I rise and take her hand to lead her upstairs to her bed. There, I lay her down, gently, reverently, as if she’s fragile and precious. She is precious, but I know she’s not fragile. She’s strong as hell and I love that.
I strip out of my clothes and join her on the bed to remove hers, tugging the leggings down her smooth legs, along with her panties, helping her sit up to lift the sweatshirt over her head. She reaches behind herself to undo her bra and I toss it aside, letting my gaze wander over her. “My gorgeous girl.”
She reaches up to push my hair back off my forehead, letting her fingers trail over my cheek and jaw. The tenderness of her gesture makes me feel like a fist is squeezing my heart.
“I love you, Wyatt.”
“I love you too.”
I hold myself above her on my arms and kiss her, my tongue sliding into her mouth. She tastes so sweet. Fire lights up every nerve ending in my body and I lift my mouth from hers to kiss her bare shoulder, sliding my open mouth over her skin. Her soft moan inflames my senses even more.
I kiss her throat and lick my way down between those gorgeous breasts. Her back arches and I close my mouth over one nipple, loving the sweetness, the feel of it on my tongue, the firm flesh pressed to my lips. Heat pours over my body, liquid pleasure running through my veins.
We roll and twist together, mouths fused in long, deep kisses. I worship her with my mouth, my tongue, my hands, everywhere I can reach. When I slip my hand between her legs, I find her velvety wet center, and I circle my thumb over her clit until she vibrates.
I’m drowning in sensation, in the almost unbearable beauty and erotic pleasure, but also in the emotion of it. Something powerful and huge swells inside me.
I lift her thigh and push into her body, watching her face. Her lips part, her eyes gaze up at me, her hands on my chest. Our gazes hold in that intense connection I’ve never had with anyone else, as heat builds and shimmers around us. My heart beats in a slow, heavy rhythm against my ribs. The love and devotion in her eyes is my own reflected back at me. “I feel so lucky right now.”
Her smile is shaky but so, so lovely. “Me too.”
I slowly slide in and out of her slick heat as she squeezes around me, her hands pressed to my chest. Sensation coils inside me, hot and heavy.
“Wyatt.”
I gaze down at her, riveted by the sight of her beautiful face as I thrust deeper, harder. She lifts into me, hot little whimpers and soft sighs escape her lips, building as she gets closer, and closer. Her fingernails dig into my pecs. Then her body tightens, her pussy rippling around me, her cries exquisitely beautiful in my ears.
“Watching you come is the most goddamn gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.” I fall over her, bury my face in the side of her neck, and breathe in that rich, sexy scent. My chest clenches at the perfection of it, the overwhelming intensity of it, the rush of emotion inside me so strong.
Yes, it’s sex. But it’s also love.
My thighs quake and my balls contract, the tension at the base of my spine sizzling painfully. Electricity shoots up my spine, scorching every nerve ending in my body as I come, my cock jerking inside her in almost painful, wrenching spasms.
She wraps her arms around my back and holds on like she never wants to let go. Good. I never want to let her go either. My face buried in her hair, I draw in long, ragged breaths.
“Everly.” I lift my head so I can kiss her, a long, tender kiss of devotion and promise. “I love you.”
* * *
—
“I talked to Mom and Dad and Matthew about the lawsuit.”
My arms hold her, the soft sheets tucked around us, legs twined together, both of us sleepy and lazy. “Whoa. You did?”
“Yeah. We were all together at the game against the Eagles—well, not all of us; Théo was there, and Asher stopped in and then Matthew, and I just thought, fuck it, I’m laying it out there.”
I cough out a laugh.
“And I convinced Dad to go to the doctor. I don’t think Matthew realized how bad things are getting and how worried we are. Théo helped too.”
“That’s good.” I kiss her temple. “Not good, of course, but hopefully you’ll get answers and maybe some kind of treatment.”
“Yes. And Dad and Matthew agreed to talk. Hopefully they’ll follow through on that. And Matthew accepted that Mom has to be there too.”
“Wow. You did good, princess.” I give her a squeeze. I’m so fucking proud of her I could burst with it. For what she just told me, but also how she’s reacting to the news of that audit of the Foundation. She let me see inside her. She’s anxious and she worries a lot and needs to be perfect. What happened when she was sixteen was awful, and I know she feels like that makes her weak. But the truth is, she’s resilient. Kind and generous. She makes things happen and never quits. She just needs to slow down a bit and really connect with people. And yeah, take time to laugh and experience the joys of life, because it’s true that it can end anytime.
“I’m sorry how I reacted that night that Gage showed up.” She sighs. “Seeing him reminded me of the biggest mistake I ever made. I’ve tried so hard to never do something like that again. My parents were ashamed and had to do things they probably shouldn’t have to protect me.”
“I don’t believe they were ashamed of you. I think they were probably worried. Which is understandable.”
