Puck One Night Stands: a grumpy-sunshine, best friend’s brother hockey rom com (Chicago Racketeers Book 1)

OF COURSE NATHAN fucked her already. I should have seen that coming.

Damn, that guy is wound tight.

But I don’t mind sharing if it makes her look as happy as she looked this morning.

Yes, I’ve wanted her for years. Yes, I want more than a hot fling with her. But Dani’s someone I truly like too, and damn, that’s a pretty awesome combination.

So, she’s fucking Nathan.

And if I was another guy I would probably hate that.

But I don’t. I like that Dani is feeling sexy and wanted and worshiped, and if she wants to be worshiped by multiple men, I’m all in.

Two years ago, I had a girlfriend who had another boyfriend, and we had a hell of a good time. The three of us just clicked and if Lexi hadn’t landed her dream job in New York and moved across the country, we would have definitely kept things up beyond the six months we had. Tyler went with her and I didn’t hear from them much now beyond the occasional nice game text, but I still think fondly of them. They’re the ones that showed me that a threesome could be more fun than just a wild one-night thing.

Of course, with Dani I want things to last. Long beyond six months. I’m not letting her go. So Nathan’s going to have to be on board with this too, and I’m going to fucking be sure he’s treating her right, but as long as he does, and she’s feeling good, then I’m good.

And when things end between them, I’ll still be there.

Dani is a long-term kind of girl. Maybe not for a guy like Nathan Armstrong. Jesus, being with that guy long-term would be a lot. But could I be a long-term guy for her? Yeah. Definitely.

I hear the steps creak and look up from the book I’m flipping through. It’s a romance and I actually flipped past a sexy scene to the scene where the guy makes a big grand gesture to get the girl back after he said something stupid.

Grand gestures…now that’s something I can get into. I feel like big gifts—skywriting, and enormous balloon bouquets, and getting down on one knee at center ice—is totally my wheelhouse.

“I’m ready.”

My heart kicks when she comes into view. She looks so pretty. She’s in a light green dress that’s covered in tiny white flowers and a white sweater over the top. Her hair is loose around her shoulders. And her smile is sweet and just a little shy.

Dani Larkin and I are going on a date. A real fucking date.

Weird.

And awesome.

“You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She comes to stand in front of me.

She smells so good too. Fresh and sweet and I want to run my nose up and down her neck, into her hair, down into her cleavage… okay, so my sweet, romantic thoughts are easily derailed. Yes, I want Dani and I welcome that change in our relationship.

“What color are your panties?” I ask.

Her cheeks get lightly pink. “How do you know I’m wearing panties?” she teases.

She is. I just know she is. Will she take them off for me? Yeah, I’m pretty fucking sure she will. Will I get to keep them the way Nathan did? Yep. Pretty sure of that too.

But she’s got them on now.

“I don’t mind waiting to find out,” I tell her. “But I’m going to guess they’re white. Tiny. Cotton. But they’ve got little flowers on them.” I lift my finger and trace it along the neckline of her dress. “Something that kind of matches this pattern. I bet they look sweet as fuck. But I also bet they get a little wet when I tell you that I can’t wait to pull them aside and taste your pussy without even removing them. And if I win that bet, you have to agree to show me these panties when I ask.”

Her lips fall open with surprise.

I lean in. “Did I win the bet? Are they a little wetter now?”

She simply nods.

I smile. “Excellent.”

“Do you…” She clears her throat. “Do you want to see them?”

“I do,” I say. Then I stop her as she moves to lift her skirt.

Damn, Dani is about to lift her skirt for me right here inside her cute little bookshop. “Later.”

She wets her lips. “Okay.” Her answer is almost a whisper.

“Okay.” I take her hand and start for the door. “Let’s go.”

She lets me lead her out onto the sidewalk and she turns to lock the door. “Where are we going?”

“I have a surprise for you.” I can’t wait to show her what I arranged for our date.

We turn left and start down the sidewalk, our fingers linked, walking amongst the morning crowd like any other couple.

I don’t date much. I hook up. A lot. I party. Also a lot. I occasionally take women out to fancy dinners, or to expensive clubs, and I guess those could feel like dates. But I don’t hold their hands as we walk. I don’t stop at coffee carts and buy them caramel vanilla lattes, or stop in front of every other window so they can point something out that catches their eye and makes them smile.

