13. Monroe
thirteen
Monroe
T he team was gathered around at the tables in the ballroom. The conversation was heated. No one noticed me entering the room. They were too concerned with the woman standing at the front. If I remembered right, her name was Keeley. I’d met her at lunch today, and she seemed nice enough but took intensity up to a whole other level. She was a doer. She made things happen.
Keeley raised her hands in a stopping gesture, and the room quieted. “I understand your concerns, but Mironov behaved inappropriately. Coach made the decision to pull him from the team for the upcoming game. It’s his prerogative.”
“Hux pushed him,” someone said, and my ears pricked up.
What happened? I didn’t catch any more details, as the volume of the group rose again, men talking over the top of one another. Cara and I weren’t privy to the team’s practice—we were invited to the warm-up skate before the game, but the coach had banned anyone who didn’t need to be there from today’s session. Cara and I had taken the people supporting the team—Keeley, the PA to someone important, and a few others out to lunch at a swanky restaurant on the river instead.
“He did not,” another man snapped in an accent that sounded like an odd mix between French, Canadian, and Australian. He stood up, and the room quieted down again, until there were only whispered grumbles. He made his way over to stand with Keeley and pointed at them. “Every one of you were at that practice. Mironov attacked Hux. Simple as that.”
“Hux deserved—”
“You don’t know what happened,” he snapped. He flicked his gaze to me and held it, as if daring me to speak a word. When I remained silent, he dipped his chin. It was the barest of acknowledgements. I had no clue whether it was a thank you for keeping quiet, because he’d seen me getting friendly with Hux, or whether it was a dare to disagree with him. He continued, “Don’t assume the tabloids are telling the truth. We all know how much trash they make up.”
I made a quiet exit. It was clearly a private meeting that I shouldn’t have overheard, and I didn’t want to intrude any more than I already had. Whatever was going on, I had a feeling that Hux would want some distance from it all.
I dialled Cara’s number and waited for her to pick up.
“Hey,” she said warmly.
“Hey, beautiful.” She giggled, and my gut fluttered, the butterflies that she set off with that sweet tinkle swooping and flipping. “Something went down at practice today. I’ve just walked in on a meeting where they were talking about Hux. It sounded like there were a few people on the team who weren’t real happy with him.”
“Oh,” she said, hesitating. “I, um, I’ve kept away from the tabloids, but I heard there was a scandal of some sort. I kind of don’t want to get involved.”
“I agree.”
“Okay, so what are you thinking?” she asked, the relief in her tone palpable.
“Feel like room service and another movie? Or maybe that date?”
There was a pause. “Oh, I thought…. Never mind. It’s okay—”
“What did you think, Cara?” I pressed, hoping she’d be brave enough to tell me. I really hoped I got this right. It seemed reckless somehow.
But also not.
“Well, when you mentioned Alec, I thought you meant for him—”
“I did,” I hurried to clarify. The relief that she and I had been thinking along the same lines lifted a weight I didn’t even realize I’d been carrying. “I meant that we should invite him. I thought we could organize something, and I could drag him along.”
“Oh.” She laughed happily, and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. A surge of pride filled me. I’d done that.
“If Alec was at practice today, he might be sore. Should we stay in again? We could get a few drinks from the bottle-o or…”
“Or?” I prompted.
“There’s this arcade—”
“I know the one, and it’s perfect. I’ll pick him up on the way to your room. What time do you want us there?”
“Give me an hour?”
***
There were no sounds coming through Hux’s door. I knocked, then waited and was surprised that it opened after a few seconds.
“Hi,” he said after a moment, looking from side to side up the corridor as if he was on the lookout for someone.
He was dressed only in a pair of loose grey workout shorts that hung so low on his hips it should be illegal. My guess was that he was settling in for the night. Headphones hung around his neck, murmurs of sound coming from them.
I stood there, speechless. He looked… sexy. No wonder Cara was attracted to him. I wasn’t blind. Even I could see exactly what drew her to him. His hair was fluffy, clearly having only just dried from the shower. It curled around his ears and gave him a boyish charm instead of the scowling, angry man or cocky tease I’d seen so far. But his eyes were wary, as if he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I didn’t like that look on him—I much preferred the relaxed cheekiness I’d witnessed in Cara’s room the night before.
I ran my gaze over him, admiring the hard work he’d put into his body. I could see every workout in the flex of his muscles. He would have put in endless hours of exercise and pushed his body to the limit over and over to be as perfectly sculpted as he was.
