Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Nolan

G oddamn.

I'm trying not to get hard.

My girl is dancing on the dance floor with the other girls and she looks so damn sexy I can't think straight. Every move has me groaning. That swaying ass… Those jiggling tits… Her hair bouncing on her shoulders… This is the show of a lifetime.

Gemini-X is playing and I don't think I've looked at the stage once. I can't take my eyes off Grace.

I'm mesmerized. I can't look away.

She looks over her shoulder at me while lifting her hair and I let out a groan at the flirty sight of those sexy blue eyes looking me up and down. This girl is perfection. Innocent, yet wickedly tempting. I'm in deep.

I moan as she licks her full red lips, apparently trying to make my heart stop. If that's her goal, it's working .

She hikes up her long silver sparkly dress and starts moving up and down, which makes her breasts bounce to the rhythm of the song. I swallow hard as I watch.

The fire is burning inside me. It's fierce and scorching.

I need this girl.

Grace is the one. She looks like the sweet girl next door, but she's more than that. It didn't take me long to see it. She's sexy, funny, and smart as a whip. Just what I always wanted for my wife.

She turns her back to the stage as she dances, swaying those luscious hips and waving me to come join her.

I move toward her like I'm hypnotized. She's in control of my legs, my heart, my everything.

Just as I reach the dance floor, Coach Moss steps in front of me and blocks my path, staring at me with Terminator eyes. It jerks me out of my dazed euphoric state and yanks me back into cruel reality.

His arms are crossed and his jaw is clenched as he glares at me like he's trying to melt my face off with his eyes.

"I told you she's off limits," he hisses. "That's my daughter you're lusting after, Barlowe."

"I wasn't—" I try to explain, but he doesn't want to hear it.

"You think I don't know what's up?" he says in a tight voice. "I've been around, buddy ." He pokes my chest hard. "I've been surrounded by professional hockey players longer than you've been alive. And I've seen the revolving door of girls around teams. I'm not stupid."

If only he knew about these guys. They're all obsessed with their girls and treat them like gold.

"It's not like that," I quickly say, desperately trying to make him see. "Your daughter is?—"

"Coach Moss!" Tucker's girlfriend Jane says as she grabs his arm. "It's so great to see you! Is this a new suit?" She runs her hand over his lapel. "Have you been working out? "

"A little bit," he says, looking confused and flustered as she pulls him away.

"It's so loud over here," she shouts as she pulls him off the dance floor. "Let's go talk over here. I have something to ask you."

His heated eyes dart back to me for a second, but Jane is persistent and pulls him away.

I take a breath of relief and wind through the dance floor to where my girl is waiting with a gorgeous smile on her face.

"Was that you?" I ask with a grin.

She lifts her eyebrows up and down while giving me a flirty look. "It takes a whole team to keep my protective father at bay. Believe me, I've been doing it for years."

I grin. "You're an evil genius."

"Maybe, but I use my powers for good."

She turns and faces the stage, rubbing her body against me as she dances to the upbeat song. Everyone around us is enjoying the show, but I can't help but focus on Grace. The delicious smell of her brown hair, the soft feel of her swaying hips, the tempting look of those breasts bouncing as I peek over her shoulder at her cleavage—it's all making me rock hard.

A little gasp escapes her lips when she feels it, but she doesn't stop moving, grazing my erection every now and then with her perfect ass.

The song ends and everyone cheers. I finally look up at Gemini-X. She's wearing tiny black leather shorts, something I'm not sure is a bra or a shirt, and has tight ripped fishnet over some parts. It's not my style—I prefer sweet girls like Grace—but Svensson is in the front row drooling at her.

"This is my last song," she says and the crowd groans in disappointment. "So, let's make it a good one. I want to see everyone dancing!"

The song kicks off and the crowd pushes in tight as everyone dances. I spin Grace around and hold her protectively in my arms.

She smiles as she looks up at me. She's so perfect.

My eyes drop to her soft cherry lips.

I have to do it… I don't care if her father is watching us right now…

I have to kiss her.

I wet my lips and lean down. She tilts her head up as her eyes drift closed.

Every cell in my body comes alive as I'm about to kiss this beautiful woman for the first time.

