“Pepper!” Eric slid to his knees beside me, and I quickly buried the flag into the same mound of snow that assaulted my face so he couldn’t immediately grab it. “Are you okay?” His gloved hands were on my shoulders, rolling me to my side.
I leaped up, taking him by so much surprise that I gained the upper hand, and dug my knees into his shoulders. “I have him!” I screamed. “Get it, Ed!”
Eric’s eyes flew wide, his hands immediately on my hips. “You really are a cheater,” he said.
I laughed, leaning down to look him in the eyes. “Only when there’s a food-prize at the end.”
He chuckled, his chest vibrating with the laughter, which rocketed straight up my center.
Holy hell.
I sucked in a sharp breath, arching against him, my hands flying to his that still held my hips. In a blink he’d sat up, shifting me without any effort, until we were nose to nose. His cheeks were red with cold, his hair peeking out from his black beanie dusted with white flakes, and his eyes on freaking fire.
His hand moved from my hip to the back of my neck, our lips a breath away. Everything in me zeroed in on the heat between our bodies surrounded by cold, the way my heart raced, the way nothing else seemed to matter in that moment other than relieving the ache between my thighs.
“Pepper,” he said, my name a whisper. He inched, his lips brushing over mine.
I opened for him—
“I got it!” Ed yelled.
Eric’s freaking father yelled.
And snapped us right the hell out of it.
I leaped off of Eric like we’d gotten caught making out after curfew.
Eric sat there for a moment, his massive body melting the snow around him.
I offered him a gloved-hand up, and he took it despite not needing any help at all.
He towered over me, unspoken words flashing across his face.
I punched him in the chest.
What the absolute hell is wrong with me?
“You lose, Gentry,” I tried to tease, but my voice was low, coated in everything I’d been dying to have happen between us.
“Did I?” He challenged. “I think claiming you sounds like a win to me.”
I opened and closed my mouth too many times, watching as he brushed past me to congratulate his parents and grab Faith in a headlock that had her smacking him harder than I’d seen some of his teammates hit.
A steaming shower and fresh set of clothes later, I took my seat next to Eric at the crowded dinner table.
Edward sat at the head of the table, having carved and served himself first since he’d gotten the flag. Marie was on his right, Faith next to her, then Eric, then me. On the opposite side were Eric’s aunt and uncle.
Smells of roast turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and literally every side I could think of filled the dining room. I was certain I’d never been so ravenous in all my life.
Note-to-self: snowball fights are great cardio.
“I understand that,” Edward said, speaking to his brother, John, who sat to his left. “But can’t you sit on it for a couple weeks. It’s only the start of winter, John.”
I quickly focused on my second helping of turkey and dressing, trying like hell not to eavesdrop. Though, in my defense, we were only two seats away from the head of the table so it wasn’t like I could turn off my ears or anything.
“I can’t do that, Ed. They want the land. Bad. And I can’t afford to say no to them a second longer.”
My brow pinched as I glanced covertly at Eric. He sighed and leaned to whisper in my ear. “Big corporation wants John’s five-hundred acres. They’ve been at him for months, but it’s family land. My dad and him always agreed they’d never sell to anyone outside the family without offering it to the other first.” Eric’s shoulders wound with tension that had nothing to do with our no-holds-bar snowball fight.
“How long can you give me?” Edward asked, oblivious to Eric’s commentary.
John had set his fork down, rubbing his head. “I don’t want to do this here. On Thanksgiving. We can talk about it tomorrow.”
“No,” Edward said, the tone indicating authority but never coming close to snapping. “You brought it up. Might as well lay it on me. How long before you sell our family land to them?”
“Don’t say it like that,” John groaned. “You think I want to?” He shook his head. “If I could afford to say no to their offer then I would! You know I would. But my land isn’t producing. It hasn’t in two years. The only reason we’ve survived at all is because of your—”
Eric cleared his throat, cutting off what was surely to have been about him.
“How long, John?” Edward’s tone was lethally quiet.
“A week. Two max.”
A silence fell over the table that felt like a blanket of ice.
“I’ll go to the bank first thing Monday. I’ll get a loan—”
“You know as well as I do they won’t give you a loan for that much,” John said. “I already tried on my end. They see our farms as failing. Replacing equipment and upgrades put our profit/loss statements into the red again and you know it. ”
Edward shifted in his seat. “And we have a good year ahead of us because of those replacements and upgrades. I know it. You just have to give me a chance.”
“I can’t—”
“I’ll co-sign,” Eric cut him off, his eyes darting between his dad and John. “They’ll have to give it to you, Dad,” he continued, and I about damn near melted in my chair. Edward sighed, his eyes closing for the briefest of moments. “Spare me the lecture of standing on your own, Dad,” he said. “I’ve had a great season so far and I’m due for a re-sign on my contract. It’ll be big this time. The bank won’t be able to say no to you if I co-sign.”
Edward’s jaw locked, the war raging within him obvious.
“Dad, it’s my legacy, too,” Eric urged. “I just want to do my part for it.”
After several moments of held breath, Edward sighed again and nodded. “Thank you, son. And co-sign is all you’ll do. I’ll be able to meet the payments just fine.”
“Understood.” Eric nodded again, and I had a hard time breathing around my heart.
A few more beats and something solid clicked into place.
A few more after that nothing but hollow cold swarmed my soul.
We’d been reckless, giving into…whatever this was between us.
Risked way too damn much.
Eric was right; he was up for a huge contract. He’d more than earned it.
And he’d get it, too.
Just so long as he wasn’t caught with the coach’s daughter.
Chapter 9
Eric
The rink was loud with laughter from the children skating with their parents. The Christmas kickoff skate was one of my favorite events every year, but this was the best one yet. Pepper was here.
I watched her skating across the rink with Faith, and I had the strangest premonition that I was watching my future. It had been like that all weekend with her as if living in some alternate reality, where I’d brought her home as more than just my friend.
Then again, we both knew the just friends line was complete and utter bullshit. Truth was she my coach’s daughter. She was the one thing I was supposed to keep my hands off, and yet the only woman I wanted my hands on. Talk about irony.
“Sure is a sight,” mom said as she shuffled over toward me, holding onto the wall.
I took her hand before she could fall. It didn’t matter how many times she’d driven me to the ice, she’d never been comfortable on it.
“Sure is,” I replied, looking at the crowd of locals. I loved being home, close to my family, close to the community, close to the land. Like some players were addicted to the rush, the sex, the fame, or the money, my addiction was the small town I’d grown up in. “Good turnout this year.”
Mom raised an eyebrow in my direction. “That was not the site I was referring to.” She blatantly turned her attention toward Pepper.
I couldn’t help but follow her gaze. Pepper’s head was thrown back in laughter, her joy in the moment obvious and utterly intoxicating.
“That’s some girl you brought home for me,” Mom continued. “She’s good for you.”
“We’re just friends, Mom.” The taste in my mouth turned sour like even my body knew it was a lie.
Last time I checked, friends didn’t have the chemistry we did or share the kind of moments we did in the locker room. I swore, I could still feel her on my fingers, taste her on my tongue. I wanted more. Scratch that. I needed more of her. More of her laughter, her wit, her smiles, and a hell of a lot more of her body. If I wasn’t careful, my little hometown wouldn’t be my only addiction.