Against All Odds (Holt Hockey Book 2)

Levi.

I leant against the hood of mum’s car. She’d let me borrow it to pick up Grace from the airport. I checked the time. I was getting inpatient. Five days. It’d been five days and it was like Grace and I had been apart for months. Our schedules hadn’t aligned at all this week. When she was free to talk, I was training. When I was free, she was in the pool or asleep. I’d had to settle for measly messages in between. It wasn’t enough. Her plane had landed twenty-minutes ago. How long did it take to disembark and walk through the terminal? Last night my parents had fired off rapid questions about Grace. How we met. What her major was. When I mentioned she was from Australia, the gears had shifted. They’d gone from excited to sceptical. Particularly dad. He’d ask what happened next. What graduation meant. Whether Grace would go home. If we’d end things after that. I gave my parents the same speech I’d given myself. It was too early to know those things. But for now, I was happy, and Grace was amazing. Mum had been satisfied with that answer. Dad, not so much. The automatic doors slid open, and Grace walked outside. She was dressed in an oversized jacket, baggy grey pants, and Converse. She’d pulled her hair into a high ponytail, and her bag was hanging over her shoulder. She looked around momentarily before her gaze found mine. Her lips pulled up into the biggest grin. I expect I had a similar looking one on my face. She ran over, literally ran, before throwing herself at me. I caught her with ease. I was glad she was as excited to see me as I was to see her. I wrapped my arms around her body, meeting her lips in a hurried kiss. Having her this close put me at ease immediately. Life was better when she was close.

“I missed you,” I said against her lips.

“I missed you too.”

She slid down my body, eyebrows arching when she noticed the strain against my jeans. A smirk played at her lips.

“I missed him as well.”

“Good. You should get reacquainted. Stat.”

Giggling, she stepped back. I took the bag from her shoulder and threw it in the backseat. After holding open the passenger door and helping Grace inside, I rounded the car and hit the road. I already had all heater vents pointed at her. The air had a bite today. It was strange driving along familiar roads with Grace in the passenger seat. While I’d gotten used to having her in Philadelphia, it’d take time adjusting to Colorado as well. She kept her focus out the window, taking in as many details as she could. It was a fifty-minute drive from the airport to home. On the way, I’d sped. Now, I cruised. I wasn’t in a rush anymore. I reached my hand over the console, resting it on Grace’s thigh. 

“How was Chicago?”

“Cold.”

Grace had pulled a first place in the 100m freestyle, second in the 200m backstroke and first in the 400m medley relay. I’d watched the live stream. It wasn’t the same as being there, but it was better than nothing.

“We tried deep dish pizza.”

“And?”

She screwed up her nose. “Normal pizza is better.”

As we got closer to home, there was more to show Grace. My high school. The rink. The park where I’d kissed a girl for the first time. Her eyes were wide as she took it all in, like she was truly excited to be seeing it all. I only hoped one day we could do the same thing where she grew up. I wanted to know everything there was to know about Grace Hughes. When I pulled into my gated community, Grace went still, and her jaw practically dropped once she caught sight of my family home. I guess it was impressive to see. Particularly with the mountains in the background. It had the sentiments of a cosy cabin, but it was a lot more than that. Seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms to be exact. There were two pools, one indoor and one outdoor, as well as a hot tub and cinema room. It was too much for four people. Even more now that Lana and I were both at college. But my parents had always been the type to desire the nicer things in life. Hence the Tesla we were in. Will’s parents were the same. Our dads had gone into business when they were younger. An apparatus they’d designed when they were in college as part of a freshman class had been bought and patented. They’d used the profits to start a security start up. And here we were, six-hundred employees across twelve states later.

“The car should have been a red flag,” Grace said, turning in her seat. “Your family is rich?”

I shrugged. “We’ll go with extremely comfortable.”

I knew Grace didn’t care about my family’s money. It was clear on her face she’d been clueless about it. I guess we’d never covered the families in-depth enough to know what our childhoods had been like. Maybe she had a house as grand as this. Maybe she didn’t. I didn’t fucking care. She could live in a trailer park, and I’d still want her. Even once I parked, Grace made no effort to get out the car. She was clearly nervous. It was adorable.

