I DOUBLE CHECKED my bedroom before carrying my bags to the door. Zoey sat on the couch, the lone suitcase I had lent to her, at her feet. I hated that I needed to leave Zoey, especially after the last few days she had experienced.
“You all set?” I forced cheerfulness into my voice.
“I’m ready.” Her voice hitched.
“Hey,” I sat down beside her. “Are you worried?”
“Krista says she wants me to go to Zoomba with her.”
The unexpected laugh came out of me, but stopped when I caught the look on her face. “It might be fun.”
“I know.” Her voice sounded gruff, but it didn’t fool me. She was shit scared.
“I don’t like this much either, okay?”
“You don’t?”
“Don’t go out alone. Not without Krista.”
She gave me a worried look. “I won’t.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Okay, come on. Let’s get going.”
“THIS WILL BE SO MUCH FUN,” Krista hugged Zoey. “What happened here?”
I watched as she looked closer at Zoey’s scratch.
“Bianca happened,” I sounded pissed. For no reason other than I dreaded leaving Zoey behind.
Krista’s carefully penciled eyebrows shot up. “Well, that’s no good.”
“She’s gone,” I added.
Zoey glanced up at the tone in my voice. I didn’t want to leave her here. It made no sense because I knew this was the safest place for her, but I did not want to let her out of my sight.
“I should go.” Reluctance coursed through me.
“See you when you get home,” Krista smiled.
I didn’t think I could leave her. I stood still, aware that both Krista and Zoey watched me. Probably wondering why I wasn’t moving.
I picked up Zoey’s suitcase. “You’re coming with me.”
“What?” Both Zoey and Krista chimed at the same time.
“You can travel with the team until we get our other problem sorted out.”
“Ryan,” Krista warned.
Zoey looked between Krista and me. “What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing,” I motioned with my head. “Come on.”
She ignored me and looked at Krista. “Tell me.”
Krista held my gaze. WAGs and tag-a-longs were strictly forbidden to travel with the team. I was already on thin ice with management. We both knew this was my dumbest move yet, but I didn’t care. Whatever it took, Zoey was coming with me.
Finally, she relented. “Your call.”
I looked at Zoey. “We have a plane to catch.”
She followed me out to my vehicle. “Are you going to get in trouble?”
I lied. “Nope. Come on. Get in.”
“RYAN, YOU KNOW THE RULES,” Gordon crossed his arms and glared at me.
I glanced over at Zoey who sat out of earshot. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
“What’s going on?” Rory Ashford walked up to the two of us.
“Parker here brought his girlfriend along for the ride.”
“She’s not my girlfriend. She’s a friend.”
Rory glanced over at Zoey. “Why?”
“Zoey’s in danger. She’s being stalked by some asshole and I don’t want to leave her alone.”
Gordon crossed his arms. “We don’t allow girlfriends because they distract the players.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” I repeated between my clenched teeth. “And I’ll be more distracted if I’m constantly worried about her safety while I’m gone.”
Rory put her hand on Gordon’s arm. “I’ll take care of this.”
Disinterested, Gordon walked away.
“Tell me what’s going on.”
“Zoey got attacked by someone at our last game. Someone who used to foster her. He’s already extorted money from her and she’s terrified.”
“Doesn’t she have any other place to stay?”
“Krista agreed to have her over, but I don’t trust him. He’s capable of bad things.”
“The problem is that this kind of thing sets a precedent. I don’t want other players asking for their wives or girlfriends to travel with us.”
It annoyed me that I hadn’t thought of that. “I understand.”
“If you give me permission to talk to the team, and everyone understands this is a one off, I’d be more than happy to have her with us.”
“Anything,” I didn’t even try to keep the desperation out of my voice.
“Take Zoey for a coffee and I’ll talk to the team.”
“Thanks, Rory.”
ZOEY DUCKED INTO THE WASHROOM. I stood, withholding all expression on my face, as Rory walked back towards me. What would happen if she told me this would not work?
“Guys had no issues. They understood the circumstances, and they are concerned for Zoey’s safety, as am I.”
My breath eased out of my chest. Thank fuck. “Thank you.”
“We’re on a chartered flight for all of our games, so I have added her to the roster. She just needs to give the steward her passport.”
Oh shit. I hadn’t even thought about a passport. I squeeze my eyes with my hand. “About that.”
Zoey approached us. “Hi, Rory.”
“I hear you are coming along to cheer the team on.”
“Only if Ryan doesn’t get in trouble over this.”
“Not at all. We just need your passport and we’ll add you as a passenger to all our flights.”
Zoey dug into her jacket pocket and produced a shiny passport. I stared at her in amazement.
“This looks brand new,” Rory glanced down at the document.
“It’s my first passport.”
