Score Her Heart: A Marriage of Convenience Hockey Romance (Philadelphia Bulldogs Book 2)

by Danica Flynn

  I scrambled up onto all fours and grabbed the headboard of the bed while he grabbed a condom. I heard the crinkle of the package behind me, but when I turned to look over my shoulder, he pushed my head back to look at the wall. I heard the creak of the cap from the travel-sized bottle of lube next, and I bit back a moan when his finger rubbed the excess lubrication across my entrance.

  Riley certainly was a considerate lover. What man actually was thoughtful enough to use lube? Not any of the ones I had been with before.

  He slapped my ass again, playfully, and I gasped in response but secretly loved it. “Disobedient girl, you better grab that headboard and hold on,” he snarled.

  Holy fuck, I loved this shit. This was exactly what I wanted in a man! An alpha-male who would be rough and passionate with me, and that was exactly what Riley was like in bed.

  Shit, maybe this marriage would work after all.

  I groaned when his cock pressed inside me from behind, and I shamelessly rocked back into him. Riley held onto my hips and thrust inside me deep and rough. I gripped the headboard tight and cried out while he hit all my good spots and swatted at my ass here and there.

  “Yes, fuck, Aaron, so good,” I cried into the pillows, burying my head to muffle the sounds of my oncoming orgasm.

  “This is what you want, Fiona?” he growled behind me. He placed soft kisses up my spine until he was at my ear. “You want me to be rough with you? Go all growly alpha-male?”

  I nodded in response, rocking back into him, feeling him deep inside of me. “Please,” I begged.

  “Turn around,” he growled, and I pouted when I felt him pull out of me. “I want to see your face when you come all over my cock.”

  OH MY GOD!

  He flipped me onto my back and spread my legs before entering me again. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he nuzzled his head into my neck, kissing me while my nails dug into his strong, muscular back. Our bodies slapped together, and the bed groaned in protest from him grunting and groaning on top of me. I squeezed my legs tighter around his middle and met his thrusts with cries of delight. He was hitting me hard and deep, giving it to me rough just like I liked it. I dug my nails harder into his skin, but if it hurt him, he didn’t complain.

  “I’m close,” I gasped while he rocked harder on top of me.

  His hands went to my face, and he kissed me harder. “Come for me, sweetheart.”

  I nodded in agreement and thrashed under him, slipping my hand down to finger my clit in unison with his hard thrusts. “Yes, baby, so good,” I moaned.

  He gave me that cocky grin that I loved and kissed me through my orgasm. From the way he bucked almost angrily on top of me, I knew he was close behind me.

  “Fuck, Fiona,” he grunted out while he went faster and faster, pulling me apart and making me come undone again until he was roaring out his own orgasm moments later.

  I sighed in relief at the release, and he laid his head across my chest. I lightly stroked his blond hair while he tried to catch his breath.

  “So, what time is our flight?” I asked from beneath him.

  He lifted his head up and laughed at me. “Early,” he said again with a sigh and got off of me. “We should get to bed.”

  He got rid of the condom while I went to pee. He was back in his pajama pants when I came back to bed. He was lying on his back with his arms behind his head while I found my pajamas and slipped back into them. I slid back into the bed and smiled when he wrapped an arm around me and held me to his chest.

  “Goodnight, Fi.”

  “Night, Riley.”

  I snuggled down into the bed, feeling cozy and not just from the warm bed sheets but because of the warm chest of the man holding me. The man who was my best friend in the entire world. When did my life get so weird?

  Chapter Eight

  RILEY

  We woke the next morning, tired from the late-night sex. I honestly hadn’t been expecting Fi to slide into bed last night and practically offer herself up to me. It had been awesome, and I one hundred percent would fuck her as rough and hard as I did last night again, but now I was exhausted. Which meant practice today was going to be awful.

  Waking up at the ass crack of dawn had never been fun. I thought one day I would get used to it, but even after all the early wake-ups playing hockey as a kid, I was still not a morning person.