“Come here,” I said, gesturing to my lap.

She shook her head. “No way.”

“Why not?”

“Because we both know what’ll happen if I climb over. I don’t want your mum catching me dry humping her son in the front seat of her car.”

God. Now she’d said it, that’s all I wanted to happen. Apart from the mum part. Yuck. I settled for leaning over the console and kissing Grace.

“Don’t be nervous, Hughesy. My family are going to love you.”

“And if they don’t?”

“It doesn’t matter because I–”

I caught myself before I could finish that sentence. Was I about to say what I think I was about to say? I willed my brain to reboot and finish the sentence in any other way that didn’t contain the words love and you.

“Am obsessed with you,” I managed to get out. “And nothing anyone says could change my mind.”

I cleared my throat.

“Ready?”

*

Grace’s eyes seemed to widen for each room we walked into. First the entrance. Then up the staircase. Then along the hallway. I was taking her straight to my room to put her things down, and maybe get a little action, before going to find my family. A mini hallway ran straight off my bedroom door. One side was lined with dark built-ins and the other led to the bathroom. My bed faced a textured charcoal wall with an inbuilt desk and huge TV. Grace walked straight to the cap board. Mum was an interior decorator. After forgetting to include specific shelves for caps in my walk-in, she’d created crafty boards that had all my hats on display. It was as lame as it sounded.

“This is cool,” Grace said sarcastically.

She then crossed the room to look out the floor to ceiling window. It gave an amazing view of the surrounding landscape. Particularly the mountains.

Grace sighed. “Wow. I am so far from home.”

I set her bag on one of the two ridiculously expensive luxurious bean bags, then crossed the room to hug her from behind.

“What does your bedroom back home look onto?”

“The neighbour’s fence,” Grace snickered. “But you can almost see the beach from our lounge room.”

“I hope I get to almost see the beach from your lounge room one day.”

I held my breath, unsure how she was going to react. I relaxed when she turned, and her lips moved into a perfect smile.

“I hope so too.”

That was promising.

“Am I staying in here this weekend?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Where are you staying?”

I frowned. “In here too.”

She placed her hands against my chest then shoved me backwards.

“No way. We can’t share a bed under your parent’s roof.”

I lowered my voice to a mock whisper. “My parents know I have sex, Hughesy.”

The familiar blush climbed up her neck and settled in her cheeks.

“Too bad,” she quipped. “You’ll have to get comfortable in one of the many guestrooms we passed.”

“If it makes you feel better. But just know the second the lights go out, I’ll be sneaking back in here and getting you naked.”

Grace pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Her breathing increased. She was definitely thinking about that scenario.

“Well the lights are still on,” she said, coming to her senses. “So can we finish that tour?”

I took Grace outside first because I needed to cool the fuck down. The outdoor area was fitted out with a huge deck and stone fireplace with a two-storey high chimney. There was a sitting area that faced a large television and outdoor kitchen, along with a pool and hot tub that overlooked acres of green grass and rolling mountains.

“Is it ever warm enough to swim in the pool?” Grace asked.

“Big time.”

Summers were hot here. As hard as that was to imagine right now. We went downstairs to the basement next so I could show Grace the cinema room. I stood in the doorway, watching as she explored. Will and I had watched countless hockey games in here. Many nights had ended with our entire junior’s team around.

Grace fell into one of the plush armchairs. “We’re definitely watching a movie later.”

“If you’re lucky we can sit in the back row and do some hand stuff.”

She snickered. “If you’re lucky.”

My grin widened. “Is that a yes, Hughesy?”

Her lips twisted into a coy smile. “Maybe.”

My dick literally twitched at the possibility. I was saving the kitchen and main living area for last. It was the place my parents would most likely be, and I wanted a bit more Grace time first. Also, there was something else I wanted to show her.

“Where are we going now?” Grace questioned as I took her hand and tugged her up the basement stairs then down the hall.

