Thor
“Why are we going to Matt’s again?” Knox asks as I drive out of the city toward Matt’s house.
“We’re doing a taste test for Lana’s new food truck,” I reply, glancing over at the kid who looks like he’s been dragged behind my SUV instead of riding in it. His face is covered in ragged scruff and his eyes are bloodshot. His brown skin looks sallow and dull. “Looks like you could do with a good meal, kid.”
Knox scoffs and rubs his hand over his face, taking a swig from the water bottle he’s been nursing since I picked him up from his condo. After the amount of shots he put away last night after our winning game against the Twisters, I offered to drive him out to Matt’s this morning.
Judging by the bedraggled puck bunny he was kissing on his doorstep and the smell of stale alcohol seeping out of his pores, I made the right call.
“I’m fine, dude,” Knox grumbles, shooting me a glare. “Just hungover, that’s all.”
And that seems to be the end of the conversation because no matter how hard I try to engage him, he’s not biting. Instead, he pulls his shades down over his tired eyes and appears to fall asleep.
The lack of conversation with Knox gives me time to think about seeing Lana again after her rapid exit from the yoga studio the other day. She was obviously checking me out as I put extra effort into my bridge pose, and I loved the way her cheeks burned red when I called her out on it. However, I was disappointed when Mila came back in to collect their stuff, and I didn’t see Lana again. By the time I grabbed my things and rushed out into the reception area, they’d disappeared. The warning that Mila gave me about someone hurting her in Paris rang in my ears, and I regretted teasing her like that. I’m a bit of a joker, but I guess sometimes I take things too far. I don’t even have her number to call and apologize, and there’s no way I’m going to ask Matt or Mila for her digits.
Hopefully, the fact that I’ve been invited to this tasting for her new food truck menu means she’s forgiven me. Although Mila’s invited most of the Whalers, so I won’t read too much into it. I’ve already decided that I’m going to find a quiet moment to apologize to Lana … again. That’s all I seem to do these days—piss Lana Landon off and then apologize—but I have to be honest, I just love lighting that little firecracker’s fuse. The way her cheeks heat up and the little wrinkle that appears between her eyebrows—I can’t get enough of it. I’m quickly becoming obsessed with the idea that she gets the same look on her face when she’s in the throes of ecstasy.
I’m so deeply engrossed in my fantasy that I’m surprised when I pull up to Matt’s house. There are already several cars and SUVs parked in his large gravel drive, so I pull behind Nate’s truck and shove Knox awake.
“C’mon, Sleeping Beauty. Get your ass in gear and try not to look like something I pulled out of my shower drain.” I chuckle as Knox grunts and moans, trying to shove my hand away and go back to sleep.
“There’d better be beer on the menu,” he grumbles, unbuckling his seat belt and almost falling out of his seat when he opens the door.
“That’s the last thing you need, kid. I’ll get Mila to make you some black coffee when we get inside,” I reply, locking the car and walking with him up the porch steps. “Want my advice?”
“Fuck no, but I’m sure you’re gonna give to me anyway.”
I stop at the top of the steps and fix him with my most serious expression, pulling his shades off so I know he’s looking at me. “I’ve been there—my bank account full of more money than I dreamed possible, chicks throwing themselves at me, people telling me I’m the king of the fucking universe. But none of it’s real, man.” This at least earns me a look when Knox fixes me with his green eyes. “This can all be gone in a heartbeat, so while I’m all for living your best life and enjoying yourself, you need to be careful because you’re this close to pissing it all away.”
“And what the fuck do you know about that?” Knox asks, scowling at me. “You’re one of the most successful goalies in NHL history and your career just keeps getting better even though you’re old as fuck.” He snorts out a laugh, amusing himself. “You’ve got it made.”
“That may be true, but do you see me with anyone to share it with?” I ask, surprising myself with my own question. “All my linemates are finding their women and settling down, and I’m still fucking about in bars, hooking up with women who have no interest in me beside the size of my bank account.”
