Lip Locks & Blocked Shots: A Slapshot Novel (Slapshot Series Book 3) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Want to know when Book 4 comes out?

  Lip Locks & Blocked Shots

  Heather C. Myers

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Want to know when Book 4 comes out?

  Did You Like Lip Locks & Blocked Shots?

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Heather C. Myers

  Also by Heather C. Myers

  Also by Heather C. Myers

  Also by Heather C. Myers

  Also by Heather C. Myers

  Also by Heather C. Myers

  Chapter 1

  Seraphina Hanson was not looking forward to going to Las Vegas this weekend. It was Wednesday – the day after Valentine’s Day – and her phone buzzed with a reminder to check on the status of her flight. Despite the fact that her grandfather – well, technically her and her older sister Katella – owned a private jet and could schedule things whenever they wanted, Seraphina liked to schedule things accordingly.

  She had completely forgotten about the game this Saturday against the Las Vegas Blackjacks, a new hockey team that became part of the National Hockey League that was voted on last year. An expansion draft took place this past summer – which was how she lost Ben Avery, her star defenseman – and they started playing officially this season. This was the first game the Newport Beach Seagulls would play the Las Vegas Blackjacks and as general manager and owner of the team, she wanted to play nice. It was out of the norm for her to attend away games – in fact, this was her first away game she attended this season.

  Her head was already throbbing thanks to the fact that she still had to go shopping for a nice gown. Apparently, the Vegas team manager wanted to take her out to dinner before the game and show her around the strip. She wasn’t sure she actually wanted to do that but he was doing it for all GMs and she didn’t want to be perceived as snotty – on top of all the other negative traits she was known for – by the media. Being the only female GM meant she had to play by their rules. For now.

  At that moment, Katella Hanson bounded into her office without even thinking of knocking, a big smile on her face.

  “Sera!” she sing-songed, her green-gold eyes shining when she saw her sister sitting behind her desk. “It’s almost here! Why are you looking like that? You look like you’re holding in a fart.”

  Seraphina shot her sister a look. “Gross,” she said. “Does Negan like when you talk like that?”

  Katella snorted and took a seat across from her. “You should hear what Negan says,” she pointed out. “Plus, I never use the word fart in front of him. That word doesn’t exist in my vocabulary when he’s around. It’s still new.”

  James Negan was a second-line center and Katella’s boyfriend. Seraphina was actually surprised when the two got together just because they constantly went at it with each other whenever they were in the same room. However, Seraphina knew Katella had gone through a lot and if Negan made her happy, Seraphina would support the two. Plus, to be honest, Seraphina hadn’t known anyone else to take care of Katella, to really care about her, the way Negan did for Katella. And Katella had dated third-line center Matt Peters for a couple of years prior.

  Seraphina had thought Matt was it for her sister. The One. They seemed happy, maybe not as physically affectionate but Seraphina always thought that was because they felt uncomfortable due to the fact that he was a player and she was his boss's daughter and didn't want to flaunt their relationship. But once her grandfather died, Matt got weird. He pulled away and they wound up breaking up a few weeks after the funeral. He demanded to be traded so Seraphina traded him to Buffalo in exchange for a couple of draft picks. After her first season, Matt's one-year contract expired and as an unrestricted free agent, any team had the opportunity to sign him. No one did. As such, he requested to train with the Gulls over the summer and Seraphina gave him a roster spot just before the season, signing him to a one-year contract as a third-line center. It was purely a business decision but Katella was a mess earlier this year. She hooked up with a fourth-line winger and goon, Xander Vane, and they fizzled out after a few weeks. At least they were both professional about it and both parties involved knew they were just having fun for the time being. Then Katella and Matt had some issues and it didn't help when somehow Negan got involved but luckily, everything settled down and it looked as though everything was fine. Everyone was happy. And the team didn't have any issues.

  "So," Katella drawled, perking her eyebrows. "How's everything on the Thorpe front? Getting anywhere with that?"

  Seraphina grunted. "Of course not, Kat," she said, picking her eyes up from all the paperwork she wanted to complete. "He is my star goalie, the captain of the team. How can I get anywhere with him if I'm not allowed to date him?"

  "You're the boss, Sera," Katella pointed out. "You get to make that call, not anyone else. Plus, no one has to know about you guys even being together. I learned from Matt and even Xander that I don't need everyone to know my business. It's not that I'm ashamed of Negan but it sucks when people call you names. I don't need that and I'm sure Negan doesn't need that, either. Although, I think he kind of ruined that when he fought Guzman a couple of weeks ago."

