Defensive Daddy: A Bad Boy Hockey Romance Read online

  Defensive Daddy: A Bad Boy Hockey Romance

  Cass Kincaid

  Published by Cass Kincaid, 2019.

  Copyright © 2019 by Cass Kincaid

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information and retrieval systems, without the written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to locales, events, or actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  EPILOGUE

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  Sneak Peek of: The His & Hers Complete Box Set | This box set contains both books in the His & Hers Duet. The first is Corrupting His Good Girl, followed by the sexy sequel, Taming Her Bad Boy.

  CHAPTER ONE

  SAMANTHA

  My life was right on track. Dream job, loving fiancé, beautiful son—I had it all.

  The only problem was that my promotion came at a time when that fiancé was too busy loving someone else, and that son of mine was wailing like a banshee wondering why in the hell we were standing outside the door of an apartment he didn’t recognize as home.

  Well, that makes two of us, buddy. Because I wasn’t sure how we’d come to be here, either, renting this apartment, despising everyone I came across, and wishing I could figure out where I went wrong.

  Maybe I never would. Maybe I was destined to question myself from here on out, knowing full well that, even though I didn’t know what it was, there was something I hadn’t done right, and that something had pushed away my husband-to-be, my high school sweetheart who’d held my heart for more than a decade. And whatever it was, it’d pushed him right into the arms of another woman.

  “Come on, buddy. It’s okay, let’s get inside so I can get the rest of our boxes.”

  Levi looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes, confusion blanketing his face. It killed me that this would become the new normal for him, for us. Wiggling the key in the knob and giving a shove to the door, it finally opened. In the entryway we stood, both scanning the new place. Empty, white walls, beige carpet. There was nothing truly homey about it, but we would make do.

  “Where’s Daddy?” Levi’s voice shook as he stepped in before me, walking around the empty living area with a sense of apprehensive wonder. A smile finally crossed his face, momentarily distracted by the newness of it all. If only I could have that childlike sense of wonder again.

  “He’s working, sweetie. He’ll come later to pick you up, though.” I walked down the narrow hallway to Levi’s room and set the box down, sliding my key across the tape to open it up. “Here you go!” I hollered, peeking out from his door. “You play in here while Mommy gets the rest of our stuff, okay?”

  “Okay!” He toddled down the hallway toward me in his big fluffy coat. Laughter escaped me at the sight. Through all the darkness and sadness I’ve endured lately, he’s my light and happiness. Tears pooled in my eyes as my emotions got the best of me.

  I quickly left his room so he wouldn’t see me cry, leaning my back against the wall as though it might help me hold myself together somehow, if only for a moment. The tears crept their way down my cheeks yet again, but I wiped them away and pulled my shit together. I had to. Not just for Levi, but for myself as well.

  Making my way down the lengthy staircase to my car, I opened the trunk and instantly changed my mind. There was no way I’d be able to get the heavier boxes up all those stairs on my own. I grabbed a couple I knew I could handle and slammed the trunk closed. Ethan would have to deal with them for me when he came to pick up his son. It was his fault we were here, anyway.

  I peeked into Levi’s room. He was playing with his favorite toy airplane that his dad had got him during one of his business trips.

  The thought of Ethan being with another woman during those trips caused bile to rise in my throat. He swore to me those trips were necessary for him to work his way up in the company, and I’d foolishly believed him.

  There you go again, I thought to myself. Thinking about him, instead of focusing on what matters. Levi. Yourself. And whatever kind of new life this is that we’re building.

  It wasn’t easy to let go of what Ethan had done to me—to our family—and I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to. Right now, I knew I wasn’t capable of it. There was no room for forgiveness in my heart; it was too full of resentment.

  And humiliation.

  I’d heard about these things happening—men getting bored with their comfortable, routine family lives and finding someone more interesting on the side. Hell, over a year ago, I’d even been consciously aware enough of the change in our relationship to ask him about it. There’d been a distance I’d never noticed before, and Ethan had started staying later at the office, going on more business trips, focusing more on his work than the family waiting for him at home.

  Paranoid. That’s what he’d called me. It’d irked me then, and it irked me even more now. He’d assured me there was no reason for me to worry about us, that we were fine. But, I guess that was easy to say when he had his blonde bombshell of a co-worker keeping him company during all those late-night hours at his office.

  The worst part? Everything probably would have continued on just as it was if he hadn’t had the balls to confess to the affair in the same measured voice one would use to admit they’d accidentally killed a fucking houseplant. I would have remained on the same blind path, ignoring the signs and pretending everything would be fine, and he’d have continued to fuck Destiny, or Delilah, or whatever the hell her name was.

  But Ethan confessed his year-long sin to me, and then chose that sin over Levi and me.

  Which led me here. In this very nice, overly modern, two-bedroom apartment with a confused toddler and a shattered heart. The scent of new paint and cleaning chemicals was strong, and despite the chilly weather outside, I opened one of the kitchen windows a crack to air out the room.

