Cocky Shot: The Dartmouth Cobras ~ An Off Ice Novella Read online

  “Yep.” Scott pulled onto the road, a tight smile on his lips. “We’re done.”

  Chapter 2

  “This isn’t over.” Dave Hunt paced the length of his basement room and eyed the punching bag hanging just off the lounge area, needing to hit something. Even after a shower, his skin was blotchy red and he had to fight not to scratch. He ground his teeth as he noticed Ladd rubbing his neck and shifting uncomfortably on the sofa. Seeing anyone fuck with Ladd got his blood boiling.

  He’d never told the guy, he didn’t want to make things weird, but he liked it when they were on the ice and he had an excuse to slam into opponents a little harder than necessary when he saw them go after the rookie. Not that it happened often, Mason kept an eye on his ward, but Dave had decided to pick up the slack when he and Ladd stopped butting heads. He wasn’t even sure why they’d been so tense with one another. Except for the way Ladd smiled. And teased him. And stood too close, which made it hard to breathe…

  He wouldn’t think about that now. Ladd had asked Mason to drop them off here, where Dave lived in the basement apartment Coach Shero and his wife had set up for him. Was a pretty sweet place, and he didn’t have to pay for it. He just did stuff around the house and the yard, helped with shopping, whatever he could to earn his keep since all his money was stuck in a lawsuit.

  Against his father, who’d bought a hotel in his name.

  Complicated shit. Better to focus on taking the ‘Trouble Triplets’ down.

  “Stop pacing, Hunt. You’re making me dizzy.” Richards held a bottle of water against his thigh, which he’d scratched raw under the bottom of his shorts. Itching powder and sweating meant the shit had gotten everywhere.

  Thankfully, none of them were allergic to whatever that goddamn stuff had been.

  Those fucking assholes!

  “I didn’t mean speed up.” Richards laughed as Ladd grabbed Dave’s wrist and tugged him to sit by his side on the sofa. With a little smile on his lips, Richards observed them while Dave inched over to give himself some space. “Thank you, Ladd. Think you can keep him there?”

  Ladd glanced over at Dave. “No.”

  “No? Just that one word? Why the fuck do you have to be so cryptic, Oz?” Dave groaned when Ladd just stared at him. The young Aussie player seemed to think his one-word answers were enough, but Dave always tried to figure out a deeper meaning behind them. Maybe there was none, but that stare told him otherwise. “Do you like the new nickname?”

  “It’s all right, mate.” Ladd’s lips curved slightly as Dave held his hands up in relieved exasperation. “Better?”

  “A bit. Let’s see how much you participate in this conversation, though.” Dave leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs. “They’re coming at us because they think we pranked them. All I did was call a sex toy company and tell them Carter wanted to try out some of their products.”

  Richards stepped over and sat on the coffee table. “He got a sponsorship and a billboard.”

  Dave winced. That hadn’t been planned. “Okay, I thought it was going to be a small ad. In the newspaper or somewhere no one would see.”

  Instead, Carter had ended up on the side of a warehouse in the speedos Dave had photoshopped on him, with the words ‘We’ve got more than sticks to play with’ underneath his reclined body. Carter’s manager had it taken down in less than an hour, but team management had still lost their minds.

  If he had any money, Dave would’ve offered to pay the fine. He wished he could’ve at least gone and told Carter he was sorry, but the entire team was told not, under any circumstances, to discuss it.

  They thought it had just been a sleazy trick by the company. Everything was settled behind closed doors.

  Dave felt bad, but he’d just wanted to get Carter back for cutting their laces, which made them all late to hit the ice and got them in trouble with the coach. No way would Dave rat the man out, but revenge? He was all over that.

  “Carter being on a billboard sucked, but it was over pretty quick.” Richards scratched his neck and sighed. “Besides being itchy as hell, I have to explain to my manager why I was stripping in front of teenagers. In front of the media.”

  Yeah…so do I. Dave rubbed his thighs. His new agent was a nice guy, but he’d taken the job knowing he wouldn’t get paid for a while. He had faith that Dave would make a good goalie and taking a chance on him would pay off.

  Shit like what happened today? He might start rethinking things.

