SWNOVELS Chapter The Faceoff: Prologue
Standing by the fire with Sterling and Simon, I slowly sip my beer as they both talk about our hockey game from earlier. It’s the summer, so some of the guys went back home to spend the time off from school with their families. A few of us stayed back, since we’ve laid our roots in the small town in Vermont after coming here to play for Wyncote.
The guys who stayed back are all in the summer hockey league to keep up with the demands of meeting our main goal—playing professionally after graduation. In the fall, most of us will be starting our senior year, so we have to stay focused on what we really came here for. The education is above average, but the hockey program at Wyncote is where you want to be.
After my fuckup last year, coming here was the best move I could have made. Although I came halfway through the season, I ended up fitting in well with the team and making my place known. I’m exactly where I belong and it helps having three of my childhood friends along my side.
Although, the three of them are practically wifed up now, so you won’t see them hanging out at a party like this. Sterling and Simon insisted that I come to the party that Derrick was throwing at the lake. And they were right when they said that it was going to be a rager.
Tuning the two of them out, I see a girl standing across the fire, her eyes narrowed on me. Tilting my head to the side, I raise an eyebrow at her suspiciously. I don’t recall ever seeing her anywhere before because she has the type of face that is impossible to erase from your memory.
Staring at her through the flames, my eyes travel across her perfectly symmetrical face. I can’t see her eyes clearly, but through the smoke, they look like golden honey. Her hair hangs in perfect waves of amber down to her waist. She shifts her weight on her feet and my eyes trail down her slim torso and long legs.
The summers in Vermont get warm and her t-shirt and shorts hug the curves of her body perfectly. She stares back at me with a curious look before looking to the girl beside her as they fall into a conversation. She’s a mystery to me and I need to shake the warmth that spreads through my body. I like to indulge in distractions from time to time, but she doesn’t look like the type that would just be that.
I drain the rest of my beer before leaving the guys at the fire as I head over to the keg. As I fill up my plastic cup, I chug the light-colored liquid before filling it up again. Those light brown eyes drift into my mind and I know I need to erase them. Especially when she looks like she’s fallen from heaven herself.
“You good, man?” Simon asks me as he comes up beside me and fills up his cup too. His eyes are on mine, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion as he watches me chug my beer again.
I nod, wiping the liquid from my mouth with the back of my hand, before holding my cup to him to refill it. “The heat from the fire was getting to me.” And the heated gaze from the other side of the flames.
“I would tell you to go jump in the lake, but maybe not, considering how much you’ve drank already.”
A chuckle vibrates through my chest and I lightly punch him in the arm. “I’m good, bro, but thanks for looking out for me.”
“Sure,” he smiles back at me as some girl comes up to him, sliding her arm through his. Simon glances down at her before looking back to me as she tugs on him. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
Nodding at him, I watch as he walks away with the girl. My eyes scan the shore of the lake, noticing that Sterling’s sitting at the fire with some girl on his lap. I’m not surprised, seeing both of them hooking up with some random chicks. Since that seems to be what we do on the regular, unlike August, Logan, and Cam. They all ended up in the relationships that we’ve been trying to avoid.
Stepping away from the keg, I noticed that the golden-eyed beauty disappeared. And I don’t feel like standing around while Sterling swallows some chick’s tongue. Turning my back to them, I head toward the lake, stepping onto the wooden dock as I make my way down to the end of it. The sides are lined with lights and the sound of the water eases my soul as I sit down along the edge.
Hanging my arms over the railing, I sip my beer as I stare out at the dark water, the sounds from the party behind me. Music plays from the speakers set up on the beach, but it doesn’t drown out the rippling sounds of the lake against the dock.
“You know, the party is back there,” a soft, singsong voice wraps itself around my eardrums. The sound is like silk, like a melody that I could get lost in. A shiver rises up my spine as I crane my neck, glancing over my shoulder.
The girl from earlier steps closer to me, not stopping until she drops down on the dock beside me. “I don’t blame you for coming out here. It’s peaceful by the water… although, you strike me as someone who would prefer chaos instead.”
Turning my head to look at her, I raise an eyebrow at her. “Do I know you?”
Her brown eyes are brighter than they appeared at the fire and the ghost of a smile plays on her lips. “Not yet.”
My eyes widen slightly, a smirk forming on my face as I stare back at her. She’s a goddamn mystery and now she has my fucking attention.
“What’s your name?” I ask her, my voice thick with tension as my cock grows in my pants. I can’t help myself as the scent of her perfume—a light vanilla smell—invades my senses.