I do all of that with Dani…and fucking love it. Every single thing. I even get her extra whipped cream on that latte. Dani is an extra whipped cream kind of girl and I have this sudden need to make sure she has extra whatever-she-needs.

We finally arrive at our destination.

“Here we are.”

Dani looks up at the sign over the door, then looks at me in confusion. “Here?”

“Yep.” I tap on the glass of the door and wave at the skinny man in blue pants and a grape purple jacket. He grins and comes to let us in. “Hey, Len.”

“Crew, nice to see you.” He shakes my hand, then steps back to let us enter.

“Len, this is Dani. Dani, Len. He manages this gallery. His brother-in-law, Connor, is one of my teammates.”

The KM Studio is a space for introspective expressions of the pressing social issues of modern times. At least that’s what the website and brochures say. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I think I get the general gist.

Put more simply, it’s an art gallery.

“Wow,” Dani says, looking around. “Hi, Len. This is beautiful.”

“I’m happy to have you,” Len says. “When Connor asked if I’d open early for Crew because his girlfriend was a huge art lover, I was delighted. Crew is our son’s favorite player. Even above Connor.” Len laughs. “Crew has spent a lot of one-on-one time with our son and has been so patient and generous with his time. It’s my pleasure to do him a favor in return.”

I feel a flush on the back of my neck. I don’t need Len’s thanks or a favor in return. I love spending time with his kid, Oliver.

But Dani is looking up at me with curiosity and a soft smile and I don’t mind having that look trained on me from this girl.

“Ah, come on, Len. Stop. Just let us look at your pretty junk for a little while, okay?” I say, waving off his praise.

Len grins. “Sure. Take your time. Enjoy. You’ve got two hours before we open up.”

“Thanks.”

I take Dani’s hand again, just wanting to touch her. She lets me intertwine our fingers and lead her into the next room.

There are framed paintings and photographs on the wall and several statues or carvings or whatever they’re called on pedestals throughout the room. We wander through, stopping to look at each thing.

I pretend to study them, acknowledging that they’re maybe sort of interesting, but I’m way more tuned into the woman beside me. I’m not an art connoisseur by any stretch. This is all an attempt to do something I thought Dani might enjoy. I’ll admit that Nathan wasn’t way off when he mentioned roller skating and the circus. I wouldn’t have taken her to the circus exactly—I don’t think the circus is in town—but that does sound more fun than an art gallery. But I don’t mind doing things outside of my comfort zone if it will make her happy.

I can look at art. That won’t hurt me. I’ll go to foreign films or the symphony or whatever other high brow stuff this sexy little nerd wants to do. I just want to be with her.

“What do you do when you’re spending time with Len’s son?” Dani asks as we are standing in front of the fourth painting.

“Play hockey.”

Of course. Hockey is my life.

“Oh. Do you coach?”

“Yeah.”

“Like a youth league or something?”

I nod and look down at her. “It’s a camp. For kids in wheelchairs.”

Her brows rise. “Oh.”

“Len’s kid, Oliver, is hilarious and I’ve spent some extra, after-hours time with him.”

Her eyes were soft. “Why is he in a wheelchair?”

“He has CP. Cerebral palsy. Len and his husband, Anthony, adopted him as a baby, knowing that he had some problems and that he’d need a wheelchair and extra care for life. They are amazing parents and Oliver is awesome. I love spending time with him.”

Now she is looking at me like she wants to kiss me.

I really like that look.

“I’d love to meet him sometime.”

“I’d love to introduce you,” I say sincerely. Oliver will love her. He’ll tease me incessantly about having a girlfriend, but I’ll welcome it in this case.

“That’s a really great thing to do, Crew,” she finally says.

“Thanks. But that’s not why I brought you here,” I say. “I didn’t expect Len to tell you that.”

“I’m glad he did.”

I’m kind of glad he did too. I’m more than just the dumb athlete people assume I am. Which is stupid, because hockey is a game of strategy along with skill, but it’s a stereotype I don’t usually bother to fight. With Dani though, I want her to know there is more to me than meets the eye.

“So which is your favorite piece here?” she asks, looking around. “I’d love to see it. I’ll admit I don’t know a lot about art. I can tell the things I like and don’t, but I don’t know much about it. So teach me what you know.”

I shake my head with a chuckle. “Hell if I know. I’ve never been here before.”