  “Mason’s pissed.” Ladd’s jaw ticked and he folded his arms tight against his chest. “What if he’s done?”

  Here we go again. Dave leaned over and nudged Ladd’s shoulder. “Done what?”

  Ladd stared at his bare feet. “With me. And Kimber. And…and Bran.”

  Damn it, Ladd shouldn’t have to worry if his little brother and sister would lose their home because of a stupid prank. Was Mason really that much of an asshole? Dave didn’t know him well, but the man seemed strict. Still, Bran was like…four? Would Mason really stop the adoption process because the little boy’s big brother had gotten in some trouble?

  “Hey, that’s not gonna happen.” Richards put his hand on Ladd’s knee. “He wants us to work things out. He won’t leave you and the kids on your own because of this. He’s a good man.”

  “Yes.” Ladd nodded slowly. “But we aren’t his problem.”

  “He doesn’t think you’re a problem.”

  “How do you know?”

  Dave pushed off the sofa. Richards rubbing Ladd’s knee like that pissed him off for some reason. Or maybe he was just pissed. He could go for a drink, but the calories would kill his diet and they had photo shoots for the team coming soon. He had to look his best and a beer gut wouldn’t help.

  He went to his mini fridge and grabbed a can of diet root beer. Not much better, but he allowed himself one every few days. He took a long gulp, then slammed the can on top of the fridge. “This isn’t over.”

  “You said that already.” Richards looked at him over his shoulder, finally moving his hand from Ladd’s knee. “If we keep this going, it’ll only get worse.”

  “No. They’ll know not to fuck with us.”

  “Or…” Richards held up one finger. “We end it and play nice.” He gave Dave a big, hopeful smile. Which tightened as his phone buzzed and he looked at it. “Fuck.”

  “What’s up?” Dave crossed the room and crouched at Richards’ side as he opened his email.

  Richards read it to himself quickly and groaned. “There was a clause in my contract about ‘appropriate behavior.’ My manager just let me know she can’t represent me anymore because of certain ‘new revelations’. And she included a YouTube video.”

  This just gets better and better. “Of us tearing off our shirts because of the fucking itching powder?”

  “No…” Richards inhaled slowly. “Of me on stage at a strip club. I didn’t think anyone had recorded that, but apparently, soon as what happened today got out, someone loaded the footage and it got a ton of views.”

  “So Ladd’s afraid he’s gonna be homeless and you just lost your manager.” Dave wondered if he was about to get screwed over somehow. Maybe coach would make him leave. Then he and Ladd would both be homeless. He cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. “You still wanna play nice?”

  Slamming his phone down on the table beside him, Richards winced as it cracked. Then slowly lifted his head. “Fuck that. It’s on.”

  Dave grinned. Then he reached out and took hold of the back of Ladd’s neck, giving him a little squeeze because he still looked shook. “Hey, I got you. We’ll keep you out of this so Mason won’t ditch you, all right?”

  Ladd shook his head. “If he’d throw us out because I’m standing by my friends?” He met Dave’s eyes. “Then we shouldn’t be there.”

  “That’s my man.” Dave rubbed Ladd’s neck, then stood. “We’ve got that photoshoot coming up in a few days, right?”

  Both Ladd and Richards nod
ded.

  “Good. I have an idea.”

  Chapter 3

  “I’m happy you all agreed to be here this weekend.” Rebecca Pierce stood at the far end of the huge penthouse room, glancing down at her clipboard as she spoke, her tone as crisp and professional as her charcoal grey skirt suit. “This photo shoot was originally scheduled with several other players in mind, but as you know I had to call in replacements last week. Which would be you, Tyler, you, Heath, and, you, Dave. I hope you’ve read over the details I sent you?”

  Scott pulled his gaze away from the woman he loved long enough to observe the other men’s nods. This project hadn’t been something he’d wanted to be part of, but when Silver Delgado had asked Becky to oversee it for her, he’d been first in line. He didn’t mind being in front of the camera, though being the center of attention wasn’t as appealing as it used to be. He was too old to spend all his time on the front cover of gossip magazines, and posing for those thirst trap ‘sports’ articles in the past had way too many men and women thinking they could get a piece of him.

  Those days were over.

