Cage's Misconduct (NHL Scorpions #3) Read online

  “Nice game, Cage.”

  “Thanks, man. I thought Shane was going to get me in the end there. That fucker seems to score on me every game. But not tonight!” I continued into the locker room, yelling and high-fiving everyone I came into contact with.

  After I showered and dressed, I stopped outside to sign some autographs for the fans waiting at the fence line in the parking lot. It never got old for me. I didn’t think I’d ever become one of the guys who eventually shied away from giving the fans a bit of my time. Maybe it was because it fed my ego. Whatever the reason, I didn’t mind spending a few minutes with them.

  “Great game, Cage! I’m going to be a goalie someday too.” A boy about seven years old held out his ‘Booker’ jersey for me to sign, jumping up and down in his excitement. “I’m going to be number one!”

  “I’ll bet you will be.” I felt the need to slip in a public service message so I added, “Make sure you eat all your veggies and get plenty of sleep, you hear? We hockey players need to take care of our bodies.” I glanced up and gave the kid’s mother a wink, doing a double-take when she licked her lips and ran a hand lightly over her breasts, which were perilously close to popping out of her top. It was pretty obvious she was there for the taking.

  My cock didn’t immediately stand to attention, which in itself was somewhat disconcerting. All it used to take was a bit of bare skin peeking out here or there and my favorite organ was off to the races. Now, all of the sudden, my brain cut my cock off at the pass and said, ‘nah, not tonight’?

  So…what? Twenty-seven was the magic number? I was only twenty-seven years old, and the chick of the day was losing its allure? That was some scary shit right there. It got me thinking that it might be a good idea to take what she was offering, you know, just to see how I felt afterward. Maybe my equipment was just a little rusty from disuse. Don’t forget what I said. I’d gone without for thirty days.

  Before I could approach the woman with one of my many come-on lines, she took the lead while her son was busy getting autographs from some of the other players.

  “I’m dropping my son off at his father’s after this, Booker. I’m hoping that look in your eyes means you might be interested in getting together later?”

  I pulled my bottom lip into my mouth, pretending to give it some serious thought while I lowered my head, cocking it to the side to look at her. I let my hair fall into my eyes, then let my lip go with a soft pop. She pressed her thighs together, and I felt a smile tug at my mouth. This was not my first rodeo.

  “I guess that depends on exactly what you’re looking for.” One thing I didn’t do was lead women on. I may be a bit of a man whore, but I was an honest man whore.

  “You’re going to make me say it?” She glanced over to make sure her son was still occupied and brushed her red fingernails over her breasts again. My eyes made sure to follow the path. Finally, my cock caught up, and I figured I was good to go.

  I took a step closer to her, whispering in her ear as I signed yet another jersey, making sure my lips just skimmed her skin. “I want to hear you say it.”

  “Jesus.” Her nipples were straining against the front of her one-size-too-small tank top. A bit showy for my tastes, but hell, I only wanted her for some quick sex anyway. “I’m inviting you over to have sex. Nothing more.”

  “Then I’m definitely interested.”

  Even though she had just told me she was only interested in sex herself, her frown plainly said she was offended by my words. I held in my eye roll and didn’t even shake my head. Women. “I don’t mean any disrespect; I’m just not looking for a relationship right now. It’s only fair you know that up front.”

  Her pride at her own self worth repaired, she replied, “Fair enough. I guess I should introduce myself.”

  I didn’t really care what her name was. Most likely wouldn’t remember it anyway. “Not necessary. Just write down your address for me.”

  The idea of the anonymity seemed to excite her. Her finger traced the muscles in my arm as she asked, “If you don’t know my name, what will you scream out when you come?”

  “I’m not a screamer, so that’s not an issue.” Sex was fun, awesome even, but I don’t think I’d ever been so far gone that I felt the need to bellow a woman’s name out when I came.

  “Well I am. If you do your job right. Of course, I already know your name, so we’re good.”