  Seraphina nodded, pressing her lips together as if to say I told you so. "I remember that fight," she said. "Wasn't Guzman trying to get a reaction out of Matt?"

  "Yeah," Katella said. "Negan reacted instead. Practically threw the gloves off. Almost damaged his hands because Guzman wears a shield." She shook her head, the corners of her lips tilting up. "At least I know I can count on him to have my back."

  Seraphina snorted.

  "Anyway," Katella continued. "We're not here to talk about me. We're here to talk about you."

  "Actually," Seraphina said, standing up. "We're here to go shopping since you're telling me my business clothes aren't good enough for Vegas."

  "True," Katella says with a nod. "I'm glad you understand."

  The two drove down PCH to Fashion Island, an outdoor mall catered to the affluent population on Newport Beach. There were a lot more boutiques at the mall - along with department stores including Nordstroms and Macy's, Victoria's Secret and Barnes & Noble - as well as a food court that had recognizable restaurants along with some trendy cafes. There were koi
ponds and fountains throughout the mall and there was a sense in the air that this mall was much more exclusive than even the Spectrum in Irvine or The Mission Viejo mall further south.

  The sisters preferred Fashion Island just because this was the mall they were used to since they grew up here, unless they wanted to see a movie. Then, they typically visited the Spectrum just because the movie theatre had 21 theatres and was huge.

  Katella drove - Katella loved to drive and Seraphina loved that her sister loved to drive since it meant she didn't have to. Technically, she could hire a driver and have him drive her around but she didn't want to be a lazy rich asshole if she could help it. Her grandfather had always been hands-on. He worked hard, made the right investments - property rather than stocks - and built up his wealth by saving, living well under his means. He was the epitome of discipline and Seraphina tried to emulate his value as best as she could. It was a way for her to keep his memory alive and, hopefully, do justice to his legacy. It was why he owned the team and partook in general manager responsibilities. He hired scouts and he had someone he trusted to discuss negotiations regarding movement and trades when he couldn't do it himself.

  Seraphina had huge shoes to fill, especially considering she had no idea what he was doing. Since the team stemmed from his wealth, her grandfather hadn't formed a board to do what was best for the company. He did hire a good coach - who took Seraphina under his wing and taught her as much as he could. Every now and then, she would bring Henry Wayne in for a consult as well, just to put certain things in terms she could understand. She still had a long way to go, and she knew that, but she was doing her own research and talking to those that would help her. She was learning as much as possible.

  Which made it hard to date at all, much less one of her own players.

  "So," Katella drawled. "Tell me about you and Brandon. I thought the last time we talked you were going to make a move on him finally."

  "I thought so too," Seraphina said with a nod of her head. Her eyes were in her lap as Katella pulled out of the parking lot. She sunk into the familiar cushion of the dark leather seats and glanced out the window. She loved that her grandfather decided to put the Ice Palace on PCH, right across the street from the beach. She loved being able to look out her window and watch the sun glittering against the water. It calmed her down and reminded her that her grandfather's memory was still alive in her, that he was with her even when she felt so, so alone. "But I didn't, I haven't. I'm just... I don't know, Kat. I'm not you. I don't have this confidence where I can talk to a guy the way you can talk to a guy. Plus, I'm his boss and I know I make the rules but still. Think about it. We start dating and St. Louis wants to trade for him."

  Katella snorted. "Yeah, right," she said. "You would never trade Thorpe, even if you weren't dating. I know he's a goalie and it's risky but have you considered a long-term contract with him? I mean, instead of six or seven-year deals like some big-name forwards have, you could do three or four. It would prevent him from going anywhere else, although, if I'm being honest, he wouldn't go anywhere else, even if the deal was fucking good."

  "What makes you say that?" Seraphina asked, ripping her eyes away from the beach to look at her sister.

  Katella rolled her eyes and shot her sister a quick look before resuming her concentration on the road ahead of her. "Sera, I don't get how you could be the dumbest smart person I know," she said. "Thorpe is in love with you. He doesn't talk like it at all but it's so obvious." Seraphina felt her cheeks start to turn pink. "And don't pretend like you aren't aware of this. I've been telling you he's in love with you for forever so don't play dumb."

  Seraphina rolled her eyes at her sister's contradiction but didn't say anything. Instead, she let her thoughts drift to Thorpe and what it might be like to actually date him. He would hold her hand, she would lean her head on his chest.

  "Are you even listening to me?" Katella asked as they pulled into the parking lot just outside of Macy's. Even though it was lunch time during the week, the parking lot was nearly full. "Look, we have to get you an amazing dress so when Thorpe sees you in it, his jaw drops."

  Seraphina rolled her eyes but didn't dismiss the idea. And if her dress caused a reaction in Thorpe, all the better.