  But this wasn’t that kind of photo shoot. Sure, there would still be some oily, athletic shots. He had to keep the fans happy, and his agent had gone over the Q&A that would be included to make sure he sounded fun and approachable. Which he was, but he wasn’t doing this for anyone besides Becky. She needed him to tough out a few hours posing for the camera. Make sure his teammates didn’t give her a hard time.

  Too bad there hadn’t been better options for which teammates he’d have to deal with.

  Their man, Zach, loved Becky as much as he did, but he’d decided to stay home with their daughter. Which meant Scott had to recruit Luke, then Tyler, to fill in. Not many of the players stuck around Dartmouth during the offseason, so filling the last three spots had been tricky. Mason should have been here, but his older brother had made a surprise stop in Chicago, so he’d asked to be excused.

  Max Perron, another team favorite, had called Becky the other day because his son was colicky and no one was sleeping much. Becky immediately told him not to worry about it. And took Sloan Callahan, the assistant coach, off the list as well.

  Richards was easy on the eyes and the camera loved him, so obvious choice right there. Hunt and Ladd? Scott wasn’t sure how they’d do. Ladd’s lack of communication skills might be an issue, but Scott was more worried about Hunt’s attitude. The kid had a temper which made him risky on the ice and, at times, a source of tension in the locker room. He wouldn’t last long in the league as a goalie if he didn’t cool it.

  Thankfully, the team had an amazing starting goalie, Landon Bower, Becky’s brother. He had his moments, but more often than not, when he stepped between the pipes, the rest of the world seemed to disappear. He didn’t hear the crowd jeer if sloppy defense let a soft one through. At one point, he might have gotten growly, but over the years he’d gained the steadiness every team needed from their netminder. The ability to look at the game in its entirety, rather than get tripped up by one bad goal.

  He would’ve looked great in the national sports magazine doing a spread on the Cobras, but he didn’t like getting in front of the camera if he didn’t have to and his big sister being in charge meant he was off the hook.

  This might be the best thing for the team though. Scott and his men, stuck at a hotel for two days with the rookies. Taking photos in random locations, at different times, getting their hair messed with, a variety of outfits shoved at them, and being tugged around like they were really big Barbie dolls.

  Yep. Perfect bonding moment.

  He sighed and went over to the rack of suits, nodding politely as the wardrobe lady explained how expensive the material was and how much work had gone into each thread.

  “Stop frowning, Scott. You’ll ruin your makeup.”

  Scott snorted. Sounded like something Luke would say, but it was Becky, wrapping her arms around his bare waist and kissing his shoulder.

  “If this doesn’t prove I love you—”

  “And I love you too, but I can’t stay for long. Casey heard Westy isn’t feeling good and wants to go see him. Since Zach just got over a bad cold, he doesn’t want to risk being around the baby. I told him he’d be fine, but—”

  “—but you’ve been working hard and you need your baby fix. It’s all right.” He turned and pulled her into his arms. They usually weren’t this affectionate in public—she was a married woman, after all—but she’d come to him first, which meant she trusted the people here. “I’ll make sure the boys behave.”

  “Please do.” She let out a sigh of relief, rising on her tiptoes to brush her lips over his. “What about you, Mr. Demyan? Do you need a baby fix?”

  His cheeks heated as he considered the suggestion he’d made after one too many glasses of wine on date night. Their daughter, Casey, had spent the night at her uncle’s and he, Becky, and Zach has gone to a fancy restaurant in St. Johns, Prince Edward Island. A long drive for steak and lobster, but having a bit of privacy was worth it.

  After driving them there, Scott had decided to indulge in a bottle of wine with Becky to celebrate his extended contract, since Zach would be the designated for the drive home. But as the wine flowed, they decided to stay in a nice little hotel overnight. He was in a chatty mood when they all stretched out on the king-sized bed.

  Brushing his lips down Becky’s shoulder, Scott shuddered as Zach grazed the back of his neck with his teeth. Being between them, all buzzed from the alcohol, he was both fucking hard and too lazy to move much. Weeks of training to get back in game form, being a fulltime dad, and doing every charity his manager came across, kept him going non-stop.

  He needed a moment to put life on hold and just be with the man and woman he loved.

