by Layla Hagen
"And by the way, if he gets mad that you didn't tell him before, we're on your side."
"Wait, what? Why are you picking sides?"
Declan smiled. "It's all about picking teams and making secret plans. Welcome to the Maxwell family."
“Thanks. Gentlemen, I’m going to the restroom. Be right back.”
“There she goes with ‘gentlemen’ again,” Luke said. “I’m kind of getting used to it.”
Laughing, I rose from the table, heading to the back of the coffee shop.
When I returned a few minutes later, Luke was looking particularly smug. Declan also seemed very pleased with himself.
“We paid the bill,” Declan announced.
“Wow. Damn it. When?”
“You’re good, but we’re better,” Luke said.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Tyler
“Aaaaaand I give you Tyler Maxwell. That’s right. Our favorite goalie is playing again,” the Blades’ longtime announcer screeched over the microphone, and the sound echoed off the arena.
It was my first time back on the ice, and it felt intoxicating—like I was on top of the world. Nothing compared to this. Absolutely nothing.
I was in the best shape of my life because I'd taken good care of my body during training. Our new goalie had made a few mistakes I wouldn't have made this season. But this game, Jett was struggling from the start, and though we were leading, Coach Benjamin decided to put me in during the last period. We only had seven minutes left on the ice, and I planned to make each of them count.
I drew in deep breaths. The ice-cold air pinched my nostrils. I skated to the left of the net and then the right.
Always stay in motion. An agile goalie is faster than a static one.
My first coach told me that in middle school, and it was the best advice I ever got.
My pulse thumped in my ears in the same rhythm as the cheering crowd. I zeroed in on the puck. When it passed center ice, the rhythm changed. My heartbeat was now in overdrive. It heightened and heightened until it drowned out the sounds of the crowd.
It was 3-2, Blades in the lead. If I saved this, we’d win.
I will save this.
I crouched forward, still moving but now in shorter bursts, only skating enough to keep my ankles in motion, ready to lunge in the right direction. Steve reached McLaren and Donnie—the top scorers from today’s opponent, the Giants—but I knew he wouldn’t be able to take the puck from them. They were just too fast.
I knew the moment McLaren would send the puck to me instead of Donnie before he even touched it. The stance of his shoulders changed—they were more rigid. He was bracing himself for the shot.
The next second, he swung the stick at the puck, sending it barreling my way.
Here was the tricky part about being a goalie. You had to decide if the puck was going to the left or the right before you could see its course. If you waited long enough to know the direction, it was too late. It would be a goal before you had a chance to block it.
The left.
I based the decision on gut and experience, and I lurched in that direction the next second. Holding my breath, I stretched my hands forward, gripping the stick tightly. I blocked the puck, sending it right to Steve. My body was alive with adrenaline, but I wasn’t in celebratory mode yet. It was still 3-2 for us, and we had one minute left. Not a lot of time for our opponents to score, but I’d seen it happen before.
This was not the time to relax or declare victory.
I broke the cardinal rule and stood still, hunched forward. Thirty seconds left.
I kept my eyes on the puck. McLaren took it from Steve and was speeding toward me once again.
Twenty seconds.
I couldn’t multitask when I was so full of adrenaline. I needed to focus or else risk taking my eyes off the puck.
Five seconds.
He was twenty feet away. He wouldn’t risk scoring from that distance.
Zero seconds.
We won!
My muscles spasmed before I became aware of the burning in my calves. The pounding in my eardrums continued, but it was different now. I could hear the surrounding sounds, not just my heartbeat.
The crowd erupted in cheers. The team, including Jett, surrounded me.
Yeah, this right here, this feeling of victory was what I lived for. My pulse thrummed to the same rhythm the fans were chanting.
“Fucking hell, we did it,” I said.
“Welcome back, man,” Steve yelled.
I looked at the stands, packed with fans celebrating, waving flags, hats, and other paraphernalia. Their happiness filled me with a particularly strong pride, and usually it was enough to make my evening, but now something was missing.
Someone was missing.
Kendra.
I wanted to see her in the stands and share this joy with her. I'd never wanted that with anyone I’d been with, but I craved it with her.
One by one we exited the ice and headed directly to the locker room.
"Man, this was a great game. Way to make a comeback," Steve said.
"Thanks, man. I appreciate it."
Jett smiled as he clapped my shoulder. "You did a great job."
"Thanks," I said.
"Dude, you're going out with us, right?" Steve said.
I nodded. "Of course. I want to celebrate this. It feels fucking amazing to be back on the ice."
"We're happy to have you back, dude," Matthew added. He was our center and a damn genius in face-offs.
The next half hour was the usual madness of showering, changing, and then stopping to sign a few things for fans before we headed out to whatever bar we decided on. This time we went to an Irish pub in the area. We avoided sport bars as a rule.
I was on my second beer when my phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a message from Kendra.
Kendra: Hello, Mr. Superstar Goalie. Any clue on when you'll be home?
Tyler: I'm honestly not sure, but I can call you. I'm out with the guys celebrating.
She didn't reply, and I was almost about to call her when a message popped up.
Kendra: Okay. Never mind. Just forget about my question. We can talk tomorrow.
