Page 102 of Branded (Breakers Hockey)

Thirty-One

Cas

Faint voices penetrated my sleep-hazed mind, but it took a minute for me to realize where I was.

In Jules’s bed.

Luckily, not naked.

I’d cleaned up the night before, then tugged on my sweats, unlocked the door as Jules pulled on my T-shirt to sleep in. Then I’d crawled back into bed with her, needing to hold her, promising that I’d head home in, “Just a little while.”

Well, clearly that hadn’t happened.

Probably not the best example to set for Ethan—being in that bed—but, for now, the door was closed, and I’d gotten more sleep than I had in days. And Jules…

Holy fuck, but she’d been hot—shy and sweet and demanding and needy.

The best sex of my life, hands down.

But now, her kid needed to go to school, and I was still half asleep and wasn’t helping her, and she’d gotten even less sleep than I had.

Asshole.

Grunting, I tossed the blankets to the side, spent a few moments making the bed, double-checking that the box of condoms—of which we’d used three—was stashed back into the nightstand drawer.

Then I slipped into Jules’s bathroom, started to do my business…and froze when I saw the note. It was tucked beneath an unopened toothbrush.

Hope you slept in, honey. Taking Ethan to school.

-J

My heart thudded hard.

And it wasn’t hope in my veins. It was happiness.

Finally.

Finally.

Hell, if my eyes didn’t sting a little bit, but thankfully, before I could really lose it, I heard Ethan’s voice rise in excitement?—

An emotion that almost immediately cut off—Jules probably quieting him—but, thankfully, it was enough to snap me out of my moment and send me on to my business of using the toilet, washing my hands and face, and brushing my teeth.

Then I was back in the bedroom, the hall, and heading to the kitchen listening to the sounds of Jules and Ethan talking.

“And then Noel said…” He trailed off as I strode into the room. “Cas!”

Up off his stool, running across the room, throwing his arms around my middle. “Are you going to take me to school?”

Jules winced. “Cas is probably busy, bud?—”

“Your mom and I are going to drive you to school,” I said.

“Cas!”

“And then I’m taking her for pancakes.”

Ethan paused, brows furrowing. “Will you take me for pancakes sometime soon?”

“Ethan!” Jules cried.

“Yup,” I said. “Though it’ll have to be next week sometime.

I have a game tonight and then I’ll be out of town for a few days on a road trip.

” I smoothed my fingers over Julie’s nape, loving that she was wearing one of the sweatshirts I’d given her all those weeks before.

“We’ll go to skate and shoot on one of your free afternoons and get pancakes afterward. ”

Jules sighed, shook her head, and moved to pull a piece of toast from the toaster.

“What days is Ethan free, gorgeous?”

A scowl in my direction, and she made Ethan his toast and set it on the plate in front of him. “Oh?” she asked archly. “Are you including me in this conversation now?”

“Yup.” I took a page out of Ethan’s book and popped his p.

Which made Jules smile and soften. “You don’t have?—”

“I want ,” I said quickly, moving toward her and cupping her jaw. “Now, what days is Ethan free?”

“Tuesdays and Fridays.”

“Good,” I murmured, brushing her lips with mine. “Friday,” I told her and Ethan, turning back toward her kiddo. “I’ll pick you up at school, we’ll hit the rink, and then load up with pancakes afterward.”

“You’ll pick me up at school?” Ethan’s eyes were wide. “Really?”

“Yeah, bud.” I spun back to Jules, slid my palm from her jaw to her throat, held her gaze. “You good with that?”

Her brows lifted, tart in her tone and sass in her eyes. “Nice of you to ask.”

I smirked, brushed her lips with mine again. “You’re good with that.” I straightened. “You work that night?”

As far as I knew, she worked every Friday and Saturday.

A nod that told me I was in the doghouse. Luckily, I had pancakes on the agenda and the deliciousness from Donna’s would go a long way to soothing her annoyance.

“Yeah,” she muttered.

“Cool. Ethan and I will hang out at my place afterward. You can come over after work and we’ll all have a sleepover.”

Another flash of irritation in her eyes. “Cas?—”

“A sleepover? Really?” The excitement in Ethan’s voice couldn’t be missed.

Which was probably why she sighed, closed her eyes, and dropped her chin to her chest.

“I’ve never gotten to do a sleepover before,” Ethan said, and I glanced over, unable to bite back my smile. Not in the face of Ethan’s happy dance. “Can we watch movies and stay up late?”

