“But my mother...Jessica…their blood is mine.”
“So?” I raised up on my knees, adjusting the blanket covering our naked bodies until I straddled him. I make him look me in the eye. “It’s Hannah’s blood, too.” His eyes flew wide. “And she’s the most pure and good soul on the planet.” His eyes softened, a smile on his lips. “Where do you think all that good comes from?” I asked.
“According to her, rainbows and fairies.”
I chuckled softly, leaning down to kiss his lips. “You.”
He fiddled with a strand of my hair that hung by his face, silently denying me.
“It’s true,” I said. “You’re the reason she’s so optimistic, so happy and hopeful and kind.” He turned his head away like if he didn’t look at me, he wouldn’t have to accept my answer. I gently cupped his cheek, catching his gaze. “She has had every reason to rebel, to act out, to give up on school or making friends or accepting strangers into her life. The only reason, the sole reason she has for being the amazing girl she is? It’s you. You’ve raised her to be that girl—the one who believes in magic and sees the world through glitter colored glasses. You created that for her, and she lives according to the truth you give her. The unconditional love you offer.”
He closed his eyes, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
And when he opened them, I could see the acceptance there, the warmth and love and goodness of this incredibly strong man. The one who was capable of arguing with me until I was ready to rip his hair out and just as quickly decide to rip his clothes off instead. The man who sailed across the ice like a bird through the air, who had such a powerful shot it was near impossible to block. The man who was this side of wild and fiercely loyal to the small circle of people he surrounded himself with.
I was so damn lucky to have been let into that circle.
“I’ve been a starting Shark for two years,” he said, reaching up to hold my face with both hands. “And I’ve never, not once, regretted an away game.”
I tilted my head.
“You make me want to stay.”
I grinned, sinking on top of him, eyes flaring wide when I felt him steadily growing underneath me. “We have a few hours before your flight,” I said and rolled my hips, coating him in the warmth that swirled in my core.
He growled, hands flying from my face to my devious hips.
I folded over him, continuing my torturous rocking, and flicked my tongue over his lips. “I better make sure I give you something to think about when you’re away.”
“You. Are. Everything.” He groaned out each word as I kissed my way down his chest, licking and biting until I reached his considerable length.
Without preamble, I took him in my mouth, sucking his plump head while fisting the rest of him with my hand. I alternated between licking and sucking and pumping until the man was a writhing, growling animal beneath me.
The power in the act—the way he trembled at my touch, fingers in my hair, sighing and relinquishing control to me so fully, the trust impenetrable between us—it all soared and tightened into a delicious ache that had my entire body rocking in time to the movements of my mouth.
He tasted of salt and heat, and his moans slicked the spot between my thighs.
And just as I quickened my pace, knowing it would be his undoing, I was flipped.
One second he was in my mouth, the next I was on my back, Connor’s breathless face above mine, his hips between my legs.
“Ivy.” He fingered the strands of my hair, twisting and tugging gently to expose my neck to him. “God, you’re amazing,” he said before lightly nipping at my neck. I arched against him, the delightful bite sending shocks down my spine.
I locked my ankles around his back, begging him with my body to put me out of my misery. He held my gaze, a soft smile on those lips as he slowly, agonizingly slid into my sweet heat, inch by brutal inch.
Hard yet gentle.
Wild yet contained.
The man snaked an arm under my back, hefting me upward as he slowly thrust into me, each time longer than the next. Our bodies flush, I clung to him, holding on as he stroked me into a searing slow burn that threatened to shatter me completely.
“Why can’t we go?” Hannah asked, her eyes full puppy mode as she hugged Connor’s neck. He was on his knees to be at her level outside the airport. He flashed me a look over her shoulder, pure agony.
“I would love for you to come, Hannah Banana,” he said. “But,” he continued, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Ivy told me she needed some girl time. Can you take care of that for me while I’m gone?”
Hannah’s frown turned to an uncontainable smile as she glanced back at me. “You’re staying with me?”
I nodded. “Lettie too,” I said. “We’re going to have a full-on girl’s sleepover complete with painted nails, glitter hair bows, and movies. If that’s okay with you,” I added.
“Yes!” She kissed Connor on the cheek quickly before releasing him. “Have a good trip.”
Connor chuckled, rising to stand. I took the few steps separating us, arching my neck so I could meet his eyes. Seriously, the man was freaking tall.
“Thank you,” he whispered, rubbing his hand up and down my arm.
“Of course,” I said. I knew this was killing him but he knew it wouldn’t be good for Hannah to go to every single away game, let alone the Stanley Cup Finals. Their media schedule was grueling, morning skates, games...it would all add up to Hannah being on the sidelines more than with Connor. The exhaustion that came from keeping a Sharks’ schedule was enough to wreck an adult, let alone a five-year old girl.
He wetted his lips before inching them toward mine. I met him halfway and crushed my mouth against his, my arms around his neck as he kissed the breath from me. Warm chills raced across my skin, the pleasant soreness between my thighs from earlier this morning awakening with need.