  Resting his head on the pillow, he sighed and brought his hand to Becky’s stomach. Hearing Luke talking about how scared and excited he was to be a dad made Scott wonder sometimes…

  Casey was his daughter in every way. He didn’t need a baby to have a child of his own.

  Giving her a little brother or sister would be awesome though. She’d be an awesome sister.

  You’ve had way too much to drink, Demyan.

  He smiled to himself. Maybe, but he could picture it. Casey laughing and holding out her arms as a tiny thing with pudgy cheeks ran to her…

  “Uh oh.” Becky tipped his chin up with a slender finger. “He’s got that look.”

  Behind Scott, Zach sat up. “What look?”

  “The same one Max used to get in his eyes when he, Sloan, and Oriana were trying to have a baby.” Becky smiled and leaned forward to kiss Scott’s lips. “He’d look at her stomach as though imagining what could be. It was adorable.”

  Scott remembered those days. Now Max had his adopted son and his dreams of a family had come true. The man was an amazing father.

  But Scott already had all that. Had more than he’d ever imagined.

  “She’s not pregnant, Scott.” Zach whispered in his ear. “And has no plans to be.”

  Brow furrowed, Scott glanced over his shoulder at Zach. “How do you know?”

  “I know everything about her body. It makes playing rough much safer.” Zach’s lips curved. “I also went with her when she got her IUD put in. You opted out because the gynecologist ‘is creepy’.”

  “The office is. I never met the dude.” Scott inhaled slowly, feeling dizzy again. Freakin’ wine. He pressed his eyes shut as Zach resumed kissing along his throat. “Those things can come out if she changes her mind, right? Like if we all wanted a baby?”

  “She doesn’t, so it won’t.” Zach bit the side of Scott’s neck. Hard. “She’s focused on her career. You know that.”

  Groaning, Scott nodded. He wasn’t even sure why he’d asked. But he couldn’t stop thinking about it. “We could adopt a baby.”

  Zach let out a heavy sigh. “You aren’t going to let this go, are you? Can’t you go through your midlife crisis like any normal, cocky a
sshole? Buy an expensive car. Start wearing jean jackets.”

  Becky chuckled, her voice low and husky, the way she looked at Scott sending a gentle caress of warmth down to his groin. “He’s barely thirty, that isn’t ‘mid-life’. And the solution could always be him having the baby.”

  All right, the nice buzz was gone. Scott stared at her. “What?”

  The lips on his throat moved away. Zach was probably staring too.

  Another chuckle and Becky laid her head on the pile of fluffy white pillows. “Sahara was telling me about these books where one of the guys gets pregnant. I borrowed a few and some are very…interesting.”

  She’s joking, right? He’d definitely drank too much if he was doubting that, even for a second.

  But Zach was making a deep, thoughtful sound. “That’s not a horrible idea.”

  I am in the twilight zone.

  “Becky’s talking about sci-fi, or…or I don’t know what, but that’s not a thing. I don’t have the…” Scott gestured down at his body. “Right parts.”

  “I am aware.” Zach’s lips quirked as he rose up, leaning over Scott. “But we all enjoy some role-play, and you need a distraction.”

  “Scott?” Becky’s soft voice was close. The feel of her against him, while Zach stripped him naked, kept his senses from focusing. Kept him from focusing.

  A low command from Zach had Becky slowly shedding the pretty, lilac summer dress she’d worn for date night.

  With no panties.

  Scott groaned as she moved closer to his face. Almost close enough to taste, but Zach refused to let Scott touch her.

  Yet.

  “Scott?” A firm shake. Becky laughed as Scott blinked at her. “Welcome back.”

  They weren’t in the hotel room anymore. Well, not that hotel room anyway. They were still in the suite, getting ready for the first photo shoots.

  And everyone was dressed in their fancy suits.

  Except him.

  He cleared his throat. “Yeah, sorry. My mind drifted.”

  Becky’s gave him that little smile he loved so much. One that was both teasing and understanding and showed how well she knew him. She took the suit from the assistant standing nearby and held it in front of Scott, mercifully hiding his straining erection. “I’ll leave Luke in charge until you’re dressed—”