Blocked--A Breakaway Novel - L. P. Dover(ang.)

Blocked is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. A Loveswept Ebook Original Copyright © 2017 by L. P. Dover Excerpt from Playmaker by L. P. Dover copyright © 2017 by L. P. Dover All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Loveswept, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. LOVESWEPT is a registered trademark and the LOVESWEPT colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC. Ebook ISBN 9780399180880 Cover design: Diane Luger Cover photograph: Art-Of-Photo/iStock randomhousebooks.com

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Contents Cover Title Page Copyright

Chapter 1: Dallas Chapter 2: Callie Chapter 3: Dallas Chapter 4: Callie Chapter 5: Dallas Chapter 6: Callie Chapter 7: Dallas Chapter 8: Callie Chapter 9: Dallas Chapter 10: Callie Chapter 11: Dallas Chapter 12: Callie Chapter 13: Callie Chapter 14: Dallas Chapter 15: Callie Chapter 16: Dallas

Chapter 17: Callie Chapter 18: Callie Chapter 19: Dallas Chapter 20: Callie Chapter 21: Dallas Chapter 22: Callie Chapter 23: Callie Chapter 24: Callie Chapter 25: Dallas Chapter 26: Callie Chapter 27: Dallas Chapter 28: Callie Chapter 29: Dallas Chapter 30: Callie Chapter 31: Dallas Chapter 32: Callie Chapter 33: Callie Chapter 34: Dallas Chapter 35: Callie Chapter 36: Callie Chapter 37: Callie Epilogue: Callie Dedication

Acknowledgments By L. P. Dover About the Author Excerpt from Playmaker

Chapter 1

Dallas “Another undefeated win. Tonight’s going to be good.” Braeden nodded and ran a hand through his blond hair, scoping out the crowd. “Can’t argue with you there.” I looked around the room at all the women, scantily dressed in their skintight dresses, ready to have some fun. We’d just won another game, our rank undefeated. We were already halfway through the season. It was time to celebrate what was going to be another victory year. We bypassed the women and headed toward the kitchen, where most of the guys from my hockey team congregated along with other dudes I didn’t know. Maddox Ledger had a habit of inviting outsiders to our parties. Guess I couldn’t blame him, since he was the one hosting the party. On every inch of the gray marble counters

were bottles of wine, liquor, and beer. Maddox was at the head of the kitchen table, tossing back shots with some of our teammates. It was tradition to throw a killer party the night of our first home game win, and it was Ledger’s turn to host. The guy was a fucking douche, but he knew how to throw the parties. I could always count on him to have a horde of women at my beck and call. Maddox held up a bottle of tequila. “Shot?” Braeden and I walked up to the table and Josh Harrison, our backup goaltender, moved over to let us in. “Fuck yeah,” I said. “Pour me two.” Braeden held up his hand. “Same for me.” Maddox poured our shots and I tossed mine back, relishing the burn as it went down my throat. “Great party.” A sly grin spread across Maddox’s face. “Yes, it is. I don’t do them half-assed.” Josh slapped a hand on my shoulder. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. “That’s for damn sure,” he said, tossing his beer bottle into the trash can. “Maybe one of these days I’ll actually get to play.” He poured himself a shot of tequila and downed it, his frustration on display for the world to see. Maddox shook his head, trying to hide his

smile. “I’m going to leave that to you.” He walked off and the room cleared out except for Braeden. The last thing I wanted to do was deal with Harrison’s crybaby bullshit about how he never got to play. Don’t get me wrong, he was a good goaltender, but he wasn’t as good as me. “You done whining yet?” I growled at Josh. His eyes darkened as he stared at me. He was only twenty-two, but I had more years of experience and he knew it. Our coach wasn’t going to choose him over me. Josh bucked up, lifting his chin in the air. We were about the same height, but I had a good thirty pounds more of muscle on me. I could snap him in half. “Maybe if you started working with me like Coach said, I’d get better. Instead, you leave me high and dry.” It was true. I was supposed to work with him, but I didn’t want him getting better than me. It was my time on the ice and no one was going to take that away from me. “Only you can make yourself better. You can’t blame that shit on me,” I spat. “Now get out of my face.” His jaw clenched, but I wasn’t backing down. It wasn’t the first time I’d gotten into a fight with one of my teammates. As one of the alternate captains, I had to keep the others in

line when our captain wasn’t around. Josh huffed and stormed out of the room. Chuckling, Braeden slapped me on the back. “Makes you wish Carter was here, doesn’t it?” I scoffed and poured another shot. “He’d tell me Josh was right. I don’t want to hear that shit right now. All I want is to drink and fuck, and then fuck again.” Kellan Carter was our captain and my best friend. As far as morals went, he was a saint. Especially now that he was married to one of the sexiest women in the world with a kid on the way. Grabbing the bottle of tequila, Braeden nodded toward the living room, where the DJ started to play. “Let’s go.” The room was dark, lit only by the colored lights the DJ brought in. Some of the guys danced with their girls, while a lot of the women danced with each other, their bodies rubbing together. It was such a fucking turnon. I couldn’t take my eyes off a certain blonde, wearing a tight black dress with her tits about to fall out. Biting her lip, she danced provocatively in front of me, beckoning me out onto the dance floor. Braeden nudged me in the side. “What are you waiting for?” Grabbing the bottle of tequila from him, I

took one last swig and grabbed her around the waist, just in time for “How Do You Want It” by 2Pac to play over the speakers. Turning around in my arms, she rubbed her ass against my dick as she danced, giggling as my cock sprung to attention. All I wanted to do was lift her dress and fuck her senseless. Grinning broadly, she faced me and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I’m Britney. Why don’t we find somewhere more private?” She smelled like cherries and I had no doubt she’d taste like them, too. I nipped her ear and she shivered. “Follow me.” I knew exactly where to go. Maddox’s house had over a dozen rooms to choose from, and I always chose the same one that was farthest away. That way, no one could hear the screams of pleasure as I fucked her. Taking her hand, I pulled her to the back room and shut the door. There was a bed on the far side of the room, but we didn’t make it there. Britney was on me in an instant, her hands fumbling with the button on my jeans. “We need to hurry before my friends notice I’m gone,” she said, her voice rushed. She reached into my jeans, wrapping her hand around me. It felt so fucking good.

Chuckling, I lifted her up in my arms, revealing her bare ass as her dress pushed up around her waist from straddling me. “Your friends will be fine.” I squeezed the back of her thighs and pushed her against the wall. “You’re not going to want me to finish that fast.” Reaching into my pocket, I slipped out a condom and unzipped my jeans. Before they could fall to the floor, the bedroom door slammed open. “What the fuck? You’re so dead, Easton.” With Britney in my arms, I couldn’t turn around fast enough before I felt the searing pain of a beer bottle smashing against my head, the sound echoing in the room. Britney screamed as I dropped her to the floor while blood ran down my face into my eyes. “Son of a bitch,” I growled, jerking around. “Jeremy, stop!” Britney cried. The room spun, but I wasn’t about to let that cocksucker get away. Unfortunately, my head felt like it was going to explode. I ran a hand over my scalp and felt glass stuck in my skin. Blinded by my blood, I swung at the figure in front of me, connecting with his jaw. The sound of his pain was music to my ears. I

didn’t know who Jeremy was, nor did I care. The bastard was going down. Once he was on the floor, I kept swinging until I was pushed off of him. “He’s down,” Braeden huffed, pulling me away. The smell of blood permeated the air and I could feel my consciousness slipping with each passing second. More people charged into the room, their voices panicked as they surveyed what had to be a bloody scene. “What the fuck went on in here?” Maddox shouted. “No time for that,” Braeden snapped. “We need to get Dallas to the hospital. There’s glass stuck in his head.” My pulse pounded in my ears and I closed my eyes. I couldn’t move my body, everything felt numb. Maddox’s booming voice brought me back. “Davis! Where’s Callie?” “She’s coming,” someone else shouted. I had no clue who he was calling for, but when a pair of soft hands cradled my head, I opened my eyes. All I saw was a beautiful face with blond hair and green eyes before everything went black.

Chapter 2

Callie “You’ve been here for only a month and your life is more exciting than mine,” Hannah sighed. Hannah Martin was twenty-six years old, just like me, as well as my coworker and friend. On the first day of work at the hospital, we clicked instantly. It was a hard transition moving from Minnesota to North Carolina. Linking my arm with hers, I laughed as we entered the hospital locker room. “I wouldn’t exactly call it exciting.” Our shift was over and it was time to change clothes and head out for the afternoon. We were both RNs and worked in the ER, but I was also a surgical nurse. The kind of things we saw on an everyday basis would shock most people. Hannah scoffed and looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Your brother is a gorgeous hockey player who just got traded to the best NHL team in the league. I’d kill to know those kinds of people.” I rolled my eyes. Even though my brother

was now playing for the Charlotte Strikers, it was challenging for him, considering it was midseason and we had to move quickly. Luckily, my two other brothers found an amazing house we could all live in until I bought my own place. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be, Han. Besides, I did invite you to the party a couple of weeks ago. You could’ve met the whole hockey team.” She released her long chocolate-brown hair from her bun and waved me off. “Yeah, yeah, I know. And what an eventful night that was. You spent almost the whole evening plucking shards of glass out of that Neanderthal’s head.” I changed out of my scrubs into my favorite pink skirt and white top. With wearing scrubs all day every day, I really missed my colorful, more feminine clothes. “Don’t remind me,” I huffed. “I haven’t been to another party since.” It was probably because there hadn’t been another celebration party since that night. Dallas wasn’t allowed to play the last two games and the Strikers lost. My dress still had bloodstains on it from his head. I had yet to see him again face-to-face after that fiasco. He probably didn’t remember a thing from that party other than the fact he almost beat a man to death. Apparently, charges weren’t filed, which shocked me.

Once Hannah was dressed in her shorts and tank top, we grabbed our things and headed out to the parking lot. The sky was so blue with no trace of a cloud in sight. I was used to March being chilly in Minnesota, but in North Carolina, it was anything but. The warmer weather was going to take some getting used to. At least I was able to bring out my cute spring clothes. “Maybe now that I broke up with my nogood, worthless, cheating boyfriend, I can start hanging out with you more,” Hannah stated flippantly. She acted as if being screwed by the man she’d been with for two years was no big deal, but I could tell her heart was still broken. It was time that changed. I walked her to her silver Honda Accord. “I’d like that. Other than my brothers, you’re one of my closest friends.” She opened the backseat door and tossed her bag in. “Want to come to the rink tonight?” I asked. “Justin scored some private rink time just for us. You can finally meet my brothers.” Her eyes lit up. “Seriously?” “Of course.” I laughed. “They’ve heard a lot about you. And now you don’t have a boyfriend holding you back. It’ll be nice to have a girl to skate with.”

Her smile faded slightly. “I’ll end up making a fool out of myself. I’m not good at ice skating. I’ve only done it once.” I shrugged. “Then don’t skate. Just come and hang out. You’ll have fun, I promise. Then afterward, you can get dinner with us.” I could tell she really wanted to come. “Do I have time to go home and freshen up?” “Yes,” I squealed happily, flinging my arm around her shoulders. “Meet me at the rink in an hour.” Being around someone other than my brothers was going to be heaven. I needed the girl time. Carter Skating Center was a brand-new ice rink in Charlotte where the Charlotte Strikers now practiced. Kellan Carter was the captain of the team and the owner of the rink along with his wife, Kristen, who was a little over six months pregnant. Other than Hannah, Kristen had become a close friend of mine as well. The rink was basically my second home. Grabbing my bag out of the trunk, I hurried inside. I could hear the guys still practicing and the coach yelling at them, so I diverted down the back hallway to see if Kristen was in the office. Sure enough, she was sitting at her neatly organized mahogany desk with her feet propped up, her face hidden behind a book.

There were several pictures on the wall, one of her and Kellan at their wedding, another with them right outside of the rink on opening day, and the others of the Charlotte Strikers when they won the Stanley Cup the past four years. “Must be nice to read on the job,” I said with a laugh, entering the room. Chuckling, she glanced at me over the top of the book. “It is when I’m not allowed to do anything else.” Her eyes brightened as she took me in. “You look cute in your skirt. One of these days, I’ll fit back in mine.” “It won’t be long,” I said, tucking my blond hair behind my ear. It felt good to wear it down. At work, I always had to keep it up so it wouldn’t get in the way. “I can’t wait to get back to M&M. I miss designing.” Now that the rink was open, she took a small leave of absence from her regular job at M&M Architectural Design so she could help Kellan. The woman had amazing interior design skills. I thought I was pretty good at decorating, but she had me beat. Sighing, she set her book on the desk. “If Kellan had his way, I’d be at home eating bonbons. The man won’t let me anywhere near the ice.” Setting my bag down, I looked down at her rotund belly and smiled. She had on the cutest

purple maternity top that made her auburn hair look brighter. “Can’t blame him. He just wants to keep you and your little munchkin safe.” She stood and waved her hand dismissively. “Please, he knows I’m an expert on the ice. I was a figure skater for most of my life.” Circling around the desk, she opened her arms and hugged me. “It’s good to see you again. You going to skate around with your brothers?” I nodded. “For a little while. Hannah just broke up with her boyfriend and she’s coming to hang out. I think she’s afraid she’ll make a fool out of herself if she skates.” Kristen winked. “That’s why you get one of your brothers to help her.” “My thoughts exactly.” And I knew just the one to do it. “Have you thought about my offer?” she asked curiously. Groaning, I picked up my bag. “You mean the one where you want to set me up on a date?” Her face brightened. “Yep. I know the perfect guy. All you have to do is meet him.” I wasn’t ready to get involved with anyone just yet. Before I moved to North Carolina, I

was in a relationship with a guy I knew in college. We were together for three years when things started to fizzle out. The spark we had in college wasn’t there anymore. Through mutual understanding, we decided to end things, but it still hurt at the time. “Well?” Kristen prodded. “What do you say?” With a heavy sigh, I gave in. “Fine. Just give me a few weeks until I find my own place to live.” I kept telling myself I’d go out and search for houses, but with working all the time and going to the hockey games, I hadn’t had a chance. Kristen squealed and clapped her hands. “Perfect. You’ll like this guy. He’s a police officer.” “Sounds good. I look forward to meeting him.” Glancing down at my phone, I saw it was nearly six o’clock. “And I have to go. Hannah and my brothers should be here any minute.” “Let’s go then.” Kristen walked with me out to the rink and waved at my brothers as she waddled past them. Corey and Brant were thirty years old, the oldest of my siblings and fraternal twins, so there was no issue telling them apart. Corey had blond hair and green eyes just like Justin,

me, and our mother, while Brant looked exactly like my father, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. They were polar opposites as far as personalities went. Not only were they family, but they were also Justin’s agents. They were a package deal. “What’s up, guys?” I called out. Corey smiled and walked over, while Brant moved to the side of the rink to talk to Justin. “Hey, beautiful,” Corey said. “Got a hot date tonight?” I snorted sarcastically. “Only with my brothers. Figured I’d parade around the hockey players in my short skirt.” I probably should’ve waited to bring out my spring wardrobe until I got a tan, but I couldn’t hold off any longer. It wasn’t easy spending time out in the sun when I worked every day. Corey shook his head incredulously. “Don’t let Justin hear you say that.” Practice was over and the guys were leaving the ice, but by the disgruntled look on Justin’s face, something was wrong. “Is everything okay over there?” I asked Corey. He peered over at our brothers and shrugged. “Don’t know. Let’s go see.” I followed him over, but then Hannah

walked in, all calm and collected until her focus fixated on Corey. Her steps faltered and she nervously twisted her hair. I grabbed Corey’s arm to stop him and his gaze immediately centered on Hannah, a slow growing smile spreading across his face. “Corey, this is my friend Hannah. I work with her at the hospital. She’s going to hang out with us tonight.” Corey held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” Hannah took his hand. “Likewise. Callie has told me a lot about you.” “Hopefully all good,” Corey said, nudging me in the side. I winked. “Of course.” Justin and Brant waved their arms to catch my attention. “Why don’t you two keep each other company for a bit. I’ll be right back.” They continued talking, and that was exactly what I wanted. Corey was a good guy. He’d be perfect for Hannah. When I got closer, I glanced at both my brothers and then settled on Justin. He ran a hand through his sweaty blond hair and huffed. “What’s going on? You look angry,” I stated. He met my gaze. “Change of plans today. Coach is still pissed at Easton for the other

week and wants him to stay. Coach knows we have the ice and asked if I’d help.” “Seriously?” I scoffed. “I really wanted to skate.” Dallas Easton was about to become a pain in my ass. He nodded. “I know, but with me just joining the team, I couldn’t say no to the coach.” “I understand,” I replied with a groan. “I guess Hannah and I will just watch.” Brant squeezed my shoulder. “Actually, there’s something we need you to do.” I glanced at them both, their smiles growing more mischievous by the second. “Do I really want to know?”

Chapter 3

Dallas “What the fuck is this shit?” I shouted, tossing my glove onto the bench. I’d worked my ass off all day and now the coach wanted me to practice more. What a fucking douche bag. Kellan chuckled. “Done whining yet?” I took off my mask and sat down. “What the fuck ever. You’d feel the same way if Carlisle kept screwing you in the ass.” Braeden turned the corner and opened his locker. “You’re the one who messed up, man. Can’t expect to do what you did and not have consequences.” “Yeah, but why do I have to practice with Davis? He’s an arrogant prick.” They both burst out laughing. “Just like you,” Kellan said. “But you’re not just practicing with him. His brothers will be out there as well.” “Such a waste of time,” I growled. Coach Carlisle made it a point to run me as

hard as he could the past couple of weeks. After word got out about the party and my injury, Carlisle benched me for two games. The first one, I was still healing from the wounds on my head, but the second, he kept me out as punishment. We’d lost both games and the team blamed me. “Keeping me out of the game is the reason we lost,” I snapped. “Harrison let three pucks get past him. We lost because of him.” Braeden sighed and clapped me on the shoulder. “Doesn’t matter. Just do what you have to do to get back in Coach’s good graces.” He took off his gear and headed toward the showers. “Meet me at Sammy’s when you’re done.” “Good. I could use a beer.” Or twelve. “Come on, brother. Let’s go,” Kellan said, grabbing his helmet. I picked up my glove. “You’re going out there, too?” He walked out the door. “Yep. Someone has to keep you in line. Coach left it up to me.” Carlisle had slowly been giving Kellan more responsibilities over the past year. It made me wonder if Kellan was going to be retiring and taking over coaching the team just like he’d hoped. It’d make sense, since Davis was a

center forward just like him and could easily take over his position. I took a step toward the door but then my phone rang. Opening my locker, I looked at it and sighed. “Ty, what’s going on?” I said. “Just calling to see if you signed the contract yet,” he said. Ty Garner was my agent, one of the best in the country. He was always landing me gigs on radio and talk shows. Other than Kellan Carter, I was the media’s next sought after player. Once he retired, I’d have the number-one spot. “Yep. Sent it back to you this morning,” I told him. “Excellent. The show producers will be in touch in the next month or so to go over everything. They’re dying to get an inside scoop on what your life’s like getting geared up for the playoffs.” “Hell yeah. I’m looking forward to it, too. I get to be on TV, and just think of all the hot girls I get to fuck. I can have a different one each night if I wanted.” “And the attention you’ll get.” Ty laughed. “People love you, especially the ladies. They all want a piece of you.” “And I’m happy to give it to them.” Rich and Single, a popular TV show, wanted

me as their bachelor. It was the first time they’d had anyone in professional sports on it. Since I couldn’t put hockey on the back burner, the producers opted to film in Charlotte. That way I could still practice and be with the team. When I got home every day, there’d be ten girls there waiting for me, all of them agreeing to live together while I eliminated one per week. It was a reality show, which meant my whole life would be on camera. Ty cleared his throat. “Just watch yourself and don’t piss off anyone. You’ve already caused an uproar with not playing the last two games. The media’s wondering why. The last thing we want is word getting out about what happened.” “I’m safe. No one’s going to say shit.” I made sure of that by paying off the bastard who attacked me and making him sign an agreement. Granted, I was about to fuck his girl, but I didn’t know she was his at the time. “Let’s keep it that way,” Ty suggested. “If Carlisle sits you out again, we’re going to have some problems.” “He won’t, trust me.” I hung up and tossed my phone back into the locker. When I got out to the rink, there were five people skating

around on the ice. “Easton,” Justin called, skating over to me. Huffing, I slid on my mask. “What?” He nodded toward his brothers, who had on Minnesota hockey gear with full face masks. Fucking pansies. “Since this was originally my own private time on the ice, my brothers will be playing with us. Hope you don’t mind,” he said, his lips pulling back into a leer. Clenching my teeth, I skated toward the goal. “Not at all. If they play just like you, it’ll be piece of cake.” He laughed the whole way back to his family while Kellan shook his head disapprovingly at me. All of them lined up in a row and Kellan dumped over a hundred pucks in front of them. I knew the drill. First they’d shoot them at me all together, and then they’d take me on, one on one. I was ready. With no warning, they fired away. Left and right, I stopped as many of them as I could, only letting a couple pass through me. Not bad, considering there was a shit ton. Kellan and Justin rounded up the pucks and piled them in the center of the rink. “Ready?” Kellan shouted. I nodded once and he went on the attack. I’d played with Kellan for years, so I knew his

moves. None of his went by me. “Nice try, Carter,” I shouted. Chuckling, he shook his head and skated over to Justin. Now it was his turn. I wasn’t about to let him get the best of me. The eatshin grin on his face as he skated toward me only made me want to work harder. “Keep smiling, fucker,” I growled low. He chose stick side and I blocked it, his grin turning to an outright grimace. “That’s right, asshole. Move along.” He took off his glove and flipped me off, which made me laugh harder. “Seriously? This is all you guys got?” I shouted, lifting my arms in the air. I knew for a fact Davis’s brothers wouldn’t be able to get past me. They weren’t professional hockey players, but it looked like they were going to take a chance. Bring it on, cocksuckers. Getting into stance, I was ready. One of them started toward me and took the shot, not even remotely hitting it toward the goal. Taking off my mask, I glared right at Kellan. “What the hell is this shit? I don’t want to waste my time on these fucktards,” I shouted, pointing at Justin and his brothers. Kellan held up his hand, clearly frustrated with me. He had to know it was wasting both

of our time. He skated over to the others and they exchanged words. I was about ready to pack it up when I noticed Justin’s grin as he talked to one of his brothers, his focus right on me. The bastard was up to something. “We’re not done yet, Easton,” Kellan shouted. Justin and his brothers got in formation and charged toward me, all three with a puck of their own, and looking nothing like the fumbling players they were a few minutes ago. The shitheads had played me. One after the other, they took their shots, all missing the goal except for one. The puck slipped right past me. They hooted and hollered in celebration. Even Kellan slapped the brother on the back, congratulating him for getting one through me. “Again,” I demanded angrily. I wasn’t about to let the night end with that. Justin and his brothers charged again, but I was focused on the one in the old red and white jersey. He wasn’t going to get another one past me. They all took their turns and I stopped them, relishing my victory . . . only they weren’t done. One after the other, they came at me full force until it was Red’s turn. His footwork was unlike anything I’d ever

seen. It was fluid and smooth, yet unorthodox and erratic. I was good at figuring out a player’s moves, but with Red, I couldn’t. Heart pounding, I stared him down, waiting for him to take the shot. The second he drew back his stick, I got into position, only for him to hit me right between the eyes with his glove. For a split second I lost my focus, and he slapped the puck right between my legs. “Motherfucker,” I growled, glaring down at the glove on the ice and the puck in the goal. The worthless cunt actually had the audacity to throw his glove at my face. Kellan burst out laughing and the whole rink echoed as they cheered at my expense. Red just fucked up big time. The others tried their luck to no avail, and then Red was back at it. I waited for him to throw the other glove, but instead, he turned and sprayed ice right up into my face, his body colliding with mine. During our fall, he hit the puck right into the goal. Rage coursed through my veins and all I could see was red . . . literally. Getting up quickly, he started back toward the others and I slid out my stick, hooking it around his ankle. I jerked him back and he fell. If he wanted to play dirty, I’d show him how dirty I could be. He tried to get up, but I pushed him back down, tossing my mask

and gloves onto the ice. The others shouted and skated toward us, but I wasn’t letting Red get away with making me out to be a fool. “Think you’re hot shit now, huh?” I spat, grabbing him by the jersey. He was smaller than me, so it wasn’t hard to flip him over and rip off his mask. Blinded by rage, I pulled my fist back, only to stop cold in my tracks. I stared at the face behind the mask, completely transfixed. The person lying on the ice wasn’t Justin’s brother. It was a woman, and not just any woman. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Before any words could escape my lips, Justin tackled me to the ice and my breath whooshed out of my lungs as we slid to the wall. “What the fuck is your problem? That’s my sister,” he shouted angrily. Eyes darkening, he slammed my shoulders against the wall. Catching my breath, I looked up at him and held up my hands. “I didn’t know it was a female. I wouldn’t have touched her if I’d known.” Under most circumstances, I’d have punched him and been done, but I felt like a tool. His nostrils flared. “You’re such a prick.” “Justin,” his sister called out. We both

looked over at her as Kellan and the other two guys helped her up. They all stared daggers at me, including her. “Let’s go.” Justin pushed off of me and skated over to her. I got one last look at her angelic face and emerald green eyes before she turned around and disappeared off the ice. Kellan skated over to me, the look of disappointment evident on his face. “Why are you such an ass?” he asked matter-of-factly. I stood and rolled my shoulders. “Because I’m an idiot. Why didn’t you tell me it was a fucking woman? What if I’d hurt her?” He sighed. “Then you would’ve had all three of her brothers kicking your ass.” “I need to tell her I’m sorry,” I said, skating past him. He grabbed hold of my jersey. “No, you’re not. It’s best you leave her alone for now.” With her brothers guarding her, it was probably for the best. Rubbing a hand through my hair, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d seen her before. “Why does she look so familiar?” Kellan slapped my shoulder. “Probably because she’s the one who took care of you when you got your head smashed in. What a

way to say thank you, huh?” Groaning, I hung my head. “Great.” And there I was about to kick her ass. One way or another, I had to see her again.

Chapter 4

Callie “I don’t know what I would’ve done if he’d hit you,” Justin huffed. “I know,” Corey growled. “We would’ve beat the ever-loving shit out of him.” I linked my arm through Justin’s as we walked into the restaurant. “The good thing is that he didn’t. I’d hate for you boys to get charged with murder. Besides, I can take care of myself. When are you guys going to realize that?” “Never,” they all said in unison. Don’t get me wrong, it was nice having them so involved in my life, but I was a strong woman, even though I didn’t look like it. Most people underestimated me, thinking I was just a pretty face who cared more about makeup and clothes. I loved those things, but I also enjoyed putting them aside to let my competitive side show. In all seriousness, I was the one who hit Dallas first when I collided with him to get the

cheap shot. Psyching him out was the only way I’d get the puck past him. Hannah nudged me in the side, leaning close to my ear. “I’d give anything to have your three hot brothers sticking up for me.” I rolled my eyes. “You say that now. I’ve proved time and again that I’m not a delicate flower. The kind of stuff we have to deal with in the ER is proof of that.” “True,” she agreed, “but what just happened at the rink was intense. I thought Kristen was going to have her baby when she saw Dallas trip you up. She was so pissed.” So was I, but I was a tad afraid as well. I’d never been punched before, and the last thing I wanted was to get hit by one of the most lethal players in the NHL. Dallas was known for being a bad boy with a volatile temper. The hostess seated us and I smiled when Hannah and Corey sat next to each other. It might not have been the best idea to pick the restaurant most of the hockey players hung out at, but it was known to have some of the best food around. “The girls at work are going to get a kick when they hear what you did,” Hannah said. “The look on his face was priceless when he realized you were a girl. I should’ve gotten it

on video.” Justin ran a hand through his hair. “I need a beer.” The waitress came and took our drink and dinner orders. I was hungry for some chicken tenders and their homemade honey-mustard dressing. As much as I loved the food in Minnesota, it was better in North Carolina. The main thing I missed in Minnesota was Sweet Martha’s chocolate chip cookies at the Minnesota State Fair. Those things were heaven. The waitress came back with our drinks and I guzzled my wine. I needed it after what happened. In a way, I wished I’d have stayed around to see what Dallas would’ve said to me. Would he have apologized or been a dick like my brother made him out to be? I’d probably never find out anyway. Not if my brothers had anything to do with it. Dallas wouldn’t stand a chance against those three. “Hey,” Hannah announced, tapping my hand to get my attention. “Will you go with me to the bathroom?” My brothers looked at us like we were crazy. “Sure,” I said, laughing. I followed her to the bathroom and checked my hair and makeup in the mirror while she did the same. “Everything

okay?” I asked. She nodded. “Of course. I saw you zoning out and figured something was on your mind. Want to talk about it?” I waved her off. “It’s nothing you haven’t heard. As you can see, my brothers can be overprotective jackasses sometimes.” “Yeah, but it was their idea to have you out on the ice in the first place. Maybe they’re not as bad as you think.” “Hannah Martin,” I scolded teasingly, crossing my arms over my chest. “Are you sticking up for my brothers?” A smile spread across her face. “Possibly. Or at least one of them. Corey asked me out to dinner this Saturday night.” I knew those two would hit it off. “And you said?” She rolled her eyes. “Yes, of course. You don’t think I’m still rebounding, do you?” I shook my head. “You and Eric are done. If I was afraid you still had feelings for him, I wouldn’t let you go out with my brother.” “Good,” she breathed happily. “Now all we need to do is get you set up with someone.” “All in good time.” I laughed. “Kristen already has someone for me. I told her to give

me a few weeks until I get my own place to live.” Another woman entered the bathroom, ending our privacy. Hannah leaned against the bathroom door and pushed it open. “Why in such a hurry to move? I’ll be happy to come visit you now,” she said with a wink. “I bet.” Giggling, I turned my back and walked out, only to run right into someone in the hall. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” I apologized, jerking around quickly. I almost lost my balance, but a pair of hands held on to my arms, steadying me. Hannah’s gasp behind me only made my heart beat faster, especially when I looked into a familiar set of baby blues, completely focused on me. His dark hair was expertly gelled in messy spikes and his green polo shirt hugged his muscular arms perfectly. The last time I looked into his eyes like that, he was drugged up in the hospital bed, calling me his angel. A part of me wanted to ask if he remembered any of it. So many things happened that night that I hadn’t spoken to anyone about. “This makes twice in one day,” he said, his voice low. A slow smile spread across his face and my traitorous body responded. Chills fanned out across my skin and he felt them,

his smile growing wider. “What do you want, Dallas?” I shrugged out of his hold. His smile faded. “I wanted to say—” He was cut off by Hannah’s gasp. She sidestepped past me and looked around the corner at where my brothers sat talking to Kellan. “This isn’t going to be good.” Justin jerked around and glared our way, his sights set on Dallas. Slamming his chair back, he stormed his way over to us. Dallas glanced back at him and sighed. “No, it’s not.” There was only one thing I could do to save them all. As soon as Dallas faced me, I took a deep breath. “Sorry, but I have no choice.” Clenching my fist as tight as I could, I swung it right at his cheek.

Chapter 5

Dallas By the time I arrived at the rink for practice, I was already the butt of everyone’s jokes. Before the morning even came, everyone on the team had heard about my ordeal with Callie. The black eye only proved it. Normally, their laughs echoing through the locker room would’ve pissed me off, but today, all it did was remind me of how much of a jackass I was. Braeden whistled when he got a good look at my face. “Damn, she got you good, didn’t she? Wonder what the coach is going to say about it.” “Hopefully, he’ll let it slide, considering the circumstances.” Practice was about to start and Carlisle hadn’t seen my face yet. After the ordeal a couple of weeks ago, he said he’d bench me if I caused any more trouble. Who would’ve thought I’d get my ass handed to me by a girl. I searched around the locker room, but I had yet to find Justin. “Seen Davis

anywhere?” I asked Braeden. “Not yet.” He took off his shirt and tossed it into his locker. “Don’t you think it’d be best to stay away from him?” I shook my head. “I want to apologize to his sister. She punched me before I got the chance.” He chuckled. “Then that should tell you something. Might be best to leave her alone.” I couldn’t. He didn’t see the look on her face when I touched her. There was a fire in her eyes I couldn’t ignore. I owed her a lot more than just a simple apology. Even if she hated me, I had to talk to her. “Damn, Davis, I heard about last night,” Maddox announced from the other side of the locker room. I started to walk back there, but Braeden grabbed my arm. “Come on, man. It’s too early in the morning.” “I’m not going to start shit,” I snapped. Huffing, he let me go and I marched to the back of the locker room. Maddox and Justin both had their backs to me, talking about everything that had happened, until Justin noticed me out of the corner of his eye. Grin fading, he faced me straight on, crossing his arms over his chest. “What the

fuck do you want?” I ignored Maddox, who kept looking at my black eye and smiling. “I need to apologize to your sister. Can you please tell me where I can find her?” I asked nicely, even though it killed me to be civil with the fucker. He scoffed. “Have you lost your goddamn mind? I’m not letting you anywhere near her. She doesn’t want to talk to you.” “Doesn’t matter. I need to see her.” “That’s going to be a problem,” he said, stepping toward me with a sly grin. “You see, she lives with me and my brothers. I’d hate to have to kick your ass for trespassing.” That didn’t scare me one bit. Not backing down, I closed the distance, mirroring his stance. “I’ll just have to find another way.” Coach Carlisle walked past us and we stepped away from each other, catching his attention. Narrowing his gaze, he stopped and stared at us, fuming when he saw my face. “Seriously? Again?” Chuckling, Maddox butted in. “Oh no, Coach, it’s not what you think.” He pointed at my face. “That was done by Davis’s sister. Easton got pissed when she schooled him on the ice last night. She didn’t like it when he tripped her up and almost hit her.”

Carlisle’s face reddened with rage and I held up my hands in defense. “I didn’t know she was a female,” I shouted. “I’ve been trying to apologize ever since.” Luckily, that seemed to work and Carlisle blew out a heavy sigh. He turned to Justin. “Your sister plays hockey? I never would’ve guessed by looking at her.” I wouldn’t have, either. On the outside, she was extremely beautiful with delicate features and curves in all the right places. Judging by the right hook she landed on my face, she was way stronger than she appeared. Justin smiled. “We used to have fun tricking people back home. Looks like it still works.” That it did. Carlisle patted him on the shoulder. “She must be pretty good to get past Dallas. I’m impressed.” “Thanks, Coach,” Justin replied. “I’ll tell her you said so.” Carlisle walked off, banging on the sides of the lockers on his way out. “Ten minutes, boys. Hurry up!” Justin pulled out his gear and started suiting up. “The answer’s still no, Easton. You’re going to stay away from my sister.” Narrowing my gaze, I stared him down and backed up, knowing it was wiser to keep my

mouth shut. The less he knew, the better. Braeden was already dressed for practice and talking to Kellan, who sat on the bench, lacing up his skates. “Why do you look like you’re up to something?” Kellan asked, peering curiously at me. A mischievous smile spread across my face. “No reason.” He sighed. “Why do I not believe that?” Shrugging, I slowly put on my gear and waited for everyone to leave. Once the locker room was cleared, I pulled out my phone. Kristen’s laugh greeted me. “Why are you calling and not just coming to my office?” “Because I have two minutes before I have to be on the ice. I need your help.” “Do you need ice for that eye of yours? I heard about what happened after the debacle I witnessed last night. Callie isn’t a woman to mess around with.” Rolling my eyes, I huffed. “You know I didn’t realize she was a female.” “I know. But I also wasn’t expecting for you to blow up the way you did.” “It was a mistake,” I admitted honestly. “That’s why I need your help.”

“Tell me.” “I know you probably don’t want to get involved, but I need you to tell me everything you know about Callie Davis. I have to get to her when her brothers aren’t around.” “Why?” she asked curiously. I closed my eyes. “Because she needs to know what an idiot I am.” She burst out laughing. “Then in that case, I’ll help. Come by my office during your break.”

Chapter 6

Callie “It’s about time you woke up, sleepyhead,” I teased. Ella’s mother, Janie, chuckled lightly and kissed Ella’s head as her eyes fluttered open. The little red-haired princess turned her face to us and smiled. “I’m alive?” “Of course you are, silly,” Janie cried. She kissed Ella’s cheeks and wiped away her tears. I couldn’t imagine being a parent and having to watch your eight-year-old child go through a heart transplant. I’d been a surgical nurse for two years along with working in the ER. Having to put a child under always hit me differently than it did with an adult. For the most part, I could separate myself from the job, but with little children like Ella, it was too hard. All I wanted to do was cry when I watched her eyes close when the anesthesiologist put her to sleep. I checked Ella’s vitals and the bandages

across her chest. Everything looked good. “What happened to your hand?” Ella asked. So no one could see my bruised and splitopen knuckles, I had a bandage wrapped around my hand. It was to keep my wounds clean and to also hide the fact that I did something totally stupid. I was lucky I didn’t break anything after punching Dallas. I’d made a mental note to never hit him again. My hand still hurt like a beast. Looking down at the bandage, I smiled, remembering the shocked expression on Dallas’s face when I hit him. “I went to the gym and had a fight with the punching bag,” I replied with a wink. “My knuckles weren’t too happy with me this morning.” She giggled. “Maybe you shouldn’t hit it so hard.” “I’ll remember that next time,” I said, covering her with a blanket. Her eyes twinkled. “Did you get to see my heart?” Nodding, I reached for her hand. “I did. It’s a strong and healthy one, too.” I squeezed her hand. “All you have to do now is rest. I’ll be back to check on you in the morning.” She smiled at me and my heart felt lighter. For two days a week, I worked for one of the

best cardiothoracic surgeons in the country, but unfortunately, sometimes the body didn’t like change. Not everyone survived when we had to do major surgeries. I’d lost an aunt three weeks after she had open-heart surgery. It was one of the reasons I wanted to work in the medical field. Well, that and my brothers always got hurt when we were growing up. My skills had come in handy over the years. Once out in the hall, I saw Ella’s dad was almost to the room, carrying two coffees. He had the same red hair as his daughter. “Better get in there,” I announced happily. “She’s awake.” His eyes widened and he rushed to the door, tears already pooling in his eyes. I loved working with kids. Every time Dr. Sands had to operate on a child, he always chose me to be on his surgical team. I glanced down at my watch and realized my shift was finally over. When I worked in surgery, I hardly ever saw Hannah. I was curious to see what all the other nurses thought about my run-in with Dallas. I could already hear snickers coming from the locker room when I approached. Opening the door, there were two other nurses with Hannah, their eyes on a huge vase of flowers sitting by my locker. Hannah jerked her arm behind her back, looking sheepish.

