Page 15

Chapter 15

MICAH

W hy had I just said that? Did I want Ray to know I was banging his sister? Hell, it was so much more than that. Not that Josie and I had actually discussed anything. We’d kept it casual. Just having fun. No real strings.

But I wanted strings with her, and I had no clue how she felt. Josie lived her life being stringless, and I would never want to hold her down. I bit back a smirk. Well, sometimes I wanted to hold her down. Maybe tie her up.

Fuck. I needed to rein in my brain.

“Micah?” Her fingers fidgeted against my chest as I still held her close.

I took a step back, already missing her heat.

“I get it. No. Springing it on him when he walks into the condo is probably not the best way,” I said. “He’d definitely kick my ass for that.”

“Or mine,” she muttered.

“What?”

She sighed. “No, I know he wouldn’t actually kick my ass, but you’re his best friend and he’s protective of you.”

What the hell?

“And you’re his little sister.”

“Yeah, but I never stick to one thing. I’m flighty. He’d worry I would hurt you. I mean, not that I have any plans to…” She trailed off.

I dropped my phone back on the island and drew her into my arms. “Stop it right now. You’re not flighty. You go after what you want. You take charge, and it’s hot as hell. Don’t diminish that.”

Her smile twisted me up, and yes, I feared she would get bored with me and leave, but I wasn’t going to walk away from what could be because of an unfounded fear. And if Ray was a dick to her about her life, I was giving him a piece of my mind, even if he didn’t know about my new relationship with his sister.

And yeah, this was a fucking relationship. We hadn’t actually labeled it yet, but that’s what it was to me. I just needed to give her time to come to terms with that.

“Thank you. Is it wrong that I like our little bubble of people not knowing? I mean, aside from a few of your teammates and their partners.” She nibbled on her lower lip.

“It’s fine. And I wouldn’t be too concerned about our secret getting out,” I said.

“Yeah. It’s not like you play football or something.”

“What?”

“They get way more media attention than hockey players,” she said.

“Hey! Ouch. But also, you’re not wrong, thank fuck. That kind of attention would drive me insane. I’ve seen a bit of it with Tally because Cora’s an heiress, but for the most part, we can all live quieter lives unless we do something really stupid.”

“So, we’ll figure it out. Maybe I can crash with Harper, and we’ll stash my stuff behind that huge Megatron cardboard cutout you have hidden in the closet behind your puzzles. Why do you have that thing anyway?”

I was surprised this was the first time she’d mentioned finding it. “You’ve known about that and haven’t teased me endlessly?”

She grinned. “There are so many things I can rile you up about. Guess I forgot about the massive cardboard cutout.”

Doubtful, but I’d let it go. “Gag gift from Ray when I made my first NHL team.”

“Um, you’ve been on like three or four teams since then. How does he travel?” Her eyes twinkled with laughter, and I was glad to see her smiling again. I hated that she felt like anything less than the amazing woman she was simply because she didn’t fit in the box her family wanted for her.

She was Josie, my hurricane. She drove me crazy, but I wouldn’t want her to be anyone she wasn’t. Fuck, I was so gone for her. Maybe Ray wouldn’t kick my ass when he found out about us.

But I’d wait to do it on her terms. He was her brother, after all.

“He folds up and fits in a box with my suits.”

She burst out laughing. “Oh my god, that’s amazing. Megatron, the world traveler.”

I rolled my eyes. “Are you done?”

“Never. Just because we’re hooking up doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop teasing you every chance I get.”

I brushed a kiss along her jaw. “It’s a good thing you’re fucking amazing in bed.”

She shuddered in my arms. “You’re pretty decent yourself.”

I bit down on her earlobe, then laved the spot with my tongue while she squirmed against me. “Decent, huh,” I rasped in her ear. “Like right now, I could slip my hand into your panties and not find you drenched for me?”

“Don’t you have a plane to catch?” Her hands skated slowly up and down my spine.

I groaned against her skin. Fuck. I couldn’t be late, but I didn’t want to leave.

Cupping her face, I held her gaze for a moment and relished the desire that filled her hazel eyes. It no doubt matched mine. We would definitely have to fess up to her brother at some point because I didn’t see this ending any time soon, if ever.

Fuck. I liked the idea of that more than I should.

