The Keeper (Playing To Win Book 1)

Easton carries me out of the casino then bends his knees and slides me down the front of his body until my feet touch the ground outside. I slap his chest, then grab his arm to steady myself as the blood rapidly starts flowing back out of my head. “Listen, hockey boy. I don’t like being upside down when I don’t have to be.”

“You didn’t have to be upside down, princess. You chose to stay in that position,” he bites back as he wraps an arm around my shoulder for support. And oh my, does his warm skin feel good against my bare back. His fingers play with the two hanging ribbons of the silk bow tying the top of my halter together until he starts letting them dance up and down my spine. Like I needed any more reason to be turned-on right now.

And okay, fine. I may have stayed in that position, dangling over his shoulder, because it put my face in front of his ass, giving me one hell of a great view. So sue me. It’s my birthday. Consider this part of my present.

I mean, come on.

He’s a fucking professional hockey goalie.

His buns are made of steel.

I wonder what else is made of steel.

“Where to, bitches?” Everly exclaims, then pushes us forward. “And wherever it is, let’s go fast. Maddox is running interference with Charles to try and get us some unsupervised time. So move it, people.”

A party bus sits on the side of the street with the engine running, and a bunch of drunk women with bachelorette sashes wrapped around themselves stand in front of it. All except the one I’m guessing is the bride, based on her white dress and tiara.

Pace laughs and grabs Easton. “Let’s make you useful, E.”

Easton tugs me behind him as Pace introduces him to the ladies and lets them know who he is, then offers them a thousand dollars to let us on their bus. And before I know what’s happening, we’ve all piled on, and the driver is pulling away.

My girls all find seats with the bachelorettes as more champagne gets passed around and Easton pulls me down onto his lap.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I ask with absolutely no intention of moving off his lap. Especially when I feel the lovely bulge between his legs.

I mean, I know I’m not sloppy drunk right now, but our earlier shots have absolutely given me just enough lady balls to lean back and enjoy the feel of my longtime crush beneath me.

“Conserving space, princess.”

“Huh?”

“What I’m doing. I’m conserving space.” He laughs and pulls on my hair.

I look at his hazel eyes and smile. “They’re green today.”

“What’s green?” he questions.

“Your eyes. When you call me in the middle of the night, they’re usually a caramelly brown with yellowish-green flecks. Almost golden. They’re a mossy green when you’re in a good mood during an interview after a game and brown when you’re in a bad mood. They’re a darker green today. What’s that mean?”

His lips tick up in a crooked smile, and that dimple I love peeks through. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

“Where are we going, ladies?” Callen asks, and when I look at him, he no longer has the two women from the club with him. Now two of the bachelorettes are fawning all over him. Good grief.

“Hey, man whore,” I call out, and every single set of eyes on the bus turn my way.

Easton laughs and tucks my hair behind my ear, then leaves his hand anchored there as he whispers, “So . . . maybe you don’t need to say everything that pops into your head.”

“Whatever,” I grumble, then look back over at Callen. “Does anybody know where Maddox is?”

“Chillax, birthday girl. Madman is waiting for a text from me. He’ll meet us wherever we land,” Callen announces before he drops his face back down into a pretty redhead’s big boobs.

I mean, they’re huge.

“You see them, right?” I ask Easton.

“See what?”

“Her boobs. I’d die for boobs that size,” I grumble and look down at my own. “Maybe I should get a boob job.”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” E snaps.

I turn around and enjoy the feel of Easton’s other hand as it slips to my ass.

“First, why would you think you’d get a say in what I do to my body? And second—”

He moves his hand slightly so it’s cupping a cheek. Like actually grabbing a big old handful of my ass, which, by the way, is significantly better than my tits. I have a great ass. “Wait . . . what was I saying?”