  I took the scrap of paper with her address on it. “See you in an hour.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  ***

  Good God, I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of that woman’s apartment. The whole idea was a terrible mistake. She’d already screamed my name out twice, so I knew my job was officially done, but my condom was still pitifully empty—it was starting to concern me.

  I was thinking too much. Just do her. I redoubled my efforts, earning me fingernails in my ass cheeks. Shutting my eyes, I let myself think of Karen. I pictured her tits that were bigger than a handful, and her lavish, wide hips that I could easily imagine digging my fingers into. She wasn’t one of those ‘fashionably skinny’ women (not that I mind those kind—I love all kinds of women). Her luxurious curves made her body a veritable fantasy land. It was working. My cock grew harder as I continued to pump inside the woman under me. I kept thinking about Karen until my orgasm sprang up on me, and I finally completed what I went there to do. “Karen!” Shit.

  Her fingernails immediately left my ass. I guess her name wasn’t Karen. Whoops, my mistake. Plus there was the discomfiting fact that I actually had bellowed out a name when I came.

  “Um, my name’s not Karen.”

  I went with the playing dumb card. “Oh, sorry. I thought you said it was.”

  “No, it’s Janet, but that’s okay.” She ran her hands over my chest to my abs, looking down to where we were still joined. “That was incredible, Cage. I think we really worked well together here.”

  Fucking great. Here we go. “Yeah, thanks.” I pushed myself up and went into the adjoining bathroom to dispose of the thankfully soiled condom. My steps faltered a bit at the look on the woman’s face as I strode back into the room in search of my clothes.

  “I know I said I just wanted sex, but now that I know how great we are together, maybe you want to try dating me?”

  The hope etched in her slightly widened eyes and the tiny upward tilt of her lips was troubling. I thought I’d been abundantly clear back at the rink. “No. I’m sorry. I’m not looking for a relationship, but thank you for a nice evening.”

  “Nice? Are you fucking kidding me?” Apparently the word ‘nice’ was now an insult. “I gave you everything I had. Hell, I even faked the second orgasm to try to bring you to yours. Nice? Get out.”

  Worked for me. I had no problem following her orders since I was mostly dressed and making my way to the door anyway. Without another word, I let myself out, breathing a sigh of relief. What a fucking mistake.

  Chapter 4

  Karen

  I can’t tell you how much I was looking forward to returning to San Diego for another visit. A nice long visit this time, too. I was overjoyed to be leaving the cold behind to bask in the warm southern California sun. From the research I’d done, I figured I had almost six months to enjoy it before the U.S. kicked my butt back to Canada. That gave me about five months to look online for a new school to work for in the fall. To me, it was a win/win situation, even though leaving home for so long was a little daunting, but at least I’d have my big brother there, even if he was a little—who am I kidding?— unbearably protective.

  “Are you sure you have everything you need, sweetheart?” My mother was delighted that I had decided to take some time off before finding another job, but she was still having a hard time letting go. At least she and my future step-father would have the house to themselves now. They deserved that. Especially my mother. She’d lived a hard life. A lonely one, and I think that maybe Samuel was her reward for getting her life in order.

&nbs
p; My mother was actually the one who pushed me toward the idea of taking a break after my school redistricted me. I had gone from high school directly into college, but I had worked part-time too. I wasn’t sure if I was just burned out or if I didn’t know what I wanted to receive my degree in, but about halfway through my third year I quit school. When I finally figured out what I wanted to do, I went back to college and graduated at the age of twenty-four. So even though it took me a while to commit, when I finally found my calling in life—teaching children with special needs—I buckled down and completed my education.

  Losing my job at Fairweather’s School for Children after only a few years of teaching there was devastating, but they were forced to make layoffs, so that was that. I was a firm believer in everything happening for a reason, and since Jody offered to rent me a place for my stay, and I had a brand new niece to meet, I jumped at the chance to make the trek to the States again.

