The Christmas Rebound

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

QUINN

“ W hy are there marshmallows in the fish tank?”

My eyebrows pull together as I hear the words behind me. I turn around slowly, my feet pivoting on the tile floor in Lincoln and Nova’s kitchen as I look in the direction of where his voice came. Through the mingling people, I see him and lift my mug to my lips to conceal my grin as I see Hayes Wilder crouched down in front of Nova’s daughter.

They’re tucked away in the corner of the kitchen where no one saw what was going on. Hayes smiles at her while holding the soggy marshmallow in his hand as they stand next to the small tank on the table along the wall. His lips move as he says something else to her and she takes off running into the living room. Hayes stands upright and shakes his head as he walks toward me, stopping to throw the piece of food into the trash can.

“Kids,” he says with a soft chuckle as he walks over to where I’m standing by the counter. “I don’t know what gave her the idea that her little fish can eat marshmallows.”

I laugh too, shaking my head as my eyes focus solely on him. “Thank God you were there to save the day.”

Hayes folds his arm across his torso and gives a bow. “I’m just here to serve, Miss Sanders.”

I half choke on a breath of air as his words slide across my eardrums in a sultry tone. Hayes doesn’t comment on my coughing fit and instead raises an eyebrow as he reaches past me to fill his glass with the alcoholic Christmas concoction Lincoln made. The faint smell of Hayes’s cologne infiltrates my senses and I resist the urge to push him away from me.

I should have known better than to come to a holiday party thrown by one of the players from the team I work for. Working in a male-dominated field, I’ve almost become one of the guys in their eyes, so when Lincoln and Nash both mentioned the party during one of their therapy sessions, it wasn’t abnormal. I did try to turn down the offer, but after they got Hayes to bother me about it, it was hard to say no.

It’s not like a boundary was being crossed. My friendships with the guys are all strictly platonic. Working in close quarters with a bunch of male athletes requires having lines drawn from the start. Thankfully, I haven’t run into any issues with any of the players on the team. I’m the assistant physical therapist so we do a lot of hands-on work with them.

Although there are boundaries, that doesn’t mean I’m blind or fully immune to some of their charm… mainly Hayes Wilder, if I’m being honest. He plays right wing for the Aston Archers and has been coming to see me more often than needed lately.

The tension in the air between us has been palpable, but I’ve been doing my best to ignore it. It’s in everyone’s best interest if we all remain professional, but I’ve noticed a few things that have me questioning what he’s up to.

Especially the comment he just made to me.

“What are your plans for the holiday, Doc?”

I take a sip of my drink and let out a sigh. “Well, my family lives out of state so I’m supposed to go have lunch at Luke’s grandmother’s tomorrow.”

Hayes curls his upper lip in distaste. “Luke,” he sneers at my boyfriend's name, like the thought alone is enough to prick his skin. “You’re still keeping that guy around?”

“Luke’s a good guy,” I argue, my eyebrows pulling together. Luke and I have been dating on and off for the past year, but he’s been a little distant lately, so I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince myself or Hayes here.

My work schedule is pretty insane and he’s been complaining about it for a while. Luke has also made it clear that he doesn’t like me working with a bunch of men. I would be lying if I said the comments he made didn’t piss me off, but I’ve been doing my best to ignore them.

“That’s debatable, Quinn,” Hayes says with irritation in his tone. Gone is the playfulness and instead he’s giving me a stern look. “I told you before, I don’t get a good vibe from the guy.”

“You met him one time. I hardly think that’s long enough to make a judgment on someone.”

He shakes his head as his eyes burn holes into mine. “Have you forgotten everything you told me about him?”

My mouth is instantly dry and it’s a struggle to try and swallow. The memory is fresh in my brain, regardless of how many times I’ve tried to extinguish it. One night after work, I went out to get a drink after fighting with Luke the night before. I ended up running into Hayes and after a few drinks, I told him things I shouldn’t have said.

Mainly about our sex life… or lack thereof.