  When I looked at Fi, my heart pounded in my head, and the sense of dread was starting to kick in again. A part of me knew Fi still wasn’t convinced of this marriage, but I must have been doing something right if she had practically begged for me to be inside her again yesterday.

  The ride to the airport was quiet, but it was a quiet where we were both too tired to even speak. Once we were through security and waiting at the gate for our plane, I went to go get us breakfast and coffee. She had already snapped at me once, so I knew she needed some caffeine in her. She was probably also super hangry. I stopped at the bookstore in the airport and was surprised they actually had her book in stock, so I picked that up too.

  Her eyes lit up when I waved the coffee in her face. “Oh, I really need that,” she told me with relief as she took it out of my hands. She took a sip of it and practically moaned at the taste. I had to adjust myself in my jeans at that sound, the man downstairs perked up in interest at that noise.

  I raised my eyebrows and nodded while taking a small sip of my own coffee. “Uh huh,” I grunted.

  “Sorry, I’m being a bitch,” she offered.

  I put an arm around the back of her neck and lightly massaged her there. I felt her straighten up at the neck grip, and I filed that away for later. “It’s fine.”

  I handed her the egg and cheese bagel, keeping the yogurt for myself. She had her computer out again and was typing away at something, so I tried not to bother her. I cracked open the big hardback and started to read the second book in her sci-fi series. It kind of amazed me that every word she wrote was something that popped into her head. Her name was here on the cover, and she would have that forever. Pride beamed in my chest at this woman accomplishing her dreams. I was so damn proud of her.

  I flipped to the dedication page.

  To all the girls with stars in your eyes, this one's for you.

  I sipped my coffee and flipped to the first chapter, but felt her nudge me with her shoulder. I looked at her with a questioning look. “Is that my book?” she asked, nervously.

  “Yes. How did you come up with this stuff?”

  She shrugged. “It’s a gift.”

  I cocked my head at her. “That’s not an explanation, Fi.”

  She shrugged again. “I don’t know, man. It’s easy to come up with stories inside your head when that’s all you have.”

  I didn’t know what she meant by that.

  She went back to her computer for a few minutes but then reluctantly closed it down and put it back in her carry-on bag. I looked up at the gate when I heard them start to call for boarding. I closed the book and held out my hand to take her bag from her.

  She glared daggers at me. “I’m fine, Riley.”

  I held up my hands in surrender and let her be on her own. Nobody ever got to tell Fiona Gallagher what to do, not even me, her husband. Once we got settled on the plane, she dived into writing again. I was still tired, so I ended up falling asleep for a little bit. I woke to the sound of her sighing in frustration.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

  “I think this is awful,” she explained.

  I frowned. “I thought you figured out the problems yesterday?”

  She gripped a pen in her hand angrily. “Ugh! Everything I write is a pile of garbage. Why did I even try to do this? It’s not like I am fooling anyone here!”

  “I think maybe you could use a break. Take a nap. We still have a couple hours left until we get home,” I suggested.

  I totally expected her to blow up on me, but she saved her doc and shut the lid to her laptop. She reached down be
low the seat in front of her and put it away. “Maybe you’re right,” she sighed.

  “C’mere,” I ordered.

  I pushed the armrest between us up and pulled her into my chest, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. Her head rested on me, and I stroked her hair until she fell asleep. She claimed she didn’t sleep on planes, but I called bullshit. Or else she was really tired. I couldn’t remember what time she had climbed into bed last night, but it had been pretty late, and we got preoccupied for a while. I was not sorry about that.

  The flight attendant walked by asking if we wanted any drinks, and she smiled as I whispered, trying not to wake Fi. She eyed the ring on my hand and then looked at Fi. “Vegas wedding?” she asked.

  I nodded and absent-mindedly continued to stroke Fi’s vibrant red hair.