“And the size of your stick.” Knox laughs, slapping my thick bicep and cocking his eyebrow.
“You’re a dick,” I snort, barging him against the doorframe as we enter Matt’s house where the smell of frying bread and cheese hit my nostrils and makes my stomach rumble despite the fact I ate a huge breakfast only a few hours ago.
We follow our noses to the main room where our teammates are milling around, drinking coffee and soda, and a few of the younger guys have beers. Before I can stop him, Knox makes a beeline for one of the rookies to find out where he got his beer, and I decide to leave him to it. However, I do make the decision that if he gets shitfaced, he can take an Uber back to the city.
After greeting a few of the guys, I exchange hugs with Beth, Cam, and Mila and high fives with the guys. Bugs can only offer me a quick wave because he currently has baby SJ draped over his shoulder and is in the process of patting her back, a little too hard if you ask me.
“Hey man, go easy on her.” I chuckle, reaching out to stroke her impossibly soft brown hair. “She’s tiny and I know the power you’ve got in those hands.”
Bugs just rolls his eyes and smiles, kissing his daughter’s head. “I do know what I’m doing. She loves a good hard pat when I’m burping her.” And as if on command Sawyer lets out a massive belch and then spits up all over Bugs’ shoulder. “Ah shit! Cam, did you pack a spare shirt in the diaper bag?”
I turn around just as Cam appears and hands over the diaper bag, taking the baby so he can change out of the shirt that now smells like puke and sour milk.
“So, how’s it going, Cam?” I ask. “Is Cap pulling his weight with the baby stuff?”
Cam smiles as Sawyer snuggles into her neck, her perfect little bow lips making sucking movements against her skin. “He’s been amazing,” she replies dreamily. “Even when he comes back from the road, the first thing he does is send me off to take a bath or relax while he spends time with the baby.” I notice the happy little smile that spreads across Cam’s face as she talks about her new family, and once again, I hear my mom’s words ringing in my ears. But for the first time I’m not terrified or repulsed by the idea of having what Cam and Bugs have. They seem to have it all, so why can’t I?
A loud whistle suddenly interrupts us, and we all look over to the source of the noise. Mila is standing up on a chair so she can be seen and heard over the noise of hungry hockey players.
“Okay everyone, the first round of sandwiches is ready,” Mila yells. “Make your way to the table in the dining room, and don’t forget to pick up your clipboard with your scoring and comments sheet. It’s really important you fill this in. It’s gonna help Lana design her menu. So, no stuffing your faces and running.” She scowls at a few of the players who are known to be greedy bastards and then Matt lifts her down from the chair and kisses her lips, whispering something in her ear.
“Ugh, thank god. I’m starving.” Cam laughs. “Breastfeeding makes me feel like a dairy cow and I’m always hungry.”
“I’ll take the baby if you want to get yourself a plate,” I say, surprising myself with the unexpected offer.
“Oh, that would be awesome,” she replies, hardly containing her surprised expression. “Have you held a baby before?”
“Sure,” I scoff, reaching out both of my huge hands. “I have nieces and a nephew. I know to support the head.”
Still looking slightly wary, Cam eventually hands Sawyer over to me, and I’m mesmerized by how tiny she looks resting on my forearm, my bicep almost as big as her head. “Sawyer, this is your Uncle Thor,” Cam whispers to the sleepy baby. “He’s gonna watch you while mommy eats her body weight in grilled cheese sandwiches. Be a good girl and don’t barf or poop on his expensive shirt.”
I laugh quietly as Sawyer tries to focus her big brown eyes on her mommy’s face but seems much more interested in nuzzling against my pec. “We’ll be fine,” I reassure Cam, actually enjoying the feeling of the warm baby in my arms.
“Thanks, I owe you. I’ll make you a plate as well so you don’t have to line up when I come back.” And with that Cam virtually runs into the dining room to attack the table loaded with goodies.