“I love you,” he said against my lips, and I jolted in his embrace. He raised his brows, never letting go of me as he shrugged. “I do. I know it’s fast, Ivy. But I can’t help it. I fucking love you.”
“Language!” Hannah scolded from where she was playing with her Anna and Elsa Barbies a few feet away.
“The girl has the ears of a dog and the eyes of a hawk,” he laughed, then focused on me, noting my silence. “Too soon?”
“No,” I said, finally speaking around my heart that had leaped to my throat. “I’m totally gone for you.”
He tilted his head, his eyes pleading.
“I’ve loved you since you won in the second round, Connor.”
A smile lit up his face before it quickly turned to a smirk. “So you only love me because I’m a Shark?” He teased, and I smacked his chest.
“No.” I rolled my eyes. “I realized it that day. When you were on the ice and I had your daugh—Hannah on my hip.” I bit my bottom lip, internally scolding myself for my slip about Hannah’s title.
He kissed my lip free. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You and I…you used to hate—”
“You know that isn’t true,” he cut me off, kissing me again. “You know me, Ivy. I’ve laid every piece of my soul bare to you. You’re it.” He glanced over my shoulder then back to me. “You and Hannah. You’re both a world I never knew I could possibly deserve.”
Tears bit my eyes, making his form shimmer around the edges.
“I love you,” I finally said, kissing him before I could let the happy tears fall.
“God, how did I get so damn lucky?” He pressed his forehead against mine.
“You happened to bring an exceptionally cool kid to a hockey game,” I teased.
“Best thing I ever did.”
Connor set me on my feet after a few more kisses, and then scooped up his bag.
“Win for us,” I said, wrapping an arm around Hannah.
“Always for you two,” he said, as he turned and entered the airport.
And as I watched the doors close behind him, I h
ad the sudden sense that I was glimpsing my future. Goodbyes for games, taking care of Hannah, and the sweet reconnections once he came home. Hannah and me cheering for him at games, holidays with Eric and Pepper. Fights and making up and wild nights when Hannah slept over at Lettie’s.
The rush of images was almost too fast to keep up with, but damn me if they didn’t look perfect.
Chapter 18
Connor
“How do you feel coming out of this second game of the series with a win?”
“I think a win is a win. Boston is a really tough team, but so are the Sharks. I think by losing game one, and winning game two, were showing that the finals are really up for grabs.” I answered into the microphone as I looked out over the sea of reporters.
Langley called on the next reporter.
“Do you feel you’re getting enough backup from your defensive lines?”
“Absolutely. Especially on nights like tonight, it’s great to feel the team come together. I can definitely say that the addition of Hudson Porter has been integral in our success throughout the playoffs.” I took a sip of my water as Langley called on another reporter.
“How do you feel about his…shall we say standoffish approach to the press?” Another asked.
“I think sometimes the lines between paparazzi and journalists can go blurry, and for someone who has been relentlessly hounded by the paparazzi, it’s understandable that he doesn’t want to occupy the hot seat.” Just like I was at this moment. Media responsibilities had always been a part of the job, but Porter took it to the next level.
“So, do you think it was right for the Sharks to levy fines?” One of the journalists called out, not waiting to be called upon.
“That’s not for me to have an opinion on. And if Porter is willing to pay the fine, then what’s the matter? I just wish my salary could afford me the same downtime after the game,” I added with a grin and was awarded with a murmur of laughter from the press.
“Last question,” Langley ordered, carefully choosing the last reporter.
“If you had to say there was one thing the Sharks needed heading into the next two games at home, what would it be?”
“That’s easy,” I said, leaning into the microphone. “Focus. We just need focus.”
Langley got me out of there, and an hour later, we headed for the airport to catch the plane that would carry me home. I wasn’t a fan of flying overnight, but it would get the team home for two full days before game three.
“I heard you defended me in there,” Porter said, stretching his legs out in the seat next to me.
The commercial-sized jet had been configured to fly in comfort—no one wanted to lose a Stanley Cup because a defenseman had a crick in his neck. The large armchairs were set in groupings of four with a table between them and plenty of room to recline to a full bed. Definitely ruined a guy for flying commercially, but worth it on stretches like this.
“You have my back on the ice, and I have yours in there. Besides, I think it’s bullshit that media responsibilities even exist. I just want to play hockey.”
“Amen,” he said, popping on his headphones and settling back into the headrest.
We had about ten minutes until take off, and if I was quick, I might catch Ivy before bed. I slipped my cell phone from my pocket and dialed Ivy, loving that she was my most recent call.
“Hey baby,” she said in greeting.
“Hey yourself,” I answered. Just the sound of her voice lowered my blood pressure and my pulse. “How was your day?”
Pepper and Eric took the seats on the other side of the aisle, with Lukas and Noble rounding out their four, and I gave them a nod.
“Better now that I’m hearing from you again.” I could practically hear the smile in her voice.
“Yeah, me too. I’m grateful for the win, but it feels so much better with you and Hannah in the stands.” Growing up, it never mattered to me who was watching because usually no one was, but Ivy changed all that, consistently bringing Hannah to every home game.