“What does the card say?” I asked, knowing full well that was what she had behind her back. Jennifer, one of the other nurses, walked over to me and gushed, “I can’t believe you punched Dallas Easton in the face and he sent you flowers. That’s so freaking awesome.” “It is,” Mary, the other nurse, agreed. “He’s one of the hottest players in the NHL.” Don’t I know it. Closing the distance, I held out my hand to Hannah. “Card, please.” She handed it to me and smiled. “I couldn’t resist.” I opened the card and my foolish heart jumped when I read it. Callie, I’m really sorry for what I did. I want to make it up to you if you’ll let me. Dallas “So, what are you going to do?” Hannah asked. Staring at the card, I asked myself the exact same question. What was I going to do? His phone number was at the bottom of the card, but I had no intention of calling. Dallas Easton was an arrogant jackass. I wasn’t about to let him wear me down. Opening my locker, I

grabbed my bag and shoved the card inside. A gazillion ideas ran rampant through my mind. “Why don’t we see how far he’ll go,” I said, waggling my eyebrows. “The man has never had to grovel to a woman before.” Hannah snorted. “Got that right. But do you think he’ll actually keep pursuing this if you constantly brush him off? Dallas takes me as the kind of man to get bored easily.” I shrugged. “Don’t know, but it’ll be fun to find out. I might have to get Corey in on this. If I tell Justin and Brant, they’ll lose their shit.” “Good call,” Hannah agreed. “I think it’s time the infamous bad boy learns a lesson in humility.” “So do I.”

Chapter 7

Dallas “Looking good, boys,” Coach Carlisle called out. I held up my hand and smiled. “Thanks, Coach.” He tapped his watch. “Ten more minutes and then wrap it up.” Everyone else skated off the ice except for him and Kellan, who moved to the side of the rink to talk. I’d spent the whole day working with Josh, trying my best to keep him on his toes. It felt good to slap shoot pucks at his head. Luckily he stopped most of them, which meant he was getting better. Eventually, when I retired, he’d take my place. I had to make sure the Strikers would be taken care of after I was gone. “All right, Harrison, another round,” I shouted. I could hear his groan, but one glare from me and he was right back into position. I’d

missed the way it felt to glide around the ice and push the puck around. Growing up, I’d played center offense until I found my calling as a goaltender when I was in high school. Ever since then, I’d never done anything else. I was known for my five-star reflexes and superb ratings in speed and agility; one of the best in the league. One by one, I lined up the pucks on the ice and hit them as hard as I could. Josh never backed down and worked his glove with tremendous speed. I was impressed. Breathing hard, he fell to his knees on the ice. Chuckling, I skated over to him. “Tired?” He took off his mask, sweat pouring down his face. “You worked my ass off today.” “Good. You needed it. Your technique’s gotten a lot better.” Brows furrowed, he stared at me as if I’d lost my mind. “What?” I snapped. “Nothing,” he said with a shake of his head. “I’m just wondering why you’re helping me now when before you never gave a shit.” Sighing, I leaned against the goal. “As an alternate captain, it’s my job to help the team. Do I still think you’re a whiney pain in the ass? Yes. But if I’m not around and the game is up to you, I have to make sure you’re the best. I

don’t want to be blamed again if we lose.” One thing Josh needed to learn was to have tougher skin. My words stung and I could see it on his face. Grabbing his mask, he skated off the ice and disappeared to the back. I was just about to head out as well when Kristen came up to the rink wall and waved me over. “What’s up, sexy mama?” I teased, leaning over the side to look at her. Her red hair was wavy down her back and she had on a strapless blue maternity dress with sandals. “Dressed for summer?” She rolled her eyes and smiled. “I’m pregnant and hot all the time. It’s March and already in the eighties outside.” Couldn’t argue with her there. Back home in Maine, it’d still be freezing. Rubbing her swollen belly, she nodded toward the goal. “Just watched you and Josh out there. I’m glad to see you actually helping him.” I shrugged. “He needs it. There’ll be a day when I can’t play anymore and he has to be ready.” “I agree. I’m kind of shocked I didn’t hear you yelling at him. That seems to be what you do.” Huffing, I ran a hand through my hair. “Believe me, I wanted to. It drives me up the

fucking wall to see a good player make bad decisions. Harrison has the goods, he just has to use them right.” She nodded in agreement. “He’ll get there. He just needs your support. A simple encouragement here and there goes a long way.” That was why for the first time in my life I’d bit my tongue and tried to say something nice. “Surely you didn’t wave me over to tell me that?” “No,” she said, laughing. “I came by to see if you’d heard from Callie. I want to know what she thought about the flowers.” Blowing out a heavy sigh, I threw my arms up in the air. “She hasn’t called.” “Really? Even after you sent all the ones today, too?” “Yep.” “I know she’ll be at the game tonight. Maybe you’ll see her there.” I wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near Callie if she was with her brothers. Yesterday I’d sent her a vase of flowers and a simple note. I had a feeling she’d be hard to get, but after today, I figured she’d call me out of annoyance, since I sent her twenty bouquets of flowers. Anything was better than nothing. A sly smile spread across Kristen’s face and

she tried to hide it. Something was up. “What are you not telling me?” She snickered. “Okay, I’ll tell you. She called me this morning and told me about the flowers. I have to say, she wasn’t impressed. Your plan didn’t work. She has no intention of calling you.” “Fuck,” I grumbled. “I need to figure out a way to get to her.” I’d never had to work to get a girl. For the first time in my life, I was clueless. “What are you two talking about?” Kellan asked, skating up. He tapped his cheek and Kristen kissed him. Even though I’d spent most of my life not giving a shit about relationships, I couldn’t help but be envious of theirs. There was a time when I’d had someone I cared about, but I’d let her go and she moved on to another man. Kristen nodded toward me. “We’re talking about him and Callie. His flowers didn’t work on her.” Kellan shook his head. “Playing with fire, brother. Does Justin know you’re doing this?” “Doubt it. He would’ve said something,” I said. With her not saying anything to him, there had to be a reason why. It was the same reason she chose to punch me instead of it

being her brother. “So what were you and Carlisle talking about?” I asked, switching the subject. I had to think of something other than Callie. For some strange reason, I couldn’t get her out of mind. Kellan’s smile grew wider. “For now, I’m only telling you and Braeden.” His gaze flitted over to Kristen and he reached for her hand before focusing back on me. “I’m retiring once the season’s up.” Deep down I knew it was going to happen, only I didn’t think it’d be so soon. “Congratulations, man,” I said, patting him on the back. I had a feeling that was why Davis was traded to our team. Kellan chuckled. “I wasn’t planning on going out this year, but Carlisle’s ready to retire as well. Next season, I’ll be your coach. The owners of the team have already agreed.” He patted me on the shoulder this time. “You and Braeden will take over as captains. I know you’ll keep the guys in line.” “You’re damn right I will. Sure you want give all of this up?” He hugged me hard and let go. “I’ve had a lot of good years on the ice. A lot of us don’t walk away unscathed.” That was true. I couldn’t blame him for wanting to get out

while he had a promising future. Not all of us had a plan after our hockey careers were done. Kristen cleared her throat, grinning mischievously. “Now that you spilled the beans and everything’s great, there’s still a problem.” She nodded at me. “Dallas needs a plan to get to Callie. Have any ideas?” Narrowing my gaze, I glared at her and she winked. Pursing his lips, Kellan focused on something across the rink and then he smiled. “I think I have an idea.”

Chapter 8

Callie “I can’t believe you gave all those patients your flowers,” said Hannah with a laugh. I shrugged. “Someone needed to enjoy them. It sure wasn’t going to be me.” It was a lie. The flowers were absolutely lovely and they smelled amazing. If the person sending them to me wasn’t Dallas, I would’ve taken them home. By lunchtime, the whole locker room was filled with bouquets from Dallas. I knew my patients would enjoy them, so I gave them away. That way my brothers wouldn’t ask questions if I took them home. Hannah looked at herself in the mirror, turning this way and that to make sure she looked good in her Tshirt and jeans. I joined her and ran a hand down my Charlotte Strikers T-shirt. “You look great,” I told her with a wink. “Corey’s going to think so, too.”

Her cheeks turned red. “You sure he won’t mind me going tonight? I feel weird considering I’m supposed to go on a date with him tomorrow. I don’t want him to think I’m being pushy.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re my best friend and we have an extra ticket since Brant’s gone for the rest of the week. Trust me, Corey will be happy to see you.” Last night, when I got home from work, all he wanted to talk about was her and the things she liked to do. I wasn’t about to tell her that, though. Grabbing my purse, I pushed her out the door and down the stairs. “We have to go.” By the time we got to the arena, it was packed. Luckily, since we were family, we had some of the best seats in the house. Corey was already in his seat, fiddling around on his phone when we arrived. He had on a Charlotte Strikers jersey with Davis on the back. “Hey,” I called out. He lifted his head and smiled when he saw Hannah behind me. “Hey,” he said, hugging us both. Hannah sat between us and I could tell he was excited to see her. “I didn’t know you were coming,” he said to her. “Callie invited me. Hope it’s okay.” “Of course. I planned on picking you up

tomorrow at six. Sound good?” “Perfect,” she replied, her cheeks reddening. I couldn’t help but smile as they talked about their date. The announcer walked onto the ice and introduced both teams before the lights turned completely off. Music blared over the speakers and the crowd cheered as the logo for the Charlotte Strikers appeared on the ice in bright lights. The screens displayed on the ceiling showed highlights of past games while the announcer called out the players’ names. Of course, once Dallas’s name was called, the ladies went crazy. Corey rested his arm behind Hannah’s seat and tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention. “Anything else happen with Easton today?” Hannah burst out laughing. “Did it ever.” Lifting his brows curiously, Corey waited for me to explain. “He sent me more flowers today,” I told him. “That’s an understatement,” Hannah snorted. “The whole locker room was filled with them.” Corey shook his head in disbelief. “You’re not going to call him yet, are you?” “No,” I gasped. “I’m not done with him.”

An evil leer spread across his face. “I have some ideas if he keeps after you. Unfortunately, I know how guys like him work. If he can’t get in your pants, he’ll stop wasting his time.” I shrugged. “Hopefully we’ll get him good before that happens.” “Oh, and I forgot to tell you. It’s Justin’s turn to host the party on Saturday after the game. Hope you don’t mind.” Thoughts of the last one ran rampant through my mind. “Fine,” I huffed. “I’ll just lock myself in my room.” I didn’t want anyone trying to sneak in to have sex on my bed. It was times like that when I really wished I had my own place to live. Starting next week, that was my goal . . . figure out where I wanted to move. Corey and Hannah busied themselves with each other and completely forgot I was sitting beside them. I didn’t mind. I loved playing matchmaker and they deserved to be happy. Once the national anthem was done, the energy in the arena electrified as the game began. There were so many people wearing black and blue of the Strikers. We were playing against New York and I had no doubt we were going to win now that Dallas was back

in the game. The guy was an arrogant douche, but he was the best goaltender in the league. Add Kellan Carter, Braeden Wallace, Maddox Ledger, and my brother, and they were an unstoppable force. Justin was one of the main scorers for Minnesota. Before moving here, I was curious to see how he and Kellan would work together on the ice since they played the same position. However, Coach Carlisle had my brother as a winger while Kellan kept center. I tried my best not to focus on Dallas, but it was hard. He stopped every goal attempt with little to no effort, making it appear so easy. There were times I could’ve sworn he was looking right at me, but that was silly. He probably didn’t even know I was there. “Your brother’s got the puck,” Hannah squealed, catching my attention. Shaking my head, I concentrated on my brother. “Come on, Justin!” I shouted. Like lightning, he moved down the right flank past the blue line and made the shot, making the score one to nothing. The coliseum rumbled as everyone cheered in victory. The first twentyminute period ended with Kellan scoring us another goal, leaving us at two to zip. “Now that we have a break, do you two want

anything to drink?” Corey asked. Shaking my head, I watched the players skate off the rink for intermission. “I’m good.” Hannah stood and winked at me. “We’ll be right back.” “No rush.” I laughed. Since it was intermission, I pulled out my phone to kill the time. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer said. Jerking my head up, I peered down at the rink. The overhead lights shut off and the ice was the only thing illuminated while the Charlotte Strikers mascot, Jack the Jaguar, skated around the rink. He waved at the crowd and everyone cheered. “We have a special treat for you tonight,” the announcer continued. “Jack here wants to give one special fan a hug. If you want to be chosen, you have to be in your seat.” People started flocking back to their seats. “That is so cute,” Hannah said, sitting down. “I want to be picked.” Corey sat down as well and took a sip of his beer. “I’ve never seen them do this. Must be new.” The announcer cleared his throat. “For the lucky winner, we randomly chose a seat number. In section 108, would the person in

row D, seat one, please join us down here on the ice?” Heart racing, I squeezed my eyes shut. “Did he really just call my seat?” I whispered. Hannah cheered and then everyone around me clapped. “Switch seats with me,” I begged her. By that point, it was too late. The cameras focused on me and there I was on the screens. Plastering on a smile, I waved at the camera and made my way to the ice while they followed me. Out of all the thousands of people, why did it have to be me? Cheeks flaming, I stepped onto the ice where Jack the Jaguar waited for me. He grabbed my hand and then lifted me in his arms, making me gasp. Clenching my teeth, I continued to smile. “So help me God, if you drop me, you’ll regret it.” Chuckling, he skated to the center of the rink where the announcer waited. “Keep laughing, buddy. I’m serious.” He set me down beside the gray-haired announcer and held the microphone out to me. “You are one lucky lady tonight. What’s your name?” Taking a deep breath, I glanced out at the people, focusing on Corey and Hannah, who

sat there snickering. “Callie Davis,” I replied into the microphone. His eyes widened. “Any relation to the Strikers’s new player, Justin Davis?” I nodded. “He’s my brother.” “Wow, what a coincidence,” he said with a laugh. “I’m sure Jack will be more than happy to welcome you to the team with a nice big squeeze. What do you say everyone?” Everyone shouted and clapped their hands. It took all I had to keep a smile on my face. I felt like an idiot waiting around to be hugged by Jack the Jaguar. Opening his arms, Jack waited for me, the permanent smile on the mascot’s face taunting me. “All right, Jack, let’s get this over with.” Wrapping my arms around the large costume, I squeezed it tight and the crowd burst out laughing. Jack hugged me back, his large arms pulling me in closer. The people at work were no doubt going to make fun of me for days after this. Jack made no move to let me go and I grew impatient. I backed up slowly, trying my best not to draw attention, but then my foot tangled with his and we both fell to the ice. Nothing could hide my embarrassment as the crowd thundered with laughter.

In haste, the announcer dropped the microphone so he could help me up. “Are you okay?” I grabbed his hand and he helped me up. “Nothing a bag over my head wouldn’t fix.” His concerned gaze landed on Jack the Jaguar, who lay motionless on the ice. Rushing over, he knelt down beside the mascot and shook his shoulders. “Hey, you okay?” My nursing skills kicked into high gear. Joining him on the ice, I carefully removed the Jaguar’s head so I could help the person underneath. Mouth gaping, I stared in shock at the man revealed beneath. Dallas’s eyes were closed, but then they flashed opened and he smiled. “Rescuing me again, Ms. Davis?” he asked slyly. The announcer chuckled in surprise. “Well, if it isn’t Dallas Easton.” Dallas winked and then groaned when he stood, clearly pretending he was hurt. The announcer fetched the microphone and pointed toward Dallas. “Check it out everyone! Look who surprised us tonight.” Dallas bowed and then hissed in pain as he reached for the microphone. “I think the tumble with Ms. Davis might have injured me.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to play the rest of the game.” Disapproving shouts rumbled all around us. Dallas held up a hand and winked back at me. Sly bastard. “But I do believe a kiss will make me feel better. Think Ms. Davis will give me one?” The shouts grew even louder, the words “kiss, kiss, kiss,” echoed all around me. Dallas looked at me and smiled. “What do you say? Think you can help me get back in this game? If not, I’ll be forced to sit it out.” And if they lost, it’d be my fault. He handed the microphone back to the announcer and moved closer, tapping a finger to his cheek. I had no choice. Closing the distance, I leaned up on my toes and kissed him on the cheek, hating the way my body tingled in response. Camera lights flashed all around us. “Good try, Easton, but this doesn’t change anything. Try not to get your head beat in at the party tonight.” Without another word, I waved at the people and walked off the ice.

Chapter 9

Dallas Cameras flashed as we exited the ice. As always, the reporters wanted to hear from the key players, which included me, Kellan, Braeden, and Justin. While they gave interviews, I tried finding Callie in her section, but she was already gone. Kellan nudged me in the side. “Look who’s here.” He nodded toward a woman I hadn’t spoken to in two years. She looked exactly the same with her long golden blond hair and radiant smile. Madison Bennett was a sports reporter and my only regret. I’d hurt her by being a fucking moron and still hated myself for it. It was why I never wanted to be serious about anyone . . . at least until Callie Davis showed up. Madison smiled at us and waved as she motioned for her cameraman to follow her through the crowd. “Hey, guys, it’s so good to see you,” she said happily, hugging Kellan first. Surprisingly, she wrapped her arms

quickly around my neck and I hugged her back. “You know the drill. We’ll talk afterward.” She waved her hand and the camera started. “Good evening, I’m Madison Bennett, and I’m here with Kellan Carter and Dallas Easton from the Charlotte Strikers.” While she interviewed Kellan, I searched for Callie again with no luck. “So, Dallas, what made you decide to dress up as Jack the Jaguar?” Madison asked. “Is this something we can expect at all the games?” I shrugged. “I thought it’d be fun for the fans. We might have to make this a tradition.” Throwing my arm around Kellan’s shoulders, I grinned at the camera. “Who knows, maybe this one’ll be under the suit next game.” Madison giggled and turned back to the camera. “We can all hope so. I’m sure there are millions of fans out there who’d like to get a hug from these guys.” She finished the interview with her closing remarks and faced us with a smile. “That’s a wrap. Thanks, boys.” Coach Carlisle waved to get Kellan’s attention, so he said his goodbyes and left, leaving me alone with her. For the first time in my life, I was at a loss for words. After

everything I did to Madison, she still came to me with a smile. “How have you been?” I asked. “Good,” she replied, gazing around the coliseum. “I’ve missed coming to the hockey games.” “Why haven’t you?” Her smile brightened. “I’ve been following more of the motorcycle races these days.” “I see. Let me guess, you’re dating one of the racers?” I asked with a grin. She snorted. “Goodness, no. He’s actually an FBI agent. My sister took over Bennett Racing, so I’ve been spending a lot of time with her and her crew.” In all seriousness, I was happy for her. She deserved to find happiness after what I did to her. “That’s good to hear. Make sure he treats you well. There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t regret how things went down between us.” “It’s okay,” she murmured. “I forgave you for the past a long time ago. We’ve both moved on.” “Easton, let’s go,” Braeden shouted from behind. I glanced back at him and he waved toward the locker room.

“Take care of yourself, Madison.” She hugged me again. “You, too. Don’t get into any trouble.” “I’ll try not to.” Seeing her again eased my regrets. If she could forgive me for breaking her heart, then surely Callie would for being an idiot. Kellan’s idea had worked. I’d gotten to Callie, but I still had a long way to go. I wasn’t about to give up, not after I felt the way her lips electrified when she kissed me. The girl was going to drive me in-fucking-sane. In the locker room, the guys celebrated our crushing victory against New York. Kellan slapped me on the shoulder in passing. “Nice move, brother. Although I think you messed up.” He nodded toward Justin, who fumed by my locker, his arms crossed over his chest. Braeden backed up and gave Justin his space. “What the hell was that shit with Callie?” he spat angrily. I shrugged. “It was a coincidence. I can’t help it she was picked.” He pointed a finger into my chest. It took all I had to rein in my anger. Hurting him would end the deal with Callie; she’d never speak to me again. “That’s bullshit and you know it,” he growled. “I want you to stay away from her.

She’s not one of your whores you can play around with.” The thought pissed me off. It’d never crossed my mind to fuck around with her like that. “I know,” I huffed impatiently. “I just want to talk to her and then I’ll leave her alone.” He shook his head, scoffing incredulously. “Callie is an educated, smart woman. She’s not going to waste her time with you. You’re not worthy of it.” For the first time in my life, words actually stung. What really pissed me off was that maybe he was right. I wasn’t worthy of her time . . . but I sure as hell could be. Satisfied with his remarks, Justin stormed out of the locker room with Maddox alongside him, smirking at me. Braeden slapped me on the shoulder. “Ready to get to the party?” “Actually,” I said, grinning wide, “there’s somewhere else I need to be.” By the time I took a shower and got dressed, I’d missed three calls from my agent and a text from my youngest sister, Lacey: Loved intermission. Can’t wait to see you in a couple of weeks. Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I texted

her back: Thanks. Looking forward to seeing you, too. Lacey was a medical student about to graduate. I’d promised her she could come down for spring break since my parents were busy expanding the skate shop up in Maine. On the way to my car, I called back my agent. “I saw your little charade on TV,” Ty answered with a laugh. “What was that all about?” Clicking off the alarm, I hopped into my red Saleen S7 Twin Turbo. “Thought it’d be good for publicity,” I lied. “Well, it worked. Good call. Looks like the fans got a kick out of it.” Starting up my car, I entered in the address for my destination into the GPS. Turned out it wasn’t that far from my own house. “You and the boys celebrating tonight?” he asked. “Nope. Got other plans. Is there anything else I need to know about?” “Don’t think so. I’ll be flying into Charlotte next month to stay for the rest of the summer for the playoffs and the TV show.” “Sounds good.” “Until then, keep out of trouble. Talk to you soon.”

I ended the call and continued on my way. The reality TV show had completely slipped my mind. A part of me wanted to back out and it made no fucking sense. Why would I want to give up ten beautiful women? Not to mention, they were all carefully picked from high society families all across the states with lots of connections. My goal was to get a foothold in the acting world once my hockey career expired, and this was the way to do it. At least, that was what Ty told me. Pulling into the neighborhood, I slowed down until I arrived at Callie’s house. It was a large, two-story brick home with a three-car garage and circular driveway. Kristen warned me that she lived with her brothers. I knew Justin was going to the party; I just hoped the others weren’t at home. Taking a deep breath, I pulled into her driveway and got out to ring the doorbell. When the door opened, the surprised look on Callie’s face made me smile. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at me. “What are you doing here?” She still had on the same Strikers T-shirt that hugged her breasts perfectly and tight jeans that made me want to grab her ass. There were so many things I wanted to do to her, and with her fighting me at every turn, it only made me want her more.

“I got tired of waiting for you to call. At least this way, we’re face-to-face.” Her eyes narrowed. “How do you know where I live?” A sly grin spread across my face and she groaned. “It was Kristen, wasn’t it?” When I didn’t reply, she huffed and rolled her eyes. “If she wasn’t pregnant, I’d kick her ass. Might as well get this over with, since my brothers aren’t here. The sooner you get this off your chest, the sooner you can leave.” Stepping out of the way, she motioned me in and I shut the door. I followed her to the kitchen and stood by the entrance as she sat down at the bar. There was a plate of sliced bananas and a bowl of melted chocolate in front of her. She picked up a piece of banana and dunked it in the chocolate before putting it in her mouth. I wanted to lick the chocolate off of her lips. Taking her fork, she pointed at the seat across from her. “You can sit down if you want.” I walked in and sat, watching her eat the rest of her chocolate-covered bananas. “I’m sorry,” I blurted. Her brows lifted but she didn’t reply. “If I’d have known you were you, I wouldn’t have tried to hit you.” She snorted. “But you would’ve if I was a

male.” I nodded. “Pretty much. You know how it is in hockey. We have to be aggressive.” Taking her plate and bowl, she set them in the sink and then sat back down. “You don’t have to explain. I do have three brothers who play the sport. I’ve been around it all my life.” “Then why are you being so hard on me?” She chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “You’re seriously asking me that? Why do you even care?” “Because I feel bad for what I did . . . especially after what you did for me.” “Which was?” she asked, clearly annoyed. “All I did was hurt my hand after I punched you to save you from my brother’s wrath.” I rubbed my cheek where it still ached. “I thank you for that, but that’s not it.” Her green eyes twinkled, and for a moment I lost my train of thought. Memories from the party a few weeks ago flooded through my mind. I could still feel her hands on my face as she looked into my eyes to make sure I was okay. “I . . . I want to say thank you for what you did at the party. I know it was you who helped me that night.” Her shoulders loosened and she sighed. “I wondered if you’d realize it was me.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry for what you saw. I was stupid.” “You think? Having sex with a woman whose boyfriend was in the same house is flatout insanity.” “In my defense,” I said, holding up my hands, “I didn’t know she had a boyfriend. She came on to me.” Callie rolled her eyes. “Like that matters. I’ve heard about you, Dallas Easton. You have a reputation with the ladies. I, for one, don’t want to be a part of your harem.” “Is that what you think I’m doing here?” I asked. A spark of anger ignited in my gut, but it wasn’t directed at her. Yes, I’d sent her all those flowers and made her kiss me at the game, but I’d never done that with any female. Claiming her as my own has crossed my mind, but I needed her to know I wasn’t as bad as she believed me to be. Well, maybe I was, but it was time for a change. “I don’t know what you’re doing here,” she snapped, her green eyes blazing. “But flowers and playing tricks on me to kiss you isn’t the way into my pants.” Lifting her chin, she stood and stared defiantly at me. “You wanted to apologize and give me your thanks, and you’ve accomplished that. I don’t think there’s

anything left for you to say. It’s probably best you leave before my brothers get back.” Pursing her lips, she tapped her foot impatiently for me to leave. I got up and slowly headed for the front door. Think, Dallas. There had to be a way to make her not hate me so much. She opened the door and I stepped outside. Before she could shut it, I stopped it, almost getting my fingers crushed in the process. “Wait, I have an idea.” Sighing, she opened the door. “What?” “What can I do to make you realize I’m not as bad as your brothers and everyone else makes me out to be? I’ll do anything you ask just to prove it.” She studied me for the longest time before her lips pulled back into a mischievous smile. I was probably going to regret saying that. “Anything?” she asked. “Anything.” “Good. Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Call you later with the details.” With a wide grin, she laughed and slammed the door. I wasn’t about to give up.

Chapter 10

Callie “Our shift is over,” Hannah announced excitedly as we entered the break room. “What time did you tell Dallas to come?” I glanced down at my phone. “Right about now. I didn’t want to get in trouble if he came during work hours.” There were too many catty nurses I worked with who’d love to rat me out. She snorted. “Can’t blame you there. Although I am shocked you’re letting him come here. I wish I was at your house last night when he stopped by.” I winked. “You were too busy with my brother.” She sat down at the break room table, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “True. And I get to see him again tonight. I can’t thank you enough for getting us together.” I squeezed her hand. “You’re welcome.” Waving her hands impatiently, she scooted

closer to me. “Tell me the rest of the story before he gets here. What did he say when you told him what you wanted him to do?” I shrugged. “He said he was happy to. It was strange, because usually I can see through a person’s bullshit, but honest to God he looked genuinely interested in helping out.” I couldn’t deny that I was a little excited myself to have him at the hospital. I was curious to see how he was going to interact with the kids. The door to the break room opened and Sandra, one of the surgical floor receptionists, stuck her head in. She was in her midforties with short brown hair and large blue eyes. I’d never seen her face so red. She looked at me with the biggest grin on her face. “Dallas Easton is here for you. He’s so adorable.” Hannah snorted and I shook my head. “I wouldn’t call him adorable.” She nodded toward the front desk. “Come out and see for yourself.” Now I was intrigued. Jumping out of my seat, I beat Hannah to the door. I peeked out and there Dallas was, standing at the front desk in the Jake the Jaguar costume, holding the head in his arms. “Oh my God,” I said with a snicker. “I didn’t expect him to come dressed like that.”

Hannah nudged me in the back. “Get out there.” I walked out into the hall and his eyes met mine. I couldn’t contain my laughter. “Look at you.” He winked. “You said you wanted me to cheer up the kids.” He twirled around and his tail slapped against the desk, making the other nurses laugh. “Think this’ll work?” “I have no doubt. Come on,” I said, nodding toward the other end of the hall. “There’s only about eight kids on this floor, but I know they’ll be happy to see you.” “Lead the way,” he said, sliding Jack’s head over his own. “You might have to hold my hand, since I can’t see very well.” “Don’t push it.” I laughed. “You didn’t have any problems skating around on the ice last night.” I couldn’t see his face through the costume, but I could just imagine the smile underneath when he shrugged. “Can’t fault me for trying.” We arrived at Ella’s room and I slowly opened the door. Her mother lowered the magazine away from her face and smiled. Ella was asleep, but her eyes fluttered open when I walked in. Her face lit up when Jack the Jaguar strolled in behind me.

Janie went to sit on the side of the bed with Ella. “What do we have here?” Looping my arm with Jack’s, I guided him closer. “I brought a friend who wanted to see you. You know who Jack the Jaguar is, don’t you?” Ella nodded fiercely, her red curls bouncing around on her head. “Yes. I watched you two on TV last night.” I glanced at her mother in disbelief and she shrugged. “Ella and her father saw the game last night. She’s ready to tell all of her friends how her nurse Callie is the sister of a famous hockey player.” Shaking my head, I giggled when Ella blushed. “Sweetie, you’re too much.” Dallas knelt down beside the bed and talked to Ella in a cute, funny voice, almost like the sound of Goofy. For a moment, I totally forgot it was Dallas inside the costume. The smile on Ella’s face was contagious and it was hard to believe it was Dallas who put it there. Janie slid off the bed and came over to me. “Thank you for doing this. Ella’s getting a kick out of it.” Ella’s giggles grew louder. “I’m glad. I’ll miss her when she leaves.” “She’ll miss you, too.” She pulled out her phone. “Do you mind if I take a picture of her

and Jack?” “Yes, please,” Ella squealed. Dallas turned to the camera while Ella held on to his arm, smiling wide. Janie took a dozen pictures, laughing after each one. “All right, Jack, it’s time to go.” Dallas stood and waved at Ella. “See ya later, princess,” he said in his funny voice. I winked at her. “And I’ll see you tomorrow.” Once we were out of the room, he took off Jack’s head and ran a hand through his dark hair. “That was fun. Why is she here?” I looked up at him, shocked by the concern in his voice. It wasn’t what I expected. “She had a heart transplant. I was there in the operating room with her.” His eyes widened. “That’s what you do here?” I nodded. “And I work in the ER. I like being kept on my toes.” “I’m impressed. No wonder you knew how to take care of me. Although I do have a question.” He glanced back at Ella’s room’s door. “Those flowers on the corner table. Were those the ones I sent you?” With a sly smile, I winked. “Thanks to your generosity, my patients now have brighter

rooms. I thought they’d enjoy them.” “At least someone is. Maybe now you won’t hate me as much.” Grabbing his arm, I hauled him down the hall. “We’ll see.” “Ready for the game tomorrow?” I asked as we walked out of the hospital. Dallas glanced over at me and nodded. “I’m always ready. You coming?” “Yep. I try to go to all of them, especially if they’re on the weekends. When you go to Tennessee in a couple of days, I won’t be there.” He walked with me over to my car, where his was parked a couple of spaces over. “I hear the party’s at your house tomorrow.” I scoffed. “Don’t remind me. I’ll be in my room. Although I’m pretty sure you’re not invited.” He chuckled. “I have no doubt.” We stopped at my car and I tossed my purse inside. “Thank you for letting me come today,” he said. The kids all loved Jack the Jaguar, and judging by the smile on Dallas’s face, he loved it, too. “I’m not going to lie. I didn’t think you had it in you,” I confessed, leaning against my car. Storm clouds rolled overhead and it

wouldn’t be long before we got rained on. Still in the Jack costume, Dallas set the jaguar head on the ground, his expression serious. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Callie. I’m not always a dick.” “I never said you were.” “Then does my good deed for the day make up for how I was?” he asked. I couldn’t deny that what he did completely made up for his idiocy on the rink. With a smile on my face, I held out my hand. “You’re forgiven.” He looked down at my hand and stepped closer. The second our hands touched, the warmth from his skin rushed through my body. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” Clearing his throat, he continued to hold my hand. “Can I take you out to dinner sometime?” My heart stopped and I pulled my hand away. I had hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Dallas was an extremely good-looking man and he was famous. The last thing I needed was to get involved with a man who had his kind of reputation. “That’s not going to happen.” A spark of anger flashed in his eyes, but he reined it back. “Why not? Am I really that repulsive to you?”

Sighing, I closed my eyes and then opened them. “Of course you’d see it that way. You obviously don’t get rejected very often.” Judging by the look on his face, it was never. I picked up Jack’s head and held it. “You have no idea how happy it made me to see my patients smiling this afternoon. It’s all because of you. Just because I agreed to let you come here doesn’t mean it was an invitation to ask me out.” He stared at me, those blue eyes of his searching deep into my soul. It was as if I could feel him penetrating me to the core. “Maybe I’m wrong, but it felt like we had a connection in there,” he said, nodding toward the hospital. He was right, we did. “Even if we did, I can’t get involved with you. My brothers hate you, and frankly, I don’t want to get hurt. You have too much craziness going on in your life and you’re not exactly trustworthy.” With a heavy sigh, he reached for Jack’s head and held it under his arm. “Maybe you’re right.” It didn’t really matter if my brothers hated Dallas or not, it was too dangerous for my heart to get involved with him. Dallas was the kind of guy with whom you could lose yourself

and have fun. It was best to not get attached. Guys like him got bored way too easily, and I was pretty sure a lot of women got hurt in the process. I didn’t want to be one of them. I needed someone who was safe, someone I could trust not to hurt me. Dallas walked over to his car and put Jack’s head inside, his face all serious. For a second, I thought I’d won. I’d forgiven him and that was it. All we had to do now was go our separate ways. Forget about the plans I had to have him make a fool of himself. The longer he was around me, the harder it’d be to keep my mind from drifting to thoughts I shouldn’t be having about him. Dallas came back and held his arms open, waiting for me to make the move. “I really am sorry for everything.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed. “It’s okay.” “I’m also sorry you think I’m not trustworthy.” Groaning, I let him go, and that was when I watched his lips spread into a mischievous grin. He tapped my chin and winked. “But I’m sure going to have fun proving you wrong.” Frozen in place, I stared at him while he got into his car and drove away. What the hell just

happened?

Chapter 11

Dallas I hated to lose, especially when it came to women. Pursuing Callie wasn’t just a game, it was a need. As much as I wanted to move on, I couldn’t. I’d never had to work so hard, but I had to have her. One way or another, Callie Davis would be mine. She wanted me, too. I could see it in her eyes and in the way her body responded to my touch. I just had to make her see it. The coliseum parking lot had already begun to fill up and people swarmed past the ticket gates to get inside. It was going to be another packed house. When I got inside, the locker room was dead quiet except for a couple of the rookies talking in the corner. “Well, I’ll be damned,” Coach Carlisle teased, coming up behind me. “Never thought I’d see you roll in this early. You planning another intermission show today?” Chuckling, I set my bag down. “No. Maybe one of the other guys can do it this time.”

“Good. I don’t want Davis pissed off like he was last game. You need to stop messing with his sister.” I took off my shirt and tossed it into my locker. “Something tells me she can handle herself.” He made no move to leave so I turned to face him. The annoyed expression on his face was something I’d seen way too often. “I know Carter told you everything. With that being said, your role on this team’s going to change. I need you to keep the boys in line, not cause more problems. Whatever games you’re playing with Davis, it stops now.” The lack of trust pissed me off. Was I really that bad? “There’s no game,” I hissed low so the others couldn’t hear. “What I’m doing with his sister is not his concern. I’m not interested in her to get a rise out of him.” Sighing, he looked into my eyes and nodded, hopefully seeing the truth. “I hope not, but whatever it is, be smart about it.” He walked off and I sat down on the bench as more of the team filed in. “Damn, you are alive,” Braeden joked, tossing his bag onto the floor. “Where did you go yesterday?” Justin marched in and glared at me when he passed. Once he was out of earshot, I changed

out of my clothes. “I went to see Callie at the hospital.” His eyes widened. “Damn, man. You sure that’s a good idea?” “She’s the one who asked me.” “Whoa,” he replied, taken aback. “Didn’t see that coming. What’s going on with you two?” I shrugged. “Don’t know, but I’m gonna find out.” “Party at my house tonight!” Justin shouted, parading through the locker room. He walked right by me and patted my shoulder. Clenching my teeth, I gripped the edge of my locker. If he wasn’t Callie’s brother, I’d have beat his head in for touching me. “That excludes you, dickface.” Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, wishing like hell he’d move on before I did something I’d regret. When he did, I felt all the blood rise to my face. I wanted to hit something hard. It was times like that I wished I was back playing offense. That way I could pummel the other players as hard as I wanted. Braeden stared at me as if I’d grown another head. “What’s wrong with you? Why didn’t you blast back?” Huffing, I threw on my gear. “Can’t.”

