Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 88463 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88463 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
It’s damn good to see her in the stands again. Wearing my sweater. Smiling at me.
My girl.
“Ready?” Mac asks us as we line up on the ice.
“Let’s smash ’em,” Aiden says, making me laugh.
The kid is good. He’s out of practice, but he has an instinct for the puck, and he’s perfect on his skates. Fast. And once we started playing, it was like he forgot to be nervous.
“I’m calling him the smasher,” Mac says after I score a goal. “Jesus, Aiden, do you want a fucking job? We’ll take you today.”
I skate past Wills, and I pause by the glass to blow her a kiss.
“Badass,” she yells out at me, and I wink at her before joining the others, and then we’re flying down the ice again, and this time, Aiden scores a point.
“I’ll take that job,” Aiden says, raising his stick over his head as he does a little dance.
I don’t remember the last time I had this much fun on the ice.
Chapter Nineteen
Willow
Ryker James, my man, the one who makes me laugh and sigh and turns me on with just a look, had a dress delivered to the penthouse. For me. It was waiting on the bed in the primary suite when I got home after the scrimmage.
He bought me a dress. And shoes. The kind with red soles.
How in the hell did he manage to do that? We’ve been on the go, pretty much nonstop, since we got to Seattle just yesterday morning.
Is he some sort of magician?
The man himself walks into the bedroom, and his eyes immediately find me. His lips tip up in the cocky smile I love so much.
“Did you have fun today?” he asks me.
“Of course I did. The question is, did you have a good day?”
Ry nods, watching me. “Being on the ice with the guys was great, and Aiden’s a fucking natural. The fact that you didn’t force him to play junior hockey is mind boggling.”
“You try to force a teenager to do pretty much anything he doesn’t want to do.” I shift on my feet and bite my lower lip.
“What’s wrong, Trouble?”
“Nothing’s wrong. It’s been really good to see Aiden relax and laugh. To be comfortable around your friends. Thank you for including him.”
For referring to him as your kid. I’m shocked I didn’t lose it and crumple into a blubbering mess as soon as Ry said that.
He narrows his eyes on me.
“Aiden belongs wherever we are, sweetheart.”
Swoon.
I chuckle and tuck my hair behind my ear. “I always had a crush on you, but if I’d known just how dreamy you can be, I would have embarrassed myself years ago.”
He slowly walks to me and ghosts his knuckles down my cheek.
“Always?” He tips his head to the side as his eyes roam my face.
“Pretty much.”
“Fuck, was I just blind? Or stupid.”
I smirk. “I think things worked out the way they were supposed to. Now, I have another question for you.”
He kisses my forehead, sending little sizzles of electricity down my body. “Ask, baby.”
“How did you do this?” I point to the dress and shoebox on the bed.
“I made some calls,” he replies with a shrug, as if it’s nothing at all.
“I could have brought something from home if you’d given me a heads-up.”
He shakes his head. “I wanted you to have something new. And I wanted it to come from me.”
“Thank you.”
He brushes my hair back over my shoulder, and there are more sizzles.
“You’re so fucking beautiful, you take my breath away.”
Hello, butterflies. Welcome to the party.
“I haven’t even gotten ready yet.” My hands glide up his T-shirt-covered chest and then into the thick dark hair at the nape of his neck.
“Doesn’t matter.” He presses his lips to my forehead again and then moves them down to my lips for a soft kiss.
“When are we leaving?”
He checks his watch. “In about an hour.”
I feel my eyes widen as I gape up at him. “An hour? Ryker, I need more than that to get ready.”
“No, you don’t. Just put the dress on, and you’re good to go. I told you, you’re fucking gorgeous just like this.”
I blink at him. “I need a shower. A full hair-and-makeup situation. I don’t know where we’re going, but if I’m wearing that LBD, I need to get ready.”
His eyebrows climb. “LBD?”
“Little black dress.” I boost up on my toes so I can kiss his chin. “Now, get out of here so I can get sexified.”
“Baby, I’ll take you against that wall right now to prove how goddamn sexified you already are.”
I laugh and bat at him to make him move. “Don’t distract me. I’m in a time crunch. It’s a good thing I brought all my makeup with me. What are you wearing?”
He smirks at me. “A suit.”
“See? I need to get ready. Go away.”