She shakes her head at me. “I’m not here to exchange names or numbers with you. I’m here because I need a distraction and you looked like the perfect candidate for a bad decision when I saw you across the fire.”
“What do you need a distraction from, pretty girl?” I question her, tilting my head to the side in curiosity. The alcohol is heavy in my system now and I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t drunk. Judging by the glossiness in her gaze, I think she’s close to the same level as me.
“Hard pass,” she laughs lightly, the sound vibrating against my eardrums. “I’m not here to divulge any of my secrets. I told you what I’m here for.”
“You want me to be your bad decision?” My lips curl upward into a sinister smirk as I rise to my feet and extend my hand to her. “I can be whatever you want me to be, baby.”
She slides her palm against mine, the warmth spreading up my arm like liquid fire as she wraps her slender fingers around my hand. I pull her to her feet and she stands up in front of me. Tilting my head down, I notice that even though she’s got legs for days, she’s still a good six inches shorter than me.
Her eyes shine up at me under the moonlight, bouncing back and forth between mine as she narrows them at me. “Before you start on some gentleman shit, yes, I am drunk and, yes, I am still sure.”
Reaching out to her, I brush a piece of hair away from her face and tuck it behind her ear. Her lips part slightly as I drag my fingertips down the length of her throat, feeling her soft skin shiver under my touch. Dropping my face to hers, my lips lightly brush against hers, our breaths mixing together.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’m not a gentleman.”
“Good,” she breathes, her voice husky as she laces her fingers through mine. “Come with me.”
I let her lead me down the dock, back toward the party. As our feet reach the beach, she begins to walk in the opposite direction, taking me with her as we walk through the sand. This isn’t the first time that I’ve had a girl approach me like this. And who am I to say no? I don’t have any commitments holding me back.
“Where are we going?” I question her, as she leads me toward a clearing the leads through the trees.
She glances over her shoulder at me, mischief dancing in her eyes. “You’ll see.”
As we walk through the clearing, she leads me down a path to where there’s at least a dozen tents set up. I stop in my tracks, confused by the scene laid out in front of me, when it clicks in my drunken mind. Sterling had mentioned that some people were camping here, just so they didn’t have to worry about drinking and driving. I kind of tuned him out when he said that, because I wasn’t the one driving here and finding a place to crash was never hard for me.
She leads me past a few of the tents before she stops by one that’s tucked away in the far corner. “This one is mine,” she whispers as she unzips the door to the tent and steps inside, pulling me in with her. It’s hard to see in the darkness of the night and I trip over something that feels like a duffle bag.
There’s an air mattress lying in the center with an open sleeping bag on top of it. I watch her, my heart pounding in my chest as she slowly spins around to face me, her hand leaving mine. We stand in silence for a moment, our breathing shallow as our eyes adjust to how we look in the dark. Stepping toward her, my hands reach out for her hips and I jerk her toward me until her body is crashing into mine.
“You sure you want this, babe?” I question her, sliding my hand along the back of her neck as she tilts her head back to look up at me.
“You ask a lot of questions for someone with a playboy reputation, King,’ she murmurs, my last name rolling off her tongue like that’s exactly where it belongs.
And I want to fucking taste it.
EDEN
Hayden King.
One of the hockey team’s biggest playboys. He came to Wyncote halfway through the year last year and he has quite the reputation already. Rumor has it, he slept with his coach’s daughter at the last school he was at and got himself into some trouble when she wanted more from him. From what I was told, his parents were able to get him transferred quietly.
Nothing happens quietly, though, does it? People always talk and someone will always find out about your deepest, darkest secret.
And what I’m about to do with Hayden is going to be mine.
I didn’t like him from the moment I met him. He’s cocky and arrogant, and it doesn’t help that most people treat him like he walks on water. He fits in well with the hockey team and since he’s a great addition to their roster, it makes him even more liked.
By everyone except me…
I’m not surprised that Hayden doesn’t know who I am. Even though he’s seen me at the ice rink numerous times, his head is always too far up his own ass to realize anything that’s going on around him. I’ve avoided him like the plague until this very moment.
I need something to distract me from life and Hayden King is the perfect candidate. He is the worst possible decision that I could make right now and he’s never looked better. I’m not blind, I know how attractive he is. I’ve just refused to be another notch in his belt until tonight. But this is happening on my terms.
Hayden is just along for the ride—to play the part of the guy that I’ll regret sleeping with in the morning.