“Why not?” But then realization dawned on his face. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Never thought I’d see the day.” “Neither did I.” I told Callie I’d prove that I wasn’t a complete dick, and this was the first step. “Congrats on the win, guys,” Chris, the bartender at our favorite pub, said as he set a beer in front of both Braeden and me. “The first one is on the house tonight.” I fist bumped him. “Thanks, man. I want to order some chicken wings, too.” Braeden held up his beer. “Same for me.” Chris wrote it down in his notepad. “Sounds good. They’ll be out shortly.” The restaurant filled up fast and I loved seeing all the Striker shirts. Above the bar, highlights from the game played on the televisions. “How’s your family doing?” Braeden asked. “They coming down to visit anytime soon?” Sighing, I took a sip of my beer. “My parents aren’t. They’re busy expanding the skate shop and helping Maggie with my baby nephew. But Lacey’s coming down for spring break. I’m sure she already told you.” My parents were up in Maine so I didn’t see them very often, not since they spent most of

their time working to pay for Lacey’s college tuition. My other sister, Maggie, just had another son with her husband and my parents were all about the grandchildren. If I wanted to see them, I’d have to go up there myself, only there wasn’t time until after the playoffs. Braeden finished off his beer. “Lacey called a few weeks ago and told me. I’m going to help her study.” “Thanks, man. You’ve been a big help to her.” He was the only guy on the team I’d let get close to my sister. They’d been good friends for years now. Every so often, he’d fly up to New York to visit his parents and see my sister in the process since she was at Columbia University. He always helped her with her studies. “Are you going to fly up to Maine this summer?” he asked. I shook my head. “I’ll Skype my parents so I can see them. Other than that, I’m staying in town.” I was going to be busy with the reality show, but nobody knew about it, not even my family. The big reveal wasn’t going to come until right before filming began. Right now, I didn’t even want to think about it. “Good game tonight,” a sultry voice

whispered in my ear. The smell of expensive perfume wafted across my nose and I knew exactly who it was. She snaked her arm around my neck and nipped my neck. “Coming to the party later?” Taking her hand, I pulled her away from me. She may be a sexy blond vixen, but she wasn’t the one I wanted. “Last time I fucked around with you I got a glass bottle smashed into my head.” Britney sat beside me, pouting her dark red lips. “We’re not together anymore.” I snorted and went back to my beer. “Wonder why.” “Don’t be like that. I’m sorry for what happened.” I looked over at Britney’s friend, who took the seat next to Braeden, trying her best to get his attention. He wanted nothing to do with her. Britney ran a finger down my arm and I clenched my teeth. “Why don’t we all go to my place and have some fun? I can make it up to you.” I beckoned her closer, hissing low, “I’m not interested in anything you’re offering. Why don’t you take it somewhere else?” She glared at me, disgust written all over her face. “You’re such an asshole. Come on, Sarah. We’re wasting our time here.”

They stormed out and it didn’t go unnoticed. Chris brought our chicken wings over, trying his best not to laugh. “Rough night?” “Not me,” Braeden replied, hooking a glance my way. “This one can’t seem to catch a break.” I shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a master at pissing people off.” “I still love you, though,” Kristen giggled from behind. She kissed me on the cheek and sat beside me. Chuckling, I passed her a chicken wing. She loved them, especially, now that she was eating for two. “What are you doing here?” She handed Chris her credit card to swipe and then he gave her a box of food. “We made an appearance at the party and now we’re picking up a late-night snack. I was craving the fried green beans.” “Where’s your husband?” “Outside talking on the phone with his dad,” she said, nodding toward the door. “I couldn’t wait any longer to get my food.” “Did you happen to see Callie?” I asked. Her eyes twinkled. “Yep. She was in her room. I went in there to say hello since I didn’t see her at the game.” The thought of her being

alone in her room with all those men in the house didn’t set well with me. Granted, Justin was there, but Callie was a beautiful woman. Given the right amount of alcohol, I could see some of the guys on the team trying to sneak into her room. An idea sparked in my mind and I smiled. “You were in her room, huh?” Kristen glanced at Braeden and then back at me. “Yeah. Maddox went in there after I left.” “What?” I snapped, feeling a fire ignite in my gut. Anger boiled in my veins in a way I’d never felt it before. Maddox had no business being in her room or anywhere near her, for that matter. “Dallas, you okay?” she asked, grabbing my wrist. My whole body was on fire. “No, and I’m going to need your help.” “You sure this is a good idea?” Braeden asked. Huffing, I opened my car door. “No, but I want to make sure she’s okay.” An evil smile spread across his face. “Or to make sure she’s not doing anything with Ledger? It’s her choice if she is.” The thought of them together pissed me the fuck off.

I gripped the side of my door so hard I could feel the metal digging into my skin. “I’m not going to let that happen.” He burst out laughing and got into his truck. “Damn, you’ve got it bad. Just don’t kill Maddox in the process.” “Can’t promise anything.” Getting into my car, I drove over to Callie’s. When I pulled up, there were cars lined up the street. Grabbing my baseball cap out of my backseat, I parked as far away as I could and stuck to the shadows. If Justin got word that I was there, he’d no doubt hunt me down. I wouldn’t be able to contain my anger if he tried to start something. I definitely wouldn’t be able to control myself if Ledger tried to touch Callie. There wasn’t anyone out front, but I could hear voices echoing from the back. Pulling my hat down low over my eyes, I walked inside and went straight to the stairs without anyone noticing me. The lights were dimmed and everyone was busy dancing. Thankfully, Kristen told me where Callie’s room was. I snuck up the stairs and down the hall to her bedroom. Her door was slightly cracked and when I peeked inside, I didn’t like what I saw.

Chapter 12

Callie The music blared below, making the pictures on my wall vibrate. Maddox walked around my room and then sat down with me on my bed. “Remember when we’d skate on your pond every winter?” he asked. Grinning broadly, I nodded toward one of the framed pictures on my dresser. “How could I forget? Those were some of the best times growing up. It sucked when you moved away.” We’d all changed so much. Maddox wasn’t a skinny runt anymore with bad acne. He was very good-looking with dark hair and striking blue eyes. “Yeah, it did.” Maddox glanced over at the picture of him and my brothers with me in the middle, all smiling at the camera. My house was in the background, a Cape Cod–style home with gray siding. I had so many good memories there. It

killed me when my parents sold it and decided to sail around the world. There were tons of pictures of them on my dresser, all in different countries. Right now they were on their way to New Zealand. I couldn’t wait to talk to them again. Lying back on my pillow, I clutched the newest edition of Physique to my chest. It was the one and only magazine every athlete dreamed of being in. Corey and Brant had been trying for years to get them to do a story on Justin. Maddox glanced around my room and took a swig of his beer. “Why did you leave the party so soon? Couldn’t find who you were looking for?” I waved him off. “Of course not. I was just walking through.” It was a lie. He saw right through me. “Uh-huh. You expect me to believe that?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He patted my ankle. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Callie. If you must know, Dallas wasn’t invited tonight. Justin made it clear he wasn’t welcome.” I had a feeling that was the case, but being Dallas, I figured he’d come anyway. I threw my arms up in the air. “I don’t care,

Maddox.” “Either way, you need to be careful around him. You’re a beautiful woman and just what he wants. There’s only one thing on his mind and he gets it often. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was cock deep in someone right now.” Pursing my lips, I glared right at him. “Sounds like someone else I know. I wouldn’t point fingers if I were you.” “Hey, the guy hates me so I’ll say whatever I want. You’re like a game to him. He’s not used to women saying no.” “Thanks for the concern, but you know I can take care of myself.” He snorted and got to his feet. “Don’t I know it. I watched you kick big Danny Jenkins in the balls when we were eight for pulling your hair. He cried the whole way home.” “And Dad was so proud of me.” I laughed. “He gave me a huge bowl of ice cream that night.” Maddox chuckled and walked to the door. “It’s a shame I only saw you guys at Christmas after that. I’m glad you moved down here with your brothers.” “Me, too.” He smiled one more time and walked out

the door. Things started getting rowdier downstairs so I got up and shut the door. The last thing I wanted was for one of the guys to find themselves into my room. Turning around, I headed straight back to my bed. “Didn’t know you were so close to Ledger.” Gasping, I jerked around and slapped a hand to my chest, my heart beating a million miles an hour. “Holy shit, you scared me.” Dallas stood by my door, his serious eyes glued to mine. “What the hell are you doing here?” He stepped inside and shut the door, locking it behind him. “Kristen said she talked to you and that she saw Maddox come in here.” It only took one second to recognize the look on his face; he was jealous. Good job, Kristen. It took all I had not to laugh. She played the situation just right. “Why does it matter if Maddox was in here?” His gaze darkened. “He’s worse than me, Callie. If anything, your brothers need to keep him away from you.” I shrugged. “They like him. Can’t say the same for you.” The muscles in his jaw clenched and he looked away. “What was he doing in here?” All kidding aside, I stared at him with the

most serious expression I could muster. “That’s none of your damn business, but if you must know, he asked if I wanted to have sex and I said yes. He’ll be back up here in a minute once he’s gotten some condoms. It might be best if you leave before he gets here.” It was as if something flipped inside of him and all hell broke loose. He reached for the doorknob and I jumped in front of him, spreading my arms across the door. The level of tension in the room spiked immensely. “Oh my God, what are you doing?” “I’m not going to let him use you like that,” he growled, his face so close to mine. My chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. “Why do you even care?” Sighing, he looked down at my lips and closed his eyes. “I don’t know. It’s a feeling I got when Kristen told me he was in here. I didn’t like it.” He stepped away from me, his fists clenched at his sides. “It’s your choice, Callie. I just don’t want to see you get fucked over.” If I moved away from the door, I could see him charging out of it straight to Maddox. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to trick him. “You have nothing to worry about, Dallas. Maddox isn’t going to fuck me over.”

His eyes blazed. “So you are with him?” I couldn’t contain my smile. “No. Want to know why?” He looked taken aback, his brows furrowed. “Why?” “Because he’s my cousin. Next time, don’t jump to conclusions. Makes you look like an ass.” I moved away from the door and he stood there, frozen in place. Grabbing my magazine off the edge of the bed, I marched over to my papasan chair and sat down. Dallas glanced at me over his shoulder but I pretended to be interested in my magazine. “I’m sorry, Callie. I shouldn’t have barged in like I did.” I shrugged. “Yeah, well, I’m kind of used to you hockey players acting like idiots.” He sighed. “I’m never going to make you see me differently, am I?” Huffing, I glared over at him. “This is your life, Dallas. You hear the music and the women giggling downstairs?” Jaw clenched, he nodded. “That’s what all you boys like. I gave it a go and went to one party,” I said, holding up a finger. “A party where you were about to fuck a girl you’d just met and ended up getting your head beat in.” Tossing my magazine back

onto the bed, I stood. The chagrined look on his face made my heart ache. I wanted to believe there was something more to him. “I was impressed with you at the hospital, but it doesn’t mean a thing. People don’t just change overnight.” He stepped toward me, his gaze more determined with each step. “I want to change, Callie. Don’t you see that?” “Why?” Closing the distance, his body towered over mine. I looked up at his face and held my breath, wishing like hell I could move away, but my feet refused to budge. His fingers grazed my cheek and then he tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear; I shivered in response. “I was hoping you’d help me figure that out.” Our bodies touched and I felt like I was on fire. Everything inside of me tingled with desire. His head dipped lower and my body still didn’t move. What the hell was wrong with me? Deep down, I already knew the reason. I just didn’t want to admit it to myself. Our lips connected and I froze, but then his warm hands cupped my face, melting me where I stood. The kiss was gentle and sweet, yet I

could feel the urgency behind it. Luckily he held back the flames I knew he could ignite within me. Sucking in a breath, I pulled away from the kiss, but his arms held me close. “This’ll never work,” I murmured. “I beg to differ. I already told you I’ll do anything to prove myself. I can do this if you’ll let me.” I moved out of his grasp, a sly smile spreading across my face. “We’ll see about that.” “Have something in mind?” he asked, lifting his brows. I nodded. “I do, but I don’t think you’ll do it.” He grinned. “We’ll see about that. When do you want this to happen?” Glancing over at the calendar on my wall, I saw there were two games in Nashville on Monday and Tuesday, then nothing for the rest of the week. A part of me wondered if he’d party with the guys and screw some random girl while he was gone. That was why I had to test him. “Soon. Just be prepared when you get back from Tennessee.” Footsteps pounded up the stairs and then a knock shook the door. “Cal, you okay?” It was

Justin. Heart racing, I pushed Dallas toward the balcony door. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I called out. “Want a beer or a glass of wine?” Justin asked. “A glass of wine would be great. Thanks.” Once his steps moved away from my door, I breathed a sigh of relief. Dallas chuckled. “Want me to hide in your closet?” Rolling my eyes, I pointed at the door. “No, it’s time for you to go. You can climb over the balcony and jump down. If you break a leg, it’ll be better than facing my brother and Maddox.” Stepping out onto the balcony, he gently kissed my cheek, not even caring I was making him climb down the side of my house. “Good night, angel. I’ll call you later.” He climbed over the railing and jumped down, disappearing into the night. I was in too deep and it was the most exciting thing I’d ever felt.

Chapter 13

Callie “These garlic knots are the best ever,” Hannah moaned, shoving one of the buttery rolls into her mouth. Closing her eyes, she sat back on the couch, savoring the taste. “Yes, they are.” Giggling, I ate the last bite of my baked ziti and turned on the TV. The house was quiet, since my brothers were gone. I wanted to hurry and eat so I could focus on the game. It was Monday and the Strikers were in Nashville. With my job, there was no way I could take off the time to go to every single game. Luckily, I could watch them on television. “You done with your food?” I asked, throwing a balled-up napkin at Hannah’s face. “Hey,” she said, opening her eyes. “Yes, I’m done.” Taking our plates, I set them in the sink and grabbed the half-drunk bottle of wine from the refrigerator. “Have you talked to Dallas today?” she asked as I came back into the living room.

That was an understatement, and I had Kristen to thank for it, since she was the one who gave him my number. My phone beeped just as I poured us both a glass of wine. “Speak of the devil.” I pulled out my phone and smiled. “The man is relentless.” I sat down and she moved closer to me so she could see the text. Dallas: Call you after the game. Wish me luck! Me: Good luck! <~?~insert smiley face> Dallas: Thanks, angel. Hannah nudged me in the side. “You are so blushing right now.” “What? No, I’m not,” I snapped, knowing very well I was. Pursing her lips, she grabbed her glass of wine. “Yes, you are. I love that he calls you angel. What are your brothers are going to say when they find out?” “There’s nothing going on right now. I’m waiting to see how this week goes.” “What if he goes along with the prank and proves you wrong? What then?” she asked curiously. I sipped my wine, my mind racing a thousand miles an hour. What was I going to

do if he proved me wrong? “He won’t,” I replied, not fully believing it. The game was about to start and the players all skated onto the ice. Dallas stopped at the goal and stretched, winking at the camera when the announcer called out his name. He was a man who obviously got everything he wanted. “However,” I stated, watching my brother skate around the ice, “it’ll be a shitstorm when Justin finds out. It’s a good thing I have you to smooth things over with Corey, at least. I couldn’t help but hear you two the other night.” It was her turn to blush. “That’s so embarrassing. I couldn’t help it. He’s just so . . .” I held up my hand. “Don’t want to know. I’ll make sure to sleep with earplugs in Thursday night when you see him. Soon I’ll be out of this house and you two can be as loud as you want.” She burst out laughing. “I’m really sorry.” Smiling, I waved her off. “I’ll warn Brant when he gets back to town.” He was still in Minnesota, visiting his longtime girlfriend. “Thanks,” she grumbled sarcastically. It was time to focus on the game. I wished I could be there, to hear the sound

of the ice as the guys skated across it. That was what I liked about playing hockey. It was also liberating. The energy and the quickness of the game was exhilarating. My mother wanted me to be a figure skater, and I did it for a while, but I preferred hockey in the end. If I’d had a sister, things would probably be different. However, growing up with all brothers, I wanted to be a part of their world. I constantly had to prove to them I could play hockey, much to my father’s dismay. He didn’t want me to get hurt. I was actually surprised I still had all my teeth playing with all the boys, especially with Justin and Maddox. Kellan had the puck and shot it over to Justin. You could barely see it since it moved so fast. “Shoot it in,” Hannah shouted anxiously. Justin took the shot and the goaltender stopped it. Now the other team had the puck and went straight for Dallas. Holding my breath, I waited for the player to shoot. When he did, Dallas blocked it like he did with all the other attempts. The man was incredibly skilled and fast. “No wonder the ladies love him.” I didn’t realize I’d said it out loud until Hannah patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry.

He’ll soon be all yours.” A part of me wished that was true, but the other warned me to stay away from him. I didn’t know what to do. “We’ll see.” The Strikers had won four to zero and I had no doubt they were all celebrating their victory. While they had fun, I took a shower and got ready for bed. I loved having a quiet house without my brothers around. Grabbing my laptop off my desk, I set it on my bed and crawled under the covers. Every night, I’d look for homes around the area, hoping I’d find one that stuck out. So far, there were only three, but I wasn’t in love with them. My phone rang and I was just about to answer it when I noticed it was a video call from Dallas. I was not expecting that, which was perfect. There was no makeup on my face and my hair was in a ponytail. Maybe he’d find me ugly and leave me alone? With a swipe of my finger, I waited for Dallas to appear on the screen. When he did, I couldn’t stop the shivers that ran up and down my arms. He was so cute in his baseball cap, his teeth perfectly white as he smiled at me. Judging by the wall background, he had to be in a hotel room. “Hey, angel.”

There were others talking in the background and I recognized Kristen’s and Kellan’s voices. It made me feel better knowing he was with them. “Hey, yourself,” I replied. “You did amazing tonight. Hannah and I watched the game.” He winked. “Thanks. I think everyone wants to say hello to you.” “Okay,” I said, and giggled. Braeden was right beside him on the couch. “Hi, Braeden.” “What’s up?” he said with a nod. Dallas then turned the phone to where Kellan and Kristen stood in the small kitchen. Kristen waved frantically and rushed over. “Hey, Callie.” “Hey, what are you up to?” She shrugged. “Just eating a late-night snack and watching the guys drink beer. It’s pretty low key tonight.” Kellan joined her and winked at me. “Remember what we talked about yesterday?” I tried my best not to smile. “Yes.” He cleared his throat and snuck a glance at Dallas. “It’s being taken care of. Kristen will call you with the details during your lunch.” “Perfect.” “All right, that’s enough,” Dallas cut in. “I

have no idea what you’re talking about so I’m taking her back.” He turned the camera back to himself and walked out the sliding doors onto the deck. It was dark outside, but I could still see his face from the illumination. “What did you talk to them about?” he asked curiously. Halfheartedly, I glared at him. “I don’t have to tell you everything.” He chuckled and sat down. “True. However, I do have to say you look mighty sexy in that bed of yours. What are you doing?” The blood rushed to my cheeks and to a few other places I didn’t want to mention. “I’m looking at houses and getting ready to go to bed.” “What area are you looking for houses?” I shrugged. “Somewhere around Belmont. Once Justin finds out I’ve been talking to you, I’ll need another place to stay. It’s either that or listen to him go on and on about how I need to stay away from you.” Dallas’s eyes twinkled. “If it gets bad, you can always stay in my guest house by the pool. If you didn’t want to see me, you wouldn’t have to.” For a second, I thought he was joking, but he regarded me seriously. “Why would you offer

me that? You barely know me. I could be a serial killer.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ll take my chances. Just know the offer stands for when you’re ready. It’d make life easier on me.” “I bet it would,” I said with a laugh. The idea was insane. There was no way I’d ever move in with him. “How many girls have you offered this to?” A few seconds ticked by as he stared at me with those gorgeous blue eyes of his. “None. You’re the only one.” My stomach fluttered and I honestly didn’t know how to feel. Clearing my throat, I ran a hand through my ponytail, trying desperately to think of something else to talk about. “I should . . . probably get to sleep,” I stuttered. “Work will be here before you know it.” “You working the ER or surgery tomorrow?” I was shocked he even paid attention to that when I told him at the hospital. “ER. I’m sure it’ll be a crazy day.” “Can I call you during your lunch? Or are you getting tired of me?” he wondered. I shook my head. “I think it should be me asking you that question. You’re the one who gets bored easily.”

His smile faded. “I don’t feel that way with you. When I get back into town, we need to find a compromise. You willing to do that?” “What do you have in mind?” “You’ll see,” he said, lips pulling back slyly. “We can talk about it when I get home. That is . . . if you’re up for it.” I wasn’t about to give in just yet. “Good night, Dallas.” He chuckled. “Good night, angel.”

Chapter 14

Dallas “Strip bar tonight, boys?” Maddox shouted, waving toward the door. We’d just gotten a few drinks from the hotel bar in celebration of our second win against Nashville. I was on point all night until one of those fuckers got a puck past me. All the guys headed out of the hotel to the street where just five blocks up the road was Slick Sally’s. Kellan and Kristen waved at us before hopping onto the elevator to go back to their room. Braeden elbowed me in the side. “Want to go with the guys?” I shook my head. “Nah. Not in the mood for that shit. I’m just going to head up to my room.” With a smile, he slapped me on the back. “Say hey to Callie for me. I’ve got to say, you’re playing with fire.” “I like the heat,” I joked. We both rode the elevator up to our floor and Kristen was by my

door, eating a bowl of popcorn and wearing a long pink maternity nightgown. I could smell the popcorn from all the way down the hall. “What are you doing?” She peered down at her bowl. “Oh, I don’t know, checking up on you.” Her serious gaze met mine. “Why didn’t you go with the others?” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Wasn’t interested. Why?” She shrugged. “Just curious. I may be your friend, but I’m also Callie’s, too. If you two decide to get serious, I can’t allow you to screw her over. I won’t lie to protect you.” “I would never ask you to do that.” Breathing a sigh of relief, she wrapped her arms around my neck. “Thank God. You have no idea how much better this makes me feel.” I hugged her back. “You have nothing to worry about. Now go back to your room. I told Callie I’d call her tonight.” She kissed my cheek and chowed down on her popcorn the whole way to the elevator. Once in my room, I sat down on the bed and was about to call Callie when my phone rang. “Ty,” I answered, “what’s up?” “Oh, just looking at pictures of you on the Internet. You know, I thought the ones with

Callie Davis at the game were just a coincidence, but I’m starting to believe otherwise.” “What are you talking about?” He huffed. “I’ll text them to you.” A few seconds later, the pictures came through. They were of me, dressed like Jack the Jaguar at the hospital, and in the parking lot with Callie when I was done. “Why do you sound pissed about them?” “Are you serious?” he snapped. “You can’t get involved with someone right now. It’s bad for the show. You need to be available in all aspects.” “No one even knows about it. And who cares? If they have to find someone else, then so be it.” I didn’t give a shit about being on the show right now. Yeah, they wanted to follow me around during the playoffs before the Stanley Cup, but they could always find someone else. I was pretty sure Maddox would be game. “You don’t mean that. You’re getting five million dollars to be on it. You’d be stupid to throw away that much money. Not to mention, if you break your contract, you owe them money. If you want to fuck the girl, then do it out of the public’s eye.” He huffed. “Damn, I

thought you were smarter than this.” “All right, I’m done here,” I growled. “I’m going to do whatever I want and there’s nothing you or anyone else can do to stop me.” Shaking with rage, I hung up and blew out a heavy breath. If that cocksucker was right in front of me, I’d have punched the shit out of him. Grabbing a beer from the refrigerator, I chugged it down and climbed on top of the bed. I found Callie’s name on my phone and waited to see her beautiful face on my screen. “Hello,” she said, greeting me with that lovely smile of hers. The anger I felt moments ago slipped away. Blond hair in waves to the side and with no hint of makeup, she was the epitome of stunning. “How are you?” Her face brightened. “Good. You? I watched the game. You guys killed it.” “Thanks. I let one slip past me, though.” She waved it off dismissively. “Can’t always be perfect. I seem to recall me getting a puck or two past you,” she stated with a wink. “It’ll happen from time to time. You just got to keep on going.” Easier said than done. I always put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best. It was in my blood.

“How was work?” I asked. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair. “Crazy. We had a guy come in with a piece of wood stuck through his eye.” I cringed. “Ouch. Wouldn’t want to be him.” She shivered. “Me, either. But you wouldn’t believe the kind of things we see. One time there was a guy who had a curtain rod stuck up his ass. He couldn’t get it out. His mother had to bring him.” “Holy shit,” I said, laughing. “That’s insane.” She giggled, and it was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. “Yes, it was. Now imagine trying to ask this guy questions without cracking up. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do.” We both laughed, and I watched her settle under her covers. I wished like hell I could be there, lying with her. “I don’t think you ever told me what gave you that scar,” she said, glancing at the jagged line above my right eye. I reached up and touched it. “I was being stupid.” “No, really?” she blurted sarcastically. “Not you.” Chuckling, I flipped her off. “Me and some of the guys had a few beers and decided on a hockey game. None of us wore our pads or masks. My dumb ass thought it’d be fun to

stand in the goal. I’d never been so wrong in my life when the puck hit me square above the eye, knocking me out.” Gasping, she slapped a hand over her mouth. “What an idiot. You were a dumbass.” “Thanks.” I laughed. “Needless to say, I didn’t do it ever again.” “I’d hope not.” “What about you? Ever do anything stupid?” I asked. Brows furrowed, she closed her eyes in concentration. “Let me think.” Then her eyes burst open. “Here we go. I jumped off a bridge in Vermont. There were huge rocks all around at the bottom, and if you didn’t land in the right spot, you were done. As you can see, I survived.” “Wow, I’m impressed. I’ve never really visited Vermont. Is it nice?” “Oh yes. It’s so beautiful. Not to mention the Ben & Jerry’s factory is up there. They have a gazillion flavors that we don’t have down here.” She named all of her favorite flavors and I watched her in fascination. I’d never talked to a woman who was so comfortable with herself. Hell, I never really had time to talk to them. It was always straight to the bedroom and that

was it. “I’m not boring you, am I?” Callie asked, drawing me out of my thoughts. I shook my head. “Of course not. I love hearing you talk. You have a sexy voice.” Her cheeks reddened. “Thanks.” I looked over at the nightstand at my plane ticket and then back to her. “Our flight leaves early in the morning and then I have practice for a while. Afterward, I was thinking maybe I could see you?” She bit her lip. “Don’t know yet. It all depends.” “On what?” She shrugged, her eyes gleaming mischievously. “Lots of things. But I’ll let you know if I can.” I had a strange feeling she was up to something. “So what are all the guys doing tonight?” “They went to a strip club,” I answered. “Oh, and you didn’t want to go with them?” “I’m not interested in that. I wanted to come up here and talk to you.” Her gaze narrowed. “Will you be joining them afterward?” I lay back in bed. “Nope. Thought I’d stay here. If you want, we can talk all night. I’m

down if you are.” “As much as I’d like that,” she said, grinning wide, “I have to be on my toes tomorrow at work. Can’t do that if I’m sleep deprived.” “I understand. I should probably let you get to bed. It’s getting late.” She nodded. “Good idea.” “Sweet dreams, angel.” “Good night, Dallas.” She ended the call and I sat back on my bed, wondering what the hell I was doing. I didn’t know how to be in a relationship, and for the first time in my life, I wanted to be in one. I was falling hard for Callie Davis. Me: Have a good day at work. Callie: Thanks! I’ll try! Have fun at practice. :) “Damn, man. Do you realize you’ve texted her a thousand times since we got back?” Braeden shook his head and chuckled. Rolling my eyes, I slipped my phone back into my pocket. “More like twice, asshole.” We were already back in Charlotte and on our way inside the rink for practice. Some of the other guys stumbled in, obviously exhausted from their night at Slick Sally’s. “Missed a good time last night, Easton,”

Maddox called out. I glanced behind me at him and Justin walking through the door. It was the first time I’d noticed the family resemblance. “Why didn’t you join us?” Thoughts of Callie ran through my mind. “Had better things to do. Besides, I wasn’t in the mood for crabs.” Maddox’s smile flattened and I chuckled. I’d known too many men who’d gone to that strip club and came back with more than they’d bargained for. Callie was the reason I didn’t want to go, but I respected her enough not to let them know just yet, even if I wanted to throw it up in their faces. Braeden nudged me in the arm as we walked into the locker room. “What do you want to bet Maddox goes into the shower to shave off all his pubic hair?” “I’d die laughing.” I followed him into the locker room and he froze when he turned the corner, his wideeyed gaze fixed on something. “You’re not the only one who’s going to die laughing.” Kellan slapped me on the back and pushed me forward. “What the hell’s going on?” I demanded. Once around the corner, I saw what Braeden was looking at. My locker was devoid of my pads and uniform, and in its

place was a bright pink bikini. “Seriously?” Kellan burst out laughing. “It’s your choice, brother. Women can be difficult sometimes.” Dropping my bag, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Callie probably expected me to choose my pride over humiliation. Little did she know I was about to prove her wrong. Taking off my clothes, I grabbed the bikini. “Here we go.”

Chapter 15

Callie “Think he did it?” Hannah asked, trying her best to keep up with me. Picking up my pace, I hurried down the hall. “Don’t know, but I’m dying to find out.” On my surgery days, I couldn’t carry my phone with me into the operating room. The suspense had killed me all morning. When we got to the locker room, we grabbed our phones and headed into the break room. The cardiothoracic surgeon I worked for, Dr. Robert Sands, was already at the table eating his lasagna and salad. He was in his midforties with graying dark hair and wrinkles around his eyes from smiling so much. It was one of the things I liked about him. He was also married to a restaurant owner who always packed him way too much food. “Hello, ladies,” he said. “Hope you’re hungry. Got plenty here.” My stomach growled. “Your wife is amazing.

Please tell her thank you for me. I’m starving.” He chuckled. “She’ll be happy to hear it.” I loaded up my plate and Hannah scooted closer, clapping her hands impatiently. “We can eat in a minute. Let’s see if you got a message.” Robert looked at us like we were crazy and went back to eating his food. Pulling out my phone, I saw I had two missed calls from my parents, one text from Kristen, and a voice mail. As much as I wanted to check the text, I listened to the voice mail first. “Hey, honey. Your father and I wanted to catch you before we got back on the boat tomorrow. Call us back. We miss you and love you.” “Was it him?” Hannah asked impatiently. I shook my head and laughed. “It was my parents. I have to call them back before they get back on the ocean.” Robert finished his food and stretched. “They still cruising around?” “Yep. They’ve been dying to do it all their lives. It was the one thing they looked forward to when my brothers and I moved out of the house.” They deserved it, too, after working nonstop for most of their lives and rarely getting a break. They never got to do anything

for themselves. Robert sighed. “One day I hope to be free like that. Got a long way to go.” “Don’t we all,” Hannah cut in with a laugh. She nudged me in the side and glared down at my phone. In a way, I was nervous to look at my texts. If Dallas didn’t wear the bikini, then I had no choice but to let him go. A huge part of me didn’t want to do that, but the other part knew it’d be best. Taking a deep breath, I opened Kristen’s text: Take a look at this . . . She’d attached a video clip. I pressed the play button and held my breath as she appeared on the screen. Her red hair was pulled high in a ponytail and she had the goofiest grin on her face. “Hello, my darlin’. I’m here at the rink, as you can tell by the loud shouting going on behind me.” I could hear the guys yelling and the sound of their skates slicing across ice. “I thought you’d want to see what’s going on. Apparently there are others who are enjoying the show as well.” She turned the camera to a couple of onlookers who couldn’t contain their laughs as they filmed something on the ice. Then she pointed the camera toward the ice. “Oh my God,” I squealed, slapping a hand

over my mouth. “He actually did it.” Robert and Hannah both jumped up from their seats and stood behind me. Hannah burst out laughing as we all three watched Dallas warm up in the bikini. He wasn’t in the goal, but out on the ice, skating around while someone else took the net. All the others were in their gear, while Dallas’s ass cheeks were bare to the world, and his front . . . I couldn’t even begin to describe how much I loved looking at the front of his body. No wonder women loved him. “Is there a reason we’re watching a man skate around in a bikini?” Robert asked curiously. Hannah giggled. “Callie made him do it. Now she has to go out with him.” Robert grabbed his plate and threw it away. “He must really like you to do that,” he said to me. “Not many men would.” “Would you for your wife?” I asked. He stopped at the door and said, “In a heartbeat,” before walking out with a smile. Hannah shook my shoulders. “This is so awesome. I wonder what your brothers are going to say about this. They hate him.” Groaning, I sat back in my chair. “I know.

And right now, I don’t. Not even a little bit.” Every day, I fell for him more and more. “I hope you’re seeing this,” Kristen explained, zooming in on Dallas’s groin. “Don’t get me wrong, Dallas isn’t bashful, but it takes a lot of guts to skate around with your dick almost hanging out. It’s kind of dangerous around all the sharp blades.” Hannah and I both choked on our laughs. “All right, boys, let’s get to work,” Coach Carlisle shouted. Kristen zoomed back out and Dallas headed her way with the biggest and most triumphant smile I’d ever seen on his face. Coach Carlisle blew his whistle. “That means you, Easton. Take that shit off.” Dallas lifted his stick. “Will do, Coach!” He stopped at the wall and looked right into the camera while Kristen snickered in the background. “I did it, Callie. I made a fool of myself, just for you.” He winked. “See ya after practice.” He quickly skated off the ice, giving me a wonderful view of his backside. “There you have it,” Kristen said, turning the camera back to her face, her smile melting to something more serious. “He’s obviously not going to give up on you. I know Dallas can be a pain and do stupid things sometimes, but I watched him in Nashville. He really likes

you. Just give him a chance. I’ll talk to you later.” “What are you going to do?” Hannah asked. I looked up at her, a huge smile stretched across my face. “Something I probably shouldn’t.” By the end of my shift, I half expected to see a text from Dallas, but I didn’t. I changed out of my clothes and waited for Hannah to do the same. “Why don’t you call him?” she asked. “He’s probably waiting for you.” In a way, I was too nervous to. I hadn’t been nervous around him until after I saw what he was willing to do to get to me. “I’ll call him when I get in my car.” Once we were clocked out, we headed out to the parking lot. The sun was still out, which meant the days were getting longer. I loved having more daylight. Looking up at the clear blue sky, I breathed in the cool evening air. “Um . . . Callie?” “Yeah?” “I don’t think you’ll have to call him. Might want to look at your car.” Jerking my head down, I searched for my car, and right beside it was Dallas, dressed in a fitted green T-shirt and jeans, leaning against his red sports car with his eyes right on me.

Heart racing, I blew out a shaky breath. “He’s here.” “Yep, and now you’re his. Good luck. I’ll be with your brother if you need me.” She patted me on the back and winked before hurrying to her car. “How did you like the show?” he asked as I drew closer. I couldn’t contain my smile. “Very interesting. I think pink’s your color.” Chuckling, he held out his arms. “Have I proven myself yet?” Stopping in front of him, I leaned against my car. “I think you have.” “Good. Then you and I are hanging out at my place tonight. You can follow me over there.” He opened his door, but I grabbed his wrist. “Just so we’re clear, I’m not jumping into bed with you. I may have agreed to do this, but we move at my own pace, got it?” He sighed, his smile fading. “I’m not going to push you into anything, angel. I didn’t agree to humiliate myself and my pride just to have sex with you.” I motioned for him to get into his car. “Lead the way, then.”

On the way, I wasn’t surprised to get a call from a certain brother. “Hey, Justin,” I answered. “Hey. You off work already?” “Yep. Just got in my car.” “Want to meet me and Maddox for dinner?” “I wish I could, but I have plans. I’ll see you at home later.” “Okay, but I have a question first,” he said. Sucking in a breath, I waited for him to say he was on to Dallas and me. I was the only one from back home who knew about the bikini prank. “Did you have Kellan put the bikini in Easton’s locker to get him back? Because let me tell you, that shit was hilarious.” “Oh yeah,” I answered, laughing nervously. “That was me.” “Thought so. The guys gave him hell all day. It’s about time someone gave him shit.” “Yep,” was all I could say. I couldn’t imagine what all they said to him. “Rain check for dinner?” “You got it. I know Maddox wants to spend more time with you. He’s hoping you have some single friends you could hook him up with.” I rolled my eyes. “That doesn’t surprise me

at all. I’ll see what I can do.” We hung up and it wasn’t long before we arrived at Dallas’s. The Tudor-style home on the lake was two and a half stories. The outside was covered in brick and stone, making it look as if it was built in the Old World. He pulled around the circular driveway into one of the empty garage spaces, while I parked just outside, admiring the house. “You okay?” he called out. “Yeah,” I gasped. “Just loving your house. It’s amazing.” I walked into the garage and he took my hand. My whole body shivered and I loved it. “Is it not what you expected?” “Not at all,” I said. “In my mind, I pictured a much smaller bachelor pad with beer cans everywhere.” We walked into the house to the perfectly cleaned kitchen with swirling gray marble countertops. “Definitely not something like this.” “Want to take a tour?” “Yes!” He walked me through the house and it felt like I was whisked away back in time. He even had his own little movie theater and game room. “You don’t have to go anywhere for fun. You have everything here,” I joked. “True, but I’ve never had a reason to stick

around. With games, practices, and parties, there’s just not much time.” Still holding my hand, he took me outside to the pool and moved two lounge chairs together. I sat down on one and he took the other. The view of the lake was breathtaking. “I would make time if I had this house,” I breathed, leaning back in the chair. “It’s so beautiful.” “Maybe I’ll be able to spend more time here now that you’re mine. I mean, we can’t exactly hang out at your place, can we?” I snorted. “Not exactly. And who says I’m yours?” I glanced over at him and his grin widened. “Me.” Hearing him say it made everything inside of me tighten. I’d never really belonged to anyone before. “Do your brothers even know that we talk?” I shook my head. “Not yet. I spoke to Justin on the way over here. He knows it was my idea for the bikini prank, but I think he believes it was just a prank. Not a test.” “When are you going to tell him?” he asked curiously. He stared right into my eyes and I stared back. “Do you even want me to? I figured a guy like you would want to keep a relationship

under wraps. Wouldn’t want to hurt your reputation with the women.” It came out as a joke, and was supposed to sound like one, but obviously I didn’t do a good job from the glare Dallas gave me. “Really? That’s what you think?” I shrugged. “I don’t know. If we go public, it’s going to piss off my brothers and probably cause a media frenzy. Also, if things don’t work out, I don’t want to be portrayed as the idiot who thought she could tame the infamous bad boy Dallas Easton. That’s not what I want at all.” “So you don’t want to tame me?” he asked, his humor coming back. “I already know guys like you can’t be tamed. The good thing is, neither can I.” “Oh yeah?” Turning his body to face me, he grabbed my legs and swung me around to face him. “What do you say we make a bet? If you win, we keep things between us under wraps. But if I win, you forget about my past and we start over. No more secrets from your brothers or the world.” Groaning, I closed my eyes, squeezing them tight. “What do I have to do?” “Simple. We take it to the ice. If you can get at least three out of five pucks past me, you

win. If not, I do.” He held out his hand. “Deal?” It wasn’t in my blood to back down. Taking his hand, I squeezed it as tight as I could. “Deal. We play tomorrow night.” I’d done it before and I could do it again.

