Kassie
Kaleb’s little smile made Kassie forget anything was sitting on her mind and eating away at her gut. His watery, slobbery grin was goofy and adorable all at the same time. Kaleb squealed and cooed as Trina and Ali cheered in front of the television.
“That’s right, Kaleb. That’s your daddy in goal tonight!” Ali cheered. “Go, Daddy!”
The Renegades were playing tonight at home. Kassie didn’t go to the games too often, only when Ali invited her to tag along or if she planned a special night out with friends. But tonight, the three of them were at Ali and Kaden’s loft, watching the game. Willow played in the corner with some dolls she’d brought over, and Kaleb was content in his bouncy chair on the living room floor with Kassie sitting at his side.
“Trina,” Kassie said. “You usually go to the games, don’t you?”
Trina uncomfortably positioned herself on the couch, winching and rubbing her very pregnant belly. “Usually, yes. But today I’m feeling like a bloated, beached whale. Wasn’t in the mood to be out in public.”
Kassie could understand that.
“So, it’s a hockey party at the O’Conner’s house tonight instead!” As soon as Ali said that, the crowd on the television cheered, and everyone’s attention went to the game.
“Woo-hoo! Kris scored!” Trina hollered from her position on the couch.
“Daddy score?” Willow looked up and asked.
“No honey, Daddy isn’t playing, remember?”
Sam still wasn’t on the roster. The doctors weren’t comfortable clearing him to play yet.
“Kassie, did I hear right, that you and Rock-Star got kicked off the go-carts the other night?” Trina asked with a raised eyebrow during a commercial break.
Kassie sighed at the comment. “Yes. But it was his fault.”
“I heard it was yours.” Ali grinned.
“The guy yelled at me, and then kicked us off. Yes. But Luc started it.” She didn’t miss the fact that she sounded like a whiney little kid.
“So, did you two close down the Fun for All?” Trina asked suggestively.
“Hardly.” Kassie rolled her eyes for pure effect. Luc didn’t annoy her as much as she let on, but she didn’t go for athletes, so that was easily settled. “We left not long after Hailee and Dom. I had to work today and wanted to get home.”
“He’s cute, huh?” Trina said, as she focused her attention back on the game.
Kassie shrugged. “I guess.”
“Who’s cute?” Ali hurried in from the kitchen, hearing the game was back on. She set down a few bottles of water on the coffee table.
“No one,” Kassie quickly said.
“Tri, Sam seemed pretty good last night. Doc still won’t let him play?” Ali asked.
“No. He’s pretty much symptom free, which is all I could ever ask for with the new baby coming. Could you imagine a screaming newborn if he still had the concussion migraines?”
“But they won’t let him play yet? I saw him practicing the other day,” Kassie questioned.
“Yeah, he can practice with no contact. Which again,”—Trina held her hands up in front of her, looking relieved and motioning at her belly— “is fine with me.”
“But everything is good at home?” Ali carefully asked.
“Absolutely. He’s thrilled about the baby. He spends any time he is home with Willow, and he’s just satisfied that he can work out and practice with the team. He’s allowed to travel with them, too. He’s not missing out on anything but the game. Luckily, that’s good enough for him. Trust me, he knows how lucky he is. He’s in a good place mentally, and he knows this takes time.”
“Speak of the devil, there’s surfer boy himself.” Ali pointed at the television as the cameraman got a shot of Sam sitting in the team suite.
Kassie laughed as she crunched down on a taco.
“Thanks so much for bringing these, Kass. I love tacos, but this pregnancy we’ve been trying to eat better. Plus, with Sam getting back in shape, our diet has been kind of boring. He does the cooking, so I can’t complain too much, but I’ve been craving a taco!” Trina said, taking a bite.
“What? That’s not right. You’re pregnant; if you’re craving something, Sam should hop in his surfer-mobile and get you whatever you want!” Ali said, feigning horror.
“Trust me, he gets me lots of what I crave. But can’t say I’ve had a taco in months.”