She was mine.

“You’re going to be so late,” she murmured, a grin on her face. Then she drew me down into a kiss and parted her lips, letting her tongue dart out to tangle with mine.

I slanted my head and deepened the kiss, knowing it had to last me for five days until I walked back into this condo.

“Fuck. I want to carry you back to my bed right now,” I growled against her lips when I pulled back from the kiss. “We are definitely dirty video-chatting while I’m away.”

“Absolutely. Now get your hot ass out of this house so Millsy doesn’t ream you for being late. I bet you’ve never been late, ever.” Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes twinkled.

“Never. But I have been close a few times since you walked back into my life.”

She ducked her head. “Sorry about that.”

“Your chaos is growing on me. Maybe some would say it’s good for me.”

Her smile was bright as hell when she lifted her head back up. “You’re welcome.” Then she swatted my ass. “Now get out.”

I leaned in and gave her one last bruising kiss before I grabbed my bags and walked toward the door.

“And get all the points. Maybe throw in a fight. You know, if the game warrants one. Ooh, you could try for a Gordie Howe Hat Trick.”

I chuckled, shaking my head at her. “I’m just a piece of meat to you, aren’t I?”

She shrugged. “But such a nice piece. Well, multiple pieces. One might say the entire package.”

“You’re terrible. Watch the games and try to stay out of trouble.”

She saluted me. “I’ll try my best, sir.”

I had to walk out of the door without another word or risk stalking back toward her. My hurricane.

Fucking hell, it was going to be a long five days.

***

“I really hate leaving Ally and Livi,” Dom said from the seat next to me as we flew toward Winnipeg two hours later.

“Everything good over there?” I asked.

“Yeah, yeah. Ally’s a fucking rock star mom, and Livi is such a happy baby—well, when she’s not screaming her head off because she’s hungry or tired or something.”

“She is a baby,” I replied.

“And the cutest baby ever. She’s rolling over, man. I mean, she’s trying to. It’s so awesome. Watch,” he said, pulling up a video on his phone. Livi was on the floor, rocking back and forth.

“Is it early for that?” I had no clue.

“Yeah, I think. Maybe. She’s just amazing.” Pure joy filled his eyes. Quite different from the man who was in a state of pure panic when Ally had told him she was pregnant six months ago.

“I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, man.” He set his phone down on the tray table in front of him. “So, how’s everything going on the Josie front? Distract me.”

I chuckled. “Good. She’s great. Driving me crazy, as usual, but honestly, I can’t get enough of her.”

“You falling?” he asked.

“Fuck if I know. We’re keeping it casual and having fun.”

“And you’re good with that? I mean, I’ve never known you in a relationship or anything,” he said.

I could keep telling myself that I was okay with just casual, but it was starting to sound hollow in my head. I should just ask her outright how she felt, but I was being a chickenshit instead.

Fucking hell.

“I’m good for now. I don’t want to pressure Josie into staying if she doesn’t want to.”

Lies. All lies.

“Dude, there is no way this is one-sided. She’s as gone as you are.”

Was I getting my hopes up if I believed him?

“You’re going to have to tell Ray at some point.”

I groaned. “Don’t remind me. I know. And now he’s coming out here in a week and a half. Josie freaked and said she’d ask Harper if she could crash there while he’s here.”

Which had also made me think she wasn’t as invested as I was. Shit. That had hurt more than it should have, but clearly, I wasn’t going to do anything about it right now.

See? Chickenshit.

“Oh, man. So I guess we won’t talk about how much you two are in love in front of him?” Dom teased.

“Fuck off. And don’t you dare.”

“Sometimes it helps if someone else lets it slip.”

“Pretty sure you weren’t saying that a few months ago when Baz let it slip to Harty that you were Ally’s baby daddy.”

He grimaced and rubbed his jaw. “Yeah, but your situation is totally different.”

“True. But I’m letting Josie lead for now.” I didn’t want to pressure her if her feelings weren’t as strong as mine.

But how long would I have to wait before I could tell everyone—including her family—how I felt about her?

JOSIE

“You’re here,” Cora said, opening her condo door wide the following night.

