Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Who knew a hockey game could change your life?
The first time I saw Zeke on the ice, I knew he was mine.
My brother said I was stalking Zeke, but I like to think of it as showing my appreciation. I pretended it was just a game, something to keep me occupied since my family didn't really need me.
The way Zeke searched the stands for me when he thought I wasn’t watching let me know he wanted me too, even if he wasn’t ready to admit it. One day he'd give in. That was inevitable.
He comes to me, needing a loan. The year he spent in Vegas wasn't kind to him, and he's in deep debt. He doesn't like the terms I offer and tries to walk away.
I'll never let that happen. He's in danger, and no one is going to hurt him. Not on my watch.
I knew I could make him surrender to me, but the more time I spend with him, the more I find myself revealing things I've never told anyone. Money problems I can easily fix, and I make a damn good bodyguard, but is it possible we might heal each other? Is it possible for two wounded men to fall in love?
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
PROLOGUE
VITO
Iwished like hell I was in Las Vegas for a vacation, but I’d been sent to collect intel for the family business. I’d get the work done, but there was no reason I couldn’t have some fun while I was there.
I’d lucked into tickets for the Vegas Wildcats home game. A loud, fierce hockey game was just what I needed after a long day of meeting with close-lipped assholes who didn’t seem to understand the hell the Marchesis could rain down on them if they failed to meet our terms.
I was thrilled when I realized the seats were in the center section against the glass. I loved being right in the action. As the teams warmed up, I couldn’t take my eyes off Vegas’s No. 14, Zeke Balogh, one of the league’s growing number of out and proud gay players. He looked right up at me as he stretched on the ice, opening his legs wide and pulsing his ass. I held his gaze for several seconds. He was fucking mesmerizing. The other players looked just as obscene as they worked their hips open, but something about the way Balogh moved made my whole body feel electrified. He was hot as hell, and I wished I could see more than his face and the long hair flowing down his back.
He turned away as he rolled to his stomach and brought a knee out to the side, stretching his groin. I’d like to be right behind him. I could help him stretch and then put that ass to good use.
Once he was on his feet again, I kept my eyes on him. How was his skating hotter than any other players’? I couldn’t stop watching him. It was like he’d put a spell on me.
When the warm-up time ended, I immediately pulled out my phone and looked up everything I could find on Balogh. This was his first year in the NHL. I’d be more than happy to give him some tips about fan service.
He was twenty-two, so old enough to know what he was doing, and if the flexibility he’d just showed was any indication, he’d be damn good at whatever he wanted to try, and I’d be happy to try just about anything with him. Once I read his basic stats, I looked further into articles about him. Apparently, since he’d been in Vegas, he’d gained a reputation for running through men as fast as he skated. Had the look he’d given me been as meaningful as I’d wanted it to be?
I was going to find out.
A few texts to the friend who’d gotten me the ticket was all it took to find out where the team usually hung out after a game. I was going to track down Balogh and see just how slutty he could be.
The bar was packed but it didn’t take me long to find him. I hung back, watching Balogh talk to his teammates and a group of men and women who were clustered around them. I waited for a chance to talk to him alone. I didn’t mind since the extra time gave me a chance to look at him. Without his helmet, his dark brown hair was even more stunning. I imagined myself taking hold of it and pulling his head back, exposing his throat for me to bite. He was wearing a tight black Henley that showed off the defined muscles in his chest and arms. His jeans were also tight, clinging to his plump ass. I wanted to squeeze those cheeks and hear him moan.
Eventually he headed toward the bar, and I followed him. I gave a look to the guy standing next to him, the same look I gave to men who owed my family and hadn’t paid up. He took off, and I moved in beside Balogh.
“You looked good out there on the ice today,” I said after he’d placed his order.
“Thanks.” He accepted his drink and finally turned to face me.
His eyes widened when they met mine.
“I saw you watching me from the ice.”
His tongue darted out to wet his lips. “I….”
“Don’t deny it.”
He took a step back from the bar. I loved that I’d unnerved him. He was so sure of himself when he played. I liked seeing him off balance now. Was he afraid of me? I was damn good at scaring people. That was my job.
As he moved back, I moved toward him until we were standing so close it was all I could do not to reach for him.
“I should get back to the team,” he said.
I shook my head. “Not yet. I’m curious about something.”
He glanced toward his friends then back to me. “What?”
“How real is your reputation?”
Anger flashed in his eyes. “I enjoy men. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“No, there’s nothing wrong with it, but I wonder…do you get bored with all those little twinks who pursue you? Would you like to enjoy someone older, someone who could match the aggression you show on the ice? A man who could make you do whatever he says?”