  She smiled. “You two look cute together. I hope it works out.”

  Me too. I hoped that as soon as we landed in Philly, my new wife wouldn’t throw it all away and decide a divorce was the right course of action for us. I wanted forever with this woman, but I didn’t know how to prove that to her.

  As soon as we landed in Philly, I felt something shift between us. The tension was in the air again. Just like on the morning after our wedding when she ambushed me into asking for a divorce. It was like the past couple days had been a vacation from real life, and now we had to face the consequences that we were married. There were a lot of logistics to work out, and I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject with her yet. I had already tried about the living arrangements, and she nearly bit my head off about that.

  She was distant and texting on her phone as we waited for our bags to come around the carousel. When she looked up from her phone, she asked, “So what’s your schedule like this week?”

  I grimaced and scratched my face. “Practice today. We travel tomorrow, game in Minnesota Tuesday, back here for a home game on Thursday, off Friday, but I have another home game on Saturday.”

  “Oh.”

  “Will you come to the game on Saturday?” I asked before thinking about it.

  She eyed me cautiously. “You want me to?”

  “It would be nice if you could come to my game.”

  She put her phone away. “I don’t know if I can. I’m still on deadline and have a lot of work to do.”

  I nodded, understanding her reasons even if I didn’t like them.

  “Well…how about next Saturday night? My teammates Noah and TJ usually have people over.”

  “Maybe.”

  Our bags finally came around on the carousel, and I grabbed hers for her. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you home? It’s not that far.”

  She shook her head and waved me off. “It’s fine; Katie’s coming to get me.”

  “Okay…so I guess we’ll plan for something Thursday or Friday?” I asked, hopeful that I wouldn’t come back from Minnesota with divorce papers waiting for me in the mail.

  She nodded. “Sure.” She had a smile on her face, but I knew her well enough to know it was a smile she reserved for her mom. She was faking it, and I couldn’t understand why.

  “I can wait with you,” I offered while we walked outside to the pick-up area.

  “Oh, Riley, that’s sweet, but you don’t have to do that.”

  I nodded. She seemed firm on this, and I didn’t want to push it. I turned to her and snaked my hands up behind her neck, sliding one hand to grip her there as if to say she was mine. She looked at me like I had knocked the wind out of her, and then I leaned down to plant a long and lingering kiss on her lips.

  I rested my forehead against hers when I pulled away. “I wasn’t lying, Fi. I want this marriage to work.”

  “O-okay,” she stuttered out but avoided meeting my eyes.

  I brushed my hand over her cheek and grasped her jaw in my hand. I kissed her again, and I smiled against her lips when I felt her hand slide to the back of my neck. She lightly stroked my short blond hair while we kissed goodbye.

  “See you later, okay, sweetheart?”

  She nodded but stared at me wordlessly as I walked away. A part of me wanted to stay with her and make sure Katie got there okay, but I didn’t want to be late for practice. Once I got home, all I wanted to do was drop down into my bed and take the longest nap ever, but I had to get to practice, and since Benny lived close by, he swung by to take me to the rink.

  “DUDE!” he exclaimed when he saw my wedding ring glint under the light in my kitchen. “You seriously got married?”

  I nodded but fidgeted with the wedding band around my finger. I hadn’t taken it off since Fi slipped it on my finger a couple days ago. I was a hockey player, so I was superstitious, and taking it off made me think she would know and she would want this to be over. I didn’t want to ever take it off, but I knew I had to when I was playing. Like most teams, the bulldogs had banned wearing rings when we were on the ice. It was too risky to take a puck to the hand that at best led to you having to get the ring cut off, but at worst led to a gruesome, career-ending injury. No way I would risk an injury like that.

  “So where’s your new bride anyway?” he asked. I flipped off the lights in my condo, and we walked out to the parking garage together.

  I scratched the back of my head. “Um…”

  “Did you agree to a divorce already?”

