Game Winner (The Penalty Kill Trilogy #3) Read online

  Tonight is going to be different. It’s Friday, and I plan on doing nothing, but watching “Friends” re-runs on TV. On top of that, I’m going to order a large, hot, cheesy pizza. I’m going to have a ‘me’ night.

  Trevor and Marley are heading out together for a weekend getaway. Mom and Dad are doing, well, I don’t want to think about what they are doing, since they have gotten back together. Victor and a couple guy friends are going fishing. So, that leaves only me. Actually, I’m looking forward to it.

  The crisp autumn makes me shiver a bit as I walk out of the library. I will have to remember to wear my heavier coat since the weather is changing.

  “Pres,” I turn to my name being called out. I see my twin jogging to me. “Are you sure you don’t want to go with us?”

  I sigh. “Trevor, for the tenth time, I don’t want to go with Marley and you on your weekend sex marathon trip.”

  He throws his head back and laughs. “It’s not like that.”

  “Really? I think I know you better than that.”

  “Look,” he throws his arm around my shoulders, “I don’t want you to be alone this weekend. You said that everyone was going to be gone.”

  “I love you, and thank you for caring. Trust me, I will be fine. Besides, I know Marley and you haven’t seen each other a lot the past couple weeks. Have fun and be safe.”

  He gives me a small smile and kisses my temple. “I love you too, Twin.”

  He drops his arm and heads in the other direction of where I’m standing. I walk fast to my car because I’m freezing and am ready to head home to start my ‘me’ night. I start my car when I hear my phone buzz with a text alert.

  Levi: Has the ‘Smarty’ night started yet?

  My insides flutter as I read his text. When I told him about my night, he thought it was perfect. He knows I’ve been working hard, just like I know he has been too. He has been doing so well in his games. I’ve been watching his stats on the AHL websites.

  Me: Headed home now. It should start in about 15 mins.

  Levi: Well, you have FUN & relax

  Me: Love you!

  Levi: Love you!

  I love him so much. In the year we’ve been together, so many obstacles have come into our path, but we’ve made it through.

  I keep that smile on my face as I drive home. Luckily, everyone seems to be heading out of town, so there isn’t much traffic as I pull into my parking lot. I gather up all my books, my bag, and my purse. I rush up my stairs and unlock my door.

  “Oh crap, it’s cold,” I say outloud as I lock the door behind me. I drop my stuff on the couch and head to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. I look at the menus on my fridge, trying to figure out where to order from.

  “I can warm you up,” a voice says behind me.

  I scream and drop my bottle of water. I turn quickly, my fist ready to fight whoever is behind me, when I see Levi’s blue eyes looking back at me.

  “Levi Carr, you jerk!” I scream at him. He laughs at me as he comes closer to me. “Wait, what the hell are you doing here?” My heart is racing so fast that I can’t understand why he isn’t in Pennsylvania.

  “Well, when practice finished today, Coach said that we were off until Sunday morning so I thought I would crash ‘me’ night. I was expecting a warmer welcome, Smarty.”

  “You scared me to death. I’m shocked that I didn’t pass out.”

  He slightly pouts his lips. “I could leave.”

  I grab his arm and jerk him closer to me. “If you leave, I’ll kill you.” I stand up on my tiptoes and kiss him. He feels incredible against my lips, and he pushes me until I’m against the counter. I almost whine when he finally breaks our kiss.

  “You’re going to be upset for what I’m about to say.”

  “Oh no, what?” I’m confused on what he possibly could tell me right now.

  “I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since this morning, because I rushed to get here. Mind if we eat first, before I eat you?” He cocks his eyebrow at him.

  “You pig,” I slap his shoulder.

  “What?”

  “You know what.” I push him away and grab some paper towels to clean up the water.

  He pulls me back to him, wrapping his arms around my waist. He lowers himself down to my ear.

  “Don’t tell me you aren’t thinking about it too?” My breath catches as his seductive voice washes over him.

  “Five minutes ago I was thinking about pizza and Chandler Bing. So, no, I wasn’t thinking about sex,” I inform him.