Yeah, right. I didn't like this one bit, so I gestured for the guys to be quiet. All I got instead were catcalls.
"Are you all five years old?" I said before walking away from the group.
I stepped outside and called Kendra back.
She answered after the third ring in a high-pitched voice. "Hey.”
"Babe, what's up?"
“Nothing. Just go have fun with the guys, and don’t worry about me.”
"It's me. I can tell you're nervous. What is it? Where are you?"
"Nooooo. Why did you ask me that? I didn't want to lie to you."
Alarm bells rang in my mind. "Babe?"
"I'm at your condo, and I blanked out on the fact that you’d go celebrate."
"You're at my place now?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Put the doorman on the phone."
"Why?"
"So I can tell him to let you in."
"Oh, okay. Here he is."
"Mr. Maxwell," he said in his usual no-nonsense tone.
"Hi. Kendra's my girlfriend, and you can let her in upstairs."
"Of course. I’ll do that right away."
"Put her back on, please."
"Yes, sir. And if I might say so, excellent game."
"Thanks."
Interesting. He was so serious all the time that I wouldn't have pegged him for someone who watched hockey.
“I’m back,” Kendra said.
"Okay. He’ll take you upstairs. And I'll be home in however long it takes me to get from here to the condo."
"What? No, just stay there with your teammates. I'll be here when you come home."
"Babe, I've been dying to be with you ever since the game finished. I'm going to be home real fast."
"Okay. Then I can’t wait to spoil you..
. help all those muscles decompress."
I laughed because she was throwing my words back at me. "I can't wait. I'll go say goodbye to the guys."
"Okay."
Pocketing my phone, I headed inside, straight to our table. Only half the team was sitting down. The other half was at the bar.
"Guys, it's been a real treat being out here with you," I said, "but my girl is waiting at home for me, so I'm heading there." That earned me more catcalls.
Steve was the only one who just raised a beer and said, "That right there is a real man. Maybe one of these days, you'll follow in his footsteps. Or mine."
Half the guys shuddered. The others grimaced. Aside from Steve and me, they were all single and enjoying it. And they should. I sure as hell enjoyed it in my time. But now, that held zero appeal to me. I was taken, and I was proud of it, and I couldn't wait to get home to my woman.
Half an hour later, I opened the door to my condo. The place smelled like cinnamon.
“Kendra?”
"Hey." She poked her head out from the kitchen before running toward me and jumping in my arms. I caught her by her ass, and she immediately wrapped her legs around me.
I captured her mouth, kissing her like I hadn't seen her in months, but I needed her more desperately than usual. I'd missed having her out there today, and I wanted her to know it.
The scent of vanilla caught my attention. Pulling back, I realized the whole place smelled like baked goods. "What's smelling so good?"
"I made you apple pie at home.”
I blinked, looking at her as I slowly put her down. "You baked for me?"
"Yeah. I wanted to do something nice for you." She smiled sheepishly. "My paycheck didn’t deposit yet, so I couldn't splurge the way I’d hoped, but I wanted to do something."
I didn't know why this meant so much to me. This woman literally lived one paycheck to the next, but she wanted to do something for me. "I'll have the pie, and then I'll have you."
"What? No, no, no." She twirled once, shimmying her hips. "You're supposed to decompress after games."
I laughed. "They just mean no workouts. Trust me."
She took two plates, putting a slice on each, one for me and one for her, and it dawned on me that my place smelled like home for the first time. I had a flashback to my childhood when Gran's house seemed to perpetually smell of something delicious, and this transported me right back there.
I took a bite, and she looked at me, narrowing her eyes.
"Uh-oh, you're not saying anything."
"It's delicious. Thanks. I was lost in thought."
"About what?"
In a fraction of a second, I pulled her against me. "About you."
My life had always revolved around hockey. During the season, I always had my eyes on the Stanley Cup. Being the best at hockey and making my teammates and parents proud were all I'd cared about.
But now I cared about making this woman happy and making it clear to her just how happy she made me in return.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Tyler
“Thanks for coming here tonight,” I said.
“Really? Even though I sort of ruined your celebration with the guys?”
“Trust me. You didn’t. I’ll take you over the guys any day.”
She pressed her palms on my chest, rising on her tiptoes to kiss my chin. I tilted my head, claiming her lips instead. She moaned against my mouth as I kissed her long and deep, with deliberate strokes.
She was wearing a simple black sweater dress with a zipper in the middle. I lowered it immediately, pushing it off her shoulders and dragging it down her arms. I skimmed my thumb across her skin the whole time, feeling her getting worked up. Her breath quickened in response. I walked her backward, discarding my sweater when we paused for breath. I got rid of my pants and boxers next. She was wearing red lingerie and looked insanely sexy.
I took a step back, watching her.
“I dressed up for you. And got rid of the tights before you came. Whoops, you weren’t supposed to know that.”
“You look incredible. You’re so damn sexy.”
