Chapter 6
Julia
Iswear I am in a fucking dream.
I would recognize those hazel eyes and that smile anywhere. They haunt my dreams every damn night. But there is absolutely no way I slept with an NHL player. No way. My mind is probably just short-circuiting.
There’s one minute left of the third period, and we're up by one point. Monroe has the puck, cutting toward the Guardian’s net like he’s fueled by jet fuel and spit.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” someone says from my right.
I tear my gaze away from Monroe and the puck. A security guard is staring directly at me.
“What can I help you with, sir?” I ask, smiling even though confusion is swarming through me.
“I was asked to escort you and your friend after the game.” Escort us? What the fuck does he mean?
“Escort us? Escort us where?” Mel snaps beside me. I am glad I am not the only one thinking that.
“One of the players. Number 33, Mr. Malachi Monroe, asked me to bring you to the tunnel after the game.”
My heart sinks. Malachi..Not Mikey…But those were Mikey’s eyes. They had to be… This has to be a coincidence. A joke. Something stupid.
“Are you fucking serious?” Mel practically knocked me over to get next to the security guard.
“Yes, Ma’am. He said he wanted her,” he nods towards me, “and her friend.” So, Malachi specifically asked for me? What is even going on?
The buzzer sounds. The Vortex wins. The crowd erupts as we’re guided up the stairs and through the maze of hallways. People stare as we pass, whispering like we’re celebrities instead of two confused women with overpriced beer in their system.
I force myself not to snap at anyone. Last thing I need is my dad bailing me out of jail… again… I will never hear the fucking end of it.
We reach a set of stairs, and I curse myself for wearing heels. Note to self: no more heels at hockey games.
When we step into the tunnel, my breath leaves me.
I see Mikey standing there. Looking sexy as fuck in sweatpants and a Vortex hoodie. He is looking like every dream I refuse to admit out loud.
My heart is in my stomach, and my throat has a knot the size of a softball.
“Um… hi, Mikey. ” My voice is barely above a whisper. He looks at me with such intensity that it makes my knees wobble.
“My name’s not Mikey, little dove,” he says with a choky smile, “but I can be your Mikey any night.”
He winks at me, and Mel elbows me so hard I lose my breath
“Kai! What the fuck, man!” Someone shouts. “I told you to wait for me before leaving the lock…” The yelling stops mid-sentence, and I am met with the same hazel eyes I have been seeing in my dreams, locked onto mine.
“Julia? What the fuck are you doing here?”
He runs over, grabs me, and hugs me so tight he lifts me off the ground. My body remembers him instantly, and my lungs forget how to function properly.
“Ahhhhhh, this is the infamous Julia,” Kai says from behind Mikey. I mean, I hope it's Mikey. I am so confused right now.
“Mikey?” I ask softly. Desperate for it to be him.
He cups my cheek, his thumb rubbing so gently it hurts. “Yeah, princess. It's me.”
The breath I was holding for a month finally releases, and I hug him again. Clinging on just long enough to convince myself he’s real, and right here.
I pull back and look at Mikey, then at Kai; it’s the same face, the same laugh, and the same stupidly pretty mouth. I only see slight, minor differences, but it's almost impossible to tell them apart.
“If you are Mikey… then who is that not Mikey?” I point at Kai and raise my eyebrow in confusion.
They both laugh, and its the exact same sound, same timing. It's kind of creepy.
“Julia, this is my twin brother Malachi, but we call him Kai.”
I reach out my hand to shake his. He catches it, twists it gently, and kisses my knuckles like he lives in a romance novel.
“Oh-kayyyy, so which one of you got checked into the board in front of me and then winked at me?” I cross my arms and tap my foot. Now I need to figure out which Monroe twin is which.
Mikey growls. Like, actually fucking growls.
“Seriously fucker? You were flirting with her on the ice? You saw her on the ice? What the fuck, man! Why didn't you tell me?”
Kai shrugs with no care in the world. “That would be me, little dove.” Then he tilts his head towards Mikey. “And bro, I can’t help it, we have the same taste. She is fucking gorgeous. I’m just jealous right now that you got to feel all of that without me.”
He waves a hand, gesturing at me. The heat creeps up on my cheeks.
And what makes it worse… I glance around, and the entire team is standing there, witnessing every second of this.
“Ayyyy, Mikey got the pussy before Kai this time!” A tall, Italian guy yells, hugging the twins like he owns them.
“Oh my god,” I mutter, covering my face with my hands.