Easton’s smile softens. “You were promising me you’d never change your body because it’s fucking perfect exactly the way it is.” I can practically taste the whiskey on his breath as he leans in closer, and the grip he has on the back of my neck tightens, sending uncontrollable goosebumps spreading out all over my skin. “You are fucking exquisite, princess.”

I open my mouth for a snarky comeback, but there’s nothing to say. Nobody has ever called me exquisite before. Instead, I settle for, “Your hand is on my ass, hockey boy.”

“It is,” he agrees. “Do you want me to move it?”

The bus pulls to a stop in front of a gorgeous casino with a pretty fountain light display, and everyone starts filing off but us.

Easton and I don’t move.

Bryn and Kenz stop in front of us and stare, like we’re animals at the zoo. “You guys coming?”

Easton shakes his head. “You okay if we catch up?”

Kenzie shrugs, and Brynlee looks at her phone, then back at me. “Yeah, we’re good. Her tracker app is on. Text if you need anything.”

Once they’re off the bus, I stand up and stretch, then reach my hands out for Easton. “Come watch the lights with me. I love this display.”

He takes my hand in his and walks me over to the bridge. “What was that about a tracker app?”

“We all have tracker apps on our phones, so we can find each other. They came in handy at parties during college.”

E takes my phone out of my pocket, holds it up to my face to unlock it, then does something with it and then his before giving mine back to me.

And I just stand there, slightly confused, and let him.

“What the hell did you just do, Easton Hayes?”

“I added myself to your app and downloaded it on my phone,” he says, like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

“Why would you do that?” I ask, even though I kinda love the fact that he did.

Without skipping a beat, he cups my face in his hands and brings his lips to mine.

So close but not actually touching. “So I can always know you’re safe.”

I could blame the alcohol or the Las Vegas energy thrumming between us for what I do next. But either one would be a lie. In reality, I just want to do it.

I raise up on my toes, closing the distance between us, and press my lips to his, and . . .

Oh. My. Goodness.

They’re perfect. Firm and soft and unbelievably delicious.

The electricity between us sparks and fires and lights up every nerve-ending like a Las Vegas light show.

Easton takes control, angling my head and deepening the kiss, and I think time and space cease to exist.

I run my hands through his hair as I press myself up against him, wanting to feel him, more of him, every inch of him. His erection presses against me, and I moan.

He licks into my mouth and, I swear to God, growls as he leans me back against the railing. Growls. Like his reaction is visceral. Primal.

“Easton,” I whisper against his lips, dragging myself out of this lust-filled haze. “What . . . what are we doing?”

E takes a step back and looks at me for a charged fucking minute, then grabs my face again and crushes his lips to mine. “What I’ve wanted to do for-fucking-ever.”

Good enough for me.

I wrap my arms around his broad shoulders and cling to him, like I’m scared if I let go, this daydream will end and reality will come crashing down on us like the water in that fountain.

“I’m so fucking tired of acting like I’m just your friend, princess.” He takes my mouth in a desperate kiss.

“Tired of acting like you’re not my girl.” One strong arm slides around the center of my back and presses us impossibly closer together.

“Like I don’t want you. Like I haven’t always fucking wanted you.”

Holy hotness wrapped up in a hockey-player package.

I’m pretty sure I just soaked my panties.

“Easton . . .” My hands claw at the front of his shirt, refusing to allow any space between us.

“Tell me you feel this too. Tell me it’s not one-sided and I didn’t just make a fool out of myself.”

I run my teeth over my bottom lip and try to force the words to come out of my mouth, but nothing happens. I stand there in front of this fountain in Vegas with this beautiful man, shocked to my core. “Easton . . . I . . .”

Words escape me, so instead I tug the front of his shirt and pull his face down to mine.

He presses his lips to my forehead, and I slide my hands up the length of his neck to his face and hold him there.

“You gonna break my heart, princess?”