His broad shoulders were decorated with intricate tattoos that drew my eyes down and over his pecs. The tight nubs would tempt Cara to lick and bite them. His six-pack and the set of obliques he sported were like a washboard, and both were jealousy inducing. It was the same with the perfect V that was cut off by the waistband of his obscenely low shorts. I only wished I could have them. I was fit, and my stomach was mostly flat, but I was starting to show the signs of middle age. Hux was clearly in his prime.
His thick thighs screamed power. I couldn’t wait to see him on the ice and watch the explosiveness that would come with all that training. He reminded me of a tiger—beautiful and rare with a controlled strength that was awe-inspiring. He moved elegantly with a grace that was beautiful to watch. I had a feeling that he’d be the one I couldn’t tear my eyes away from when he was on the ice.
“Grab a shirt and some thongs. We’re due at Cara’s in five minutes.”
He hesitated, looking torn, before he shook his head. “I don’t think I’m good company tonight.”
“I get it, but I’m gatecrashing your night this time, and I’m not accepting no for an answer. You need to eat, remember?”
A ghost of a smile lifted his lips, and I knew I had him. The same pride that burst inside me hearing Cara’s laugh warmed my chest at seeing him happier. “It’s an arcade. We can shoot the shit, then get room service and watch another movie. You literally just need thongs and a shirt.”
“A thong? You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he teased, and my gut swooped.
I could definitely appreciate a beautiful body when I saw one, man or woman, and seeing him in a G-banger would be one hell of a sight, but that’s not what I’d said. He didn’t wait for me to explain, though.
“Sure, maybe having some company wouldn’t be so bad. But I might keep the shorts on.”
“Footwear, dude. Slides or flip-flops. They’re thongs here.”
Hux rolled his eyes and said, “No shit. I’m not clueless.”
A moment later he was ready to go, and we walked up the corridor together, Hux a step ahead of me. I shamelessly checked out the back of him. Those shorts highlighted his muscular ass beautifully. It was thick and round, and I could just imagine Cara’s dainty hand squeezing it. She’d leave a beautiful handprint there if she ever bent him over and spanked him.
“What’s the Entertainment Centre setup like?” I asked after clearing my throat and adjusting the semi that was tenting my own shorts. I needed to steer the conversation into safe ground away from what it’d be like to watch Hux and Cara together.
The only other thing I could think of was what went down in practice. I didn’t want the gossip, though, but just to know whether he was okay. Hux looked on edge, antsy and yet down at the same time, and I needed him to know that I’d happily listen if he wanted to talk.
“Not bad. The ice is good. The number of stadium seats is lower than I’m used to playing for—even my college arena was bigger—but I know hockey isn’t as big here, so I guess you’re repurposing a building used for something else.”
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s where they do most of the city’s concerts. Except the big ones, of course. They’re at the Cauldron.” Hux looked at me blankly, and I snorted out a laugh. “Sorry, I forget sometimes that people not from around here don’t know our names for things. The Cauldron is a football stadium. It’s sponsored by Suncorp, one of our banks, so it’s known as Suncorp Stadium now, but to us oldies, it’s still the Cauldron.”
Hux chuckled, and some of that cockiness that was missing reappeared. “You said it, old man.”
Cara opened the door a moment after Hux knocked, and she grasped his hand as she put her phone and keycard into the pocket of her denim jacket. She was wearing a cute little floral dress and Chucks, but what had me captivated was her hair. It was the first time I’d seen her wear it down—other than when Hux had brushed it, and she’d tied it straight back up after she’d fallen. The way the chestnut waves curled over her breasts had me wanting to reach out and run my fingers through it. Would it be as thick and silky smooth as it looked?
I paused, just wanting to watch the two of them for a moment. I liked what I saw—really liked it. While Hux was all cut lines and chiselled muscle, Cara was soft curves. He was guarded, and she was sunshine. She shot me a smile over her shoulder and held out her other hand, and I rushed to catch up.
We couldn’t stay like that out on the street, but while we were in the empty lift, it seemed that both Hux and I had the same idea. He pulled her into his arms and shifted her hair off her shoulder. Tugging down the collar of her jacket, he pressed a kiss to her throat.
I hooked a finger under her chin and leaned in close. The only place we were touching was our noses; I nuzzled hers with mine, our lips a hair’s breadth apart as I gave her the chance to pull away. But she did the opposite, pulling me closer, then brushing her lips against mine.
