29. Hallie

Without classes to keep us apart, Josh and I spend the next few days wrapped up in one another, and I have never been more sated in my life. Whatever green light that flashed between us to kick-start the physical side of this whole fake marriage, has been beaming ever since. Josh hasn’t kept his hands off me, and reminds me multiple times a day exactly who I belong to. We fuck in the shower, in the car, in the kitchen, on the stairs, and that’s after Maddie banned us from our house until we get ourselves under control. Her words, not mine.

If I had my way, I would never have control again. I would give it all to Josh and live happily ever after, but every time I have that thought, another darker one hits me. After the visit from his father the other night, Josh has been in constant contact with Lincoln, conspiring with him about his plan to take his father down, and all it does is remind me that this whole thing has a deadline.

I’m not sure what Josh’s plans are after dealing with his father, but I’m sure our imminent divorce will be discussed at some point, and I don’t even think years of masking could prepare me for it. I love him, I love him so fucking deeply that it makes my heart physically ache, and somehow not having him at all was easier than what we are now. Before I could lie to myself, I could tell myself it was all one-sided and there was never any hope between us, but then he came into my room and dropped to one knee, and gave me so much hope that it made me sick.

We haven’t discussed what we are, yet the word wife falls so freely from his lips that I have almost convinced myself this is all real. We sleep together, we wake up together, we eat together, and we fuck so much that I can still feel him even when he isn’t inside me.

I am so deeply, and madly in love with him, and it’s honestly both the best and worst thing that has ever happened to me.

“You ready, Tink?” Josh asks, striding into the bathroom where I am applying my last coat of mascara, sending my stomach into somersaults.

He looks just as stunning as always with his blond hair perfectly tousled, and his blue eyes sparkling with mischief as he comes to a stop behind me. His hands freely landing on my hips, like I am his to touch however he pleases, and I am I guess, but how freely he lets himself have me is still taking some getting used to.

“Almost,” I smile, praying he doesn’t see the sadness still lingering in my eyes at the thought of losing this, but thankfully he is too distracted.

Today is the day we are going to the center and putting on an extra lesson for Penelope. Ever since Josh found out about her, he has been in constant contact with Callia to coordinate seeing his sister, and apparently the little girl hasn’t stopped talking about today since we last saw her at the diner, earlier this week.

The morning after we discovered the truth, we both went over to my house and sat Maddie down and told her everything, and sadly she didn’t even seem surprised. I guess, like Josh, she is used to her father’s shitty behavior by now. She agreed to come with us today so she can also use the opportunity to get to know Penelope better. Yet much to Josh’s dismay, where Maddie goes, Nova follows, and with Nova comes both Alexander and Archer. The two of them heard the words ice rink and were instantly sold, complaining it was their last chance to have fun and skate before going home for the holidays. That only left Jake Harper, whose girlfriend has already left for the holidays, so of course he was in too.

Their presence meant Josh also invited Daemon, and once Landon and Levi got wind of it, well, they were down too. None of them aside from Nova know the girl’s true relationship to the Peters, and they were all surprised to learn that Josh teaches a class in town. To my own surprise they all showed genuine interest in it, and told him if he ever needed help all he had to do was ask. I’m not sure how Josh feels about them all coming today, considering he claims to hate half of them, but I think since Maddie and Nova started dating he has come around a little. Plus, Archer is so hell-bent on them all being best friends that I don’t think my husband has much of a choice.

“Come on, baby, if you take any longer I am going to bend you over and fuck you raw until I ruin all this pretty makeup,” he purrs, sinking his teeth into the side of my neck, as his hands squeeze my hips even tighter.

“You already fucked me last night and this morning, wasn’t that enough?” I tease back, not missing his erection now digging into the back of my ass, and it almost distracts me from his words.

“It will never be enough,” he mumbles into my hair, and when his eyes find mine in the mirror, they are more serious than I have ever seen them.

I open my mouth to respond, to ask him what this all means, but Landon beats me to it, as he yells out from the hall, “You guys better not be fucking in there again, we are going to be late.”

My smile is quick in response, as I close my makeup bag and push off the counter so I can slip away from him. “We better go, I don’t want to keep Penelope waiting.”