  Chapter 2

  Once the shopping business was done with for the day, Seraphina returned to work to finish all the necessary paperwork she needed to complete before she – along with the team – left the next day. Katella didn’t understand why Seraphina just didn’t take the rest of the day off but, truth be told, Seraphina wanted to focus her nervous energy on something she was good at. And she was good at paperwork and budgets and now, after a lot of practice, team stats. She also had an article to proof for the Gulls blogger, Harper Crawford, who would also be joining them on the trip to Vegas and was currently dating first line center, Zachary Ryan.

  It took everything in Seraphina not to reach out to her friend and get advice about how she managed to date somebody she worked with. How did they balance business and pleasure? Granted, it was a little different since both Zachary and Harper were both employees. Seraphina was the boss, which meant if she did date anyone in the organization, it might come off as untoward.

  Especially if that someone was a Gulls player.

  Her cheeks turned pink just thinking about Brandon Thorpe and she had to shake her head and take a cold drink of water. She had had a thing for him for nearly a year and she had yet to do anything about it. She was chickenshit and she knew it.

  The truth of the matter was, she was worried how people would perceive her. When she first inherited the team, it was surrounded by the scandal that came from her grandfather’s murder. When she was announced as the new manager and owner, she was ripped to pieces by the media. Everything was on the chopping block, from her hair to her clothing to her dismal debut season. Sometimes, they took pictures of her watching the games at the Newport Ice Palace and would deign to write comments about what she was thinking when, the truth of the matter was, she bit into a cold hot dog. She could never win.

  If it came out that she was dating her star goalie and captain of the Newport Beach Seagulls – also a former suspect in her grandfather’s murder – she would be ripped to shreds. In fact, she didn’t know if it was allowed for her to date him. Although, since the Gulls was her team, it would make sense that she got to make her own rules.

  Regardless, they would never take her seriously as a legitimate GM and owner.

  “Hey.”

  Her head snapped up and the man that currently stained her thoughts stared at her from her doorway. Brandon Thorpe stared at Seraphina with piercing pale green eyes and a curious look on his face. He never ceased to take her breath away. He wasn’t typically handsome – his chin was maybe too big but that was all she could really think of. He had whiskers on the lower half of his face and sharp cheekbones, his short, brown hair disheveled.

  He was six feet one, one hundred and ninety-one pounds of solid muscle. She knew that from his stats. He also had a .093 save average which was amazing and, if everything went well, should qualify him for the Vezina Trophy at the NHL Awards in Vegas later in the summer, once the season wrapped up. If anyone deserved it, it was Thorpe.

  Currently, he was wearing a heather-grey crew-cut shirt with the navy blue anchor and Seagulls scrawled in the familiar text they used on the majority of their products. He had fitted dark blue jeans and tennis shoes on his feet. Not the snazziest dresser, either. But still, he left her in awe.

  “Hey,” she managed to finally say. She had no idea why, but she was more comfortable talking to other GMs regarding trades than she was talking to Brandon Thorpe. Yet, at the same time, he also had this ability to make her feel safe and comfortable. Like she could be herself and not get judged by her flaws. And Seraphina knew she had a number of those.

  “I wanted to talk to you about that trip,” he said in his low voice. He was born in Ontario so he still had a hint of lilt to it. “We leave tomorro
w at eight am, correct?” He perked his brow, making him look younger than his thirty years. Almost boyish, in fact. Downright beautiful, either way.

  “Sure,” she said, gathering up her paperwork and evening them out by hitting them on the surface of her desk. “Please.” She gestured at an empty seat in front of her before placing the pages in her top drawer – a place for them to be only temporarily and to make her desk appear cleaner than it really was. “Sit.”

  He gave her a small smile, amused by her clear awkwardness, and took a seat in front of her. His tall, lean frame made the chair look small and insignificant.

  “So,” she said, breathless. Why was she breathless? She hadn’t even moved in the past couple of hours, except to go shopping. She shouldn’t be breathless now, in front of Brandon. Control yourself, girl! “What’s up?”

  “The guys wanted to know if there were any obligations they needed to be aware of while we’re in Vegas,” he said. “I know there’s that dinner-“

  “No.” Seraphina shook her head. “Wait, you mean with Phil Bambridge? No, that’s just with me.”

  “Just with… you?” he asked, each word enunciated carefully. “So Katella isn’t going either?”

  Seraphina shook her head. “No,” she said. “It’ll just be me and Phil.” She caught sight of the look on his face and tilted her head to the side. “Why, though? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” Brandon replied quickly. “Why would you think something’s wrong?”