  He chuckles. “I’m actually hurt that you don’t think about me all the time.”

  I roll my eyes at him as I clean up the mess of water. “Levi, I do think about you all the time. You just scared me.”

  “I actually wasn’t planning that part, but I was in the bedroom laying down when you came in.”

  I throw away the trash and look over at him. I can’t believe that he is here. “I have missed you.” I wrap myself around him again.

  “I’ve missed you too, Smarty.” We hold each other for another moment before I let go.

  “Hey, why don’t you order the pizza, and I will change into something more comfortable.”

  “I’m thinking something sheer, or lace, or nothing at all.” He smiles down at me.

  “I’m not eating pizza naked.” I turn and head to my bedroom.

  “Well, you take the fun out of everything,” I hear him mumble.

  I go into the bedroom to change my clothes. I hear Levi ordering the pizza, so I know that I have a quick moment. I strip out of my clothes and put on a lace bra and matching panties. I cover it up with my Pittsburgh Penguins sweatpants and a long sleeve matching shirt. I want to be sexy for Levi when we are together later.

  Going back into the living room, I see Levi all stretched out on the couch. Even though he is in jeans and a t-shirt, he still is the hottest looking man.

  “I can feel you staring at me.” He didn’t even look from flipping the channels.

  “I can’t help it,” I straddle myself on top of him. “You’re pretty hot.”

  “Smarty,” he groans.

  I lean down and kiss his neck. “Yes.”

  He grips my hips and pushes me down on him. “The pizza is on it’s way,” he reminds me. I kiss the other side of his neck. He moans loudly. “Fuck, Smarty.” That is all I needed to hear because I know that he’s about to break.

  His hands creep up under my shirt, and I kiss him. His soft lips and rough hockey hands make me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. He pushes my bra up and begins to play with tweaking my nipples. My body begins to rock against his hardness.

  “I need you, Levi.” I get up and unbutton his jeans. He pushes them down as I pull down my sweats. He reaches for a condom that’s in his pocket and rolls it on.

  He grabs my wrist and pulls me back to him. I settle myself on top of him. We connect, and both of us moan. It has been so long since I felt him, I know that I won’t last long.

  “Smarty.” Levi lifts his hips, going deeper in me.

  I can’t form a single thought as I push against him. I just know that I love him and the way I’m feeling at this moment.

  I yelp when Levi sits up and breaks our rhythm. He swings his legs off the couch, putting himself in a seated position. He takes off my shirt as I tug his off. His abs are more defined than the last time I saw them. His biceps are rock hard, and he pulls me closer.

  I dig my nails into his shoulders when I bounce harder on him. I know that he is close because his lips are on the crook of my neck.

  “Levi, bite me.”

  He doesn’t.

  “Levi.” I’m rocking against him harder as I feel my body tighten around him.

  I feel his teeth graze my skin before he bites down. That’s my trigger to yell his name and release the tightness I was feeling. I didn’t have to go much longer before Levi bit harder on my collarbone, cumming as he did.

  “Oh, yeah, I missed you, Sma
rty.” He breathes against my neck.

  I throw my head back and laugh. “I missed you too, Levi.”

  I sit up, that way Levi could go clean up. My legs are still shaking from the pleasure that I just experienced. Every time I have sex with Levi, it feels like the first time all over again.

  When he is done, I go into the bathroom to straighten myself up too. I hear the doorbell, and then Levi talking to someone.

  “Smarty, the pizza is here,” he announces.

  “Coming,” I yell back.

  “I thought I already took care of that.”

  I don’t answer him back, I just roll my eyes. He thinks about sex all the time. What am I thinking? I think about sex all the time now that Levi is gone more.

  I go into the kitchen, and my stomach growls for the pizza. Levi fixes my plate for me, while I grab a couple beers. I sit next to him as we gobble our food. Levi tells me that practice is going great. The line that he is on is number one in the AHL right now. Levi has been racking up the points, and I’m so proud of him. We finish off the pizza, well Levi finishes it off, and then we clean up the kitchen.

