Kings of Destruction (Reverse Harem Hockey #2)

Chapter 1 Adela

The scream tearing from my throat doesn’t sound human.

Pain explodes through my body, hot and blinding, throwing me onto the pavement. Gravel cuts into my palms as I claw at the ground, trying to move, trying to breathe. I have to get out of here before they come back.

A car speeds away at the end of the street, taillights shrinking into the dark.

I try to stand.

Another scream rips out of me instead.

The pain is unbearable — a violent pulse radiating from my leg. I force myself to look down, and the world tilts.

Blood pools beneath me.

And through the pain where blood pours out—

Bone.

A broken shard pushing through torn skin.

My stomach lurches.

A scream explodes again.

The world flickers white, then red, then nothing at all.

Darkness swallows me whole.

Two Months Earlier

“Adela Kalkaska, baby.” Cody closes the door behind him, pushing it until it clicks, then he leans against it lazily, licking his lips. “What am I going to do with you?”

My heart races, pushing my hair away from my cheek as I glance at him over my shoulder.

The light hits his broad shoulders framed in the doorway, his scent filling the space.

He’s standing there with hunger in his eyes as he watches me bend over inside my closet, trying to find the silly little camera I know I threw in here the other day.

I push my ball-gown bag to the side, search my vintage hatboxes, but I come up short.

It’s not in here. I give up, turning back to Cody to find him already behind me, admiring my position.

“What’re you doing in here?” I ask, pushing to my feet. “They’re going to notice we’re both gone.”

The Kalkaskas will throw a party for any reason, but today is my special day.

He turns to lock the closet door, and his smile widens, slow and sure, absolutely pleased with himself.

“I wanted some alone time with you,” he says, crossing the closet in two long, unhurried strides. “Happy twenty-first, baby.”

Before I can even pretend to scold him, his hands slide around my waist, and his mouth finds mine.

Everything in me melts at once.

Every time I see him after being too long apart, there’s a jolt inside of me, like every time he touches me, it’s the first time. Every time he kisses me, it’s our first kiss.

He tastes like mint and champagne tonight. God –– I’ve missed him. The weeks apart, the distance since he transferred universities, the hockey schedule that keeps him there more than here with me. All my worries disappear with the warmth of his lips on mine.

He spins me gently until we’re facing my vanity mirror. In our reflection, my frilly dress, which costs a fortune, hugs my waist in pale ivory satin. My blonde hair is styled in loose waves, and my gray eyes are slightly wide from surprise and excitement.

“You’re the sexiest girl I’ve ever seen,” he murmurs, breath brushing my ear.

Heat sweeps through me. I try to turn to kiss him again, but he reaches into his pocket and lifts a small velvet box — my breath stutters when he opens it.

Nestled inside is a delicate pink Swarovski pendant, catching the light like a droplet of sunset.

“Cody.” My voice goes soft around the edges.

He brushes my hair aside and fastens the chain around my neck with steady fingers. The cool metal settles against my skin, just above the neckline of my dress. When his hands fall to my shoulders, I touch the pendant lightly.

“It’s so beautiful,” I whisper.

“It matches you,” he says, lowering his mouth to my neck. His lips graze just beneath my ear, slow and deliberate.

A shiver rolls down my spine.

“Cody,” I breathe, trying to steady myself, “our parents could be looking for us any second.”

“They’re busy,” he says, hands slipping to my hips. “And I’ve barely seen you since I transferred.”

I feel the tug at the bottom of my dress.

“Wait––” I glance down, catching his fingers inching up the hem of my Vera Wang dress. “You can’t wrinkle this.”

He smiles to himself. “I’ll be gentle.”

His reflection meets mine in the mirror, watching as he kisses the back of my neck. His eyes are full of want as his teeth sink into my shoulder, jolting me into pure need.

“It’s been too long,” he says. “You know it has. Every time I’m back home, someone needs something. Your parents pull you one way, my dad pulls me the other. I swear we get two minutes together before something drags us apart again.”

“I know.” I turn, sliding my fingers up his jacket slowly. His Adam’s apple moves under my touch as he almost groans.

“I missed this,” I admit, leaning in to kiss him.

His mouth catches mine with a hunger that makes my knees weak. “Missed you too, babe.” He says it against my lips like he means it.

His arms tighten around me, and for a moment, it’s just breathing and closeness and the warmth of him pressing into me.

All the weeks apart, the half-finished phone calls, the late-night messages, the constant push and pull of our schedules –– it all crashes together in the space between our mouths.