  “Yes, Mom. The place Jody rented for me is fully furnished.” He had tried talking me into staying with him and Lacey, but they had a two week-old baby in the house now. To add to that, Lacey’s mother was there visiting from Vancouver for a couple of weeks to help Lacey with baby Adeline, so they sure didn’t need another house guest.

  “I’m going to miss you, honey.” Mom hugged me hard, sniffling once, although she tried to hide it. “I want you to call me every day, okay?”

  I shook my head at her mothering. “I’m a grown woman, Mom. I’ll be fine. I promise. And don’t forget, Mr. Cranky Pants will be there, most likely not letting me stray much farther than arm’s length from him. He probably bought one of those leashes people put on their kids for me.”

  Mom laughed at my nickname for my brother. “Jody isn’t cranky, he just worries about you. That’s all. Be nice to him. I’m sure he’s freaking out about being a father now.”

  He got on my nerves now and then, as siblings do, but my smile was genuine thinking about my big, tough brother holding his baby girl. “I can’t see how he’s going to make it. Can you even imagine how much he’s going to spoil my little niece? I sure wouldn’t want to be her when she’s old enough to date, though.”

  “Oh, you’re too hard on him. He’s been so good to both of us, honey. Cut him some slack. You know he’s never forgiven himself for not being there to keep you safe from Freddy.”

  Freddy. Now there was a story. Freddy was my first serious boyfriend, and treated me with respect and kindness at the start of our relationship. I met him through a tutoring workshop I volunteered for. He needed help in English and wandered into the near empty classroom we used at the end of the day.

  I’d never forget the little flip my heart did when I saw him zeroing in on me. Of course I knew who he was. Who didn’t? He wasn’t the football quarterback, but he did play on the team, and everyone adored him. Why he didn’t already have a steady girl, I didn’t know.

  When he walked into the room, the few people who were in there stopped to stare at him. It made me feel bad for him. He didn’t seem to like being the center of attention. I sent a hard look at the lookers-on and they turned back to their work.

  “Can I help you?”

  His golden hair was cropped short. Almost severely short, but it worked for him. Bright blue eyes lit up when he smiled at me. It was apparent by his casual posture that he had relaxed after I stopped the others from dissecting him the moment he stepped foot in the room.

  “I hope so. I’m in desperate need of help with English. I’m not doing so well, and if I don’t pick my grades up I’m going to be kicked off the football team. I know you’re in my class, and I’ve missed a few. Can you show me where we’re at?”

  “Never end a question with a preposition.”

  “What’s that?” His posture sort of shrunk in on him when he whispered his question.

  “I’ll teach you.” I patted the seat next to me. “Sit.”

  I was gifted with another smile as he sat down beside me, pulling the chair closer than necessary. “Yes ma’am.”

  It didn’t take long for me to find out he wasn’t really looking for help. Mostly what he wanted was someone to write his papers for him—and I did.

  For almost the entire two years we dated, which ended our senior year, Freddy was attentive and kind. That was until he didn’t need me anymore. A couple of months before graduation, his true colors started showing through.

  He seemed to enjoy pushing me around from time to time. Thinking back, I wondered if it made him feel powerful to grab me, shake me—that kind of thing. Was it some kind of compensation for him not being able to do his own work in English class? Did he think I looked down on him?

  I won’t go through the day by day interaction in our relationship, but in any case, as mostly happened in those types of relationships, Freddy became more and more physical until he finally beat me so badly I had to spend a week in the hospital. There was a bit more to it than that, but it wasn’t one of my finer memories. I didn’t care to dwell on it. To my dismay though, I still jumped occasionally if someone touched me when I wasn’t expecting it. It was a period in my life I tried never to think about, but it intruded now and then without my permission. “I know, Mom, but I can’t make that better for him. None of it was his fault or in his control. He knows that.”

  “Yes, well, Jody’s a man, and they don’t think rationally like we do.” Mom looked at her watch and nodded toward the door. “We better get going if you’re going to make your flight on time.”