  Levi suggests watching a movie on Netflix, and we curl up on the couch. When the movie starts, I realize that my time is limited with him.

  “What time do you leave in the morning?”

  “I won’t leave till around noon. I thought we could sleep in a bit before I have to head back to PA.”

  I smile. I have a little bit longer with him.

  Chapter Six

  Levi

  Within twenty minutes of starting the movie, Smarty seems heavier in my arms, like she’s falling asleep.

  “Presley?” I say softly. If she is asleep, part of me doesn’t want to wake her, but then again, I have to leave tomorrow.

  “Mmm,” she hums as she lifts her head. Her eyes are half closed. “Sorry, Levi. I didn’t realize how tired I was.”

  “It’s okay. Go to sleep, Smarty. I’ll be here in the morning.”

  She smiles, kisses me, and lays her head down once more. “When I wake up, I want you in bed with me. Not just here in the apartment. Deal?”

  “Deal.” I press my lips to the top of her head, and then watch the rest of the movie by myself. When it ends, I lock the door, turn off the TV, and then carry Presley to bed. She’s out like a light and doesn’t even stir. I get in next to her after changing, and she’s already hogging most of the covers. But I could care less. Smarty cuddles up to me, so I wrap my arms around her. She’s all the warmth I need tonight.

  ~

  When I open my eyes, I see Presley’s perfect brown ones staring at me. Her lips lift a little in a smile and her red hair is a pure mess, but she’s absolutely beautiful. This is how I want to wake up every morning. It doesn’t matter where we are or what’s going on in our lives, as long as Presley is next to me when I wake up, I’ll be happy.

  “Don’t you know that it’s creepy to watch people sleep?” I ask her.

  Her smile widens. “But you just look so adorable.” She laughs as if she’s hilarious, and I can’t help chuckling.

  “It’s creepy. Instead of watching me, you should have woken me up.” I dip my head to the crook of her neck, flicking my tongue over her skin. She inhales sharply, her hand latching onto my arm with her nails digging into my skin. “Don’t you agree?” I whisper into her ear.

  “Eh, you were cuter when you were sleeping.”

  I pull back to look at her, causing her to laugh. “No hot, morning sex for you then.” When I roll away, she grabs my arm and pulls me back to her.

  “You aren’t going anywhere.”

  She kisses me and soon, we are having really hot, morning sex. Afterwards, I take a shower while Presley starts breakfast. I dig in my bag to find what I brought for her. This long distance thing sucks, but it does open the opportunity to make up for not being here. And I’m enjoying that part of it. So today, I have a little present for her.

  Presley is sitting at the table, the plates full of food already. I kiss her cheek, set the envelope on the table, and have a seat.

  “What’s that?” She asks as she looks at it skeptically like something is going to jump out at her.

  “I wanted to get you something.” I shrug.

  “Levi,” she starts.

  “Just accept it graciously. I did ruin ‘me’ night after all. This is my way of, in a way, making up for it.”

  “You didn’t ruin it. You made it, so you don’t need to do this.” She glances at the envelope. “But I am curious as to what it is.”

  “Then open it.”

  Presley can’t resist a present. Her eyes light up as she grabs the envelope and rips it open. She squeals when she sees the two tickets to an upcoming game when the Pens come to town.

  “One is for you, of course, and the other is for whoever you want to take. I didn’t know who you might want to go with you, but I figured you’d probably ask Marley. Someone has to make sure you don’t stay holed up here doing homework all the time. And since I can’t, here’s a gift for you and whomever.”

  “Thanks, Levi. You didn’t have to do this.”

  “I know.” I take my first bite of food. “This is good, thanks.”

  She suddenly leans over and gives me a hug, kissing me on the cheek. “I love you.” Presley looks at me with a slight smile. Love pours from her.

  “I love you too, Smarty.”

  She gives me one more kiss on the cheek before she finally begins eating too. I notice that she’s picking at her food, stirring it around with her fork. As if she knows that I’m watching, her eyes lift to look at me. “When is the next break in your schedule?”