We head over to the rink with Daemon, Levi, and Landon all piled into the back of Josh’s car, so any chance to finish our conversation is lost, and by the time we arrive, I spot Callia and Penelope already waiting outside. I can already tell the little girl is bursting with nerves and excitement, which only intensifies as we step from the car and she spots us.

All the guys are dressed in their Flyer jerseys, and I can’t help but drool a little at the sight of my husband, as he pulls my hand into his. I try not to blush beneath his touch, I really do, especially given all the ways he’s touched me this last week, but it doesn’t work. I still remember the way he made me feel when we first became friends, he lit up my entire world, and when he pushed me away, it was like a hole was punched through me.

I know I should prepare for that distance again, that we won’t always be entwined like we are now, but all I can do is enjoy the weight of his hand around mine. Right now there is zero distance between us, and I plan to enjoy every second, right up until the moment he breaks my heart.

“Josh!” Penelope calls out, waving frantically at him, just as Maddie and the rest of the guys arrive too.

“Hey, Pen, I hope you don’t mind but I brought some friends to make our practice extra special,” Josh replies, gesturing to everyone around us, and to my surprise, he looks like he actually means it when he says the word friends.

The little girl downright blushes when she spots all the guys walking towards her, not that I can blame her, especially when her eyes zero in on Nova. Yeah, you and every other girl out there kid. Maddie flicks her eyes to me with a smirk, and I mouth the word sisters to make her laugh. They are really going to be two peas in a pod.

“Can you beat them all?” Penelope finally asks, flicking her eyes back to Josh, making Alexander and Archer howl in laughter.

“Only in his dreams kid,” Archer grins, holding his hand up to the little girl for a high five, as Alexander lets his gaze trail over Callia with a keen interest.

“And who might you be?” he purrs, tossing her a wink, and Josh cuts him a scathing look.

“Eyes back in your head, Reign, don’t even think about it,” he snaps, only making Archer laugh even more as Alexander shrugs.

“Alright, Peters, don’t get your knickers in a twist, I was only being friendly,” he tosses back, his gaze still firmly on Callia, making her blush beneath his attention.

Alexander Reign is a player through and through, and I mildly wonder if there is any girl that would refuse him. It would certainly be fun to see.

Penelope is of course completely oblivious to him hitting on her mom, yet still looks up at him with a frown. “You talk funny.”

Now all the guys burst out laughing, as Alexander feigns annoyance in a way that only someone British could as he replies, “I grew up in England.”

This switches Penelope’s mood up instantly, as she starts bombarding him with questions, and Josh rolls his eyes as he pushes past him to get to the door. It seems he doesn’t like sharing his little sister’s attention, and I can’t help but smirk as I trail after him. We wait while he unlocks the door and heads inside to turn on the lights, before we move inside to follow him.

I still can’t believe the owner allows Josh to have his own set of keys. I met him during one of the lessons as he usually opens up for Josh, since he’s always coming from practice and he doesn’t want the kids waiting outside, and he looks at Josh with a twinkle of pride in his eyes. Josh says it’s because of his last name, because of who his father is, but I know that’s not true. I know the owner sees him exactly as I do, a man with a passion for the game who just wants to share it. Which is why we are here now, letting ourselves in, because he trusts the boy with the love for the game.

Once inside, the guys all change into their skates as Callia helps Penelope with hers, and then Josh introduces each of them one by one. I can see reservations behind her eyes, and I can’t say I don’t relate to her shyness or being the center of attention, but the guys soon sweep her off her feet. Like utter children themselves they all quickly start fighting for her attention, bragging about their skills, and I see Callia’s eyes shine with tears at the amount of attention her daughter is getting. It must have been really lonely for her, and I smile as Maddie slides up beside her and links their arms together in comfort. That little girl’s life is about to change for the better and she doesn’t even realize it yet, but her mom does.

I flick my eyes back to the boys, where they are all still fighting over who is better, and I shake my head with a laugh. I don’t know why they are even bothering, after a year of teaching she already adores Josh, and she is making eyes at Nova like he hung the damn moon, but still they try, and Pen loves every second of it. The only person not vying for her attention is Daemon, who is watching Penelope closely, like he’s afraid she might break or something. His stare reminds me of the same protective one whenever Maddie is in trouble, and I wonder if he has any siblings of his own.