“We missed you, too,” she told me with a little sigh. “You guys are headed home tonight though, right?”
“On the plane as we speak. We should land about 6 AM Seattle time, so I’m guessing I’ll make it home around seven.” God, I couldn’t wait. I missed my girls.
“Good, you’ll be a great wake-up surprise for Hannah. But heads up, we’re at my place. The alarm company was at the house all day installing the new system, and Hannah said the incessant beeping was giving her headache, so we came here.”
“Damn,” I said, dropping my voice lower. “Guess that means I can’t fantasize about you in my bed.”
Her laugh was low and seductive. “Hey, you can fantasize all you want. Isn’t that the fun?”
“I miss you,” I said, just because I could. Dropping those three little words had freed something inside me, I’d finally given myself permission to be open about all my feelings when it came to Ivy.
“I miss you,” she echoed. “That was some hat trick tonight.”
I waved off the flight attendant, who gestured at me to put the phone.
“So, you were watching,” I assumed.
“Like we would be doing anything else,” she teased.
“Sir, I’m going to need you to hang that up,” the flight attendant said with a firm I-will-kick-you-off-this-plane tone.
When I saw the tense lines on Langley’s face a few seats ahead, staring me down, I nodded at the flight attendant.
“Okay babe, I gotta go. Time to get this bird in the air so I can get home to you.”
“Now that is the best thing I’ve heard all day,” she replied. “I love you, Connor.”
“Not as much as I love you,” I responded before hanging up. I knew that was true and was okay with that. After all, Ivy was surrounded with people to love—Pepper, her dad, Hannah, and me, of course. Hell, I loved her even more because of how much she loved Hannah. But Ivy had grown up loved, in a family that might have been a little broken after the death of her mother, but still showed up for each other. She’d always had Pepper, even when their dad was distant.
I’d grown up knowing I was responsible for my older sister, and love was a myth, or worse, a noose around your neck.
Loving Ivy was different. It wasn’t toxic, or tainted, or strained, or even conditional. It simply was. And though I loved Hannah, I knew she would choose Jess if she could, just like any other five-year old girl would. And I would never blame her for that.
But Ivy always chose me. For that fact alone, I knew that my love for her eclipsed everything else. And maybe it was scary to open myself up like I had, but I learned early in my life that without the risk, there was no reward.
And Ivy’s heart was the prize of all prizes. One I couldn’t wait to unwrap once I got home.
I startled awake at a touch on my shoulder.
Langley hovered, clearly concerned about something.
I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and tried to clear the brain-fog that came from being woken up mid-dream. It had been a good one, too, full of Ivy and none of Ivy’s clothes. I gave my lap a quick glance to make sure my dream wasn’t...obvious and almost sighed in relief.
“Langley?” I asked, my voice scratchy.
“I need you to wake up,” she told me, her voice kind, but all business. “What do you need to be fully awake?”
That comment was it. Adrenaline shot through my veins and my heart pounded. “My family?” I croaked. God, had something happened? Had Jessica left rehab? Was she hurt? Had someone broken into Ivy’s house?
“No, no,” She reassured me, dropping to my eye level as I brought my chair into a sitting position. “They’re fine. It’s nothing like that.”
Everyone around me still slept on, and my heart slowed the tiniest fraction.
“Okay. What time is it?” And why in the fuck was she waking me up?
“About four a.m. Seattle time. We’ve got about two hours before we land. Do you want
to go somewhere more private? There’s something I need to tell you, well, show you.” Her dark eyes had a level of concern in them I’d never seen, at least not sent in my direction.
“Here is ok,” I said. If there was going to be bad news, I’d rather hear it with Eric and Lukas nearby.
“Everything ok?” Pepper asked, leaning over Eric.
“I’m not sure,” I answered truthfully.
Langley’s lips pursed as she glanced at Pepper. “Are you sure you don’t want to do this...somewhere else?”
“Since I don’t even know what this is, I’m fine with right here,” I answered.
Eric stirred, and both he and Pepper came to a sitting position as Langley took the seat across from me. Porter slept on in his noise-cancelling-bliss.
“There’s no easy way to describe this, so I’m just going to show you,” she said, pulling an iPad from her bag. “The morning edition of the Chronicle hit about half an hour ago.”
“Let me see it,” I demanded, worry flooding my gut.
“And you need to know that I’ve already been on the phone with the executive editor of the Chronicle and threatened legal action because I know none of this could be true—”
“Let. Me. See. It.” I held out my hand, but she still clutched the iPad to her chest.
“And our lawyers say as soon as we can refute it, we can have it pulled offline, but the print is already out for delivery, and it’s not like they can run around Seattle blacking out every paper.”
“Let me see it!” I snapped, my temper flaring.
She locked eyes with me, letting me know she wasn’t the least bit intimidated by my outburst. Then again, she worked for an NHL team. I didn’t think much intimidated her.
“Please,” I added softly.
She handed the iPad over.
I recognized Ivy’s picture on the byline immediately, but the title...Was this a joke?
Connor Bridgerton, Seattle Shark Leads Double Life
“What the hell?” I muttered.
“What?” Eric asked.
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