  I shook my head and climbed into his SUV. “It’s complicated.”

  He put the car into drive and started off. “How so?”

  “Well, for one, she was with someone else for five years and then up and married me,“ I explained with a sigh.

  “Okay…” he trailed off and frowned.

  It was clear that Benny didn’t have words for this situation, and I honestly didn’t blame him. Who marries someone after the person they were supposed to marry left them high and dry? Me. That’s who.

  We drove to the practice facility in the suburbs in silence for a few minutes. I ran a hand across my still unshaven jaw, now rough from stubble since I didn’t have time to shave. “She asked for a divorce the next morning,” I revealed.

  “Oh, Ri. I’m sorry.”

  “I convinced her to give me a couple months. I can make her happy.”

  He furrowed his brow as he got on 95. “Okay…so why isn’t she with you now?”

  I sighed. “She was really distant when we landed. She wants to keep her apartment,” I explained with a grumble.

  I wasn’t happy that Fi didn’t want to move in with me. How was our marriage supposed to work if we lived separately?

  “She probably wants to have it to fall back on it. I know you don’t want to hear that, but maybe she’s scared it won’t work out. Marriage is a huge deal, man.”

  “Says the man who never wants to get married,” I scoffed.

  A frown etched across Benny’s face. Benny’s girl had been dropping mad hints that she was ready for the next step, but he was like the president of the anti-marriage club. And the anti-kids club. Stephanie was a sweet girl, but when you had fundamental differences, it wasn’t going to work out, and I thought Benny knew that but didn’t know what to do about it. I thought he really cared about her but knew they wanted different things.

  Honestly? I didn’t think she was the right girl for him. I thought there was a curvy Canadian woman who was perfect for him, but they were stuck in a three-year feud neither of them would stop. A dumb feud because he took one look at the woman and was star-struck by her beauty. Okay, he might have said, “Holy shit, are those real?” and stared at her tits and maybe drooled a little bit, which was super bad, but he apologized for it. Too bad that Roxanne Desjardins knew how to hold a grudge like nobody’s business and was also our teammate TJ’s twin sister. Family members tended to be off-limits, but I’ve never seen two people more suited for each other than Roxanne and Benny. If they ever figured out how to stop fighting over nothing.

  “I’ve never seen you this twisted up over a girl,” he mused.

  I sighed. “It’s not just some girl; it’s Fion
a Gallagher.”

  “You’re so messed up over this woman!” he laughed.

  “I know.”

  He grinned. “But the sex is good?”

  “Oh, for sure.”

  “Damn. Well, she might be interested in you, you never know. This marriage of yours might actually work.”

  I didn’t know about that. I wanted her as my life partner, my equal, the person I told everything to. Once upon a time, we were inseparable, and I knew even when I was seventeen that she was the girl for me. I wished she saw the potential of us. I wished I hadn’t been such a coward back then, and instead of asking Stacey Graves out, I asked Fiona out instead. Maybe we would have been married with a couple kids already.

  I ran a hand over my jaw again. “I don’t know. Her and her ex hadn’t had sex for a while, so maybe she just needs it right now.”

  It certainly would have explained why she basically woke me up last night and begged for sex. I kind of felt like a dick about it because I felt like she was thanking me for giving her time to write. Her work was important to her, which made it important to me. I’ve seen Fi lose her writing track by getting distracted, and last night, I didn’t want to be that distraction. I didn’t want her to feel like she owed me or some shit because I was being a nice guy either, though. I was starting to wonder how bad her last relationship had been.

  Benny laughed. “Are you saying that your new wife doesn’t really like you but just craves your dick?”

  I smiled at him and shrugged.

  “I always thought you would never settle down.”

  I furrowed my brow at him. “What does that mean?”

  “You seem to enjoy the single life.”

  “I did, but it got tiring. It’s nice to come home to someone, but most women can’t handle me being away half the year. Don’t you want someone to come home to?”