Page 48

FORTY-EIGHT

MADELINE

I’ve worked in restaurants throughout my entire adult life, so I’m familiar with large groups in small settings. There’s always been a camaraderie in the kitchen. There’s communication and kinship with long working hours, but I’ve never experienced something like this.

Being at team dinner gives a new meaning to the word family.

It’s Thanksgiving but amplified, with laughs, jokes, plenty of food, and a ton of love. A dozen conversations happen around me about league standings and playoffs and someone named Amelia Green, but never once do I feel out of place.

Lucy runs around the apartment with the dogs, giggling when Riley chases her and lifts her on his shoulders. The girls and I talk about the Spring Fling dance that June, Maven’s daughter, has next week, and we gush over the dress she picked out.

It’s perfect.

I feel welcomed here, like I belong, and the togetherness is something I’ve been missing since leaving the restaurant industry.

“Hey.” Maverick whistles, and everyone glances at him. Lucy climbs in my lap and I lift my hands, ready to interpret for her. “It’s time for our game.”

Grant groans. “Can’t we play FIFA or GTA like we always do?”

“Nope. Coach told me he wants us to start doing more team building off the ice as we move toward the playoffs, and that means putting down the controllers. Everyone knows how to play hide and seek, right?” he asks, and there’s a murmur of yeses. “Good. You’ll be with a partner, and if your team is caught, you join the seeking side. When we get down to the last two people, they win.”

“What’s the prize for winning?” Ethan asks. “That’s going to determine my likelihood for participating.”

“Given it’s mandatory, if you don’t want to join in, I’ll kick your ass at practice tomorrow until you’re crying in pain, Richardson,” Maverick warns.

“He runs a tight ship,” I whisper to Hudson.

He took the seat next to me ten minutes ago, his thigh pressing against mine as he listened to us discuss what color hair ribbon would look the best with a bright green dress.

“You should’ve seen him five or six years ago. He missed his alarms and skipped practice. Politely escorting his one-night stands out of his apartment was a regular occurrence for me. Maverick from his first year in the league wouldn’t recognize this dude.”

“Really?” I glance over at him, watching the way he hugs Emmy tight and kisses her forehead. “I’ve only been around him a few times, but I can’t imagine him being anything other than totally in love with Emmy.”

“Times change, and thank god for that.”

“Are you going to play hide and seek?” I ask.

“Of course I am. I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere in my contract that I have to do anything Maverick says, but even if it wasn’t, I’d join. Why the hell not? That means you’re playing too, Galloway.”

“I can be Lucy’s partner,” Piper volunteers. “Liam adamantly refuses to play anything, and Lucy is going to be much better company than his grumpy ass.”

“I heard that,” Liam says without looking up from his phone.

“That was the point.” Piper pats his thigh and smiles at Lucy. Want to be on my team for hide and seek ?

Lucy nods. I’m good at hiding.

“ She is ,” I add. “ When she was younger, I spent twenty minutes looking for her. She was hiding behind the washing machine and scared the heck out of me.”

Genius . Piper grins. We’re so going to win.

Lucy climbs out of my lap and joins Piper on the floor. My heart is full while I watch them talk about the headband Lucy is wearing and her pink sparkly shoes.

Piper must mention something funny, because Lucy lets out a giggle and covers her mouth.

“Looks like she’s having fun,” Hudson says.

“She was happy when we lived in Vegas, but she’s so much brighter here in DC.” I laugh. “It’s probably the dogs.”

“Why do you think I rescued those two? They’re the best kind of therapy.”

Around us, his teammates start to split up into pairs. I glance up at him and bump his shoulder with mine.

“Guess you’re stuck with me as a partner, Hayes,” I tell him.

“It would be an honor, Galloway.”

“If you open a box that says PRIVATE on it, I can’t be held responsible what you find,” Maverick says from the front of the living room. “Emmy girl and I will start, and we’ll count to sixty. Don’t touch any of my shit, and you won’t get hurt. We’re starting now.”

“Where are we going to hide?” I ask, standing while everyone around us scrambles.

“They have a small room in their closet that’s used for extra storage. It’s not very big, but it’s tucked away.” Hudson takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. “We can go in there behind a shelf, and we’ll be good.”

“I’m glad I’m paired with the person who knows the floorplan of this place like the back of his hand.” I wave to Lucy and Piper, who take off in the opposite direction. “Were you an architect in another life?”

“I spent seven days helping them move in. I can tell you about every nook and cranny in this place.”

Hudson leads me down a long hallway, and I smile at the pictures on the wall. There are so many hanging up, ones with a group of guys shirtless and a different one at the beach.

I find one with the same group in front of a wedding chapel. Another after what I’m guessing is a big win, because all the Stars players are in a pile on each other. There’s a huge trophy being presented to them.

“I knew you and Maverick were friends, but I’m realizing how close you two are,” I say, tapping a photo of Maverick and Hudson asleep on the floor of an airport. They’re wrapped around each other, and it might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. “Did you know him before you were on the team?”

