Chapter 11
MILES
Carrying the tree back to the cabin through the deep snow is a new kind of gym workout. I’m silently impressed Ryan cut down a tree, though I’m not about to give him props.
But the guy is distracted. I’d swear it’s by whatever he and Sierra were talking about when we showed.
I’m no matchmaker—Brooke’s more that person between the two of us—but I’m down for a little gossip. It wasn’t weird to see Sierra show up here, because she’s in the group chat and often at parties and hangs with the girls.
Something’s up.
I’d like to see Ryan, in all his eagerness and cockiness, laid flat over a girl. That would make my holiday.
Jay goes in the door first. The branches are covered with snow, and as we get the tree inside, snow flicks off the branches and onto the floor.
Chloe screeches. “You’re making a mess!”
“It’s worth it, Chlo,” I say.
The inside of the cabin is cozy after the chill from outside.
Not going to lie, Ryan picked a good spot. When he proposed sneaking away for a couple days before the Christmas game, it seemed like an easy idea. But the small cabin, as tricked out as it is, was not what I expected.
I’m starting to appreciate it.
“You couldn’t get something smaller?” Chloe demands as we carry the tree to the corner.
“This is the one,” Ryan insists.
I know the feeling. When you know, you know.
My gaze lands on the woman curled up by the fire in a pink sweater and shiny yoga pants, my dog in her lap and a magazine spread in front of her.
Brooke has been it for me since almost the second I laid eyes on her.
I’ve known her since college. I got drafted partway through and she was just starting, but because I played near her school, her brother asked me to look out for her.
Being Jay’s teammate and best friend made it forbidden as hell that I had a thing for her.
Her warm eyes, her drive, her sense of humor. Her killer curves and the way she dances. I love everything about her.
“Whatcha reading, Princess?”
There’s a stack of wedding magazines on the table next to her, so I know what she’s got, but I want to see it for myself.
Now, the big diamond on her finger is evidence of the fact I shake myself with when I wake up every morning: Brooke agreed to marry me.
It’s going to be the perfect ending to our story… if she’d only agree to a date.
I lean over the spread and eye the pages, expecting to see wedding dresses and flower arrangements.
I was glad to see she brought a bunch of magazines with her and hoped she’d use this time to settle on some decisions.
She’s the one into design and fashion, and it makes her happy, so I’ll get my girl anything she wants.
“What the…? Cookies?” I ask, surprised to see baked goods on the pages rather than white gowns and flowers.
“And coffee cakes.” She thumbs through the pages with silver holiday-decorated nails.
“Since when do you bake?”
“I’m an excellent window shopper.”
“I thought you were looking at wedding stuff.”
Brooke lowers the magazine. “I am looking at those things.”
She cocks her head at me. In her lap, my Frenchie mimics her.
God, she’s got him wrapped around her finger.
I lean on the chair and bend down, brushing my lips over hers. When she softens, my hand tangles in her hair and I kiss her deeper.
“When are you tying the knot?” Atlas calls.
I pull back, waiting on her to answer.
“We can’t book a venue until I know lead times on my dress.”
I swallow my sigh at Brooke’s words. Since I proposed, I’ve been wanting to get this thing done. The conversation with the guys outside reminded me how important this is—how important she is.
The sheer difficulty of being a top athlete and maintaining a healthy relationship… It’s not fair to my girl how much I’m gone, the demands on my time, all the nights I come home beat.
“Come on. Let’s go bake something,” I say.
“Really?” Her nose scrunches up.
I lift her chin with a finger. “What did you have in mind?”
“Let’s go skating.”
Nova agrees to join, plus Chloe.
We get dressed for the weather and head outside, Waffles yipping happily at our heels.
Brooke makes a beeline for the shed, where Ryan said he found his saw. The outbuilding only has two pairs of skates, but…
“Toboggans!” Brooke exclaims as she spots the two sleds. “There’s a hill on the other side of the rink.”
“You’d rather fly down a hill than skate?” Nova asks.
“Have we met?! Obviously.”
They laugh, and I carry the toboggans that way. Fortunately, they’re both wider than children’s ones, though it’ll be a tight fit.
“Clay didn’t want to come?” Brooke teases as we walk. The fur lining the hood of her jacket sways in the wind.
“Skating isn’t his thing. There’s a limit to his whimsy,” Nova says.
“You guys know each other so well,” Chloe observes. “I never thought I’d see him find his person—well, other than himself.”
The women all laugh.
“Yeah. He’s definitely used to going it alone. I try to show him it’s more fun together.” Nova’s sweet face is bright.
“What’s up with Ryan and Sierra?” Brooke asks. “I think he has a thing for her. He always looks for her at the bar.”
“I mean… she’s the bartender,” I reply.
“Does he hook up on the road?”
I zip my lips. “Not talking. Bear code.”
Three pairs of eyes stare me down. Chloe’s unsurprised, Nova’s disappointed, and Brooke’s like, Are you fucking kidding me?
“But…” I relent a little. “I think he misses having someone to call him on his bullshit.”
We get to the top of the hill and peer down. The sun glints off the snow, and more snow is coming down.
“Well, only one thing to do now.” Brooke perches at the front of the sled, gathering Waffles into her lap. Both of them looks up at me.
I put my hands on the back of the toboggan.
Brooke twists around. “You don’t think all three of us will fit?”
“We’re damn well going to try.”