She’d invited a bunch of us WAGs—I guess I was one now, still weird—to watch the game in her oversized penthouse condo. Nate had moved into her place since her unit was better because, of course, her brother had kept the best unit in the building for her. I’d only met Christian once, when he’d come by the suite during the game, and it was clear that he doted on his sister.

“I brought my seven-layer dip, chips, and some NSFW images based on your characters. Oh, and I printed out a few logo and avatar options for your new pen name.”

Her smile was blinding. “Yay! I can’t wait to see it all. I’m still not totally sold on the pen name. C.S. Monroe feels kind of boring, but I definitely can’t use my real name since it’s tied to my bunny books.”

“Exactly. And now you’re not writing bunnies, just characters that fuck like bunnies,” her friend Joy called out.

“Oh my god, Joy. You have to stop yelling that,” Cora admonished, and I giggled, following Cora farther into the condo.

“Please. It’s not like there’s anyone else on this floor to hear you. The other unit up here is still empty, right? Hey, Josie. I want to see those pics.” Joy walked toward us with grabby hands and a grin.

“Let her in first. I want some dip.” Harper slid off one of the barstools at the kitchen island and took the dish from my hand.

“Come in, come in. And I get to see the pics first. They’re my characters, after all,” Cora said as I followed her into the condo.

Anna, Flower’s wife, Brooke, and Ally were on the couch. There were two other women whose names I couldn’t remember, but I thought one was married to Alan Lambert. I said my hellos and set a bag of chips on a table overloaded with every snack we would need for the game, including treats from Anna’s bakery.

“I brought the chocolate salted caramel cupcakes you like, Josie,” Anna said.

I did a fist pump. “Yes. I’m definitely having one of those soon.” I reached into my bag and pulled out the envelope with Cora’s images that I’d printed.

“Thank you.” Joy snagged it before Cora could.

“Hey, me first. You know, I don’t have to invite you to these things since you aren’t dating any of the players,” Cora said to her best friend, humor in her tone.

“That’s easy to fix. Who should I snag?” Joy asked, fanning the envelope in front of her face. “Not Sin. Ooh, maybe Xan. Kind of young, but superhot. Maybe he’d like an older woman?”

“Stop it. Don’t corrupt the babies. Fine. You can stay. Just give those to me.”

I reached back into my bag and pulled out the spicy images. “Those are just your logo options.” I motioned toward the envelope Joy had just opened.

Cora chuckled. “You’re the best.” She waved the envelope I handed her. “See what happens when you’re impatient?” She opened it and spread out the images on the island. “Ooh, these are amazing.”

“Holy shit, they’re hot. Cora, whoa. They’re definitely fucking like bunnies.” Joy peered over the images that Cora had spread out on the kitchen island.

The rest of the ladies moved closer to check them out. My chest filled with pride as they all oohed and aahed over my work.

“Dude, these are amazing. And the details are perfection. It’s like they’re living and breathing, not just two-dimensional,” Harper said, giving me a bright smile.

I appreciated all the compliments from everyone else, but her praise was different since she worked in a gallery and dealt with real art all the time.

“Thanks. They’re fun to draw. And maybe fun to get Micah to act them out with me. You know, for proper body placement.” My cheeks were on fire right now.

“Damn right. Nate is very helpful in that department. I haven’t even finished the book, but you captured Mia and Jake perfectly. Definitely adding these to my office wall for inspiration. Thank you so much, Josie. They’re incredible.” Cora skirted around the island and gave me a hug. “I’m going to make loads of romance author friends and pimp you out.”

I swallowed down a lump in my throat at her genuine appreciation. “Thank you. That would be amazing. I’m just glad you like them.”

“Like them? I fucking love them. And when I actually finish and get readers, they are going to drool over them.”

“Seriously, these are so cool. Romance really isn’t my go-to, but I’ll totally read Cora’s book when it’s out just to stare at these images,” Lamby’s wife said.

“But you can’t tell anyone about these yet. I have to finish the book first,” Cora said.

“We won’t,” everyone agreed.

“It’s kind of fun getting sneak peeks before the world,” Anna said.

“Right,” Joy echoed. “I love that you’re going to get this new book out there. Everyone is going to want it.”

“Don’t make me cry right now. Come on. The game is about to start,” Cora said, swiping a finger under her eye. “And I’m starving.” She grabbed a plate and started filling it, and we all followed suit.

