Wild Ever After: A Marriage of Convenience Sports Romance (Wildcat Hockey Book 3)

The following Saturday, I wake up in my bed alone for the first time in a couple of weeks. Not a fan.

Usually, Jade sleeps in well past my alarm, but the bed is cold, and I can’t hear any movement in the house.

I get up and take a quick shower, then head downstairs. Today I need to finish a few odds and ends around the house. It’s mostly done. I’m waiting on a couple of things for the upstairs bathroom, and I still want to switch out the cabinets in the kitchen, but summer is winding down and I need to start putting all my focus on training and getting ready for the upcoming season.

While I eat a bowl of cereal and down a protein shake, I keep expecting Jade to turn up. Maybe she’s working? She didn’t mention it last night, but then again, we’ve done a lot less talking and a whole lot more making out this week.

I have two texts. One from Maverick, a group text reminding us all that his one-year anniversary party is tonight. He and Dakota did a Vegas quickie wedding last year, so Mav is going all out on the anniversary party. Should be fun.

The second text is from Ash, saying he and Leo are skipping our usual morning run. I fire back a response, letting him know I think they’re both slackers and then head out.

I only get as far as the driveway when I spot Jade’s red Volkswagen coming up the street. I pause and wait for her to pull in. She refuses to park in the garage. I have yet to figure out how to force her into it. Maybe shoveling herself out from under a few feet of snow this winter will do the trick.

Who am I kidding? That’s going to be me. I like doing shit like that for Jade. She always looks at me in awe over the simplest considerations.

She’s sporting an ear-to-ear grin, which I find myself replicating until I notice the truck pulling in behind her. Jade hops out of her car and heads toward the guy parking behind her. What the hell?

A young guy gets out and looks at her in a way that makes me want to pummel him.

“What do you think?” Jade asks, and it takes a second for me to realize she’s talking to me.

“What?”

“The chair.” She points as the guy pulls down the tailgate and climbs up into the bed of his truck. My gaze jumps from the chair to the guy unhooking the straps and stealing glances at Jade.

“I found it at a little thrift store. It’s in practically new condition.”

“Where do you want it?” he asks her.

“Living room,” she says at the same time I finally snap out of it.

“I got it.” I step forward and take the chair from him. It’s a puke-green, velvet-upholstered accent chair with a round back. It’s heavy as fuck and smells musty as hell.

I try not to breathe as I lift it down from the truck. “You paid money for this?”

“She got a great deal on it.” The dude jumps to the ground and continues to beam at Jade.

“Who are you?” I ask him.

“Declan,” Jade admonishes me and sends an elbow into my ribs. Like I care if this dude thinks I’m rude. I think he’s rude for gawking at my girl.

“Yes, wife.” I look at the guy as I speak, sending him a silent, Mine, buddy. Capisce?

“This is Elton,” Jade says. “He works at the store and offered to bring the chair himself.”

Yeah, I bet he did.

“Thanks, man. We’ve got it from here.” I motion with my head for Jade and step toward the house. “Show me where you want this, wife.”

This time she rolls her eyes at the endearment. “Okay, husband.”

She might be patronizing me, but I still kinda dig it.

Jade holds open the front door for me, and I walk through and head toward the stairs. “Your office or room?”

Walking into the living room, she attempts to move my favorite recliner. Attempts because it’s heavy and doesn’t budge. “I thought it could go here.”

“Where will the recliner go?”

“I’m not sure.” Bringing her thumbnail to her lips, she scans the room.

Since it doesn’t look like this ugly thing is going upstairs, I set the chair down next to the couch. The rest of the furniture is a dark gray. I bought it all new when I moved in here, so it fits the space perfectly.

“If you don’t like the furniture pieces that are in here, we can go pick out new stuff together.”

“I like them,” she says, moving to stand on the opposite side, like she’s trying to get a read on the room from every angle.

“Then why the sudden desire to wake up at the ass crack of dawn and buy an old chair?”

Her gaze snaps to me. “I want to contribute something. Everything in this house is yours.”

She didn’t have a lot when she moved in, but I guess I see her point.

“This chair smells like fifty years of ass.”

“It’s vintage.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You don’t like my chair.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

“I didn’t say that. Don’t care for the smell, but I’ve got a bottle of Febreze around here somewhere, or I can stop by Ash’s and see if he has some Axe body spray. That shit masks everything.”

