Carter

For the first time since high school, I am nervous for a date. And not just any date. I’m meeting Sydney Carroway, the famous romance author, who looks like a pinup model. She’s kind of a big deal around here. But so am I.

So, why am I nervous?

This chick has me off my game for some reason, and I haven’t even met her yet. Sydney was born into excessive wealth, a luxury I did not have until I made it pro, and now she’s running her own empire. Intimidation is a feeling so foreign anymore that I have no idea why I allow it to consume me. But I do.

Once the self-doubt starts to creep in, the bile rises up the back of my throat. Sydney is going to be one spitfire of a woman. I know that from what I have heard about her from Kennedy Lockwood, her best friend, and Tyler Kane’s live-in girlfriend.

I pull through the wrought iron gates of Tyler’s estate and up the long driveway. He never keeps the gate locked, which is not smart when you are as famous and rich as Tyler. Not that I don’t have the same issues, but Tyler is the highest paid player in the NHL and the most sought after. As our team captain and starting center for the Flyers, everyone wants a piece of him.

I’m the goalie, the one who fucked things up for us again this year. Because Tyler is my best friend, he won’t allow me to blame myself, says the team sucks as a whole. But I take responsibility for every shot taken on goal and scored. When a team loses repeatedly, the media blames it on ineffective goaltending. I agree with them.

I also blame another shitty season for being anxious about this date. It doesn’t help that Tyler warned me about Sydney several times before coming over tonight. This is the first time Tyler is meeting her as well. He wants this to go smooth since Kennedy and Sydney are like sisters. So, I cannot fuck this up.

I pull around the circular driveway and park in front of Tyler’s mansion. This place should have its own zip code. My house is big but nothing compared to the monstrosity of Kane Manor. My other teammate, Alex Parker, has his Porsche parked ahead of me, lined up with Tyler’s BMW. By process of elimination, I assume Sydney is not here yet, which gives me some time to get inside and talk to everyone before she makes her grand entrance.

She seems like the type to show up late just to make everyone stop what they are doing to drool over her. High maintenance chicks are not really my thing. But, when you have a body and face like hers, exceptions can be made.

Sucking in a deep breath, I open the door, sliding out from my Hummer. I’m a big guy, always have been, and at six foot six and two hundred forty pounds, I need the room to move around. It amazes me how Alex and Tyler can drive such tiny cars when they’re only a few inches shorter than me.

When I reach the front door, it’s already open, same as always. Tyler really needs to work on his home security before he gets robbed or molested by a stalker fan. He had a stalker years ago. You think he would have learned from that incident. Idiot.

“Hello,” I yell, once I step inside the marbled hallway.

The house has vaulted ceilings that cause my voice to echo, massive crystal chandeliers hanging in the foyer, and a long staircase that leads to the second floor bedrooms. I walk straight ahead, toward the living room, where I can hear the last game of the Stanley Cup Finals blasting through the surround sound speakers. It’s tradition for Tyler and me to watch the playoffs together.

Alex is a new addition this year, along with his girlfriend and agent, Charlotte Coachman. She goes by the nickname Coach and represents both Alex and Tyler. She even agreed to help me out with my next contract, which is coming up soon. If I don’t get my shit together, it will be my last year with the Flyers.

When I step into the living room, Coach and Alex are cuddling on one of the oversized sectional couches. Tyler is next to him with his arm hooked around Kennedy’s back, holding her against his side and chatting with Alex about the game on TV. Both couples have been inseparable since they met. Sometimes, they make me want to puke, but it’s also nice to see both Alex and Tyler happy after all the pain and drama they went through over the years.

Like me, Tyler has a dark past he keeps to himself. Not even Parker knows either of our secrets. We bonded over our mutual issues and hatred for being on a losing team. Then, when the offers started rolling in from other teams in the league, neither Tyler nor I wanted to leave. Tyler has his reasons, and I have mine.

For the most part, we come as a packaged deal. I imagine Alex will also go with us when the day finally comes for us to make a decision. I doubt that will happen anytime soon, considering Tyler’s insistence on making the Flyers a winning team.

He’s been on the phone with Mike Turner, our general manager, almost every day to ask about trades. They don’t have anything in the works or the salary cap to work with after signing Alex this year. So, we have no choice but to stick it out and hope we can get our shit together by the start of next season.

