Jonah (Chicago Blaze 7)

He’s an absolute joke of a human being. I can’t wait to get out of here tomorrow, and I dread socializing with him again. But it’s what we have to do, so I’ll manage. It’s not like I can let Rey do any of this alone. Shields invited us to join him on his yacht in the south of France next weekend, but I have games. We’ll have to play nice enough that we get another invite, shitty as that is.

I’ve just finished my water when I see Shields walking toward the beach house. He disappears beneath me, heading in the direction of the door. My heart pounds with worry for Rey, and I take out my phone, considering texting her.

I know I shouldn’t, though. Any traceable communication could break her cover. She’s a federal agent, and I shouldn’t be interfering with her work anymore than she should be telling me how to goaltend.

But fuck, it’s hard. I can’t bear the thought of Shields laying so much as a finger on her, whether she can handle it or not. And if she’s discovered searching through his office or anywhere else, who knows what he’s capable of.

I walk over to the door and open it, squaring my shoulders as I head down to the main level of the house. I trust Rey, but I have to do something.

“Jonah,” Shields says, looking completely lit as he clinks a few ice cubes into his glass, a couple of them landing on the kitchen counter. “Where’s your better half?”

“Bathroom, I think. Hopefully getting into something sexy for bedtime.”

He gives a groan of approval. “You are a lucky man, my friend.”

“Hey, you’re pretty lucky yourself, you’ve got Tori.”

He shrugs. “She’s hot, but she doesn’t have the same…something that Renee does.”

“She’s one of a kind,” I agree.

Shields takes a big sip of his drink and glances around the room. I don’t like it; I feel like he could go looking around the house at any moment.

“Hey, can I get one of those?” I point at his drink.

“Absolutely. This is good shit, isn’t it?”

He walks over to a cabinet and takes out a glass.

“The best. You don’t do anything halfway, Darren. This whole place is absolutely amazing.”

It’s painful for me to kiss this piece of shit’s ass, but if it buys Rey some time, I’ll get on my knees and bow to him if I have to.

“Glad you like it.” He adds ice cubes to my glass and follows them with a generous pour of bourbon. “Maybe next time you can bring some teammates. The ones who like to party, I mean.”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“I’ve got some great vintage Blaze memorabilia in my home office here. You want to see it?”

Shields is slurring his words, and I feel like if I can just keep him drinking, he may pass out before long. I don’t want to risk going into his office, though, because Rey could be in there.

“I do, but hey, can I ask you real quick about those twins you were talking to earlier?”

“Ellie and Emery? The blonds?”

“Yeah, yeah, them. How old are they?”

Shields shrugs. “Does it matter?”

I laugh with him, though my urge to punch him is stronger than ever.

“They like to party,” he says. “You want me to set something up for you with them?”

“Nah, I was thinking about my teammate Kit. He’s single.”

Shields gestures widely with his arms. “Everyone’s single here, Jonah. It’s a beautiful thing.”

“Hey now,” Rey says lightly from behind me. “My man’s all mine.”

I relax with relief as I turn to see her approaching us with a smile.

“There you are, babe,” I say.

“I was looking for you. I’m ready for bed,” she says.

I down the last sip of my drink and tell Shields, “She’s the boss. Night, man.”

As he pours himself another drink, he says, “Brunch at 11:00 tomorrow morning, guys. We’ll fly out around 1:00.”

“See you then,” Rey says, slipping her hand into mine.

We make small talk about the beach house decor on the way up the stairs, but once the door is closed behind us, I give Rey an expectant look. She nods. Whatever she was doing, it went well.

I don’t know which of us moves first, but an instant later she’s in my arms. I kiss her deeply, adrenaline still pumping through my veins. She tears at my clothes and I tug on hers, both of us getting off just enough before we land on the bed and she moves to straddle me.

Not this time, though. I wrap an arm around her and flip her onto her back, needing to be the one in control. I’m deep inside her with the first thrust, and she wraps her legs around my waist and rocks her hips greedily.

It doesn’t take long for us to fall apart at the same time, my face buried in her neck as I groan with my release. She keeps her arms wrapped tightly around me after, and we stay like that until she wriggles free and walks to the bathroom.