Her smile slips, and I want to kick myself. Fuck, this really means a lot to her.

I close the distance between us and take both her hands in mine. “The chair is great. Thank you.”

“You hate it.”

“Nah. It’s growing on me. I’ll move the recliner into my office, and it can go right there.” I point to the spot.

A pleased smile curves her lips. “It matches the little flecks of green in your eyes.”

“That right?” I dip my head lower and brush my lips across hers.

“Mhmm.”

She pulls back and looks to the chair. Saying my apologies to my recliner, I take it into the office, and when I return, Jade is pushing the green chair into its spot.

“What do you think?” She plops down in the middle of it and grins at me.

I think it looks a fuck of a lot better with her sitting in it.

Later, we get dressed up and go to Maverick and Dakota’s anniversary party. Mav did not disappoint. It’s as over the top as I would expect from the dude. He loves the same way he does everything else—big and wild.

The party is out back of his new house. A huge white party tent is set up, and there are a million lights strung all around, inside and out. A live band is playing and people are already dancing. There’s also a huge buffet of food and tables set up inside the tent for people to sit and eat and relax.

“Congratulations,” I say to him, when Jade and I make our way around the party to the happy couple.

“Thank you.” Mav pulls me into a bear hug while Kota watches on and laughs.

He goes to Jade next, giving her the same enthusiastic embrace. “Thank you for all the tips.”

“Tips?” Jade asks, looking confused.

“He’s been reading your articles for the past year,” Kota answers for him.

“Are you serious?” I ask with a chuckle.

“You haven’t?” He fires back at me.

I’ve read through the ones Jade sent me for approval, but outside of those, I haven’t. And now I wish I had because she aims a pleased smile at him. “I love that. Thank you. I thought those table decorations looked familiar.”

“All you,” he confirms, then bobs his head in time with the beat. “But this playlist is all me. Dance, wifey?”

After they go, I hold out my hand to Jade.

“Dance, wifey?” I ask, mimicking Maverick.

With a giggle, she puts her palm on top of mine. When we get to the dance floor, she’s quickly pulled away from me and into a circle with Scarlett and Piper, along with some of Dakota’s friends from college.

Maverick introduces me to some of his old Valley U teammates that made the trip up, and we hang back, watching the girls, talking hockey and other bullshit to pass the time.

It reminds me of a hundred other nights where Jade and I were at the same event. I hung with the guys, while she was the life of the party. We’d maybe catch each other’s line of vision once or twice, and on a couple of occasions, we even said a few words to each other.

But I don’t want to be that guy anymore. I like spending my evenings with her a whole lot more than standing on the sidelines like I have most of my life. The music changes to a slower song and I take that as my sign.

Stepping forward, I wrap both arms around her waist. She glances up over her shoulder and smiles at me.

“Still want your dance?” She leans into my chest.

“Definitely.”

Jade turns to face me and drapes her arms over my shoulders. I tighten my grip to eliminate the space between us. I wouldn’t call what we’re doing dancing, more like hugging and swaying ever so slightly.

Tonight, she has on this sexy black dress that ties around her neck and leaves her back bare. I glide my hands over her soft, warm skin.

“You look gorgeous tonight.”

“You already said that.”

She’s right. I did. She still grins at me, though.

“You are pretty sharp, yourself. I could get used to seeing you in a suit.”

“I wear them for every game, so you’re in luck.”

“Oh, right.” Her eyes light up, which makes me chuckle.

She tips her head up to kiss me. “I need a drink. Wanna come with me?”

“Always.”

Jade leads me to one of two bars set up for the party. She orders for us and then hands me a glass filled with something blue.

“What is that?” I ask, taking a sniff.

“Mad Dog, what else?”

I chuckle at the mention of Maverick’s favorite liquor. He’s always drinking this shit. I take a small sip and then grimace. “I have no idea how he drinks this.”

“I kind of like it.” She takes a bigger drink and then grins. “It’s strong.”

“Easy, baby. You have plans later.”

“I do, huh?” Her brows lift.

“Someone left me hanging this morning.”

She sticks out her bottom lip. “How do you think I feel every morning?”

