Page 28

Chapter 27

Keelan

C hristmastime in New York City is exactly like all the movies I've ever seen. Bright lights, lots of traffic. People shouting on street corners that the end is near.

I breathe in the sights and sounds of the city just as Ryker pushes me to walk as soon as the lights on the crosswalk change.

"Hey, jolly old St. Nick, I'm walking here," he says behind me.

I laugh. I'm pretty sure that Ryker Balinger, the big bad goalie of the Heatwave won't admit it, but he's a sucker for the holidays.

I only know this because we've spent almost every Christmas Eve together and the man is a sucker for sappy Hallmark movies. He won't actually ask to watch them, but he won't complain either.

Zane, on the other hand…

"Do we need to buy you a candy cane to turn that frown upside down?" I ask my Grinchy friend.

"No," he snaps. "I just hate big cities." Zane steps on a piece of gum and tries frantically to get it off his shoe.

"I don't get it," Libby says. "We live in one of the biggest cities in the US. How could you hate cities?"

"Used to," Zane says to his sister. "Used to. Now I live in not a city. Because of shit like this." He points to a guy in a Santa wig and beard wearing a thong as he walks by.

"To each his own," Libby says, staring after the old guy with a chuckle. Fergie gives her a light nudge.

"I could always wear that for Christmas morning since you liked it so much, Butterfly."

Libby laughs, pulling her fiancé in closer as the wind picks up.

"Hey, where are Izzy and Rina?" Kesley, Zane's wife, asks.

'They're gonna meet us. Apparently the calendars got delivered to the wrong place, and they had to hunt them down," I say. I look up at the two-story indie bookstore. And a line is already formed out the door and around the corner.

"I can't believe they were able to pull this off," Kesley says as we make our way inside.

"Rina and Jenny make a pretty great team," I say. "Surprisingly."

Yes. The girls must be creative geniuses. Because Izzy had mentioned to Rina in passing that there was a giant hockey romance book signing taking place at one of her favorite indie bookstores that she follows on social.

Rina saw that as a great opportunity to rally the out-of-state fans for our games, and Jenny made it happen.

"Have you read some of the stuff that's in these books?" Fergie mumbles to us. "Good stuff and highly accurate if you ask me." He winks.

I pick up one of the books as I walk by a table and flip it over to read the back.

"Don't judge it by the cover. That one's all spice. Five peppers," Fergie says, holding his fingers up.

"Really," I say, looking at it again.

The author setting up the table rounds it to approach us. "Hey! You're Keelan Landry."

I smile at her. "The one and only."

"Don't tell anyone, but your pictures were the ones that inspired the main character in this one." She taps the book with a finger.

"Well, then I'll take two copies," I say.

She smiles back and pulls out her marker. "Who should I make it—them—out to?"

"The first one can be made out to Mr. Bonner. That's B-o-n-n-e-r." I spell out for her, fully intending to send it to Redmond for Christmas.

"And the second one?"

"To Her Majesty, the Queen."

She laughs and shakes her head. "Jeez, I sure hope not. She'd lose her pearls."

I hand her my card, and she says, "Your money is no good. But if you can sneak me over a signed calendar…"

"Deal!" I high-five her and make it over to our table, where the rookie brigade is already busy setting up.

"Looking good, boys!" I say to them as we approach.

"Just say it. We look stupid," Sincaid gripes.

Ryker snatches Sincaid's elf hat off his head and straightens it, then sets it back on his head, looking more like a dunce cap. "Now you look stupid," Ryker says, slapping the rookie on his back as he walks by and takes his seat.

Rina and Izzy come rushing in with a cart full of calendars just as the announcement is made that the doors will be opening.

"This turnout is insane," Izzy observes, giving Ryker a peck on the cheek as she comes behind the table.

"Alright," Rina says to us. "Keep the flow moving, everyone signs, and don't say or do anything that'll put you on page six. Got it?"

"Got it," the elves all say. The team veterans all give our signature salute to the Queen bee.

"I mean it," she says, pulling the cart next to the table and grabbing her bag off it. Izzy, Kesley and Libby all grab their bags, too, and gather next to Rina.

"Wait, where are you guys going?" Zane asks.

"Are you kidding? We're in hockey smut HQ," Libby says.

"Yeah, did you really think we were just going to hang out with you guys all night?" Izzy says.

"What? We're way cooler than any of the fictional guys in those books. Guarantee it," Zane argues.

