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“You even stretch out like a kitten,” I tease, burying my face in her hair before she rolls over to face me. “Open those eyes for me, pretty girl.”

She scrunches her nose up. “It’s my day off, and I have nowhere to be until I meet Darcy before the game. Can’t we just stay in bed?”

I pull back as she cracks an eye open. “Where are you going?”

“Out to eat before we head to the arena.”

Something warm flushes in my chest. Not just for me, but for the girl I’m falling in love with. I want her to have everything good in my life, and my sister is absolutely a part of that.

“She invited you out, didn’t she?”

Her hands find the back of my neck, and Kendra pulls me toward her for a kiss. “Other way around. I messaged her last night, saying I’d show her some sights before she flies home tomorrow. She’s really nice. Your entire family is nice.”

I bite back the urge to caveat that—my dad. He’s the exception to the rule and the good people I’ve always had around me, many of them she met last night. Though something tells me that my girlfriend will have minimal exposure to that asshole anyway.

Pushing away thoughts of Elliott Thompson, I focus my mind back on the girl lying next to me. With the difficult time Darcy’s having in her relationship with Liam, the invite Kendra extended must have meant so much to her, and I feel myself fall for this girl just a little bit more.

“I really wish I didn’t have to get up for morning skate. Because I’d be buried inside you in a second.”

She giggles and slides down, disappearing under the duvet. “Go! I’ll keep your side nice and warm.”

I groan and will myself to move unsuccessfully. “What are you going to do with your morning?”

She giggles again. “Stuff.”

“Oh, yeah? Like what?” Reaching a hand down, I tickle her ribs. I’ve no idea if Kendra is ticklish, but if it’s another excuse to hear her laugh, then I’m keen to find out.

Bingo.

“Stop, stop, STOP!” she cries out and wriggles down further until she’s out of reach.

I’m immediately on my feet, grabbing the corner of the duvet and flipping it off in one motion, exposing her naked body to the morning air.

Stunning.

Her eyes land on my hard dick as she attempts to pull the duvet back around her. “It’s freezing, and I was all cozy and warm!”

Instantly, I’m back on the bed, crowding her with my six-four frame. My dick is lined up with her entrance, and it would take one tip of my hips to be back where I love.

Her fits of laughter stop when she looks down between us and registers the same. “You have to get to morning skate, remember?”

It fucking kills me that I can’t take her right now. At a push, there might be time to “fuck her and flee,” in Archer’s words, but that’s not what I want with her. I don’t think there’ll ever be a time where I’m not desperate to make her come until she’s physically incapable of giving me more.

“Meet you after the game?” I say with a kiss. “I don’t have any press responsibilities tonight.”

“In the parking lot?”

I pull back. “The fuckingwhat?”

She rolls her eyes and attempts a British accent. “The car park.”

I run a thumb across her cheek, realizing her innocent question just exposed her ex further. “Kendra, why would I meet you in the freezing cold? You meet me in the players’ lounge after the game. Then we head out together.”

I can sense the realization the moment it slams into her, andmy heart breaks at the way she tries to hide her embarrassment. I don’t know what Tyler was thinking, but he clearly wasn’t interested in his girl being the first person he saw after games.

“You meet me after the game, dressed in my jersey and ready for me to take you out and spoil the shit out of you. That’s how it works every time you can make one of my games, Kendra. That’s what happens for my girl.”

“I don’t thinkI need to remind you all of how pivotal this game is. A win tonight means we go above the Scorpions on points. I also don’t need to remind you of how much we’ve achieved in the few weeks since the season started. And even more has changed since preseason.”