I groaned and deepened the kiss, tasting the sweetness of her strawberry lip gloss and the minty freshness of her toothpaste. She was addictive, and I wanted her too much to resist. I pressed her into Hux, wrapping my arms around her and finding Hux’s hip too. Cara’s breath caught, and I was instantly hard. I wanted to hear that noise coming from her when I spread her out on the bed and licked her delectable body all over. I reached for her hip, steadying myself from the lust-drenched head spin that enveloped me like I’d walked into a cyclone.
But she stopped me.
Cara pushed my hand back onto Hux’s hip, and I wasn’t sure whether the low purrlike rumble came from me or Hux. I hadn’t expected to like touching him... but I did. At least things wouldn’t be awkward when we took this further. Kissing her one after the other was one thing, but getting naked together would be a whole lot less awkward if we were all okay with accidental touches.
I staggered backward away from them at the announcement that we’d reached the ground floor. I blinked my eyes open and met Cara’s gaze. Her pupils were blown wide, her chest heaving as she sucked in oxygen. Her legs were crossed as if she needed to pee, but my guess was that she needed the friction as much as I did. Jesus H Christ, even a stiff breeze could get me off at the moment.
Hux looked like sex personified. His eyes were hooded, his lip swollen and wet from where he’d been biting it. His hands were splayed high on Cara’s sides inside her jacket, touching the sides of her breasts. I groaned, wanting to do the same thing.
“You getting out?” someone asked, startling me from my reverie.
“Yeah, sorry,” I answered and led the way, knowing that Cara and Hux would follow. I led them onto the footpath, and we walked to the arcade in the centre of the city. Hux insisted on paying even though I’d asked him and Cara out. The little shit snatched my wallet out of my hand and went to stuff it back in my pocket. But the photo of Ash I carried must have fallen out. When I turned around, I caught Hux gazing at it with a soft look in his eyes. My heart squeezed at the gentle way he brushed his thumb over the bent edges aged from a decade of me pulling it out and staring at it.
He seemed to startle and hurried to pass my wallet and the photo back. The smile he shot me was apologetic, and I was like a deer in headlights, frozen to the ground.
I was out of sorts, distracted for long enough that the server processed his payment. A card was shoved into one of my hands, and Cara took my other one and led me to the air hockey table. Cara and Hux lined up first, and Hux sank the puck as he passed it to Cara so she could take the first shot.
“Goodness, this is going to be a quick game if that’s how good my reflexes are,” she complained with laughter in her voice.
“Best of three,” Hux reassured her. “It was a lucky shot.”
It wasn’t. Cara was terrible, her hand-eye coordination atrocious and her reaction times even worse, but no matter how many times she missed, she grinned and giggled, waving away Hux’s encouragement with a flick of her wrist, straightening her jacket and striking a pose that I was sure was supposed to look intimidating but had us in stitches. With a hand on her hip, she finger-gunned Hux and winked at him before shooting the puck in his direction. He batted it back, and instead of letting it bounce off her paddle, she tried to hit it, earning a self-goal. After three games she lifted the paddle with both hands and held it out to me like an offering, bowing low at her waist as she handed it over.
“Teach me, Master,” she joked, and I snorted out a laugh.
“Hey, I might be just as bad against Hux. He makes winning look easy.”
Hux rolled his eyes but grinned at me, the challenge sparking in his eyes.
I did better than Cara. Barely.
Hux was fast, his reaction times so lightning quick that more often than not, he’d already sunk the puck in my slot before I even realized that he’d shot it.
“Holy shit, I’m bad at this,” I gasped, horrified.
“Thank goodness it wasn’t just me,” Cara huffed. “I looked like a stoned sloth compared to Mr Jackrabbit over here.” She gestured to Hux, who had his fingers pressed to the bridge of his nose, his face down.
I was by his side in a second, gripping his biceps. They were rock solid and so very warm. I shivered at the feel of that coiled strength under my palms and resisted the desire to run my hands up them. “Hoser,” he gasped, laughing louder.
“Stoned sloth,” Cara added between giggles.
Laughter bubbled up inside me, and I couldn’t help joining them. Every time I looked at Hux, I’d laugh harder, so I focussed on Cara instead. She was giggling so hard that she had tears streaming down her cheeks. I couldn’t look at her either without starting to laugh again too. I looked away and took a deep breath, forcing myself to stop. Finally, I had myself under control. But then I thought about how bad we both were, and it started again.