Standing in the archway of the living room, I raise my thick arms above my head to stretch, wearing sweat pants that hang from my hips and a cut off tank that shows off my tats. I chose this in an attempt to act causal and pretend I am not excited about our date. Now that Kennedy is giving me the stink eye, I realize this outfit was a bonehead move. Sydney will probably hate me.

At least I trimmed my dark beard, now looking more like an average person and less like a lumberjack. I have a season ritual where I refuse to shave. The length of my beard was getting out of hand by the last game and started to get on my nerves.

I shaved and showered to meet Sydney. But that was about all I did other than some manscaping. I thought that would be enough since the setup was mutual. Now, I’m not so sure.

“Where are you coming from?” Tyler asks, getting up from the couch with Kennedy following behind him.

“My house. Why?” I strut into the living room and slap my hand down hard on Tyler’s back in greeting, causing him to jerk forward. I often forget my own strength.

He shrugs. “I thought maybe you were training before you came over. That’s all.”

I glance down at my shirt. “Nah, I ran out of clothes to wear, and I didn’t feel like doing laundry.” That is a lie.

“You know Kennedy invited Sydney for you, right?” Tyler speaks low enough so only I can hear.

I act calm, unaffected. “Yeah, what's the problem?”

“Nothing. I just thought you wanted to meet Sydney, and you are dressed like this.” Tyler points at my chest.

He must be annoyed for Kennedy, assuming she will give him a rash of shit later, but she keeps her mouth shut.

They have the game on in the background, the commentator’s voices blaring over the speakers. I could care less who wins this year, considering we didn’t even make it to the first round of the playoffs. But I am hoping our competition get their asses kicked.

The doorbell rings, and I follow Tyler and Kennedy out of the room and down the hallway. I hover over Tyler, like a big oaf, and with a fuck me grin on my face because Sydney is smoking hot. Even hotter in person than online.

Her pictures do not even do her justice. She gets the same reaction as me from Tyler. Sydney is the kind of woman you stop to notice. If Tyler weren't with Kennedy, we would be fighting for her right now, trying to out do the other.

“Tyler,” Sydney says, holding out her hand as if she expects him to kiss the ring. She has a real air of entitlement around her, which is evident in the way she speaks and moves.

Sydney flashes her pearly whites at Tyler. “So, you’re the stud who’s stolen my Kennedy away from me.”

Tyler shakes her hand, his gesture so formal that even Sydney seems a bit taken back. “Sorry about that.”

She shrugs and walks into the house, ignoring me with her head held high, and her tits pushed out. I lick my lips and stalk behind her, staring at her perfect ass. I have to admit I do not love how she just blew past me as if I were a piece of furniture in her way that she had to maneuver around. But I sure as hell am intrigued.

“I would say sorry for taking you away from Kennedy,” Tyler says to Sydney once we enter the living room, “but I have a hard time letting her out of my sight.”

She peeks up at him from beneath her long lashes and flips her dark curls over her shoulder. “How can I compete with your monster cock? But I do think we should work out a schedule. You know, you get her one day, and I get her the next.”

I have a hard time keeping a straight face and end up breaking the silence. “Did you just say monster cock?”

I’m so much taller than Sydney, even in her five-inch heels, that my chest is practically in her face when I move closer.

She tilts her head to the side as if thinking over her last comment. “Yeah, I guess I did. No biggie. Who doesn’t love a big cock?”

“I’m Carter Donovan,” I say, touching her shoulder with my hand, not even bothering to stifle my laughter.

“Wonderful,” she says, shrugging me off, “Sydney Carroway, but I’m sure you already know that.” She turns to Kennedy, ignoring me. “I’m starving. K, help me find something to eat in this place.”

Then Sydney does something I do not expect and strolls out of the room and down the hall as if she owns the fucking joint. Her heels click against the marble floor as she heads toward the kitchen. I want more. For a second, I think about tracking her down, but I don’t want to seem too eager.

“That was fucking weird,” I mutter to Tyler, dumbfounded.

“You could say that.” Tyler looks just as confused by that exchange with Sydney. For someone who requested to meet me, she has a funny way of showing it.

“She’s hot, though.” I shove my hands into my sweat pockets as we move further into the living room.

“Uh-huh,” Tyler confirms. I assume he’s wondering if she will even give me the time of day. I have no fucking clue.

“What do you think of Sydney?” Kennedy asks. “She’s amazing, right?”

