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

by Danica Flynn

  When I had calmed down later and called Fi, and she told me what was going on, I immediately jumped into action. Luckily for her, I was a planner, and I kept moving boxes in my hall closet. I never knew with my career if I was going to be shipped off to another city, so I liked to be prepared. Especially since my contract was up come July, and I would become a free agent. The trade deadline was over, so I didn’t have a fear of getting traded, but if the Bulldogs didn’t want to re-sign me this summer, I had another problem. It was another reason why I was so worried about the team’s standing this year. I had to stay in Philly, not for me, but for my wife. This was her home too, and I couldn’t wrench her away from it. Not when I still needed to convince her that this thing between us was real.

  I called Benny back. “Listen, buddy,” I began. “I need your help.”

  “Okay, I’m turning around now. What’s up?” he asked without hesitation.

  That was the great thing about Michael Bennett. He was a good guy, and if you called him asking for help, he would be there in a heartbeat. Probably the same went for a lot of my teammates; if I didn’t call Benny, my next call would have been Noah Kennedy. I swear, those two were in a battle to win the Lady Byng.

  “I hate to ask this, but Fi’s gotta move out of her apartment like today,” I explained in a rush.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?” I asked in disbelief.

  He laughed on the other line. “I’ll be there in a few.”

  I owed him a drink or several. Plus, he was the biggest guy on the team, so even though I was pretty fit and muscular, I needed his muscles to help even more. At six-foot-four and two-hundred pounds of muscle, the guy was a beast.

  I flipped off the lights in my condo and went downstairs to meet Benny. He rolled down the window of his SUV. “You sent me the address, right?” he asked.

  I hitched a thumb back to my own SUV. “You want to follow me? I have no idea how much stuff she has. Actually, girl has a shit ton of books.”

  He nodded. “No worries.”

  “Thanks for doing this, man. You’re a real life-saver.”

  He smiled. “You owe me a beer.”

  I shook my head with a laugh in agreement. I got into my own SUV and drove to Fi’s place in Fishtown. With the traffic, and there was always traffic in Philly, it took us a bit to get there, but I was sure she didn’t mind the extra time. Benny and I both had to drive around the block a couple times to find parking, but I waited outside her building for him so we could walk up together. I hit the buzzer for her apartment, and she let us inside.

  The apartment was a one-bedroom with a small living room/kitchen area. She was shoving clothes into suitcases when I followed her back into her bedroom. She shoved her hands into her hair in frustration and audibly groaned. “I don’t know if we can get this all done today,” she confessed with a pained look on her face.

  “C’mere,” I told her and pulled her into a hug. She sighed into my chest, and I stroked her hair. “It’s gonna be fine; we’ll do what we can. Plus, I have help.”

  She glanced over at Benny in the living room, already putting together the packing boxes. He waved a hand at her. “Hi. Michael Bennett,” he called over.

  She pulled away from me and crossed into the living room. She held her hand out to him. “I know. It’s Benny, right? Fiona Gallagher.”

  Benny raised an eyebrow but shook her hand. His six-foot-four frame towered over everyone, so it was amusing to see my five-foot-nine wife look small next to him. Fi was not a tiny woman, but Benny made everyone else look petite.

  “I hear you’re Mrs. Riley now,” Benny teased.

  She made an annoyed face, and I covered my face in embarrassment. She shook off the look. “I guess I am, but I’m not changing my name.”

  I smiled at that. That, at least, was not a surprise. “Okay, what all in here needs to get packed away?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “The books.” She pointed at a standing bookshelf in the corner.

  “All of them?” Benny asked.

  She grinned. “All of them.”

  I took a box and started packing books into it. “Okay, let’s get to work.”

  It took nearly all day, and it was around dinner time when we got all of Fi’s stuff into the SUVs. In the end, she left behind her old bookcase because it was in really bad shape and her writing desk. I had a pretty decent desk in the second bedroom that I used as my office/guest room, and I told her I could get her some nice bookshelves. The majority of the stuff she had was books and some glassware that she wanted to keep. I noticed she left a pair of underwear and some paperwork on the kitchen counter, but I’d ask her about that later.

  She ordered a pizza when we got back to my condo and started bringing in all the boxes. Benny was a champ and such a good friend for helping us out today; I think I owed him three beers.

  I saw her starting to unpack all her boxes while Benny and I chowed down on the pizza. “Sweetheart, come on, leave it for tomorrow,” I chastised her.

  Benny gave me a sly look at the pet-name that had slipped out, but I ignored him.

  She glared at me. “I need to get all my research books out.”

  “Fiona,” I warned sternly.

  “Aaron,” she snapped back in the same tone of voice.

  Seemed like she liked to use my first name either in bed or when she was mad at me. This was very confusing for me. Especially since my dick thought the angry tone of her voice meant it was time to come out and play. I shifted in my seat, uncomfortably.

  Benny raised his eyebrows up at the sound of my first name. No one really used it, like no one ever really called him Michael. I wasn’t even sure his girlfriend called him by his first name.

  Benny scowled at his phone, so I nudged him. “What’s up?”