Feeling slightly nervous and a little terrified that I’ll crush the tiny baby, I look down at her and try to imagine being responsible for something so precious. Sawyer blinks up at me with sleepy eyes and waves her little arms around, wriggling against my chest. Instinctively, I fit my finger into her tiny palm, and she grips it tightly and something flips in my chest, making it hard to catch my breath.
“That’s a good look on you.” Lana rounds the corner from the kitchen with a loaded platter of sandwiches.
I look up and notice that sexy smirk of hers firmly in place while she watches me with the baby.
“Just doing a favor for Cam,” I reply, enjoying the fact that she likes me holding the baby.
“Did you get some food?” she asks, approaching me with delicious looking snacks. My stomach rumbles again, making the baby startle in my arms. “Judging by that noise I’d say no.” She laughs.
I laugh quietly as well so as not to disturb Sawyer further and look over at the sandwiches. “What’s in those?” I ask.
“I call these ‘The Notorious P.I.G.,’” Lana replies, her whole face lighting up when she talks about her food. “It’s pulled pork, Louisiana hot sauce, and applewood smoked cheese. Want one before they all go?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” I say quickly and to my immense surprise, Lana picks up one of the small squares of sandwich and holds it up to my mouth. For a moment, I don’t know what to do, but then desire and my hunger take charge, and I open my mouth so she can pop the tasty morsel in. I close my lips over the bread, feeling the explosion of hot sauce, smoky cheese, and soft meat on my taste buds, my tongue sliding over her fingertips. Our eyes lock together as her fingers slowly slide from my lips, her pupils dilated, and her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink. Not breaking eye contact, I chew the delicious food in my mouth; the heat vibrating between us is undeniable.
“Are those more sandwiches?” Nate’s voice breaks the spell we’re both under, and Lana takes a huge step back, shaking her head and turning to him, almost dropping the sandwiches all over the floor in her haste.
“Yes,” she squeaks in a weird high voice. “I’m just bringing them through.” She scurries off into the dining room and Nate offers me a weird look.
“Dude, what was that?” he asks, flicking his head in the direction that Lana just rushed off in.
“Nothing,” I grumble, trying my best to shake off the feeling of her fingers in my mouth.
“Because if you’re hitting on Matt’s sister, you know he’ll end you,” Nate replies, stating the fucking obvious. Yes, I do know this. I heard the many warnings Matt issued the team just as loudly as everyone else.
“Nah, man, she was just helping me because I’ve got SJ in my arms,” I shoot back nonchalantly, holding up the baby to drive home my point.
“Sure thing.” Nate laughs, rolling his eyes and heading back into the dining room just as Cam reappears with two plates loaded with food and two clipboards under her arm.
“Oh, you got her to go to sleep,” Cam whispers, peering at the baby. “Here, let me put her in her car seat so we can both eat in peace.”
I look down as well and realize SJ has indeed fallen asleep, so I carefully hand her back to her mom and watch as Cam gently fits her into her car seat and straps her in, all without waking her. She sets up the baby monitor on the table and takes the receiver and her plate, heading for the other room.
“C’mon, let’s go join the others,” she says, looking back over her shoulder.
“You’re just gonna leave her here?” I ask, suddenly feeling very protective of the little baby.
Cam laughs and pats my arm. “She’ll be fine. She’s so nosy that if I take her in that noisy room, she’ll wake up to see what’s going on. If she cries, I’ll hear it on the monitor.” Cam waves the receiver at me.
“Okay, as long as you’re sure.” I take another look at the sleeping baby and pick up my plate, following Cam.
“You’re very cute, Thor,” she says sweetly. “Have you ever wanted kids?”
Up until a few hours ago, the answer to that question was a firm hell no, but now I’m not so sure. Seeing more and more of my teammates falling in love and starting families has made me reconsider my life choices.