Then he lifts me.

It’s sudden but careful. The room tilts slightly as butterflies threaten every ounce of my being. The chandelier above us glints in the mirror.

“Let’s be quick,” he murmurs with a crooked grin. “Your parents like me, but they wouldn’t be thrilled to find out I’m up here corrupting their daughter.”

Cody spins me again, and I watch our reflections again. My necklace sparkles against my skin, catching the light with each movement. His hands slide down my sides, lifting the satin. Air brushes my thighs, warm from the closet and cold from anticipation. My breath comes faster.

He hooks a finger under the waistband of my thong and slips it down, slow and careful, so the fabric doesn’t snag on my heels. He watches every second, gaze darkening in a way that makes my chest feel tight.

Everything in the room sharpens –– the faint scent of my perfume on the vanity, the distant murmur of guests downstairs, the soft glide of satin as he lifts more of my dress.

He kisses my neck, slower this time, his mouth lingering. One of his hands curls under my dress, holding it up.

“Adela,” he says softly, the way he only ever says it when we’re alone.

The sound of my name in his voice is enough to make my lips part.

Then there’s a faint crinkle of foil.

My breath hitches.

He presses his forehead to the back of my head, lips moving against my hair. “I’ve got you.”

My fingers dig into the dresser’s edge to steady myself. The mirror reflects my flushed cheeks, his hands, the lift of my dress, and the pink glint of the necklace he just clasped around my throat. I’ve never looked more alive than I do right now, lit from within, trembling in anticipation.

“Look at you,” he whispers, eyes flicking up to meet mine in the mirror. “You’re all mine. This is what I think about when I’m gone.”

Heat unfurls inside me.

I turn my head enough to kiss him again, desperate and sweet and dizzying. The kind of kiss that wipes away every empty moment between our visits. He pulls me tighter, mouth moving on mine like he’s memorizing me all over again.

“I love you,” I mutter.

He presses his forehead to mine. “I love you back, Adela. No matter what happens, you don’t walk away from me, okay?”

I still for a second, a breath caught between us, but I nod easily. I would never walk away from him.

His hand slides over mine, threading our fingers together, grounding me again as the world narrows to this moment, this breath, this heat. And then his fingers are tracing the inside of my thighs, before he slides them inside me.

I gasp into his mouth, the sound swallowed by another kiss as he presses his palm against my pussy, already full of need.

“Shh, babe,” he breathes against my ear, voice low and rough. “We can’t let them hear.”

I nod, biting my lip as he pulls his fingers out.

Then I feel his thick and hard dick nudging against my entrance.

He doesn’t wait, doesn’t tease; he thrusts in deep, filling me in one smooth stroke that makes my body tremble.

He moves slowly at first, each push and pull deliberate, like he’s enjoying the feel of me.

In the mirror, I watch his jaw tighten, his eyes watching his movements, his hips snapping forward.

Then his eyes lock on mine, and I’m breathless.

Heat coils low in my belly, spreading like wildfire as his cock drags against my walls, hitting that spot that makes stars burst behind my eyelids.

I whimper too loudly, and his hand flies up to cover my mouth. “Muffle it for me, baby,” he whispers, his other hand gripping my hip to hold me steady. “Let me feel you come without a sound.”

I press my face into his palm as he fucks me harder, the dresser creaking faintly under our weight. My body clenches around him, pleasure building with each movement. Not being able to make a sound makes it that much more intense.

He leans in, breath hot on my neck, murmuring, “That’s it. Just like that. You’re so fucking perfect.”

The orgasm rolls through my body. Every muscle that was tight and tense has now loosened like a dam breaking. I cry into his hand –– muffled, desperate, but entirely his. He follows seconds later, burying himself deep and spilling hot cum inside me.

When I come back to myself, my breathing is uneven, my hair mussed around my shoulders, and my dress miraculously still mostly smooth. Cody steadies me with both hands, pressing a slow kiss to my shoulder as he helps me lower my dress back into place.

Now he’s cleaning me up, adjusting my thong, smoothing my dress’s fabric, fixing the straps, brushing a stray lock of hair from my cheek as if nothing in the world matters more than making me look untouched.

“Are you okay?” he asks quietly.

I nod. “Yes.”

He grins like he already knew the answer.

I glance at the clock on my vanity, and reality begins to creep in. “We should go before someone notices.”

“You go first,” he says, straightening his jacket and running a hand through his hair. “I’ll follow in a minute.”