Like we’re friends.

  His gaze shifts nervously to the man in the suit next to me. “Hey, Coach. Good to see you too,” Elias says, playing up the buddy-buddy card with him.

  “Elias,” Coach says, with a crisp nod and a tone that clearly says, Max, why the hell did you pull me out of my meeting for this?

  I tip my chin toward Elias, playing innocent. “I saw you were selling our stuff online. Sweet, man. You must have a nice side hustle there?”

  Elias freezes. Aww, poor baby didn’t expect to get caught. “Um…”

  That’s all he says. Um.

  “But good for you,” I add, then clap him on the shoulder before I turn toward Coach, since I need to deliver this message to someone internal to the organization—someone with power. “Finding workarounds and whatnot. Right, Coach?” I turn back to Elias. “That’s the kind of sportsmanlike conduct the Sea Dogs really embraces, and you are an enterprising young man, selling signed gear from players instead of giving it away. And well, the other side hustle you tried to launch this morning.” Then I whisper, low and menacing in his ear, for him only, “Do not ever fuck with Everly again or I won’t be so nice. That clear?”

  Elias gulps and nods.

  I back off right as Coach sighs heavily, then peers at me like I do not have time for this shit. “This is what you called me out for?”

  But I have faith in Coach. He runs a squeaky-clean ship. He doesn’t like weasels, and he doesn’t like distractions, and he really doesn’t like people who fuck with his team.

  The man with more power than me grabs his phone from his pocket. “I’ll call Clementine and let her handle this.”

  My mind throws a ticker-tape parade. Yes! Fucking yes! I pulled off the play.

  “Good call, sir,” I say, like he needs me to approve of his decision. “I should have thought of that. But that’s why you’re the man.”

  He waves a dismissive hand. All is forgiven with these athlete shenanigans. “Clementine, I need you to deal with something,” he says into the phone, and I flash a very, very satisfied grin at Elias.

  Wesley lifts a finger the weasel’s way. “Actually, I’ll give this stick to Donna,” he says, then takes the bait back.

  I hit the ice for warm-ups and a few minutes later, my future wife walks to the gate, like she owns the world.

  56

  GET A ROOM

  Everly

  My pulse is thundering. My blood is rushing fast. And I feel on top of the world even though I don’t have an answer to my work fate.

  But that’s okay. I have other answers. Ones that will carry me through. I have friends I love, a man who’s my soulmate, and a life well worth living.

  On the ice, the Sea Dogs are warming up as I walk through the tunnel, heading straight for the players’ bench. Some players are stretching on the ice. Others are taking easy shots on the net.

  When I reach the bench, I shout at the goalie. “Hey, handsome! Get over here and kiss me!”

  Max flies over, ripping off his helmet and meeting me right by the boards. He drops his gloves, holds my face, and kisses me in front of the early crowd, just like he wanted to do.

  It’s a soft, slow kiss that melts me. It’s a kiss that says I love you, I need you, I care so much about you. It’s a kiss that says I’m going home with you every night.

  When he lets go, his teammates are whistling. Wesley shouts, “Get a room.”

  Asher barks out, “Finally! It’s about damn time.”

  Miles catcalls with, “Will you stop being a dickhead now?”

  I laugh, and Max hauls me in for a hug. “So what happened? How did it go?”

  I shrug, but I’m strangely happy. Because I didn’t back down. Because I stood my ground. Because I took care of myself. “I told them everything about how I’m good at my job, told them to watch the piece, then walked out.”

  “You walked out?”

  “Yes, they can come and get me if they want to keep me. If not, I’ll get another job. And until then, I have a pole studio to keep me busy.”

  He smiles and kisses me one more time. “You do,” he says, but then breaks our embrace and nods. “But I think there’s someone here for you.”

  I let go and turn around. Zaire’s heading from the tunnel to the players’ bench too. When she reaches me, she says, “You got the promotion.” She points from Max to me. “And you two better keep this up. I want to know you meant every word of what you said.” Then to me, she adds, “And we’ll take care of your suggestion—about that rule.”