Trevor Sincaid and a few of the other rookies lay hands on the defenseman. "Sorry, man, but no. You gotta let this one go."

Fergie leans over, "Trust them."

Zane mumbles to himself. And the girls are waving us off, disappearing into the gathered crowd of excited romance readers.

"Well, boys. It's just us against a sea of fictional men. What can we possibly do?" I ask them.

"We could always take our shirts off," Vance McDonald, one of the rookie forwards, offers.

We look around at the tables filling up. Ours is the very last one at the end of a long line.

"It's not a terrible idea," Fergie agrees.

I look around at the other guys. "Are we really capable of stooping so low?"

"We're at a hockey romance bookstore selling calendars of our real shirtless selves to a bunch of women who read books about fake players," Ryker says. "I say it's only up from here."

"What do you think?" Zane asks me.

"I say we give the ladies what they want."

"I said don't do anything stupid , and what's the first thing you guys do?" Rina barks at us as we walk out of the bookstore, tails tucked between our legs.

"It sounded like a good idea at the time," I explain.

"You guys nearly got us shut down for public indecency," Izzy adds.

"It's right on the sign," Kesley points out. "No shirt. No shoes. No service."

"Sorry, we thought that's what they wanted," Sincaid says.

"It was my idea," McDonald admits.

"These women don't want to see grown men strip out of their shirts in real life. They want to fictionally be railed by men with ridiculous stamina and a compulsion to get into fights in defense of their honor," Rina explains.

"Wait…" I say, stopping as we're about to cross an intersection.

"What?" Rina stops beside me.

Did she just describe me or… " Nothing. Never mind."

Her heels click angrily past me, and I don't know how I'm going to salvage the night.

But as I swing my bag of signed books, I get a really good idea. Better than taking off our shirts to sell sports team calendars at a romance book event—hopefully.

I knock on the door, hoping Rina's alone. I don't hear any movement, so I try again.

I'm about to go back to my room when the door unlocks. Rina is standing behind it in a robe, her hair down and wet over her shoulders.

"Hey," I say to her.

"Hey," she says.

"You still mad about the whole…" I motion to my abs.

She chuckles. "Well, Jenny would like you guys to know that you're all idiots."

I slip a hand into my pocket. "Can't argue that."

"But," Rina says, opening her door a little more and nodding for me to come inside. "She also says that the whole incident blew up on social media and we're now going to have to make a second print run of the calendars."

I turn to face her, setting the book on the bed. "Wait, what?"

She nods, pulling the robe closed tighter. "Yeah, so like brilliant idiots is the term she used."

"Nice!"

Rina smiles and eyes the book on the bed. "You read romance?"

I look at it. "Occasionally. Especially if it has to do with my profession. It's more like research. To make sure I'm doing it right."

I sit on the mattress and nod her over. She slowly approaches, hesitating in front of me. "I thought maybe we could read together," I say huskily.

"Oh really," she smiles, pulling her robe off her shoulders and letting it fall to the floor before straddling me.

"Mmhmm." I run my hands over her thighs and get a handful of the tender flesh of her ass.

"Or we could do other things," she suggests.

"Other things?" I quirk a brow. "Other things like what?"

She shrugs. "We can write our own chapter."

She rocks her hips against me, and I pick up the book and toss it onto the desk nearby. "We can always read later. I like your idea better."

I roll her over onto her back, and she's completely bare under me. Her hair is still wet from the shower, but she smells good enough to eat.

I can't wait another second to taste my own personal brand of candy.

I sink down to the floor and pull her to the edge of the bed, resting her leg over my shoulder, and lean forward and delve my tongue into her, dragging it out over the soft skin and making her arch and moan above me.

"Do your fictional boys make you feel this good?" I ask her, licking that sensitive nub between her legs.

She bows off the bed. "They could never," she breathes.

"That's right, baby. They could never." I delve back in, holding her hips in place so she can't rock them. Her hands come up to my head and hold me steady—right where she wants me.

"What do you want, my queen?"

I look up at her, and she smiles. "I want more."

"Gladly," I say, slipping a finger inside her as she rides my face. I pump in and out, gently adding another as I feel her coming undone over me.

She says unintelligible things as she bucks into me. And it's not until she collapses back onto the bed that I stop, kissing her gently on each thigh before climbing over her spent body.

"How much more?" I ask her.

She rolls her head to face me, then pulls my face to her and slides her tongue across mine, tasting the evidence of her arousal on my tongue.

"'So much more," she whispers into my mouth before pushing me onto my back and straddling me.