  ***

  “Why the hell is Booker here?” Jody and I had just gotten in from the airport to find a lively party in full swing. Lacey and Jody’s friends were serving as my official welcome wagon.

  “Dalton’s here?” My head snapped up as I gave Jody my full attention. “How is he?”

  “How the hell should I know? He shouldn’t even be here.”

  “If you hate him so much, why is he here?”

  His lip curled up menacingly as he answered. “I say again, how the hell should I know? When I left to pick you up, he wasn’t here. When I got back, he was.”

  “He came with Vlad. No idea how that happened,” Lacey answered as she walked up to us. Little Addie took that as her cue to begin wailing, and Lacey quickly whisked her away before I even got a good look at her. She left Jody to deal or not deal with Cage as he saw fit. Instead of Jody walking toward him, he followed me back to the guest bedroom where I had intended to change into some fresh clothes that I’d grabbed out of my suitcase before we went into the house.

  Since he seemed intent on shadowing me, I put my hand up in front of his face to stop him. “Give me a second, will you? I’m going to get changed.” I received no answer from him. He simply leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms, so I shut the door and proceeded to change.

  As I was pulling on a light button-down sweater over my top, he knocked on the door reminding me of his presence. “I’m not leaving until we talk about Cage.”

  I opened the door and stopped mid-button at the look on his face. “Oh no. We’re not going to start this already.” My shoulders involuntarily drooped as Jody’s body got even stiffer, arms still crossed and frown lines denting his forehead. That look was never a good sign where my big brother was concerned. Ah, dammit. “Let me guess. He’s only here to get into my pants. No, no wait. I’ve got it. He’s going to follow me home and attack! Come on, Jody. He’s not a bad guy.”

  “Joke all you want, little sister. I know you’re a big girl now, but you don’t know these guys like I do. Cage Booker is no good, and I don’t want you to go near him. He’s trouble.”

  I pushed my way past my brother’s massive body. His hatred of Cage was over the top. “Go work out or something, and leave me in peace.”

  His hand shot out and gently gripped my arm. In a softer voice he said, “Karen—”

  I tried to control my exasperation and remember how much my brother loved me. “I know, Jody. I know, but you really have to stop worrying about me all the ti
me. I’m not that eighteen-year old girl anymore. I can take care of myself. You know I still go to boxing classes twice a week. You have to stop blaming yourself for what Freddy did. You weren’t there. You couldn’t have been there. Let it go.”

  “Aw, Karen. It’s just not that easy for me. There are so many dangers out there for a woman. It drives me crazy thinking that something could happen to you again. I can’t stand thinking about what you went through. I should have seen it coming. I should have known.” It was a sad, sad thing to see my brother’s eyes so suspiciously bright with emotion. He was the toughest man I knew. “There’s no excuse for letting him hurt you. I should have been there, but I wasn’t. I’m here now though, and I’m not going to let anyone hurt you again.”

  With one last smile for him, I gave Jody a quick, hard hug, but he didn’t immediately release me. “I know, brother mine, I know. But I need to live. Cage isn’t Freddy. It’s time. Let it go. Trust me to know the good ones from the bad ones now, okay? I promise, if I ever need protecting, you’ll be the first person I call.”

  I gently pulled free of his grasp and made my way back out to the party, marveling at how many friends Lacey had gathered to welcome me to the States. People I’d only briefly met had taken time out of their day to welcome their friend’s little sister. It gave my heart a smile.

  “Hi, Karen. How are you? It’s great to have you here.” Vlad walked over to me and placed a kiss on my cheek while Zoe enveloped me in a warm hug.

  “Hi, guys. I’m doing great! It’s so nice to be here. How are the newlyweds?”

  Vlad wrapped his arm around his wife, pulled her in close and gave her a smacking kiss on the lips. “Incredible. Married life agrees with me.”

  It was beyond obvious how Vlad felt about Zoe. He wore his heart on his sleeve. A sigh escaped me while I wondered if I’d ever have someone love me like that, as if he couldn’t bear to be parted from me. “Where’s Crystal?”