“Nope. I thought he was the most conceited toolbar when I first met him.” Hudson laughs and nudges open a door with his hip. “He grew on me, though. He’s like my brother. I’d run through fire for him, and he’d do the same for me. When we were younger, our team sucked. We were the laughingstock of the league. People in DC booed us, but we both stuck around. There was an unspoken agreement between us that we were going to bring this team out of the ashes, and we weren’t going to leave until we did. A Stanley Cup win later and hopefully heading toward another one this season, and I’d say we did our job.”

“That love is special. It sounds like Maverick might be your soulmate.”

“Maybe he is, but if that’s the case, then we can have two soulmates. Because Emmy is most definitely his, too.”

He opens another door and tugs me inside. It’s dark, and I pull out my phone to use as a flashlight.

“It looks like there’s space behind that shelf over there.” I point to a small metal rack housing cardboard boxes. “We would be hidden from view.”

“Nice eyes, Mads.”

Hudson helps me maneuver around a pile of old skates and a box labeled JERSEYS. When we make it to the other side of the space, I glance around.

“It’s small over here,” I say. “Pretty sure I’m going to have to sit on top of you.”

“Ah. What a plight for me,” he says, and I can hear the grin behind his words. “Let me get situated, then you can sit on top of me all you want, Maddie.”

I laugh, holding the light up so I can watch him take a seat on the ground.

“You’re such a gentleman.”

He opens his knees so there’s space between his legs, and he pats his thighs. “Come here.”

I spin so my back is to him, but before I can sit down, Hudson puts a hand on the back of my thigh.

“What is it?” I run my hand over the pleated material. “Please don’t tell me there’s an army of cockroaches down there.”

“No.” He flashes me another grin I can barely make out in the dark space. “I can see up your skirt, so I’m admiring your underwear.”

“Oh my god.” A laugh sneaks out of me. I shake my head and lower myself to the floor. “You get to see my underwear all the time.”

“Not when I’m out of town I don’t,” he counters. “For what it’s worth, it’s cute underwear.”

I blush.

I’ve never cared about what I wear under my clothes or chef’s whites. Sometimes it was thongs, other times bikini-style underwear. On my period, a ripped pair that sits low on my hips and don’t put any pressure on my bloated stomach are my saving grace.

Regularly sleeping with an NHL player has made me want to add a few new pieces to my rotation like lacier pairs. Ones that show off my backside and come in a matching set.

I know Hudson doesn’t care what I wear. He’s called me beautiful in a hundred different ways, and most of them were when I’ve been exhausted and worn out, feeling the furthest from attractive.

It’s fun to put on something sexy under my clothes. It makes me feel sexy, even as the sweater-and-leggings mom.

“Thanks,” I say, and I hear noises on the other side of the door. It sounds like more people are trying to hide, and I hope no one else comes in here and joins us. “I got them for three dollars.”

“Three dollars? Do I need to up your salary?”

“No. I just love a sale.” I pause, biting my lower lip. “But speaking about my salary, I think we should talk about that.”

“I love deep conversations when I’m hiding in a closet. What’s on your mind, knife girl?” Hudson wraps his arms around me, pulling me close to his chest. “Tell me anything.”

“I feel like things between us are getting serious,” I admit softly, relaxing when his hold on me tightens like he wants me to stay here forever. “And maybe I’m reading the time we’re spending together wrong, but?—”

“You’re not,” he hurries to say, voice hushed. “At all. I’m serious about you and Lucy. Y’all are the best part of my days, and I hope we get to keep going down this path.”

“That’s why I feel weird taking money from you. I know I’m still cooking your meals,” I say before he can interrupt, because I can tell he’s ready to protest. “But I have feelings for you, Hudson. It makes me uncomfortable to take money from you when what we’re doing exists outside the kitchen.”

“It exists in the kitchen a little bit. I did get you off on the counter.” He buries his face in my neck and kisses below my ear. I giggle, squirming in his hold. “But I understand where you’re coming from. Money blurs lines.”

“It does. I’m so thankful for your generosity, but maybe we can think about moving away from a paycheck and instead becoming two people who care about each other, who are living together, and I cook for you because I want to. Not because I’m obligated to.”

“Okay.” He nods, his mouth moving to my throat. “I accept the changes, but only if you accept I’m going to take care of you and Lucy financially. That includes buying you whatever you need, whatever you want, whenever you need it.”

“Okay,” I echo, knowing an argument is pointless. Hudson means business, and for as long as I’ve survived as a single parent doing everything myself, it’s nice to have someone waiting on the sidelines and willing to help. “I accept that.”

“Thank you. It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Mads.”

I laugh and stretch out my legs. “And with you, hockey guy.”

“Your outfit is cute tonight.” He touches the hem of the black skirt I paired with boots. “I like how long your legs are.”

“Not as long as yours.” I line our limbs up side by side, scoffing at how much taller he is than me. “But close.”