  I pried open the cardboard box I’d slid onto the counter and sighed. There wasn’t even enough household items in it to make a meal. To hell with it, I’ll go grab one more box. I’d packed them myself, so I knew the one I wanted.

  “I’ll be right back, Levi! Just going back out to the car for a quick second.” From the end of the hallway, I saw he hadn’t even looked up at the sound of my voice, too enthralled with his toy to pay me any attention. Good, at least one of us was content.

  I left the apartment again, locking the door behind me even though I’d only be a minute. On the way toward the flight of eight stairs, I saw the silver-tone nameplate on the door of the apartment closest to mine.

  C. Henley.

  Inwardly, I cringed. I really hoped not to have some crotchety old neighbor to deal with, but I wasn’t really in the position to negotiate. I’d needed an apartment, and this one was available on short notice in a decent part of the city, with enough room for Levi to be comfortable and have the space he needed to be a kid.

  I made it out to my car and back into the building in record time. Making my way up the stairs with the box full of kitchen supplies, I tripped, unfamiliar with the staircase, and fell flat on
my stomach. Everything from the box spilled out and scattered everywhere.

  “Christ, are you okay?”

  I hadn’t even seen him until he spoke, too engrossed in my own embarrassment and utter disbelief at the moment. Then, when I raised my gaze and saw the tall, chestnut-haired man staring at me with piercing blue eyes full of concern, I was more embarrassed than I’d ever been in my life.

  Which sparked anger within me, justified or not.

  “I’m fine.” I looked away, unable to meet his eyes again as I scrambled to pick up the kitchen items from the stairs and floor.

  He ducked down onto one knee, obviously not concerned about the dirt or mud on the floor, and helped put things back into the box. “That was a nasty fall though—”

  “I said I’m fine.” I pushed his hand away, heat flaming in my cheeks.

  I didn’t see the expression he wore, but I heard the shift in his voice. “I was just—”

  “You were just interjecting yourself in something that doesn’t concern you. I said I’m fine,” I snapped, throwing the last of the items into the box. “But thanks.”

  I rose to my feet, catching only a fleeting glimpse of his face. Very attractive, very confused, and...

  Hurt.

  Damn it, I thought to myself. The rational part of me knew he’d only been trying to help, but the humiliated part was bigger and much louder at the moment. It occurred to me to wonder if that was the new me—angry, harsh, and standoffish. Or, maybe that’s just what was left of the old me. The me I’d been with Ethan.

  Either way, that version of me was dead, leaving only the smoldering fury inside me. And judging by the way I’d just lashed out at an innocent bystander, that smoldering fire was bound to ignite eventually, and when it did...well, I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out.

  CHAPTER TWO

  COOPER

  Opening the door to my apartment, I walked in and tossed my keys into the bowl on the table near the entryway. I unlaced my boots, kicking them off into the pile with my other boots—just one more thing in my life that needed reorganized. I thought back on the incident that had just happened in the hallway. All I’d tried to do was help the woman out, and she’d been a raging bitch about it.

  But, she’d been a beautiful raging bitch about it.

  I’d probably have spat out something just as vicious to match her anger, but I’d been a bit too stunned by her pretty little blue eyes to think of something. Her auburn hair only made them more vivid.

  I couldn’t lie, the feistiness in her turned me on, and because of it, I was determined to get to know her. I could at least give it another chance, and maybe not catch her completely off guard next time. We were neighbours, after all.

  Shuffling into the kitchen, I pulled out the bag of coffee and scooped some into a filter while I peered out the kitchen window. Snow was falling, and it reminded me of the fact I’d be out of commission for the next couple months.

  For the next hockey season, that is. I’d like to think I’d gotten used to the idea, but the fact that I’d managed to tear my rotator cuff, preventing me from playing defense for my team this season only heightened my sense of cabin fever. I could play, but I risked further injury and possibly even surgery.

  I couldn’t do that to Tommy. My son was young, only six months old, but he needed me just as much I needed him. And he needed me healthy, paying for all the required things as well as the cool shit available for kids nowadays, and able to be to the best daddy I could be when he’s with me.

  I would still need to find something to occupy my time and get me through the winter, though. Not just for money, but for my sanity as well.

  But what the hell would I do? I was a hockey player, a defenseman, and I’d spent my entire life practicing and preparing to be one. The only thing I’d ever been good at was winning hockey games. Well, until Tommy came into this world and showed me I was a pretty good dad, too.

  The aroma of coffee filled the air. I grabbed my favorite Number One Daddy mug from the cabinet and paused at the sight of the matching Number One Mommy one tucked in the back.

  How the hell had I not gotten rid of this, or at least given it to Zoey? And, how was it that something so simple and meaningless could cause so much pain to fill my chest? The hurt I’d been hiding and shoving away for months now resurfaced, all thanks to a stupid goddamn mug.