“Yes. You could be right. But I never wanted to experience their disappointment like that again. And dating you—another player for my dad’s team—seemed like a potentially huge mistake. My dad’s health put things in perspective, though. Now I understand why you live life in the moment. I want to live life in more moments with you. That was why I came to see you that night. When I realized my dad might not be around…or might not be himself much longer…I realized how important it is to make the most of the time we do have. I learned that from you.” She pauses, and my heart squeezes. “But then, I also saw how much you care about Owen, and Heather. You may talk about life being all fun, but you also care about people in your life. And I realized the mistake I really made was letting you go.”
My arms tighten around her and I close my eyes on a rush of emotion. Joy. Worship. Gratitude. Love.
Epilogue
Everly
“Yoga on a stand-up paddle board?” Wyatt regards me skeptically. “That sounds like a sure way to get wet.”
“Possibly.” I grin at him. “What is with you hockey players? We had to drag JP there…oh wait, no we didn’t, he went willingly because he wanted to see Taylor. I dragged Harrison there, though. He’s coming too. You won’t be the only man.”
“I don’t care about that.”
“Okay, great. Yoga is good for hockey players.”
“So I’ve heard. Okay, fine.”
The team has a rare Saturday off, so I’m making Wyatt come to yoga class with me. It’s a beautiful spring morning, with a clear blue sky, the sun trying hard to be warm.
Taylor has brought JP, and we even finally convinced Lacey and Théo to come. The six of us have been hanging out and having fun together. Wyatt has forgiven JP for punching him in the face at Lacey and Théo’s wedding.
And Wyatt and I have been spending time together too. Nobody really pays much attention to it, since the world assumed we were dating after all those photo op outings we went on. But I’ve told my parents, and even though I was worried about how they’d react to me dating a player from the Condors, they’re actually pretty happy. They like Wyatt. Although Dad did make more embarrassing comments, like Wyatt better not think this was going to get him a big raise on his next contract, and if he hurt one hair on my head he’d be demoted to sharpening skates. Ha.
I encouraged Wyatt to keep seeing Owen, and Heather, of course. I may have been a little jealous at first, but knowing Heather was unselfish enough to let him go makes me re
spect her, and she is a good mom. I’ve been with Wyatt a couple of times when we’ve gone to pick up Owen, and it was a little awkward, but we survived.
Wyatt parks in the lot at Makara Yoga, located at the marina in Marina del Rey, and we head inside to get boards. Lacey and Théo are already here, Lacey looking nervous.
I squeeze her arm. “It’ll be fine!”
Taylor and JP arrive, followed by Harrison a moment later.
He looks eagerly around, then heads straight to the instructor. “Hi, Arya.”
“Hi.” She gives him a tepid smile. “You’re back.”
“Yeah. I really got a lot out of that class. I think it elevated my brain to a higher state.”
She blinks. “Well, good.”
“I’ve truly come to believe in a higher sense of self, a divine energy in the world.”
I roll my eyes. Wyatt is watching this with an arched eyebrow.
“Apparently he has a little crush on the instructor,” I whisper to him.
“She doesn’t seem impressed.”
I smother a laugh as we carry our boards outside to the water.
“I’ve been practicing,” Harrison confides as we enter the water.
I grin. “That’s great.”
“Me too. I can do a headstand now,” JP announces. “On dry land. I don’t think I’ll attempt it on the water.”
“Phhht.” Harrison rolls his eyes. “That’s easy.”
“Can’t wait for this,” I murmur to Wyatt.
“A headstand?” Wyatt asks, his eyes bugging out. “On the water?”
“Sure. You should see Arya.”
Once we’re all in position on our boards with our anchors dropped to keep us from drifting away, Arya begins the class. “Okay, let’s start with mountain pose, feet hip width apart, your knees in a micro bend.”
I see Wyatt frown. “Micro bend?” he mouths at me.
I nod.
“Bring your palms in to your heart,” Arya continues, placing her hands together.
Wyatt makes a face, but follows along.
“Inhale the arms up.”
We all lift our arms. I have to watch Harrison, though. He’s as close to Arya’s board as he can be, and he can’t take his eyes off her. She is beautiful—tanned and blond, slender and toned in a tight pair of short shorts and a bra top. She’s exactly Harrison’s type, because I don’t think I’ve ever seen him date anyone but blondes. Which is kind of creepy. No, wait, he did have one girlfriend with dark hair.
“Inhale, reach your arms to the sky, lifting the heart.”
“I love it when my heart lifts,” Harrison says.
I snort.
“Exhale and fold forward…” Arya gracefully bends over.
“Fold forward and just let your brains spill out of your head,” Harrison says.
Wyatt bends over, as do we all, with our butts in the air. “Also known as preparing your anus.”
Harrison chokes and starts laughing. He laughs so hard he loses his balance and falls off his board with a huge splash.
The class is totally distracted by him thrashing in the water, still laughing like a loon.
“Harrison!” I hiss at him. “You’re embarrassing me!”
He’s trying to grab his board and get back on, but somehow he knocks his board into Arya’s and she goes flying, doing a belly flop into the ocean.
“Oh my God!” I can’t believe what I’m seeing.
Arya comes up spitting water, shaking her head. She rests her forearms on the board and stares at Harrison, saying nothing.