“What I think will be your favourite part of the house.”

When we walked into the indoor pool, Grace’s jaw practically hit the floor. This room had been a focus when my parents built the place. Mum grew up in Florida, so being able to swim year-round was a selling point for her. While some parts of my house were over the top, this room was pretty cool. Four of the three walls were floor-to-ceiling windows, making it feel as though you were outside. The ceiling was styled to reflect a starry night, and moss ran along the only structured wall to make it feel like a rainforest. I’d done a lot of recovery in this pool, floating around while it snowed outside.

“If you’re not too over swimming, you can practice in here.”

Grace whipped around, excitement dancing in her eyes.

“Or maybe once we’re done with the cinema foreplay, we can have pool sex.”

That stopped me in my tracks.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Grace confirmed. “Having sex with you in a pool is definitely on my list.”

When she tried to back away, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to me. Laughing, she smacked into my chest.

“What else is on this list, Hughesy?”

“Let’s focus on ticking that off first.”

“Agreed. Should we swim now or. . .”

She playfully rolled her eyes. “Tell me something that’s on your list.”

I didn’t miss a beat.

“You riding me in nothing but my hockey jersey.”

She inhaled sharply. The tension in my bedroom was nothing compared to this. If I made a move now, I don’t think Grace would stop me. And I was having a real hard time telling myself not to throw her in that pool and sink into her. The opening of a door cut the tension in a heartbeat. Lana strolled out of the sauna that was concealed behind the moss wall. Grace jumped away, putting way too much distance between us. Lana was wearing a black bikini that I’d drool over Grace wearing, but on my sister just seemed wrong. She must have arrived while I was picking up Grace. I felt bad. I should have offered to pick her up too.

“You must be Grace,” she said cheerily.

She held Grace at arm’s length, looking her up and down.

“You are gorgeous. I love your outfit. Comfy chic. Such a vibe.”

Grace blushed. She was so fucking adorable.

“Grace, this is my sister. Lana.” I pulled Grace from Lana’s embrace and draped my arm over her shoulder. “I was giving Grace the tour.”

“You mean showing her your favourite hook-up spots?” Lana jested. “You look like you’re about to devour the girl.”

Poor Grace. Now she looked mortified. Lana was never one for subtlety. Lana reached up, squeezing my cheek.

“You need to shave. You’re looking old.”

“It’s so good to see you too, Lana,” I said, drily.

Smiling smugly, she pressed onto her toes and kissed my unshaved cheek.

“It is good to see you. I’ve missed you. How’s Philly?”

“Good. How’s Boston?”

“Good. How’s the team going this season?”

“Good. How are classes?”

“Good.”

And just like that, Lana and I were caught up.

“Have you seen mum and dad yet?” she asked.

“We’re getting there.”

“Just a warning they want to go to the Golf Club for dinner.” Lana grabbed a towel that was hanging over the back of a lounge chair. “There’s a Thanksgiving tournament this weekend, so the place will be packed.”

I grimaced. Staying late at the Golf Club surrounded by mum and dad’s friends and their rich kids wasn’t what I had in mind. I was barely keeping it together now. If I didn’t get Grace alone soon, I was going to combust.

“Think you can cover for me so Grace and I can sneak out early?”

Lana thought for a moment. “You’ll owe me. I’ll message you once we’re leaving.” She cocked her head playfully. “You know, in case you need to cover up.”

“Jesus, Lana,” I ground.

“What?” she gasped, before putting on her best Australian accent. “Fair dinkum. Bloody ripper in the sheets.” Winking, she punched my stomach. “I watched Ryan’s Insta Live.”

She faced Grace, who looked like she was about to steal my keys, drive back to the airport and get the fuck out of here. I should’ve given Grace a head’s up about Lana. She was as outgoing as they came.

“It’s fine, Grace,” Lana went on. “It’s no secret my brother has a raging libido.” She tightened the towel around her waist. “Besides, there’s nothing shameful about a healthy sex life.”

I smirked at Grace. “Told you, Hughesy.”