  Two years of a serious relationship were flushed down the drain as soon as Zoey denied my proposal and broke things off with me immediately afterward. She’d just given birth to Tommy a few weeks prior, and I’d been so in love with her it’d never occurred to me she wouldn’t want to continue being parents together. As a family.

  As if the rejection wasn’t bad enough—and that’s not an easy thing for a man to get over—and though it still hurt like hell, I had to admit that part of me was thankful she did it. Maybe she wasn’t the one for me, even though I’d thought she was. Sometimes, I still thought she was. But it took being away from her to realize that I had doubts. Just a sliver of doubt, but doubt, nonetheless.

  I took a sip of my coffee and savored the bitter flavor, attempting to shake the thoughts of my failed relationship away. I couldn’t. I was alone in this place with no one to distract me. Tommy was thankfully still asleep in his crib despite the crash I’d heard in the hallway earlier, but I looked forward to the moment he awoke again to keep me company.

  My life should have been vastly different at twenty-nine years old. I should have been married and been providing more for my family than this little apartment, living in our own home.

  Christ, pull yourself together. I needed to get out, get some fresh air. I needed to clear my head. Tommy and I would bundle up and head out for a walk when he woke up.

  I finished my coffee, then arranged my boots and my son’s outdoor clothes near the door. Through the adjoining wall, I heard a melodic voice singing a lullaby. It stopped me in my tracks.

  She’s got a kid, I realized. Which meant she was undoubtedly with someone already. I didn’t remember seeing a ring on her finger, but she’d moved so hastily during our short conversation that I couldn’t be sure. I knew I was the last person who should be making assumptions, but I wagered it was a safe bet.

  I stood there, listening through the wall. It took a moment to realize I’d been enamored by her soft singing.

  I didn’t even know this woman’s name, and yet here I was, unable to move because of her. Running my fingers through my hair, a sigh passed my lips and I shook my head in disbelief at the power this woman already had over me.

  ***

  I’d always been a morning person. Always enjoyed getting up at the same time the sun was just starting to peek out over the treetops and bask the world in golden hues and lengthy shadows. That’s where the quietness hid, in those early hours when the rest of the world slept, only to be jolted awake by blaring alarm clocks an hour or two later.

  I’d never needed an alarm to wake me, and I didn’t wake up grumbling because of the things I had to get done during daylight hours. Because those things had always included hockey games, hockey practice, and most recently, my son.

  What I woke up grumbling about now was the fact I had little planned for the day, and Zoey had come by last night to pick Tommy up.

  I was alone.

  I was also a man who preferred to get things done, and I’d never minded getting a little dirty to accomplish it, if needed.

  No matter the context.

  Mornings like this, though? With no plans, no strenuous workouts or practices, and nothing to bide my time? I didn’t do very well without some kind of goal, and laziness wasn’t exactly a trait I harbored.

  But a man could only clean and do small jobs around his own apartment for so long. It’d been weeks since the doctors advised me that I wouldn’t be hitting the ice this season, but I wasn’t kidding...there wasn’t a leaking faucet or squeaking hinge to be found in my place. The apartment was small, neat, and maintained. Nothing fancy, but it was min
e. And Tommy’s.

  It was the one thing no one could take from me. Because, evidently, injuries could take my job, even it was just temporary, and Zoey could take my pride.

  Two coffees, a big plate of bacon and eggs, and one long, hot shower later, I knew I had to do something. Anything. Before I went absolutely insane with the boredom. It occurred to me to make my way out into the hallway and knock on my new neighbor’s door, offering to help her unpack or carry boxes or something.

  If she didn’t want me to talk while I did it, fine. I could be the brawn she needed—well, within reason, and my coach and doctors would have a shit fit if they knew I’d even thought of it. But I could help her out. Purely because I needed something to occupy my time, and she obviously needed a friend.

  Friend.

  Right.

  If yesterday’s interaction was any indication, friendship was the last thing that pretty little auburn-haired beauty was interested in.

  Good thing I had enough interest for the both of us.

  If I turned the television off and strained my hearing a bit, I was convinced I could hear the odd laugh or babbling of the neighbor’s kid through the living room wall. Suddenly, very clearly, I heard a familiar voice speak, just as exasperated as she’d been the day before.

  “Levi, please get over here and put your coat on so we can go to the store!”

  They were leaving. Which means...

  I dove for the entryway, shoving my feet into my boots clumsily. In my haste, I couldn’t even get my injured arm into my jacket on the first attempt. “Shit,” I hissed under my breath.

  Plucking the keys from the entryway table, I stopped to listen. Nothing. So, they weren’t in the hallway yet.

  Act calm, act normal. I didn’t know why it was so damn important to me to meet her again under the ruse that it was by chance, but I didn’t want her to know I’d been listening in, either. The last thing I needed was to spook her.

  I heard the apartment door open from the hallway, and I took a deep breath.