His face dips down to mine, his lips colliding with mine as he dives his hand into my hair. Wrapping my arms around the back of his neck, our bodies are pressed flush against one another as he devours me, swallowing me whole. His mouth moves with mine, claiming me as his in this moment. Too bad it’s just in this moment and that I hate him in real life.
I feel his tongue as it slides along the seam of my lips, slowly pushing them open as he wants more. Parting my lips, I let him in. His tongue slides against mine and his mouth is warm. He tastes like the alcohol he was drinking. He tastes like a bad decision and that’s exactly why he’s in my tent right now.
Hayden’s fingers tangle in my hair, his tongue is in my mouth and I can’t think straight with him this close. The smell of his cologne penetrates my nose and I inhale the scent, memorizing everything about him and this moment. Just because we’re enemies doesn’t mean that I can’t store this in my brain for another time.
After the nasty breakup that I had freshman year, I swore off hockey players altogether. I ended up in over my head, deep in a serious relationship with the star player on the team who was a senior. We hit it off from the start, given that I’m a figure skater and we both practically lived on the ice. I believed every damn promise he made me while we were together, only to have him drop me the minute he graduated and got drafted into the NHL.
It made things awkward between the rest of the hockey team and myself. How could I continue being friends with any of the guys that I grew close to during that relationship I was in? I was left with no choice but to distance myself from them entirely. They were no longer my friends and because of that, Hayden was deemed my enemy by association.
He’s the exact type of person that I’ve been trying to avoid since I had my heart shattered into a million pieces.
Hayden presses his hips against me, distracting me from my thoughts. Given our height difference, I can feel his cock pressing against my stomach through his pants. A moan slips from my lips as he tugs on my hair and he swallows the sound whole. My head swims as he drains the oxygen from my lungs, kissing me like I’ve never been kissed before.
Abruptly breaking apart, Hayden drops his mouth to my neck, burying his face as he nips at my skin. My heart pounds erratically in its cage as I inhale as much oxygen that my lungs will allow. His kiss leaves me dizzy, my knees feeling weak as a warmth spreads through the pit of my stomach. Sure, I can still feel the alcohol that I drank earlier, but this is something completely different now.
I’m clearheaded enough to know what I’m doing.
And everything between us is driven purely from lust and need.
Hayden drops his hands from my head and I cling onto him as I feel his touch trailing down my torso. His lips are still against my neck, licking and tasting every inch of skin he can find. Fingertips graze my waist as he slides them under the bottom hem of my shirt. It isn’t long before he’s pushing it up my body, my arms breaking away from him as he lifts my shirt over my head.
It’s dark in here, but the light from the small camping area illuminates part of the tent. I can’t see Hayden’s face completely, but I can see his shadow as he moves in front of me. He drops my shirt onto the floor beside us, his lips finding my collarbone as he unclasps my bra and peels it from my body. I pay no mind as he discards it and his mouth finds my breast.
My knees feel like they’re going to buckle under his touch as he continues his slow assault on my nipple. Hayden slides an arm around my back, holding me upright as he sucks and nips at my pebbled skin. His tongue swirls around it, flicking back and forth before he abruptly pulls away. The feeling of his breath causes a shiver to tear up my spine as he lightly blows on my damp skin.
Hayden moves his mouth to my other breast, repeating the same action as he continues to hold me upright. I feel like I could come undone, just from him playing with my nipples. Clamping my thighs together, I search for some type of friction or relief. My pussy is literally throbbing, just begging to be touched by him like the rest of my body.
Grabbing his shoulders, I push him away. Hayden stumbles back, but quickly regains his footing, stepping back into my space. He tilts his head as he looks down at me. “Something wrong, baby?”
“If clothes are coming off, I’m not the only one who’s being stripped down.”
Hayden turns his head slightly, a sliver of light hitting his face as a smirk plays on his lips. I don’t miss the sinister mischief dancing in his irises as he stares back at me. “I told you that I’ll be whatever you want, but if you want me to be naked, I want you taking my clothes off.”
Warmth spreads through my entire body and I feel the dampness between my thighs, soaking my panties. Tonight isn’t the night to let any thoughts cloud my mind. It’s about one thing and one thing only—getting what I want. All inhibitions need to be let go.
Sliding my hands under the bottom hem of his shirt, I slowly begin to push it up his torso. His skin is warm under my palms as I continue to push his shirt up until I’m sliding it over his head. I toss it onto the floor with my clothes and begin to trail my fingertips over the planes of his body. His chest is solid and firm, just like I had imagined with him being an athlete.