Luke has never been a sexual person and I’ve tried to adjust my own expectations with that, but it’s been hard. I crave the connection and honestly, I just enjoy the pleasure. He’s made me feel weird in the past, like there’s something wrong with me for having a more intense sex drive than he has.

Hayes suggested that night that maybe there’s someone else and there are times where I catch myself wondering the same thing.

“No, I didn’t forget,” I tell him, my voice low enough that no one can hear. “I wish both of us could forget I mentioned any of that.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate.” He lets out a soft chuckle before clicking his tongue. “Lucky for both of us, that’s something I’m not bound to forget.” He leans toward me again, reaching for a napkin that he doesn’t need as his face brushes the side of mine. “One day when you find yourself single, I’d love to show you what it’s actually supposed to be like.”

My breath catches in my throat. “Like what is?”

I instantly regret speaking the words without any thought behind it, but there’s a burning curiosity within me. I’m dying to know, to hear, what it is he would do.

“What it’s like when someone cares about your pleasure and wants to take care of you.”

He slowly pulls away and my heart hammers in my chest as I find myself staring him head on. “Don’t be foolish, Hayes. We both know you’re a smooth talker, so don’t think I’m going to just fall for your words like that.”

He tilts his head to the side, raising an eyebrow at me. “You don’t think I mean it?”

“I think you probably say a lot of things to women to make them feel better about themselves.”

He straightens his head, his eyes not leaving mine. “If you felt my cock right now, I think you’d know these aren’t just words.”

Holy shit.

“Tell me, Doc,” he says softly as people move around us, no one seeming to notice either of us standing in the kitchen together. “We’ve been tiptoeing around each other for long enough. I think it’s time we explore whatever this is between us.”

Breaking away from his gaze, I quickly glance around the room, feeling the blush already spreading across my face. I make sure no one is looking and quickly grab his hand, pulling him with me as I duck out of the kitchen and into a room off to the side. I don’t know what room I was imagining it would be, but I didn’t think it would be the damn laundry room.

Releasing his hand, I spin on my heel as the door closes behind us. As I turn around to face him, I practically collide with his chest as he moves toward me. “I didn’t mean right now, but if that’s what you want, I don’t think I possess the ability to tell you no.”

“You know we can’t, Hayes.” My voice is stern, yet I don’t feel the same strength inside. He’s in my space, his hands on my hips as he backs me toward the washer. I don’t protest as he lifts me up with ease and gently sets me down on it.

“We can’t or you don’t want to?”

Somehow my hands end up on his shoulders. “I never said that.”

A smirk pulls on the corner of his lips. He slowly begins to trail his hands up my torso, reaching for the sides of my cardigan. His fingertips are soft and light as he begins to push it away from my shoulders, exposing my skin. My heart pounds erratically in my chest, my stomach performing an acrobatic routine as he slides his fingers under the straps of my tank top.

“Do you know how long I’ve waited to touch you?” he murmurs, his face inching closer to me. “All these months of physical therapy sessions with you have been pure torture.”

“I think I might have an idea,” I admit as a rush of warmth spreads through my body. “You’re not alone in feeling that way..”

He tilts his head to the side, his lips lightly brushing mine as my eyelids flutter closed. I’m expecting his kiss, but instead, he pulls back the slightest bit. “We shouldn’t do this, should we?”

“I mean if someone finds out, it probably won’t end well,” I remind him as the thought of the different policies and agreements I had to sign when I accepted my job for the team crosses my mind.

“The last thing either of us need is to get caught.”

My eyes drop down to his lips, watching as his tongue darts out to wet them. “Right. They have policies against this kind of behavior.”

“Hmm,” he murmurs again, his breath fanning across my face. “Perhaps we both deserve some kind of punishment for our actions.”

The warmth is building in the pit of my stomach as his hands slide along my collarbone and begin to make their way up the sides of my neck. I spread my knees apart, letting him in as he steps between my legs. “You would never break the rules, would you?”