“Yeah, well, they are delicious. We don’t do tacos too often. If we get takeout, it’s typically pizza. Obviously, because Kaden,” Ali commented.
The girls quieted down and directed their attention back to the television when the fans started to get noisy. Tyler sped along the boards towards Boston’s net, Kris on left wing and Luc playing right.
“What’s Luc doing on right wing?” Trina asked.
“Coach Walker must be trying something new,” Ali answered.
“Well, it’s working,” Trina commented, as Luc reached the net first and wrestled with the Boston defensemen, clearing the way for Tyler.
Tyler shot at the net. Scored. Luc raised his hands in the air in celebration.
“Did Luc get a stick on that?” Trina asked.
The crowd went crazy, but the announcers spoke over the craziness. “Hang on folks, I think Marcella got a stick on that shot.”
“I think you’re right,” Ali said, as they watched the replay. “There it is. Yep, that is Luc’s goal. Keep it up, boys!”
“Woot! You get at it, Rock-Star!” Trina cheered.
The Renegades were leading 2–0, when Kassie excused herself from the party during the second intermission to go to the gym.
She had hockey boy on the brain, and that needed to stop. Their almost kiss last night still lingered on her mind. It wasn’t even an almost kiss. She pulled back before he even got close. And it didn’t matter that she felt a twinge of regret. It could never happen again.
Kassie looked around the crowded bar as they walked through the front door. The place was packed full of a mix of college kids and adults. The music was loud, and all the televisions had sports playing. The Renegades were off tonight, so her normal side-kick, Ali, was at home with Kaden and Kaleb, enjoying their little family.
They had a nice girl’s night last evening, but when the guys weren’t playing, the wives liked family time. She understood that. Why go out to a club when you have a nice little family?
Luckily, her friend Quinn had recently returned from a three-month trip to Italy. She had family there and had gone to “find herself” after graduating. Unlike Kassie, who had jumped right into a job. Kassie looked around the crowded bar for her friend. They were to meet at Mario’s at eight o’clock sharp.
“Kass!” Quinn’s voice shrieked from somewhere on her right.
Before Kassie even saw her, Quinn had jumped at her, arms and legs wrapping around her.
“Girlfriend! I missed you!” Quinn squealed.
“I missed you too, Quinn.” Kassie hugged her friend. Three months was a really long time.
“So, I know we skyped while I was gone, but what else have you been up to?” Quinn yelled over the loud music.
“Not much, really. Hanging with my brother and his wife, babysitting their son. Working. That’s really about it.”
“Well, that sounds boring.” Quinn pulled herself off Kassie. Her face dropped in disappointment. “I was hoping you’d have some hot boyfriend that had an even hotter brother you could introduce me to. He’d obviously fall head over heels in love with me, and we’d live happily ever after in—”
“In a cottage in the woods with your three kids. How long have I been listening to this fairy tale?” Kassie said with a laugh.
Quinn had a flare for the dramatic. Everything about her was drama. From her jet-black hair and dark makeup, to her mash-up of sexy-punk-meets-emo fashion and her super outgoing personality. All drama.
Quinn paused, tapping her finger against her chin as if she was thinking. “Actually, I’ve since changed it. It’s a villa in Tuscany, overlooking the countryside. I’m still thinking three kids, but I’m not big on birth control, so that’s open for discussion. Could be more.” Quinn wiggled her eyebrows.
All Kassie could do was laugh at her friend. “Man, Quinn, did I miss you!” She looped her arm around Quinn’s shoulders and they walked towards the bar.
“Time for dancing and drinking. Or are you driving?” Quinn turned responsible for a second.
“Nope, I’m good to drink. I took an Uber down here. I’ll grab an Uber home, too. Call me Miss Responsible! You?”
“Uber all the way, baby!” Quinn switched on the party-girl mode again. She pounded her fist on the bar. “Barkeep! Can we get two Sex Appeals over here, please?”
“You know I shouldn’t start with one of those,” Kassie said.