I know that he works out, but as my fingers move across his abs, I smile to myself as I feel that he’s not completely stacked. He has more of a lean, athletic build than anything. You wouldn’t know it, though, with the way Hayden walks around like his shit doesn’t stink.
That’s just my bitterness talking, because even though he isn’t ripped, he still has a body that was perfectly chiseled by God himself.
“Tell me what you want, pretty girl,” Hayden murmurs, bringing his lips back to mine. He traces the outline of my lips with the tip of his tongue before drawing my bottom lip between his teeth. As he lightly clamps down, I can’t hold back the moan that slips from me.
Hayden releases my lip, running his tongue over the crescent shapes he left in my flesh. His hands find my waist, pulling me flush against him. We’re half naked, chest to chest, my breasts pressed against him. It feels too hot in here… almost like we need to lose more clothing to cool down.
“I want you,” I tell him, breathing against his lips.
“You got me,” he murmurs, sliding the tips of his fingers under the waistband of my shorts. “I told you. I’m yours for the night, but only for the night.”
“That’s perfectly fine with me,” I smirk, staring up into his eyes through the darkness. “Because I don’t want any more than this one night with you.”
“So, we’re on the same page then,” he nips at my bottom lip as he slides his fingers along my waist. He reaches for the button of my jean shorts and slowly slides it through the hole before pushing down the zipper.
I mimic his movements, reaching for the waistband of his shorts at the same time. He has basketball shorts on, so there aren’t any buttons or zippers to mess with. Instead, I begin to push them down his thighs, along with his boxers. “I know how you operate, King,” I breathe, pushing them as far as I can before they just fall down the rest of the way, pooling around his feet.
He hesitates for a moment, almost as if I caught him off guard and he’s faltering. Wrapping my hand around the back of his neck, I bring his lips back to mine and this time I’m the one who’s doing the claiming. Hayden moves his mouth with mine, our tongues tangling as he shoves down my shorts, pushing down my panties with them.
We’re both completely naked, breaking apart as we kick off our shoes and collapse onto the air mattress together. Thankfully it holds under our weight and doesn’t deflate with the way we land on it, practically on top of one another.
“You’re sure this is what you want, baby?” Hayden questions me softly, his eyes searching mine.
I appreciate him asking for my consent, but if I didn’t want it, we wouldn’t be in this position. Narrowing my eyes at him, I stare up at him as he settles between my legs. “I said yes already. Now, stop wasting time by asking me stupid fucking questions, King.”
He stares down at me for a moment, a smirk tugging on the corners of his lips as a sinister look passes through his eyes. I can barely see him in the darkness of the tent, but I can feel the need rolling off of him in waves.
And I need him just as badly.
HAYDEN
I don’t bother asking her how she knows my name, because in this moment, none of that matters. My face dips down to hers, our mouths collide as she wraps her arms around the back of my neck. She tastes like the worst decision I’ve ever made and I know there will be hell to pay for it. Her lips part as I slide my tongue along the seam of them, slipping into her mouth as I devour her.
Settling between her legs, the tip of my cock presses against her pussy. She’s already wet—fucking drenched—and I can’t help myself as I moan into her mouth. Abruptly, I pull back for a moment, my eyes searching hers as I slowly push the head into her. Her fingers slide through my hair as she grips the back of my head, bringing my face down to hers. Our mouths crash into one another, her legs wrapping themselves around my waist as she pulls me closer.
Shifting my hips, I ease farther into her, feeling how tight she is around me as I fill her. A soft moan slips from her lips and I swallow the sound as I breathe her in. Our mouths melt together as I thrust into her, filling her to the brim.
I swear to God, I know her. I have no idea from where, but there’s something so familiar about her. I know this girl has never been in my bed before and I can’t quite put my finger on where I would know her from. Whether it’s the sound of her voice or the way she carries herself…
I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s almost as if my soul knows her. She just makes complete sense to me. But then again, it could just be the alcohol in my system talking too. It may be cocky to say, but there’s so many girls that are on my dick, it’s hard for any of them to hold my attention for long.
But this girl—she has my undivided fucking attention right now.
Shifting my hips again, I slowly pull out, leaving just the tip in as I slam back into her. Our mouths break apart and she cries out in ecstasy, her nails digging into my scalp as I begin to piston my hips, driving my cock into her over and over again. Sliding my hands down to her ass, I lift her up, giving myself deeper access as I thrust into her once more.
