Jaci Burton - Holiday Games

The more she talked to Sonja, the more she liked her. “Those are good priorities to have.”

“Yeah, I mean we’re just eighteen. Plenty of time for all that romance later.”

Liz laughed. “Yes. Much later.”

* * *

Give a guy a game room, and the world is a happy place. At least a guy’s world is a happy place. There was pinball, pool, video games and even a foosball table, which reminded Gavin of college and of old times in their family basement, when he and Mick would go at it for hours. Gavin, of course, was the Riley foosball champion.

Mick, on the other hand, remembered it differently, claiming he consistently kicked Gavin’s butt. So they had to have a rematch.

Gavin won. Until Ty joined in and kicked his ass. And then Nathan took over and trounced all of them one by one.

Damned kids.

He sat back drinking a beer and watched Nathan and his girlfriend Sonja flipping the handles as they faced off against each other. She was pretty good at it, and Nathan didn’t let up just because Sonja was a girl. It was a pretty fierce competition, but in the end, Nathan won again.

Garrett rubbed his hands together. “I’m going to take you down this time, kid.”

“You’d like to think so, wouldn’t you?” Nathan asked with a gleam in his eye.

Sonja sat at the bar with a soda and grinned as Nathan took Garrett down easily. And then the women came in and started their own tournament. Tara faced off with Liz, and then Sonja hopped in. It was clear that Sonja and Nathan were going to be the foosball champions tonight.

“She’s cute,” Gavin said to Mick as they watched.

“Who? Your wife? She’s all right, but I’d have to say I prefer my own.”

Gavin laughed. “I meant Sonja.”

“Yeah, she is. Nathan really seems into her.”

“I assume you’ve had a long conversation with him about sex and birth control and not screwing up his future in that way.”

Mick shot him a look. “I’ve had lengthy conversations with that kid about everything that could screw up his life. Including that. He’s tired of seeing me head his way. He knows what’s what. He’s not stupid.”

“I figured, but just thought I’d throw it out there.”

Mick took a swallow of water and laid his glass down on the table behind them. “Could you ever have imagined the day we’d be the old men talking to kids about not knocking up their girlfriends?”

“No. I never saw that one coming,” Gavin said with a wry smile. “Time goes by fast and your kid has really grown up a lot in a few years. He’s a man now.”

“He is. And with that comes responsibility. The kind I blew off in college. So he’ll just have to get used to my Dad lectures.”

Gavin laughed. “I guess so. Hopefully someday I’ll be able to give a few of those to my own kids.”

“Any of those coming soon?”

“We’re working on it.” He shifted his gaze across the room to Liz, who caught his gaze and smiled at him, a hot, I-know-what-you’re-thinking smile.

She made a motion with her head and went upstairs. As soon as Ty came over to talk to Mick, Gavin eased his way upstairs. She was in the kitchen.

“Do you want another beer?” she asked.

“No, I’m good right now.”

“Okay. Then why don’t you join me over here?” She pulled him into one of the downstairs bathrooms and shut the door, clicking the lock.

“Really, Liz? In my brother’s house?”

She wound her arm around his neck and pushed him up against the wall. “I just want a kiss. It’s been a long afternoon and evening of separation while you were hanging with the guys.”

“You could have kissed me in the kitchen.” He brushed his lips across hers, but lingered, enjoying the taste of her mouth, the way she leaned into him, pressing her body against his.

“It’s more fun in here,” she whispered against his lips.

He laid his hand on her butt and squeezed, his dick responding. “You make me hard.”

She reached between them to palm his erection, rubbing back and forth. “Take me here. I’m wearing a dress. It’ll be fast.”

“What if I don’t want fast? What if I want slow?”

“We’ll do slow when we get home. I want you now.”

Liz’s sense of adventure never failed to get his motor running. She wasn’t shy about having sex just about anywhere, including the bathroom of Mick and Tara’s house. Plus, he knew she was eager to make a baby. They’d been doing it damn near every day, sometimes more than once a day.

He had to admit, he was on board for that. He lifted her dress and slipped his hand inside the sexy silken underwear to find her wet and ready for him. With his other hand, he reached for her breasts, sliding his hands over the full mounds to tease her nipples.

Her breath caught and she looked up at him with eyes that flashed with heat and desire.

He unzipped his jeans and turned her around and pushed her toward the sink, watching her face as he nestled behind her. He kicked her legs apart, then entered her, reaching around to rub her clit as he filled her with his shaft.

“Oh, yes,” she whispered. “Just like that.”

He bent and kissed her back and neck as he thrust into her, his cock and balls tight with need as he pulled out, then drove in harder. He felt her pussy surrounding him, pulsing as he continued to give her what she’d asked for. He strummed her clit, taking her right to the edge. He felt her body spasm as she hit the peak.

“Gavin.” She met his gaze in the mirror, ecstasy etched on her face as she came.

With a low growl he poured into her, his legs shaking as he climaxed. He held tight to her hips, emptying and shuddering until he had nothing left.

Gavin breathed hard as he fought to recover from that mind-blowing experience. Not wanting to spend any more time in here than was necessary, he withdrew and they did a quick cleanup.

He pulled Liz against him, giving her a deep, passionate kiss.

“When we get home, it’ll be slow and easy.”

She grinned and brushed her lips against his. “I liked fast and hard.”

“You make me crazy, you know that?”

“Good. Now let’s head back downstairs before Mick and Tara think we’ve been fucking in their bathroom.”

He laughed, shook his head, and followed his wife.