The thought of Jade wanting me that way when she wakes up alone on every other day of the week when I get up early to work out has my blood pumping faster.

“Sounds like we need to sync our schedules.”

“Oh no. You get up way too early for me.”

“The early bird gets the worm and all that.”

“The early bird gets no sex, apparently.”

A chuckle shakes free from my chest. “Touché.”

“This is really growing on me.” She takes another drink and stares over at the house. “Have you seen inside?”

“Yeah.” I nod. “I helped him move.”

“Of course, you did. You’re such a good guy.”

“That almost sounds like a bad thing coming out of your mouth.”

“No, I like it. You’re a gentleman in the streets but a freak in the sheets.”

I bark a laugh into the night. She’s too fucking much. “Come on. I’ll give you a tour of the house.”

“Oooh.” She has an extra pep in her step and I’m not sure if it’s her excitement to see the house or if she’s already feeling the effects of the stupid-strong alcohol.

I’m a crappy guide, but Jade doesn’t seem to care that I lead her straight to the powder room at the front of the house.

“Oh, this is so nice,” she says, turning in a circle. “I can’t get over everyone’s houses. You should see some of the dumps I lived in growing up.”

An ache forms in my chest at her admission. She doesn’t talk about her childhood or her mom a lot, and I haven’t pushed because I know what it’s like not to want to relive painful memories.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she says. “It wasn’t that bad. I had a home and food, and my mom was great most of the time.”

“But not all the time?”

“Is anyone great all the time?” she asks.

I stay quiet. I don’t know the answer to that, but she knows my story points to the same conclusion.

“Except you. You’re always great.” She steps back to me and places a hand on my chest. “Why are you always so great to me?”

“I like you.”

“I guess no one has liked me as much as you, then.”

“I guess not.”

She grips my shirt and tugs me to her. She tastes likes Mad Dog, and I’m suddenly thinking it’s not so bad anymore. I back her up against the vanity and then lift her onto it.

“Is this okay?” she asks, glancing back at the door.

I walk over and shut and lock it. “I’d say we owe them after they were getting it on at our wedding reception.”

“Oh right. We totally do.” She reaches up and unties the top of her dress. The material pools at her waist. “Why are you still wearing pants?”

Laughing, I go back to her and stand between her legs. “I like it better when you undress me.”

I cup her boobs, running my thumbs over her perfect pale nipples as she undoes my pants and pushes them down, with my boxer briefs, far enough that my dick springs free.

I’m already hard and leaking for her.

“Do you have any condoms?”

“Dammit, no.” I jut my chin toward the medicine cabinet. “Maybe Mav has every room in the house stocked?”

“We don’t need…” she trails off and then restarts, “I’m on birth control.”

I nod.

“You still want to check to see if he has every room stocked, don’t you?”

I slide my palms up her thighs. “Later.”

She scoots to the edge and pushes her panties down, then pulls them off and slingshots the lacy material at my face. I catch them in one hand and shove them in my pocket.

Leaning forward, Jade grabs me by the shirt—something I’ve learned to love because it always means she’s about to kiss me.

Our position has my dick at the perfect level, rubbing against her slit as her lips crush mine. Her body shutters at the contact, so I do it again, this time pushing in just a fraction.

I’m too turned on, too impatient. The next time, I bury myself inside her. Jade whimpers and tightens her grasp on my shirt.

I’m never gonna last like this, but she doesn’t seem to mind.

“It’s never been like this.” She drops her head to my shoulder. “You’re either very good at this or…”

Her body tightens around me, and she finds her release. Three more thrusts and I follow her, biting down on her shoulder to keep myself from asking her to finish that statement.

We get cleaned up and head back to the party, hand in hand. My mind is still stuck on Jade’s words; it’s never been like this for me either. Is it the circumstance or is what we have just more? Somewhere along the way, I stopped being able to picture going to parties or even home without Jade by my side. Is she feeling that too?

She swings our joined hands between us and smiles up at me. “How much do you hate the chair?”

“What chair?” I ask, playing dumb and fighting a grin.

“You need more color in your house. You’re all grays and blacks with wood accents.”

“I don’t hate the chair.”

“Good.” Her smile gets bigger.

“It needs to be cleaned though. It stinks something awful.”

She buries her laugh into my bicep. “It really does, doesn’t it?”