Page 94 of Keeping it Real

“Dern is going topark his assat my house,” Valentine announced.“We can’t have my assistant living in some long-term-stay place.Not when I need him to keep feeding me apples for the rest of the season.”

“More like Valentine is lonely now that Sloane is gone,” Gus murmured to Alek.

“She’s already moved out?”He was a little surprised the influencer hadn’t fought harder for a relationship with one of the league’s most recognizable stars.“That explains him dropping gloves tonight.”

“Yep.Sloane moved out and moved on,” Gus replied.“She’s back in California with some pasty white dot.com type.”He pulled up a picture on his phone and showed it to Alek.

“Damn.Two’s instincts about her were spot-on.”

“Sad but true.”Gus eyed Valentine.“I suspect his bonhomie is simply a front.”

“Having Dern to babysit will be a good distraction.”

Gus shot him a look.“The kid is barely old enough to vote.Valentine has at least eight years on him.And Junior is already following him around like a puppy dog.”He gestured to the aisle with his chin.Dern was shotgunning a beer with Valentine while some of the guys cheered them on.“I only hope we haven’t replaced one problem with another.”

Alek hoped so, too, but that was tomorrow’s worry.Right now, the only thing on his mind was Sheridan.He was eager to see her.Thanks to several long phone conversations, they’d gotten back to where they were before the incident with Merriweather had shell-shocked him.Now all he needed was to ensure her body remembered what page they were on.He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, contemplating the ways he was going to reacquaint himself with every part of her.

“This is your captain speaking?—”

Cheers and jeers went up among the players as they all sang out “Not my captain” before chanting Picard’s name.Fortunately, the charter pilot was familiar with the routine enough to pause until they settled back down.

“We are beginning our approach into Tampa International Airport.Please take your seats, gentlemen, and fasten your seat belts,” he continued.

The two male flight attendants made their way up the aisle to corral everyone back to their assigned spots.

“Hey, Ice-Berg!”Valentine shouted from six rows up.“You’re on my team for beer pong tomorrow morning.We are going to teach Park-His-Ass here how the pros do it.”

Gus scoffed.“See what I mean?”

Alek sighed.“Yeah.Let’s rope in Picard tomorrow.”

“Odds are he’ll be locked in his room with one of his puck bunnies all day.”

“Lori, then,” Alek replied.“She’ll have some ideas.”

It was close to one thirty in the morning when the Mayhem arrived at the resort.Thankfully, the bar was already buttoned up tight.Gus herded Valentine and the rookie in the direction of their rooms while Alek pretended to search for his.Once everyone was out of sight, he circled back to the front desk and asked for the envelope Sheridan had left for him.In it was the key to her room.Finn was staying with her aunt and uncle in a suite next door.Alek made a mental note to buy the couple a very big Christmas gift.

A soft light glowed in the bar area when he entered the room.He left his roller bag at the door, stripping out of his suit jacket and stepping out of his shoes as he headed for the bedroom.Moonlight filtered in through a crack in the drapes, illuminating the bare skin on Sheridan’s shoulder.A primitive sound escaped the back of his throat.

He wanted this woman.Physically.Spiritually.In every way possible.It was like nothing he’d ever felt before.At first, it was simply to protect her.To safeguard her from the mess Jamie continued to make of her life.To allow her the opportunity of being near Finn.

Now, though, his desire for her was boundless.She was the first thing he thought of when he opened his eyes in the morning and the last thing he thought of when he closed them at night.He couldn’t imagine life without her.

He loved her.

Sheridan and Finn were his everything.

He’d thought he had known love before, but he realized he was wrong.So wrong.What he’d felt for Madison was desire.Plain and simple teenage horniness.

As for London, she had been his ticket to companionship, respectability, and safety.He’d desired her, sure, but his pursuit of her was more about gaining a partner and a family.Achieving a rite of passage in life.

With Sheridan, he’d get all of that, along with someone who understood him.Who made him complete.Who made him want to be a better man.To be worthy of her love.

“Are you planning to stand there all night staring at me like some pervert?Or will you please come to bed and warm me up?”She watched him from behind her lashes.

A low growl of excitement escaped his throat.Alek hurried out of his clothes, stepping over them where they landed.The bed groaned when he dove onto the mattress next to her.

Her arms were around him instantly.“How’s your lip?Are you sure you’re up for this?”

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