She looks up at me with surprise. “What?”

“I brought you here to impress you. I figured you were into this stuff.”

She laughs. “Why would you think that?”

“You’re a bookworm. You’re classy and sophisticated and smart.”

She outright snorts now. “I’m classy and sophisticated?”

I feel myself grinning. “Aren’t you?”

“Definitely not.”

“So you’d rather go to the circus?”

“Or roller skate,” she says, her eyes twinkling.

And I fall a little bit more in love with her.

She had fun with Nathan. He wined and dined her. And obviously fucked her well. But she puts herself in the same category as he put me.

“So we’re both in an art gallery and we know nothing about art?” she asks.

“Or introspective expressions of the pressing social issues of modern times.”

She lifts a brow. “Yeah. Or those.”

I laugh, feeling light and happy. “Yep.”

“Do you want to do something else?” she asks. Her smile is so cute. “The Children’s Museum is fun. We could go there.”

I laugh. That actually does sound fun. But that’s not what I want to do right now. “I’m going out of town for a string of road games tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“So there’s something I’d really like to do today, before I leave.”

“Okay.”

I take both of her hands and start walking backward, heading for the corner of the room. There’s a shadowy area behind a larger pedestal that holds a tall statue of…I have no idea what that’s supposed to be.

I stop when we’re behind the pedestal and mostly blocked from the doorway and hallway outside. Though if Len comes looking for us, he’ll see plenty.

But that’s what makes this fun.

“I’m ready to see how accurate my guess was.”

She realizes what I’m talking about immediately. “About my panties?”

“Yep.”

She gives me an adorable, sly smile. “Okay.”

“But there’s something else I need to know first.”

“What’s that?”

“How sore are you from last night?”

She blushes quick and bright. And I love it. I lift my hand and run the tip of my finger over her cheek. “I just want to be sure I don’t hurt you, sweetheart.”

“I’m…a little sore,” she confesses, her cheeks burning. “But, not so much that I’ll say no,” she adds quietly.

I dip my knees and catch her mouth in a quick kiss. “You are a dream, you know that?” I say against her mouth.

She sighs happily. “I feel like I’m in a dream.”

“Well, let’s turn this from a dream into a fantasy, shall we?”

I start gathering her skirt up in one hand. “Show me what you put on for me.”

“For you?” she asks, her hand working on the other side of the skirt.

“You knew I’d be seeing these,” I say, confidently.

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, but she’s smiling. I know I’m right.

I tug her sweater off one shoulder and kiss her neck, then down her shoulder, nudging the top of her dress over as she pulls up her skirt.

“What do you think?” she asks, breathlessly.

I pull back and look down. I have to lean to really see.

They are white, I was right about that. And tiny. But I got the little flowers wrong. Instead, they have lip prints on them.

I grin. “Oh, naughty girl. Are you trying to give me a hint?”

She laughs softly. “Why do I feel like you’re not really a hint type of guy? You’re more a just-blurt-it-right-out guy, right?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.” I meet her gaze. “Blurt it out, Dani. Tell me what you want.”

She sucks in a little breath, but I can tell she’s excited by the look in her eyes.

“I want your mouth on me first.”

I love the way she said first, obviously indicating she wants more than that. I’d be happy with just that, honestly. But I’m not going to stop if she wants more.

I drop to my knees. “You’re gonna have to hold this up out of my way.”

I put her free hand on the skirt, and she obediently pulls both sides up out of my way, revealing the panties completely.

My mouth is already watering. I lean in and kiss her inner thigh. She makes a little moan. I can smell her arousal and the sweet scent of some body spray. I can also smell a more masculine scent that I assume is the soap from Nathan’s shower that morning.

I feel a surge of something I can’t quite name. It’s not jealousy, but possibly this is fueling a bit of my competitive nature. I want to make this good for her. Better than what she had with Nathan. Or at least different. I want her to have distinct memories of being with both of us.

Yes, Nathan is a rich businessman. But I’ve got money too. He’s about twenty years older than me, so I can imagine that being with him is different in many ways. He’s an asshole too. I’m sure he’s nicer to Dani than he is to me and many of the other people I’ve seen him interact with—at least he better fucking be—but I’m guessing there’s still a bit of an edge, even with Dani. He’s probably bossy as fuck. Does she like that? A part of me wants to ask her. But now is not the time.

