man, she drives me absolutely wild. I pull back as she rests her nose against mine, breathing just as heavily as I am.
“Hi,” she whispers, and I grin against her lips.
“Hey.” I kiss her top lip and then her bottom. “I missed you.”
“I missed you.”
She leaves me breathless. “Is Callie sleeping?”
“Like a rock.”
“Good.” I capture her mouth once more. She wraps her legs around my waist, and I carry her into the shop, locking the door behind me. She kisses down my throat, moving my shirt over so she can kiss my chest the best she can reach. I can’t go far; I need her. I lay her down on the table, and I’m about to cover her body with mine when I realize people eat here. Her legs squeeze me in closer so my hard cock presses into her. She doesn’t care, so I shouldn’t care.
But I care.
I lift her up, and she laughs. “What are you doing?”
“Can’t do you here. People eat here.”
She giggles more as she kisses up my jaw. “I can clean it. I did clean it.”
“Nope,” I say as I carry her into the back. I look around for a surface, but soon I’m getting overwhelmed. I can’t do her on the counters because she makes food there. The floor? I think I just threw up. The wall? Yeah, wall.
I press her into the wall, pinning her with my hips while I devour her mouth. Her fingers press into my neck as she draws the kisses out of me. She pulls away, and I open-mouth kiss her down her jaw, her neck, before pulling back to yank off her shirt. She’s wearing the bra I just bought her. The lace looks incredible against her soft skin, and it’s making it real hard to see straight.
“Fuck, I want to rip this off you, but it’s so pretty.”
She arches up into me. “I want you so bad.”
She doesn’t need to say more. I undo her shorts and put her on her feet to yank them down
as she unfastens mine. I reach into my back pocket for my wallet just as she falls to her knees, taking me in her hands. She licks up my cock, swirling that naughty tongue around my head before taking me in her mouth. I fall back into the wall, holding myself up with my palm. As she moves up and down my cock, each time taking me deeper and deeper, I feel everything getting tighter. I put the condom between my lips and grasp her hair in my hands, guiding her up and down my cock. I thrust into her mouth, pressing to the back of her throat, needing this. Needing her. She sucks me hard, sending a chill down my back.
I don’t want to come here. I want to be inside her, but she has other ideas. I try to stop her, but she won’t. Her lips are so thick, her tongue perfect against my hot skin. She cups my balls, squeezing them as I thrust back into her throat once more, unable to handle it. She picks up speed, her head bobbing on me just the way I love it. I feel my toes curling in my dress shoes, and there is no stopping the train that is my orgasm. I rise up on my toes, exploding into her mouth as her name leaves my lips.
She sucks me dry while she watches me, quivering under her mouth. I take in a jerky breath as I look down at her. She removes me from her mouth, kissing the head, making me jump, but that sneaky grin on her lips lets me know she did it on purpose. I reach down, taking her face in my hands before shaking my head. I pull the condom out of my mouth and wave it at her. “I had this ready.”
That sneaky grin hasn’t moved. “I told you I’d suck the skin off you.”
Desire rolls in my gut. “Fuck if you don’t make me crazy.”
She stands up, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Why don’t we go upstairs, where there is a sub for you? We can nap and carry on when you’re ready.”
I grab her ass, squeezing it hard. “I’m always ready when it comes to you.”
She kisses my nose. “Then come on.”
She couldn’t stop me if she tried.
Her place is pitch dark when we go upstairs. She’s still only in a bra and panties, while my shirt is untucked and my pants hang loosely on my hips. She grabs the sub for me and then two Cokes before we head back to her room. After she shuts the door, she holds up a finger at me. “Don’t eat in my bed. I’ll be right back. Let me go brush my teeth.”