“Not really. But I feel like the closer I get to turning thirty, I should really consider what I want my future to look like.” Jesus, are these sandwiches or a truth drug? I’ve never spoken so freely about relationships with anyone and here I am spilling things I didn’t realize I wanted.
“It’s as good a time as any to make changes,” Cam replies. “I mean, I know what Warren and I have was unexpected, and we did it in totally the wrong order, but I’ve never been happier. There’s something so amazing about committing to another person and trusting them with your whole heart. It took me a long time to realize that, and I know I hurt him in the process, but we are where we were always meant to be.”
I notice the dreamy look settle over Cam’s face, and I can tell how much she loves the Cap. She took her time getting there, trying to keep him in the Friend Zone, but everything changed once they found out the baby was on the way. Will it take a massive upheaval in my life for me to commit to someone? Or will I just grow a pair and go after the one woman who I suddenly can’t get out of my head?
I quickly deliver the platter of sandwiches to the table and then rush into the downstairs bathroom, slamming the door. I lean back against it, lightly banging my head to get rid of the feeling of Alex’s tongue sliding across my fingertips. I can still feel my hard nipples pressing against the rough lace of my bra, and I have a feeling my panties are less than dry. There’s an insistent throbbing between my legs and pressing my thighs together is not making it go away.
What the actual fuck just happened? I innocently fed him a piece of sandwich, and it snowballed into some kind of sexy finger licking thing that made my pulse rate skyrocket. I can’t help but let my mind wander; I’m left wondering what that wicked tongue would feel like on my neck, in my mouth, on my nipples, and other forbidden places. I can still feel the warmth of his lips and the slightly shocked look on his face as we both realized what was happening and that it was affecting both of us so strongly.
And the fact that he was holding Cam’s baby makes it even worse. He looked so good; such a huge, strong man holding something as delicate as a baby—my ovaries almost exploded on the spot.
Suddenly, I feel the need to wash the evidence of that erotic moment away, so I lunge over to the basin and turn on the faucet, lathering up my hands and rinsing them in water that’s just a little too hot. I keep my hands under the water until my skin stings and I hiss with pain.
There’s absolutely no way I can get involved with a man like Alex Bergman. Since meeting him, I’ve indulged in some Google stalking and judging by the articles I found on the sports and bunny blogs, he’s a complete man whore. There have been kiss and tells, leaked dick pics and even a suspected sex tape. As far as I could see, he’s never been in a long-term relationship. Coming out of the mess with Etienne, he’s the last man I should get involved with. Not to mention the fact that he’s my brother’s teammate. I need to get my life under control, not just let it go. No, absolutely not—hard pass!
I catch my reflection in the mirror, and my flushed cheeks and slightly frantic eyes make me look like a crazy person. Jesus, I have to sort my shit out before I go back out there. I splash cold water on my face and hold a cold washcloth to the back of my neck. This is an important milestone in my journey to opening my food truck, and I can’t let that sexy Viking with his wicked tongue distract me.
Once I feel more in control, I make a pledge to myself to stay as far away from Alex as I can for the rest of the day—and perhaps the rest of my life.
“There you are!” I almost collide with Beth as I sneak out of the bathroom. She has a pile of clipboards in her hand. “I have all these feedback sheets for you. The guys are going crazy for the food.”
“Oh, that’s amazing. Thank you,” I reply, reaching out for the clipboards, but Beth just looks at me with narrowed eyes.
“Are you okay? You seem a little freaked out,” she asks, tucking the clipboards under her arm, so she can put her other arm around my shoulders.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I lie, laughing it off. “I’m just overwhelmed by the way people are responding to the food, that’s all.”
“Well, you shouldn’t be, babe.” Beth laughs, steering me back toward the dining room. “The sandwiches are delicious and it’s such a great concept. I just checked your new Insta account, and with all the players and the team account following you, you’re at ten thousand followers already.”
“What?” I gasp, looking at her with my mouth hanging open. Beth and I only set the account up a few days ago, so this is incredible.