I know for a fact that he was not fun, or lighthearted, or funny. I sincerely doubt that Nathan Armstrong has it in him to be funny.

“So, since you’re not really an artsy type of girl, I’m going to assume that you’ve never been eaten out in an art gallery before.” I give her inner thigh a little lick then a kiss.

“You would guess correctly.”

“Or while at the circus, or a county fair…” I lick her again as she giggles breathlessly. “Where I would take you on a Ferris wheel, and win you a big stuffed teddy bear, and feed you cotton candy.”

She says softly, “Correct, and oh, yes please to all of that.”

“Well, you’re going to be my treat today. I am going to eat you up like I would a bunch of cotton candy or…” I lick her again. “A big, sweet snow cone.”

I switch sides and lean in to kiss her other thigh.

Then I see it.

“That territorial bastard,” I mutter.

She looks down. “Oh that…”

I run my fingertip over the reddish-purple mark on her thigh. “Yeah, that. He marked you.” I lean in and kiss it. “That’s hot. And I don’t blame him a fucking bit.” I move right beside it, and kiss the pale, smooth skin. “Two can play that game,” I say, before sucking gently. When she moans, I suck a little harder, then release her flesh. I look up. “I’ll leave the other side for Hughes.”

She sucks in a little breath. But then shakes her head. “Nathan won’t see it.”

I lift a brow. “Why’s that?”

“I don’t think Nathan and I are…doing that again.”

I laugh. “You keep thinking that, sweetheart.” I saw how the boss man looked at her this morning when he dropped her off. He’s not done with her. And Dani was glowing. I love that this girl is getting all this attention. She deserves it.

“You think…” She trails off.

“I do.” I kiss her thigh again. Then kiss my way up to the crease where her thigh becomes her pelvis, right where the elastic of her panties rests. “But don’t worry. I’ve got you covered for whatever you need in case he doesn’t.” I lick along that elastic band.

She sags back against the wall. “Yes, Crew.”

Fucking love hearing my name on her lips.

“You’re not going to get to be loud, Dani. This is a nice sophisticated, classy place. I doubt very much if there’s lots of pussy eating going on in here.” I run the tip of my finger underneath that elastic, feeling her hot folds that are getting nice and wet. “Though if there was, I might become a patron after all.”

She makes a sweet little purring sound as the back of my knuckle brushes over her clit. I still haven’t looked at her without the white cotton between us, but I love teasing her. “I am definitely going to appreciate the beauty of the female form for a little bit right now, though,” I tell her, finally pulling the panties away from her sex. “And I absolutely adore the color pink.” I run my finger over the slick pinkness I’ve exposed and the sweet little nub of her clit.

Her breath hisses out.

“God you’re beautiful.” I dip my finger into her wetness and drag it up over her clit.

“I should’ve known you’d be a talker.” Her voice is ragged as if she’s having a hard time getting enough air to speak.

“You don’t like talking during sex?” I circle over her clit, pressing a little harder.

“It’s good. It’s fine. I just want you to use your mouth for something else.”

“Tell it to me bluntly, babe.”

Her eyes pop open and she looks down at me. “Suck on my clit, Crew.”

Heat jabs me low and hard. I did not think she’d do it. And I had no idea how fucking hot that would be.

Then I do what the lady tells me. I lean in and take her clit between my lips. I kiss her, then I suck. Hard. Then I flick my tongue over her quickly. Her gasps and moans tell me that I’m giving her exactly what she wants. So I keep going.

I add a finger and within seconds I have her shooting up and over the edge and the way she cries out my name twists my balls, my gut, even my heart into a damned knot.

I get to my feet and she immediately cups my cock through my shorts.

I capture her mouth in a deep kiss, stroking my tongue along hers, knowing she can taste herself.

“God, that was hot,” I tell her.

“I want you, Crew. Will you fuck me? Please? Right now?”

“Of course.” I laugh. “Are you kidding?”

“Do you have a condom?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay. Here? Is that okay?”

“Jesus, Dani, quit asking me if things are okay. Yes, I will fuck you. Anywhere, anytime, however you want it.”

“Oh, my God. This is so hot.” She drops her voice. “We’re in public.”

“Not exactly. But we could get caught.”

Her eyes sparkle.

I chuckle. “Christ, that turns you on, doesn’t it?”

She gives me a little smile that I fucking love.