It’s clear that all the guys are going to fall in love with her the same way Josh did, the same way I did, and as they get ready to move onto the ice I remind her to show off all her tricks, as I lace up my own skates.

Maddie takes a seat in the stands with Callia, and then I head onto the ice where the guys are already warming up. It’s quite a sight being in the middle of eight hot hockey players as they stretch out their bodies on the ice, and I can’t blame Penelope for staring at them in awe. You and me both, girl.

Once we are all warmed up, Josh tells Pen that we are going to be playing teams against each other like we usually do in class, before mildly threatening all the guys that if they knock her over he will break their hands. Then he makes both Pen and me captains, and I gracefully allow her to pick first. She nabs Nova instantly, making Josh fume. Which I only add to when I name my first pick as Daemon.

Josh glares at me with an incredulous look. “Really, Tink, it’s like that is it?” he asks, his wicked expression making Daemon smirk softly, as he comes to stand beside me.

Penelope then takes pity on him by choosing him next, and I then pick Archer, before she picks the one with the ‘funny voice’, leaving me to steal Levi. Josh then pushes her to nab Landon, making Jake mine.

We all move to take up our positions, but Josh glides towards me and taunts, “You’re going down for that, wife.”

I can’t help but gleam as I brush against him and purr, “But I thought it was you who enjoyed being the one going down.” My voice is laced in innuendo, as his eyes darken with so much lust, that I swear I can still feel the phantom of his touch from our early morning tryst in the shower.

His fingers find that same spot on my waist that they always do, as he leans down and presses a kiss to the side of my throat. “You know the rules, Tink, you want me on my knees then you better ask nicely.”

My skin burns even on the cold chill of the ice, as I whisper, “I thought you preferred me on my knees?” My words have him groaning into my neck, and I’m sure he is thinking about the last time we were on this ice together.

“Don’t push me, wife,” he grits, and I know if we were alone here right now that I would be having another fantasy come to life on this very ice, especially when his teeth nip at my throat.

I tip my head to the side to give him better access, but he pulls away too quickly, leaving me feeling horny and needy. “Come on, Joshua, you know the saying, happy wife happy life,” I tell him with a shrug, as he circles around me on the ice.

“What about having a happy husband?” he questions, letting his fingers trail around my waist, as one of the guys yells at him to hurry up.

“Hmm, how about you let me win this game and I’ll make you a really happy husband and let you score a goal again.” I gesture towards the net he bent me over a few nights ago, and his eyes widen in surprise.

“Are you flirting with me Mrs. Peters?” he questions, his tone laced with both shock and lust, that I can’t help but laugh at as I skate away.

“For years now, Joshua, it’s about time you noticed,” I toss over my shoulder, before joining my team with only one thought in my mind.

My husband is going down.

Archer offers me a high five as soon as I reach him, and Daemon watches him with that dark, detached gaze of his, but Archer just ignores him completely. I’m still not sure of the dynamic between them, because every time I think I have worked it out, they change it up, but there is definitely some history there. I don’t know Jake that well, he lives in one of the other hockey houses, but I’ve seen him around campus with his girlfriend, and Levi has been around since Josh was in high school, so it shouldn’t be too hard to wrangle them into a good game.

“I hope you’re ready to win, boys,” I gleam, flicking my gaze across all of them, surprised to find them all giving me their full attention.

“Come on, Hals, you really gonna make us try to win against them?” Levi asks, flicking his stare over to the other team.

“What”s stumping you, Jones, is it the seven year old they’ve got?” Archer asks, causing Daemon to drop his head to hide a smirk. “Or are you still scared of Cap?”

Levi scoffs, and I cut in before they can start some bullshit argument. “I don’t care how we do it, just that we do. If Josh beats me he will never let me live it down.” My eyes flick over to the man in question, finding him leaning against the goal post he took me against, watching me with a smirk.