“Yeah, those clips of you cooking have gone viral.” Beth filmed me cooking this morning and posted the clips, making sure that as all the players arrived, they followed me before they were allowed in the door.
I quickly pull my phone out of my back pocket, open the Instagram app, and see that Beth is indeed telling the truth. In fact, looking at my followers, I now have over twelve thousand because not only have the clips of me cooking got hundreds of likes and reposts, but the players have all been uploading pictures and clips of them trying my food and tagging me.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe this,” I cry, my nose stinging with happy tears.
“Well, believe it, baby.” Beth laughs. “You’re gonna have the people of Seattle lining up around the block to get these sandwiches.”
“Won’t people think it’s bad that I’m using my brother and his connections to help push my business?” I ask, suddenly feeling completely unsure of myself.
“Of course not!” she cries. “Jesus, everyone knows it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. And the guys do lots of favors like this for friends, so it’s no big deal.”
I release my breath and smile at Beth. “I really can’t thank you enough for helping me. Setting me up with the designer for my logo and doing all the social media stuff, you’ve been a life saver.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Beth pulls me into a warm hug. “Women in business have to stick together. I see so many chicks trying to tear each other down to get ahead, and I always believe that we’re stronger together.”
I love Beth’s kick ass attitude and again I realize how much I can learn from her and how lucky I am to have made such wonderful friends. But as close as I feel to this crazy gang, it makes me miss Zac all the more. I noticed he was one of the first people to start following me when I messaged him with the link to my new account, and even though he can’t be here to support me in person, I know he’s cheering me on across the Atlantic.
When Beth and I go back into the dining room, I immediately notice that all the platters are clear and there’s an eerie silence. Either I’ve poisoned the entire Seattle Whalers hockey team, they’ve all left, or everyone is studiously completing their feedback forms. Thankfully it’s option three, and as I begin to clear the table, I notice large hockey players perched on every available chair, table surface, and floor space, scribbling away on their clipboards.
“I’ve literally never seen them all so quiet.” Beth giggles as she helps me carry the empty platters to the kitchen where we load them into the dishwasher.
“Fucking awesome snacks, sugar,” one of the players says as he comes into the kitchen with his clipboard. I think this guy is called Ford and his Southern accent and rugged good looks are quite disarming.
“Thank you,” I reply, feeling my cheeks flush at the compliment.
“No, thank you.” He laughs, patting his hard abs. “That’s me in the gym for the rest of the day.” With an easy wave, he says his goodbyes and follows several of the other players out the front door.
Over the next hour, my head spins with all the questions and compliments I receive from the players. Looking through the feedback forms, I can already see some firm favorites coming to the forefront, and I decide to start with a small menu featuring these sandwiches and steadily increase the offering as business and my confidence grows. I don’t want to be overwhelmed and set myself an impossible task, so this seems like a sensible approach.
Luckily, I’m so busy I don’t have to deal with what happened with Alex earlier. When he and Knox say their goodbyes, I manage to busy myself at the sink, shooting a casual “thanks for coming” over my shoulder. It’s childish, I know that, but I can’t risk him pulling me into a hug or making any kind of physical contact with me. I’m terrified at the way my body reacted earlier, and I absolutely can’t allow that to happen in front of people, especially my overprotective brother.
Once a majority of the players have cleared out, I ask Matt, Mila, Beth, and Cam to gather around the kitchen island. Bugs and Nate excuse themselves and go into the main room to play XBox and look after a sleepy Sawyer while we debrief after the testing. We make light work of logging the responses from the feedback forms, and as I suspected, there are four sandwiches that stand out as clear favorites.
“So, it looks like we’ll start with Croque Monsieur, Hey Pesto, Sweet Cheezus, and the Notorious P.I.G.,” I say, making notes on my iPad.
“I agree,” Mila replies. “You’re offering two meat and two veggie options, which is good, and your main expense will likely be the pulled pork so you can sell that at a high price point.”