“Sure.”

Jules groaned softly and I felt that in my dick. “Don’t do that, gorgeous,” I murmured, stroking her side.

“And popcorn?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah, bud.”

Jules’s head shot up. “Do what?”

“Moan like that.” I bent, nipped her earlobe. “Not unless you want to skip out on pancakes and end up here afterwards.”

“And use sleeping bags to camp out on the floor?”

I glanced at Ethan. “We can camp out until your mom gets home, then we’ll go to sleep in actual beds.” I was way too fucking old to be sleeping on the floor.

Plus, I needed Jules in my bed.

“Maybe I’ll bring you back here after we drop Ethan off, tie you up, and torture you for your attempts at manipulation,” she grumbled.

“So long as that torture is with your hands and mouth,” I said. “I’m down.”

Her lips parted, eyes filling with shock—and fuck me , with heat. “You’re down? ” she whisper-shouted.

A light kiss to those lips. “Yup.”

“And we can have candy?” Ethan asked.

“Yes!” we both called this time.

“You’re down? ” she whispered again, eyes wide.

I kissed her nose. “Anything you want to do to me, anytime you want to do it.”

Her mouth dropped open. “I?—”

“And will Sparky be there?” Ethan asked.

“Yes, bud,” I said again before focusing back on Jules. “This surprises you?” I asked softly, running my thumb over the faint pink that had appeared on her cheek.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Anything for you, gorgeous,” I murmured. “ Anything.”

She was quiet for a long time, then whispered, “You might regret making that statement.”

“Why, sweetheart?”

I expected her to say something about her being a single mom with an asshole baby daddy and a job in the bar.

I didn’t hear what I expected.

“I read a lot of dirty books.”

I blinked.

Once. Twice.

“Um . What?”

That pink on her cheeks flared brighter.

“I’m gonna go brush my teeth!” Ethan announced, and then footsteps pounded down the hall.

The kid had impeccable timing.

“Jules.”

She bit her lip, released it. Then her chin came up. Her shoulders straightened. “I’m a single mom. I go to school and work the night shift. I’m not exactly in a dating… mode right now.”

“Good.”

Her head jerked, brows drawing together. “Good?”

“Yup.” I smoothed my thumb over her abused bottom lip. “Because that means I get you and your dirty mind all to myself.”

“I don’t have a dirty mind,” she protested.

I lifted my brows.

“I just read dirty books.”

I grinned.

Pink, pink cheeks. “It’s not?—”

Another kiss, this one deeper and wetter, but not longer…because footsteps began pounding on the floor again, only this time they were coming toward us.

“We’ll argue about this later,” I said, releasing her.

“You—”

“We’ve got to get Ethan to school, gorgeous.” A nudge toward the fridge. “You get his lunch. I’ll grab his backpack. Then you can give me a piece of your mind over pancakes at Donna’s.”

“Donna’s?” she whispered, and the awe in her tone mirrored Ethan’s when I had mentioned the sleepover.

“You ever been?”

A shake of her head. “No, but I’ve heard it’s good.”

“It is, gorgeous.” Another nudge. “And you’ll find out today.”

“I’ve—” She shook her head again.

“Don’t hold back, sweetheart. Not with me.”

Her throat worked. “The only one who’s ever taken me out to eat is Lake.”

I clenched my jaw. Not because Lake Jordan had been the one to give that to her, but because Nate hadn’t, because her father hadn’t. And because even though Lake was the one to give it to her, he was still a pain in the ass on the ice and I wanted to hate him purely on principle.

Yeah, yeah. None of that was fair.

Which was why I shoved the thoughts down, told her, “I’m glad Lake was good to you, sweetheart. Glad he gave that to you.” Then I leaned in pressed a kiss to her forehead. “And I’m glad that I’m going to get to give Donna’s to you today.”

“Cas,” she whispered, eyes all soft, mouth so fucking kissable.

Focus.

“Lunchbox, gorgeous. We’ve got to get Ethan to school.”

Her hand lifted and she ran her fingertips through my beard. “Okay, honey.”

Fuck, I liked that—the touch, the way she called me honey. So, I had to kiss her one more time before I let her get the lunchbox, went to the hall for Ethan’s backpack.

We drove him to school, walked him in, and left him at the gate, exchanging hugs, and waving goodbye.

Then I got to take my woman to breakfast.

And I got to give her pancakes that made her moan.

And then I got to take her back to her place and make her moan for a whole different reason.