“I think I have a problem.”

“Problem? Oh, no. Do you have to pee?”

“No.” His fingers move up my thigh, and I sigh. They brush against my underwear, and I arch my back. “When I’m around you, all I want to do is touch you. Taste you. Feel you. I told you I’m addicted.”

“You don’t usually act like this when you’re… dating someone?”

The word falls out of me, but that’s what we’re doing. It’s wrong to call it anything less.

“I know how to behave myself with other people.” His other hand moves the hair away from my neck so he can kiss me again. “I’ve also also never brought anyone to team dinner. And here you are.”

“And here I am,” I repeat. The small space emboldens me. The warmth from his body is a heady, dangerous heat, and I act on instinct. I take the hand on my leg in mine. I move it up around my skirt until he reaches my underwear, intentions clear. “Yours.”

I’ve never been this reckless or drunk on infatuation. But that’s the thing about Hudson Hayes: he makes me feel alive in ways I’ve never been.

“Are you sure?” he whispers, and my heart cinches tight—of course it does—with his hesitation. With him giving me the power. “I want you so bad, Madeline, but I don’t want you to think I pulled you into a closet to feel you up.”

“Do you want to feel me up?”

He blows out a breath and kisses my neck again. He bunches my skirt at my waist and pushes my knee to the side. Slowly, so fucking slowly , he moves his fingers up my thigh.

“I think I might die if I don’t.”

I gasp when he pulls my underwear to the side. “That would be a horrible tragedy.”

“If someone walks in, they won’t be able to see us. The shelf blocks their view,” he assures me, but I wouldn’t care if they could.

Everything he does is torturous. The way he sucks on my throat and how he strokes back up my leg. He nearly rips my underwear, groaning when he adds two fingers in me and finds me wet.

“When I’m with you, I can’t think straight.” I wiggle my hips, and I feel him hard against my ass. Knowing I have that kind of physical effect on someone—someone like him —is invigorating. “You really do make me see the stars, Hudson.”

“Let’s get you to see a couple more, yeah?” He curls his fingers inside me, sighing like he’s mesmerized. “ Fuck . Your pussy, Madeline. Everything about you, really. Incredible.”

His thumb presses on my clit, and I cry out. I don’t know what I’m saying, only that it “ feels so good” . To “ not stop ”, and “ I can take a third finger .”

“Please,” I beg, long past caring how I sound. “Hudson.”

“You have to be quiet, Maddie.” He moves the hand not between my legs up to my neck, covering my mouth. “I don’t want my teammates to hear you. They don’t get that privilege.”

That makes me groan against his palm, makes me open my legs wider. This is exactly how I want to go: blissed out, full, wet, and so close to satisfied.

Hudson does add his third finger with the softest of laughs, the gentlest of “ there you go ” and “ you’re doing so well ,” and I’m glad I can’t make any sounds. The noise that leaves my body is out of this world. This is the most sensual, hottest experience I’ve ever had with a man, and I never want it to end.

“I could watch you all day.” He kisses my forehead, my cheek. Along the curve of my jaw. “But I’d really like to see you come. Please?”

I never believed the women in romance novels who could come on command, but with Hudson, I’m converted.

One ask from him, and I’m lifting my hips. Letting him touch me—letting him fuck me with his fingers—and I can’t hold it in anymore.

I squeeze my eyes closed and give in to the pleasure rolling through me. I grind against his hand. I push my ass against his hard cock, wanting him to enjoy this as much as I am. And when Hudson kisses my throat and says, “ you’re so good, Maddie , you deserve this ,” I lose it completely.

Colors explode behind my vision. I bite the heel of his palm. I squirm and ride the wave of gratification until I’m numb and exhausted, made of nothing but limp limbs and an empty mind.

“I’ve got you,” Hudson says gently. I open my eyes and turn my chin so I can see him. “Hi, Maddie.”

“Hi, hockey guy.” I sigh, relaxing into him. “That was… magnificent.”

He kisses my cheek, lips smooth and warm. “Are you okay?”

“You just made me come in a closet, Hudson. I’m better than okay.”

He laughs and carefully puts my underwear back in place. He lowers my skirt and rubs my knee. “I wanted to make sure. Was the hand thing all right?”

“Yeah.” I grin. “It was more than all right.”

“Noted.”

“Do you want some help with?—”

“You didn’t feel me finish in my pants again?” he asks, and when my mouth pops open, he grins. “I’m kidding. I have some control over my bodily functions. Yes, I want help, but no, not right now. I don’t think I can be as quiet as you.”

“I’m happy to give you a?—”

The door to the closet swings open, and I blink at the bright invasion of light.

“There has to be someone in here. God damn skates.” A hockey stick goes flying, and Maverick appears around the shelving unit. “Aha! Found you fuckers. You lose, Huddy Boy.”

“Nah.” He looks at me, his grin even brighter than before. “I definitely won.”