Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Instinct makes me pick up the spoon, dip another bite out of the milkshake and fling it onto my chest. It hits my white dress shirt and red tie, and everyone at the table gapes at me. Jasmine looks at Kylie, then, seeking permission to laugh, I think.
Kylie gives permission by bursting into a laugh herself, and then everyone else does, too.
“Well, if all the cool kids are doing it,” Pike says, dipping his own spoon into Nolan’s shake and giving himself a shirt stain to match ours.
“Guess I’m taking that suit to the dry cleaners,” Indie says, laughing.
“Mom, can I?” Nolan asks, his spoon poised hopefully above his glass.
I had no idea anyone would follow my lead and now I feel a little bad. But Indie shrugs and tells him to go for it, and even lets him fling ice cream at her.
Jasmine is beaming again by the time she drops a spoonful of her milkshake onto her shirt. Kylie squeezes my hand under the table.
My hockey teammates have always felt like family. For most guys, though, they’re a second family. Angie and Jack are the only people who ever truly felt like family to me. I love my parents, and they love me in their own way. If I was in trouble or needed anything, they’d be there. They aren’t bad people. Not all parents are as great as Kylie and Indie, who make sure their kids know they’re loved every day.
This group of six, which is missing our seventh member—Linda—is starting to feel like my family. I didn’t realize when I finally got a shot with Kylie that I’d also get these bonus people to love and support. Pike was already my best friend, but now that he’s opened up to the idea of me and Kylie being together, he’s more.
The server brings out our food, her brows pinched together with confusion when she sees our matching shirt stains.
“I’m pretty sure you guys aren’t drunk, but I’m not going to ask,” she says as she slides a plate in front of each of us.
“All the cool kids are doing it,” Nolan says.
The waitress smiles. “Well, I get stains on my clothes from this place all the time, so I must be really cool.”
I dive into my double bacon cheeseburger, ravenous from several long shifts in tonight’s game. Jasmine ordered pancakes, and from the other side of the booth she gives me a sly grin before reaching over and stealing a fry from my plate.
“Have as many as you want,” I tell her.
“I wouldn’t touch his cheeseburger, though,” Pike warns. “He might bite your finger off.”
Jasmine studies his expression, trying to figure out if he’s serious. He winks at her and she smiles.
By the time we finish eating, Nolan is falling asleep on Indie’s shoulder and Kylie is yawning. We say our goodbyes and head our separate ways. Once back at Kylie’s place, I walk her and Jasmine to the front door.
“Night, guys. Thanks for coming to the game. It really meant a lot to me to have someone cheering for me.”
Kylie unlocks the door, and as soon as she opens it Jasmine looks back and forth between us.
“I know you guys want to kiss, so you might as well just do it,” she says matter-of-factly.
She goes inside then, leaving Kylie and me giving each other looks that are a mix of puzzled and amused.
“Might as well just do it,” Kylie says, putting her arms around my neck.
I hold her close as I kiss her not just once, but several times. She slides her fingers up the nape of my neck the same way she does when we’re in bed, making my dick stiffen.
“I have to make sure she brushes her teeth,” she says as she pulls back, arousal swimming in her eyes. “Maybe we could text when you get home, though?”
“Maybe,” I say, shrugging nonchalantly.
She punches my chest lightly. “I mean, only if you want to.”
“You know I do, baby.” I give her one final, soft kiss. “I love you.”
Her smile is everything. She looks hopeful. Happy. Exactly the way I feel.
“I love you, too. So much.”
“I’ve gotta go.” I look over at my car. “There’s a hot woman texting me in a little bit.”
“Don’t let me hold you up,” she teases.
I cup her cheek in my hand, giving her one last kiss on the forehead. “Give me twenty minutes, baby.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Coming soon
The Donor, the first book in the Colorado Coyotes hockey romance series, releases Sept. 20, 2022.
Epilogue
Two and a half years later
Kylie
It’s more beautiful than I ever imagined it could be. The sprawling brick complex in downtown Kansas City has beautiful landscaping, with vibrant green grass and planters full of seasonal flowers. Trees that will one day provide shade have been planted throughout the eight-acre property.