chap 4
“Skye looks a hell of a lot like her daddy,” I said, then cringed when the girls gaped at my use of the word daddy. “Like Brogan. She looks a ton like Brogan.”
“Daddy,” Maddie drew out the word. “I’ll bet he’s one hell of a daddy.”
“If he’s anything like he is on the ice,” Daisy said. “I’m sure he’s fantastic.”
Once he’d found out Skye was definitely his, he dove headfirst into fatherhood
“And as hard as an adjustment as this is for him, he keeps surprising me.”
“I bet,” Maddie said. “How exactly is he surprising you? In the shower, I hope.”
“What if I made jokes about your bosses?”
“I write novels. I’m my own boss,” Daisy said. “So, joke about me all you want.”
“And my boss is technically a board of people, so go for it. I was into group things, once.” I nearly spit out my drink, I laughed so hard, and a warmth settled deep in my chest. “I love you both,” I said, sighing. “Even if you are wholly inappropriate.”
Skye was tucked nicely into the wrap around my chest, but the little toot still wouldn’t shut her eyes. Her belly was full, but her eyes were wide open—content, but fully awake as I shuffled to and from the kitchen island, the fridge, and the sink. Doing my best to return the kitchen to the spotless kind of clean Brogan usually liked.
His tattoos covered the length of his arms and scattered over his chest. I had the absolute ridiculous desire to trace my fingers along the whorls of ink.
glancing down at Skye, who gazed up at me with the prettiest blue eyes. I smiled down at her, wishing she’d nap but happy that she wasn’t a crying mess. If I took her out of this wrap? We’d go nuclear in seconds.
She wiggled and cooed as he came into her view, and he did that thing where he smiled for her and only her. It lit up his hazel eyes, despite the exhaustion underneath them.
“Hey there, little demon,” he said, his voice soft.
Oh, damn you, Brogan Grant, saying all the right things.
chap 5
“You have to sleep, little demon,” I whispered against Skye’s hair as I paced the length of the hallway.
She cooked and cleaned, and took care of my little demon all day.
when Fiona was on demon-duty.
Before I thought about what I was doing, my hands were on her face and I kissed her hard and fast in thanks. It was over in a second—maybe less. Holy shit, what the fuck did you just do?
Fiona stared up at me, her features mimicking the shock I felt.
Kissing Fiona was like nothing I’d ever felt before. I could do this all night. Every night.
chap 6
absently patting Skye’s butt. It was pretty much a habit now, almost an extension movement of my body. The girl hated it when things went still on her.
“I can’t like him anyway,” I said, and Maddie and Daisy groaned.
“Because of your major commitment issues?” Daisy asked with all sincerity.
“It’s not my fault the sanctity of marriage has been lost on me,” I said. “My mother did everything she could to destroy that fairytale years ago.”
Watching her go through husband after husband had me totally against the notion. Did I believe in monogamy? Sure. I just didn’t think I needed to sign away my future to any given person just because we could stand each other’s company for more than a month at a time. And that mindset had cost me several boyfriends in the past, not to mention one disgruntled recent ex who had proposed. Clearly, he hadn’t really known me at all.
My heart sank a little at those certainties, and I scolded myself for clearly getting attached when I knew better. Even with so many of my brothers and sisters, their fathers would take them after the divorce, folding them into new families far away. Sure, we kept in touch, but it was never the same.
“Hey, little demon,” he cooed,
I looked over my shoulder when I realized he wasn’t following me and was stopped dead by the smile on his face.
I’d never seen that smile before. It was different than the one he reserved for Skye and wholly different than the scowl/smirk he reserved for the cameras.
This was different. A genuine surprise and delight shaped his lips as he looked at…
Me.
He was looking at me. Looking at me like I’d answered a question he’d been asking for a very long time.
“What does that make you?” she teased, smiling up at me. “A perk?”
Perk? Fuck yes, I wanted to be a perk. I’d be her perk in my bed, on the couch, against the wall, anywhere she wanted me to be.
“What do you call her?” Carl challenged.
“Mine,” I growled, leaning his direction.