  “Great,” I say. “Then I accept.”

  “I’ll put the paperwork together.” She turns around and walks up through the stands.

  I snap my gaze back to Max. “I got it,” I whisper, awed I’ve pulled it off.

  “Of course you did. You are badass and beautiful,” he says, then he scoops me up and lifts me over the gate and onto the ice where he dips me and kisses me good and long, making my breath catch and my heart race with happiness.

  When he lets go, he looks down at the ice and the lines marking it. “I guess this is the romance line now.”

  I like the sound of that.

  But I also have work to do and Max has a game to play. I leave and head to the press box. As I near it though, I stop, take a moment, then remove my jacket. I’m wearing a sleeveless blouse. The scars on my upper arm are on display for the world to see.

  Let them.

  I walk inside, and say, “Any questions?”

  A few days later, two people I adore have new jobs. First is Kyla. I hired her as the full-time manager of Upside Down and the head teacher, giving her a raise too. I don’t have time to run the studio, and besides, it’s been her dream to run one. It’s a gift to make someone’s dreams come true, so I feel pretty lucky to do that for someone who’s done so much for me.

  The other person is Jenna, since there was an immediate opening at the Sea Dogs for the manager of promotions. She got the job, so I take her out for a celebratory lunch.

  “You are a rock star,” I say after we order.

  “Speaking of rock stars…” she begins.

  I tilt my head in curiosity. “Yes?”

  “My girlfriend is a big Lyra fan, so she dragged me to a concert recently.”

  My eye twitches. My jaw tightens. “How was it?”

  She holds up a hand. “Enlightening. My friend won VIP tickets and we maybe, possibly saw Lyra leaving the show with one of her backup dancers.”

  My jaw drops. “You did?”

  She nods impishly. “And I maybe, possibly got some pics. And I maybe, possibly dropped some hints about her extracurricular affairs to a gossip blog.”

  “Jenna!”

  She bobs a shoulder. “Well, she deserves what’s coming to her.”

  Two days later, what comes the rock star’s way is front-page news on the celebrity sites—Lyra Raine is cheating on Fletcher Bane. America’s sweetheart isn’t so sweet after all.

  I sigh happily. I can’t think of a better way for the truth to come out than a story that doesn’t once mention Max.

  57

  MY REAL FAVORITE THING

  Max

  Seven long days. Seven long nights. But they end tonight. I’m tapping my foot against the floor of the team bus, willing it to pull faster into the players’ lot.

  “In a rush, Lambert?” Miles asks dryly from across the aisle.

  “Yeah, just a little bit.”

  Wesley’s right in front of me, and he shoots me a sympathetic look. “Know the feeling, man. These long road trips are hard.”

  “They sure are,” I say.

  “I miss Josie way too much. But you’re lucky. At least Everly will be on the next one,” he says, and there is that. I am lucky since she travels with the team half the time. But the other half is still hell.

  I need to see her, stat.

  The bus comes to a stop and I bound off with my duffel. I make it to my car in record time, then head home even faster.

  Home…where my two favorite ladies will be waiting for me. I peel into a spot in the parking garage, then rush to the elevator, and punch the button for the penthouse.

  Forty-five interminable seconds later, the doors slide open and I walk down the hall then unlock the door.

  Everly hasn’t moved in with me yet, but she will. She is, however, waiting for me when I come home. And…I can’t breathe.

  She’s wearing white lace panties and a white dress shirt of mine.

  That’s it. Nothing else.

  Oh, wait.

  She’s got a kitten in her arms. “Hey, you,” she says as I drop my bag. “We missed you.”

  I tear my gaze away from her for a hot second, doing a double take when I take a better look at Athena. “Is my cat wearing clothes?”