I start running and pushing, then jump onto the toboggan. Brooke throws up her hands and my dog yips.
We slide down the hill, faster than I expect. The whoosh of wind on my face feels good. So does having her in front of me.
In the league, guys think of me as the fun one. But Brooke makes it all magic. She’s the best sidekick at a party or partner in crime for a prank.
The second run, we lean the wrong way, and we go sprawling.
I land next to her in a pile. She’s grinning.
“I love you, Princess.”
“I love you.”
“Want to go back and bake cookies?”
“Great.”
But I swear her smile dims a little, and I wish I knew why.
* * *
Brooke
I take Waffles back to the cabin, then strip out of my jacket and boots before heading to the kitchen. I pull out baking supplies from under the counter, plus mixing bowls. There’s a bag of giant candy canes Miles brought. I take one.
Is this really who we are? Cozy cottage baking people?
For the longest time, I wanted a man who saw me and had my back through everything.
I found him. He’d been there the whole time.
My fiancé, the all-star of the league and my fantasies. All the memories I have of secret hookups and longing looks and sexy road trips.
It’s stupid to wonder, but what if the tension, the sneaking around, was part of the fun? Will that go away once we tie the knot?
On impulse, I pull my boots back on. I return to the shed and tug open the door. Inside, the sunlight falls over Miles resetting the sleds on a shelf.
“I love you. I love our life.”
He turns, meeting my gaze. “Me too.”
“I don’t want things to get… boring.”
“Boring?” he echoes, his dark brows shooting up under the thick fall of hair.
“There’s always been so much tension between us. Fire. Chaos.” I shrug helplessly.
His gaze drops to my hand and the candy cane in it. “You think we’ll bake peppermint chocolate chip cookies and all of a sudden it’ll be dull?”
“You’re making fun of me,” I grumble, folding my arms.
His eyes crinkle. “C’mere.”
I oblige, stomping across the floor to him.
He’s really handsome even when he’s laughing at me.
“You remember the time you took me shopping for your sorority retreat?” His hands reach for the front of my pants. “You were helping me get dressed.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point is, all I could think about was how it would feel to fuck you in that dressing room.”
The memory has arousal tingling through me. “But that’s because we couldn’t. It was hot because we knew it wasn’t an option.”
His eyes dance. “Turn around.”
With a suspicious look, I comply.
He finds the waist of my yoga pants and tugs them down over my hips. The cold air hits my thighs and makes me shiver.
“I used to think about you all the time,” he says. “When I was in practice. You were Jay’s little sister, and it was forbidden as hell. I knew it, but I couldn’t stop wanting you.” Every word turns me on more. Especially when he says, “Lean on the sled.”
The toboggan is in front of me, and I place my hands on the smooth wood. “What are you doing?”
I feel his hand on my lower back.
He takes the candy cane lying next to me.
“Boring things. The kind we’re gonna do when we’re married.”
His fingers brush my panties, the cold air making me extra sensitive. Then he sucks on the candy cane, releasing it with a pop.
Miles’s hand finds my shoulders and gently pushes me down. “When we started hanging out, I thought it would be easier. Being around you. Like it would take the edge off the way I wanted you. Instead, having you up close only made me want you more. I wanted you in my place, my life.”
My throat is dry, every inch of me craving his touch. “Not your bed?”
“I pictured you and me a thousand places. Bed didn’t even crack the top ten.”
I feel the poke of the firm object where I’m wet. It’s wet too, and it slides in.
“Ohhh.”
The shed creaks with a gust of wind, and I tense, looking at the door. “Someone could come in.”
“Too exciting for you?” he teases.
He works the candy cane in and out until I’m pushing back, needing more.
“Fuck, you look good,” Miles mutters.
Finally, he pulls out the candy cane. The wrapper crinkles, and I twist to look at him in time to see him discard the plastic and hold it out to me.
Miles’s hands go to his belt, but he waits me out. When he works his zipper down, I can see the massive bulge in his shorts.
I take the candy cane from him and put it on my tongue. The minty flavor fills my tastebuds.
Miles presses against me where I’m wet.
I moan a little around the end of the candy cane.
“More,” I say.
“You first.”
I suck on the candy cane.
He presses deeper into me.
Fuck.
“Miles…”
His finger rubs my clit, little strokes exactly the way I need them. My breathing gets shallow.
“That’s it, Princess.” He rewards my responsiveness with more of him.
Soon he’s pumping in and out, deep enough that he slaps against my skin.
“I’ll never get tired of the ways I want you and the things I want to experience with you.” He says it like a promise, and it’s everything I need.
My fingers grip the edge of the shelf. “I can’t…”
The reverberations start deep in my stomach. My body tightens, waves of pleasure rippling through me.
I come in a sweaty, shaking pile. He’s already groaning against my ear.
“You’re so beautiful. Never dreamed life could get this good. Now and always.”
I reach back, my limp fingers finding the back of his tense neck to hold him closer.
He’s close. I can feel it.
I squeeze one more time, my nails digging lightly into his neck, and that’s all it takes.
Miles roars and spills deep inside me. It’s almost as satisfying to feel him lose control, to know that I’m the one who gets to make the guy the world knows as an easygoing player come totally unhinged.
“Admit it,” I pant when we can breathe again. “The tobogganing was better than the baking.”
Miles chuckles, tracing a line down my back that he follows with his mouth. “You might be right about that, Princess.”