We moved onto basketball next, and that levelled the playing field significantly. I’d spent years shooting hoops with my son, Ash, and his best mate, Ryder. By the way Cara took the shots, she clearly had netball training, not once using the backboard for the rebound.
Tickets shot out of the machines, and my gaze met Hux’s. Without even having to say the words, I knew that we were both on a mission to get Cara the biggest soft toy they had in the place.
She ended up with a pair of oversized sunglasses, a foot-long length of raspberry liquorice, and a tiny notepad which she insisted was perfect for jotting down words when she wasn’t supposed to be writing.
“Want to grab a bite to eat?” I asked.
“Let’s do room service,” Cara suggested. “Alec trained today, so he must be tired.”
He opened his mouth, then snapped it closed again and smiled shyly at her. It was the first time I’d seen him completely let down his guard even just for a moment, and my breath caught. “I’d like that,” he murmured, taking her hand in his and kissing her knuckles.
Cara blushed and bit her lip, trying to contain her smile, but it was no use. And I bloody loved it.
We walked back to the hotel with Cara tucked into my side. My arm around her was everything, and I couldn’t even be bothered worrying about the second glances by people probably wondering if she was my daughter or my lover. A few of the players were in the lobby when we arrived, but Hux ignored them, heading straight to Cara’s room.
“Hey,” Cara said as the lift doors opened, and we stepped out on her floor. There was no one around us; the corridors were as quiet as a tomb. She stepped out from my embrace and cupped his face. I knew how soft her hands were, and I watched as Hux’s eyes fluttered closed and he leaned into her touch. “I’m sorry for whatever went down today. I hate that you’re going through a rough time. But I’m here— we’re here—if you want to talk about it or even if you want to sweat it out.” Her face flamed, and she giggled, her eyes drifting closed in mortification. “In the gym. Sweat it out in the gym. With Monroe. Not me. Anyone but me in a gym.”
He wrapped her in his arms and buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing deep. I didn’t know what to do, the urge to make it better despite my powerlessness was like an itch I couldn’t scratch. Touching him was intimate, but he didn’t seem to have anyone here but us. Blanking out the thoughts occupying my mind, I tugged the tie out of his hair and ran my fingers through the soft waves. He groaned and reached out, blindly seeking me. It settled something inside me to know I could give him something. I stepped up behind Cara and pressed myself against her back. Hux found my shirt and gripped it tight. I slid my hand over his and rubbed my thumb over his wrist. Gooseflesh peppered his skin, and I slipped my hand higher, up those strong forearms.
When he let go of my shirt, I wanted to protest, but then he touched my hip and slid his hand higher to my waist. I rested my forehead against the top of his head, and he exhaled, going lax in Cara’s arms.
I massaged his head, running my hand down to his nape and squeezing. His breath hitched, and Cara shifted. She pressed a kiss to his temple, and the urge to take his lips welled up in me. I fought it back, kissing Cara instead.
“Thank you,” Hux murmured, his voice low and rough. “Today has been all kinds of fucked-up. But this—tonight and right now—has made it better.”
“Let’s go inside,” I said, giving his neck another squeeze before letting go.
His smile was small, but there was something deeper shining in his eyes that reached out to me and held me captivated.
Inside, Hux switched on the television and immediately brought up the second Mamma Mia movie. I smiled and looked across at Cara. She was gazing at him with hearts in her eyes, her lips tilted up in a smile that was so filled with adoration, it made my breath catch. She flicked her gaze to me, and her smile slipped. She put down the room service menu and came to me, reaching up to cup my face like she’d done to Hux. I didn’t hesitate, pressing my lips to hers and sweeping my tongue inside her mouth. She tasted sweet like the liquorice we’d shared and something uniquely her. I was addicted, the moan that escaped from deep in my throat entirely involuntary.
We ordered more food for Hux than Cara and me combined, then collapsed back onto the couch with Cara between us once more. Her feet were in my lap, and she leaned back on Hux, who had his arms around her waist. They looked so comfortable together and genuinely perfect for each other.
I ran my thumb over her calf, and her smooth skin met my fingers. She flushed and bit her lip, and I shifted, letting one of her legs fall behind me while keeping the other in my hands. I lifted her foot, then pressed a kiss to the soft skin above her ankle. I nuzzled her, my lips lingering there. Cara inhaled sharply, and her eyes fluttered closed. I kissed higher along her leg, reaching her knee before I leaned in and took her lips with mine. Bracing myself against the armrest behind Hux, I rested my other arm along the back of the sofa and let part of my weight rest on her. She gripped my hair and tugged me closer, slamming her mouth against mine and trapping me between her legs. Her kisses were drugging, her touch sure but tentative too.