I took off her bra first, deliberately not touching her breasts when it dropped to the floor. Then I pulled her panties down, kissing her thighs when she stepped out of them. Her skin looked so smooth, and it felt even smoother. I ran a hand from the middle of her upper thigh up to her waist before bringing her flush against me, her back to my front. I kissed the right side of her neck, tilting her head to the left, alternating between kissing just with my lips and also pressing the tip of my tongue against her skin. She moaned, and I moved my hand from her waist up to her breasts, flicking her nipples.
"Tyler," she whispered.
I smiled against her skin, cupping her breast in my hand.
“I love their shape. I love everything about you."
I slid my other hand down between her legs. She instantly tensed in my arms in anticipation. The things I was going to do to this woman. Tonight I was going to rock her world.
I only teased her clit with my fingertips, feeling her tense even more. I was paying attention to every reaction of hers, the way she sucked in her breath or squirmed in my arms. A thin sheet of sweat was forming between our bodies already, and my cock was rock hard, pressing between her inner thighs.
I moved two fingers farther down her pussy, and she pressed her ass right against my erection.
"Fuck, Kendra, fuck!" I slid two fingers inside her, curving them and pressing my palm on her clit at the same time. She cried out loud, throwing her head back against my shoulder. I brought my mouth to her ear.
"I want you inside me," she whispered.
"Already?" I teased.
"Yes, already."
"I'm not going to be inside you until you come, Kendra, like this, with my fingers in your pussy. The best foreplay is an orgasm."
She shuddered, clenching her inner muscles around my fingers. Fucking hell, this woman! I felt her get more aroused at my words. I held her like that, one hand on her breast and the other between her legs. I kissed her, moving my tongue in a similar rhythm to my fingers. Then I changed it all up.
I kept kissing her, moving my fingers between her legs. I stroked, then pushed in, and then I stroked her clit again. I felt her whole body tighten, and I rocked my hips back and forth. Feeling the soft skin on her inner thighs was daunting.
"That's it," I murmured. Her body tightened even more. "That's it, baby. Surrender to me. Don't fight it. Don't fight me."
"I'm not fighting it," she whispered. "I just don’t think I can take it."
"Trust me, you can."
I slid my fingers halfway in, pressing the heel of my palm against her pubic bone, and she let out a groan. It was a long-drawn-out sound. She clasped my back with her hands as if needing to brace herself and needing as much contact as possible. I held her tight, drinking in every sound she made, the way her body responded to the pleasure.
It took her several minutes to calm down, and then she looked at me sideways with a sated smile. I bit her upper lip and then pulled back so I could look at her.
"The best foreplay is an orgasm, huh? I really like it."
"Ready for the second one?" I asked.
She swallowed hard, and her eyes widened a little. "I didn't feel ready for the first one either. But you seem to know my body better than I do."
"You're so fucking ready, I promise you." I bent her over the arms of the couch, putting on a condom. She looked back at me, licking her lips. Her face was flushed, and she was gripping the edge of the couch tightly as if bracing herself for me.
My own body was pulsing. I pressed my fingers against her thighs, dragging them up her ass, kissing her back until I reached her ear. I brought my hand between her legs, skimming my fingers over her pussy. "Fuck, you're so wet for me."
She let out a sound between a moan and a groan.
"Can't even talk anymore?" I teased. She gasped, pushing her ass up a bit in the air. I slid in carefully,
inch by inch, pausing for her to accommodate me. Fuck, she was so tight. "You're amazing, babe. You're so damn amazing."
Her inner muscles pulsed when I was all the way in, so I kept moving slowly, drawing it out. The pleasure was so intense that my thighs were already burning. My whole body seemed to be on fire as energy pulsed through my erection. Moving at this pace, I felt everything more intensely: the way she clenched around my cock, the way her body felt under mine. I was barely keeping my climax at bay, but I focused on her pleasure again. I stopped for a few seconds and worked her clit with my fingers, feeling her tighten and relax around me.
"Tyler, this is so good. I'm going to... Oh my God, oh my God, this feels so good! You feel so good."
"That's it, babe." I was moving again, slowly. I wanted her to come again before I chased my own orgasm.
I moved just a bit faster, and it pushed her over the edge. She came with a loud groan, gripping the edge of the couch so tight that her knuckles were white.
I didn't fight my climax any longer. I gave in, pushing in and out, riding the wave of pleasure until I gave Kendra everything I had. I almost collapsed on top of her out of relief, but instead, I braced one palm against the back of the couch and pushed myself up. She groaned in protest when I pulled out.
"Nooo, where are you going?”
“You don’t want me to collapse over you.”
"Hmm, Mr. Superstar Goalie, are you so spent that you couldn't even hold a position for any longer?" She turned sideways, wiggling her eyebrows.
"You're a bit too sassy after an orgasm."
"I know. Apparently this is what you do to me. You increase my level of sass with every orgasm. And you didn't answer my question."
"Yeah, yeah. I was too spent."
She wiggled her eyebrows again, and I hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her flat against me and capturing her mouth, kissing her the way I wanted to do earlier but couldn't, deep and long until we were both out of breath. Her eyes widened when I pulled back, and she braced her palms on my shoulders.
"That's better. Now, I need some sustenance."
I tilted my head. It was my turn to tease her. "So you need some sustenance too, huh?"
She shrugged. "Maybe."
"Come on, I admitted it."