She rubs herself against my erection, and the feeling of her rocking into me is enough to make me want to explode.

"You… are the most beautiful and delicious thing I've ever tasted, Rina Lopez."

She blushes, and the light pink across her flushed face makes her look so much more beautiful.

"'So gorgeous," I say, squeezing her thighs. "I could never stop looking at you."

She runs her hands down my chest past my abs and takes hold of me with a powerful squeeze. "Good thing I never want you to stop," she says with a wicked smile.

I groan as she tugs and lowers herself so that my erection is right at the entrance of her mouth. Her beautiful lips curl up, and she slides me into her mouth ever so slowly. The sight of her taking me in is almost too much.

I roll my head back and do my best not to look at her as she hollows out her cheeks and sucks me.

"Rina," I stutter.

She licks me like the lollipops I always carry. "Whatever you do… don't come," she orders me.

"God, woman. Then you better stop doing what you're doing."

She gives me one more gentle pull with her mouth before popping off of me, leaving me wet and ready for her.

"I want to try something," she says, pulling out a condom and a bottle of lube from her luggage.

"How long have you been planning to seduce me, Ms. Lopez?"

She chuckles and unwraps the condom, rolling it onto me with expert precision.

Then she gets on all fours in the bed next to me and looks back at her ass.

"Fuck me," she says.

My eyes widen. "There?"

She bites her lip and nods. "Have you ever?"

"No," I rush out. "No. But—"

She wiggles for me, and I know it's to tease me.

"Me neither," she admits. "But I want you to fill me up. Everywhere. I want you to claim me, Keelan."

She doesn't have to say it again for me to grab the bottle and pop it open.

"Bend forward," I instruct her.

She does as I ask. And before I coat her with lube, I rub from her clit down to that tiny star-shaped hole and spread her own juices there. She bucks forward at the contact.

"You'll need to relax," I tell her, running a hand down her back.

"Ok," she breathes out.

"Deep breaths, baby." I watch as her back rises and falls slower and slower with each breath.

"That's my girl. You're doing so good," I praise her. "You're going to take my cock so well."

When I see that her breathing is slowed, I pour some lube onto her behind and rub small circles over the hole, massaging softly.

"Maybe," she says below me. "Maybe we should play some music," she suggests.

"Music… yeah, that's a good idea."

She reaches for the remote and sets it to a smooth jazz channel, and then relaxes back into position. "Is that better?"

She breathes out a yes.

"Good. I'm going to start with a finger, okay, baby? If it's too much, tell me, and I'll stop. I won't hurt you, do you understand?"

"Yes," she repeats as I start working her again.

I'm rubbing her back with one hand and teasing her entrance with the other, slowly inserting a finger as she breathes and takes me in.

"How does that feel?"

She swallows hard. "It's different," she admits. "But, it feels good."

"Okay," I say, slowly pulling back before inserting again.

"You're doing so good breathing, baby, stay with me. Keep breathing."

She does. And when she gets to the point that she's bucking into my thrusts, I add more lube and a second finger.

I'm hard just watching her take me. And I'm suddenly very eager to feel her around my cock.

I bend down and give her a little bite on one of her cheeks, and she squeals in excitement.

"More, Rina?"

She nods and breathes out, "More."

So I retract my fingers from her and add more lube to myself and to her before lining myself up at her entrance. I hold both her hips and slowly, ever so slowly, push into her.

She hisses under me, so I stop.

"No," she says. "Keep going."

"Okay."

I keep pushing forward until I'm buried to the hilt inside of her. I gulp, nervous to move and hurt her.

But she leads and starts pulling herself away from me.

"Oh… my… god," she breathes out.

"Are you—"

"That feels amazing," she cries.

"Again?" I ask.

"Again," she says.

And I slowly thrust into her again. Our bodies adjust to the new sensations of getting to know each other. And as I keep moving she reaches between her legs and plays with herself.

The sounds coming from her edge me further and further to the point of no return. And when she screams out her release, pulsing all around me, she takes me over the edge right along with her.

I go still, pouring into her. And after we kiss, and shower, and order room service. She climbs into bed beside me and lays her head on my chest.

"Thank you," she says.

I look at her. "Um… you're welcome?" I chuckle.

"No… it's just. I've always wanted to do that. And I never thought I'd be with someone who could make me feel… so free."

I pull her tighter to me and kiss the top of her head. "With you, Rina. I'm willing to try anything."

"Anything?" she says, looking up at me.