  “Oh, this little thing?” Everly plucks at the blue shirt she’s somehow wrestled the cat into. “It was sent in from an animal rescue. She has so many outfits from animal rescues and fans thanks to your interview. Little Friends even made her one with a Sea Dogs number. Six. Since she’s your sixth foster,” she says of the tiny hockey jersey my cat is wearing.

  I reach for the furball and hold her for a second before she squirms in my arms.

  Well, she is a cat. I set her down and she runs off somewhere, probably to get the touch of human off her.

  “That is fucking adorable but you…are…” I stop and gaze in lusty admiration at the half-naked beauty.

  Then I do more than look. I touch. Running a hand up her stomach, over her breasts, up her neck, and around to her hair, all lush and silky and blown out.

  “Beautiful,” I say, “and all mine.”

  “All yours,” she says, then she takes my hand, leads me to the bedroom and strips me naked. When I’m down to nothing, she shrugs off the shirt she’s wearing, pushes me to the bed, and climbs over me.

  “Missed you,” she says.

  “Missed you so much,” I say, then I haul her close and kiss her until she’s squirming and panting and begging. I skim off her soaked panties, then put on a condom. “Get on my dick and show me how much you’ve missed me.”

  “Oh, I will, Max. Because I missed you so damn much.”

  She rides me, and shows me, and loves me, and comes hard all over my cock, and it’s glorious.

  After, she curls up next to me and, with a little bit of nerves but excitement, too, in her voice, says, “I have something else for you.”

  I scoff. “Name something better than you and Athena waiting for me.”

  “More me,” she says playfully, then reaches for her tablet that she must have left on the nightstand. She nibbles on the corner of her lips before she clicks on the screen.

  A link from Leighton McBride.

  It opens to a stunning photo of Everly on a sapphire chaise longue, wearing the first set of panties I bought her and nothing else. She’s cupping her breasts and sitting with her side to the camera lens. Her hair’s tossed back, and her gaze meets the camera.

  Straight on, fearless, and brave.

  I trace the outline of her body in the picture, amazed that this woman loves me. “Are there more?” I ask, hungry for all the pictures.

  “I did a whole session. I did it for me,” she says. “But I wanted to show them to you.”

  I kiss her cheek. “It’s a beautiful gift for you to give yourself, and you deserve it.”

  Then I settle in with my woman as she shows me the rest of the pictures.

  This, right here, is my real favorite thing.

  EPILOGUE: SAY YES

  Max

  Man, these team executives love to have dinners.

  But no complaints. I like food.

  And I really like this—holding Everly’s hand as we walk into a sushi restaurant together several days later. The Ice Men producers are joining us here too, and so are Zaire and Clementine, as well as my agent. Everything is a go for the documentary to start shooting next month, and I’m still grateful for the opportunities that it might bring. The chance to put some extra money aside for my family.

  But the best part of this dinner is that I don’t have to pretend I’m not madly in love with the woman by my side. Garrett asked me to come a few minutes early so we find him at the bar, nursing a glass of what looks like a seltzer and scrolling on his phone. When he looks up, he smiles, sets down his mobile and the glass, and stands to give me a clap on the back. He shakes Everly’s hand. “Good to see you again. Both of you,” he says, then turns to me. “And don’t worry. I did it,” he says emphatically. “I turned down Date Night for you.”

  I laugh. I asked him to do that on the day Everly and I went public.

  “I appreciate it,” I say earnestly, looking him square in the eyes. “I appreciate all that you do. I know I’m not easy to work with.”

  He waves a hand dismissively. “The job’s not supposed to be easy. We’re all good.” He shifts to Everly. “And congratulations on the promotion. I was rooting for you.”

  “Thank you. And I’m always rooting for you,” she says, and that’s my sunshine woman.

  “And before we start dinner, I have some news. Rosario snagged a brand-new deal for you,” Garrett says to me.

  I tense, briefly wondering if this is going to be another one that won’t work out. “Please don’t tell me you want me to be the face of a circus or something,” I say. “Or a naked bike ride.”

