The Season: Rush (Austin Arrows #1) (18 page)

20

Kingston

Saturday, October 29
th

It’s been a hectic week. Being that the season just got underway, I have to find my groove again. It usually takes me about a month to get in the swing of things after having a few months off. Especially the traveling part. It doesn’t help that I’d wished I was home to see Ellie, so it made the trip a little more stressful. Overall, it was still a good week, though. We won two of the three games, so I can’t be disappointed. That puts us at 6-2-0, but we’ve got a long way to go.

But tonight isn’t about hockey. Well, not in the arena sense. The event we’re attending is in direct relation, but the outcome will likely be far less exciting. Then again … I think back to the bet Ellie and I made. Tonight might actually be better than I originally thought.

I dressed up in the requisite tuxedo, and for the past half hour, I’ve been pacing my living room floor while I count down the minutes until the limo arrives to pick me up. The car was Spencer’s idea, and I’m glad he came up with it because I wouldn’t have. I’m not that romantic.

Then again, tonight isn’t really about romance. It’s more about making an appearance and networking in an effort to raise money for mental health awareness. When Spencer originally mentioned it, I didn’t hesitate in accepting the invite. We lost a teammate to mental illness, and though it’s been a decade, it’s still with me. I’ll never forget when we found out that Jason took his own life. And I’ll never forget that I wasn’t there for him when he needed someone to be. Looking back on it now, he seemed to have been crying out for help with his actions. No one had seen it coming, no one had expected him to…

That’s the reason I’m dressed in the monkey suit and ready to go. Although I hate these charity things, getting dressed up and shit, they’re worth it when they bring attention to important causes. So, that’s why I’m going.

Well, that and the fact that I get to see Ellie in that dress.

My phone buzzes with a text. I glance at the screen.

Finally.

I pat my pocket to ensure I have my wallet, then tuck my phone into my other pocket. I’m out the door as the limo is pulling into the circle drive.

“You clean up nice,” Spencer says when I join him in the car.

“Yeah?” I glance down at the tux. It’s not my thing, but I do what it takes. I’ve spent my fair share of time in a monkey suit over the years. These benefits aren’t as rare as one would hope.

“Noelle’s at Ellie’s,” Spencer informs me.

Speaking of Noelle…

“What made you ask her out?” I’ve known Spencer for a long time. I’ve also known Noelle for a long time. As far as having ever imagined them as a couple … not once.

“She agreed to go as friends.”

That doesn’t explain shit. It still doesn’t tell me why he asked her, but I let it go. There’s something in the way he says that, but I can’t put my finger on it. I do notice, however, that he doesn’t look me in the eye, which, with Spencer, usually means he’s holding something back.

I decide not to press it. Instead, I change the subject. Kind of. “Is it because you’re trying to avoid Amber?”

We have yet to discuss the situation with Amber. I’ve tried a couple of times, but admittedly, I haven’t tried all that hard. Things between Spencer and me have been a little tense, due to the fact that he’s still attempting to control this arrangement I have with Ellie. Granted, he’s backed off quite a bit since the night I leaked our relationship to the reporter. I figure it’s because he has other things on his mind, like this charity event.

“I’m not avoiding her.” He sounds defensive.

“No?”

“No. I needed a date. Noelle was free.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

Spencer glares at me.

I shrug. “So it has nothing to do with the fact that Amber is going to the dinner tonight with Seg?”

A frown instantly distorts Spencer’s features. Apparently he didn’t know about that. Or maybe he did, and he’s simply frustrated that I keep pushing the issue.

And now I feel like a dumb ass for bringing it up.

Luckily, we’re pulling up to Ellie’s house and I don’t have to deal with a moody guy anymore. I can tell by the look on Spencer’s face that he won’t be happy no matter what I say, so this is perfect timing.

Once the car is parked, I climb out with Spencer right behind me. We make our way to the door, but rather than let Spencer barge in like he normally does, I ring the doorbell and shove my arm out to hold him back.

“It’s my sister’s house. We don’t need to ring the doorbell.”

I peer over at him. “When you’re taking a woman on a date—friends or not—you ring the fucking doorbell.” Even I know that.