“I’ll be right back with this.”
I waited a second before I looked at Zoey. “You have a passport?”
“Krista said I needed one.” Then she blushed. Hard.
Interesting. I prodded. “What was her reason?”
“Nothing!”
“Tell me,” I teased. I felt like I could breathe again.
Her voice sounded tart. “She said sometimes people like to go to Vegas.”
I still wasn’t sure why she was blushing, but I left that one alone. “Okay.”
WE LANDED early afternoon and went straight to the rink for practice. Only after dinner, did we head to the hotel. I asked Zoey if she wanted to have her own room, but she told me she preferred to be in the same room as me.
When we opened the hotel room door, I paused when I saw the single king-sized bed.
“It’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before,” Zoey glanced back at me. I stood at the door, wanting to go back to the front desk and request a different room.
“I know.”
But when we climbed into bed, somehow it seemed more intimate in a hotel room. Maybe because I never brought women home, but I had no issue bringing a puck bunny back to my hotel room. Like Pavlov’s dog, my body was instantly primed for sex.
Zoey snuggled closer. “I’m cold.”
Normally I would wrap my arms around her and cuddle her, but normally I didn’t have a raging hard-on. I eased away from her body.
“What’s wrong?” She lifted her head.
“Nothing.”
“You’re grumpy. Are you mad I wanted to be in the same room?”
I thought about my answer. If Zoey was alone in a different room, possibly on a different floor, I’d be lying awake wondering if she was okay. “Nope.”
“Tell me what’s wrong,” she said, and her lips looked so pouty, I wanted to roll over, pin her down and savage that mouth. My cock twitched in anticipation.
Normally I could control my body, but tonight I was vibrating with sexual energy. I rolled over so my back was to her. “We should sleep.”
“It’s the room isn’t it? You didn’t want me in the same room.” Her voice echoed with sadness.
I rolled over so I could face her. Concern clouded her eyes. “I’m just frustrated.”
“With who?”
I didn’t answer.
“With me?” Her voice rose a notch.
She was an intoxicating mix of wily street smarts and innocent virgin. “No. I’m frustrated.”
Her mouth opened to a pretty little O. “Oh, you mean frustrated.”
“It happens.”
She was taking this conversation seriously. “Me too.”
Do not go there, Parker. “What do you mean?”
“Sometimes when we kiss, I wish we could…you know.”
I didn’t know. But I wanted to. “Tell me.”
“I wish we could keep kissing.”
“And?”
“And stuff.”
My dick throbbed with every beat of my heart. Wild visions of showing her all the stuff we could do, passed through my brain. Foggy, torturous thoughts. Would it be so bad? If we crossed that line?
Do not break her trust. My own words came back to haunt me.
“We can’t. In fact, we shouldn’t even be kissing.”
She rolled away from me. “Okay.”
“Zoey.”
“It’s fine, Ryan. I get it.”
Like a starved man, I studied her slight shoulders, wondering if I drew my tongue down her spine, would she shiver? “What do you get?”
She rolled back towards me. “It’s because I’m a virgin.”
“That’s not the reason at all. You told me you were saving yourself for someone special.”
“You’re special to me.”
I never wanted to kiss anyone as much as I wanted to kiss her in that moment. “I’m not special enough.”
She studied me with those knowing eyes. Seeing things I wish she wouldn’t. “Okay.”
She rolled back over, so her back was again to me.
“Night, Ryan.”
It took all my willpower to turn off the light and roll away from her. “Night.”
WE BEAT BOSTON, and as team tradition predicted, the coaches gave us permission to go to Dixies, to let off some steam. It was team tradition across all teams in the NHL, and I was no stranger to Dixies. Mica shared a cab with Zoey and me.
“You ready for a fun night?” He spoke to Zoey.
“What is this place?”
“Every NHL team covets Dixies. It’s filled with puck bunnies, lots of booze and great music.”
“What’s a puck bunny?”
Mica’s eyes danced as he glanced at me. “Ask Ryan.”
I shot him a dirty look. “A puck bunny is a woman that chases hockey players.”
Mica leaned forward and winked at Zoey. “Even a toothless butt ugly player can get laid in this bar.”
Zoey spoke directly to me. “If you need the room tonight, I can always find elsewhere to sleep.”
Mica’s laughter burst out. “You can crash with me.”
Over my dead body. “Unnecessary.”
“Ryan’s frustrated. He could use a puck bunny.”
“I bet he is.” Mica worked to keep a straight face.
“No one is doing anything or anyone tonight.” My sour tone made me sound like a pensioner.
“Speak for yourself,” Zoey shrugged as the cab pulled up to the bar.
Excuse me?
Mica laughed as he muscled me out of the way to follow her. “Time for shots, Zoey. We’re going to do this the right way.”