She takes every thrust in stride, her hands falling to my shoulders as she begins to dig her nails into my flesh. I know there will be marks on my back in the morning and the thought alone has a smirk playing on my lips. I want her to leave her mark on me, just like I intend on doing to her. I don’t know who the fuck this girl is, but I’m going to make sure she doesn’t fucking forget me.
Because there’s no way I’m going to be able to erase this night from my memory.
Abandoning my inhibitions, our surroundings fade and I let myself get lost in her. This mystery girl, the one that I won’t see again after tonight. And since we only have one night, I’m going to make the most out of this moment I get with her.
I thrust into her again and she’s writhing under my touch. My fingers dig into her ass as I grip her flesh, pounding into her over and over. She’s so delicate, it feels like I could split her in two, but she takes it like she was built for me. I want this to last, but I know that I’m pushing both of us closer and closer to the edge. My balls are already constricting, drawing closer to my body when she abruptly stops me.
She drives her hands against my chest, planting her palms against me as she stares up at me. We’re both breathless, lost in each other as we attempt to catch our breaths. Tilting my head to the side, my eyes bounce back and forth between hers, searching for whatever is wrong.
She gives nothing away, instead a look of frustration passes through her eyes. “Roll over,” she demands, attempting to shift her weight to flip me over with her legs wrapped around my waist.
A smirk forms on my lips and I grip her ass harder, my cock still inside her as I roll onto my back. The air mattress shifts under our weight, groaning from the movement. I’m sure if there’s anyone within earshot of this tent, they can definitely hear us in here right now. Shit, I wouldn’t be surprised if they could hear us back at the party.
The roles are reversed and she’s now on top of me, her pussy clenching around me as she stares down at me with a look of satisfaction. She got what she wanted and it’s written all over her face, how pleased she is that she got her way. She may think she’s in control, but it’s all a facade. We might be in her tent and her bed, but I’m the one who is running shit here.
Gripping her hips, I attempt to top her from the bottom, but she fights against me, pinning me down with her hips every time I try. A chuckle vibrates in my chest and I let her have it, relaxing as she begins to ride me. She wants to be in control and the only reason that’s happening now is because I’m letting it.
It doesn’t last for long, though, because I can’t fucking help myself. My hands are around her waist, my hips lifting to meet her with every thrust. We’re both out of breath, climbing closer and closer to the edge as we move in tandem together. A warmth spreads across the pit of my stomach as I thrust into her once more.
My balls constrict and her pussy clenches around me, her orgasm tearing through her body as she comes apart on my cock. I’m right behind her, but quickly pull my dick out of her before I come. Wrapping my hand around the base, I pump my fist once before coming across her stomach. She inhales sharply, the warm, sticky fluid painting across her skin.
I’m mesmerized for a moment, completely transfixed by the sight of her now straddling my waist. Her soaked pussy is on my stomach and I swear to God, it feels like my dick could get hard again. I’m not quite sure she’d be ready for round two. I’m riding a wave of ecstasy as she climbs off me and rises to her feet, getting off the air mattress.
She bends down, reaching for something from the floor of the tent. I watch as she grabs my shirt and wipes my cum off her stomach before tossing it at me. I just barely catch it as I sit up on the mattress. I’m thrown off by her actions and I tilt my head to the side as I watch her continue to pick up clothing and toss them at me.
“You can see yourself out, right?” she questions me as she pulls her shirt back over her head and motions to the flap of her tent.
I’m speechless, completely at a loss for words as I pull my boxers and shorts back on. My shirt is covered in cum, so there’s no way I’m putting that shit back on to walk back to the party. We agreed this was a one-time thing and I guess that our moment has come to an end.
But fuck me, if that wasn’t one of the best moments I’ve had in a long time. Dare I say, quite possibly one of the best moments I’ve ever had with a girl.
She doesn’t say another word as she climbs back into the sleeping bag and pulls it up to her chin before laying her head down on the pillow. I glance down at her once more but words fail me as she lifts her head and cuts her eyes at me. She’s acting cold and indifferent now, but I saw her in the moment. I fucking felt her while I was balls deep inside of her.
She’s dangerous and I fucking love it. The fight for control and the challenge. She’s literally everything I would look for in a girl, if I was in the habit of falling into relationships. Thank God, that’s not my style. I’m more of a hit-it-and-quit-it guy and with the way she’s looking at me right now, she threatens to destroy that entire code I live by.
I’ve never had a girl look at me like I wasn’t handcrafted by God and for some reason, it’s making me feel drawn to her like a moth to a goddamn flame.
I don’t know who the fuck this girl is and I’m glad for that.
Because after this—I’m not so sure I want to see her again.