I can see Penelope gesturing wildly, keeping her team in check, and I can only imagine the trouble she is going to be in with boys when she gets a little older. Josh is definitely going to have his hands full, but his eyes are still on me, and I watch as he frowns when Archer slings an arm around me.

“Why don’t you kiss me again, Sanders, that will distract him,” Archer teases, his eyes on my husband, as he offers him a little wave of fingers, and I blush furiously.

Before I can respond, or Josh can react, Daemon’s hand lands on Archer’s shoulder causing his head to snap towards him. “Don’t even think about it.” His tone is completely lethal, yet for some reason Archer’s eyes seem to widen in delight, like he won something.

“Why? Does your friend not like sharing his toys like you do?” he tosses back, and my own eyes widen in surprise. Yet before I can even take my next breath, Daemon has him gripped by his jersey and smashed against the plexi glass, panting heavily as he stares at him in a rage, but Archer only smirks. “Careful, Forbes, don’t poke the bear.”

I have no clue what is happening between them, but the anger is pouring off of Daemon in waves, and the rest of my team curses. From what Josh has told me, this is a regular occurrence between them, they have a relationship similar to the one Josh has with Nova, but this isn’t the time or the place. I skate up beside him and place my hand on his shoulder gently. I know he doesn’t like to be touched, we have that in common, and though I don’t know his reasons why, I can’t help but feel right now he needs it.

When his stare snaps to mine, his eyes are almost black as they take me in, like he is no longer here with us, yet still I softly whisper, “Come on, Daemon, Penelope is watching.”

As soon as the words leave my mouth he releases Archer like he has burned him, his stare filling with regret as he snaps his gaze over to the other team. Thankfully Penelope is too preoccupied with Nova, who has swooped in to teach her a trick, but it’s the disappointment in my husband’s eyes that I know will cut through Daemon the most.

I know the moment he sees it, because his stare drops to the floor and he moves as if he is going to skate away, but I immediately step in his path. “Leaving will only make it worse,” I tell him softly, and his eyes snap up to mine, and what I find in them can only be described as pure heartbreak. It’s at this moment that I wish more than anything that I knew what happened to him to make him the way he is. “We all make mistakes,” I add in a whisper. “It’s how we fix them that counts.”

For a moment I almost think he is going to ignore me entirely, and I can feel Archer’s stare burning into us in question, but then Daemon nods. It’s small, and only once, but it’s there, so I take it as a win. When I skate us back over to the team, I give Archer my best death glare, but his delight seems to have dissipated as he watches Daemon like a hawk. Ignoring them both, I make a game plan, and each of them cuts in with their ideas of how to be careful in terms of skating around Penelope.

Then it’s game on, and the tension in the air is quickly forgotten as we all go head to head. Josh is just as much of a force on the ice as he always is, and with Nova on his team, it’s like they are unstoppable, especially with the help of Landon. Their only downfall is Penelope, who is too busy falling in love with her older sister’s boyfriend to actually care about scoring any goals. She is well and truly under the Nova Darkmore effect. Even Alexander isn’t much help with his focus on Callia instead of the game, much to Josh’s displeasure.

My team is faring a little better at least. After his outburst, Daemon’s focus is stone cold, to the point you’d think this was an NHL final and not a friendly match between friends. I can’t help but feel he needs this to burn off his emotions, and wherever he moves, Archer isn’t too far behind. The more I see them together, the more confused I get. It’s like they hate each other, but are also drawn to one another, and no one else seems to notice but me.

By the time the game is over we scrape a win with five points to four, and the victory is sweet when I spy the look on my husband’s face. It’s soon wiped off with a grin when Penelope tells him that this has been the best day ever. The look in her eyes as she stares up at him is priceless, and I know that whenever Callia decides to tell her who he really is, that she is going to be delighted.

The rest of the guys filter off the ice led by Nova, who immediately zeros straight in on Maddie, like he can’t stay away from her too long, but I find myself lingering on the ice, chasing the feeling I had when I was last here.

Which is how my husband finds me.

“Should I be impressed or concerned that you easily managed a team of four hockey players to victory?” he drawls, pulling me in by the loop of my jeans until his body is flush against mine.