My jaw clenched as I paid the driver. It would be a long night.
I SAT at the table and nursed my beer while I watched Zoey on the dance floor doing a crazy line dance with Jensen and Dylan.
“You’re in a mood.” Mica sat down beside me, pushing a shot in front of me. “Drink up.”
I tossed back the shot. The alcohol burned on the way down. “I’m good.”
“Is that why you haven’t been able to peel your eyes off her?”
“She’s having fun. That’s what matters.”
I took another shot and enjoyed the burn.
Mica nodded. “There’s something special about her. She outshines every puck bunny here with a single smile.”
I glanced hard at him. He lifted his hand up. “Whoa. I’m not crossing that line.”
“Sorry. I know.”
He pushed another shot towards me. It didn’t even burn on the way down.
“But it looks like Jensen is trying to cross that line.”
I lifted my eyes to the dance floor. Jensen led Zoey off the dance floor. She laughed and looked so damn cute, my gut clenched. “They’re just getting a drink.”
No, they were not. I watched in disbelief as they headed in the opposite direction of the bar and disappeared down the hallway that led to the washrooms and dark shadowy corners. I wasn’t a stranger to that hallway and all the things that happened there. No one was.
“Bullshit,” I stood up.
“Don’t hurt him,” Mica warned.
Hurt him? I would finish him.
I found them in the hallway. Jensen propped his hand against the wall, beside Zoey’s head, and he was bent over her, whispering something in her ear.
I walked right up to them, fueled with emotions I didn’t even want to examine. They both looked at me like I had no right to be there.
“What’s up, Parker?” Jensen’s eyes flashed with annoyance.
“I need to talk to Zoey.”
“Right now?”
“Right now.”
“Ryan, can it wait?” Zoey peered up at me.
“No,” I crossed my arms. “It can’t.”
Zoey’s nose crinkled, as she held eyes with Jensen. “Can you give us a minute?”
With reluctance he stepped back. I refused to step out of his way, so we stood there toe-to-toe for a lifetime before he finally stepped around me and disappeared.
I grabbed Zoey’s wrist and dragged her deeper into the shadows.
“Ryan,” she complained.
I spun around and loomed over her. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“With Jensen. In this hallway. Alone.”
She gave a nonchalant shrug. “I thought he might want to kiss me.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, you don’t want to.”
My eye twitched. “I told you already.”
She sighed. “So, you don’t want to kiss me, but I’m not supposed to kiss anyone else?”
When she put it like that, I sounded like a dick. I stepped closer to her and unfairly placed the blame on her. “If you wanted to be kissed that bad, you could have just told me.”
Confusion clouded her eyes. “What does that mean?”
I would regret this. So much. I cupped her face with both of my hands, and lowered my head, so my mouth was hovering near hers. I loved the gasp that escaped her lips. I wanted to swallow that gasp and a thousand more.
“It means, I think you need to be properly kissed.”
My mouth found hers and I wasn’t gentle. My kiss was filled with all my pent-up lust, desire, and frustration. Her moan sounded like a plea. I scooped her up, my hands on her tight ass, pinning her against the wall so she was helpless to do anything but receive. The taste of her inflamed my need. The softness of her mouth beneath mine felt like exquisite torture. My cock swelled and strained against my jeans as I ground against her.
“Oh God,” she tilted her head back, so my mouth could ravage a trail down her neck. Her fingers tangled in my hair pulled my face back to hers.
Her sweet mouth was desperate against mine. Her tongue was so playful, tantalizing, and insistent that I wanted to devour her whole.
How had I ever mistaken her for an innocent who needed sheltering? She was pure woman. A sultry vixen writhing in my arms, yanking my hair as she pulled my mouth against her. Her legs squeezed around my waist. She was a promise of hot, wild, pulsing sex that never ended.
My need for Zoey, burned so deep in my gut, I thought I’d combust.
I lifted my head up, completely out of breath. “Let’s get out of here.”
“So we can have sex?”
Yes. Fuck yes. I pressed my forehead against her. I couldn’t do this to her. I couldn’t take advantage of her. Using the last vestige of my control, I said. “That’s such a bad idea.”
“Don’t say that.”
“You know it is.”
Her swollen mouth pouted. “Ryan?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re a tease.” Then she squirmed out of my arms and walked towards the bar, leaving me and my raging hard-on in her wake.
Holy shit. I walked further into the darkness of the hallway while I struggled to get my body under control. I couldn’t reconcile Zoey, as I knew her, with the hot as fuck, sex goddess who had been writhing in my arms without an ounce of hesitation. I had experienced a taste and now I wanted more. A lot more.
I needed to get drunk. So drunk, I got a whiskey dick and didn’t do something I regretted.