“Nonsense, Kass. You’ll be fine. You can drink your little martinis later tonight when you’re trying to lay off the alcohol. We could start with Sex on the Beach instead?”
Last time Kassie had a Sex on the Beach, she had no memory of the rest of the evening. There would be none of that tonight. “Sex Appeal it is.”
The bartender rolled her eyes at Quinn’s attempt at humor when she thanked her with payment for the drinks. “Thank you, barkeep. And keep the change.”
“Barkeep? No one says barkeep anymore. Weirdo.”
“Takes one to know one, doll,” Quinn responded, before she sipped at her drink. “Drink then dance, then drink. Sound good?”
“Sure.” Kassie listened to the music and took deep breaths, letting the boom of the bass and the thud of the beats race through her. She needed this. One night to kick back and relax. To let go and just be herself.
The song that came on was one of Kassie’s new favorites. She quickly downed her drink and made her way to the dance floor, her inhibitions apparently already subdued by the alcohol.
Quinn followed behind her.
They danced to song after song, and drank two more Sex Appeals—at least that’s what Quinn said they were. Kassie wasn’t a big drinker, and things were becoming blurry, and her head was heavy. But the music kept her moving. She felt the beat throughout her whole body. The faces on the dance floor blurred, but it didn’t matter. She was dancing by herself and having the best time ever.
Quinn was grinding and dancing with strangers, doing some mixture of moves from the sixties and head banging. But she did it all with confidence, and that made everyone around her go right along with it. Story of Quinn’s life. She was always the life of the party and leader of the conga line.
Kassie moved to the music among the crowd on the steamy dance floor. A sheen of perspiration shone on her skin. Perhaps the alcohol was wearing off, which wasn’t a bad thing.
She hadn’t been paying much attention to the people around her, but out of the corner of her eye, she spied a guy on the dance floor in a knit hat and tight jeans. Without giving it much thought, Kassie danced up to him, and on closer inspection, she noted those jeans fit him in all the right places.
Her heart rate kicked up a notch, making her lose some of her reserved veneer. She swayed her hips in front of him, and still not daring to look up at his face, she lifted her arms, twisting and undulating her body until she was almost brushing against him.
The mystery guy’s hand landed on her hip, and softly caressed it as he moved to the sexy rhythm she had set. In the distance, Kassie heard Quinn hooting and hollering about the guy Kassie was dancing with, but none of it was coherent enough to make sense.
As the song faded into a new one, Kassie rolled her hips, the sensation of his hand on her hip causing goosebumps over her heated skin. She moved closer, circling her hips until she was in the mystery guy’s arms. Letting go and having a little fun for once felt right. Maybe Quinn was onto something, and she needed to hook up with some random guy.
“Hey.”
Still in a fog, Kassie looked up at her mystery dance partner. He towered over her. But the face she looked up into was all too familiar. His hungry, big brown eyes stared down at her, making her knees weak.
Her voice was shrill. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m supposed to be here to take care of those guys.” Luc pointed to the two guys dirty dancing with Quinn. “Make sure they make good decisions.” He was unfazed by Kassie’s reaction, or the fact that she had been dancing up on him.
“Oh, Kassie, if I were you,”—Quinn acted like she was whispering, but she was actually yelling— “I would definitely let him take care of me. I bet he’d take such good care of you. Mmm.”
Kassie’s face now burned hot, and feeling almost sober again, she shook her head. “Quinn, I think you’ve had enough—” But before she could finish her sentence, Quinn was off dancing with Luc’s friends again. Kassie sighed. “Great. That’s my friend Quinn, who obviously has had too much to drink.”
“Kass, she looks like she’s a big girl. I’m sure she can take care of herself,” Luc suggested.
“Aren’t you supposed to be making sure those boys are making good decisions? Cause Quinn is not a good decision.” Kassie huffed and moved away to sit down at the bar. She raised a bill into the air, calling for the bartender’s attention. “Can I get an Appletini please?”
Luc looked at her with a furrowed brow. Then he caught the bartender. “Club soda for me, please.”