“Oh, no.” He lets out a soft chuckle as he slides one hand behind my head, pushing through my hair as he grips the nape of my neck. “I’m a good boy. I don’t do bad things like that.”

“Never,” I practically moan as his face lowers back to mine again. He pauses, his big brown eyes bouncing back and forth between mine as time is suspended between us.

“Fuck the policies, Doc.”

His lips find mine in a rush as his fingers dig into the flesh on the back of my neck. He tastes like bourbon and gingerbread. My hands grip his shoulders, my legs instinctively wrapping around his waist as he kisses me with an intensity that rocks me to my core. He steals the air from my lungs, consuming me, breathing me in as his mouth melts to mine.

I kiss him back, lost in the moment as all our inhibitions fade away. His tongue slides along the seam of my mouth and I part my lips, letting him deepen the kiss. He kisses me like I’ve never been kissed before. There’s urgency, yet tenderness. Need and lust building and mixing together.

We’re not in Lincoln’s laundry room. We’re not at this stupid Christmas party. And I don’t have to go to a fucking holiday lunch tomorrow with my boyfriend. My boyfriend who has never kissed me like this before.

Fuck.

What am I doing right now?

There’s a sudden knocking on the door that manages to thrust us back into reality. My body goes rigid, and Hayes groans against my lips before pulling away abruptly. I move away from him, my legs falling from his waist as I give him a gentle push.

“Fuck, Hayes. Someone is at the door.”

“Goddammit.” He lets out a frustrated breath before running a hand through his light brown hair. “Who could possibly need this room right now?”

Whoever it is knocks a little harder with a little more urgency. “Wilder. I know you’re in there. Open the door.”

“Jesus Christ.” He glances at me as I hop off the washer, hastily attempting to make myself look a little less disheveled, like I wasn’t just making out with him in the damn laundry room. “Are you good?”

I let out a harsh, half-hopeless laugh. “I mean, I think whoever is on the other side is going to know we weren’t in here rehearsing fucking Christmas carols together.”

“Maybe not.” Hayes smirks with mischief dancing in his eyes and I want to slap the look off his face. “But I would love to make you sing.”

I narrow my eyes at him, crossing my arms over my chest. “You’re not helping right now.”

He purses his lips, quickly glancing around the room before his eyes stop behind me. “Do you think you can fit in there?”

My eyebrows pull together as I slowly turn around to see what he’s pointing at. I pause for a second, staring at the cabinet. “Maybe.”

“Honestly, I don’t care if anyone sees us together, but if you don’t want anyone to know, this is probably your only option.”

This is absolutely ridiculous. I don’t know what the hell I’m thinking—or if I’m even thinking at all. There’s another knock on the door and the knob jiggles as I drop down onto my knees and open the cabinet door. There are only a few things inside and I manage to push them to the side before I climb in. My knees are in my face and Hayes stifles a laugh as I give him the middle finger.

He blows me a kiss, shuts the cabinet door, and conceals me in the darkness before he opens the door to the laundry room. “Hey,” I hear him say to whoever is on the other side.

“What the hell were you doing in here with the door locked?” Carson Ford’s voice fills the laundry room. “You’re in here alone?”

“Yeah, I was on the phone and it was quiet in here,” Hayes lies to him. “What do you need?”

“Nova was looking for you because she’s handing out gifts she got for the team.”

I strain to hear, listening as the two of them leave, then I hear the door shutting behind them. It feels like an eternity as I wait a solid minute before climbing from the cramped space. I fix the things in the cabinet and straighten my clothes before reaching for the door. No one sees me as I slip out of the laundry room and grab my things.

I make a hasty exit from the house, heading out through the back door as I quietly make my way out to the street where my car is parked. As I stop by the side of it and glance back at the house, I see Hayes standing by the window.

The corners of his lips lift and he winks.

A ragged breath escapes me as I climb into my car and quickly pull away from the curb. I can still smell Hayes’s cologne and the memory of his lips against mine is still so fresh. Fuck me for wishing we wouldn’t have been interrupted.

Merry Christmas Eve.