The door opens, and Noelle’s bright blue eyes sparkle when she sees us.

“Wow. Fancy.”

“You look fantastic,” Spencer offers, sounding somewhat mystified.

I glance over at him and chuckle. I’ve never seen him look at Noelle like …well, like he wants to eat her for dinner. Or dessert. Or … whatever.

Interesting.

“Thank you,” Noelle says sweetly. “Come in. Ellie’ll be right out.”

I step into the house at the same time Ellie appears in the living room.

I swear my heart stops beating.

She’s wearing the dress she had on in the picture, but this time she’s all made up. Her long hair is pulled up, a few loose strands fluttering around her face. There’s a delicate silver chain around her neck and big silver hoops in her ears. She’s not one to generally wear a lot of makeup—she doesn’t need it—but tonight she’s sporting dark eyes and crimson lips, and holy fuck, my dick is doing a happy dance.

“Excuse us for a minute,” I say to Spencer and Noelle.

Taking Ellie’s hand, I pull her out of the living room and down the hall that leads to her bedroom so that we have a little privacy.

“Is something wrong?” she whispers, her eyes wide as she stares up at me when I spin her around and pin her against the wall.

“Yeah,” I whisper. “I need to kiss you, and I can’t do it with your brother in the room.”

Her smile is slow and sexy and it makes my dick jump.

Gently cupping her cheek, I lean down and press my mouth to hers. I don’t want to mess up her makeup, but I can’t help myself. I haven’t kissed her since the day we went to breakfast, and it’s been killing me ever since. In an effort to take things slow, I haven’t pressed for anything more. It doesn’t help that our schedules don’t mesh.

Her hands grip the lapels of my suit as she pulls me closer. In her heels, she’s got to be almost six feet, which makes the kissing thing a whole hell of a lot easier.

“You look stunning,” I mumble when our mouths separate. “And fuck, you smell good.”

“Thank you. I was gonna say the same about you.” Her thumb swipes across my lips, and I assume she’s wiping lipstick from them. It doesn’t look like hers is smudged, though.

I take a deep breath, willing my dick to chill the fuck out. I think about Spencer waiting for us on the other side of the wall, and that pretty much takes care of my problem. Taking her hand, I lead Ellie back toward the living room but pull up short when I hear Noelle talking.

“You don’t need to apologize,” she snaps. “It never happened, okay? I’m good with that.”

“Noelle, I just don’t want you to—”

“Enough.” This time she’s speaking at regular volume, and it’s obvious she’s pissed. “I said it
never
happened. You have to pretend it didn’t, too.”

When Spencer doesn’t say anything, I turn to look at Ellie. Her eyes are wide and she’s clearly processing what she heard. I’m curious to know what
didn’t happen
, but I damn sure won’t be asking about it. At least not tonight.

Pretending we didn’t just eavesdrop on what was likely a pretty important conversation, I turn to Ellie and smile. “You ready?”

Ellie nods.

I lead her into the living room, ready to face off with Noelle and Spencer, but…

They’re gone. The room is empty.

I lift an eyebrow at Ellie. She shakes her head slightly as she grabs a small purse.

I peer up at the stairs. “Is Bianca here?”

“Nope. She’s staying with Gabby tonight.” I notice something spark in Ellie’s eyes, and I’m not sure if that was an invitation or merely fact.

I’m not quite sure what to do with that information, so I tuck it away for later.

Right now, I have to focus on getting to the dinner without thinking about getting Ellie out of that dress. That will come soon enough.

If I’m lucky.

Ellie

I’m nervous.

Like, seriously nervous.

Although Kingston eased some of my tension with that unexpected kiss back at my house, I’ve all but forgotten that now that we’re in this huge ballroom with all these people.

And there are people everywhere.

Old, young, tall, short, rich, uber-rich … they are all present and accounted for. I’ve seen Phoenix, as well as his husband, Tarik, and their wife, Mia. They greeted us when we arrived. It appears that Spencer and Kingston are the only players here tonight, though, which means we pretty much know no one. I’m simply glad that Noelle is here. I’m not sure how I got lucky enough that my brother needed a last-minute date, but I’m not going to question it.

