Prologue
Cady
December 24, 2014
Have you ever thought about doing something that was just plain crazy? And although you may have had some fleeting doubts, deep down… right inside the middle of your gut… you know it’s the right thing to do?
You know that if you just have the fortitude to make that decision, put your fears aside and really go for it… it could represent that one thing in life that will make you happier than anything else will. It will bring you what you desire most and even the things you are actually sacrificing to get it will pale in comparison.
So yes… I’m really thinking about doing something that is wild and completely out of my comfort zone.
Many say that Christmas is a time for miracles.
This year, I say Christmas is a time for some crazy.
Chapter 1
Cady
August
Four months earlier…
I bolt straight up in bed, the sheets clutched to my chest. Panic fills me as I take in the bright sunlight filtering in through the windows. I turn my head slowly, dread filling me as I make eye contact with the alarm clock beside the bed.
10:03 AM.
Phew! My heartbeat settles down immediately as I realize I haven’t missed my flight back home, which is scheduled for late afternoon. And while the panicked feeling has been immediately eased, I take stock of the fact that my head is pounding, courtesy of a hangover I fully expected to have. Grimacing, I swing my legs to the side of the bed, intent on searching my purse for the bottle of Excedrin I know will assuage my suffering.
My body freezes when I feel a hand snake around my waist. A large hand. Rough… yes, I feel the calluses scraping against my skin, and then I’m pulled backward into a hard body.
For a split moment, my mind is blank, and I search in vain to remember why there is someone else in this bed with me.
Then it all comes back in a rush.
Zane.
Sexy as hell, professional hockey player… Zane Kavanaugh.
I groan loudly as the back of my naked body connects with his front… hot skin, the scrape of his chin on my shoulder, and a very stiff erection poking me in the backside.
“Where are you going?” he asks, his voice all rough and raspy.
I take a deep breath in and let it out slowly, but it does nothing to relax me. My body is stiff and unyielding in his embrace. “Just to get some headache medicine. I think I drank one too many last night.”
Zane chuckles and plants a soft kiss on my shoulder, then follows it up with a nip of his teeth, which causes a jolt of pleasure to spark through my body and I melt back into him. “I thought you said there’d be no regrets,” he murmurs near my ear. “Your voice is sounding regretful.”
Sighing, my hand comes up to rest over the arm wrapped around my waist. “You’re right. We agreed… no regrets.”
But damn, I regret every bit of it as I lay here in bed with a practical stranger who will officially become my first one-night stand ever.
But oh God… what a night. It may be a one-night stand, but it certainly wasn’t a one-orgasm night. I may have started off partially inebriated when his lips first touched mine, but I sobered up quickly when we had our clothes off and were rolling around naked on my bed.
No… correction… not my bed.
Linc and Ever’s bed. Their guest bed to be precise and I groan out loud again.
“What’s wrong now?” Zane asks softly as he moves his arm from around my waist, only to caress his hand over my hip.
Turning abruptly in the bed, I face Zane to tell him exactly why I just groaned, but my thoughts scatter when my eyes lock onto his. How is it possible I forgot how insanely gorgeous he is? It’s the eyes… bright green, flashing with heat and intelligence, and a bit of a cocky attitude. Full, generous lips, a surprisingly straight nose given the nature of his work, and golden blond hair that’s unfashionably long and unruly. Oh, and let’s not forget… a body that was built by the gods themselves.
Zane’s hand travels over my backside, where he squeezes my ass cheek and pulls me in closer so his erection now lays pulsing and hot between my legs. He leans in to kiss me, and my heart rate zooms away. Just before his lips touch mine, I come to my senses and push him back. “Wait… you’ve got to get you out of here before Linc finds you in this room. We can sneak you out the window.”
Cocking an eyebrow at me, Zane scoffs. “I’m not sneaking out the window. Linc won’t care that I’m here.”
“Yes, he will. I distinctly remember last night him warning you that he’d kill you if you harmed a hair on my head before he left.”
“And have I hurt you in any way?” Zane counters.
“No, but you know what he meant… he meant for you to keep your hands off me.”
Zane chuckles and pulls me back closer. “Relax, Cady. You’re a grown woman, and you can make your own decisions. You and I had a great time last night. We both knew what we were getting in to, and you don’t answer to anyone but yourself. I sure as fuck don’t answer to Linc.”
“I know you don’t answer to Linc,” I say quietly as my fingertips dig into his chest muscles with anxiety. “But you are teammates. Buds. Friends. This is just awkward.”
“Awkward for you? Because it’s not going to be awkward for me to have him see me walk out of your bedroom.”
I’m silent, digesting what he says. I am an adult. While it may not be something I’ve ever done before, if I’m truly honest with myself, I really don’t have any regrets about sleeping with Zane last night. I can’t explain it, but I’ve never had such an intense and chemical attraction to someone before. Yes, the alcohol may have lowered my inhibitions, but I was completely sober by the third time we’d had sex last night, and I knew then—as I know now—this was not an experience I could ever regret.