Her look is probably enough to shrivel his balls, never mind the cold Pacific water.
He moves closer to her. “Are you okay?” he asks. “I am so sorry.”
Wyatt’s laughing too now, but he has the sense to sit down on his board, shoulders shaking. “This is the best yoga class ever.”
“Yeah, because we’re never coming again,” I mutter. I meet his eyes. “Is this one of those moments we’re supposed to enjoy?”
His eyes warm, and so does my heart. “Yeah.”
I sigh. “Okay.”
I’m not going to let my brother embarrass me. Life’s too short for that. I’ll just laugh at him (with him?) and enjoy the moment.
Acknowledgments
Thank you, Gina, for loving this book.
BY KELLY JAMIESON
Aces Hockey
Major Misconduct
Off Limits
Icing
Top Shelf
Back Check
Slap Shot
Playing Hurt
Big Stick
Game On
Bayard Hockey
Shut Out
Cross Check
Last Shot
Body Shot
Hot Shot
Long Shot
Wynn Hockey
Play to Win
In It to Win It
Win Big
Other Books
Dancing in the Rain
PHOTO: LANCE THOMSON PHOTOGRAPHIC
USA Today bestselling author KELLY JAMIESON is the author of more than fifty contemporary romance novels. She writes the kind of books she loves to read—sexy romance with heat, humor, and emotion. She likes coffee (black), wine (mostly white), and shoes (high!). She also loves watching hockey.
kellyjamieson.com
Twitter: @KellyJamieson
Read on for an excerpt from
For the Win
A Wynn Hockey Novel
by Kelly Jamieson
Available soon from Loveswept
Arya
“Oh my God!” Everly cries.
I grab my board and rest my forearms on it, staring at Harrison. I’m befuddled. And cold.
“Are you okay?” he asks. “I am so sorry.”
The class is totally disrupted now. Everyone is murmuring and making shocked noises. I don’t even know what to say. This has never happened to me. “I’m fine,” I say through clenched teeth. “Wet, obviously.”
“I’m really sorry,” he says again, and he does look contrite. “You can blame him.” He jerks his head at the guy who made the anal joke.
That guy gives me a guilty grimace. “Sorry.”
I blow out a breath and turn my glare back on Harrison. I’d like to tear a strip off him, but that’s not what yoga is supposed to be about. Peace. Oneness. Harmony. I am capable of anything. I take another breath and relax my body, including my face. “Are you able to continue with the class?” I ask him.
“Yeah, yeah,” he says quickly. “For sure. Uh, are you?”
I roll onto my paddleboard and strip off the thin zip-front hoodie I’m wearing. I drop it to the board behind me. “Yes.” I find my center and stand, now in my wet sports bra and yoga shorts. My hair’s in a ponytail, which is good, although it’s dripping water down my back. I gaze around at the group. “Sometimes you need yoga. Sometimes you need a beer.” I pause. “Sometimes you need both.”
Laughter ripples through the morning air.
“Let’s resume.” I keep my voice calm, a half smile on my face. “One more time…exhale, fold forward…inhale, reach up.” I hold that pose for a few seconds. I am capable of anything. “Exhale, fold forward, and bring your hands to the board as we squat down and bring the right knee back.”
This time there are no smart-ass comments from the peanut gallery. I survey the group to see how everyone’s doing, including Harrison. His face more serious, he seems focused on the pose.
“You want two ninety-degree angles with your legs,” I continue, moving my knee and foot into the correct position and watching the others. “Good. Coming up into half warrior…” I lift my arms and stretch them out in front of me. “Shoulders back…inhale…and li
ft the arms up.”
I sense Harrison’s gaze on me. Which is weird, because almost everyone in the class watches me to see how I do it, but I feel his eyes on me. I say the next words, just waiting for his reaction. “Lift your heart to the sun.”
He stretches his arms up and lengthens his torso, not making any jokes. How about that.
Sweet smiling Jesus, he has an amazing body. Although a bit tight. If we were in the studio, I’d be setting a hand in the small of his back, making adjustments to his pose.
We go through the rest of the class without incident. “Let’s finish up with a nice child’s pose.” I stretch my arms out in front of me on the board. “Let your body melt into the board.”
I follow my own advice, shutting out the rest of the class, particularly that one guy with the naughty boy smile and hot body, letting my muscles relax, tension seep out of me. I focus on the gentle movement of the water beneath me, my breathing, the warmth of the sun on my back.
Class is over and we all paddle back to shore. This basin is quiet and calm, perfect for my classes. I’m so lucky that Taj has his paddleboard business here and I get to piggyback on to that.
I have another class in my studio at noon, so I head toward the change room so I can put on dry clothes and dry my hair. As I approach the change room, Harrison steps in front of me.
“I want to apologize again,” he says earnestly.
He has amazing blue eyes.
“I didn’t intend for that to happen, it was an accident, and I’m really sorry that we disrupted your class.”
“It’s fine.” I don’t smile, but I keep my tone courteous. “Forgiveness and letting go are an important part of yoga.”
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