“I can’t believe Jenna and Ty are getting married tomorrow,” Liz said. “It seems a little surreal to me that it’s here already.”

Gavin turned the car off and pocketed the keys, then turned to her. “Do you remember when we got married? How fast the time crept up on us?”

Liz shot him a sexy smile. God, he looked good tonight dressed in a suit. At the church earlier when they’d rehearsed for the wedding they were coupled up. Walking down the aisle with him reminded her of their wedding, which hadn’t been so long ago. She still remembered each moment of it so vividly, of how nervous she had felt walking down the aisle, and how calm she became as soon as she’d seen Gavin’s face at the end of the aisle.

He’d looked gorgeous in his tux, so tall and sexy. Just like tonight in his suit. She wanted to crawl all over him in the car, but she suppressed the urge since they were due inside the restaurant for dinner. And besides, the valet was standing right there to collect the keys from Gavin, so that might be slightly inappropriate. “Yes. It was a whirlwind. But I still remember every moment of it.”

He crooked a grin at her. “Me, too. Especially our wedding night.”

She laughed and pulled her coat tighter against the cold wind. Gavin came around and opened the door and they hurried inside.

It was beautiful inside the Hyatt. With Tara’s help, Jenna and Ty had chosen a perfect location not only for their wedding reception, but also for the rehearsal dinner. They checked their coats and found Gavin’s dad at the coat check.

“Your mom is already inside with Tara and Mick,” Jimmy said.

“I think we’re going to need to feed Jenna oxygen,” Tara said, pulling Liz away from Gavin.

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“No particular reason. And for every reason.”

“Ah.” Liz nodded. “Pre-wedding jitters.”

“Exactly.”

They found Jenna talking to the catering manager. “This is not the food I ordered.”

Clyde looked confused. He opened a binder. “Ma’am, if you’d like to go over the forms you filled out, I can assure you it is.”

“It can’t be. I hate salmon. Who would order salmon?”

“Clyde. Let’s go over a few things,” Tara said, motioning him away from a near frantic Jenna, who then turned to Liz.

“The food isn’t right. Look at this.”

Liz blinked as Jenna fanned the paper in front of her.

Liz took the menu. “Jenna. Calm down. Tara will take care of everything. Remember, this is what she does for a living.”

Jenna fell into a chair. “I’m not going to make it until tomorrow. Mick had a game on Thursday, so he just got back in the nick of time. Cole has a bye this weekend. Ty at least has a couple of days off, as do his two friends and teammates, who are ushers. And Gavin is off season. Do you have any idea what it was like trying to plan my wedding around the schedules of athletes in three sports, one that’s off season, and two that are in season?”

“Actually, yes, I do.”

“Oh, of course you do. Anyway, a fucking nightmare. And Christmas is next week. What the hell was I thinking getting married the week before Christmas? No one has time for this shit. No one’s going to show up. I just know it.”

Yeah, Jenna was on the first-class express to meltdown city. Direct flight, no stopovers.

Liz signaled for a waiter. “Bring me a shot of tequila. And make it a double.”

The waiter nodded and Jenna lifted her head. “Oh, no. I’m not drinking tonight. I’m going to be calm and rational and not drunk and crazy.”

“Okay.” Liz leveled a direct look at her.

“I’m already crazy, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re stressed and nervous. It’s normal. I was a spewing volcano the night before Gavin and I got married.”

Jenna’s lips curved. “I remember that. You suddenly decided the venue couldn’t possibly be big enough for all the people who were invited, and we needed to move it somewhere else.”

Liz laughed. “Yes. So trust me, I was a much bigger basket case than you could ever hope to be. This is just pre-wedding nervousness that all brides have. Tara calmed me down the day before mine, so now I’m going to do the same for you and tell you that your wedding is going to be perfect.”

“We should have eloped. Or just had family at Riley’s bar.”

“You are not having your wedding at Riley’s. You are not working the bar on your wedding day.” When the waiter came back, Liz handed Jenna the shot glass. “But you are going to take the edge off by taking a shot of tequila.”

Jenna sighed. “You’re right. I need this.” Jenna downed the shot, grimaced, then blew out a breath. “Whew. That’s better.”

“Good. Now let’s join the family, where you’re going to be calm and happy and enjoy the night before your wedding.”

“You’re so bossy.”

“I know. That’s why you love me.”

They joined the family in the private room that had been set up for them.

Jenna squeezed her arm. “You’re right. This is lovely. And I’m not even going to think about tomorrow, because I know it’s going to be perfect.”

“Of course it’s going to be perfect. Tara is in charge of event planning, and you know she’s a genius.”

“Did I hear my name?”

Tara moved in between them and Jenna hugged her.

“Sorry for the craziness earlier,” Jenna said.

“You’re entitled. We’ve been there and we know all about the stress. But trust me, everything is exactly as you wanted it for tomorrow. And for tonight.”

“I know it is, and I haven’t even thanked you for taking the time to arrange it all.”

Tara smiled. “It’s what I do.”

“And you do it beautifully.” Jenna gave Tara a tight squeeze and Liz sighed in relief.

Meltdown over.

The dinner was perfect, just as Liz knew it would be. And then the speeches started.

Ty’s friend Eddie Wolkowski gave a great speech about love and hockey, friendship and relationships that made absolutely no sense at all but still brought everyone to their feet because Eddie was just that kind of guy you couldn’t help but adore.

As matron of honor, Tara talked about friendship between two people who were there for each other. She talked about watching Ty and Jenna fall in love, and how she couldn’t imagine any two people who were more perfectly matched. It was a beautiful speech and she wished them well.