Chapter 16

Dallas “I can’t believe she agreed to this.” Braeden chuckled and shook his head. Practice was already over and everyone was gone for the night. Kellan had just finished clearing the ice, making it smooth and glassy for our shootout. Stretching my arms over my head, I cracked my neck from side to side. “She’s a firecracker.” Braeden leaned down on the side wall, resting on his elbows. “Didn’t she go over to your house last night?” The front door of the rink slid open and Callie walked in, carrying a bag over her shoulders, with Kristen by her side, both grinning mischievously. Callie still had on a pair of pink scrubs with her golden hair down in waves past her shoulders. She really did look like an angel. “Yep, and she left right after I called for the bet. The woman’s seriously going to drive me crazy.” In more ways than

one. I wanted her more than I’d wanted anyone in my life. Braeden slapped me on the back. “Better you than me, man.” Callie walked up and smiled at Braeden while Kristen winked at me. “Have fun.” “Ready for this?” Callie asked. “If you’re afraid, you can always forfeit.” I held out my arms. “Bring it on, baby.” My pads were all on and I was ready to go. “All right, I’ll be back.” She walked around the edge of the rink to the back hallway. Braeden smacked a hand on the wall. “I’m heading out. Let me know how it goes.” “Will do.” He walked out the door, leaving me alone with Kristen. “Think you can lock up on your way out? As much as I want to watch you two in action, I really want to get home and into bed.” “Of course.” Kellan turned out the office light and joined us, putting his arm protectively around her shoulders. He set the keys on the wall in front of me. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.” They walked out the door and I skated around the ice. When I turned around and caught sight of Callie, I thought I’d lost my

mind. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and then opened them back up. Nope, she was still there . . . dressed in a blue fucking bikini. “What the hell are you doing?” I called out. She skated around me, her bare body so close I wished I could touch her. Her nipples peaked through the fabric of her top and I wanted to taste them so fucking bad. “Is everything okay?” she asked, her voice sexy and soft. My dick twitched. “That’s why you came in with a huge grin, isn’t it? You thought you could distract me by flashing that gorgeous body of yours.” She bit her lip. “Is it working?” “Why don’t you come closer and find out?” Giggling, she skated away and fetched her stick and a puck. “Sorry, but I can’t let you distract me. Got to keep my head in the game.” I skated to the goal and put on my mask. “Let’s get started then. The sooner we begin, the sooner I win.” With a sly grin, she stretched her arms over her head, poking her breasts out. “Whatever you say.” The confidence Callie exuded was such a fucking turn-on. I’d never met a woman who was sexy as hell and could play hockey. Not to

mention, give me a run for my money. “Five shots is all you got,” I shouted. “Get three in and you win.” She waved me off as she circled around the puck. “Stay focused,” I whispered to myself. It was hard to do that with my dick begging to be set free. He wanted what I couldn’t have . . . at least, not yet. Tapping the puck with her skate, it slid across the ice as she skated toward me. Her stick handling was smooth and precise as she focused on me. The second our eyes met, I knew it was a mistake. A man could get lost in those eyes of hers, and I sure as hell did. She took the shot and it went right between my legs. “Really, Dallas? That was an easy one to stop.” I shrugged. “Got distracted. It won’t happen again.” She snickered. “We’ll see about that.” Lifting the puck with her stick, she popped it up in the air, bouncing it up and down as she skated toward me. Heart pounding, I watched that puck like a hawk. There was no way in hell I was letting it past me. The second it landed on the ice, she reared back and slammed it as hard as she could, only I was there to stop it.

“Nice try, angel,” I shouted triumphantly, tossing the puck out of my glove. She skated by me, showering me with ice when she stopped to get the puck. “I still have three more tries.” I burst out laughing. “Good luck.” She tried again and failed, her smile steadily disappearing when I blocked the goal. “Just two more, angel.” I passed the puck back to her. I watched her take a deep breath and close her eyes. As far as her usual tricks, she was limited to what she could do in a bikini. She couldn’t ram into me without getting hurt. The closer she got, I focused on the puck. But then she tripped and I watched her fall to the ice, her scream echoing in my ears. “Callie!” Ripping off my glove, I dropped my stick and raced over to her. I couldn’t see her face as she lay on the ice. “I’m here,” I murmured, gently grabbing her around the waist to pull her up. I didn’t know what to expect when I looked at her face, but I definitely didn’t anticipate a smile. “Gotcha!” she squealed, jerking out of my hold. She rushed to the goal and slammed the puck into the net. As she lifted her arms triumphantly in the air, I couldn’t help but

notice the bruising on her hip. She took a nasty fall just to trick me into leaving the goal. A protective yet angry feeling washed over me, and I didn’t like it. Her smile faded as she skated up to me. “What’s wrong? I thought you’d laugh.” Grabbing her wrist, I pulled her closer so I could touch her hip. She hissed at the contact. “You’re hurt. Why would you do that?” She shrugged, her eyes searching mine. “You know I have my tricks. It’s the only way I can beat you.” I wasn’t about to let her hurt herself again. Huffing, I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Not like this. I forfeit. All I wanted was a fresh start with you, but if you can’t, that’s fine. I just hope one day you can. I’m not going to let you hurt yourself just to prove a point.” I slowly let go of her wrist, but she made no effort to leave. Instead, she took my hands and looked straight into my eyes. I wanted her to see that I was serious, that for the first time in my life, I cared. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t realize it’d make you that upset.” “Getting what I want isn’t worth watching you get hurt. I’d rather be the one to suffer.” Her lip trembled, but then she bit it and

looked away. “You’ve surprised me tonight. I wasn’t expecting it.” She shivered from the cold and I put my arm around her. “Come on, let’s go.” I walked her to the ladies’ locker room and then went to change in mine. She stood by the rink, her eyes on the ice, as she waited for me. When she heard me approach, she turned around, her lips pulling back in a sad smile. “Make sure to ice your hip when you get home,” I told her. Nodding, she wrapped her arms around my waist. Pulse racing, I held her back. I’d been dying to hold her in my arms. “I will.” “Don’t let your brothers see the bruise. They’ll ask questions.” “It doesn’t matter. I’m going to tell them everything.” Holding her arms, I pulled her back. “What?” She smiled up at me. “I’m going to tell them about you and me.” “Why?” She glanced out at the ice and then back to me. “You let me see a side of you I didn’t know you had. I felt safe and protected. I could see the concern in your eyes when you knew I was

hurt.” Bringing her hands up to my face, she pulled me down, her lips so close to mine. “I don’t want to hide from my brothers anymore, or anyone for that matter. I’m agreeing to start fresh.” “You sure?” I held her close, loving the way she smelled like raspberries. All I wanted to do was kiss her. When the word “yes” escaped her lips, I didn’t waste any time. I kissed her, sliding my tongue against hers. She tasted amazing, and all I could think about was wanting more. My fingers ached to touch her breasts, to squeeze her thighs as I spread her wide beneath me. There were so many things I wanted, but it wasn’t the right time. We broke the kiss, our breath coming out in rapid pants. “When do you want everyone to know?” I asked. She grinned wide. “Tomorrow. That is, if you’re ready to face the wrath.” Putting my arm around her, I walked her to the door. “I’ll be at your house at six.”

Chapter 17

Callie To soften the blow to my brothers, I got up early the next morning to cook them breakfast. It was Saturday and I didn’t have to work and Justin didn’t have a game. My hip hurt like a beast, but I’d been hurt worse before. Brant was still out of town so I didn’t have to worry about him just yet. He was always the one who supported me no matter what I chose to do in life. When I began playing hockey, he was the one who toughened me up by hitting me as hard as he could on the ice. Justin and Corey always wanted to protect me. I’d just finished frying the bacon when Corey appeared in the kitchen. “Smells good, Cal.” He looked over my shoulder at the feast I had laid out on the counter. “You haven’t cooked like this in months.” I held up a plate and he took it. “Dig in. I figured since it’s Saturday and we’re all free, I could do something nice.”

He loaded up his plate and sat at the table, stuffing his mouth full of bacon. “Thanks, Cal. Hannah should be down soon.” I piled a load of eggs and bacon onto my plate and joined him. “You two are getting pretty serious, huh?” Looking down at his food, his lips pulled back into a grin. “We are. I really like her.” “I’m glad. She deserves a good guy.” “Hey,” Hannah announced, walking into the kitchen with one of Corey’s T-shirts on. I waved at her and pointed at the food. “Grab a plate and join us.” She served herself and sat beside Corey, practically glowing as they smiled at each other. I heard steps coming up from the basement and my pulse quickened. Justin was finally done with his morning workout, which meant it was almost show time. The door to the basement opened and he walked in, dripping from head to toe with sweat. He wiped his head off on his towel and slung it over his shoulders. “Good morning,” he said, surveying the food. “I’m starved.” My stomach clenched and I forced down the rest of my eggs. I knew my brothers weren’t going to like me being with Dallas, and that was fine. It was their reaction I wasn’t looking

forward to. Justin sat beside me and chowed down on his pile of eggs, bacon, and toast. “Maddox is having a small party at his house. You guys want to come?” Justin asked. Corey and Hannah looked at each other and both nodded. I could see the excitement on Hannah’s face and it made me smile. “What about you, sis?” Justin nudged me in the side and I hissed in pain, realizing my mistake the second I did it. The room fell silent and they all stared at me. Justin looked down at my waist and his eyes widened. There was a sliver of skin showing between my T-shirt and pajama pants, and there in plain sight was the blue and purple bruise. “What the hell is that?” Justin snapped, lifting the hem of my shirt so he could see it. Corey stood and looked over the table at it. “Damn, Callie. What’d you do?” Hannah already knew because I told her on the phone when I was on my way home from the rink. She sat back and kept quiet. Grabbing my plate, I got up and moved to the sink. “It’s no big deal. I fell at the rink last night.” “You fell?” Justin repeated incredulously. “What were you doing there in the first place?” Clearing my throat, I turned around and

faced him and Corey. “I was there with Dallas.” There was no sense in delaying the blow. The tension in the room skyrocketed. Justin’s gaze narrowed. “Dallas. As in Dallas Easton?” “Yes. I was there with him. We had a shootout.” Justin jumped to his feet, a murderous glare in his eyes. “That bastard hurt you? I’m gonna kill him.” He stormed to the kitchen door and Corey followed, but I stopped them. “He didn’t hurt me. I fell intentionally so he’d leave the goal to help me. It was self-inflicted, I promise.” Justin snorted in disgust and sat back at the table. “Why would you even do that?” I shrugged. “To win. We’d made a bet.” Justin’s jaw clenched but Corey was the one who spoke up. “What was the bet?” Licking my dry lips, I sat down and faced them. “That if he won, I’d have to tell everyone the truth about us and give him a chance to redeem himself. But if I did, then I could keep it a secret.” Huffing, Justin ran a hand angrily down his face. “Please tell me this is a joke. You can’t get involved with him. He’s a fucking scumbag.”

I held my head high. “I think you’re wrong. Yes, he’s made mistakes, but haven’t we all? You and Maddox have your fair share of women, but I don’t think any less of you.” “We’re different,” he growled. I shook my head. “No, you’re not. That’s why I’m telling you both this now.” Taking a deep breath, I glanced back and forth at them. “Dallas and I are going to start seeing each other. The last thing I want is to keep secrets from my family. He’s picking me up tonight if you have anything to say to him.” Justin slammed his fist on the table and stood. “I won’t be here. If I see him it won’t be good.” He stormed out of the room, his steps pounding against the stairs. With a heavy sigh, I looked over at Corey. “Anything to say?” He glanced at Hannah. “Did you know about this?” Biting her lip, she nodded. “I’m her best friend.” Corey blew out a huff and took his empty plate to the sink. “I can’t tell you what to do, but I can tell you to be careful.” He crossed his arms over his chest and faced me. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Dallas has a reputation, and not a good one.”

I nodded. “I know. But I’m a firm believer that people can change.” “I think it’s awesome,” Hannah stated happily. “You should’ve seen Dallas at the hospital dressed like Jack the Jaguar. He was so good with the kids.” Corey’s eyes widened. “He came to the hospital?” I nodded. “He did. I’ve been talking to him all week. I really like him.” “Just because you like him doesn’t mean he’s a changed man.” Placing his hands on my shoulders, I could see the seriousness in his gaze. “If he hurts you, I’ll break his legs. Got it? Feel free to warn him.” I hugged him. “I will. Thanks for being semi understanding.” Once he and Hannah retreated back up to his room, I pulled out my phone. If Dallas was going to come over, he had to be prepared for anything. I waited in the living room for Dallas to show up. Justin, Corey, and Hannah had all left to head over to Maddox’s house. I hated that Dallas and I couldn’t go. I missed hanging out with Maddox. He was always so fun to be around. It killed me that there was bad blood between my family and Dallas.

The doorbell rang and I opened the door. With his ruggedly sexy smile, Dallas stood there, dressed immaculately in a pair of jeans and a pale blue polo shirt that matched the color of his eyes. “Hey.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside for a kiss. He kissed me again. “Hey, yourself. I take it you’re here alone?” “Yep. Justin was afraid he’d kill you. So he, Corey, and Hannah all left to go to Maddox’s house.” “If you want to go, you can. I can always pick you up later,” he offered sincerely. I grabbed his hands. “No, it’s okay, I promise. I just really want my family to get along with you someday. They mean a lot to me.” He squeezed my hands. “I know. That’s why I’m going to try my best not to be a dick. It’s hard when we’re on the ice.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s all that testosterone overload. To be honest, women are the same, only with estrogen. There are a few nurses at the hospital who drive me insane. Unfortunately, I can’t do anything about it.” He smiled and it made everything inside of

me tighten. Every time he touched me, tingles spread through my body. It was a feeling I hoped never went away. “What do you want to do tonight? I’m down for anything.” “Since this is our first official date, we can go out to eat.” His brows lifted. “You want to go out in public?” “Is that okay?” He pulled me close and I breathed him in. “Of course. I didn’t think you’d want to so soon.” I shrugged. “Might as well. Everyone’s going to find out sooner or later.” His lips closed over mine and I could feel the heat inside of him. I had a feeling he wanted to let go, but he held back . . . just like I did. “What do you want to do after dinner?” “We could always go back to your place and watch a movie. I mean, you do have your own private movie theater.” He chuckled. “You’re right, I do. I think that sounds like a plan.” Grabbing my purse off of the couch, I locked up the house and we were on our way in his little sports car. “Where do you want to go?” he asked. My stomach growled. “How about the

steakhouse beside Sammy’s? They have the best sweet potato fries and chocolate cake.” He burst out laughing. “Please tell me that’s not all you’re going to eat.” I smacked his arm. “Of course, not. I love their steak, too, silly.” We arrived at the restaurant and the second we walked in, everyone recognized him, especially, the bright-eyed hostess who couldn’t stop staring at him. “Table for two?” she asked, speaking only to him. “Please,” he replied, taking my hand. She showed us to our table and we sat down. I really wanted to say something about the hostess gawking at him, but I didn’t want to appear jealous. I’d agreed we were starting from the beginning, and that meant not bringing up his past with women, especially since he made no effort to pay attention to her. I looked over the menu, already knowing what I wanted: steak, asparagus, sweet potato fries, and salad. “What exactly did your brothers say when you told them about us?” Clearing my throat, I set my menu aside. “Well . . . Justin said it wouldn’t be good and then he stormed out of the kitchen. Corey, on the other hand, said he’d break both of your legs if you hurt me. I’d take his warning

seriously if I were you.” Chuckling, Dallas placed a hand over mine. “I think I’ll be fine. I guess I’ll see how Justin is on Monday at practice.” “Whatever you do, go easy on him. He has a hot temper and so does Maddox. If you start something, they’ll both go after you.” “I won’t do anything stupid,” he promised me. The waiter came over and took our orders and then brought Dallas his gin and tonic and my glass of Riesling. “I just realized I don’t know much about you other than you’re from Maine. Is your family still up there?” He took a swig of his drink and nodded. “My parents own a skate shop up there right outside of Bangor. Hockey’s really big in our town.” “Same in Minnesota.” “I also have two sisters,” he added. “Maggie is married with a newborn and Lacey is in her last year of medical school. She’s coming to stay with me during spring break. I’d love for you to meet her.” “I’d love to.” Excitement bubbled in my veins. With her being in the medical field, we’d have a lot in common.

His face brightened. “Good. Maybe you’d like to keep her company during the games? I don’t want her to be alone.” “I’d be happy to.” Our food came, and the first thing I did was chow down on my sweet potato fries. Dallas held back a laugh as he watched me. “You and Lacey will get along great. Maybe one day your brothers and I can tolerate each other. I have a feeling Maddox is part of the problem.” I swallowed a bite of my steak. “Why does my cousin hate you so much?” He shrugged. “He’s always been a pain in the ass. He wanted to be captain and got pissed when Kellan was named. With Kellan being one of my friends, I sided with him. Plus, Maddox can be a douche. He used to bully the rookies.” “What?” I gasped. I couldn’t imagine Maddox doing that. He was always so sweet to me. “Does he still?” Thankfully, Dallas shook his head, which helped the fire burning in my gut. “Not so much anymore. Ever since your brother joined the team, he’s been more of a team player. Guess I can thank Justin for that.” I breathed a sigh of relief. If Maddox ever talked shit about Dallas again, I could throw

that back up in his face. We finished our food, and since I was stuffed, Dallas and I got our chocolate cake to go. It’d be the perfect snack during our movie. Holding my hand, Dallas walked me to his car and opened the door. It made me wonder if this was all just a show and in another week he’d change. Guess I’d have to find out. Once Dallas got into the car, we headed back to his house. “How long do you think you’ll keep playing hockey? You’re what, twenty-eight?” In a lot of major sports, once you passed thirty, it was almost over. “You make it sound so old.” he laughed. “I’m twenty-nine. You’re probably a couple years younger than me, aren’t you?” I nodded. “I’m twenty-six. My birthday’s in two weeks.” His smile widened. “Sounds like party time to me.” “You will be busy with hockey. I’m sure practice will be more intense before the Stanley Cup playoffs.” He shrugged. “True, but the season’s about to end. I’ll have a short break before we power up before the playoffs. Besides, hockey isn’t all I’m about.”

“Oh yeah? What are you going to do after you retire?” I asked curiously. A lot of hockey players skipped college to play full-time hockey. My parents made Justin attend college and get a degree so he wouldn’t be stuck scrambling for a job after his career ended. “Don’t know. I’ll decide when the time comes. Right now, you need to decide what movie we’re going to watch.” We turned down his street and his house came into view. My stomach fluttered as we pulled into his driveway. It was going to be a good night.

Chapter 18

Callie Dallas’s movie theater looked exactly like a real one, except smaller with eight large recliners, four in each row. The walls were red and lined with elegant light fixtures. The room smelled like popcorn even before Dallas brought out buckets of it along with sodas. It was a true theater experience and I loved it. “I can’t believe you’re going to watch Pretty Woman with me.” I threw out several different movie titles and was surprised that was the one he’d agreed on. The lights dimmed and the huge white screen at the front of the room lit up. Dallas plopped down in the plush red seat beside me and winked. “It’s a hot fucking movie. Literally.” The movie began and he leaned over toward me, our shoulders brushing lightly. “That it is,” I said, laughing. “But you better keep your hands to yourself.”

I sucked in a breath when he nipped my ear. “Can’t promise anything.” We were only ten minutes into the movie when I noticed his hand slowly inching toward mine on the armrest. The chairs were so big we probably could’ve sat in the same one. “Are you trying to be sneaky?” I whispered, keeping my attention on the screen. He entwined his fingers with mine. “Sorry. Couldn’t help it.” “Is this what you do with all your dates?” I peeked over at him, his smile fading. “I’m not a dating kind of guy, Callie. This is all new to me.” “You’ve never dated or been in love before?” I asked. “I wouldn’t call what I’ve done the past couple years dating. However, I did care about someone once.” “What happened?” His jaw clenched. “We had a long-distance relationship, and being the stupid ass that I was, I couldn’t deal with it so I let her go. The day after, I did what I thought would help me feel better and it got back to her.” I didn’t even have to ask to know what he did. It was the classic rebound move. Break up

with someone and lose yourself in someone else to take the pain away. Almost everyone had to be guilty of that at some point in their lives. “What about you?” he asked, turning the tables. “How many men have you fell for?” The room was dark, but I stared right into his blue eyes. “One.” His brows lifted. “Really? I guess the real question needs to be, how many men have fallen for you?” Shaking my head, I couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t know. Before I moved down here, I was with someone for three years. His name was Michael.” “What happened?” “We both called it quits.” Thoughts of Michael with his floppy blond hair and green eyes ran through my mind. We loved each other, but there was no passion. “Our relationship wasn’t strong enough.” “Do you still talk to him?” I shook my head. “I don’t keep in touch with any of my exes.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Now I don’t have to worry about kicking anyone’s ass.”

Rolling my eyes, I focused back on the movie. It killed me not to bring up his past with women, but I promised I’d make an effort to forget his indiscretions. It was so damn hard. One of the sex scenes in the movie was about to start so I took a deep breath. Dallas moved closer, his thumb rubbing tantalizing circles on my palm. I could almost imagine his thumb doing that on another part of my body. “Your pulse is racing,” he murmured, pressing a warm kiss on my neck. Goose bumps fanned out over my skin, making me shiver. He kissed my neck again, only this time nipping my tender flesh. “I wonder why,” I whispered back. Grabbing my wrist, he tugged it to get me to stand. “I want you, angel.” I stood and straddled his lap, my breaths coming out in rapid pants. He was so hard between his legs I could feel him straining against his jeans. All I wanted was to feel him against me, inside me. A hand fisted in my hair and he pulled me down to his lips. I got lost in the taste of him. Rocking my hips, he dug his fingers into me, urging me to go faster, until he stopped suddenly. As his chest heaved, his raw, hungry gaze locked with mine.

“I want you so fucking bad, Callie. If you don’t want this, we need to stop now.” Taking his face in my hands, I sucked his bottom lip between my teeth. “I don’t want to stop.” Unbuttoning his jeans, I bit my lip and shoved my hand inside. Wrapping my hand around his bare cock, I moaned when I felt how hard he was for me. His eyes rolled back in his head and he groaned, closing his eyes when I started massaging him. “Be prepared,” he bit out through clenched teeth. “It’s not going to be slow and easy tonight.” “Who said I wanted it easy?” I countered. “I’m ready to see what you got, Easton.” Without another word, Dallas lifted me in his arms and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me out of the room and down the hall to his bedroom. I squealed when he slammed me down on the mattress and covered me with his body, his hands roughly massaging my breasts. Groaning, I arched my back and he squeezed harder, pinching my nipples through my shirt. I wanted him inside of me, but when I tried to unbutton my jeans, Dallas snatched my wrists and pulled my arms up over my

head, locking me in place. He shook his head at me. “No touch. I’m going to be the one to take off your clothes.” Slowly, he pulled me up by my wrists and lifted my shirt over my head, exposing my black lace bra. The deep rumble of satisfaction in his chest vibrated all the way down to my center, driving me completely insane. He smoothed his hands down over my breasts to my stomach and then to my back, where he unclasped my bra, then threw it across the room. His stare was heated and dark with need, primal and raw. I trembled. “I’m not scaring you, am I?” Shaking my head, I glided my hands up his chest to his face and ran my fingers through his soft brown hair. “No,” I breathed, biting my lip. “I’m just ready for that cock of yours.” A small smile splayed across his lips and it grew larger as he slowly lowered his mouth to my neck. His mouth grazed my skin, sucking and biting, making me gasp when he bit down too hard. I was going to have marks on my body, but I didn’t care. I fucking loved it. He wanted to mark me. He trailed his lips even lower and I cried out when he closed his lips over my nipple and bit down, sucking as hard

as he could. “Oh, Dallas,” I groaned breathlessly. As he was sucking and kissing his way along my breasts, he unbuttoned his jeans and slid the zipper down, his cock hard and ready against my thigh. I immediately grabbed him and squeezed, starting out slow with my pumps, but then doing it harder and faster, enjoying the strangled moan that escaped his lips. “Fuck,” he growled low, snatching my wrist. He pulled my hand away and unzipped my jeans, his eyes wild and dangerous. When he said he wasn’t going to go slow, I believed him. There was nothing slow or gentle about him tonight. I’d seen him in action on the ice, the way he dominated every single play. I had to admit I looked forward to him taking control. Savagely, he gripped the waistband of my jeans and yanked them down along with my black lace underwear, tossing them over the side of the bed. His breaths came out in deep, low growls as he stared at my naked body, gliding his hands up my legs and spreading me wide when he reached my thighs. I ran my hand over my breast, down my stomach, and to the V between my legs. His eyes followed the movement like a tiger

waiting to pounce. Making one swipe with my fingers, I presented the wetness to him. “I’m waiting,” I taunted. Dallas’s nostrils flared. In one quick move, he fetched a condom out of his nightstand drawer and slipped it on. I was on the pill, but I’d rather be safe than sorry at the moment. Then he lifted up on his knees with a singular focus, his pants halfway down his thighs and his hard cock jutting out, taunting me. He looked at me with half-lidded eyes and lifted my bottom off the bed. Without any warning, he plunged deep into me with one thrust. When he was fully seated, balls against my ass, a loud growl ripped from his lips. He wasted no time, pulling out and thrusting hard over and over again. The pain was sweet and I’d never felt so full in all my life. I’m pretty sure I came with the first thrust, but I couldn’t be bothered with that now. Locking my legs around his body, I held on for dear life. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, he grabbed my arms and flopped backward, bringing me to riding position in under a second. Straddling his waist, I didn’t waste a single moment. Guiding his hands to my ass, I used his chest as leverage and rode him hard and fast.

His fingers dug into me and he groaned, slamming his head into the pillows. The insides of my thighs were drenched with my need for him. I slid up and down his body easily, enjoying the feel of him getting harder with each thrust. “I’m going to come, angel,” he growled through clenched teeth. That’s what I wanted to hear, but I wasn’t expecting what he did next. He quickly wrapped his arms around my waist and flipped me onto my back, burying me into the mattress. Bringing my legs up, he held them to either side of me, pushing down behind each knee. Holding me in place, he pounded into me, slamming his hips against my thighs with untamed force. I knew he was close when his breaths came out in deep pants as he looked down at me. “You’re so tight,” he groaned. I was more than ready. Digging my nails into his back, I bit my lip as the tightness slowly began to spread inside. “Harder,” I moaned. He did as I requested, and almost immediately I felt the pulsating vibration of his cock as he came. I rode wave after wave of my own climax, my body frozen until the last remnants of my orgasm subsided. Breathing

hard, he let go of my legs and lay on top of me. With our sweaty bodies sliding against each other, he kissed me gently on the lips and then slowly pulled out of me, keeping his baby blue eyes on mine. They’d darkened, almost like a stormy, cerulean sea. The sexual tension between us waned just a tiny bit, and by the look on his face, he wasn’t done with me. The night wasn’t over. “Stay with me tonight,” he murmured. I was going to have a hell of a time explaining where I was to my brothers, but I didn’t want to leave. My body wouldn’t let me. If I was honest with myself, my heart really didn’t want to, either. “Okay,” I whispered back. “I’m going to be in a lot of trouble when I get home.” He kissed me, his body so warm against mine. “Don’t worry. I’ll make it up to you.”

Chapter 19

Dallas “Feeling okay this morning?” I asked. Raising her arms over her head, Callie stretched and stumbled into the living room, wearing one of my T-shirts and showing off those gorgeous legs of hers. “I’m exhausted. I don’t see how you’re awake right now.” She sat beside me on the couch and snuggled into my side. “What time is it anyway?” Chuckling, I set down the Sunday newspaper and put my arm around her. “Nine.” Groaning, she rubbed a hand over her face. “Usually, I’m up before seven. I might need some coffee.” “There’s some in the kitchen.” She patted my leg and hurried in there. “What all do you want to do today?” I called out. She walked back into the living room, breathing in her cup of coffee. “Well, I had

planned on going house hunting at some point.” Sighing, she sat back down beside me. “Especially now that Justin pretty much knows I spent the night here. I don’t like my brothers knowing what I do. Being on my own will be better.” “I can take you around town to look if you want.” Her eyes lit up. “Really? You don’t mind?” “Nope. The sooner you move out, the less chance of Justin and me getting into a brawl.” Out of respect for her, I didn’t want to start anything with him, but if he came after me, I’d have no choice but to fight back. A sad look passed across her face. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Finishing her coffee, she stood and went back to the kitchen. “Do you mind if we stop by my house so I can grab a change of clothes?” she asked, leaning against the doorframe. “You kind of ruined my jeans when you ripped them off my body last night.” Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back on the couch. “Dammit, I’m sorry. I’ll get you a new pair.” “No worries.” She laughed. “I have plenty more. And when we get there, you don’t have to go in.”

I snorted and looked right at her. “I’m not afraid of your brothers.” She nodded. “I know. I’m afraid for them. I dread knowing you’ll be at away games all this week with Justin without me there. Sometimes he doesn’t have a filter.” “It’ll be fine,” I assured her. “Whenever you’re ready to go, I’ll take you by your house.” She walked over and kissed me. “Thank you. I’m going to put on my old clothes and then I’ll be ready.” Once she disappeared down the hall, I pulled out my phone. It’d been vibrating all morning. I had a feeling I knew who it’d be. Sure enough, there was a voice mail from Ty, his voice sounding aggravated and annoyed. “You know, it really upsets me when I see you going against everything I advise you to do. Imagine my surprise when I see pictures of you popping up on the Internet in a bikini at practice, and then you eating dinner with Davis’s sister. I’m warning you now, it has to stop before we get in trouble with the show. Call me back.” The only thing I was going to do was press delete. It was my life and I would do whatever the hell I wanted with it. Callie strutted into the living room, holding her jeans up.

“Ready?” I held back a laugh, even though I was infuriated by Ty’s message. “Wonder what your brothers are going to say about that.” She scoffed. “Nothing good. I’m going to run in and run out.” She followed me into the kitchen and I grabbed my car keys. “After we stop at your house, want to grab some breakfast for the road?” “Yes, I’m starved.” We got into my car and I drove to her house. She hurried inside and I waited for Justin to barrel through the front door. Luckily, he didn’t. Callie rushed back out, dressed in another pair of jeans and a pink T-shirt that hugged her breasts just right. “Let’s go,” she said, panting. “Everything okay?” She took a deep breath. “Yeah, they were still asleep. I ran in and ran out.” There was a Bojangles’ down the road so I pulled into the drive-through. We didn’t have them up north, so when I moved to the South and tried one of their chicken biscuits, I became addicted. “I have yet to try their food,” she confessed. “You’re missing out. If I ever move back to

Maine, this will be the one place I miss.” I ordered our food and we continued down the road. “Think you’ll ever go back there?” Callie asked curiously. It was a hard question. I’d grown to love North Carolina, but Maine was my home. “My dad wants me to take over the skate shop when I retire.” She slapped me on the arm. “Why didn’t you tell me that last night when I asked? Do you not want to go back?” “I do,” I admitted honestly. “I’m just not ready to quit what I am doing yet. Retiring is the last thing on my mind.” She was the only thing I could think of. Unwrapping her chicken biscuit, she took a huge bite. “Knowing you, you’ll end up being the oldest goaltender in the league.” I winked at her. “That’s the plan. But when the time comes, I’ll go back home.” I had a few more years before that. At least, I hoped so. We were getting close to different housing developments so I slowed down. “Where do you want me to go?” She pointed at an upcoming neighborhood. “Try there.” I turned down the main street of the housing development and the houses were

nice but small. It made me feel bad for living in the kind of place I did. I didn’t need all the space. There was a house for sale and I pulled over so she could grab a brochure. By the look on her face, she wasn’t too excited about it. Maybe it was the bright yellow siding on the outside. “Will you ever move back to Minnesota?” I asked. She shook her head. “My parents aren’t there anymore. They’re busy sailing their way around New Zealand right now.” “Must be nice. I want to travel around the world one day.” She smiled. “Me, too. I just hate I don’t get to talk to them much when they’re at sea.” “At least they’re enjoying life. My parents love having the skate shop. It might not bring in a ton of money at times, but they enjoy it.” “That’s all that matters.” “Do you enjoy nursing?” Her face brightened. “I love it. Keeps me on my toes.” “So you don’t get squeamish looking at blood and guts?” She burst out laughing. “Not at all. I would’ve loved to be a surgeon, but when I

finished nursing school, I went straight to work.” “You and my sister will have a lot to talk about when she comes into town next weekend.” “Can’t wait to meet her. Are you ready for the games this week?” “I’m always ready,” I said with a wink. “The games against Columbus will be good, but Minnesota will give us a run for our money. You might not remember this, but there’s some bad blood between me and Marcus Price.” Before Justin joined the Strikers, I never had an issue with him. Marcus, on the other hand, was a fucking cunt, always running his mouth. Callie burst out laughing. “That’s right. I was there watching my brother when you two fought it out last year. I think it’s one of the top most viewed hockey videos on YouTube. How do you think it’ll be this time?” Sighing, I pulled over at another home for sale. “Don’t know. It might be bloody, that’s for sure.” “Just be careful. Makes me wonder what my brother will do, since it’s his old teammates. They were really close.” “We’ll see.” I had no doubt there’d be a fight.

There always was when we played Minnesota. We spent the rest of the day searching for houses and gathering as many brochures as possible before I had to take her home. I pulled up at her house and the front door was open. “If you don’t want to deal with your brothers, you can always stay at my house.” She snorted. “You’re the one who’s going to be with Justin all week. I’ll have this place to myself.” On my set of keys, I had an extra one to my house. “Take this,” I said, handing it to her. “Even if you don’t stay over this week, do you mind checking up on my house every other day? It’ll save me having to deal with my weird neighbor to get my mail.” Giggling, she nodded. “I’ll be sure to check it and set it on your kitchen counter.” Grabbing the back of her neck, I pulled her close, pressing my lips to hers. “Thanks.” She moaned into my mouth and I wanted to take her right then and there. “Play hard this week,” she murmured. “I’ll be watching the games.” I kissed her again. “I will. I’ll call you every day.” Her smile was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. “Don’t forget.” Opening the car door, she

slipped out and waved before disappearing inside. There was no way in hell I could forget her.

Chapter 20

Callie I walked through the door, not knowing what to expect once I got inside. Luckily, no one was around. I set the house brochures on the counter and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. As soon as I turned around, Justin was there, looking at my brochures. His blond hair was wet and he had a towel around his bare shoulders. “Moving?” he asked, holding up one of the brochures. Judging by the way he stared at me with such disappointment, there was no doubt he knew where I was last night. I took a sip of my water. “That’s the plan. You know this.” Pursing his lips, he nodded. “You were with Easton last night, weren’t you?” “What I do is my business,” I replied. He tossed the brochure back onto the counter. “He’s using you, Callie. Don’t you see that? He got what he wanted.”

I shook my head. “That’s not true. He’s different from what I thought he was.” “It’s because he’s playing you!” he shouted. “You’re fooling yourself if you think he cares about you.” As calmly as I could, I walked over and fetched the brochures. Inside, I was fuming. “I’ll be the judge of that, Justin. It’s my choice.” “Then don’t be surprised when he doesn’t call you back. It’s what he does.” Without another word, I hurried to my room and shut the door. A part of me wanted to leave and go straight back to Dallas, but I couldn’t. I could deal with my family on my own. I’d barely had time to breathe when a knock sounded on my door. “I don’t want to hear anymore, Justin,” I growled. The door opened and Corey stuck his head in. “It’s not Justin.” Sighing, I flopped down on my bed. “Did you hear that downstairs?” He nodded and came into my room, dressed to perfection in a pair of black pants and a blue button-down shirt. “It was kind of hard not to. You okay?”