“She told me I have a monster cock.” This time Tyler laughs. “I can’t believe you told her about me. And here I thought only guys talked about stuff like that.”

She gives him an I’m busted look, biting down on her bottom lip. “Umm…yeah. You know girls talk about those kinds of things. And babe, your dick is something worth talking about. Just be happy that it didn’t end up on our blog because it came up quite a few times as a possible post idea.”

“Oh, yeah.” Tyler leans down to kiss her hair. “What were you going to call it?”

“I like big dicks, and I cannot lie,” she jokes.

This conversation just got interesting. Kennedy seems sweet and more innocent than Sydney does, so I can only imagine what a regular chat with Sydney would be like. She talked about Tyler’s dick as if normal people make statements like that to strangers. She’s really comfortable in her own skin. And I like that about her.

“I still like the idea of the taking one for the team post,” Tyler whispers into her ear, not realizing I can hear them. “If you want, we can go to the bathroom, and you can show me how you’d demonstrate to your followers.”

Kennedy nudges him hard with her hip. “Nice try, but we have company.”

Sydney walks back into the room with a box of pizza and a six-pack of beer. “Who’s hungry?”

She sets the box and bottles on the long table that spans both couches. The room is so big that it calls for large furniture to take up some of the space.

“I can eat,” Alex and I call out, both of us reaching over to grab a slice as she opens the box.

I stand with Tyler and Kennedy while I eat, watching as Sydney chats with Coach as if they have known each other for years. Sydney seems to have this effect on the people around her that makes them want to open up.

Coach is about as closed off as they come, and she’s over there telling Sydney all the details about Parker and the time they had spent apart. Those were some miserable days for everyone on our team. We had the pleasure of being around Parker back then, and it fucking sucked. He was such a bastard when he was apart from Coach. It killed whatever mojo we had going for us.

Ignoring me, Kennedy and Tyler have a private conversation, whispering into each other’s ears. Even with Sydney here, I feel like the third wheel.

Their voices reach a higher octave before Tyler yells so loud it rings in my ear. “Woo hoo!”

His outburst draws the attention of the rest of the group, their heads turned toward us with confused expressions on their faces.

“Kennedy is moving in with me,” Tyler says with his hands raised in the air.

I congratulate them, along with the rest of the group, before Tyler picks Kennedy up and throws her over his shoulder. He practically runs out of the living room with his hand on her ass. His shoes smack loudly against the wooden planks as he climbs the stairs, leaving us behind. Sydney just got here, and they bail to go fuck?

This is awkward. All eyes are on me now that the lovebirds left me standing in the middle of the room by myself. Who does that in the midst of watching the last game of the Stanley Cup Finals? There has to be an unwritten rule that Tyler just broke.

Sydney is so hot and intimidating I’m afraid to go near her. This situation reminds me of when I was in high school, and the boys and girls sectioned themselves off in the gymnasium at dances, staring at each other from across the room. She locks eyes with me, like a predator sizing me up. Since I entered the NHL, girls have come to me. I’ve been kind of lazy because of the attention I get without even trying.

What if she starts talking about monster cocks again? That was weird but hot. I wouldn’t mind if it were my cock she was talking about. What I would do or say for one night with Sydney. I can already see her full lips parting for me, trying not to dwell on it too long.

Sydney pats the space next to her on the couch, smacking her lips at me. “Come here, big guy. Tell me all your secrets.”

I cringe at the thought and walk toward her with caution. Without Tyler and Kennedy here as a buffer, I can’t count on Coach and Alex to help me out when they’re too busy sucking face. Just the mention of secrets has me on edge.

“I don’t have anything to tell,” I say, taking a seat next to her, annoyed by her name for me. I had enough shitty nicknames as a kid.

“Of course you do. Everyone has secrets.” Sydney leans over and presses her lips to my ear, sending a tremor straight to my balls.

Please don’t get hard, I tell myself, trying to think of something other than her giant rack as she rubs her breasts on my arm.

“You share yours, and I’ll share mine,” she whispers, sucking on my earlobe. “I like games. We can have a lot of fun.”

What the hell is happening right now? She blew me off when she first walked into the house, and now she’s teasing me and licking my ear. This woman is the devil.

Are we talking about secrets or body parts? I have no fucking idea, and I don’t care. The urge to take her over my shoulder and into one of Tyler’s many spare bedrooms crosses my mind. I think she’d be down for it. Or at least I hope. Time to man-up and find out.