Page 5 of The Labor Date
If the woman had answered the door with a dog by her side, she would have been a total twelve in my book, with me believing my luck had changed. And I don’t mean one ofthose tiny yappy dogs either, but a big one like a retriever. Or shepherd or Bernese mountain dog.
“Uh, I thought I was meeting my mom’s college friend, Mabel Doubtfire?” I ask.
I expected to be lodging with an older woman. Not my wet dream of the past year who somehow landed in the middle of Montana wearing practically nothing.
When the Vancouver Ice traded me away for the season to the new expansion pro team, the Montana Frostbite, I didn’t have time to look for a place to live. Mom called Mabel, and that’s how I ended up here, on the doorstep of a sprawling log home on a prairie with a view of the mountains behind it and the big sky above. Not that I noticed much, what with the stunning view of this vibrant goddess before me.
“Mabel is my auntie. I’m visiting here for the summer. She mentioned a hockey player would be lodging here for a while. I’m glad it was you.” Her eyes flit with a grin and crinkles at the edges. Whoa.
Seriously, is this my life right now? I expect a camera crew to leap out of the bushes like I’m on some prank television show.
Other than my on-ice goal of playing my ass off, bedding this woman just became my one and only off-ice goal.
And I love to win. I’m sure I already mentioned that.
As long as I can get the white creature out of her arms, that is. It appears quite cozy there and growls at me, with its gray ears flattening back.
“Winston, I presume?” I reach out to pet it, but it screeches. Thanks to my quick reflexes, I narrowly escape his claws of death from scratching my pristine skin. Jeez. I need to stay alert around him.
In her next breath, Holly baby-talks the cat. “Oh, hush, Mr. Winston.” She buries her nose into the cat’s thick neck in a lump of fur just above a diamond-studded collar. When her lipsbecome visible again, she gives me a sheepish look. “You’ll have to excuse him. He doesn’t warm up to people quickly. Which is difficult given his profession.”
Through all her attention, Winston glares at me. If the cat could talk, I’d bet there’s some kind of warning in his eyes, likeBack off, buddy, she’s mine.
Yeah, he knows how good he’s got it. He has Holly wrapped around his little paw.
“Profession?” I ask with a brow arched, shifting my heavy gear bag over my left shoulder and loosening my grip on my rolling suitcase.
She gasps and covers the cat’s ears with her hand. “You mean you don’t recognize him? Don’t let him hear you say that.” Then she giggles, back to snuggling him with a change of her voice to sugary sweet. “Isn’t that right, Winston, darling? You’re a star, baby.”
Wow. She really is into cats.
“Um. Okay.” I squint at the cat, who looks a little familiar, come to think of it.
“You’ve probably seen him in all kinds of commercials and shows, not to mention his latest hit with a major role in that cowboy spy sci-fi fantasy movie filming nearby. Which is why we’re here, shooting movie scenes for the rest of the summer and fall instead of lounging on the beach in Malibu. Isn’t that right, my beautiful boy? Yes, it is. Who’s the best boy? You are.”
Her long, glossy red manicured nails scratch behind his ears. The cat preens and swipes his cheek along hers, his tail straight but curled at the end like he’s found heaven in her arms.
The praise she lays thick on the fur ball has me wishing she’d rub me. How I’d like to take my cock out and do the same to her, caress her cheek with it as she kneels before me, calling me a big boy. Her best boy. I’ll bet I could give her a good hour in heaven with my tongue, too.
“Sorry. I don’t have a tongue—er, I mean a ton of time to keep track of Hollywood animal stars.” Suddenly, it all makes sense. The charity event in Vancouver, her passion for animal rights, and now this?
Seeing her again, my cock twitches. Even though I’m not looking for a relationship or any kind of situation-ship at all. But plans change. I bring my bag in front of me to hide what has to be the stiffest erection I’ve had all year, and I clear my throat, hoping she doesn’t notice.
“Hm. Maybe while you’re here, we’ll make you a fan of him yet.” Winston hisses at that, giving me serious doubts. “Come on, hotshot, I’ll show you around.”
The fact she remembers my nickname is a good sign though, and at this point I’d follow her perfect ass anywhere.
The home is worth at least a couple million, I assume, given the way it’s styled like it stars in the latest home show. It doesn’t give me a complex at all that Holly and her family might be richer than I am. My contract with the Frostbite makes me well-off now. Besides, it takes more than money to satisfy a woman, and I’d have no problem doing that for Holly.
Eventually, she leads me to a bedroom furnished like a fancy hotel suite. Plush bed and linens. Custom closet. Attached bathroom with marble and gold accents, and white fluffy towels. “Nice place. Where’s your room?”
“I have the master suite down the hall while my auntie is away on a trip. She won’t be back until Thanksgiving.”
The two of us together? Alone for months? I quickly calculate how often I’ll be here outside of my busy practice and game schedule. There’s no way I’m blowing this chance.
“Well, I was about to put Winston down for a nap, then do my daily yoga by the pool. Do you downward dog?” She cocks her head.
Takes me a beat to bite my tongue from telling her I go down. Very well. Yoga never interested me, though, until now. “Lucky me, I don’t start practicing with the team until tomorrow. I’m all yours tonight.”