“Luca, not fucking funny, man. This is Julia.” Mikey says.
Luca’s eyes go big in recognition, “The Julia?”
“Mhmmmm,” Kia nods smugly and smirks at Mikey.
“Well, damn man. Good luck with that one,” Luca says to Kai and slaps his shoulder as he walks away.
“Where are you guys going?” Kai calls, trailing after the group of hockey players now, completely ignoring Mikey and me.
I glance over at Mel, who is wide-eyed and watching everything with big eyes as if it were the best drama show on TV. I shoot daggers at her, and she smiles back at me.
“Hey, Mikey! You coming to celebrate the win?” Luca shouts, slinging his arm over Kai, and some other teammate I don’t recognize.
“Yeah! Give me a sec!” Mikey yells back as the guys leave the exit.
Mikey turns to me, his eyes awed and wonder-filled. “Would you guys like to come celebrate our win with us?”
He sounds hopeful and possibly even nervous.
Mikey Monroe, NHL player, nervous?
I turn and lift an eyebrow at Mel in question.
“Fuck yes, we want to go!” Mel squeals, grabs my hand, and damn near runs out the exit. I catch Mikey’s hand before Mel can completely drag me away from him.
We walk up to a lifted Chevy Silverado. Kai is in the driver's seat, smirking like trouble incarnated.
Mikey opens the passenger door and helps Mel into the truck, then opens the back door and helps me in before he gets in right next to me. He is sitting so close to me that our thighs touch.
I look at him. Looking at the face I dreamed about, even when I hated myself for it.
I lift my hand and run my fingers along his jaw, and his eyes soften instantly. He turns his face into my hand and looks at me with those earthy hazel eyes.
“So tell me, Mr. Hotshot,” I murmur, “If Kai was the one who was flirting with me through the glass… where were you? I only saw one set of these beautiful eyes out there.”
Kai snorts as Mel messes with the radio.
“Told you I was the better-looking twin!” Kai taunts Mikey playfully.
“We look exactly the same, dumb ass! How are you the better-looking twin?” Mikey shoots back. Kai just shrugs and starts tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music.
“Well, if we are twins, we must have the same last name. And I am pretty sure you saw two Monroes out there.” He winks because he knows he is making me think this one through.
“WAIT!” I scream so loudly that Kai jumps, and the truck jerks slightly.
“You are the big-ass goalie?” My eyes go big as I am piecing together the puzzle.
The laughter from the whole car makes my cheeks burn with embarrassment. “Yes, princess,” Mikey says, grinning. “I’m the big-ass goalie.”
Then I remember warm-ups… Damn his ass during those stretches.
I lick my lips before I can stop myself.
Mikey rubs his thumb over my bottom lip as he puts his other fingers under my chin to make me look up at him.
“If you keep doing that, my tongue’s going to replace yours.” The heat in his eyes is so dark that it makes my whole body ignite.
“If you two start fucking in the back of the truck, just know I am joining in!” Kai calls from the front. I hear Mel laughing, but Kai’s eyes in the mirror are dark and serious.
Butterflies explode in my stomach for a man I just met twenty minutes ago.
“Don’t listen to him, Princess,” Mikey murmurs as his hand cups my face and turns me to look at him again. “He’s just jealous.”
Without thinking, I lean forward and press my lips to his, fusing his lips with mine in one of the most electrifying kisses I have ever had. His tongue runs over the seam of my lips, and I open up for him. I grab his hair and deepen the kiss, fighting for dominance of the kiss.
When the truck stops, we break apart breathless.
Mikey looks at me and gives me his crooked grin that could ruin nations, and I pretend not to die inside.
I walk towards the bar, and Kai holds the door open for me. His hand brushes the small of my back, and my breath gets stuck in my throat.
I’m between the Monroe twins… And I feel the entire bar turn to stare.
“I wanted you since my face hit that board. Before I even knew you were the girl my brother is obsessed with, and now, little dove, I am obsessed, too.” His voice drops. “Good thing my brother and I have shared everything our whole lives.”
My brain flatlines… Shared everything?
Did he mean…?
Nope. Not going there. My face is already turning red, just from the thought.
They don't know who my family is. They don't know the danger. They don't know how fast my dad would ruin their lives just for standing near me.
And I can’t let that happen.
My chest tightens as the air gets thin.
I need some space… some distance… fucking something.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” I blurt out and bolt. I don’t wait for a response or look back. Because if I look at either of them again… I know I won’t run at all…