Carl went pale and backed up a couple of steps.
Good.
“That means, don’t call her.” I stared him down, which wasn’t hard considering he was a good five inches shorter than me. “Don’t email her. Don’t text. Don’t DM. Don’t send a fucking fax. Leave her alone.”
I relaxed my shoulders and found Fiona staring up at me, her lips slightly parted. “Was that too much?”
She shook her head. “You are a god.”
chap 8
and another warm shiver danced over my skin at the demand in his tone. Fuck, I liked it way too much. Just like I enjoyed it when he was endearing. Or when he was laughing. Or when he was tearing up the ice like a damned warrior.
pointing up at my girls, Skye and Fiona.
“And you won’t regret it in the morning?” I could handle a lot of things, but being on her list of regrets wasn’t one of them.
“I could never regret you,” she whispered, rolling her hips over mine.
I groaned.
“Now stop thinking, stop worrying, and just be here with me.” She kissed me, and I snapped.
chap 9
One more lift and her knees were on either side of my head. “Sit.”
She braced her hand on the back of the couch and looked down at me with equal parts shock and need. “I’ll crush you.”
I would have laughed if I wasn’t so painfully hard, and already distracted by the prettiest pussy I’d ever seen hovering above my face. “Do you want this?”
“Yes, but I weigh—”
“Sit,” I ordered, this time banding my arms around her thighs and tugging her into my mouth.
She cried out.
There was only Fiona.
chap 11
“Still not a date.” I flashed her a grin and headed to answer the door. Of course, it was a date, but it turned out that while most women might jump at the chance to date an NHL star, Fiona wasn’t one of them. She was so against labeling whatever it was that we were doing, that I’d pitched tonight as a team event instead of a date. Sure, it actually was a team event, but considering that we were going together, and coming home together—where I’d peel that fucking dress off with my teeth…yeah, it was pretty much a date.
“Hey, Evie. Come on in.” I kept my voice soft, knowing that the young woman was more than a little nervous around me.
“Hi,” she answered with a tepid smile that grew into a bright grin when she spotted Skye. “Hiya, Skye!” She held out her hands for my daughter, and I hesitated only a second before forking her over.
The Evie I knew was the shy bookworm who preferred to see life through her camera lens rather than actively participate in it
“Maybe she’s just uncomfortable around adults,” I muttered softly.
“Maybe she’s just uncomfortable around Maxim,” Fiona whispered, patting my arm.
My brows furrowed. “What the hell is there to be nervous about around Maxim? I’m the one with the surly temper. Or hell, be afraid of Cannon. But Maxim? He’s a dick, but never to her. She’s his little sister’s best friend for fuck’s—”
Fiona arched an eyebrow at me.
My mouth hung open for a second. “No way.” I shook my head. “She barely even speaks to him when we’re all together. She’s always tucked away in some corner with Mia.”
“You really think…” I shot a look toward the living room, where Evie was already tugging the tutu off Skye so she could crawl around and wreak havoc.
“That she has a massive crush on your closest friend?” Fiona whispered. “Yes, I really think. I swear, men can be so obtuse.” She shook her head at me and headed into the living room.
Evie had a thing for Maxim?
She leveled a look on me that said she meant business.
Maybe she could hold her own with Maxim. Huh.
chap 13
It kind of felt like I was a giant, immovable boulder, and she was a stream, rushing down the mountain to change the landscape, flowing all around me without knocking me down the hill. She changed everything, touched every part of me, made my entire life better, with so much peace and ease that I hadn’t had to do anything but go along with the change.
“Women like rings.” Axel shrugged.
“This from the guy who conned his wife into marrying him with his Reaper contract,” Cannon scoffed.
“Says the guy who woke up married in Vegas.” Maxim rolled his eyes.
“I’m sorry?” Cannon leaned left and right, as if he was looking for something behind Maxim. “Do I see a woman within fifty yards who can tolerate your shit for longer than a night?”
“Damn!” Sterling laughed. “He’s got you there.”
chap 19
She was my air. She made me desperate and hungry. I was nothing without her warmth, her love.