“I’m fine,” I lied. “I know Dallas has a past, but he’s different around me—” “Says every girl he’s been with,” he interrupted. I glared at him and he held up his hands. “Sorry, it just came out.” Memories of our night together flooded my mind. We connected in a way I’d never felt with any other man. “He spent all day helping me find a place to live. What guy’s going to do that? He could’ve easily gotten what he wanted and brought me home, but he didn’t.” Corey squeezed my shoulder. “I already told you I’ll give him a chance, as long as he doesn’t hurt you. If you’re happy, I’m happy.” “I am,” I said, smiling wide. “I feel different when I’m around him.” Now it was his turn to grin. “I feel the same way about Hannah.” “Is that who you’re going to see looking all fancy?” Chuckling, he ran a hand down his shirt. “We’re going out to a nice dinner since I’ll be gone all week with Justin.” “Well, I hope you two have a blast. I’ll probably get her to hang out with me some this week after work.” He winked. “Good. Keep her out of trouble.”

Taking a deep breath, he sat beside me on the bed. “There’s something you need to know.” His smile faded and I stared at him, my brows furrowed. “What is it?” “Brant’s not coming back. He’s going to stay in Minnesota with his fiancée, Lily.” “Wow,” I replied, fully shocked. “What made him decide that?” His grin came back. “She’s pregnant. Found out yesterday, but you weren’t here. Brant doesn’t want to leave her.” Tears filled my eyes. I was going to be an aunt. “That’s fantastic. I can’t wait for Mom and Dad to find out.” Getting up, he headed for the door. “They already know. You should be getting a call from them soon. I’ll see you in the morning before Justin and I head to the airport.” The second he shut my door, my phone rang. I couldn’t answer it fast enough. “Hey, Mom!” I answered excitedly. “Hey, baby. How are you?” She sounded so happy and full of life. My parents had been married for over forty years and were still going strong. “I’m fine. What about you and Dad?

Exploring lots of cool places?” “Every day.” She laughed. “We’re going to sail around for a few more weeks and then leave the boat so we can fly back to the States for the Stanley Cup.” “What if the Strikers don’t make it to the finals?” She snorted. “I’ve been keeping up with the scores. I know they will.” “I can’t wait to see you guys. Feels like it’s been forever.” “Same here, sweetheart. But is everything okay out there? When I talked to Justin, he sounded on edge when I brought your name up.” Huffing, I lay back on my bed. “He’s mad because I’m dating Dallas Easton. He’s the goaltender for the Strikers.” My mother burst out laughing. “Love his heart, he’s just being protective of you. He’ll get over it.” “I don’t know about that,” I grumbled. “If you like this guy then that’s all that matters. You’ve always been a good judge of character.” “Thanks, Mom. I hope you’re right.” “A mother always is. Take care of yourself

and be safe. I’ll talk to you again soon.” “Okay. I love you.” “Love you, too.” I sure as hell hoped she was right.

Chapter 21

Dallas The first two games of the week were against Columbus and we smoked them. Now we were in Minnesota at the coliseum, ready to battle it out. “Did you see the way Marcus stared you down earlier?” Braeden said, putting on his gear. “Yep. And I know exactly what it means.” He obviously wanted payback for something he started and I finished. Kellan huffed and shook his head. “If he pulls the same shit like he did last year, he’s going down. I swear, they must have the refs in their pockets.” I couldn’t agree more. “No shit. Whatever happens, I want him.” I never would’ve had a problem with Marcus if he hadn’t kept jabbing me with his stick and bumping me so they could score. He never succeeded, but he did manage to lose his front teeth after I was done

with him. “You going out with us tonight or are you going to stay in your room and talk to your girlfriend?” Braeden joked. I glanced over my shoulder at Justin, who glared at me. I’d spent every night this week after the games in my room, video chatting with Callie. I didn’t want to give her any reason not to trust me. Josh ended up hearing the conversation and butted in. “Girlfriend? Seriously? How long is that shit going to last?” Gritting my teeth, I started toward him, but Braeden grabbed my arm. “Let it go, man. You know how Josh likes to joke around. The last thing we need is you getting reprimanded and him put in the goal.” I thrust a finger at his chest. “Better watch your mouth, Harrison. I’m getting tired of listening to it.” Josh bucked up, but one of our other defensive players, Wes Bradley, held him back. “He’s dating Justin’s sister,” he hissed low. “Shut the fuck up before they both go after you.” Josh’s eyes widened when he turned to me. “Holy shit, you’re dating his sister? This is classic. No wonder Davis hates you.” Maddox slapped Josh on the shoulder. “And

Easton knows that if he hurts her, he’ll have me and Davis after him.” Justin stormed out of the locker room, followed by Maddox and some of the other players. Kellan shook his head and laughed. “You’re in some deep shit, brother. I hope you know what you’re doing.” I scoffed. “I hope so. Callie’s different from everyone else. I can’t seem to think of anyone other than her.” Kellan and Braeden both smirked at each other. “Sounds like you’re falling hard,” Braeden said. “Never thought I’d see the day.” “Me, either.” I put on the rest of my pads and slid on my jersey. “Now let’s go kick some ass.” We lined up with the rest of the team, and once the introductions were made and the music started playing, we took the ice. There wasn’t a lot of blue in the crowd. I took one turn around the rink with the team and then went straight to the goal. The whole coliseum pulsated with energy, the crowd cheering and hollering for their team. Judging by the way the Minnesota boys stared us down, it was going to be a rough game. Even the referees seemed on edge. Kellan skated by me. “Stay focused, Easton.”

I saluted him. “Aye, aye, Captain.” Everyone got into position and the game was on. All the action stayed on the other end, which was good. There was a lot of elbowing and clipping going on out there. It was times like that I wished I was an enforcer. All of my past coaches said I was too volatile to be one. That was why I directed all of my anger to protecting the goal. Getting bombarded, Kellan passed the puck to Maddox, who kept being jabbed in the side by Daryl Frazier, Marcus’s wingman. “Are you fucking serious?” I shouted, holding out my arms. The refs weren’t calling shit. Luckily, Braeden slammed Daryl into the wall, freeing Maddox so he could take the shot. It went in, putting the score at one to nothing. Tension filled the air and it felt like any minute things were going to explode. I was ready for it. Everyone headed down my way and I focused on the puck, along with Marcus, who skated right toward me. Bring it on, fucker. Daryl and Kellan fought for the puck, and when Daryl took the shot, Marcus tripped me with his stick, only I was able to stop it from going in. There were loud boos from our people in the crowd, and yet the refs still did

nothing. “What now, you fucking cunt?” I shouted at Marcus. “If you want to lose more teeth, fuck with me again.” Braeden skated over and Marcus backed off. If the refs weren’t going to handle it, I sure as hell was. “He must want his ass kicked,” Braeden huffed. Gritting my teeth, I took a deep breath. It was only the first interval and I wanted to kill him. “He’s going to get more than that,” I growled. The guys kept it on the other end for a while, with Kellan scoring us another goal. It only infuriated Minnesota even more. I knew what was coming. Marcus headed straight back to me and I focused as one of their players was about to shoot. There were so many players around he had his opportunity to strike. The blow to my back came just as his teammate took the shot. “Damn, Easton. Why so clumsy?” Marcus sneered. I fell to the ice, leaving the goal wide open. More boos came from the crowd, and that was all it took. All I could see was red. Kellan charged at Marcus, but ended up getting stopped by another player. Sticks, gloves, and

helmets littered the ice, but I only had one goal. Marcus threw off his helmet and smiled, taunting me. Braeden skated after him, but I beat him to it, throwing off my gloves and mask in the process. Rage consumed me and I tackled Marcus to the ice. “Son of a bitch,” I shouted, punching him right in the nose. Blood splattered across his face and he hit me back, clocking me against the cheek. It spurred me on even more. I punched him again and again until we were separated by the refs and I was pushed away. Seething, Marcus wiped the blood away from his broken nose and I smiled as big as I could. “You’re pathetic.” Braeden handed me my mask and I took a glance around the rink. “You gave the world a good show. Now let’s finish this.” Apparently my fight with Marcus was the last one to be broken up. Everyone else had already grabbed their gear off the ice. Slipping on my mask, I triumphantly skated back to the goal while Marcus was taken out of the game. Victory was mine. After a triumphant win, I grabbed a bite to eat with the guys to celebrate and headed straight back to the hotel. There were more missed calls on my phone from Ty, but I didn’t

give a shit about calling him back, especially if all I was going to hear from him was about how Callie was bad for business. My phone beeped with an incoming text from Lacey: Can’t wait to see you and meet your girlfriend this weekend. I replied: Me, too. Callie’s excited. Earlier in the week, I’d told her about Callie and everything we’d gone through so I could date her. She was happy to see that I’d stuck with just one girl for longer than a week. Getting comfortable on the bed, I called Callie. The second she appeared on my phone screen, she shook her head with the biggest smile on her face. I couldn’t help but laugh. “What?” “You. Strutting across the ice after you beat the shit out of Marcus. It’s a classic Dallas move.” “What can I say, I kicked ass,” I said, brushing off my shoulders. “That you did. Marcus deserved it after those cheap shots at you. I was getting so pissed at the refs for not calling anything.” I scoffed. “You and me both. Thankfully, none of us were penalized except for Marcus.” She sat back on her bed and I got a good

look at her clothes. Her hair was in waves around her shoulders and her purple top dipped low in the front, revealing the tops of her breasts. It was definitely different from the scrubs she wore every day. “Did you go out tonight?” I asked her. A pang of jealousy sparked in my gut, but I reined it in. She looked so damn sexy, and the last thing I wanted was for other guys to come on to her when I wasn’t there. Nodding, Callie glanced down at her clothes. “Hannah and I went to Sammy’s to eat dinner and watch the game.” “I see. How many guys hit on you tonight?” Her lips pulled back into a small smile. “Are you nervous about something?” “Hell yeah. You’re sexy as hell and I’m not there to keep other men away from you.” She burst out laughing. “I can take care of myself. But if you must know, there was a guy who offered to buy me a drink and I refused. I told him I was taken.” Then her eyes narrowed. “I mean, I am taken, right?” “Fuck yeah, you are. You’re mine.” “Good. Because I have a surprise for you.” She grabbed a bottle of vodka off of her nightstand and took a long draft.

“What the hell are you doing?” She hissed as the vodka went down her throat. “Trying to loosen up a bit. What I’m about to do is something I’ve never done before. I figured after the night you had, you could use a little fun.” A million things ran rampant through my mind and my dick twitched. Eyes glued to the screen, I watched her situate her phone across the room and smile seductively at me as she flipped open her laptop. “Fun, huh? What exactly do you have in mind?” I asked, palming my dick. Seeing her in that top and those skintight black pants, all I could think about was ripping them off. She clicked on her laptop and turned on Britney Spears’s “Gimme More.” “You’re going to dance for me?” She moved close to the screen and winked. I had a feeling she’d had more than just that sip of vodka a few minutes ago. “Yep, and maybe take off a few clothes here and there. Sit back and enjoy it, because I’m probably never doing this again.” Completely turned on and hard as a fucking rock, I watched her dance around her room. Callie was a strong, serious woman at times and a vixen in bed, but I had no clue she could

dance so sexy and provocatively like a real-life stripper. “Fuck, this is so hot.” Callie turned around and looked at me over her shoulder. “Ready for it to get hotter?” I couldn’t even muster a reply I was so fucking turned on. Swaying her hips, she lifted her shirt, showing only her back to me. She had on a lacy black bra that no doubt matched the thong underneath her pants. Facing me, she lowered them, keeping her seductive gaze on mine as she bared her body to me. My fingers ached to touch her, and I’d have given anything to be there and spread her wide on the bed. Callie danced over to her bed and grabbed one of the posts, dancing up on it like it was a stripper pole. I was in heaven. The song was close to ending, so Callie climbed onto her bed and took off her bra. On her knees, she squeezed her breasts and thrust her hips, moaning as if she was getting off. I could almost imagine me beneath her as she rode me. Fuck, I was going to come just thinking about it. Once the song was over, she fell onto her bed and blew out a breath. “Wow, that was crazy.” My balls felt like they were going to explode. Groaning, I palmed my dick again,

hoping to get some relief, with no luck. “That was so damn sexy,” I said. She grabbed her phone and smiled. I could still see her breasts, her nipples all taut and swollen. “When I get back home tomorrow night, we’re not leaving my bedroom.” She giggled. “Sounds good to me. I’ll be waiting for you. I wish I could be there now. Looks like you’re a little worked up.” I tilted the phone down so she could see the bulge underneath my jeans. Then an idea struck. “Maybe you can be with me right now,” I told her. Her brows furrowed and then she blushed. “What do you want me to do?” Unzipping my jeans, I pulled out my dick and stroked it. “Not a damn thing. All I need is to look at you.”

Chapter 22

Callie “Yes, I actually did it.” Propping the phone on my shoulder, I opened the door to Dallas’s house and walked inside, placing his mail on the kitchen counter. Hannah burst out laughing and I had to hold the phone away from my ear. “I honestly didn’t think you’d have it in you.” I rolled my eyes. “Ha-ha-ha. I may not be a party animal, but I know how to have fun.” “I hear ya, wild woman. Are you staying at Dallas’s tonight?” “Yep. I don’t exactly want to hear your reunion with Corey,” I said, strolling into the living room. “We’re not that bad,” she grumbled. “Okay, whatever you say.” I glanced down at my watch. “Oh, Hannah, I need to go. I have to run to my house and grab some clothes and go to the grocery store. I’m cooking for Dallas tonight.”

She snickered. “Among other things. I know exactly what you two will be doing.” “Goodbye, Hannah.” “Have fun!” she shouted before hanging up. I pocketed my phone and headed for the front door when a sound echoed down the hall. It sounded like a bag dropping to the floor. Holding my breath, I peeked my head around the corner and saw a shadow move inside the last bedroom down the hall. Frozen in place, I didn’t know what to do. I looked around for any type of weapon and grabbed the poker beside the fireplace. Tiptoeing down the hall, I tried to be as quiet as I could. The shadow kept moving around the bedroom, and then I heard a woman’s voice singing a Kelly Clarkson tune. “What the hell?” I whispered to myself. Why was there another woman in Dallas’s house? Lowering the poker, I stormed down the hall and pushed the door all the way open. The woman, wearing only a towel with her skin glistening wet, jerked around and screamed, her earbuds falling out of her ears. At first I thought it was one of Dallas’s old flings. I was prepared to tell her to get the fuck out until I saw her face. I recognized her from one of Dallas’s family pictures in the living

room. “You’re not going to attack me with the poker are you?” she asked, holding her hands up in the air. Feeling like an idiot, I set it down. My cheeks burned like fire. “I am so sorry. I didn’t think you were coming in until tomorrow. When I heard a noise, I thought someone had broken in.” It was Lacey, Dallas’s sister. Threatening her with a poker wasn’t exactly the way I wanted us to meet. She stared me up and down and smiled appreciatively. “I’m glad to see my brother made a good choice. I love a woman who can take care of herself.” She held out her hand. “I’m Lacey. I got done with my last midterm early so I decided to go ahead and come down. You’re Callie, right? My brother’s told me a lot about you.” Grinning broadly, I shook her hand. It was nice knowing Dallas had talked to her about me. “Yes. It’s so nice to meet you. I was going to cook Dallas dinner tonight, but if you want to spend some time alone with him, that’s fine.” She snorted and waved me off. “Definitely not. I’ll help you cook if that’s okay. Then afterward, I’ll confine myself to his little movie

theater so you two can catch up.” My cheeks flamed even more. “If you want, I can wait here while you get dressed and we can go to the store together. I also need to run by my house to get a change of clothes.” “Sure,” she answered excitedly. “I’d be happy to. You can tell me your version of how you and my brother met. According to Dallas, he swept you off your feet.” I burst out laughing. “Quite literally, actually, and not in a good way. I’ll tell you all about it.” Now that Lacey’s hair was dry, I could see it was dark blond, and her eyes were bright green. Judging by the Easton family photo, she and her sister, Maggie, looked exactly like their mother, while Dallas was the exact image of his father. “I can’t believe he tried to attack you,” Lacey said, helping me load the groceries into the trunk of my car. “I seriously thought he was kidding about that.” “Nope.” I laughed. “He even broke into my room one night when my brother Justin decided to have a party. They don’t exactly like each other.” We hopped in my car and headed toward my house. “Why doesn’t he like my brother?”

she asked, her brows furrowed. I sighed. “Justin thinks Dallas is going to use me like he has so many countless others.” We stopped at a red light and I looked at her. “He hasn’t had the best reputation with women.” She nodded. “I know. I can’t blame your brother for being worried, but Dallas really is a good guy. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for our family. When I heard about you, I knew there had to be something different about you that drew him in.” She stared at me and smiled. “You’re the complete opposite of every other woman he’s been with.” “Thanks. I take that as a compliment.” “Trust me, it is.” We turned into my neighborhood and I pulled into my driveway, pressing the garage door opener on my visor. “What are you going to do after medical school?” I asked her. She got out of my car and followed me to the door. “Haven’t decided yet. I thought about maybe moving down here and finding a job after I finish my residency.” “There’s always openings at the hospital I work at,” I replied with a wink. “If you stop by one day this coming week, I can introduce you to some of the other doctors.” Her face brightened. “That’d be great. My

goal is to have my own practice one day. I know it’ll be awhile before I get that far.” “Never know.” We walked inside and she sat on my bed while I packed a bag for the rest of the weekend. I hated I wasn’t going to see Justin when he got back, but it was probably for the best. Once the last of my clothes were stuffed into my bag, I hauled it over my shoulder. “Ready to go?” Lacey stood by my bed, looking down at a picture. “That’s my brothers and me when we were younger.” Brows furrowed, she turned to me. “Is this Maddox Ledger?” she asked, pointing to him. I was surprised she could even recognize him. That picture was back when we were only around ten years old. I smiled at the photo. “It is. We’re really close. He’s my cousin.” She set the picture down, grumbling, “This is a really small world.” “Did you have a thing for him?” I asked flippantly. When she didn’t smile, I bit my tongue. Whatever happened between them must not have ended well. She sighed. “You could say that. I haven’t seen him in two years. I’ve been avoiding him.” I nodded toward the stairs. “Let me guess, he pulled a Dallas on you?”

She followed me down the stairs. “Not exactly. Let’s just say if my brother were to find out, your cousin would be dead. Maddox didn’t know I was Dallas’s sister. Hell, he probably doesn’t even remember my name.” “Oh good God,” I choked out. “That makes it even worse. I’m sorry if Maddox hurt you in any way. He’s my family, but it doesn’t excuse his behavior. I can honestly say my brothers aren’t like him.” She chuckled once. “I’m not worried about it. Like I said, he won’t even remember me. A lot has changed in the past two years.” I stopped in the kitchen to grab us both a bottle of water when the front door burst open. Justin and Maddox strutted in, laughing about something. Lacey’s eyes widened and she froze. “Shit, he’s here.” They both walked in and Maddox’s eyes lit up when he saw me. The right side of his face was bruised from the fight. “Hey, Cal,” he called out, lifting me up and swinging me around. My bag of clothes fell to the floor. “Did you have a good week?” Justin’s lips pursed when he noticed it was clothes in the bag. There wasn’t a scratch on him, since he chose not to fight his old teammates. “I did,” I replied. “I didn’t think

you guys were getting back so early.” Justin and Maddox both noticed Lacey at the same time. Maddox’s eyes narrowed at Lacey, almost like he recognized her. “The team got an earlier flight,” he said, his voice unsure. Lacey perked up and smiled at my brother instead of Maddox. “I’m Lacey, Callie’s friend from the hospital.” She stared at me and I nodded once so she’d know I was on board with her story. Justin shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” Maddox moved closer, his gaze still fixated on her. “Have we met?” he asked, holding out his hand. She shook his hand and her knuckles turned white from gripping his so hard. “I’m sure I’d remember if we did. Sorry.” Grabbing my bag, I nodded for Lacey to follow me. “All right, it’s time for us to go.” I kissed Justin on the cheek in passing. Just because he hated Dallas, I still loved him. “Good games this week. I’ll see you later.” Once we were outside, Lacey breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh my God, I couldn’t breathe in there. Maddox is still as gorgeous as ever and your brother is so adorable. It’s a shame they

hate my brother.” “Judging by the way they stared at you, it might be the push they need to give Dallas a chance.” She shook her head. “Oh no, it’s not. I don’t want you telling them who I am just yet; at least, not until I’m back in New York. And I don’t want my brother knowing anything about Maddox and me.” “Your secret’s safe with me.” When we arrived back at Dallas’s house, I grabbed an armful of grocery bags out of the trunk and walked inside. As soon as I turned the corner to the kitchen, Dallas lifted me up in his arms and I dropped everything. “I’m home early,” he announced. He pressed his lips to mine and ran them down my neck. “Why don’t we go to my bedroom and I can show you how much I missed you?” “There might be a small problem with that plan,” I said with a chuckle. His brows furrowed and his blue eyes penetrated mine. Holy hell, I’d missed him. “What is it?” Lacey strolled through the door and smiled. “Surprise.” “Dinner was fucking awesome. Thanks for cooking for me.” Dallas kissed Lacey on the

head and then me on the lips. “You’re welcome,” we both replied. We had beer-can chicken with potatoes, carrots, and salad. It was pretty tasty. Lacey nudged me in the side. “Why don’t you two go relax. I’ll take care of the dishes.” “I don’t want you doing that.” She rolled her eyes. “Please, it’s the least I could do for crashing your romantic night. Go.” Dallas whispered in my ear, “She has a point.” Taking my hand, he dragged me out of the kitchen. “I heard that,” Lacey shouted. I’d missed the feel of his hand in mine. I never realized how much I’d miss him being gone for a week. “You and Lacey seem to be getting along really well. Besides the fact that you were going to beat her with a poker.” I slapped a hand to my face. “Oh my God, I thought she was an intruder. I’m so embarrassed.” We walked up the stairs to his bedroom. “I’m glad to see she wasn’t. Next time, call the police if you think someone broke in.” “Okay,” I said, feeling my cheeks burn. I didn’t want to tell him what I really thought

when I heard Lacey sing. Surely he wouldn’t have just given out keys to his house to just any random girl. Once inside his bedroom, he shut the door and locked it, his eyes turning dark with need. “I’ve been thinking about what you did last night all day today.” “Have you now?” He stalked closer and I fell onto the bed. “It’s a shame Lacey’s here. I was really looking forward to getting into the pool with you when I got home.” He nipped my bottom lip and squeezed my breast. “What exactly were we going to do in the pool?” I asked. As he covered me with his body, I thought I was going to explode with need. At least, until a loud knock sounded on the door. “Guys, I’m sorry to bother you. Just letting you know I’m going out for a while. That way, you don’t have to worry about . . . you know, being discreet. I’ll see you both in the morning.” “And what car are you taking?” Dallas asked, shaking his head. “Um, yours. Is that okay?” He winked down at me. “Keys are on the kitchen counter.” Her steps pounded down the stairs and then the front door slammed shut.

“Looks like I got my wish after all.” “I didn’t bring a bathing suit.” Biting his lip, he trailed a finger down my chest to my stomach. “There’s a robe on the back of the bathroom door. Meet me outside.” Heart racing, I watched him walk out of the room. I took off all my clothes and slid on his bathrobe. When I got outside, he was already naked and swimming in the water. Steam billowed above the water and the closer I got, I could feel the heat. He looked over at me and swam over to the edge. “After games, it feels good to get in here and swim.” “I bet, especially after working your muscles extra hard with fighting.” His deep chuckle made everything inside of me tighten. He reached out and touched my ankle. “You helped relax me last night. Now come on, get in.” With his heated gaze on my body, I unwrapped the robe and let it fall to the ground. It was a chilly night so I didn’t waste any time jumping in. The heat of the water engulfed me and I sighed when I came up for air. “Feels good, doesn’t it?” Dallas asked, swimming closer. “It does. You must have a huge heating bill

every month.” He shrugged. “It’s worth it.” He backed me up against the pool wall and held on to the edge before lowering his lips to mine. They were so soft. Willingly, I opened for him and he pushed his tongue inside with demand, like he needed me . . . I loved it. I’d never been needed by anyone. His arousal pushed into my stomach and I ached to feel him inside of me. “It’s a shame I can’t make love to you out here.” Even though my body was on fire, I trembled. “Yes, you can,” I whispered, slowly lowering myself onto him. He sucked in a breath and I chuckled seductively in his ear. “I’m on the pill.” Judging by the deep growl that escaped his lips, that was all he needed to know. “I love being able to feel you like this,” he groaned, pushing inside of me. “But I think it’s time to heat things up a bit.” “How so?” Without answering, he gripped my waist with his strong hands and lifted me off his length, turning me around. I gasped with how quick he moved me, my heart thumping wildly in my chest when he lowered his lips to my ear, biting down.

“You’re going to want to hold on to the edge, angel.” Instantly, my insides tightened in anticipation and my nipples grew more sensitive. I grabbed the side of the pool as he snaked his arms around me, pushing his rigid cock between my legs and pinching my nipples between his fingers. I squeezed my legs around him, and he used my breasts to pull me up and down, his length sliding along my slit. I could feel my orgasm beginning to build, and the moment my body clenched down, Dallas changed angles and slammed his cock inside of me. I bit my lip to keep from crying out as he rode me hard, rubbing his thumb achingly fast across my clit. The water sloshed around us and I was about to lose my hold on the edge of the pool, but Dallas’s grip held me firmly in place. His thrusts went deeper and deeper, until it was too much to bear. “Fuck,” Dallas grunted. “I’m gonna come.” Hearing him say that was my undoing; it was too late to hold back. The harder he pushed, the harder I came, trembling all around him. My orgasm went on and on, getting stronger the second Dallas dug his fingers into my hips, and he yelled out, cock

pulsing as he came inside of me. Breathing hard and jerking with aftershocks, Dallas kissed the back of my neck and rested his head against mine. “I missed you,” he murmured in my ear. I squeezed my eyes shut and smiled. “I missed you, too,” I whispered. “You have no idea how much.” Gently lifting me up, Dallas turned me around and held my face in his hands. “How did I get so lucky?” “You didn’t,” I replied, giving him a wink. “We both did.”

Chapter 23

Callie The week had gone by so fast, it was hard to believe I hadn’t stepped foot in my house. Dallas had a way of convincing me to stay with him. Plus, it was nice spending time with Lacey and talking about medical school. Justin was still being an ass, so the only brother I’d talked to had been Corey. At least I had someone who was supportive of my relationship with Dallas. “Hole in one!” Lacey squealed, running to fetch her ball. Everyone on the miniature golf course heard her and laughed. I’d seen several people stare at us, obviously recognizing Dallas and Braeden, but no one approached. Braeden sighed and wrote her score down on the card along with Dallas’s and mine. Lacey was in the lead, while I steadily moved closer to last place. Putt-putt was not my forte. Although if they wanted to play hockey or tennis, I could kick some ass.

Lacey bounced over to Braeden and looked over his shoulder at the scores. “Damn, I’m good.” Braeden winked at her. “Only because I let you win.” She bumped him to the side with her hip so she could come to me. “He’s lying.” Braeden shook his head behind her and I laughed. “I believe you, Lacey.” We finished the last couple of holes and turned in our putters. A group of high school kids came up to us, two boys and two girls, holding their phones in their hands. One of the boys held out his hand to Dallas. “Dude, I can’t believe you’re standing here right in front of me. Can I get a pic with both of you?” he asked, glancing back and forth from Dallas to Braeden. Dallas shook his hand and grinned. “Sure deal, bro.” Braeden shook both boys’ hands and they all posed for a picture, while the two girls they were with took them on their phones. Lacey and I stood back with them. “Are you Dallas’s girlfriend?” one of them asked me. She had really long chocolatecolored hair with a dash of freckles on her nose.

Her eyes twinkled and I smiled. “I am.” “Thought so. I was there that game when Dallas made you kiss him. I thought it was sweet.” I snorted. “At the time, I didn’t think so.” Chuckling, Dallas walked over and threw his arm around my shoulder. “She didn’t know what she was missing. Now she’s come to her senses.” Clutching her phone, the girl held it up. “Can I please take a picture of you two and put it on my blog? The people at school won’t believe this.” Dallas lifted his brows and I shrugged. “I’m good if you are,” I said to him. Then I waved for the girl to join us. “Why don’t you get in it, too?” Her eyes lit up and Lacey took her phone. “I’ll snap the pic.” The girl stood in the middle and Dallas and I both put our arms around her. I could feel her shaking and thought it was the most surreal thing. I’d seen people scream over my brother on numerous occasions, but it was another thing to see it up close. Dallas’s fans loved him and I could totally see why. When Lacey was done, the girl turned to us. “Thank you so very much. My name’s Abbey.”

“It was nice meeting you, Abbey,” I said sweetly. Dallas hugged her and I thought she was going to pass out. They all went inside and we went to our cars. Lacey leaned up against Braeden’s truck. “I swear, it never gets old seeing the excitement on people’s faces when they see you guys.” “It is pretty cool,” I agreed. Dallas put his arm around my waist while Braeden leaned against his truck beside Lacey. She put her head on his shoulder and I thought they looked cute together. Dallas didn’t seem to think anything of it. “You guys ready for the last game tomorrow before the playoffs?” I asked. Dallas squeezed my hip. “You know it.” Braeden nodded. “It’ll be a good game. At least we get a long weekend after it.” “Speaking of the weekend,” Lacey said, lifting her head. “I hate to do this, but I have to head back to New York in the morning. You guys won’t miss me too much, will you?” I held up my hand. “I will. I was getting used to spending time with you.” “Well, shit,” Dallas grumbled. “I wish you didn’t have to go. Do you want me to take you to the airport in the morning?”

She nodded. “If you don’t mind.” “Since we have a long weekend,” Braeden announced, turning his attention to her. “I was thinking about heading up to New York to see my parents. Think you’ll be around to hang out?” Her face brightened. “Definitely. You can stay with me like you always do and help me study.” “All right, you two, I need to get this one home,” Dallas said, pulling out his keys. Since I was getting off early from work to make it to his game tomorrow night, I decided to go in earlier. I hugged Lacey tight. “You have my number. Keep in touch.” She squeezed me back. “I will. Once I graduate, I’ll be back.” Dallas and I said our goodbyes to Braeden and then started on our way to my house, leaving Lacey with him. “They must be really close,” I said curiously. Dallas chuckled. “Who? Lacey and Braeden?” I nodded and he smiled. “They’ve always been.” “And you don’t care? I didn’t think you’d want her involved with your teammates.”

He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “They’re not involved like that, angel. They’ve been friends for years. When he goes to New York, he helps her study. You might not know this, but he’s extremely smart. He was accepted into Harvard, but he chose to play hockey.” “Wow, that’s amazing. I never would’ve known.” “Most people don’t. One of these days, I think he’ll regret not going. Not unless he goes when he retires.” I shrugged. “That could still happen.” I’d known lots of people who went to college later in life. A few minutes later, we arrived at my house and Dallas fetched my bag out of the trunk. “Want me to walk you inside?” The open garage door revealed Justin’s car inside. Sighing, I shook my head. “Not tonight.” He handed me my bag. “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” Holding his hand to my cheek, he leaned down and kissed me. “If you want, you can call me later.” I held his hand on my face and kissed him again. “I might just do that.” His hand slid down my cheek and then he got back into his car. I watched him disappear

around the corner before going inside the house. Music played from the living room, but there was no one in sight. I went straight up to my room and dropped my bag on the bed. “You still remember where you live?” Justin said, his voice sounding low and tired. He walked into my room and sat on my bed. My heart ached just looking at him. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here. You haven’t exactly made it easy on me.” I sat down beside him and faced him. He nodded. “I know. That’s why I want to apologize. I’ve missed you, Callie. We’ve always been so close.” Tears ran down my cheeks. I could see the sincerity in his eyes. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I hugged him tight. “I’ve missed you, too. It killed me not being able to talk to you.” I let him go and he smiled. “Same here. Is it too late for you to forgive me?” “There’s nothing to forgive. All I want is for you and Dallas to get along.” His smile slightly faded, but he agreed with a nod. “I can do it for you. It’s obvious you really like him.” My stomach fluttered. “I do.”

Sighing, he stood and helped me up. “If he hurts you, I will beat his head in.” “I’m sure he already knows that.” I laughed. Putting his hands into his pockets, he looked down at the floor. “So . . . what’s the deal with your friend Lacey?” “What do you mean?” His lips pulled back into a smile and he lifted his gaze. “I mean, is she dating anyone?” I burst out laughing. “Are you seriously asking me about this?” His brows furrowed. “Why wouldn’t I be? She’s hot and she’s your friend. I figured you could put a good word in for me.” Shaking my head, I couldn’t contain my giggles. “Out of all the women in the world, it’s just your luck to pick the one girl you can’t have.” I turned around and emptied my bag of clothes onto the bed. “So she is seeing someone?” “Nope.” I smiled at him over my shoulder. “She’s Dallas’s sister.” He gaped and his eyes widened in shock. “And I don’t think it’s a good idea to pursue her right now. She’s leaving to go back to New York in the morning.” I also didn’t want him getting involved with her because she had a past with

Maddox. A surprised chuckle escaped his lips. “Didn’t see that coming.” Picking up an armful of my laundry, I turned around and winked. “I’m pretty sure you don’t need my help getting a date. Besides, Dallas might be an ass to you like you were to him if you go after his sister.” I started for the door and he tossed one of my dirty socks onto my head. “Ha-ha,” he called out as I headed down the stairs. “I told you I was going to stop being a dick to him.” “Good. It’s about damn time.” I loved my brother and I wanted to see him happy, but Lacey Easton was off-limits. Throwing my laundry into the washing machine, I hurried back to my room just in time to hear my phone beep. It was a text from Hannah: I found this on the Internet. You two look so cute! She’d sent a link along with a picture of Dallas and me, one that was taken when we played miniature golf. It wasn’t one of the pictures the high school kids took. It was one with Dallas and me kissing, completely oblivious that our photo was being taken. Clicking on the link, it took me to a tabloid whose headline read: easton’s new flame looks

like the real thing: will it stick? I didn’t even bother reading it. Although I had to admit, I loved the picture.

Chapter 24

Callie The game had already started, but we’d only missed about two minutes. There was no going fast when you had to walk with a waddling pregnant woman. Kristen had insisted on coming to the game even though Kellan told her to stay home and rest. “Be careful going down the stairs,” I called out to Kristen. I could see Hannah and Corey already in their seats, waiting for us. Watching Kristen walk down the stairs made me nervous. There were so many people around, shouting and jumping out of their seats. Being an ER nurse, I found it hard not to envision every bad scenario that could happen with large crowds of people. Kristen glared back at me, pursing her lips. “I’m fine, Callie. You’re worse than my husband.” I held up my hands. “Just trying to keep you from falling down the stairs.”

Hannah noticed us and waved. “Hey, guys. You made it.” Chuckling, Kristen took a seat. “Slowly but surely.” I hugged Hannah and Corey before sitting down. “I’m so glad Justin’s come to his senses,” Hannah said happily. “I know it’ll make things easier on you.” “Got that right,” I said. “I told Dallas last night, but I don’t know if they’ve spoken to each other yet today.” Dallas was happy that my brother was going to give him a chance. He promised not to be an ass if Justin tried to talk to him. I knew how difficult it had to be for him since Justin was such a douche. The guys were on fire tonight, moving across the ice at lightning speed. It was the last game before the playoffs. Maddox took the puck away from one of the opposing players and passed it to Justin. There were two guys about to pummel him, but he slipped past them and took the shot. The puck went right between the goaltender’s legs. Jumping to my feet, I screamed and clapped as loud as I could. “That was pretty damn good,” Kristen said. “Kellan’s really impressed with him.”