I took, losing myself in our kiss. I was hard muscle and rough hands and groans, and she was soft curves and delicate sighs. I wanted to sink into her, to make love to her all night. Her sweet scent and the press of her fingers as they dug into my back were addictive.
Hux touched my shoulder, soft and light. It was cautious, as if by accident, but his fingers were like a brand, leaving a trail of heat in their wake. My hips punched forward without conscious thought from me, and Cara moaned. Her heat was pressed up against my rock-hard dick, and it took everything in me to stop grinding against her.
Jesus Christ, touching them and being with them had unlocked something in my brain. I wanted more of it. I moaned and pressed my thigh harder against Hux’s, grinding my hips against Cara’s pussy again.
The knock on the door startled me. My muscles locked up, and I groaned. Fuck me, I’d been completely lost in her.
In them.
I pulled back and licked my lips, chasing the taste of her. Cara’s pupils were blown, her eyes heavy lidded and her lips kiss swollen. Her dress was pushed up high, and I could see the pale flowers on her cute underwear.
My breath punched out of my lungs when I looked up at Hux. Lust poured off him like a waterfall. His cheeks were flushed, and he white-knuckled the couch with the hand that he’d had on my shoulder. I knew that when Cara sat up, he’d be hard, and I was... intrigued. I wanted to watch him with her. I wanted to see the way he moved inside her.
Purely for science.
Cara smoothed her dress down and clambered off the couch, almost tripping as she did. Hux reached for her, steadying her before she fell, and froze when he saw me staring at him. The hard ridge of his cock tented his loose shorts. His balls were high and tight, two perfect spheres snug under the base of his cock. That desire to reach out and touch him flared hard. I knew it was the remnant of desire that had been flooding my system only a moment earlier, like the fading high of adrenaline after having a rush.
I adjusted myself and smirked, gesturing to Cara as she opened the door for the room service trolley to be wheeled in. “She’s addictive.”
“She is,” he replied. His voice was smoky and gravelly at the same time, rough and deep, and I wondered what he’d sound like when he’d just woken up, all sleep rumpled and warm.
I stood up and cleared the coffee table from the books and Cara’s laptop so the server could unload the trolley. When it was empty, Hux saw him out and joined us back at the couch. We dove in and ate silently, watching as Donna fell for Sam, Harry, and Kurt.
“I wish she didn’t have to choose,” Cara murmured. “They could have been happy.”
I wasn’t sure whether Hux’s half grunt, half hum was in agreement or otherwise, but there was no doubt in my mind that if Cara was worried about having to choose between us, she should stop. I would never make her do that, and from what I’d seen so far, Hux was open-minded enough to let it happen too.
I put my fork down and shifted my nearly empty plate onto the table before I turned on my seat to face her. I fingered a lock of her hair, gently pushing it over her shoulder, and said, “Maybe she doesn’t have to.”
Cara swallowed and looked at me wide-eyed. I sucked in a breath and tried to be brave. I wouldn’t ask Cara to choose, not because I didn’t want her, but because I knew she wanted Hux, and the more time we spent together, the more I liked the bloke. It wasn’t a hardship being with him.
There was an end date to this affair anyway. We could only ever last for a few weeks. An unfamiliar pang hit me in the chest when I thought about how Hux would go home and Cara and I would return to the Coast. It was anyone’s guess whether she would want to keep seeing me when we were back in our routines. I didn’t want to go back to being alone. I didn’t want to watch her from a distance and remember times like tonight with melancholy. I wanted this to be the beginning of something lasting. I didn’t know whether it was possible, whether she and I were even on the same page with that.
But I wanted to try.
“My daughter is always telling me that societal conventions are a way to control the masses. She says that anything ‘other’ is looked upon badly. People become scared to rock the boat. But while we’re here, together like this, we can say screw that. We can do what makes us happy.”
Cara stilled, her fork halfway to her lips. Her eyes widened and she snapped her mouth shut. Then she swallowed.
She lowered her fork, and it landed with a quiet tinkle on the china.
Her eyes didn’t leave mine, and she stared at me as if she wanted to know the full depth of my implication.