We mingle for a few minutes while we sip ridiculously expensive champagne from fancy crystal flutes, and then we make our way over to the section that has been reserved for dinner. I notice that the tables are decked out in white linen, and there are large, exotic flower arrangements in the center, along with several candles flickering around them. It’s nicely done, but I shouldn’t have expected any less. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Mia, and the woman will spare no expense when it comes to drumming up money for the charity that means so much to her. Spencer told me the story about how her father died by suicide. I’m sure that was incredibly difficult for her to deal with. I can’t even imagine how hard it was. And the fact that she’s a proactive supporter of raising awareness and helping to eliminate the negative stigma associated with mental illness shows how noble and incredibly strong she is.

I hope they accomplish what they’ve set out to do tonight. If they don’t, it certainly won’t be from lack of trying.

Kingston seems to be following Spencer’s lead. I’m not sure that’s such a good thing since my brother seems terrified to be here. He’s done dozens of these things, so you’d think he wouldn’t be quite so antsy, but he is. I can tell because he continues to thrust his hands in his pockets over and over, a tell of his. Even with Noelle at his side, he looks like he wants to crawl into a hole.

“Ready to eat?” Kingston asks, taking my hand and leading me to the table we’ve been assigned to.

I smile and nod as Kingston pulls my chair out. He sits to my left, and Noelle takes the chair on my right with Spencer beside her. That leaves two other seats at the table, and I briefly wonder who will occupy those.

My curiosity is sated rather quickly when Amber North walks up. If I hadn’t already reconnected with her back when Spencer was laying the ground rules for mine and Kingston’s pretend relationship, I would’ve recognized her anyway. Hell, she dated my brother for so long, and at one point, I even thought she would eventually be my future sister-in-law. I don’t think I will ever forget her face. But the face next to hers… It surprises me to see Colton Seguine in tow. He looks relaxed as ever and quite handsome in his tux.

I take a moment to study Amber. She seems to be in her element, decked out in an emerald-green gown that makes her eyes pop. Her red hair is piled on top of her head, a pair of diamonds flashing in her ears. She’s still just as beautiful, just as poised and delicate as I remember.

However, I also notice that she doesn’t seem at all interested in her date. Maybe they came as friends.

Noelle elbows me and I glance over at her.

“This should get interesting.”

One thing I love about Noelle is that she’s no dummy. She told me that Spencer asked her to this dinner and she agreed, but only as friends. I know Noelle has no misconceptions when it comes to Spencer. She might think he’s attractive, but she’ll be the first to tell you that she isn’t at all into him.

Until tonight, I believed her, too. After hearing their conversation at my house, I’m not sure what’s going on with them. During the limo ride over, they remained awkwardly silent. In fact, Noelle hardly glanced at me, so I know something is bothering her. I wish it was something along the lines of her liking my brother. In my opinion, they would be good for each other. But I seem to be the only one who thinks that.

And I also believe that she agreed to go only because my brother looks ready to bolt anytime Amber’s name is mentioned. He looks like that now as Colton pulls out her chair and Amber takes a seat at the table.

I lean over and whisper in Noelle’s ear. “Did you know she was dating a player?”

Noelle turns her head, her mouth close to my ear. “A gay player at that.”

I jump back and stare at my friend. “What?” I do my best not to spin around and look at Colton, but it’s not easy to do. “He’s gay? Really?” I mouth.

Noelle smirks, then sips her wine. Knowing how it looks with me whispering, I sit up and smile, trying not to stare at Colton or Amber like they’re carnival freaks. Well, if he’s gay, at least that explains why they don’t look like they’re together.

Kingston’s arm wraps over my shoulders and he leans in close. I’m expecting him to say something about Amber, but he doesn’t. Instead, the words that come out of his mouth make my face flame.

“Do you know how badly I want to see what you’ve got on under that dress?”

I’m instantly reminded of our bet. More accurately, how he won that bet and told me that he would be collecting tonight.

“Do you now?” Wow. I sounded way too breathless there.

“Yes.” His breath is warm against my neck. “I’ve wondered ever since you sent me the picture.”