  Everly taps her chin. “Oh, I didn’t tell you? The naked bike ride already requested for you to be their spokesperson next year and of course I said yes.”

  I shoot her a warning look. “You troublemaker.”

  “And you love it,” she says right back to me. That’s my woman. Always keeping me on my toes.

  Garrett takes a beat then says, “How about a brand deal with a popcorn maker?”

  A laugh bursts from Everly. She turns to me, those big brown eyes playful and bright. “Max, say yes.”

  My heart thumps harder from those two words.

  Our words.

  I kiss her on the cheek, both because I can’t resist and because I can. Then I look at Garrett. “Yes.”

  But there’s something else I need to say to these two people who put up with me and turned my reputation around. “Thank you.”

  Everly

  After dinner, we go out on a date that’s not at all a secret.

  We don’t need to peer around corners or peek down blocks. We don’t need to leave the city or hide behind tinted windows. And we certainly don’t need to worry if we make a mistake like kissing each other in public because we just can’t help ourselves.

  We wander along the bustling blocks of Hayes Valley on our way to The Resort, a hotel in the heart of this neighborhood since Max got us a room for the night…because.

  Just because.

  We pass trendy boutiques and record shops with garlands in the windows and Christmas lights sparkling over the doorways, then into the hotel where we’ll meet his sister for a quick drink.

  In the lobby, we pass artful bouquets of dahlias and an elegant waterfall structure when I catch sight of the familiar silhouette of my redheaded friend. “Fable’s here. I didn’t realize the team party she’s going to was tonight.”

  “Your friend who works for the Renegades?”

  “Yes.” And she’s walking across the lobby right now with Wilder Blaine, who owns the team and the hotel.

  “Are they together?” he asks of the man I chatted with at the city vegetable garden.

  I make a seesaw motion with my hand because I know a lot of the details of what’s been going on with Wilder and Fable for the last few weeks since the guy she was dating—Brady—showed his true colors. “Not exactly,” I hedge, then tell him what happened at Thanksgiving. Max cringes when he learns what her ex did that day. “But then Wilder—her boss—asked her to be his fake girlfriend for the holiday season.”

  “So the billionaire needs a fake girlfriend,” he says quietly, sounding intrigued.

  “But don’t tell a soul because it’s a secret, and nobody knows it’s fake.”

  Max mimes zipping his lips. “You know I know how to keep a secret.”

  Fable must catch sight of us since she stops and beelines for me. “Good to see you,” she says, then makes quick intros to everyone even though I’ve already met Wilder.

  He looks me in the eye and says, “Good to see you again. And congratulations on the new job. I’m not at all surprised.”

  “Thank you so much,” I say. “And your vote of confidence meant a lot to me. It was part of what drove me to go after the promotion with everything I have.”

  “That’s fantastic. I like it when good things happen to people who deserve them.” Then to Max, he says, “And congratulations on…your future wife.” Wilder’s lips curve in a grin.

  Max laughs, dragging a hand down the back of his neck. “I guess you saw that.”

  “A lot of people saw it,” Wilder says with a clever smile. “Like, the whole world. That was quite a gesture. You set the bar awfully high for men everywhere.” He steals a glance at Fable, then something like longing passes in his eyes as he adds, “And it should be high.”

  We say goodbye and they leave. But as they go, he sets a hand on her back. Possessively. Maybe more possessive than a fake boyfriend should be.

  I tug Max close. “I can’t wait to tell Maeve she was right. She’s had this theory that he’s had a massive crush on her for a long time.”

  Max checks one last time then turns to me. “Maeve is definitely right.” He makes a move to go to the bar, but then stops. “Speaking of massive crushes, I’m pretty sure Asher has exactly those kinds of feelings for Maeve.”

  The corner of my lips curves up. “You don’t say?”

  He gives me a curious look. “What does that mean?”

  “It means I’ve had that feeling for a while too. But I don’t know if he’ll ever do a thing about it. Since he’s her brother’s best friend and all.”