Page 36 of Lucky Laces (Eagles Hockey #4)

Athena, Two Months Later

“You know,” I say as I watch my man shrug into a suit jacket that should be sin personified, “you never did tell me why you call me cupcake.”

He grins as he straightens his tie. “No,” I say, “I didn’t.”

I prop my hands beneath my chin, holding still as Cookie crawls up my back, nuzzling at my hair. “Meow,” he croons, settling in for his mid-mid- mid afternoon nap.

“Are you going to?” I prompt when he doesn’t go on.

His grin widens as he comes to the bed and puts on his shoes. “I wasn’t planning on it.”

I swat at him, disturbing Cookie, who gives me a baleful look before curling up against my side.

“Meow,” he warns.

“Cam,” I warn.

He leans down and kisses my temple. “You’re beautiful,” he says simply.

Those two words never fail to send my heart skittering and today is no exception. “Honey,” I whisper.

“That’s the truth”—he cups my jaw, slants his mouth over mine for a long, drugging kiss—“ and the explanation.”

He stands and starts gathering his stuff for the game, and I’m so in the haze of his pleasurable distraction that it takes me a minute to process his words. “What do you mean, it’s the explanation?”

His lips twitch as he slings his messenger bag over his shoulder then holds his hand out. “I mean what I said.”

I lace my fingers through his, let him draw me from the room.

And along the hall.

And down the stairs.

And…

Into the kitchen.

“Don’t you have to go to the game?” I ask when he all but drags me to the fridge. Cam has a routine on game days and I know this isn’t his snack time.

“Yup,” he says, dropping my hand as he tugs open the door, reaches in, pulls out a small blue bakery box emblazoned with Molly’s on the front, and sets it in my hands.

“Um…” I whisper.

He carefully opens the lid.

My heart catches—and my stomach growls—at the sight of the cupcakes we picked up earlier today. It’s the first game of the season and the Eagles are playing at home.

I’m watching. Cam is going to kick ass.

And then we’re going to celebrate by eating cupcakes and killing orcs.

“Aren’t we saving these for later?” I ask quietly.

“We were,” he says, reaching in and pulling out the cupcake I’d picked—a beautiful chocolate with vanilla buttercream concoction. A delicate swirl of frosting, glittering sprinkles, the barest touch of gold leaf.

It’s gorgeous.

I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

And Cam noticed—because of course he did—buying it and four others for us?—

“Hey!”

But he’s already moving to the counter, snagging a plate, reaching for a knife.

“What are you?—?”

“You’re beautiful,” he says, pointing to the dessert. “Exquisite, just like these cupcakes from Molly’s.” His mouth turns up. “I remember the first time I saw one, it reminded me of you—stunning, untouchable, and yet I couldn’t stop myself from taking it home and making it mine.”

“Cam,” I murmur, heart skipping a beat.

“But I couldn’t see the whole picture just from looking at the outside.

I was distracted by the beauty, the sparkles, the perfectly piped frosting.

” He lifts the knife and cuts carefully through the cupcake.

“I was preoccupied by what I saw, baby. By what I thought I felt, and it wasn’t until I was able to see beyond all of that?—”

He pulls the two sides apart and I gasp.

“—and glimpse the beauty inside, that I truly understood, that I truly saw.”

My heart is pounding. “Honey,” I whisper, eyes burning, tears gathering.

Because—

“You were always that cupcake, something beautiful I thought I knew, but?—”

He reaches into the layers of cake and filling and jam, and pulls out something that has my pulse skittering through my veins.

“—the inside is so much more awe-inspiring. You, baby. You’re awe-inspiring and mine and I don’t ever want to let you go. You’re strong and capable and smart. Funny and sweet and mine. You’re my protector, my partner, my future.”

I’m crying now but can’t seem to stop.

Not when I’ve never felt more loved, more seen.

More me.

“And so,” he says, holding up the ring he extracted. “With all of that being said, my beautiful cupcake, the woman who owns my heart and soul, will you marry me?”

I move to him, tears dripping down my cheeks, love for this man filling me to bursting, and know that I’m the luckiest woman on the planet as I say,

“Only if you throw in the Sex Cave.”

Because I’m me.

But he gets that.

So, his mouth curves.

And his arms band around me.

And he leans close to whisper in my ear,

“Done.”

And it turns out that nobody cares all that much if you show up late to opening night…

Especially when you show off the big ass diamond on your ring finger.

And your brand new hot hockey hunk of a fiancé.

Hudson

I’m fucked I realize as I stare up at the tiny spitfire of a woman.

Who’s lecturing me.

In a lilting voice that I can’t help but get lost in the melody of.

“…and I really need you to take some time to focus on this new system,” she saying, gesturing at an iPad. “I know it’s new and it’s tough to make these changes, but this will make it much easier for us to mobilize your speed and strength.”

She pauses.

And I realize that I’m staring.

That I’m so caught up in the beauty of her, I haven’t processed she’s expecting an answer.

“Got it,” I manage to rasp out.

She nods then rounds the desk and moves to the door of her office, pulling it open so I can see the hallway beyond.

Her office.

The new head coach of the Eagles, Diana Connors.

The first female head coach in the league.

And the object of my fantasies since she first showed up at training camp.

“I’ll see you out on the ice,” she says in that quiet, sure, melodic voice.

And…

I’m staring again.

Committing every freckle, every eyelash to memory.

Obsessed.

She clears her throat, brow furrowing. “Hudson?” she asks quietly. “Is everything okay?”

I nod. “Sorry,” I mutter, shoving to my feet, and moving to the door, feeling like a fucking lumbering giant as I get close to her. “Just tired,” I add by way of explanation. “I’ll be good by practice though.”

Her expression smooths. “Okay, Huddy,” she says. “I’ll let you get dressed.”

That does something to me.

No, not something.

Her soft voice calling me my nickname wraps invisible fingers around my cock and strokes.

Stupid.

I bob my head at her and start to step into the hall.

“Huddy?”

I stop, glance over my shoulder.

She opens her mouth.

But I never do hear her question…

Because that moment, the world starts violently shaking.

* * *

Thank you for reading! I hope you loved Athena and Cam’s love story as much as I enjoyed writing it! The next full-length book in the Eagles Hockey series is LUCKY LACES. I thought I had my whole life figured out…and then the world started shaking.