“Well I had an excellent teacher.” I smirk, leaning my head back on his shoulder so I can meet his gaze. “Or maybe the ice was making me feel inspired,” I add, skating us around the goal post with a spin.

“Oh, is that right?” he smiles, bringing his hands to my hips, squeezing them tightly, and I mildly wonder if his touch will be ever enough. “Tell me in detail exactly what inspired you, wife?” he demands, his teeth once again dancing up the skin of my neck, even as he forces us to glide around to ice.

“We have an audience,” I whisper, my eyes dancing across the guys through the plexi glass, as they watch us move, not that I care, I want them to see how much he owns me.

“You’re just lucky my sisters are here, otherwise I’d already be showing my teammates exactly who you belong to,” he warns, his words lighting me up from the inside out.

“I wonder if my next husband will be as possessive as you,” I muse out loud, and I feel his entire body flinch, but he quickly shuts it down, spinning me out from his body until I am turned towards him and skating backwards.

“Please, we’ve already covered that I’m a jealous psycho, remember? I’d get rid of any future prospects so fast that they’d never get the chance to be the future Mr. Hallie Rose Sanders.” His words drop from his lips effortlessly, like he barely even thought them through, and my heart beats faster in my chest. “You’re lucky I didn’t rip Gray’s arm off his fucking body earlier,” he adds, and the threat towards my friend shouldn’t thrill me, but it does.

“Archer is my friend, you know that, besides I’m your wife, so anything else is irrelevant,” I tell him truthfully, amused that he is still so blind to how far gone I am for him.

There has never been anyone else, only him.

“No it’s not, it”s infuriating,” he snaps, staring Archer down like a jealous asshole, as he adds, “Like I said, he’s lucky I don’t lay you out in front of him and show him how you like to be fucked.”

Panties ruined.

His words send a rush of attraction through me, and I find it hard to breathe as I ask, “And who do I belong to?”

My words are just the taunt I wanted them to be, making his eyes turn dangerously dark. “Don’t fucking push me, Tink.” That temper of his is burning just as bright as always, yet still I smile as he brings us to a stop in the middle of the ice.

“I think I like pushing you,” I tell him honestly, and the only thing in my mind is rule number three on our list. Absolutely no falling love. What a stupid, pointless rule, because I have loved him since the moment I met him, and with his eyes on mine, and my hips in his hands, there is no escaping that feeling.

“Yeah I think you like it too,” he grunts, finally pushing us towards the edge of the rink so we can finally get off the ice, and his fingers flex around my waist as he grits, “But don’t worry, I’ll punish you for it later.”

His words send a thrill down my spine as he pulls us down onto a bench to discard our skates, and when I meet Maddie’s eye she is watching us closely.

In fact, when I look at all of them, I find all of their eyes on us, and I can’t help but feel self-conscious, something to which Josh notices instantly as he snaps, “What the hell are you all looking at?”

Nova rolls his eyes at Josh’s typical temper, tucking Maddie into his side, and the rest of them pretend they are looking elsewhere, but to my surprise it’s Archer who responds to him. “You two skate together like your bodies are magnets to one another or something,” he replies in nothing short of awe, and I can’t help but blush at his statement.

I’m not sure what I expected him to say, but it definitely wasn’t that, and I don’t know if it’s his words, or the fact that it’s him saying it, but Josh is quick to pull me to my feet beside him and snap, “And? We have been skating together for almost a decade, and she knows how to do it better than any of you assholes, so leave her alone.”

I don’t bother pointing out that they weren’t insulting me or him in any way, not that it would matter, and instead focus on Maddie’s smile as Josh starts to lead us all outside. It’s a smile I have never seen before, one that tells me she knows something I don’t, and I remind myself to ask her about it later.

For some reason I leave the center feeling lighter than I have in weeks, and we all head over to the diner to have what Alexander is calling afternoon tea. It’s the first time some of them have been there, and I recommend my usual order which most of them take me up on, and with Callia not working for once, she gets to enjoy it with us too.

By the time we are done, Penelope has every single one of them wrapped around her finger. I almost feel sorry for Callia, because she now has eight brooding and protective hockey players looking out for both her and her daughter, but hey, that’s the dream right?