It was amazing seeing all these women with very different careers and lives fully support each other. I’d never really had friends like that. Hell, I’d never even had close women friends like Cora, Anna, and Joy had each other. I chuckled to myself. I’d been working too hard to keep up—and annoy—Micah and Ray to focus on making other friends growing up.

“Now we need to focus and send all our winning energy to our boys.” Harper took the seat next to me and followed her statement up by popping a dip-covered chip into her mouth. “Damn. This dip is awesome.”

“Thanks. And you know they can’t hear us through the TV if we scream at them to shoot or something, right?” I deadpanned.

“Oh, hush. They’ll feel the tingles if we think it hard enough.”

“The tingles? What the hell is that?” Anna asked.

“It comes from being obsessed with hockey your entire life. Hockey families are a different breed,” Ally said, laughing softly as Livi slept against her chest. That kid truly slept through anything, which was a solid skill to have when your father played hockey.

“Spidey tingles are a real thing,” Harper admonished.

“Sure. Sure they are,” I teased.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out. Maybe Micah was texting me a dirty message before stepping out on the ice, like he had last night. I willed down my anticipatory lust, then tried not to squirm when it was my brother’s name popping up on my screen.

Ray: Can’t wait to see you in nine days. I asked Micah to get us both tickets for at least one of his games.

Ray: You’ll be around, right?

Ray: Does Blaine need a ticket?

Shit.

This was my opening, and I should take it.

I just wasn’t sure how far to take it.

“What’s wrong?” Cora asked.

“Yeah. Why are you grimacing? The game hasn’t even started,” Harper said.

“Uh, my brother texted.”

“You still haven’t told him anything, have you?” Harper asked.

“You haven’t?” Ally asked. “I mean, I get the not mentioning hooking up, but, like, not even that you’re staying with Micah?”

“Yeah. It hasn’t come up. I mean, it’s not like he’s outright asked if I’m living with Micah.” I knew it was a weak claim, especially since he’d asked about Blaine more than once.

“Semantics,” Harper deadpanned. I ignored her. “So, why the face when he texted?”

“He’s coming to visit for spring break. He’s a teacher,” I said.

“Like here? In Denver? Oh, crap,” Cora said.

“No kidding. And he’s staying with Micah.”

Harper snorted. “Yeah. He’s definitely going to find out about you two, then.”

“So why don’t you just tell him before he gets here?” Anna asked.

“Because that would be the adult thing to do,” I muttered. “I know, I know. I should, but I don’t want the pressure.”

“What pressure?” Joy asked.

“I get it,” Harper said at the same time.

“Micah’s been Ray’s best friend since they were kids. He’s part of our family. And he’s always known exactly what he wants in life. Micah’s stable, loyal.” I paused, laughing softly, because when he’d said that weeks ago, I’d compared him to a supportive bra.

“You love him,” Ally murmured, but I didn’t respond.

“I get it. There’s pressure there. Expectations. Timmy and I had the same thing,” Harper said.

“But I’m also flighty and the total opposite of Micah.” I let out a humorless laugh. “Hell, my brother might be more on Micah’s side than mine if it goes sideways.”

“Fuck that,” Harper said.

“So we figure this out. You can stay in your bubble for now and see where it goes,” Cora said. “But don’t let your family look down on you and how you live your life. I bet some of it is jealousy because you’re doing what you want and are successful at it.”

“I’m crashing at Micah’s place because I didn’t have anywhere to go after my ex ran off to New Mexico without me, so I’m not sure how that lines up with being successful,” I muttered.

“Stop that shit right now. And maybe it was fate because you and Micah belong together. Plus, we all get in a bind at some point in our lives. You’re figuring it out, and your happiness is all that matters,” Cora said sternly.

“You guys are amazing,” I said with a smile.

“Damn straight we are,” Harper said. “And you can crash at my place while your brother is here.”

“Really? I was going to ask but wasn’t sure how.”

Harper waved her hand. “Of course you can stay with us.”

“Thank you. I won’t cramp your time with Timmy.”

“Nah. You work at Tipsy a lot, after all. And it’s just a few days.”

Between these women, my jobs, and Micah, I never wanted to leave Denver. I finally felt like I was home.