But my lips never get there. Thatcher, one of our big defenders, bumps into me and it ruins the moment.

"Sorry, Barlowe," he says, slapping his big hand on my back. "Can you believe this shit? Gemini-X, right there! My little sister is going to freak out when I tell her!"

"Yeah," I say, trying to move away from the brute, but the crowd is so packed, there's nowhere to go.

"Look at Edvard," he says, pointing at the Swede and laughing. "He thinks he has a shot."

All I can think about is tasting my girl's sweet lips, but the song ends and my shot is over. Grace releases me, turns around, and claps as Gemini-X waves to the crowd.

Everyone gasps and turns as the helicopter bursts to life on the tall platform behind us.

"Look at him go!" Thatcher says with a laugh as Edvard chases Gemini-X up the stairs to the roaring helicopter. He grabs a bouquet of flowers out of a vase and leaps over a railing to catch up to her.

"Wait!" he shouts as the security guard holds the door open for her and her crew. He climbs over another railing and pulls himself up onto the platform.

Gemini-X stops halfway in the helicopter and looks down at him. He drops to his knees, holding the flowers up as the whole crowd watches from below with their breaths held .

She grins, takes the flowers, and gives him a quick kiss on the lips.

The whole crowd erupts in cheers around me.

Gemini-X waves to us one last time, gets into the helicopter with her people and they fly away, leaving Edvard on his knees, clutching his heart as he watches it disappearing into the night sky.

"I guess he did have a shot after all," Thatcher says with a chuckle. "We'll never hear the end of it."

"Nope," I say with a heavy breath. "He's going to be rambling on about that kiss in the locker room for years ."

"Good for him," Grace says, looking up at him with a smile. "Isn't it so nice when two strangers come together?"

"Where can I get a hot stranger to come together with?" Thatcher says, looking around.

"Okay," I say, grabbing Grace's hand and pulling her away from the hairy Neanderthal. I'm done with him intruding on our special moment.

I guide Grace off the dance floor to the front of the yacht where it's dark and quiet.

We find a secluded spot on a rarely-used hallway and I lean on the railing as I stare at her in wonder.

"Don't fall off," she says as she grabs my hand and holds it.

My heart picks up a beat as I gently squeeze her hand back.

The moment is right. I lean in to kiss her.

"I'm the king of the world!" a voice shouts out.

We both turn and spot Austin and Norah down below on the bow of the ship reenacting the iconic scene from Titanic. Norah is standing on the lower railing with her arms out as Austin holds onto her from behind.

"Oh my god," I whisper as I watch them switch places. Austin steps onto the railing and puts his arms out as Norah holds him .

"I'm the king of the world!" he hollers as the wind blows through his hair.

"They're cute," Grace says as she watches them with a smile. "Before tonight, seeing that would have made me jealous."

"Jealous?" I say with a laugh. "Of that? "

"They belong together," she says. "They're soulmates. Just like my parents. My dad may seem like a ball buster to you, but to my mom, he's a total sweetheart. He's always leaving love notes around the house for her, dancing around the kitchen, and holding her hand. They're adorable together. I always wanted to find someone like that for me."

I'll be that for her. I'll be everything she needs and more.

"I think the search is over," I whisper as I put a hand in her hair, feeling her silky locks. I step forward, towering over her. She holds her breath as she looks up at my mouth.

A whizzing sound rips through the air and then explodes with a pop. Beautiful fireworks burst in the night sky all around us, colorful sparkles rippling down to the dark sea. They're coming from the yacht.

Grace looks at them for a long moment and then turns back to me. I can see the bright exploding colors reflecting in her eyes. She puts her hand on my chest. I slide my hand around her head and pull her mouth to mine.

She moans as I kiss her.

Her soft wet lips part and I slide my tongue into her mouth with a hungry groan. She slides her arms around my neck and presses her soft round breasts against my chest.

If there was any doubt before, it's gone now. This is the beginning of something real. Something intense.

My heart pounds. The butterflies… The weakness in my knees… This woman is the one. The only one for me.

I wrap my possessive arms around her and pull her against me. We kiss and taste one another while the fireworks burst over our heads like magic. It's an epically romantic moment. A perfectly fitting one for a love affair that will never end.

I'll make damn sure of that.