  This is part of the reason why I wanted to give her a present. “It’s a little ways down the road. This is pretty much my only semi-free weekend for a while.” My weekends are packed with games and Presley’s weeks are jammed with schoolwork and those obligations. It’s going to be hard to make our schedules mesh with everything else going on. I might get a free day during the week, but Presley would be at school. We’ll figure something out, I’m sure.

  “Is that why I got a present? Because it’s going to be forever before I see you again?”

  “That’s only a small reason and it won’t be forever until you see me again. You have a webcam, don’t you? We can see each other every night, Smarty.”

  “I don’t know why we didn’t think of that before.” She giggles, but it’s halfheartedly.

  “This is going to take our sexting to a whole new level,” I tease to make her laugh.

  “Levi!” She slaps my arm, just a-giggling. I grin, but I don’t reply. Mission accomplished.

  We finish eating and then I tell her that I want to check up on my dad before I leave. I would need to go shortly if I wanted to do that and leave by noon. Presley decides that she wants to go with me, but since his place is on my way out, we’re driving separate, so I don’t have to backtrack.

  “Look who my little girl brought me,” he says when he opens the door. “Hey, Levi.” Pops gives me a hug and then Presley.

  “Hey, Pops. I wanted to stop by since I was in town.” We go into the living room, my father taking his seat in his recliner and Presley sits next to me, holding my hand.

  “It’s good to see you. How have things been?”

  “Really good. My next planned trip back here is Thanksgiving. I’ll come up that morning, but I’ll have to drive back that night.” This is news to Smarty as well. I glance at her to see her little pout, but she smiles when my father speaks.

  “We still have a bit to go before then. Presley, are you going to be joining us?”

  Her slight pout briefly returns. “I’m not so sure with my parents and all. I mean, we’re a little better, but I don’t know. Maybe we should all get together for Thanksgiving. Both of our families.”

  “I’m okay with that.” Then I won’t have to split the day between them. “What do you think, Pops?” I ask.

  “Whatever you two want to do is fine
with me.”

  We talk a little more about that, hockey, and Presley’s schoolwork. But all too soon, it’s time for me to leave. I hug Pops, tell him I’ll call him later, and then Presley follows me outside. I lean against my SUV and she leans into me.

  “Let me know when you get home safely, okay?”

  “I will,” I reassure her. She looks sad, so I try to joke, but my voice comes out more gruff than I intended. “Are you going to wear something sexy when we video chat later?”

  Presley laughs and rolls her eyes. “I’ll think about it. I’ll miss you, and I love you.”

  Bending down a little, I stop once my lips are a breath away from hers. “I’ll miss you too. And I love you so much. Forever yours, remember?”

  She smiles, which makes me feel so much better about leaving. I hate leaving a sad Presley. Honestly, that seems like the worse part of it all. I can deal with living in another state, seeing Presley and Pops only so often, and even the fact that I have to leave her in the first place. But what I hate the most is leaving her when she’s upset. I try not to be sad over leaving her because I know it isn’t permanent, and it’s what we have to do right now. I don’t want her to frown over it either.

  “Kiss me already.” Her voice is breathy, and I can’t resist giving her what she wants. I press my lips to hers, trace my tongue along the outline before finally tasting her. Right when I’m about to pull away, I suck her lower lip into my mouth, graze my teeth and then let her lip pop back out. With a teasing smile, she says, “Too bad you have to leave.” I groan when she presses her hips against mine.

  “I’ll talk to you later, Presley.”

  Chapter Seven

  Presley

  I didn’t cry until I got home. My unmade bed reminds me that a few short hours ago Levi was in it. God, I’m like a sappy girl on a Lifetime movie. I know that he has to be with his team and travel, and I know he loves me. I end up going to bed, dreaming of Levi’s warmth next to me.

  ~

  The week drags by, and I hate it more than anything. Normally, I love being in school, but now it’s a burden. I couldn’t wait for tonight. Levi’s in New York. Victor and I will be at the game. Even though I want to spend every moment with Levi, I’m not able to. He needs to practice and has several media events that he needs to do. However, we get dinner before he leaves for the next road game.