“Thanks. Justin’s worked hard all his life to be the best.” Now that the crowd had quieted, I sat back down. “When is Kellan planning on retiring?” Kristen couldn’t take her eyes off of him. “The end of the season. He’s been talking back and forth with the managers about coaching the team. He’s excited.” “Wow, that’s awesome. I guess that’s why the team needed my brother.” He was going to take Kellan’s place. The team looked up to him, even Justin. Maddox still had some lessons to learn about teamwork. Hopefully, Dallas never found out about Maddox’s tryst with Lacey. All hell would break loose. “Come on, Braeden,” Kristen mumbled to herself. The other team had the puck and went straight for Dallas, only Braeden was there to stop it. I breathed a sigh of relief when Justin took the puck back to the other end. He scored again and the crowd went nuts. Justin was on fire. “How’d you get along with Lacey?” Kristen asked. “Great, as a matter of fact. She’s really nice.” She nodded. “She is. I’ve only met her once. She doesn’t come down much.” Probably because of Maddox. I never really got the

whole story between those two. “Medical school can’t be easy on her,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t doubt it. I know I’m looking forward to getting back to my designing job once the baby gets here. I miss working with my clients, even if it’ll be part time.” She rubbed her swollen belly and smiled at it. “Maybe this little one will follow in my footsteps.” Giggling, I pointed to Kellan on the ice. “Or her daddy’s. I know I did with mine. And speaking of your other job, when I move to another house, do you mind decorating it? I lack creativity when it comes to that.” She shook her head and laughed. “I’d be happy to. However, from what I hear, you’re basically living with Dallas. Sure you want to move right now? Might want to wait and see where things go. I’d hate for you to buy a house just to turn around and sell it.” Corey and Hannah overheard her and they both stared at me. It was a question I’d pondered every day. I wanted to have my own place to live, but between work and spending every night with Dallas, I hadn’t had the time. A part of me wanted to wait and see where my relationship led with Dallas. I definitely wasn’t going to bring it up to him. My feelings ran

deep, but I was afraid of voicing them. Maddox scored a goal and the crowd cheered as the second interval came to an end. The players skated off the ice and my breath hitched when Dallas looked our way. It was like he knew we were talking about him. I waved and he waved back before disappearing with the team for their break. Cameras flashed all around them as they walked to the locker room. “Callie?” Corey called out. I snapped back to attention. “Yeah?” Hannah reached over and touched my forehead. “You blanked out for a moment. I was beginning to think the talk of living with Dallas freaked you out.” “No,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I haven’t thought too much on the matter. I just haven’t found a place to live yet.” “Uh-huh,” Hannah cut in, sounding sarcastic. “I bet that’s why.” Corey shook his head and shrugged, clearly not having an opinion, or he was just keeping it to himself. “I’m going to get something to eat. Want anything?” he asked us. We all put in our requests and he hurried off before the game resumed. When he came back, he gave me my water and Kristen her

nachos and cheese. The lights dimmed and then Jack the Jaguar came out onto the ice. “It’s so cute how the guys started doing this. The fans love it,” Kristen said, laughing. Jack skated around the rink and the announcer called out the lucky fan to get a hug from the infamous jaguar. Every time I saw Jack, I kept thinking it was Dallas inside the costume. However this time it was Josh Harrison. The fan was a little girl in pigtails, escorted by her mother. It was nice to see hard-core hockey players with a sweet side. Once the show was over, the guys came back out onto the ice. The score was three to zero. Kristen leaned closer and I could hear the chips crunching in her mouth. “Dallas keeps looking over here at you. It’s so sweet.” “Just like that picture on the Internet,” Hannah added with a wink. I snorted. “Yeah, it was a good picture. Only I didn’t particularly like the tabloid it was attached to. Basically, they were saying we’re not going to last.” Corey glanced over at me. “That’s what’s going to happen when you’re involved with a famous hockey player, sis. You’ll have to get used to it.” Kristen nudged me in the side. “And most of

the stuff you’ll see on the Internet is horseshit. Don’t let it get to you.” Easier said than done. The last few minutes of the game went by quick, and of course, the Strikers won without any brawls. The crowd cheered and the whole coliseum vibrated under my feet. “All right, Cal, we’re headed out,” Corey said, taking Hannah’s hand. “Bye, guys. See you sometime this weekend.” They walked off while Kristen and I stayed in our seats. Breathing hard, Kristen held on to her stomach. “Hey, are you okay?” She closed her eyes and nodded. “Just having those Braxton-Hicks contractions. Plus, I have heartburn from those nachos. Not a good combination.” Opening her purse, she pulled out a pack of Tums and popped one into her mouth. “I’ll be fine in a minute. Do you mind taking me home once the crowd lessens? I don’t feel like celebrating with the guys tonight.” “I don’t mind at all.” I looked behind us at everyone moving toward the exits. “We should be good to leave in about five minutes.” While we waited for the aisles to clear, we watched our team exit the ice. Cameras flashed from the news crews, and the top

players in the game stayed behind to be interviewed. With a huge smile on his face, my brother seemed to enjoy his time in the spotlight. Apparently, so did Dallas. “Who is that?” I asked, watching Dallas hug a beautiful leggy blonde in a short skirt. It wasn’t just a quick hug, either. There was something intimate about it. Kristen searched the crowd and found her husband hugging the same woman. “Oh, that’s Madison Bennett. She’s a sports reporter.” She turned to me, her brows furrowed. “Dallas didn’t tell you about her?” “Tell me what?” I focused back on Dallas and the woman, at the way they smiled at each other. My stomach clenched and I tried to swallow down the jealousy, but it kept creeping back up. With a heavy sigh, she grabbed my arm. “Don’t get mad, but they used to date a long time ago. Other than you, she’s the only girl he’s actually dated.” He did tell me about her, but I didn’t know who she was, and I definitely didn’t expect them to still be friends. Teeth clenched, I watched them finish the interview and then he walked away with Kellan. Kristen squeezed my arm. “Hey, it’s not like

that with them anymore. He cares about you, not her. I wouldn’t let him anywhere near you if I thought he was going to hurt you.” The tension eased and I took a deep breath. “She’s just so beautiful. I promised Dallas I wouldn’t throw his past back up in his face, but sometimes it’s hard to trust blindly.” “Has he given you a reason not to trust him?” she asked. Meeting her green gaze, I shook my head. “No.” “Then there’s nothing to worry about.”

Chapter 25

Dallas “Good game, boys!” Coach Carlisle shouted as we entered the locker room. We all gathered around him. With a wide grin on his face, he looked at each one of us. “Next week, the playoffs begin. I’m proud of you boys for getting this far. You’ve definitely deserve a break. Just make sure to show up at the rink bright and early Tuesday morning. There won’t be another break until after the championship.” The guys all clapped and hollered. I was ready for a break. “You guys doing anything for the weekend?” Kellan asked. Braeden reached into his locker and pulled out his phone. “I have an early flight out to New York in the morning. I’m going to help Lacey study and visit my parents.” Kellan’s grin widened and I already knew what he was going to say. “You two are awfully

close. Something you need to tell us?” Braeden shook his head and laughed. “We’ve been over this, asshole. If there was something between us, you’d know.” He fist bumped me and headed straight for the showers. He was the only guy besides Kellan I would trust being alone with my sister. Luckily, she never came around much, so I didn’t have to worry about anyone trying to mess with her. “What about you?” Kellan said. “You and Callie going to do something fun?” A smile spread across my face. “Actually, I do have something in mind. I just need to see if Callie can take off on Monday.” “Nice. Looks like you two are doing really well. I’m glad to see you settling down.” Hearing those words before would’ve made me laugh, but it felt good to agree with him. “She makes me happy,” I admitted truthfully. “She’s real. I want to be a better man when I’m with her.” I wasn’t even ashamed to admit it. Clearing his throat, Kellan shifted his gaze over to something behind me. “Let’s just hope you can convince someone else of that.” He patted my shoulder and took off for the showers. “Easton,” Justin called out.

Taking a deep breath, I blew it out slow and started taking off my pads, not even bothering to turn around. I’d tried to be civil with him, but there was a limit to what I could take. “Yeah?” He circled around in front of me. Huffing, I crossed my arms over my chest, hoping like hell I could refrain from punching the shit out of him. However, the look on his face was anything but aggressive. “Good game today,” he said in all seriousness. Eyes narrowed, I studied him, wondering what the hell he was up to. “Same to you.” Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. “We got off to a bad start and I promised Callie I’d try hard to get along with you. The last thing I want to do is hurt her, and that’s what I’ve been doing by being an ass to you.” He held out his hand. “That’s why I’m keeping my promise. I’m willing to put everything behind us.” “Sure you can do that?” I asked. He smiled. “Only if you keep your promise and not break her heart. If you do, nothing’s going to stop me from smashing your face.” By the look in his eyes he was serious. I shook his hand. “I care about your sister.

I’m not going to hurt her.” “Good,” he said, letting my hand go. “You’re welcome to come by the house anytime. I don’t want Callie feeling like she has to stay away.” Slapping a hand on my shoulder, he walked off. I sat down and took off my skates, more than ready to take a shower, when Jason Marshall, one of our rookie defenders, stopped in front of me. “What’s up?” I asked him. He nodded toward the door. “Someone out there wants to talk to you.” The only person I could figure it being was Callie. I walked to the door with a smile on my face, only for it to disappear the second I walked out into the hallway. Leaning against the wall, glaring right at me, was my agent, his blond hair gelled and wearing a perfectly crisp gray suit. “What are you doing here?” He kicked off the wall and threw his hands in the air. “Oh, I don’t know, wondering what the hell you’ve been up to. You’ve ignored all of my calls.” I scoffed. “Probably because I didn’t want to hear what you had to say.” Some of the guys walked out of the locker room, and the other inside had their ears perked, listening. “Why don’t we continue this conversation in the

parking lot? I’ll be out there in ten minutes.” Ty huffed. “Fine.” He stormed off and I marched back into the locker room to call Callie. I didn’t want her anywhere near Ty. “Hey,” she answered, her voice sounding uneasy. “Hey, you okay?” I asked. “Yeah, just driving Kristen home. I was about to call you so you’d know I’ll be at your house a few minutes late. She’s not feeling well so I thought I’d stay with her until Kellan got there.” “Okay. I’ll be late as well. Something came up that I have to deal with. I won’t be long.” The line went quiet, the only sound coming from the car. “Callie, you there?” “I’m here. I’ll see you later, okay?” Something was wrong. I’d never heard her sound like that before. “Okay,” was all I could say. She hung up and that was it. “You’re in a shitty mood. What happened?” Kellan asked as he walked with me out to my car. I pointed up ahead at Ty who waited for me. “Agent troubles.” Chuckling, Kellan slapped me on the back. “Good luck. Since Kristen’s not feeling well, I

got to get to the house.” “Tell Callie I’ll be home soon,” I called after him. Kellan waved a hand. “Will do.” I turned my attention to Ty, who stared daggers at me. “You still refuse to take my advice,” he grumbled. “I have a good thing with Callie. I don’t need the show anymore.” “What about the opportunities? I thought you wanted to go into acting. This could be your chance.” I shook my head. “Things are different now. Acting doesn’t seem so important now.” His eyes widened. “Seriously? That’s all you’ve talked about for years. You’re trying to tell me that a girl changed you in just a few weeks?” A slow smile spread across my face. “Maybe. That and money isn’t all that’s important in life.” He scoffed. “You’ve lost your fucking mind. I kept hoping you’d come to your senses about the show. Think of the money and fame you’ll get. We’re supposed to meet with the producers on Monday.” “What?” I growled, clenching my hands into

tight fists. “I told you to cancel it.” “And I thought the girl would’ve been gone by now,” he snapped back. “If you refuse to be on the show, you’ll have to pay the penalty.” I threw my arms in the air. “I don’t care. I’ll pay it. Hell, I’ll even pay you to get off my back about it.” Sighing, I ran my hands over my face. Ty might’ve been a pushy bastard at times, but he’d always gotten me in the spotlight. I owed him a lot. “I know you wanted the money from the show,” I said, lowering my voice. “But I just can’t do it to Callie. I’ll do whatever you want me to, but the show isn’t an option.” Opening my car door, I tossed my bag inside. “I’m sorry, Ty.” Clenching his jaw, he looked down at the ground. “I’m sorry, too.” Getting into his car, he sped away, clearly still angry with me. If he dropped me as a client, I didn’t even care. I wasn’t about to lose what I had with Callie over a fucking show. Before I could get in my car, a red Jeep Wrangler pulled up beside me with a familiar blonde inside. “Trouble with your agent?” Madison teased. I rested my elbows over her door. “He’s mad because I don’t want to do something he wants me to do. You know, Ty. He loves his money.”

She shrugged. “You’re his biggest client. It’s where he makes his money. Can’t blame him, can you?” I shook my head. He had to make a living, too. “No, but he needs to respect my decisions. If he can’t, I’ll need to find another agent.” “Good luck with that,” she replied with a smile. “Thanks.” I glanced around the almost vacant parking lot. “What are you doing out here anyway?” She nodded toward the coliseum. “I ran into some people I knew inside. When I saw you out here, I thought I’d tell you goodbye. I won’t be at the playoffs, but I’ll be covering the championship. Whether the Strikers are in it or not is up to you guys.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “We will be. I’ll make sure of that.” She patted my hand. “You do that. Take care of yourself, Dallas.” I stepped back. “You, too.” She drove off and I got into my car, wondering if I should tell Callie about my interactions with Ty and Madison. The last thing I wanted was for her to doubt me.

Chapter 26

Callie As soon as Kristen walked inside, she went straight to the couch to lie down. “Want anything?” I asked her, taking a seat across from her. She closed her eyes. “I’m good. This heartburn sucks, though. I never had it until I got pregnant.” I remembered my baby pictures and how much hair I had. “My mom always told me she had it bad and I came out with a head full of hair. Maybe your little girl will be born with beautiful red curls.” She giggled. “Hope so. You don’t see many true redheads these days.” The door opened and Kellan walked in. “Thanks for staying, Callie.” He went straight to Kristen. “You’re welcome. Did you see Dallas before you left?” I asked. What I really wanted to know was who he was with.

Kellan lifted Kristen’s feet and rubbed them. It was so sweet. “His agent showed up needing to talk to him. He wanted me to tell you he’d be done soon.” Breathing a sigh of relief, I grabbed my keys off the counter. At least he wasn’t sneaking a visit with the sports reporter. “Thanks, Kellan.” I waved at Kristen. “Get some rest. I’ll see you both later.” “Be careful,” Kristen called out as I headed for the door. Dallas’s house was dark when I arrived, so I went inside and waited in the kitchen. There was a gallon of vanilla ice cream in the freezer, so I pulled it out, along with the can of whipped cream and chocolate syrup from the refrigerator. I put three scoops in my bowl and topped it high with the whipped cream and chocolate. I didn’t want to be short and cranky on the phone with Dallas, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him and his ex. I was really hoping the ice cream would help get my mind off of it. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Setting my dish on the kitchen table, I pulled out my phone and looked up Dallas’s name along with Madison’s. Breathing a sigh of relief, I was glad to see that everything that came up was

tabloids from over two years ago. There were pictures of them together, but there were none of them playing miniature golf or hanging out alone. They were all with crowds of people at parties. The pang of jealousy in my gut slowly slipped away, but I could still feel it. Sliding my phone across the table, I focused on my ice cream. The garage door opened and I heard Dallas pull in. Facing my ice cream, I watched him out of the corner of my eye walk through the door. “Hey, angel. That looks good.” I spooned a bite of ice cream into my mouth. “It tastes good, too.” Grabbing a beer from the refrigerator, he walked over and sat beside me. “Are you okay? You didn’t sound right on the phone.” His fingers lightly touched my chin and he turned me to face him. “What’s on your mind?” It was so hard to think with those blue eyes of his boring into mine. “Kristen told me about Madison Bennett. I wasn’t aware you two were still friends.” Sighing, he grabbed my chair and turned my body toward his. “We are, but not like that. I only see her at games. It’s not like we keep in touch over the phone.” Clasping my face with his strong hands, he kissed me, his tongue

gently grazing mine. “You have nothing to worry about. I promise.” Nodding, I kissed him again. “I trust you.” With a sly smile, he pulled away and focused on my ice cream. I pushed the bowl toward him. “Want some? I was hoping it’d help take away the jealous thoughts running through my mind.” His grin widened. “You were jealous?” I shrugged and smiled back. “Maybe a little. Your ex is very beautiful and sexy. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t be jealous if you saw me hugging my ex.” His eyes darkened. “I’d be furious.” Taking my hands, he pulled me to my feet. “The only person I want is you.” He kissed my cheek, grazing his unshaven face along my neck, sending chills down my body. “I think it’s time for my dessert.” Lifting my shirt, he tossed it onto the floor and undid my bra. “What are you doing?” Giggling, I watched him fetch the can of whipped cream and chocolate syrup from the counter. He shook the whipped cream and sprayed a little into his mouth. “This is going to taste so fucking good on your body.” Setting the contents down on the table, he lifted me up so

I was on it too. “Lie back,” he commanded. I did as he said and shivered when he sprayed the whipped cream on my nipples and down my stomach. He pushed his cock into me and I locked my legs around his hips, hoping he’d move them against me. I needed the friction, to feel him inside of me. The second his mouth latched on to me, my whole body tightened. Moaning, I arched my back so he’d suck harder. Chuckling, he bit my nipple and I hissed. It felt so good it hurt. “I want you so fucking bad right now.” I bit my lip. “What’s stopping you?” He winked. “Not a damn thing.” Lifting me in his arms, he carried me upstairs to his room and set me on the bed. He took off my jeans and pushed me onto the bed while I watched him undress. “There’s something I want to ask you.” Crawling across the bed, he grabbed my breasts and licked a taut nipple. “What is it?” I groaned. I wanted so much more. “Since I have a long weekend, I wondered if maybe you’d like to fly up to Maine with me tomorrow morning. Or we could wait until after you get off of work tomorrow afternoon.” Excitement bubbled in my veins. “Really?” His hand brushed down the side of my

cheek. “We’d be back Monday night. Is that something you think you can do? I know it’s last minute with work.” “Yes,” I gasped. “I’d love to go with you. I’ll call the hospital first thing tomorrow morning. It shouldn’t be a problem.” I had a gazillion vacation days saved up. His smile made me melt. “You’ll love it up there.” He flicked his tongue across my nipple again. “Now where were we?” Getting into position between my legs, he spread my knees wide. Blowing lightly over my sensitive skin, he brought his lips over my center and sucked my clit into his mouth. “Dallas,” I breathed, gripping his head as he thrust his tongue inside me. Arching my back, I gave in to his touch, moaning in delight as he explored me with his mouth while holding my legs out to the side with his weight. All too soon, he pulled away, leaving me breathless. Using his tongue, he licked a path all the way back up my leg, past the inside of my thigh. Fingers spreading me open, he nuzzled my clit with his nose, keeping his gaze on mine as he fucked me with his tongue. I was getting close to losing control, and before I could hit my peak, Dallas gave me one last lick and

continued his torturous path up to my breasts. “That’s not funny,” I growled. He smiled and bit one of my nipples. “Your orgasms tonight will all be with me inside you, angel. Just like mine will all be inside you.” He wrapped his lips around my breast, and everything tightened and throbbed with need. Dallas lifted his head and gazed down at me with his sensual blue eyes. Pressing his hips against mine, he positioned himself between my legs, grazing his cock along my opening as he swiveled his hips in slow circles. “Callie,” he whispered. Taking my face in his hands, he lowered his lips to mine and stayed there, breathing me in with just the gentlest of touches. When he pulled back, he caressed my cheeks with his thumbs and tenderly pushed inside me until he was all the way in. There was no rushing, almost like we were making love. It wasn’t the usual heated and wild sex we’d been having; it was something different . . . something I felt all the way down to my soul. Dallas pressed his lips to mine and slowly caressed my tongue with his, while thrusting deep and slow. His torturous pace only heightened my desire, so I grabbed his ass

tightly and locked my legs around his waist, pulling him into me. Picking up his pace, Dallas moaned and murmured in my ear, “Let it go, angel, so I can come inside you.” Giving in to the feeling, I gripped his shoulders. My skin tingled and my toes curled, as the longest and strongest orgasm I had ever felt exploded across my entire body. Dallas’s body jerked almost simultaneously as his cock pulsed, filling me with his release. I loved the feel of him coming inside of me, knowing he felt the same level of ecstasy from my body. Biting his lip, Dallas leaned down and kissed me firmly. Lifting my back off the bed, he brought my breasts up to his lips. “Are you ready for the real fun to begin?” he asked, licking a taut nipple. My body trembled and I could already feel myself tightening around his growing cock. I could see it in his eyes: it was going to be an interesting night, and I looked forward to it. He grinned and pushed harder and faster between my legs. “Damn, you’re so wet for me.” “You have no idea.”

Chapter 27

Dallas “You’re coming up here?” my mom squealed excitedly. I stuffed the last of my clothes into my bag and zipped it up. “Yep, and I’m bringing Callie. I want you and Dad to meet her.” My phone beeped with another incoming call, and it was Lacey; I ignored it for the time being. “That’s so exciting. Lacey called me the other day and told me how amazing she is. Are you staying with us while you’re here?” As much as I’d have liked to stay at my parents’ house, I didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on Callie. “We’re going to stay at a bed-and-breakfast. I thought she’d be more comfortable there.” My phone beeped again, and of course it was Lacey. The girl didn’t have a patient bone in her body. “Fine,” she huffed halfheartedly. “I guess I can live with that. When will you be in?” “Around two. We’ll stop by once we’ve

settled in.” “Sounds good, sweetheart. See you both then. I love you.” As soon as we hung up, Lacey called again. “Impatient much?” I growled into the phone. She snickered. “Sorry. Have you talked to Braeden? I can’t get in touch with him.” “No, I’ve been kind of busy. He’s probably already on the plane headed up to you.” “Damn, I was hoping to catch him.” “Everything okay?” I asked. “Oh yeah, it’s fine. I left my biochemistry book at his house and I was hoping he’d bring it with him.” “I’m sure he’ll have it,” I assured her. “You’re probably right. He’s not like you other Neanderthals on the team.” “Thanks.” I laughed. “But Braeden is the smart one out of the bunch.” “That he is. I keep telling him he needs to go to college. Getting accepted into Harvard Law was a huge accomplishment. I can’t believe he turned it down.” Neither could I, but he loved the ice. “Sometimes you got to do what makes you happy.” “That’s true,” she agreed. “Callie seems to do

that for you.” “She does. I’m a lucky guy. And speaking of Callie, I’m taking her to Maine this weekend.” She gasped. “She’s going to meet Mom and Dad?” “Yep. It’s not too soon, is it?” “Not at all. Callie’s in love with you. I can totally see it.” My plan was to tell her the exact same thing. I had the whole weekend planned out. “All right, sis, I have to get off here so I can pick up Callie.” “Okay. I’m just at the grocery store getting food for Braeden and me. Have fun.” “You, too . . . and not too much.” She snorted. “Bye, Dallas.” Chuckling, I hung up and carried my bag downstairs and turned everything off. Before I could walk out the door, Lacey called again. “What do you need now?” I said in a joking tone. “An explanation. What the fuck is going on?” she snapped, her voice laced with anger. My pulse spiked. “What do you mean?” I could hear her footsteps pounding on the ground through the phone. “I just bought my groceries and happened to look up to find

your face plastered on the front of Celebrity Gossip.” Sighing, I leaned against the door. “What does it say?” If I was on the front, it had to be bad. I hadn’t been on the cover since Madison and I broke up. Whatever it was, it was obvious Callie wouldn’t like it, either.

Chapter 28

Callie I was so excited I couldn’t stop from shaking. In exactly thirty minutes, Dallas and I would be on our way to the airport. Grabbing my bag, I carried it downstairs and left it by the door. “Callie?” Justin called out. I walked into the kitchen to see him at the table, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, his hair a hot mess, and eating a bowl of cereal. “Hey,” I said, sitting across from him. “I was hoping I’d see you this morning.” “You not going to work today?” With a big smile, I shook my head. “I took off a couple of days. Dallas is taking me to Maine. I’m going to meet his parents.” His eyes widened. “Wow. I guess it’s a good time to tell you that I talked to him last night after the game.” “You did?” Dallas never said anything about it. Then again, we were kind of busy all night.

“What did you say?” Justin finished his cereal and placed his bowl in the sink. “Basically that I’m willing to look past everything. But if he hurts you, I have permission to kick his ass.” Giggling, I hugged him hard. “Thanks, Justin. This really means a lot to me.” Letting him go, I grabbed a small orange juice out of the refrigerator. “Have you talked to Brant?” Justin sat down at the table to read the newspaper. “Yep. He’s flying back in a couple of weeks. I think he got me an endorsement contract with a clothing label. I’ll find out tonight.” I almost choked on my orange juice. It ran down my chin and I wiped it away. “Oh my God, that’s awesome. You’ll have to text me and let me know.” He winked. “Don’t worry, I’ll be texting everyone. It’s just a shame you won’t be here to celebrate.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of fun without me.” Heavy footsteps sounded above and I watched Corey stagger down the stairs, yawning with his mouth wide open and trying to put on his shirt. “Tired?” I asked him. Corey managed to slip on his T-shirt, but it was

backward. Justin snorted. “You’d think with me being a star hockey player, I’d get all the pussy. I must be doing something wrong.” “No, you’re just not a dog,” I said in all seriousness. Corey smacked Justin in the back of the head in passing. “You’re just jealous you didn’t get to Hannah first.” I snickered. “Actually, he has a thing for Dallas’s sister.” Corey burst out laughing. “That’s fucking classic.” Justin flipped him off. “Dallas and I came to a truce. It doesn’t matter anyway because Lacey lives in New York. It’d never work out.” “Exactly,” I agreed. The doorbell rang and then a loud bang followed. Justin set the newspaper down. “Damn, Easton must really be excited about taking you to Maine.” I hurried to the door, but the silhouette showing through the glass wasn’t Dallas, it was Hannah. Opening the door, I felt all the blood rush from my face at the sight of hers. “Hannah, what’s wrong? Shouldn’t you be at the hospital right now?”

She stormed inside. “I am, but there’s something you need to see.” Brows furrowed, Corey walked out of the kitchen. “What are you doing here?” he asked her. Taking my hand, she dragged me toward the stairs. “I need to talk to Callie. I’ll be down in a minute.” When we got to my room, she slammed the door behind us, her eyes frantic. “I went to the store this morning to buy my chocolate doughnuts, and ended up seeing this.” Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a magazine and handed it to me. On the front cover was a photo of Dallas, and off to the side was one of him and me in the parking lot at the rink . . . and the other was of him and Madison. Bile rose up the back of my throat and I gasped. “Oh my God.” “Read the headline,” Hannah murmured sadly. All I could focus on was the picture of him and Madison with their arms around each other, kissing. Closing my eyes, I swallowed hard and then looked at the headline. two women isn’t enough for this puckstopping heartthrob Then underneath that was something that made my blood run like hot lava through my

veins. find out what happens on the season premiere of rich and single—10 lovely ladies get their chance to steal him away I’d watched Rich and Single before. All the girls fought over the guy, even though the guy probably had sex with them all. Who in their right mind would go on a show like that? The thought of Dallas doing it . . . “I read the article,” Hannah admitted carefully. She could tell I was on the verge of exploding. “Sources say they’ve seen them two together here recently. Didn’t you say he was late getting back last night?” Closing my eyes, I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw hurt. “He said he met with his agent. Nothing was mentioned about her.” Tabloids had a way of stretching the truth when it came to stuff like that. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it might be true. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes and flipped to the article. “What I’m more livid about is the TV show. He never said one fucking word about it.” Hannah cleared her throat. “It’s supposed to air in five days, Cal.” My head shot up. “What? You’ve got to be kidding.”

Heart racing, I felt like I was going throw up. The words all jumbled together and I was so enraged I couldn’t see straight. My hands shook, so Hannah took the magazine away. “Hey, let’s sit you down.” She nudged me over to the bed and I sat. “What all does it say, Hannah? Tell me.” Sighing, she knelt down in front of me. “Apparently, it talks about him being with you and Madison and wondering how you’re both going to handle him being with ten other women. He gets to date them all, and each week, he’ll eliminate one. It’s a live show so they’ll be following him around at practice and at the playoff games.” Tears of rage fell down my face. “Why didn’t he tell me? I feel like such a fool.” Gently, she held my hand in hers. “I don’t know, Cal. It’s a question you need to ask him.” The doorbell rang and my heart stopped. Justin answered the door and the second I heard Dallas’s voice, I cried harder. “He’s here.” “I can keep your brothers occupied for a few minutes, but you need to get him out of here unless you want an all-out brawl. As soon as Justin and Corey hear about this, they’ll want to fuck him up.”

She grabbed a tissue off my desk and handed it to me. I wiped my eyes and grabbed the magazine, focusing on the betrayal I felt. It was better than feeling pain. “I’ll gladly do it for them,” I hissed low. Hannah quickly left, and I waited for her to get my brothers out of the kitchen. I could hear their voices, but then they disappeared as the back door slammed shut. I didn’t want a bloodbath in my house. Gripping the magazine as hard as I could, I marched downstairs. Dallas was in the kitchen, pacing back and forth, clearly on edge. Was everything we had all a lie? When his gaze found mine, my heart shattered into a million pieces. The second I looked at his face, I could see the guilt. “When were you going to tell me?” I shouted, waving the magazine. He held up his hands. “Please, angel, let me explain.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “Don’t call me that!” Tears ran down my face and I hated myself for it. I wanted to be strong, to push through the pain. He moved closer and I backed away. “Don’t you dare touch me right now.” “Callie, please,” he begged. “Nothing is going

on between me and Madison.” He slowly tried to close the distance, but I circled around the bar, slamming the magazine down. “Sources say otherwise. Besides interviewing after the games, when have you seen her? Did you see her last night?” Swallowing hard, he looked right into my eyes. “Yes. I was going to tell you, but then I saw how upset you were over her. I didn’t want you to think something happened.” He grabbed the magazine. “I don’t know what this picture is of me and her, but it wasn’t taken last night. You have to believe me.” I shrugged. “I don’t know what to believe. You lied and I can’t accept that.” My gaze landed on the magazine. “What’s worse is the TV show. Are you really that selfish to make me fall in love with you, only to watch you with all those other women?” “No,” he growled, ripping the magazine off the counter. “I don’t want to be on the show, Callie. I told my agent to break the contract weeks ago. I have no desire to be on it.” “Obviously the producers don’t know that,” I snapped. “For all I know, I was just something to tie you over until show time.” “That’s not true.” Eyes darkening, he

charged after me and I took off for the front door. He slammed it shut and turned me around, holding me against his body. “I would never hurt you,” he roared, his heart racing beneath my ear. I tried to push him off, but he was too strong. It was as if every feeling inside of me exploded in that very moment. The pain was too much. I took all of that emotion and pushed him again. This time, he backed off. I could see Justin and Corey drawing closer to the back door. It took all I had to meet Dallas’s gaze. Tears filled his eyes, but I couldn’t let that reel me back in. “I promised to give you a clean start with no questions asked, and I did that. You let me down by lying to me. I can’t forgive that right now. I don’t even know what to believe.” He shook his head. “I’m telling you the truth. Nothing is going on with Madison and I’m not doing the show.” Taking a deep breath, I opened the door. “I’m sorry. I just can’t trust you right now.” The back door opened and the others walked in. Justin froze and took in the situation. His smile disappeared and he turned his murderous glare to Dallas. “What the fuck’s going on?” he demanded.

“Dallas was just leaving,” I answered, opening the door wider. I met Dallas’s stare. “Go. We’re done here.” Justin and Corey came closer and Dallas sighed, stepping out onto the front porch. “No, we’re not. I’m not giving you up,” he promised. A lone tear fell down my cheek. “You don’t have me to give up.” With those last words, I shut the door.

Chapter 29

Dallas Body shaking with rage, I could barely press the numbers to call Ty. “Good morning,” he answered. “My face is plastered all over the tabloids about the show. Get that shit handled now,” I commanded. He sighed heavily. “I forgot they were going to publicize it today. I’ll call them right now. It won’t give them time to stop the commercials from running, though.” “I don’t care what you have to do, but get it done or I will. This is your fault and you’re going to fix it. Otherwise, you’re not going to like the consequences.” I hung up, knowing there was nothing I could do about the article or the commercials. It was too late. The damage had been done. Knowing Callie was going to see it all made me so goddamn sick. I drove around for hours, racking my brain on how I was going to prove to Callie I didn’t

intentionally deceive her. I’d called and texted, but kept getting sent to voice mail. Going back to her house was out of the question. I couldn’t get in without physically harming her brothers. Hurting them would only make things worse. Instead of going back to my house, I drove to the rink. It was Friday morning so no one would be on the ice. My team had the time off and it wouldn’t be open to the public yet. Grabbing my hockey bag out of the trunk, I slung it over my shoulder and walked inside. There was no one in the office, but I knew Kellan was somewhere in the building. I put on my skates and went straight out onto the ice. In my mind, all I could envision was Callie’s face, her eyes regarding me with disdain. My chest ached so fucking bad I wanted to rip my heart out. I’d been beaten and bloody many times, but nothing compared to the pain of losing her. I had to get her back, to make her trust me again, but I had no idea how to do it. “Hey, man,” Kellan shouted. “You carved up my smooth ice.” Breathing hard, I skated over to him. “Sorry.” I nodded toward the rink. “I can think when I’m out there.”

His smile faded. “I understand. Word travels really fast around here.” “So you know?” I asked. Sighing, he leaned over, resting his elbows on the wall. “Yep. Kristen’s not too happy with you right now.” “Is she here?” He shook his head. “She’s taking the weekend off.” “Fuck! I don’t know what to do,” I snapped, slamming my hands down on the wall. “Callie’s ignoring me, and if I show up at her house again, her brothers will fight me. I can’t fight back without hurting her more.” Kellan patted me on the shoulder. “You’ll have to find another way. Right now, it’s going to be impossible.” Closing my eyes, I bowed my head. “We’re supposed to be on a flight to Maine right now. I had so much planned for us.” “Why didn’t you tell her about the show? It was a dick move, Easton.” I opened my eyes and faced him, the anger coming back with a vengeance. “I told my agent to get me out of the contract a long time ago and he didn’t do it. He’s the one who fucked me on that.”

“And Madison? Have you been seeing her outside of the games?” “Only last night after Ty left. She drove up and told me she’d see us at the championship. That’s it.” He blew out a heavy sigh. “You are without a doubt completely screwed. Not to mention, the team will be divided after this. I suggest you figure out how to fix it, and fast.” If I knew how, I would’ve already done it. Kellan walked off, leaving me alone with the ice again. My phone rang, the sound echoing off the walls. Quickly, I pulled it out, hoping like hell it was Callie. I should’ve known better. “Hey, Lacey.” “Callie won’t answer my calls.” I sighed. “Join the club.” “What are you going to do about it?” “Haven’t figured it out yet. I need to get her away from her brothers.” She scoffed. “Good luck with that. They’ll be guarding her like Fort Knox. What you need is a grand gesture. Have any ideas on how to do that?” My phone beeped with another incoming call. “Not yet. If you come up with something,

let me know. But right now, I have to go.” “Okay.” I switched over to take Ty’s call. “Yeah,” I answered, letting my anger be heard. “I just got off the phone with the show producers. If you break the contract now, they’ll have grounds to collect damages. I’m talking career ending. They’ll bankrupt you.” “All because of you,” I hissed. I was fucked no matter what I did. Ty kept talking, but I held the phone away from my ear, desperate to come up with a plan. Then, out of nowhere, it came to me. I knew what I had to do. The next few days were going to be agony. “Just do the show. It’s only until the end of summer,” Ty babbled on. Taking a deep breath, I let it out slow. I hoped to hell I was making the right decision. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

Chapter 30

Callie “Callie, please, call me back. It’s all a misunderstanding. I’ll do anything to prove it to you. It’s killing me right now, knowing I can’t be with you. Please, angel. I need to talk to you.” Swallowing hard, I turned off my phone and set it on my dresser. Even Lacey had tried to call, but I knew it was in defense of her brother. Now that I was alone in my room, the anger had subsided and all that was left was the unbearable pain in my chest. My eyes felt like sandpaper every time I closed them. The phone calls were the worst. Dallas called so many times I had to turn my phone off, but then the masochist side of me couldn’t stop from listening to his messages. There were plenty of times I was so close to calling him back, but I couldn’t follow through. “Knock, knock,” Maddox shouted. My bedroom door opened and he charged in with my brothers behind him.

I covered my face with my pillow. “Go away. I’m not in the mood to be cheered up.” “That’s exactly what you’re going to get,” Justin said, flopping down on the bed beside me. He grabbed my pillow and tossed it across the room. I knew I looked like shit with my mascara in lines down my cheeks. Luckily for them, they didn’t say a word about it. Maddox grabbed my phone off the bedside table. “Has Easton tried to call you?” My stomach clenched. “A few times. I turned off my phone.” He slid my phone into his back pocket. “Good. It’s staying off for now. You can have it back later. Right now, Justin and I are taking you away.” I glared at them all. “No you’re not. I’m not going anywhere.” They snuck glances at each other and I could see the trepidation on Corey’s face. “You might want to, Cal.” There was something they weren’t telling me. “Why?” I asked nervously. Justin released a heavy sigh. “Now that word is spreading, the media is really looking for more. There’s a van down the street. I think they’re waiting to get a glimpse of you, to see how you’re taking the news.”

Tears filled my eyes. “You can’t be serious. What the hell am I supposed to do?” Justin grabbed a tissue and handed it to me. “Even though you’re upset, you’re going to put a smile on that face. Don’t let the world know how bad he hurt you. They want to see your pain so they can get another story.” Maddox and Corey both agreed with a nod. “How are we going to leave without them seeing us? Won’t they follow?” Maddox winked. “It’s all figured out. Now come on, let’s go. The beach is waiting on us.” Justin and Maddox walked out, leaving me alone with Corey. “Are you coming, too?” I asked him. He shook his head. “Someone needs to stay here since you’re technically still going to be home. If the reporters think you’re by yourself, they’ll come flocking to the door.” Taking my hand, he helped me up. “It’s time go. The sooner you get away from here, the better.” The warm sand between my toes and the sunshine above felt good against my skin, but it did nothing to ease the pain. Nags Head was one of my favorite vacation destinations, but my heart wasn’t into it. I loved Justin and Maddox for trying. Even though they were livid, they never brought up Dallas’s name.

Deep down, I knew they wanted to hurt him, but they kept it to themselves. “Looking good,” I shouted, applauding Maddox for his surfing skills. He rode the tiny waves perfectly. Maddox was always so versatile in sports, and my brothers had been envious of him growing up. No wonder Lacey fell for him. “What do you want me and Mad to cook tonight?” Justin asked. I looked over at him in his blue swimming trunks, soaking up the sun, and laughed. He dropped his sunglasses and stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “What was so funny about that?” “Um, just the part where you said you two were cooking. I’d like to see what you boys come up with.” He glared at me and then winked. “You’ll eat what I cook and you’ll love it. This is your vacation.” I tossed a handful of sand on his legs. “Then let me help you. We can start on those bottles of wine you bought. I could use that kind of distraction.” He held out his fist and I fist bumped him. “That’s my girl.” My phone rang and Justin pulled it out of our beach bag. I’d turned it back on in case our

parents called from out of town. It was the excuse I used, but mainly it was to see how many times Dallas called; he was relentless. Justin held out my phone to me. “It’s Hannah.” I answered it. “Hey, girl.” “Hey, how are you?” I took a deep breath of the salty sea air. “Lying out on the beach with Justin and watching Maddox surf. We’re about to go in and make some dinner. You?” “Just got to your house. You wouldn’t believe the people sneaking around out here hoping to get a glimpse of you. They took pictures of me as I pulled into your driveway.” “What the hell?” I groaned. “That’s bullshit. Why can’t they leave me alone?” “That’s not how the press works, sweetheart.” “What about work? Who all was talking about me?” The line grew quiet and I knew it was bad. “Just tell me, Hannah.” “A vast majority of them were. I’m actually kind of glad you weren’t here today. It’s all everyone could talk about.” I felt sicker by the second. “Great. I might as well not go back until Tuesday like I planned.”