  He shook his head. “Fucking Stephanie.”

  I raised my eyebrows at that. “Huh.”

  He glared dark eyes at me. “What does that ‘huh’ mean?”

  I shrugged. “I thought you broke up.”

  “No…it was just a disagreement.”

  I nodded and decided not to butt my nose into it anymore. I had already given him my opinion on that, and he didn’t want to hear it anymore.

  Fi stood up from her crouched position on the floor, where the moving boxes were now scattered around my living room. She walked over to the table in the kitchen and finally took a seat, and grabbed a slice of pizza.

  “Who’s Stephanie?” she asked Benny.

  “My girlfriend…I think?” he explained with an unsure shrug.

  Fi eyed me in question, but I shrugged. At this point, her guess was as good as mine. “You guess?” she asked.

  Benny ran a brown hand down his face and stroked his beard. “We’ve been fighting. A lot. It’s complicated.”

  “Buddy, you need to stay here tonight?” I asked.

  Benny’s brown eyes slid over to Fi, who was shoveling pizza in her mouth. “Um…no. Also, maybe you should talk to your wife before you ask me that?”

  Fi shrugged. “It’s his place.”

  “Sweetheart…” I sighed. I didn’t want it to just be my place anymore.

  She shrugged. “What? It is. What’s going on with the girlfriend, Benny?”

  Benny tipped back his head and laughed. “You two are perfect for each other, annoying and all up in my business.”

  Fi held her hands up in surrender. “Hey, I just met you. I don’t even know your girlfriend.”

  He sighed. “Sorry, you’re right. We got into another argument. I should probably get home and defuse the situation.”

  I gave Fi a warning look to drop it. If I couldn’t get Benny to talk about his weird relationship, I didn’t think she could either.

  Benny went to go clear his plate, but Fi waved her hand at him. “No, leave it; you were such a big help today.” She put a hand on his arm. “Thank you.”

  He smiled at her. “It was nice meeting you, Fi.”

  She waved at him th
rough mouthfuls of pizza.

  I laughed and stood up to walk Benny to the door. He grinned at me. “I guess you’re all in, huh?” he asked.

  I nodded and fist-bumped him. “Thanks, man. I really owe you.”

  He pointed at me. “Several beers.”

  “You got it. Are you sure you don’t need to stay here tonight?” I offered again.

  Sometimes Stephanie needed time to cool down, so Benny stayed in the guest room. It had been happening with more frequency, and I didn’t understand why they were still together.

  He shook his head. “Nah, but maybe you should clear that with your wife before offering in the future. You’re not a bachelor anymore.”

  I nodded. He was right about that. I had to remember that it wasn’t just me anymore. I had Fi here now, and I didn’t like that she referred to it as my place. I wanted it to be her home too. I didn’t want her thinking that this was temporary. Not when she had been living rent-free in my heart since we were seventeen.

  He was out the door without another word, and I started cleaning up the empty plates and boxes.

  “Oh, leave it,” Fi said to me. “Or at least let me help.”

  “No,” I argued and looked at her pointedly. “I got it. Finish your food.”

  She frowned at me. “You already helped me out so much today. I have to imagine you’re as exhausted as I am. More so since I know you had practice today.”

  She didn’t push the issue further but helped clean up once she was done.

  “So, Benny seems nice,” she started.

  I grinned. “He’s kind of my best friend.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “I thought I was your best friend.”

  “Oh, Fi, you are, but Benny’s like my best bud on the team.”

  She laughed. “I was just teasing you. So what’s the deal with his girlfriend?”

  I sighed. “I don’t know. I think they’re about to break up.”

  Her face got sad at that. “Oh…that’s too bad.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t think they’re meant to be.”

  She hummed as she rinsed off the plates and loaded up my dishwasher. I didn’t try to tell her not to do it because I didn’t want to get into another fight.

  I leaned against the counter. “Hey, I want to talk to you about something.”

  She closed the lid of the dishwasher and started it. “What’s up?”

  I reached out to push her hair behind her ear. My hand lingered on her cheek, and I wanted to kiss her again. I wanted to do a lot of things to her, but I was exhausted from not getting a lot of sleep last night and a rough practice today. “Fi, this is not just my place.”

  She pulled away from me and crossed her arms. “It is, and I feel bad moving in here so soon.”

  “Sweetheart, I want you here. I want my wife to live with me, not live in hipster Fishtown away from me.”

  She rolled her eyes at my hipster comment, but we both knew it was true. Not that I could say anything; I lived in the ritzy side of the city.

  “What are you trying to say?” she asked.

  “I want this to be your home, too. I should have asked you if it was okay to offer Benny to stay here.”

  “I wouldn’t have minded.”

  “I know, sweetheart, but I should have asked you first.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  I ran a hand through my hair. “I need a shower.”

  “Yeah, you stink!” she teased.

  I headed into my bedroom to take a shower. When I came out, she was on the floor in the bedroom, trying to figure out where to put all her clothes.

  “Oh, leave it for the night,” I told her.