I remind myself that Kingston is a ruthless flirt. We’re here because of our pretend relationship, and it’s extremely important that I remember that. It’s sometimes difficult, especially after the few kisses we’ve shared and after all of the flirting we’ve done via text messages. I’ve admittedly developed a crush on the guy, which isn’t helping my situation at all.

The fact that I’m practically a born-again virgin due to lack of sex for three freaking years isn’t helping, either. It would be so easy to give in to him for one night, or even for a few nights, but I know that’s all I’ll get. Unfortunately, that’s never been my thing, no matter how tempting it is.

Well, it hasn’t been my thing ever since Vegas. I learned my lesson about casual encounters.

“Amber, you know my sister, Ellie,” Spencer says, dragging my attention away from Kingston. “This is Ellie’s best friend, Noelle. And you know Kingston.”

I meet Amber’s gaze. If she’s nervous, she’s doing a damn good job hiding it.

“Nice to see you again,” I tell her. Aside from the few business conversations we’ve had, I haven’t taken the time to talk to her. Even though Spencer might be over what she did to him all those years ago, I can’t deny that I harbor a little animosity toward her. She hurt my brother and that bothers me.

“You, too. And thank you for coming tonight. This is an important fundraiser for Mia, as you know.”

Right.

Fundraiser.

Business.

That’s the reason we are all here.

I need to remember that.

Two hours later, I’m having a hard time remembering anything except for the feel of Kingston’s arms around me. When he originally asked me to dance, I was a little shocked. I mean, seriously. Imagine a big, strong, strapping hockey player … dancing.

Well, it’s not nearly as weird as I thought it would be. In fact, Kingston is pretty damn impressive on the dance floor.

“I didn’t know you could dance,” I tell him, meeting his gaze as I press my palms to his chest. I can’t raise my arms too high or this dress is going to reveal a little too much of my backside. The same backside that Kingston is currently palming. On purpose, no doubt.

“I can do quite a few things.” His smirk radiates seduction.

“Did you take lessons?” I can’t quite picture this Boston boy taking dance lessons.

“No, but my mother was insistent that her boys learn. She taught us herself.”

“Heath and Scott, too?” Now that’s something I’d like to see.

Kingston nods. “She figured if we all had to learn, we wouldn’t be able to taunt each other.” The corners of his mouth curl upward. “Little did she know.”

I can only imagine. I’ve seen Kingston with his brothers. The word competitive doesn’t even begin to describe it. I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting Kingston’s mother. She passed away shortly after Kingston started college. She died from complications of pneumonia. Based on how her sons turned out, she was a great mom.

For a few minutes, Kingston is quiet, and I find myself staring up at his face. Neither of us are looking away, and the tension seems to be pulling my body closer. The heat that glimmers in his eyes makes me want to lose my inhibitions and give in to this man.

I remember the bet. It instantly makes me think of the way Kingston’s hand is leisurely running down my back, over the curve of my butt. If I’m not careful, I’m going to find myself in a dark closet letting this man…

I shake off the thought and look away, choosing to take this to safer ground. “So, do you think it’s been a good turnout?”

Kingston looks around. “Hopefully. I know Spencer is being run through the ringer. They’ve got him socializing with everyone.”

That they do. Hell, he was even chatting it up with the governor earlier. Although he’s putting on a really good show, I can tell he’s extremely edgy. More so than I’ve ever seen him. For people who don’t know him well, he’s good at hiding it. I’m his sister… I see these things.

Personally, I would’ve preferred to leave a long time ago. Not only because I’m not a fan of public events like this but also because I think I need to put a little distance between Kingston and myself. I can’t seem to stop the carnal thoughts running through my head, and I fear if I don’t get some distance, I’m going to do something stupid.

Like sleep with him.

Not that sleeping with him would be stupid. It would probably be fantastic. But it would also be more than I can handle. I’ve never been the casual-sex kind of girl, and when it comes to Kingston, the only thing it can be is casual. He’s my friend, first and foremost. I’m doing him a favor because he asked me to. Well, technically my brother asked, but still. It’s not supposed to turn into something more. More importantly, I’m not supposed to expect anything more.

It wouldn’t be fair to Kingston or to me.

Now, I need to figure out how to bow out gracefully tonight without letting on that I’m ready to jump this guy’s bones.