“Good idea. Hopefully, it won’t be as bad. Just be prepared to answer a bunch of questions.” At least on Tuesday I’d be in surgeries all day with Dr. Sands. I wouldn’t have to worry about being on the floor with all the other nurses. “Have you talked to Dallas at all?” she asked carefully. “No.” “What if he was right about canceling the show? What if it doesn’t air on Wednesday? The magazine could’ve gotten wind about it somehow and exploited it to make it look like it was still going to come on.” I couldn’t argue with her there. I’d thought about numerous scenarios on the way down to the beach, and that was one of them. The only thing I had to do was wait for Wednesday and see. “It’s a possibility,” I said, “and if that happens, I’ll figure something out. Although it doesn’t change the other issue.” “About Madison?” “Yep,” I huffed. “I don’t know what to think about that one. He didn’t tell me he saw her after the game. Makes me think he’s hiding something.” “Could be, but I know he’s in love with you. I can see it.” I wanted to believe her, but he never once

told me he loved me. Then again, I’d never told him that I was in love with him, either. Holding his surfboard under his arm, Maddox ran back up the beach toward us. Justin patted my leg. “Come on, Cal. It’s time to eat.” “Hannah, I’ll call you later tonight. The guys and I are going to fix us some dinner.” “Okay, babe. Don’t get into any trouble. I know what heartache can do to a woman.” “I’ll be fine. Talk to you soon.” We hung up and I helped the guys carry the beach chairs back up to the house. It was a blue three-story house with the name Summer Escape. It was perfect, considering I was trying to escape my heartbroken life. Maddox set his surfboard on the back porch and then grabbed the chair in my arms. “I bought stuff to make spaghetti. Want to do that tonight?” We walked inside. “Sounds good to me.” Justin slapped Maddox on the back of the shoulder. “While you two start that, I’m going to take a shower.” I threw a sandal at him. “Nice, asshole. I knew you were going to flake out on us.” Bursting out with laughter, he charged up

the stairs. “I’ll help as soon as I get out.” Maddox shook his head and looked at me. “Believe him?” “Not at all,” I said, laughing. “His shower will no doubt be an hour long.” The kitchen was on the top floor, as well as the master suite, which I gladly took. There was a huge Jacuzzi calling my name tonight. I helped Maddox gather the spaghetti ingredients while he pulled out the pots and pans. “You don’t have to help. I can do this myself,” Maddox said. “I’ll at least keep you company.” I needed the distraction. Fetching a bottle of wine from the refrigerator, I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it to the top. “Have you ever been in love?” I asked him. He grabbed an onion and the peppers and began chopping them. “Nah. I’m having way too much fun for that shit.” I wanted to know what happened between Lacey and him, only I didn’t know how to ask. “What about in the future? Don’t you want a family?” Setting the knife down, he looked at me and laughed. “Why are you asking me this?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. As much as I love you, I know you’re one of the bad guys that all the women love. I’m just trying to figure out if there’s more to you when it comes to women. With me, you’re amazing. I just hope one day you’ll be able to show that side of you to a woman you care about.” He looked over at me and winked. “Not gonna happen anytime soon.” “You’re twenty-eight, Maddox. Once you retire, you won’t have the fame and fortune from hockey backing up your game.” I winked back. “Just a little something to ponder. Might be time to grow up a little.” “Yes, Mother.” Chuckling, he finished dicing the onions and peppers, and tossed them into the pan along with the hamburger meat. While drinking my wine, I watched him curiously. Even though we were family, there was a lot I didn’t know about him. This whole thing with Lacey had my curiosity piqued. I finished off my wine and could already feel it coursing through my veins. However, the sharp pain in my chest was still there. “Cal, can you hand me the tomato sauce, please?” Maddox asked. Setting my wineglass down, I grabbed the cans and set them on the counter beside him. He looked at me and

smiled. “Thanks.” Leaning against the counter, I stood there and stared at him. Brows lifted, he snuck another glance at me. “Something on your mind?” I shrugged. “Just trying to think of other things besides you know who. Figured I’d focus on you.” “What do you want to know, Callie?” “How many women have you been with?” He burst out laughing. “Why the hell do you want to know that?” All kidding aside, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Because there has to be someone that’s left a mark on you. You’re a good guy, even though you act like a dick a lot of the time to others.” A sly smile spread across his face. “It’s part of my charm.” I glared at him and his grin faded. “Fine, I’m going to tell you something and then I want you to get off my back. Got it?” I nodded and he sighed heavily, turning his attention back to the spaghetti sauce. “I met a girl in Vegas a couple of years ago.” Lacey never told me anything about Vegas. It couldn’t be her. “What happened?” I asked. His brows furrowed and I could see the uncertainty on his face. “We spent five days together. It was during our break before we

had to start training for the playoffs.” “Wow, five days. Is that the longest relationship you’ve had?” I teased. “Fuck off,” he joked back. “We had a good time.” “So basically, you two just slept together.” “That was part of it, but we did other things, too. I’m not a complete ass when it comes to women. I know how to wine and dine them when I want to.” I held up my hands and laughed. “Sorry.” By the faraway look on his face, I could tell he was thinking about her. “What was she like?” “Beautiful.” He met my gaze. “She reminds me of your friend Lacey.” My breath hitched and I froze. “Oh really? That’s interesting. What was the girl’s name?” “Paige.” Heart racing, I walked over to my wineglass and filled it up. If I recalled correctly, Lacey’s middle initial was P. I saw it on her credit card when she bought her lunch at the hospital. It couldn’t be her, could it? “Do you still keep in touch with her?” He shook his head. “She took off the morning I was supposed to leave. I didn’t have her phone number or any way to contact her.” “Looks like she pulled a Maddox move

there,” I said. “Ha-ha.” He threw a piece of onion at me. “Were you even going to call or keep in touch with her?” His smile faded slightly. “I wanted to, but she left. End of story. Why don’t you go watch TV so I can finish dinner in peace?” Grabbing my glass of wine, I retreated to the living room, completely torn. It couldn’t have been Lacey he was with, could it? If it was, I couldn’t get in the middle of it, not with Lacey being Dallas’s sister. As much as I wanted to find out the truth, I refused to get involved any further. “Dinner ready yet?” Justin shouted from his room. “You don’t get any, cocksucker,” Maddox hollered back. “Not unless you get your ass in here and help me.” Justin chuckled all the way up the stairs and they bantered back and forth. Maybe the weekend wouldn’t be so bad after all. Turning on the TV, I leaned my head back on the couch, determined to stay away from the sappy love channels. That was the last thing I needed. Instead, I settled on one of my favorite Clint Eastwood movies, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

“Oh shit, I love this movie.” Justin sat down beside me, his eyes glued to the TV. Everything was going just fine until a commercial came on I wasn’t expecting to see. Dallas’s face popped up, along with those of the ten women joining him on Rich and Single. “Motherfucker,” Justin growled. He grabbed the remote and shut the TV off, pulling me into his arms. “Damn, Cal, I’m so sorry. I’d do anything to beat the ever-living fuck out of him right now.” Tears streamed down my face and all the pain came crashing back. The hope I had lingering on the surface completely disappeared. Dallas was actually going to be on the show. I kept hoping Wednesday would come and the show would wind up being canceled. I was wrong. Gulping down the rest of my wine, I slipped out of Justin’s hold. “I’m going to need more.” A lot more.

Chapter 31

Dallas There was a path in my grass from where I’d paced back and forth the past three days. Desperation couldn’t even begin to describe the way I felt. The sun shone bright above with clear skies as far as I could see, but there was a dark cloud hanging over me. Nothing would be right again until I had Callie back. It’d been three days and I hadn’t heard a word from Callie or anyone. It was like she’d fucking disappeared. No one would tell me where she was, and the media had no clue, either. There were stories floating around on the Internet about how she hadn’t left her house, but Maddox and Justin had and never returned. I had a feeling they’d taken her away somewhere. I couldn’t blame them, especially with the media breathing down her neck. My phone rang, and of course it was the only person who cared to talk to me. Ty was happier than a pig in shit that I was doing the show. “Yeah,” I huffed.

“We have a meeting with the producers today at two. Can you be here at the hotel around one?” “Yep.” “Good. See you then.” I hung up and tried calling Callie again. There were times it’d go straight to voice mail, and others where it’d ring and ring. I wasn’t going to give up until she answered the fucking phone. This time, it rang and I waited. Once her voice mail came on, I hung up and called again, and someone finally answered. “Dude, that’s enough! Do I need to get stalking charges brought against you?” Justin shouted. I breathed a sigh of relief. “Is Callie okay?” “No, she’s not. She’s fucking heartbroken, asshole. I thought she was going to be okay until the commercials started playing on every goddamn TV channel. Why don’t you leave her the hell alone?” Pulse racing, I clenched the phone tight. “She has to know the truth. Just let me talk to her, please.” “Fuck no. I told you what would happen if you hurt her. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow.” The line went dead and my whole body

shook. I wanted to hit something so fucking hard to make it hurt like I did. Patience was not in my blood, and everywhere I turned, it was being tested. Getting into my car, I headed straight for the hospital. There was only one person left to try, and I prayed to God I could get through to her. When I arrived, I hurried inside to the floor I visited last time. The two nurses at the desk froze, mouths gaping. I recognized the nurse with the short brown hair from the last time I was there. According to her name tag, her name was Sandra. She stood and cleared her throat. “If you’re looking for Callie Davis, she’s not here.” “I know,” I told her. “If it’s possible, I’d like to speak to Hannah Martin.” Gaze narrowed, she stared at me for a few seconds. I could tell she didn’t know what to do. Judging by the looks on some of the other nurses’ faces as they walked by, I wasn’t exactly welcome. Sandra nodded and picked up the phone. “I’ll call her. She might not be able to take visitors right now.” I took that as code for she’s going to be too busy to talk to you. “Hannah, there’s someone here to see you. It’s Dallas Easton,” Sandra said, her voice low.

I could hear Hannah’s voice on the other end and I knew the blow was about to come. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my car keys. There was nothing I could do to make Hannah see me. The last thing I needed was a warrant for stalking. Sandra set the phone down and walked out from behind the desk. “Follow me,” she said, hurrying down the hallway. “I don’t think you want to be out here when she sees you.” She was Callie’s best friend. I knew it was going to be bad. “Hopefully, she won’t try to kill me,” I replied sadly. “Can’t guarantee that.” She opened the door to the empty break room and nodded for me to go inside. “She’ll be here in a minute.” Taking a deep breath, I paced the floor. A few minutes passed and the door slammed open. Hands on her hips, Hannah glared daggers at me. “You have a lot of nerve coming here. What do you want?” I held my hands up in defeat. “I need your help. All I want is five minutes.” She stormed toward me and looked down at her watch. “You have two. Starting now.” Hannah gave me my two minutes and that was it. If I got through to her, I had no clue.

After I was done, she’d told me to leave and that was it. On the way to the hotel, a call came in I wasn’t expecting. “Hey,” I answered. “Hey. I wanted to call earlier, but I thought I’d wait for things to die down. What’s going on with the show and with Callie?” Madison asked. “I figured you’d be upset about what they said about me and you.” She snorted. “Please. We both know it’s not true.” I pulled up to the hotel and got out. “Callie doesn’t. She’s not talking to me right now. No matter what I tell her, she doesn’t believe me.” “Anything I can do?” “Nope. I’m on my own in this. I plan on getting her back.” “You’ve always gotten what you wanted, Dallas Easton. It’s in your blood. I just don’t see how that’s going to happen with you doing the show.” The hotel lobby was busy with people roaming around everywhere. I went straight to the elevators and pressed the button. “You’ll just have to see. Make sure to watch it.” We hung up and I rode the elevator up to Ty’s

floor. I knocked on his door and he opened it, dressed in gray pants and a white T-shirt, his hair still damp from the shower. “You’re early.” I shrugged. “Had nothing else to do. Everyone hates me.” He dismissed the comment with a wave. “They’ll get over it. You’re about to be on TV. Your fans still love you.” I walked into his room. “Have you told your friends and family?” “Didn’t have to. The tabloids did it for me.” “You might want to pretend to be somewhat excited about the show,” he grumbled, running a towel through his hair. “Wasn’t it you who said, and I quote, ‘Think of all the hot girls I get to fuck’?” It seemed like forever since I said those words. It was right after I signed the contract to be on the show. “I don’t want that anymore.” “Seriously?” He stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “Take a look.” Reaching into his briefcase, he pulled out a file and handed it to me. “You can’t tell me these women aren’t sexy. I’d give anything to be in your place right now.” “Maybe you should be on the show. You’re

rich and single.” Thanks to me. I looked through the photos of the women I’d be meeting in just two days. Ty chuckled and disappeared into the bedroom. “Believe me, if I was the kind of guy the show wanted, I’d do it in a heartbeat. There’s no better way of getting over a girl by fucking another. You’ll forget about what’sher-name soon.” He chuckled again. “And Madison, too. I didn’t realize you two were seeing each other again.” Clenching my teeth, I stood and walked over to the window overlooking downtown Charlotte. “We’re not,” I snapped. “It’s just some bullshit the tabloids made up to get sales.” “Obviously, your girl couldn’t handle being with someone like you. Lies are going to be spoken and exploited about you while you’re in the spotlight. It’s the way it is.” I didn’t even bother with a reply. He closed the bedroom door and I could hear him fumbling around in his suitcase. The man was worse than a fucking female so I sat down on the couch. It’d take him at least thirty minutes just to comb his hair. Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back on the couch. His phone vibrated on the coffee table and I tried to

ignore it, only it kept vibrating. I picked it up, fully planning on giving it to Ty, when I looked down at the screen. Rage bubbled through me as I saw messages from Georgie Hilliard, a man I completely despised. My hands shook as I clicked on the texts and read them all. Ty: I have a story about Dallas Easton. Want it? Georgie: Hell yeah. We need some good dirt. Ty: That’s exactly what you’ll get. Can you meet me in the hotel lobby at 9? Georgie: I’ll be there. Georgie Hilliard was the owner of Celebrity Gossip magazine and the same prick who wrote the garbage in the tabloid. The new text messages only confirmed it. Georgie: Thanks for everything. We’ve had record sales this weekend. You’ll have your share of the money in your account tomorrow. Blood rushed to my face and I felt like I was on fire. Gritting my teeth, I stormed through the bedroom door. Ty’s eyes widened in shock and he ducked when I threw the phone at the mirror, shattering it. “Son of a bitch!” I shouted, grabbing Ty by

the shirt. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and all I wanted to do was snap him in half. “You are the one who fed Celebrity Gossip the story.” He grabbed my wrists and I slammed him against the wall. The breath whooshed out of his lungs and he coughed. “I’m not going to let you screw up your life over a girl,” he spat. “It would’ve been over in a matter of weeks anyway. I know you, Dallas. You get bored too easily.” Letting him go, I punched him so hard in the jaw I felt it crack. He howled in pain and fell to the floor. I wanted him to suffer, but unfortunately I had to do it the right way. “That’s not me anymore. I’m done here.” Turning on my heel, I marched to the door. “I’m the one who got you where you are. Without me, you’d be nothing,” he hissed. I glanced at him over my shoulder, watching him wipe the blood from his lip onto his shirt. It was true, he’d made me a celebrity, but I didn’t give a shit about fame anymore. It wasn’t important like it used to be. “Without me, you are nothing. You’re fired. I’ll have my lawyer contact yours.” With those words, I walked out and never looked back.

Chapter 32

Callie “Are you sure you’re okay, sweetheart?” my mom cried. With my parents being across the world, I didn’t think the news of Dallas and me would’ve traveled that far. “Yes, I’m fine, Mom.” It was a lie, but I didn’t want to ruin her trip. The popcorn finished popping and I dumped it all in a huge bowl, adding extra cheese powder to it. Now that I was back home from Nags Head, I didn’t want to do anything but sit on the couch. “I hate that your father and I aren’t there. We’ll be in town in a few weeks and I’ll make it up to you.” I shoved a handful of popcorn into my mouth. “No worries. I can’t wait to see you and Dad.” The front door opened and I heard Hannah as she talked to Corey. “Same to you, honey. I love you. Tell your brothers I love them, too.” “Will do.” I hung up and joined Corey and

Hannah in the living room. She still had on her pink scrubs and I couldn’t help but feel terrible for taking an extra day off of work. She must not have liked what she saw because her smile faded. “Geez, Callie, you look horrible.” I stuffed another handful of popcorn into my mouth. My hair hadn’t been brushed so I had it in a messy ponytail, and my clothes were wrinkled. I’d spent the whole day wondering if Justin was in jail for assaulting Dallas. I hadn’t heard a word about how hockey practice went so there was no telling if they’d gotten into a fight or not. “Thanks,” I replied sarcastically. “I didn’t feel like doing anything today. How was work? I didn’t put you in a bind, did I?” Shaking her head, she sat down on the couch beside Corey. “Nah, we were good. But Dr. Young did want me to ask if you wanted to work some extra hours tomorrow night.” She held up her hands. “It’s okay if you don’t. Everyone knows what you’re going through.” Corey put his arm around her and she snuggled into his side. My stomach clenched with jealousy. I was happy for them, but I missed having what they had. Sighing, I sat down in the recliner beside

them, resting the bowl of popcorn on my stomach. “I can do that. I need to make up time anyway.” “It doesn’t look like the reporters are waiting at the end of the street anymore,” Corey added. “Earlier I went to the grocery store and they weren’t there.” Hannah nodded. “They weren’t there a few minutes ago, either.” I blew out a relieved breath. “Thank God. I dreaded them following me to work in the morning. It’s so embarrassing.” Grabbing the remote control off the side table, I turned on the TV and went straight to Netflix. I wasn’t about to watch regular cable TV. Every damn channel played the Rich and Single commercial. “Have you talked to Justin?” Corey asked. My stomach clenched. “Not yet. It’s getting late and he’s not home. I keep waiting for someone to call and say there’s been a huge fight.” “Me, too,” he agreed. The sound of the garage door opening vibrated through the room, my pulse spiking as each second I had to wait tested my patience. The kitchen door opened and I watched Justin walk in, his face and body

intact. It didn’t look like he’d been in a brawl. Dallas was bigger and stronger than him. I was scared of what would happen to Justin if they did fight. Justin walked into the room and tossed his bag onto the floor, huffing as he sat down on the other brown leather recliner. “Today was a fucking nightmare.” I swallowed hard. “What happened?” He ran his hands over his face, frustration evident in his tone. “I didn’t kick Dallas’s ass, if that’s what you’re asking. He wasn’t there.” His hands clenched into tight fists. “I wished he was, though.” “Where was he?” I said. The words were out before I could take them back. As much as I didn’t want to care, I did. Justin glanced over at me, his expression turning from tense to bleak. “He had to deal with shit for the show. His practice got moved to tonight.” “And tomorrow it all begins,” I murmured quietly to myself. At least I had work to keep me occupied. The room grew silent and I knew they were all waiting for me to break down. While everyone slept last night, I retreated to the basement and pounded on the punching bag. It helped with the anger, but it did

nothing to ease my heart. The doorbell rang and my head jerked up. For a split second, I’d hoped it’d be Dallas, but Justin had just said his practice got moved to tonight. The only other scenario was the media, most likely a reporter looking for a story. “I got this,” Justin hissed, storming to the door. I held my breath, waiting to hear the person speak. It was a female, asking for me, but I couldn’t see who it was. When Justin stepped back and let her in, I froze. Dressed in a Tshirt and yoga pants with her hair pulled into a low ponytail, Madison Bennett walked in, her nervous gaze directed right at me. Justin came up behind her and shrugged before taking a seat back in his chair. Madison smiled at everyone quickly and then her gaze settled back on me. “I know we haven’t officially met, but I’m Madison Bennett.” “I know who you are,” I replied blandly. She winced at my tone. “I was hoping we could talk. Please?” I passed the bowl of popcorn to Hannah and nodded toward the back door. “We can go out back.” A part of me wanted to hate her, but she looked just as miserable as I did.

Madison followed me out and we sat down on the deck chairs. The sun was still partially out, casting an orange glow through the trees. It still smelled like fresh cut grass from when Corey cut it earlier. “I can see you’re upset over everything that’s happened. Believe me, I’m in the same boat. You’re not the only one affected by this whole thing.” “How’s that?” I asked. With a heavy sigh, she leaned over, resting her elbows on her knees. “I have a life, too, Callie; a man I’m in love with who’s going to see the tabloids. He’s away on an FBI mission and I have no clue if he’s seen them or not.” “I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I never even thought of what it’d done to you.” She shrugged. “I’m pretty sure Micah will know it’s bullshit, but it still hurts to be dragged into the middle of everything.” “So basically you’re here to defend Dallas, right?” “Yes and no,” she replied. “The picture they used of Dallas and me was taken a couple of years ago. I can tell because we’re standing by the car I was driving at that time. I can swear on everything I own that nothing is going on between us. He cares about you.”

By the look in her eyes, I could tell she was speaking the truth. “Even if I believe you, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s doing the TV show. How can he do it when he supposedly cares about me?” “That’s where things get messy,” she explained. “Dallas didn’t say much about it when I talked to him, so I contacted a girl I know who works at the TV station. Apparently there’s a clause in his contract, stating that if he cancels the show within a certain time frame, they can go after him for legal damages.” Her eyes widened. “I’m talking massive fees here. It could bankrupt him.” Hearing that just made everything worse. I couldn’t blame him for choosing to save himself instead of breaching the contract to stay with me. Our lives were completely different. I would’ve chosen him over the show, but I didn’t have the money and fame to lose like he did. I was just a nurse with a famous brother. “What am I supposed to do?” I asked her. “I can’t sit around and watch him with other women until the show’s over.” I shook my head, tears rushing down my cheeks. “I just can’t.” Reaching over, she squeezed my hands.

“Now that is what I can’t help you with. I wish I knew what to tell you. All I know is that he’s worried about you and upset. Might want to talk to him and give him a chance to explain.” “I’ll think about it.” She let my hands go and stood. “I’m so sorry about everything, Callie.” Nodding, I looked up at her. “Me, too.” She turned and walked back inside and I closed my eyes, leaning my head back on the chair. I didn’t know what to do.

Chapter 33

Callie “I’m so sorry, Callie,” Mary said, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through.” I hugged her back while everyone else in the hall tried not to watch. I’d never felt more exposed or embarrassed in all my life. “I’m fine. I promise,” I assured her, letting her go. She nodded. “If you need anything, just let me know.” Before anyone else could stop me, I hurried to the locker room. I wanted to disappear for the next ten weeks until the show was over. Until then, I had no choice. There was no one in the room so I kicked off my shoes and sat down on the floor by my locker. All I wanted was peace. Slowly, I breathed in and out, concentrating on my breaths; at least, until the door opened and footsteps pounded my way. Closing my eyes, I clenched my teeth tight. Was it not

possible to get a few minutes alone? “Damn, Callie, you look like you’re about to break,” Hannah murmured, concern etched in her voice. Opening my eyes, I breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m on the brink. It was a mistake to come in today.” Tears fell down my cheeks. “This morning wasn’t bad being in surgery, but now that I’m out in the open, I can’t ignore everyone staring at me. All I want to do is tell them to fuck off and leave me alone.” Hannah sat down beside me, bumping me playfully with her shoulder. “Then tell them. Honestly, I thought being here would get your mind off of things.” “It has when I’m busy, but when break time comes, I can’t stop thinking about everything.” I glanced down at my watch. “The show starts in ten minutes.” She grabbed my hand. “Come on, let’s get something to eat. We have two more hours and then I’ll take you home. The show will be over and you can relax.” “I’m glad you’re so optimistic,” I grumbled as she pulled me up. “But thank you for driving me here this morning.” She winked. “That’s what best friends are for.”

We walked to the break room and I knew we wouldn’t be alone. It was dinnertime and there were already a couple of nurses waiting in line to use the microwave. Dr. Sands sat alone at his table so I joined him while Hannah grabbed our salads out of the refrigerator. “Working late today?” Dr. Sands asked. I poured my homemade ranch dressing onto my salad. “Yep. Figured I’d make up the time I lost.” He nodded, but I could tell he wanted to say more. “I thought so. You didn’t say much this morning during surgery.” My eyes burned. “I’ve had a lot on my mind.” “I know. You don’t have to talk about it.” He slid a bowl of chicken salad my way. “Add this to your salad. My wife made it last night.” It smelled amazing and my mouth watered just looking at it. “Tell your wife she’s awesome. Thank you.” I scooped a large spoonful of it onto my salad and Hannah did the same. He smiled. “I will. I also wanted to tell you I talked to Ella’s mother tonight. She’s doing really well. All she talks about is how much she misses you.” “I miss her, too. It’s not the same here

without her.” “I know,” he said, chuckling. “She has a way of brightening up the room. So full of life.” More people entered the break room, and luckily we were in the corner and I had my back to the door. That way, no one would see me as soon as they walked in. However, it didn’t stop them from turning on the TV. “Turn it to channel six. I want to watch Rich and Single,” one of the nurses announced excitedly. Closing my eyes, I tried to block everything out, but I couldn’t. I heard the music and then the host of the show’s voice as he introduced Dallas. The second Dallas spoke, I jumped to my feet, my chair tipping over onto the floor. The others in the room glanced over their shoulders, and when they realized it was me, the TV shut off immediately. Hannah grabbed my wrist, but I shook her off. “I’m okay,” I huffed, barreling to the door. Everyone stared at me, their eyes wide in shock. I’d finally reached my breaking point. I snapped a hand toward the TV. “By all means, keep watching the show. Don’t let me stop you.” Taking off into the hall, I didn’t know where to go. All I knew was that I needed to get away.

There was an empty room down the hall and I ran inside, shutting the door behind me. My breaths came out in rapid pants and I collapsed onto the chair beside the bed. It felt like my insides were being ripped out, especially my heart. Grabbing the remote, I turned on the TV. I had to see him. Dressed to perfection in a dark navy suit and tousled brown hair, Dallas stood there at the front of the house. “Are you ready to meet your housemates?” the host asked. The host was Ryan Chamberlain, a former soap opera star who now hosted other shows. With a wide grin, Dallas nodded. “I am.” The door burst open and Hannah charged inside. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” She stood in front of me, blocking my view of the television. “I couldn’t help it,” I confessed. “Maybe I just like being tortured, I don’t know. Madison told me he had no choice but to do the show, but it seems like he’s enjoying it.” I looked around her at the TV and one of the limos pulled up to the house. A tall, sexy blonde stepped out and walked up to Dallas, kissing him on the cheek. “It’s nice to finally

meet you. I’m Andrea,” she said sweetly. Rolling my eyes, I couldn’t stop the jealousy from plaguing me. “This is going to make me sick.” “Then stop watching it,” Hannah argued. “We have to get back to work soon anyway.” One by one, I watched each girl get out of the limos and smile their perfect smiles and show off their sleek bodies. They all looked like fashion models, something I definitely wasn’t. Once they were all introduced, Dallas and the host walked inside the house. The ladies gathered around him while the host explained the rules of the show. It was like a herd of animals, ready to pounce on their prize. Swallowing hard, I turned away from the screen. “I’m done. I can’t watch anymore.” I hurried to the door, but stopped when I heard Dallas’s voice. It was like I was in a trance; I couldn’t walk away. Gripping the door handle, I leaned my head against the wood. “Good evening, ladies. I have to say, I should feel like a lucky man being here today,” Dallas began. I squeezed my eyes shut as I listened to the women giggle. “Unfortunately, I don’t feel like that. The one woman who makes me feel lucky isn’t standing in this room tonight.”

Everyone grew silent and I turned back to the TV. Hannah smiled and put her arm around my shoulders. “What’s going on?” I demanded. “Keep watching.” The women looked around at each other, clearly confused, while Dallas smiled directly at the camera. It felt like he was staring straight at me. He shook the host’s hand, and turned to the women. “I’m sorry, ladies, but I don’t belong here. Excuse me.” He walked out the door and all hell broke loose. The ladies went crazy, throwing their arms in the air while Ryan followed after Dallas. “Where are you going?” he shouted. The cameramen charged after them. Dallas opened his car door and chuckled. “I’m going to find the woman I love and tell her I’m sorry. You’re welcome to come along.” Ryan looked at the camera men and nodded. “Let’s go.” Then he pointed at someone in the background. “Follow us.” Ryan and the camera guy hopped into Dallas’s car and he sped down the road, all while the camera was still rolling. It was surreal. Clapping a hand over my mouth, I watched through my tears. “He doesn’t know where I’m at,” I cried.

Hannah squeezed my shoulders. “Yes, he does.” Confused, I faced her. “How do you know?” She bit her lip, regarding me sheepishly. “I might have kept a secret from you.” Looking up at the TV, she grinned. “Dallas came to see me. He wanted you here and not at home, so that’s why I asked you to take a late shift with me.” “You knew he was going to do this and you didn’t tell me?” Shaking her head, she met my gaze. “He didn’t tell me exactly what he was going to do, but he said it’d be a grand gesture to get you back. At first I wasn’t going to ask you to stay tonight with me, but then I thought I’d give him the benefit of the doubt.” Her smile faded. “When he came here, he was so upset. I could see how much he cared for you.” Heart racing, I stared up at the TV. He was on the interstate, heading straight for the hospital. “He’s willing to give up everything to be with you, Callie. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.” She walked to the door and the light from the hallway shone in. “He’ll be here soon. Might want to figure out what you’re going to do.” She shut the door and I grabbed the box of tissues, wiping my eyes frantically. The only

problem was more tears flowed down. What was I going to say to him? I’d ignored him for days, never giving him a chance to explain. I looked back up at the TV and saw Dallas pulling into the parking lot. The cameras recorded him from behind as he rushed into the hospital. It felt like my heart was going to explode from beating so fast. Once he got out of the elevator and onto my floor, I saw everyone gasp. I could hear them all the way from down the hall. He stopped at the desk and Sandra shot to her feet, gawking at the camera and then back to him. She ran a hand over her short brown hair, fidgeting nervously. Then it hit me: I was about to be on live TV, looking like complete and utter shit. “Where’s Callie?” he asked her. “I—I don’t know,” she stuttered. “You can look in the break room.” Without another word, he marched into the break room, cameras following, and everyone was ready for him, their phones out and taking videos. He searched around frantically and found Hannah, grinning slyly. She walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. A smile lit up his face and he squeezed her shoulder.

“Thanks. I owe you for this.” She snorted. “Damn right you do.” Then she slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, didn’t mean to say that on live television.” The camera turned to Ryan, the host, who chuckled and nodded toward the door. “Go find her.” As he bolted out the door, I knew it was only a matter of seconds before he charged into my room. Was I ready to face him? I was about to find out. Turning to the window, I peered out at the city lights, keeping my back to the door. I heard him getting closer and held my breath. When the door opened and I saw his reflection in the window, I froze. “Callie,” he whispered, taking slow steps toward me. More people flooded into the room, including the cameramen, and I could feel the panic rising in my chest. I didn’t know what to do or what to say. He’d given up so much to be with me. Taking my hand, he pulled me back from the window and stood in front of me. When I looked up into his crystal blue eyes, every emotion I kept locked up inside of me burst free. “I’m so sorry,” I cried, squeezing his hand. “I should’ve given you a chance to explain.”

“I’m the one who’s sorry, angel,” he murmured, sliding his hands up to my face. “I know it hurt you to see that I was still doing the show. I was told a grand gesture was the way to get you back. I hope it was enough.” Tears streaming down my cheeks, I fell into his arms. He held me tight and I’d never felt so complete in my life. “I can’t let you do this. I heard about the trouble you’d be in if you canceled the show.” He pulled me away and kissed me, his lips urgent and full of heat. Taking my face in his hands, he looked right into my eyes. “I don’t care about any of that. I just want to be with you.” He kissed me again. “I love you, Callie Davis.” Resting my forehead to his, I smiled for the first time in days. “I love you, too.” Cameras flashed and everyone cheered. “And there you have it, ladies and gentleman,” Ryan announced to the camera. “It appears we’re out of time for the night. I’m sure there’ll be more on this story soon. Thank you for joining us tonight.” The red light on the camera shut off and the crew headed out the door. Ryan’s phone rang and he looked down at it, sighing. “It’s the producers.” He looked up at Dallas. “Meet me

outside in a few minutes. I have no clue what they’re going to say about this.” He hurried out the door and so did everyone else. It was all surreal. Dallas held me in his arms and I didn’t want him to let me go. “Did you mean what you said?” he murmured. “Which part?” With a heavy sigh, he ran his fingers up and down my back. “The part where you said you loved me.” I gazed up at him and he wiped my tears away. “With all my heart.” His eyes glistened. “I’ve been dying to tell you, but I never got the chance.” “I know now,” I whispered softly. “But what’s going to happen with the show?” “I don’t know, but whatever happens, I’ll be fine. There’s so much I need to tell you, but I know you have to get back to work. Can I pick you up when you get off? I have a feeling there’ll be reporters waiting on you.” I figured there would be after what happened. “I’d like that. Besides, we have to make up for lost time.” I winked and he bit his lip. “That’s for damn sure.” He kissed me again. “See you soon.”

Chapter 34

Dallas I didn’t want to leave Callie at the hospital, but I knew she had to stay. When I got out to the parking lot, Ryan and the camera crew were waiting for me along with other news vans with reporters ready to pounce. However, I was surprised to see who was standing by my car. “Here to kick my ass?” I asked him. Justin shook his head and smiled. “Didn’t think you had it in you, Easton. Have to say I’m impressed.” He glanced around at the reporters slowly flocking toward us. “Although I know the attention isn’t Callie’s style.” “I know,” I replied regretfully. “I couldn’t think of another way.” Closing the distance, he held out his hand. “It’s all good. You just better be glad you had a late practice the past two nights. I was prepared to beat the fuck out of you.” I burst out laughing and shook his hand. “You could’ve tried.”

Returning the laugh, he started toward the hospital entrance. “Take care of my sister.” “I plan on it.” Ryan joined me by my car, his arms crossed over his chest. “What did the producers say?” I asked. He shrugged. “There’s going to be a meeting first thing in the morning to discuss it. To be honest, I have no clue. Although they did say the network had a spike in ratings. It’s a good sign.” I shook his hand. “I’ll be prepared for whatever happens.” Chuckling, he nodded toward the hospital. “What you did tonight was pretty epic. I wish you the best. I’m sure you’ll get a call tomorrow.” “Thanks. I look forward to it.” Once he and the camera crew left, the reporters descended on me. It was time to tell them the truth. By the time I was done with the media, Callie walked out the hospital doors. She pointed to the last van pulling out of the parking lot. “Looks like you’ve been busy.” Lifting her in my arms, I kissed her. I’d missed the way she tasted, like strawberries. “I wanted them gone before you got out here. I know you didn’t ask to be in the spotlight.”

She shrugged. “It’s the choice I made by being with you. I don’t mind.” I opened the car door for her. “Do you care if we go to my house tonight?” Her smile widened. “Let’s go.” We got into my car and headed straight for my house. “What did you do this weekend? I called you probably a million times.” “I know. Justin was about to call the police on stalking charges.” She reached for my hand, entwining her fingers with mine. “Justin and Maddox took me to Nags Head. I needed to get away.” “I don’t blame you,” I said. “It killed me not being able to talk to you. I found out some things while you were gone.” Her brows furrowed. “Like what?” Huffing, I clenched the steering wheel tight. “Like my agent was the one to leak the story to the tabloids.” She gasped and I nodded. “Yep. I saw the texts on his phone. He also didn’t cancel the show when I told him to. He thought if he broke us up, I’d want to go on the show.” “What an ass,” she spat. “Hopefully you fired him.” My knuckle was still split open from where I hit him. I glanced down at it and Callie followed my gaze. “Looks like you sent

him a nasty farewell gift as well.” I chuckled. “And blasted his name to the reporters. His career is done.” “It just so happens I know of two agents who’d be more than happy to take on an extra client,” she said, winking at me. “Think they’d be willing to take me on?” She shrugged. “I’m sure I can persuade them. They love me.” We pulled up at my house and I parked in the garage. “Think I can persuade you to do something else?” Biting her lip, she opened her door and got out. “What do you have in mind?” I followed her inside the dark house to the kitchen, pinning her against the counter. With her back against me, I breathed her in. I’d missed everything about her: the way her hair smelled of her favorite grapefruit hibiscus shampoo and the strawberry body lotion she wore every day. I couldn’t get enough of her. “I want to make love to you, Callie,” I whispered in her ear, sucking her lobe between my teeth. Sliding my hands over her stomach, I moved them down to her thighs, grazing the spot between her legs. She sucked in a breath and rubbed her ass against my already hardened cock. “Please,” I begged.