“Okay, naughty girl, let’s go.” I dig my wallet out of my pocket, flip it open, and find a condom. By the time I drop the wallet to the floor, she’s already got me unbuttoned and unzipped. Her hot little hands wrap around my cock a moment later and I have to pause as lust streaks through me.

I brace one hand on the wall and just breathe for a second.

“You okay?”

I grit my teeth and nod. “You’re just about to end up with a handful of cum if you don’t stop that. I need to get inside you.”

“You weren’t kidding about the blunt thing.”

“There’s no guessing with me.”

She grins. “I like that.”

“Well, here’s some more. I’m going to put this condom on, lift you up against the wall, and fuck you so hard you will feel this wall later. You gotta tell me if I’m going too hard.”

She nods eagerly. “Okay.”

I laugh. “I had no idea you’d be like this.” I’m rolling the condom on as I say it.

“I didn’t either.” She seems delighted though.

“Drop the panties, sweetheart.”

She shoves them to the floor, then hikes up her skirt. I step forward, cup her ass and lift her up against the wall. Her legs wrap around me, and my cock is right up against her sweet hot pussy.

“Dani,” I grind out. “You feel so fucking good.”

“Fuck me, Crew. Please.”

“Gladly.” I pulled my hips back slightly, position myself at her entrance, and then sink in. She’s tight. So tight.

Then Dani clutches my shoulders, and her pussy tightens around me, and I am right back in the moment with only her. In the hottest, tightest pussy I’ve had in a very long time. With the sweetest, most adorable, surprising woman that I’ve ever had in my arms. Her eyes are locked on mine, and I stare into them as I thrust deep over and over.

Bluntly, I say, “You are the hottest thing ever. Jesus, how did you learn how to fuck like this?”

Her mouth curls. “You’re doing all the work.”

I squeeze her ass. “Good point. Next time you’re on top.”

“Promise there’s a next time?”

“Absolutely. I’m also getting inside that adorable mouth.”

Her eyes widen, as does her smile. “Okay.”

She’s fucking eager. She might kill me. And I can’t wait.

“The one thing about having you up against the wall like this is I’ve got to hold onto your sweet ass. You have to reach down to play with your clit. Let’s go. I wanna feel you come on my cock, sweetheart.”

She immediately reaches between us and starts working her clit. It does amazing things to her pussy and pretty soon she’s clamping down and squeezing me.

“Yes, fuck, Dani. That’s it, girl.”

She keeps going, her thighs tighten around me, and the next thing I hear is “Yes! Crew! Yes, yes!”

“My turn, sweetheart,” I say, roughly. I pick up my pace, thrusting into her harder and harder until I’m coming, losing myself in her heat, her sweetness, and just how damn fun this is.

I am taking this girl on a Ferris wheel.

This girl is going to be at one of my games in my jersey.

I’m going to take her to the Eiffel Tower. And I’ve never wanted to go to Paris before. Ever.

I’m also going to buy her kittens, and cuddle her on the couch, and take care of her when she’s sick, and throw her the best birthday party she’s ever had.

And I’m going to take her home for Christmas. And even though she’s been there before, this time I’m going to hold her hand and touch her and kiss her under the mistletoe and call her my girlfriend. All in front of my grandma.

Yeah, I’m officially gone for this girl.

About thirty-six hours after kissing her for the first time.

I’m probably going to want to propose in another day or two at this pace.

I finally pull back and let her feet drop to the floor.

She pulls her panties back into place and straightens her skirt as I try to decide what the hell I’m going to do about the condom. That’s one thing about sex in an art gallery, it makes cleanup a little awkward.

Dani seems to realize that at the same exact moment and digs in her purse, handing me a tiny travel package of tissues. She giggles. “Here.”

“This does not mean no spontaneous begging me for fucking when the need hits you in the future,” I tell her.

She nods. “I’ll pack some wet wipes and stuff just in case.”

I reach over and grasp her chin, pulling her in for a kiss. “You do that. Because what I said stands. Any time, anywhere, anyhow.”

“I won’t be forgetting that.”

Eventually, we feel ready to walk out of the art gallery and it occurs to me to hope that Len doesn’t have security cameras in every room in the gallery.

Then it occurs to me that he absolutely has security cameras in every room of the art gallery.

Wonder what it would take to get a copy of that video. I wouldn’t mind watching that. A few dozen times.