“Yeah, but if I can source the pork locally and get a deal for a bulk order, I should be able to keep the costs down,” I suggest. I’ve already got a few leads on suppliers from my local restaurant contacts for cheese and sourdough, so finding a good butcher shouldn’t be that difficult.
“Hey, you should get one of those big chest freezers, so you can store the pork and have it ready when you need it,” Beth suggests. “I’m sure Matt will give up some room in his garage for it.”
The horrified look on my brother’s face at the thought of losing some of his precious garage space to a freezer is priceless, and I can’t help but laugh.
“I’m supportive, Squirt, but that’s a step too fucking far,” Matt sulks, folding his arms across his chest.
“Easy tiger, we can put it in the unused outbuilding if you want.” Mila giggles, patting Matt on his back and kissing his cheek.
“Whose side are you on, Red?”
“Hey, look I don’t wanna create friction here,” I say, holding my hands up to stop the bickering. “It’s not something I need to think about just yet, so chill.”
Before my brother can continue being a baby about his sacred garage space, the doorbell rings. “I’ll get it. It’s probably one of the guys coming back for seconds.” I laugh, leaving Matt and Mila still discussing how much space his cars really need to take up in the garage.
I’m still half listening to the banter as I open the door, and before I can register what’s happening, I’m being swept up into a pair of strong, muscular arms. Immediately I begin to struggle and fight, beating my small fists against the broad chest and wriggling to get free, my fight instinct kicking in.
“Will you stop squirming, you little brat, and hug your best friend,” a familiar voice laughs as the arms around me tighten.
It can’t be… surely not!
I stop struggling long enough to allow certain details to register in my brain; the smell of freshly baked bread and the deep timbre of the voice can only belong to one person.
“Zac!” I squeal, just as my brother comes barreling into the foyer, drawn by my panicked cries. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t let my best girl start her own business without my help.” Zac laughs, picking me up again and spinning me round.
“What the fuck is going on?” my brother yells, looking ready to throw off his gloves and fight someone.
“Matt, it’s fine,” I gasp as Zac puts me down but keeps hugging me from behind, his chin resting on the top of my head. “This is Zac, my friend from Paris. I guess he’s come to help me with the food truck?” I phrase it as a question because I still don’t really understand what he’s doing here.
“Damn right I am,” Zac replies, his long arm reaching out toward my brother for him to shake, but Matt just looks at him with suspicion. “Hey man, I’m a huge hockey fan. I played a little when I was younger but didn’t have the talent to get out of the juniors.”
That seems to relax my brother a little, so he reaches out and shakes Zac’s hand, and I release a breath.
“Nice to meet you,” Matt says in a tight voice, and I can tell he’s still a little unsure about this unexpected house guest. “So, you just came all the way from Paris? Should I be worried that you have my address?”
Zac laughs loudly, his chest vibrating against my back, and I feel a huge smile splitting my face as I realize just how much I missed my friend’s carefree laugh.
“When Lana told me she was coming back stateside, I made sure she gave me the address so I could forward on anything she forgot,” Zac replies, and I internally thank him for the small white lie he easily tells my brother.
“Where are you staying?” I ask, turning around just in time to see the awkward grin spread over his handsome face.
“Well … I hadn’t got that far.” He shrugs, looking at me with his best lost puppy dog eyes. “Can I crash here for a while?”
“Jesus, am I running a chef orphanage here?” Matt grumbles, rolling his eyes.
“Come on! You have all these empty rooms,” I plead. “And look at it this way: with Zac helping me, I can do twice as much, make more money, and now I have a ready-made roommate to split the rent on an apartment with. Please.” I clasp my hands together.
I see the moment Matt caves, and even before the words come out of his mouth, I launch myself at him for a hug. “Thank you,” I whisper.
“Sure thing, Squirt.” He chuckles. “Make sure he’s housebroken.”
“Come on,” I squeal, grabbing Zac’s hand and dragging him into the house. “I’ll show you to your room.”