“You have no idea how fucking bad I need you right now.” Giggling, she turned around, her eyes full of fire. “What are you waiting for then?” She squealed as I lifted her in my arms and carried her into my room. I wanted to feel every inch of her, inside and out; to see her back arch, pushing her breasts higher so I could suck and bite them while I made love to her. I’d never felt another woman’s body that was as perfect as hers. Setting her down, I couldn’t get her scrubs off fast enough. I feasted on her lips, her neck, and every square inch of skin I could get to. Her breath came out in rapid pants as she helped me unbutton my shirt and pants. “I want to feel you inside me,” she moaned. I grabbed her around the waist and we fell onto the bed, only she moved out of my hold to straddle me. Legs spread wide, she slid her wetness up and down my cock, driving me completely and utterly insane. I wanted to push into her, but she lifted her hips. “You’re teasing me, angel.” With a smirk, she slowly slid her hand down my stomach and reached into my boxers, wrapping her hand around my cock. “I figured you deserved it,” she uttered breathlessly.

I knew what she was planning to do the moment she licked her lips and moved down my body, and oh God how much I wanted to feel her mouth on me, sucking me as hard as she could. Not wasting any time, she lowered her head and my muscles jerked as she closed her lips over the tip of my cock, circling her tongue around it over and over. Her torture would come soon, and I was going to make sure she begged before I gave her what she wanted. I groaned when she sucked harder and cupped my balls, massaging them. Dammit, I wanted to let go so bad, to come in her mouth and claim her body in every way possible. I wanted to make love to her until she ached. I wanted to hear her scream my name from her red, swollen lips. Before she could drive me over the edge, I grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her onto the bed. She shrieked as I ripped off her underwear and unclasped her bra, discarding them as quickly as I could. Immediately, I bent down to suck on her perfectly taut nipples, one after the other, the tips getting larger the more I teased them. Moaning, Callie spread her legs wider and pushed her hips up against mine. I intentionally kept my cock as far back as possible so I could tease her; she was always

so hot when she panted for me. “Please,” she begged, trying to move down. When I pressed my weight into her and bit her bottom lip, she gasped. “Now how long are you going to torture me?” “As long as it takes.” Tracing my tongue across her chest, I sucked her nipples, one after the other, groaning as my dick jumped in response. Her back arched and I trailed my tongue down a path on her stomach to between her legs. Right there in the middle was the sweetest taste of all. So wet and swollen. I groaned in anticipation because I knew the first taste would be the best. She moved her hips against my face as I fucked her with my tongue, burrowing as deep as I could so I could smell her . . . taste her. “Dallas, please,” she begged. “Please make love to me.” Ignoring her request, I pushed a finger inside of her, still keeping up the punishing pace of my tongue on her clit. The wetter she got, the more I wanted. Spreading her legs wider, I rubbed my cock around the wetness of her opening, and without warning I entered her. Gasping, she screamed out a pleasured cry and wrapped her legs around my waist. I

took her face in my hands and she gazed back at me with hooded eyes and lifted her mouth to kiss me. I opened her lips farther with my tongue, tasting her . . . claiming her. She was mine again. Moaning in my ear, she dug her nails into my back, and her body clenched so tight around my dick that I was close to exploding. The tighter she got, the harder it was to keep going. Her moans grew louder, and as soon as she let go I pumped as hard as I could, filling her up deep inside. Both of us were breathing hard and covered in sweat, and the smell of sex filled the room. It was unreal how much I craved Callie’s touch. I couldn’t get enough. There was nothing in the world that could break me, not my agent or anyone else who tried to come between me and what I wanted. Nothing mattered to me except Callie. She was the key to everything, my salvation . . . my redemption. I was a better man because of her. We had one more chance to make it right, and if she left again there was no going back. I would surely break. There was no doubt about it.

Chapter 35

Callie “Why can’t it be the weekend?” I grumbled, pulling the covers up over my shoulders. Dallas held me close and chuckled in my ear. The bedsheets smelled like him and I didn’t want to get up. “Only two more days and it will be. At least, you don’t have to be at work until ten.” “Which is a good thing, since you kept me up all night,” I teased, feeling his cock jump to attention against my backside. He kissed the back of my ear, his voice deep and husky. “Who kept calling you last night? I was about to throw your phone out the window.” The warmth of his breath on my skin made me giggle. “It was your sister.” I felt bad for ignoring her all weekend, but I didn’t want anything to take my time away from Dallas last night. Dallas smacked my ass and slipped out of

bed. “Call her back. I’m going to make us some breakfast before we both have to leave.” My stomach growled. “I’ll be down in a minute.” I sat up and reached for my phone, very tempted to sneak a picture of Dallas’s backside while he stood naked in the room. He was so unbelievably sexy it should be a sin. Even though I was sore between my legs, my body still craved him. “Question,” I said, watching him throw on a pair of boxers. He looked at me and smiled. “What is it?” “Lacey’s middle name is Paige, right?” His brows furrowed. “Yeah. Why do you ask?” Halfheartedly, I shrugged, hoping he wouldn’t pursue my question. “Does anyone ever call her by that name? I could’ve sworn I heard Braeden do it before. Or maybe I’m just imagining things.” It was a lie, but I had to figure out the mystery between her and Maddox. “Braeden doesn’t call her by that name, but I know others have.” He put on his shirt and rolled his eyes. “When she went away to college she had everyone call her that. I guess she wanted to be someone else. Hell, I don’t know. You women are a crazy bunch.” “Hey,” I snapped, throwing a pillow at his

head. He burst out laughing and charged out into the hall. “I still love you.” Once I heard him fumbling around in the kitchen, I called Lacey. “It’s about time you called me back,” she said. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have ignored you.” She sighed. “It’s okay, I understand. But just so you know, I wasn’t calling you to defend my brother. I called to see how you were doing. You’re my friend.” “Thanks, Lacey. I was in a bad place this past weekend.” “I have no doubt. Judging by the show last night, I’m assuming you and Dallas made up? Neither one of you answered my calls last night.” I cleared my throat. “We were kind of . . . busy.” “So I figured.” She laughed. “But yes, we made up. He’s making breakfast before we have to leave for the day.” “Tell him to make banana pancakes. He’s an expert at those.” “Speaking of cooking,” I said, slipping out of bed to grab my clothes off the floor. “Maddox is an expert at it, too. He cooked for me all

weekend.” The line went silent. “He also told me about a trip he took to Vegas. Do you know anything about that?” “What did he say?” she asked, her voice urgent. I walked into the bathroom and shut the door. “That he spent five days with a beautiful woman, only to turn around and find her missing the morning he was supposed to leave. She left no phone number for him to contact her.” “Like he would’ve called her anyway,” she snapped. “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, right?” “Is that why you told him your name was Paige?” She sucked in a breath. “I know it was you, Lacey. You don’t have to lie to me. What happened?” I could feel her hesitation through the phone. “I don’t want to talk about it, Callie. It’s something I really wish I could forget. We were drunk, stupid, and caught up in the moment.” “I’m sure it’s not that bad,” I said with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. “It’s not like you got married at one of those cheesy Elvis chapels.” The line went quiet again and my heart raced. Surely that wasn’t the case . . . was

it? “You didn’t, did you?” I asked incredulously. “I’m running late and I have to get to class. Can I call you back later?” “Lacey, seriously, are you and Maddox married?” “No, I have to go.” She hung up quickly and all I could do was stare at my phone, completely at a loss for words. I had a feeling in my gut that told me not to believe her. Could they really be married? If so, Maddox obviously didn’t remember. “Callie!” Dallas shouted. “Breakfast is almost ready.” I had no clue what to do. Maddox deserved to know if he was married or not, but with Lacey not being upfront about it, there was nothing I could say or do. The last thing I wanted was to get in between her and Maddox’s problems. Throwing on my scrubs from last night, I hurried downstairs. I had to get home and get a fresh change of clothes before heading to the hospital. Last night I was more interested in getting alone time with him than stopping by my house to pick up my things. Dallas was in the kitchen flipping pancakes when I walked in. “Almost done,” he said,

stacking the cakes onto a plate. I sat down at the bar, loving the way he moved around the stove. There was something sexy about a man who could cook. He handed me a plate full of eggs, bacon, and a banana pancake. “Thank you,” I said, breathing in the food. “Lacey told me to get you to make banana pancakes.” Chuckling, he fixed himself a plate and sat beside me. “They’re my specialty. I should’ve made them for her when she was in town.” He nudged me playfully in the side. “Was she happy you called her back?” “Oh yeah,” I said. But she wasn’t happy when I brought up Maddox. “She had to get ready for class so I didn’t get to talk to her much.” I poured the syrup over my pancakes. “Do you think she’ll come down anytime for the playoffs or the championship?” He shrugged. “Not sure. She’s been too busy the past couple of years.” My guess was that she didn’t want to take the chance of running into Maddox. It made me wonder why she even bothered during spring break. There were so many unanswered questions. “My parents will, though. You’ll finally get to meet them. Not unless, you want to fly to New York

with me to watch Lacey graduate.” Excitement bubbled in my chest. “I’d love to. Do you think you’ll be able to since it’s during playoffs?” “I should. We might just have to fly up for the day.” “I’m okay with that.” Maybe then I’d get some answers about her past with Maddox. “If you guys make it to the championship, you’ll get to meet my parents. Think you’re ready for that?” He waved me off. “Parents love me.” “How many have you met?” A sheepish grin spread across his face. “None. Do you think they’ll like me?” I kissed his cheek. “I have no doubt.” Once I finished my food, I set my plate in the sink and helped Dallas clean the dishes. He rinsed off the last plate so I could put it in the dishwasher. “There’s something I want to talk to you about,” he murmured. I closed the dishwasher and he grabbed my hands, turning me to face him. He opened his mouth to speak, but then his phone vibrated on the counter. Sighing, he glanced over at the screen, his gaze narrowed. “Who is it?” I inquired.

“Don’t know. It could be the producers.” Leaning against the counter, he pulled me into his arms and pressed the speaker button. “Hello.” “Dallas Easton?” It was a man, his voice smooth and deep. Dallas’s brows furrowed. “Yes.” “I’m Anthony Stone, one of the producers of Rich and Single. We met briefly at the meeting the other day.” Recognition flashed across Dallas’s face. “I remember. I figured I’d be hearing from you guys today. What can I do for you?” Anthony cleared his throat. “First of all, I want to say that last night was very entertaining. Our ratings skyrocketed because of it. The show is the number-one trend right now on the Internet.” “You’re welcome,” Dallas replied. I elbowed him in the stomach and he sucked in a breath. Anthony chuckled. “I heard about what happened with your agent. None of us had any idea you wanted to be taken off the show. With that being said, we’re happily releasing you from the contract. We hope there’s no ill will toward us.” “Not anymore,” Dallas stated in all honesty. “Thank you for understanding.”

“In good news, though,” Anthony began, “we do have someone taking your place. He’s actually a teammate of yours.” Eyes wide, I stared up at Dallas. “Who?” he asked. “Justin Davis, your girlfriend’s brother. Apparently, our viewers took a great interest in him once they saw video of you two in the parking lot last night. We called him this morning and he agreed.” Slapping a hand over my mouth, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “That’s good news,” Dallas added. “I think he’ll be perfect for the part.” Anthony chuckled. “We hope so. I’m sure we’ll see you around soon.” The call ended and I slid out of Dallas’s hold, squealing with joy. “You’re free now. They’re not going to bankrupt you.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank fucking God. Don’t get me wrong, I was all set to sell everything, but this does make life easier.” Jumping into his arms, I kissed him as hard as I could. “I’m happy it worked out. We’ll have to celebrate tonight. Right now, I have to get home and then get to work.” I tried to let him go, but he held me to him, his eyes searching mine. “You okay?” I asked.

“I will be,” he murmured. “As long as you say you’ll move in with me.” “What?” I gasped, taken by surprise. “Are you serious?” “It just makes sense. Now that we’re back together, I don’t see the point in being separated. It’ll save you from having to run home every few days to get more clothes.” “Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked. He brought his hands up to my face and nodded. “If you don’t want to, it’s fine. I just know that playoffs are starting next week and I won’t be home much. It’d be nice to know you’ll be here as soon as I get back.” “Is that the only reason?” Rubbing his thumbs along my cheeks, he smiled. “You know it’s not, angel. I just want to spend as much time with you as I can.” His words made my stomach flutter. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I want the same with you.” He kissed me long and hard. “Good. You’re moving in this weekend.”

Chapter 36

Callie Six weeks later New York was amazing. Watching Lacey graduate was a pretty epic ordeal. She was finally going to be a doctor. Little did she know Dallas and I were there. She’d done a very good job of ignoring us the past six weeks. Not anymore. Taking my hand, Dallas held it while we rode the elevator to Lacey’s floor. His parents were already at her condo, waiting for Lacey to show up. Our job was to surprise her. A mischievous grin spread across my face. A hell of a surprise it was going to be. “Why are you smiling like that?” Dallas said with a laugh. I shrugged. “Lots of reasons. One, the Strikers kicked ass in the final playoff game last night. I’m ready to see you boys win the Stanley Cup again.”

“Oh, we will, baby. The guys are ready,” he said with confidence. I had no doubt they were. They came close to losing one of the playoff games against Minnesota, but they came back fighting. Luckily, there wasn’t another brawl like last time. “And two,” I continued, “I’m dying to see Lacey. The poor thing’s been so busy with exams, I’d barely talked to her.” It was her excuse, but I knew damn well it was to avoid my questions. The elevator opened and he squeezed my hand. “You’ll be able to catch up with her tonight.” We stopped at the door. “Ready to meet my parents?” Pulse pounding, I nodded. I was nervous as hell. “I think so.” He opened Lacey’s door and his mom was in there, situating dozens of flowers and balloons everywhere in the room. Her head lifted, and when she saw Dallas, tears flooded her eyes. “There’s my baby boy.” She rushed over and threw her arms around his neck. Dallas hugged her back and smiled when she let him go. “Mom, this is Callie,” he said, nodding down at me. “Callie, this is my mother, Theresa.” With long blond hair and sparkling green

eyes, she looked just like an older version of Lacey. “I’m so glad you two were able to come,” Theresa cried. She hugged me tight. “Lacey’s going to be so thrilled you two are here. She didn’t think you’d make it. Braeden must’ve gotten an earlier flight.” “He did,” I replied. I thought it was sweet how he hurried up here to see her. It was a shame they weren’t in a relationship. I could totally see them together. Theresa stepped back and smiled. “I hate we couldn’t sit together at the ceremony. There were so many people there.” “Yes, there were,” I agreed. “Lots of future doctors up on that stage.” I would’ve loved to have been one of them, but I was happy being a nurse. Theresa glanced down at her watch. “Lacey and Braeden should be here soon. Are you two going out to dinner with us? We made reservations at one of the best restaurants in town.” Dallas put his arm around me. “Hell yeah, we’re going. Our flight doesn’t leave until midnight. Braeden and I have to be back for practice tomorrow morning.” “That’s right,” a man called out from the hallway. When he appeared around the

corner, I could see where Dallas got his good looks. Chuckling, Dallas held out his arms and his father hugged him. “Congratulations, son. I’m so proud of you.” “Thanks, Dad. That means a lot.” His father focused on me and his face brightened. “And you brought this beautiful young lady here tonight. I don’t see how she puts up with you.” He winked at Dallas and then hugged me. “I’m David. It feels like I already know you.” He stepped back and laughed. “You two have been all over the Internet for weeks. Your brother seems to be having a good time on the show.” I snorted. “Tell me about it.” Corey was enjoying his time alone in the house with Hannah while Justin moved into the Rich and Single mansion with ten gorgeous women. There were only four of them left and he was milking it. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’d slept with them all. Dallas nudged me playfully in the side. “Who do you think he’ll invite to the championship?” “Hmm, that’s a good question. I’ll be curious to find out.” He was only allowed to invite one of the women to the final game next week. I’d met several of the women, and none of them

seemed to be genuine. I could spot a moneygrubber from a mile away.” The front door opened and Lacey walked in, dressed in a beautiful blue pantsuit, laughing about something Braeden had said. She lit up when she saw her parents, but when she saw me and Dallas, she tensed, but then quickly shook it off. “Hey, everybody.” She rushed over to Dallas and threw her arms around his neck. “I didn’t know you guys were coming.” Dallas chuckled. “We almost didn’t. We should’ve gotten on Braeden’s flight.” “Exactly,” Braeden replied with a smile. I’d never really paid attention before, but Braeden was handsome, especially in his expensive suit and tie. Sometimes it was hard to believe he was a hockey player. He had a sophisticated air about him when he was off the ice. No wonder he was one of Dallas’s closest friends; they balanced each other out. Dallas let Lacey go and she hugged me. “Congratulations, Lacey. I know it feels good to be done.” “That it does. Thank you for coming.” Clearing her throat, she let me go and waved at everyone. “Give me one second to change clothes and then we can go get something to

eat.” “No rush,” Theresa said. “We still have an hour before we have to be at the restaurant.” Lacey hurried off down the hall while her parents sat down in the living room with Braeden. Dallas nodded toward them. “Want to sit down?” “Actually, I want to talk to Lacey. Do you mind?” He shook his head. “Not at all. Go.” I wasn’t going to let her avoid me any longer. Stopping at her bedroom door, I knocked lightly and opened it slightly. “Lacey?” She walked out of her bathroom in her underwear and bra, grabbing her chest when she saw me. “What the hell? You scared me.” I shut the door behind me. “I knocked.” Averting her gaze, she slipped on her jeans and sparkly black top. “You’ve been avoiding me.” “No I haven’t,” she replied, laughing nervously. With her back to me, she stopped at her dresser to sort through her jewelry. “Yes you have, Lacey. What are you hiding? You know you can tell me. I know it’s about Maddox.” Her fingers froze in the jewelry box

and she stiffened. I slowly closed the distance. “Whatever it is, you can confide in me. I’m not going to tell Dallas or Maddox, if that’s what you’re afraid of.” With a heavy sigh, she lowered her head. “If word gets out about this, it’ll ruin me, Callie. I want to build my name as a doctor without scandal. I don’t know how I’m going to do it. Eventually, the truth will have to come out.” “The truth about what?” I asked, chills running down my arms. I could see the worry in her eyes. Lacey turned around, her fingers clutching something in her palm, only I couldn’t see what it was. “You have to keep this a secret, Callie. I’m trusting you.” I nodded. “I promise. You can trust me.” She opened her palm and I cupped a hand over my mouth to silence the gasp. “Wow. I don’t know what to say.” With a heavy sigh, she closed her hand. “Neither do I.”

Chapter 37

Callie “Suite seating is nice.” Kristen laughed and hooked her arm through mine. “That it is, but I prefer to sit closer to the rink” “I do, too, but this way we can be with our family. Dallas’s parents and mine should be here soon.” We’d arrived early so we could beat the crowds. There were already people finding their seats for what was going to be the most exciting game of the year. To add to that excitement, the Rich and Single crew would be arriving soon with Justin’s female choice of the night. “Is Lacey coming?” she asked. I helped her sit down and took the seat beside her. “Yep. She’s coming with Dallas’s parents.” My job was to keep her away from Maddox at the party tonight. “Are you and Kellan coming to the party?” It was going to be

at Dallas’s and my house whether the Strikers won or lost. The DJ came in earlier and set everything up and we had tons of catered food arriving. I thought it was a little extreme, but Dallas wouldn’t settle for anything less. Kristen rubbed her stomach, which had gotten phenomenally bigger over the last few weeks. “We’ll be there as long as this little one doesn’t decide to pop out. She’s due in six days.” “Hang on until after the game,” I said, and laughed. “Oh, I will. Nothing’s going to stop me from being here.” “What’s up, ladies?” Lacey called out, barging through the door. Theresa and David walked in behind her, followed by my parents. They all waved at Kristen and me, but continued with their conversations. Lacey sat beside me and glanced back at them, shaking her head. “They haven’t stopped talking since we arrived. My parents really like your mom and dad.” “That’s good. Makes things easier.” Kristen snorted. “That it does. You don’t want the kind of shit I went through with Kellan’s family.” It was true, she went through hell and back, but that was a whole other story.

Gasps erupted outside of the suite, and I wasn’t surprised when the door opened and a cameraman walked in, filming Justin’s date for the night. He’d chosen Miranda, a model from California with bronze skin and long chocolate-colored hair. She was amazingly beautiful, but completely self-absorbed. At least she had on a replica of my brother’s jersey to show support. I waved at her and she smiled, flashing her too-white teeth that looked almost purple. “Hi, Callie.” “Hey, Miranda. I don’t think you’ve met these two,” I said, placing my hands on Lacey’s and Kristen’s shoulders. “Lacey is Dallas’s sister, and Kristen is Kellan’s wife.” Miranda nodded at them both, grinning impatiently. “It’s nice to meet you.” Either she was uncomfortable or she didn’t want to talk to us. I figured the latter, so I turned my focus back on my friends. Lacey leaned closer, whispering in my ear, “Is your brother actually into her?” I shrugged. “Obviously. He got rid of the only girl I actually liked in week four.” Her eyes widened. “Same here. She was sweet.” Maybe that was the problem. Justin usually liked the sweet and sassy women, but

the show had changed him. It was like he wanted everything bigger and better. He had a taste of a different kind of fame and it had skewed what he really valued in life. More people flooded through the doors, and it didn’t take long for the seats to fill up. The energy in the arena made my skin buzz with excitement. “Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer began. “Are you ready?” The crowd screamed and I joined in, clapping my hands loudly. The lights flickered off and the announcer called out the players one by one, their faces displayed on the TV screens above. When Dallas’s name was called, the arena filled with thunderous cheers. It felt good to know he was loved and respected. The same happened when Justin’s and Maddox’s names were announced; everyone loved them. Lacey tensed when they called out Maddox’s name. “You okay?” I asked her. She plastered on a smile. “I hope so. I have to do my best to stay away from him tonight.” I patted her leg. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep him away from you.” Judging by the look in her eyes, she didn’t really want that. Kristen squeezed my hand. “It’s starting. You’d think I’d be used to this by now.”

My nerves were already shot. “Tell me about it.” The game had begun and Chicago had the puck, barreling it down the ice. Dallas perked up and got into position. The other team had a lot of skill with puck handling, probably some of the best I’d ever seen besides the Strikers. Braeden tried to steal the puck away, but he was too late and slammed into the wall. The player shot the puck right past Dallas’s glove, landing inside the net. My stomach clenched and I gasped. “Did that really just happen?” Lacey’s eyes widened. “That’s not good at all. We’re only three minutes into the game.” Kristen snickered and I glared incredulously at her. “Please tell me you don’t think this is funny.” She shook her head and tried to hide her smile with her hand. “Sorry, it’s not. It’s just a classic Dallas move. Did you not watch the championship game last year?” I glanced at Lacey and she shrugged. “I did, but what does that have to do with today?” Kristen nodded toward the rink. “Keep watching.” I’d watched the game at home with my brothers. The Strikers dominated it. They got

scored on once at the beginning of the game, and then . . . It was like a lightbulb went off in my head. “Please tell me they didn’t do what I think they just did.” Kristen’s grin widened. “Coach Carlisle was so pissed last year when Dallas let the other team score. He does it to psych the other team out. They score right off and then they get cocky. Arrogance leads to mistakes.” “It’s a bold move,” I replied. “But it looks like it’s working.” Maddox had the puck and shot it over to Kellan. We scored our first goal and the crowd cheered triumphantly. Hopefully, the first of many tonight. Time ticked by, and at the end of the first interval, the score was three to one. We were going to dominate Chicago tonight. It was time for a break so I stood and stretched my legs. The lights shut off and the Strikers logo appeared in the center of the rink. “Is Jack the Jaguar coming out tonight?” I asked with a laugh. I figured one of the players would ask a lucky fan for a hug, since it was the biggest game of the season. Kristen’s face brightened. “Looks like it. This should be good.” The announcer appeared on the ice and the

fans cheered. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Jack the Jaguar is back and he’s looking for one of you.” The mascot skated onto the ice and waved at everyone as he danced around. “Who’s in the costume tonight?” I wondered aloud. “It has to be one of the key players.” Especially on a night like tonight. Kristen and Lacey didn’t respond, so I focused back on the announcer. Once the cheers died down, Jack skated over to him and whispered something in his ear. A smile lit up the announcer’s face and he lifted the microphone back up. “Our lucky fan tonight is in suite nine. Her name is Callie Davis. Ms. Davis, can you please join us on the ice?” Frozen in place, I could’ve sworn it was all just a figment of my imagination. At least, until my face appeared on the large screens in the middle of the arena. Lacey grabbed my arm and lifted me up. “Callie, you have to go,” she said. “They’re waiting for you.” I glanced around the suite at everyone grinning and clapping along with the crowd. “What’s going on?” I demanded. Lacey pushed me toward the door. “Go find out.” I walked out of the suite and it took a few

minutes to get down to the rink. It had to be Dallas in the costume. Jack the Jaguar looked at me with that silly fake head of his and I shook my head as he skated toward me. He held out his hand and I took it. “I know it’s you in there,” I told him. His chuckle made my stomach flutter. “Come on.” Lifting me up in his arms, he carried me to the center of the rink and set me down. “So, Jack, I’m assuming this lovely young woman is here to give you a nice, warm hug?” the announcer asked. I was about to open my arms when Jack shook his head. “If not a hug, then a kiss?” The fans screamed and shouted excitedly, but Jack the Jaguar shook his head again. What was Dallas up to? The announcer cleared his throat. “If you don’t want a hug or a kiss, what do you want?” Dallas moved closer and slipped off the jaguar’s head. His hair was all sweaty and he had the biggest grin on his face. He reached for the microphone. “Can I have that, please?” The announcer gave it to him and stepped back while Dallas took over the show. “Hello, everyone. I’m Dallas Easton.” He skated around me and winked. “I’m sure a lot of you know this lovely woman as well.” The crowd

cheered and he chuckled. “There’s a reason why I had her called down here tonight. Do you all want to know why?” “Yes, yes, yes.” The words were chanted over and over. He skated over to me and dropped the jaguar head and his gloves onto the ice. The announcer took the microphone and stood close. Taking my hands, Dallas brought them up to his lips and kissed each one, his blue gaze penetrating mine. “I love you, Callie Davis. You know that, right?” “Of course,” I murmured. “You tell me every day.” More cheering ensued and I giggled. Dallas smiled while the crowd hollered, but then it slowly faded to something more serious. He bent down on his knee and I gasped, along with everyone in the arena. “What are you doing?” Reaching into the costume, he pulled out a black box and opened it. Inside was the most exquisite diamond ring I’d ever seen. “I’m asking you to marry me. I know we haven’t been together long, but I know what I want.” He took a deep breath, and for the first time ever, his hands shook nervously. “I want you to be my wife, angel. I’ve never met another woman who can keep up with me like you do.

You’re all I need in this world and I don’t want to spend another moment in it without knowing you’ll be mine.” Silence filled the arena and all I could hear was the sound of my rapid breaths and my heart pounding like crazy in my chest. I glanced around the arena and at us on the screens. “You sure do like to do this stuff on TV, don’t you?” I whispered teasingly. He winked. “Can’t help it. I want everyone to see how much I love you.” Taking the ring out of the box, he held it up. “What’s your answer, angel?” “Yes, yes, yes,” the people shouted. Tears fell down my cheeks and I sucked in a breath. My hand trembled as I held it out. “Yes,” I cried. “I’ll be your wife.” He slid the ring on my finger and captured me in his arms. The cheers were so loud around us, but all I could focus on was the man who had me in his arms. “Thank you,” he murmured in my ear. “For what?” “For making me the man I needed to be.” He kissed me and I held him tight. “You did that on your own.”

Epilogue

Callie Seven months later “It’s breathtaking up here,” I murmured in awe. Dallas’s parents’ skate shop was just down the street. We wanted to surprise them with a visit. There was snow everywhere, nineteen inches to be exact. I missed the clean, cool air and the way the snow sounded as it crunched beneath my feet. The little town Dallas grew up in was quaint and old-fashioned, almost like it was from a movie. Trees lined the streets, and in the fall, I could just imagine the leaves blowing in the wind, blanketing the ground with their red and gold colors. Dallas squeezed my hand and chuckled. “I miss it up here. You should see it at Christmas.” He pointed to the trees. “Everyone helps decorate the trees with lights and ornaments. I used to do it as a kid.” “Maybe next Christmas we can come up

here and spend it with your parents. I’m sure they’d love that.” Dallas looked down at me, a smile lighting up his face. “Really? You’d want to do that?” “Of course.” I laughed. “I’ll spend Christmas wherever you want . . . as long as there’s snow.” He nodded. “That can be arranged.” We had an amazing holiday staying in Charlotte. Both of our parents flew down and stayed with us. However, it wasn’t the same spending it in sixty-degree weather. I missed waking up on Christmas morning to see nothing but snow on the ground. There was a park nearby with a group of boys throwing snowballs at each other. One of them looked over at us and screamed, “It’s Dallas Easton.” The kids swarmed around us, jumping with excitement. They had to be between eight and ten years old. One of them grabbed Dallas’s arm, his red hat a little too big for his head. His two front teeth were missing and he was so tiny compared to Dallas. “Can you come to our game tomorrow? Our parents won’t believe this.” The other boys nodded frantically. “Please,” they all shouted. “We want pictures with you.”

Dallas took off the kid’s red hat and ruffled his hair. “We’ll be there. I promise. Is it at Ferry’s Rink?” Their little faces lit up. “Yes,” the boy with the red hat said, sliding it back down on his head. Dallas shook all of their hands. “Sounds good, boys. Make sure to play hard.” They ran off and shouted, “We will.” “You’re a local celebrity around here,” I teased, linking my arm with his. He shrugged and glanced back at the boys. “Around here, I don’t see it like that. These people are my family. It’s a tight-knit community. I think that’s one of the main things I miss.” We arrived at the skate shop and walked in. Sweeping the floors, Theresa lifted her head and gasped in surprise, dropping the broom. “Oh my goodness, what are you two doing here?” She rushed over and hugged us. “We wanted a weekend winter vacation,” Dallas told her. “I figured this would be the best place.” Tears filled her eyes. “That’s right. And don’t you forget it. Your dad went to the store to get us some coffee, but he’ll be back soon.” A couple of customers walked through the door.

“Why don’t you two take a look around? I’ll be with you shortly.” Dallas took my hand and led me to the back room of the shop. “While she’s doing that, I have something else in mind.” The room was full of old skates and some new. Dallas pulled out two pairs and handed me a set. “Up for some pond skating?” He nodded toward the window at a small frozen pond, protected by a ring of trees. I grabbed his hand. “Let’s go.” We walked outside and the snow started to fall. There was no one else around, only us. “Does no one skate out here?” He shook his head. “My parents own this property. This is where I skated as a boy.” “It reminds me of the pond I used to skate on,” I told him. I sat down on a fallen tree and put on the skates. “Just don’t laugh if I fall on my ass.” I hadn’t skated on a pond in a long time. The ice was different than it was at a manicured rink. It wasn’t as smooth and you couldn’t control the temperature of it, making it unpredictable as far as skating. Pond ice can be very choppy, making your skate blades duller quicker, but if the ice is hard from the frigid environment, you could actually skate faster.

Chuckling, Dallas took my hand and we stepped onto the pond. “I won’t let you fall, angel.” Hand in hand, we skated around the pond. My phone beeped and I stopped so I could pull it out. Kristen had sent a picture of her baby girl, showing off her first tooth coming through her gums. Addison was dressed all in pink with a head full of red curls. “I swear this little girl is so precious.” Dallas smiled when I showed him the picture. “She is. It’s a good thing she looks like her momma.” I tucked the phone back into my pocket and he swung me around, catching me in his arms. “Told you I wouldn’t let you fall.” “I’m a pro on the ice. Or did you forget?” Setting me down, he rested his forehead against mine. “I didn’t forget. I just want you to know I can keep you safe.” I placed my hand on his cheek, the stubble tickling my fingers as I slid my hand down his face. “I have no doubt. It feels like so much has happened the past few months. We moved in with each other, got engaged and are about to be married, our friends had a baby, my brother’s fiancée is about to give birth, and Justin became a show sensation.” Dallas snorted. “Sensation, really? The show

screwed him over.” I couldn’t argue with him there. “I’m not surprised it didn’t work out with Miranda. I knew she was fake from the very beginning. I hate he has to pretend they’re together for the next year.” Dallas tapped my chin. “And to think that was going to be me if I hadn’t met you.” Grasping my hand, he pulled me around the pond. The snow started falling harder and I loved it. “Are you ready to marry me?” he asked, sliding to a stop. He held me close and I gazed up at him. “More than anything. Just four more months.” It was going to be at the botanical gardens not far from our house. The flowers would be in bloom, decorating every square inch of the place with vibrant colors. He cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask your brother and Maddox to be groomsmen. I know you needed me to find two more.” “Really?” I squealed. “That’d be awesome. Especially now that you’ve been getting along better with Maddox. I guess you have Justin to thank for that.” “We’re working on it. Maddox still likes to test my limits.” He was going to test his limits

a lot more once Lacey’s secret came out. We’d deal with that later. “What do you think we’ll be doing in ten years?” I asked, moving the subject away from Maddox. Dallas stared down at me and then glanced over at the shop; he looked so happy. “That’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about this weekend. If you’re okay with it, I thought about taking over the business after I retire.” “Seriously? You want to move here?” Excitement coursed through my veins. I loved new adventures. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulled me close. “It’s all up to you, angel. I know you’d have to leave your brothers and your job, but—” I pressed a finger to his lips and slid it away. “I love you, Dallas. Soon, you will be my family. I want what makes you happy. Besides,” I said, glancing around at the snowcovered land. “Your home is beautiful. I’d love to live here.” Releasing a heavy sigh, he cupped my cheeks and kissed me, his lips urgent against mine. I breathed him in and melted in his arms. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for him. “I’m ready for the day you say, ‘I do.’

You’ll finally be mine.” I kissed him again. “I already am. Always.”

This book is dedicated to my husband and two amazing daughters. Without their love and support of my writing, I wouldn’t be able to do the things I do. They are my life.

Acknowledgments First off, I’d like to thank the readers and my awesome street team for taking the time to read my books. You all rock my world! Second, I want to thank Sue with Random House for giving me a chance and letting me continue my journey with this amazing publishing house. Third, I want to thank my extraordinary assistant and friend, Kim, for always being there when I need help. She’s been with me for a few years now, and I hope it stays that way for years to come. Last, and most important, I want to thank everyone who’s given me a chance to show them my world of words. Writing books is a way to express myself in ways I can’t in everyday life. To know that others love what I do is the biggest honor I could ever ask for. Thank you!

BY L. P. DOVER Second Chances Love’s Second Chance Trusting You Meant for Me Fighting for Love Intercepting Love Last Chance Catching Summer Defending Hayden Intended for Bristol

Breakaway Novels Hard Stick Blocked Playmaker

Armed & Dangerous No Limit Roped In High-Sided

Gloves Off

A Fighter’s Desire: Part One A Fighter’s Desire: Part Two Tyler’s Undoing Ryley’s Revenge Paxton’s Promise Camden’s Redemption Kyle’s Return

Society X Dark Room Viewing Room Play Room

Forever Fae Forever Fae Betrayals of Spring Summer of Frost Reign of Ice

Royal Shifters Turn of the Moon Resisting the Moon

PHOTO: REGINA WAMBA

L. P. DOVER is the New York Times bestselling author of the Second Chances series, the Forever Fae series, the Gloves Off series, the Armed and Dangerous series, the Society X series, the Royal Shifters series, and a standalone novel, Love, Lies, and Deception. She loves to not only write but play tennis, hike in the mountains, go white-water rafting, and sing. A southern belle with a former life in periodontics, L. P. Dover lives in North Carolina with her husband and two beautiful girls. lpdover.com Facebook.com/lpdover Twitter: @LPDover

Read on for an excerpt from

Playmaker A Breakaway Novel

by L. P. Dover

Available from Loveswept

Playmaker He knows every play in the book. But she’s calling the shots. I’m Maddox Ledger, all-star winger and the reason the Charlotte Strikers killed it in the playoffs. Yeah, the tabloids like to call me arrogant. A real hothead. All I see is a guy who plays to win. Wreaking havoc on the ice, breaking a few hearts—that’s all just part of the game. And I’m sure as hell not sitting on the bench. When my teammate asks me to be in his wedding party, I can’t refuse. Lucky for me, the bridesmaid I’m paired with is the definition of eye candy, but she’s so much more than that. Lacey Easton is totally irresistible and she makes me want to be a better man. A glimpse of bare shoulder takes me back to a steamy, two-week Vegas tryst I can’t forget. One I’m eager to repeat. Suddenly our one-night stand is turning into the sequel. Still, Lacey’s keeping secrets. She doesn’t trust me. And maybe I deserve it. But I know more than she thinks I do and there’s no

chance I’m letting her get away—or letting another guy take what is mine. This time, I’m playing for keeps.

Love stories you’ll never forget By authors you’ll always remember eOriginal Romance from Random House randomhousebooks.com

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Table of Contents Cover Contents Title Page Copyright Information Chapter 1: Dallas Chapter 2: Callie Chapter 3: Dallas Chapter 4: Callie Chapter 5: Dallas Chapter 6: Callie Chapter 7: Dallas Chapter 8: Callie Chapter 9: Dallas Chapter 10: Callie Chapter 11: Dallas Chapter 12: Callie Chapter 13: Callie Chapter 14: Dallas Chapter 15: Callie Chapter 16: Dallas Chapter 17: Callie Chapter 18: Callie Chapter 19: Dallas Chapter 20: Callie Chapter 21: Dallas

Chapter 22: Callie Chapter 23: Callie Chapter 24: Callie Chapter 25: Dallas Chapter 26: Callie Chapter 27: Dallas Chapter 28: Callie Chapter 29: Dallas Chapter 30: Callie Chapter 31: Dallas Chapter 32: Callie Chapter 33: Callie Chapter 34: Dallas Chapter 35: Callie Chapter 36: Callie Chapter 37: Callie Epilogue: Callie Dedication Acknowledgments By L. P. Dover About the Author Excerpt from Playmaker