When his lips find the shell of my ear, I close my eyes when he whispers in it. “I laid out some clothes for you. Be a good girl, jump in the shower, and get dressed before I do something I might live to regret.”
The heat radiating off him disappears in a flash as he leaves abruptly.
When I flutter my eyelids open, he’s already halfway out of the bathroom. My eyes bug out when he rearranges his cock, which has been hard throughout our encounter.
Or whatever the hell that was.
Shit, what the hell was it?
Whatever it was, or is, I would like more of it, please.
CHAPTER NINE
Leon
I don’t know what made me offer to help Erika out of her dress. Maybe it was the idea of being able to see what she looked like in her lingerie.
When I finally saw what she was hiding beneath that dress, she looked like something out of a dream, standing half-naked in my bathroom, so painfully close yet still out of reach. When my mouth went dry, I imagined pressing my lips to the soft curve of her neck, tracing every inch of her with my tongue. Then I couldn’t stop myself from doing exactly that, bringing my dream to reality.
It was a bold move. Stupid of me really, but…I’ve wanted her for longer than I can remember, and my resistance is nearing its breaking point.
What I hated was knowing she wore that silk and lace for another man. The thought burned through me, igniting a fire in my veins that felt a lot like jealousy. I wanted to rip the delicate scraps of fabric from her body, to claim what I’ve only ever fantasized about since our kisses years ago.
Her tempting words that made me check her door lock that night were all too much for me. Then, almost a year later, theway she teased me, wearing my hockey jersey to all the games and showing up at the arena like she was already mine. Finally, it made me snap and lose my fucking mind that day in the equipment room. Any hope of apologizing to Erika for kissing her neck and slapping her ass with her garter straps, which made my dick rock hard, slipped through my fingers because my front gate buzzer went off as soon as I changed out of my suit and into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
Knowing how protective Ash is of Erika, I knew that as soon as I sent him a message about her whereabouts while she was in the shower, he would be at my front gate, and he was, along with Lily, his wife, and his mom, Judy.
“How is she?” Judy asks as she steps into my home, brows furrowed and looking worried, still dressed in her pale yellow mother-of-the-bride outfit.
“Remarkably well,” I reply.
Too well. This might be the calm before the storm. Although I know Erika and how she operates, I could guess she wasn’t crying because she left Huck at the altar; it’s more likely because she feels she let her family down and caused a scene. She’s more concerned about ruining her family’s reputation. She hasn’t, but she’ll think she has if she ends up in the gossip columns.
“What did Huck do?” Lily asks, concerned, as her eyes dart around trying to find Erika.
“Nothing, apparently. She said she doesn’t love him and that her heart didn’t feel right.” It fills me with so much fucking hope; it’s selfish and wrong, but I can’t change how I feel. I point to the stairs. “She’s taking a shower.”
“Hey, brother.” Ash winks, looking delighted with how the day has played out, then he shakes my hand. “Thank you for being my sister’s getaway driver and saving her from a life of having to support that loser. Mom is very grateful.”
“I am. You’re a good man, Leon. Thank you.” Judy lays her hand on my arm and pats it.
I lift my chin and reply with determination, “Your family is mine too.”
Judy has been part of my life since I was drafted to the Eagles. Her husband, Ash’s father, Theodore Johansson, who passed away over twenty years ago, was a hockey legend. Theodore Johansson is a Hall of Famer, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have his son as my best friend. Ash was not only one of the greatest Eagles’ players of all time, but he is also my hero off the ice. A true family man, he loves his wife and three kids more than anything in the world. I admire him, and I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a bit jealous of the love he and Lily share. It’s something I deeply crave.
“Where are the kids?” I ask Ash and Lily as I close the front door. “I bought them a trampoline for the backyard for when they come to visit.” They’ve yet to give it a shot, and I wanted to surprise them.
Ash replies, “Lily’s dad and stepmom took them home.” He grins, looking smug as hell. “You’re a big softie at heart, really.”
“I love your kids.” It’s honestly true. Little Blaze, who is almost two, is irresistibly adorable, but is going through the terrible twos early. Grace, at age four, is a bundle of energy, a little firecracker, and I’d gladly hand over every cent of my life savings if she batted those puppy-dog eyes at me. And Theo, their six-year-old, is already showing the makings of an excellent hockey player. He has serious talent, and I have no doubt he’ll follow in the footsteps of his dad and grandfather.
My bloodline ends with me since I’m an only child. I’m sure my parents are disappointed about not having grandchildren. Not that they’ve ever told me, but I suspect they hoped I would have settled down long ago and had a little family of my own andsome grandbabies to run around the backyard with. I thought the same thing, but here we are.
Appearing at the top of the staircase, Erika descends wearing an old hockey jersey of mine tucked into a pair of gray sweat shorts that are much too big for her, but she’s made them work by rolling the waist down. She could wear a tarp as a dress and still look fucking stunning.
“Hey.” Erika’s single-word echo reverberates through my vast staircase that leads to the entrance. Biting her lip, she moves closer to her family, looking uncomfortable and uncharacteristically different. She’s usually full of confidence and energy around her family, but today it seems like all of that has been drained from her.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Judy rushes over with open arms to greet her. “How are you?”