  I dropped the towel from around my waist and put on a clean pair of boxers and pajama bottoms to sleep in. I hated sleeping with a shirt on, and it seemed like Fi didn’t mind it by the way her gaze scanned over my body. I grinned at her, but as much as I wanted nothing more than to wrestle with her on my bed and hear that sexy moan of hers again, I was too damn tired for that. I slid into the bed and patted the empty side next to me. She closed the lid of her suitcase and walked over to the bed. She sat on the side next to me timidly, and then swung her legs over the length of the bed and finally laid down. I flicked the lamp off and plunged us into darkness.

  She shifted onto her side, and I ran my hand down the length of her arm to finally rest against her hip. “Night, Fi,” I breathed on her neck.

  She craned her head to look up at me. “Night, Riley.”

  I bent down to kiss her softly goodnight. “I’m glad you came home with me. I really want this to work between us. Though I’m sorry about your ex.”

  “That’s not your fault,” she sighed.

  I shifted so I was leaning over her and brushed her hair out of her eyes. My dick was definitely lifting up in interest again, but I was way too tired for that, and by the look on her face, I knew she was too. We had a lifetime of that ahead of us; I could wait.

  I smiled at seeing my wedding ring on my finger as I caressed her cheek.

  “Sweetheart, I know it’s not my fault, but I was glad to be there for you.”

  She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She leaned into my hand and kissed it sweetly. “Thank you.”

  “Fiona, I’m going to do everything in my power to make you happy. I promise you that.”

  She didn’t look convinced. “Ri, can we talk about all this heavy stuff later? It’s been a long day.”

  I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her gently goodnight. “Okay, sweetheart, let’s get some sleep. I have to fly out tomorrow, and there was a Succubus who kept me up all night last night,” I joked.

  She playfully slapped my arm, and this time her smile was for real. I rolled her onto her side and pulled her towards me. I fell asleep, cradling her smaller form in my arms. I could get used to this. If only she would let me.

  Chapter Eleven

  FIONA

  I woke to a rustling of the drawers and slid my eyes open to see Riley getting dressed in the dark. I still felt like a stranger here in his entirely way too modern and nice condo. It was like his wealth was smacking me in the face, and I didn’t think I deserved to live here with him. Even if the ring on my finger told me that I should.

  My hand went to my phone to check the time, and it wasn’t that early. I probably should have already been awake. I had some more drafting to do, and I needed to get going on all the unpacking. I wanted everything to be done when he got back into town.

  I sat up in bed. “Why are you getting dressed in the dark like a weirdo?” I asked.

  He flinched at my voice. “Jesus, Fi, you scared the shit out of me.”

  I smirked but flipped on the lamp on the bedside table next to me. “Turn on a light!” I got out of bed and walked over to him. He stood in front of his massive walk-in closet, trying to pick out a tie to wear.

  “Help me pick,” he urged. He held up the red tie to his crisp white dress shirt and then the blue striped one.

  I took the blue one in my hands and put it up against his chest. “Blue,” I said and handed it back to him with a yawn. “Blue’s your color. It brings out your eyes.”

  “I made coffee. Wasn’t sure if you were going to wake up, or I would have made you breakfast,” he told me.

  My heart sang in my chest at that. This big strong man trying to take care of me was confusing to me. “Wait, you cook?” I asked, astonished.

  He furrowed his brow at me. “Yeah…had to learn to be on my own. Truth be told, Benny taught me.”

  “Really?”

  “He’s a good cook.”

  I stretched my arms over my head and yawned again. I pretended not to notice his crystal blue eyes gazing at my chest. I adjusted my tank top, as it had been knocked askew during sleep, and my tits were practically falling out of it. He was a man, so of course, he noticed. Not that there was that much to notice; I wasn’t exactly top-heavy.

  “I guess it’s time to tell you that marrying me was a ba
d decision because I’m not really good at cooking.”

  He laughed. “Oh, I remember home ec.”

  I frowned. “Sometimes, I forget how much you know about me. Sometimes it’s nice, but other times, I wish you would forget.”

  “Go get your coffee. You seem grumpy this morning.”

  He wasn’t wrong about that.

  I walked out of the room and into the sparkling kitchen, with its stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. I was seriously out of my element when it came to his man. At the same time, I felt a sense of pride swell in my chest.

  I spent many years cheering Riley on in the stands when we were kids. Especially after his dad left and my mom helped take him to his hockey games while his single-mother worked two jobs to provide. I admired our moms for their fierce friendship and the way my parents had helped out Paula. No wonder they were pleased when Riley stepped in and married me. He had already been a part of the family for a long time. Now it was official.

  At least until he realized that this was all a mistake and decided to divorce me. I wouldn’t blame him when he finally came to his senses. He left my life for hockey before, and I couldn’t imagine he wanted me like this in his life permanently. It was only a matter of time.

  I poured myself a cup of coffee and found a greek yogurt in his fridge, then parked myself on one of the barstools at the island. I put my coffee cup down when Riley walked into the kitchen. He bent over to land a soft and tender kiss on my lips. I hadn’t been expecting that, but I melted into the feeling of his soft lips gently pressed up against mine. Now I regretted being so tired last night and not having my way with him before he was back on the road.