She looked at Luc and realized he was the designated driver. It was odd how hot she found his overprotective act. It was different than how Kaden and Dom treated her. Luc was strong, dark, and his lips curled up in the corner in the start of a devilish grin. The kind of grin that turned her insides to jelly.
“Speaking of making good decisions, do you think another drink is a good idea? How many have you had already?”
Kassie shook her head. Why does he care so much what I do? I’m fine. “Luc, I’m fine. I’m sober now. One Appletini isn’t going to hurt me.” She flipped her hair as she turned, and a wave of dizziness came over her. She should’ve taken that as a warning that she wasn’t quite okay. Unfortunately, her stubbornness refused to let her back down.
She was here to relax and have a good time. The beats to the best dance song ever started to flow out of the speakers. Colored lights flashed on the dance floor and called her name. She tossed back the remainder of her Appletini. “That’s my jam!” she shouted, and ran on to the dance floor.
As Luc stood leaning against the bar, she was well aware of his eyes on her. Without looking at him, the goosebumps on her arms told her all she needed to know. Trying to not let that deter her, she moved her hips to the beat and swung her hands in the air. Some guy bumped up against her and started to grind with her to the music. He was a blond pretty boy wearing too much gold jewelry, and so not her type. Knowing it’d be easy to say no to anything more than a dance, she danced with him.
And with her “bodyguard” watching, she had nothing to worry about. Quinn was still dancing with Luc’s two friends. They were too young for her, but Quinn never discriminated. As long as they were eighteen, that was good enough for Kassie’s friend.
While Kassie was dancing with the blond pretty boy, she felt a strong hand on her hip, and it wasn’t pretty boy’s; both of his hands were in the air. The hand pulled her into a hard body, away from her current dance partner. Still dancing and grinding, she spun around to see who belonged to the hard body that had cut in.
Staring right into Luc’s heavy eyes, she tried to pull away as she yelled, “What are you doing?”
It came out more of a shriek than she wanted. He had just surprised her, especially since he was still holding her close, his hand now on her ass instead of her hip.
“I didn’t like seeing you dancing with that guy,” Luc said in a very calm voice. “He looks like a creep.”
Kassie tried to wiggle free from his grip.
“If you want to dance, let’s dance,” Luc continued, still very calm, but his eyes were heavy and dark.
“I wasn’t dancing with you.”
“Now you are.”
She grimaced at his protective comments, even though they did something to her insides. Maybe it was the way he looked at her. Whatever it was, it was intense.
“What’s the matter, Marcella? Jealous?” Kassie was asking for trouble, but she couldn’t help herself. It was too fun to mess with him.
“You can call me Puck-Star, Kass. Or Luc. Don’t call me Marcella,” he said in an almost growl.
“Aw, why not?” Kassie said with a faux pout.
“The guys call me that. You’re not one of the guys.”
“But we’re friends. Right?” She was grating on his nerves, that much she could tell. That’s what he gets for telling me who I can and can’t dance with.
The music changed, and Luc tightened his grip on her, pulling her closer to his body. He moved with such precise, yet fluid actions, she couldn’t help but move with him. The heat between their bodies, the masculine scent of him, the way his eyes held hers, made the dance sensual and sexy. His suggestive moves had her gasping to catch her breath. But when he moved, letting her know without any mistake what was under those tight blue jeans, she pulled away.
“I-I need another drink.” Hurrying to the bar, she asked for another Appletini.
She didn’t need to turn around to know whose hard body was now pressed up behind her. His warm breath on the crook of her shoulder shot tingles of awareness through her, as he whispered in her ear.
“Did I make you nervous?”
Kassie shook her head as she drank her Appletini. She fanned at her face. “Overheated.”
“Yeah, that happens too.”
Oh my god, is this guy for real?
“You want to dance some more?” His strong hand rested on her hip again.
She didn’t hate how that felt. If she was being honest with herself, she didn’t hate how he took over on the dance floor.
“Kassie!” Quinn squealed, rushing to stand beside her at the bar. The young friends of Luc trailed behind Quinn like puppy dogs. “Barkeep! Two Blow Jobs!”
