Seduced by the Game (68 page)

Hours later,
lying in his bed that they had finally made it to, it dawned on her. She loved
him. She loved him with all of her being. He had stolen her heart in a few
short weeks, and while it was a good feeling, it was also scary as hell. But
she was content to see what the future brought to them.

“I love you,
too,” she heard his deep voice whisper sleepily next to her. She hadn’t
realized she’d spoken out loud.

Epilogue

Almost a year
had gone by and Keith and Kelly were still together and as hot as ever. Kelly,
for the first time in her life, had a beautiful place to live and never took it
for granted.

“Honey, what
are you doing over there?” Keith wished she would stop perfecting every little
thing in their home. Their little beach house was perfect for them. It wasn’t
huge, but was big enough for the two of them, which was all they needed.

“I’m just
cleaning up the kitchen, and then I’m going to touch up that paint in the
laundry room.”

Keith got up
and gathered her in his arms. “No. Come sit with me and watch the sunset.”

“But there are
a couple of spots that I didn’t cover. You know…”

“No. Honey,
relax. You don’t have to make everything perfect. I promise, you’ll never have
to live like you did growing up. Take your time and enjoy fixing things the way
you want, okay?” He understood her need to make things perfect, but she needed
to trust that it wasn’t going to disappear overnight.

Kelly smiled.
It was still hard for her to believe in her good fortune. “Okay. I love you,
Keith. You have no idea how much I love our life together.”

“I do, Kel. I
feel the same way.”

Keith’s phone
rang as they were on their way out to the deck to watch the sun come down.

“Hey, Vlad,
what’s up?”

“I didn’t know
if you’d heard. Manny’s gone. They’re bringing in my buddy, Jody LaGrange. He’s
a hell of a teammate. And a hell of an enforcer. I think you’ll like him. He’ll
even be a help to you in the locker room. The boys look up to him.”

“Really? I’m
familiar with him. I agree. It’s a good fit.”

Vlad was
almost giddy. “I have even better news. Ace is gone. My new backup is a new
kid. Cage Booker. Looks like he might be another smart ass, but he can’t be as
bad as Ace, can he?”

Keith laughed
at Vlad’s enthusiasm. “Well, I guess time will tell.”

# # #

Acknowledgments

First and
foremost, I have to thank Beth MacMullin. She is the best beta reader who ever
existed. Any errors in this novella are mine alone.

Special thanks
to Julie Mancini and Alison Blatman, who brought my attention to this awesome
anthology. Not to mention the rest of Nikki’s Puck Bunnies, who simply rock!

Thanks to the
other authors involved in this most excellent anthology. Raising money for
charity is not only needed, it selfishly makes me feel good.

Last, but not
least, to the NHL, who gave us the idea of donating our time and efforts. The
NHL, time and time again, proves how much they are dedicated to those who are
dealing with this awful disease. Cancer has affected almost everyone on the
planet. I can almost guarantee that all of us know someone who has it, has had
it, or has lost someone to it.

This novella
is for all of you.

Connect with Nikki

facebook.com/nikkiworrellauthor

goodreads.com/author/show/6950511.Nikki_Worrell

nikkiworrell.com

twitter.com/FlyGirl_45

amazon.com/-/e/B00DDXRQCG

Epilogue

Thank you again for taking the time to read
Seduced by The Game
.
We hope you enjoyed the stories and our appreciation of hockey.

Please consider leaving a review to help make
Seduced by The
Game
more visible and as such assisting us in raising more funds for the
fight against cancer.

If you are interested in current and future efforts we are putting
together, please take a moment to visit us at
www.SeducedbyTheGame.com

About Coming Together

Coming Together
is about giving and about
sex—a tantalizing combination in any context. Conceived online in the
Literotica
_®
com Authors' Hangout, a forum for erotica writers, Coming
Together is the passionate product of many talented individuals.

We were all amateurs when
the first erotic cocktail was served in the spring of 2005. In the years since
the inaugural volume hit the cyber shelves of Café Press, many of the original
contributors have become successful professionals: authors, poets, editors, and
artists. To date, Coming Together has compiled over a dozen collections,
launched individual full-length and novella lines, and has many more
anthologies in the works. I am thrilled with and humbled by both the quantity
and quality of the submissions received.

In each volume, we strive
for an inclusive mix, embracing the diversity of desire. The causes we champion
cross all demographic groups and so, appropriately, does Coming Together. Note,
however, that these pages may contain fantastic stories in which the characters
do not practice safe sex. Everyone involved with the publication of Coming
Together encourages its readers to act responsibly and to take appropriate
precautions against both unwanted pregnancy and the transmission of disease.

All proceeds from the sale
of this edition of Coming Together will be donated to Hockey Fights Cancer
charities.

Bottoms up!

peace & passion,

Alessia Brio

eroticanthology.com