“God, Easton. Do you really not know?” I close my eyes and decide there’s no going back now. “It’s you. It’s always been you, and it’s going to always be you. I have loved you . . . God, I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. I want to be old and gray and sitting on our porch one day a million years from now, surrounded by all our grandchildren who love to skate.”

He swallows a deep breath and smiles against my skin. “Hockey skates or figure skates?”

“Mine are better. Sharper,” I tease.

“Promise me something, baby,”

“Anything.” I pull back and look deep into those green eyes that are growing darker by the minute.

“When we’re old and gray, you’ve gotta let me die first, okay? Because I don’t think I’d ever survive without knowing you were breathing on this Earth.”

I run my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and tug. “How about I promise that when we’re really old we’ll die in bed together like that couple in the movie you used to hate. The one Kenzie and I use to watch all the time. I’ll let you go first, but I’m gonna follow you, okay?”

“You sure, Lindy?” The look on his face makes me hesitate for a second.

“Marry me, Easton.”

“What?” he chokes back.

“I’m standing here, in front of the man I’ve already loved for a lifetime, and he’s promising to love me forever. There are twenty-four hour chapels all over this town. Marry me. Make me Mrs. Madeline Hayes.” I giggle. I used to doodle that on my notebooks when I was a little girl.

“You’re fucking serious?” He takes a step back, and I’m pretty sure my heart drops out of my chest. Please, God, don’t let him laugh in my face. I don’t think my heart could survive it. “Madeline Kingston, I’m supposed to ask you to marry me. It’s supposed to be fucking romantic. Fit for a princess.” His tone is pointed, but his smile is huge, and my heart soars instead of cracking.

“Fuck romance, Easton. We’ve already done life and death. We’ve already been each other’s person for years. I don’t need hearts and flowers and pretty words. I need you. And you say fuck a lot more than you say anything else.” I bite down on my bottom lip, and he gets all growly again.

“You keep biting your lip that way, princess, and we’re gonna need to hurry up and get married so I can put something else in that pretty mouth to keep you busy.”

And there go my panties again.

“Okay. You find the chapel, and I’ll get the girls.” I step back, but Easton grabs my hand and pulls me to him.

“Not a chance, baby. Let’s get the girls, get some rings, and go find ourselves an Elvis together. Until you’re legally my wife, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“Ahh . . . I love the sound of that.”

He moves in front of me and bends his knees. “Hop on, princess. Let’s go get married.”

Oh. My. God.

I’m getting married.

“Easton,” I gasp as realization dawns. “Oh my God, E. I’m so sorry.”

He gathers me in his arms and holds me close. “You still want that annulment, baby?”

A sob bubbles up in my throat. “I was awful to you.”

“You didn’t remember,” he tells me as he buries his face in my hair and runs his hand along my spine. “I knew how you felt. I just needed you to remember it.”

“But I . . . I blamed you. I forgot . . . I forgot everything.” My chest tightens, and the all too familiar heavy ball of anxiety starts to grow in my chest. “I’m so sorry. I don’t have any better words to give you.”

“Baby, I don’t care about your words. Give me you, and I’m good.” He plays with the rings I haven’t taken off since he put them on my finger. “Marry me, Madeline Kingston.”

I wipe my face and run my hand over his heart. “I just told you I remember marrying you, E.”

“Do it again. Do it the way we should have done it the first time. In front of our families. Our friends. You in a white dress. Let Dixon walk you down the aisle and give you to me.”

The anxiety shifts and changes course as I think about my family and the way they’ve vilified Easton. “I’ll marry you again whenever you want. But I don’t care if anyone else is there, E. I just need us.”

“That’s not true, princess. You need your family. You might not be happy with them at the moment, but you can’t give up on them. I’d do almost anything to have my mom back.” Then almost like an afterthought, he adds, “She would have fucking loved you.”

“Fine. I’ll try to talk to them again when I get home, but I make no promises.” I wrap myself around my husband and lay my head on his chest, almost scared to close my eyes. “E?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Till we’re old and gray.”