The young guys’ faces lit up until they realized it was just the name of a shot.
“Don’t worry boys, you’re next,” Quinn yelled with a devilish grin to JJ and Travis.
Kassie wasn’t exactly sure what Quinn meant by that, and she really didn’t want to know. The guys were Luc’s problem, not hers. But Luc seemed to be focused only on her.
The bartender placed the shots before them and Quinn paid. “All right, boys. Will you do the honor of holding my hands behind my back?” Quinn said, and fluttered her eyelashes. “Hey handsome hunky friend of Kassie’s, you get to hold her… I mean her hands. Secure them behind her back, so she can suck this drink down.”
“Oh, Quinn.” Kassie loved her friend dearly, but this was a little too much in front of Luc. Especially with him pressing against her.
“Ready, Kass? One, two, three, go!” Quinn picked up the shot glass with her mouth and tilted her head back, drinking the shot. She slammed the glass back on the bar and looked expectantly at Kassie. When she spoke, she whined. “Kass! You were supposed to drink on go.”
Luc held her hands behind her back, and whispered in her ear, “You don’t have to if you don’t want.”
Too much for him to handle? Kassie didn’t like being told what she could and couldn’t do. She bent down and took the drink in her mouth. Quinn could be heard cheering her on over the noise of the club. Tilting her head up, Kassie drank down the shot, then slammed the glass back on the bar.
She started to sway to the music, as the alcohol ran through her, helping her to feel a little more relaxed. She licked at her lips, catching some rogue whipped cream.
Luc moved beside her. Facing her, he leaned his elbow on the bar. He cocked his head. “Kass, you driving home tonight?”
“No. Uber. I’m responsible like that,” she retorted with sass. Or maybe it was the shot talking.
Luc shook his head, his eyes heavy and filled with disapproval. He had such a brooding sense to him. Maybe it was the way he towered over her. She didn’t hate it.
“I’m taking you home.” His voice was stern, and his eyes focused on her.
“I told you, I’m taking an Uber. And what if I’m not ready yet?” Who was he to tell her what to do?
“And I said I’m taking you home. You’re too tipsy, and I don’t trust you alone in an Uber.”
“Barkeep, another shot please!” She slammed her hand on the bar.
“Really?” Luc shot her a pointed look.
The bartender looked at her, then looked at Luc. “I think I’m cutting you off, young lady. You weigh what, a buck ten? I think you’ve already had too much. Do you have a ride home, or do I need to call you a cab?”
Luc spoke up quickly. “She has a ride home.”
She wanted to argue, but maybe she had drunk too much tonight. “What about Quinn? She’s Ubering too.”
She glanced over at her friend, who was now tongue wrestling with one of the guys, while the other danced behind her. All Kassie could do was groan and be thankful she wasn’t as drunk as Quinn.
“No. I called the guys a cab and for her, too. Although, it appears they may be only making one stop.” He nodded to Quinn and the guys.
Quinn was not shy about public displays of affection. Obviously.
“C’mon on.” Luc took her hand and led her across the dance floor towards Quinn. “There’s a cab outside for you three,” he told them. “And don’t forget to use protection.” Luc tossed them a couple of condom packs.
“Really?” Kassie gawked at his actions.
“I’m supposed to watch out for them, and that’s the best advice they’re going to get tonight.” He tugged on her arm, pulling her towards the exit.
She looked back to say goodbye to her friend, but Quinn was stuck between those two like the peanut butter in a sandwich. It didn’t surprise her; that’s how Quinn was.
Kassie shook her arm, trying to get Luc to let go. It was weird that he was holding her hand. It felt wrong, but right in a weird way.
Luc stopped and turned to her. A naughty smirk sat on his face. “Come on, sweets. I just want to hold your hand. Is that okay?”
She didn’t hate the idea. His hands were strong and rough, and made her stomach do cartwheels. Or maybe it was the alcohol. Either way, she liked it. She just refused to tell him that.