Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23900 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23900 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Alina’s eyes light up when she sees it and I’m suddenly wishing that I was giving it to her for real.
“For the show,” I say as I take her hand.
“Right,” she says like she’s snapping out of some alternate reality. “The show.”
I hate that we’re doing this. I want this to be real. I want this to be a real engagement ring. I want her to be pledged to me.
A shiver ripples through my body as I slide the antique ring on her finger. It’s an antique, but it’s beautiful. A giant diamond with a platinum band. She can’t seem to take her eyes off it.
“Is this your grandmother’s?” she asks.
“How did you know that?”
“This is not the first time this ring has been on my finger,” she says, smiling as she looks up at me. “Marie and I used to play dress-up in your mom’s room. This ring was always my favorite.”
One day, I’ll give it to her for real.
“I’m afraid that Marie already beat you to the punch,” she says with a grin. “We used to pretend we were getting married. I might still technically be engaged to her. I’m not sure, I’ll have to check.”
“My sister is going to have to fight me for you.”
“My money is on Marie,” she says with a laugh. “Your sister fights dirty.”
She keeps looking at the ring as we walk up the remaining steps. She heads straight to the bouncers with a confidence that I find so attractive.
“Mr. Sebastian Kemp and his beautiful fiancée, Alina Hoover,” she says, showing them the ring as if it’s two tickets to the event.
They both recognize me and open the doors with a nod. “Enjoy your night,” one of them says as we head in. “Party is in the back.”
The place is spectacular. The house I grew up in could fit in this lobby with room to spare.
Alina wraps her arm around mine as we head deeper into the house toward the noise. I’ve never felt so proud to have a woman on my arm. She’s radiant. She’s a goddess in this red dress. I’m the luckiest man in the world.
Warring thoughts are battling it out inside of me. I want everyone to see who I’m with, but I also want to keep her all to myself. I’ve never been so flustered like this. My obsession with this beauty is getting stronger every second I’m with her.
Heads turn and the whispering starts when we step into the backyard. It’s dark out, but the backyard is lit up by the gorgeous in-ground pool and all of the glowing lanterns hanging in the trees. It’s like a magical fairytale out here.
“Do you know all these people?” Alina whispers as she holds my arm a little tighter.
“Some,” I say as I nod to Dustin Reese, star defenseman of The Quebec City Spears. “Some I know, some I know of.”
The crowd suddenly parts and a huge ugly brute charges out.
“Oh shit,” I gasp under my breath when I see Tucker McKinstry barreling toward me with a nasty look on his face.
He’s the toughest fucker in the league. I think he only plays hockey so he can legally punch people in the face. And he’s good at it. The punching part. At hockey, he’s only slightly above mediocre.
“Who’s that?” Alina asks with a bit of unsureness in her tone. She steps back as McKinstry comes marching right up to me.
“The thing of nightmares,” I whisper to myself as I stare back at those crazy eyes. The last time I saw this man was when he slammed me into the boards so hard I thought my ribcage shattered. He skated away from me so carefree like it was just another day at the office.
I gulp as he steps right up to me. “Sebastian Kemp,” he says in his deep growly voice.
“Hi, Tucker.”
He thrusts his big hand in mine and I nearly whimper when I feel the strength of his grip. “I hear we’re both Hyenas now.”
“Not yet,” I say, trying to get my hand away from his. It’s clamped down hard. I’m not going anywhere until he releases me. “I’m signing the contract tonight. Hopefully.”
“Good,” he says with a fierce nod. “I’ll destroy anyone who touches you.”
I can feel the intensity radiating off him. He’s a monster. A monster I’m really glad is on my side.
“Great,” I say with a nervous laugh.
He stares me down for another long second, then lets go of my hand and stomps away. People jump out of his path as he heads to the bar.
“Who the heck was that?” Alina asks as she watches him go.
“Tucker McKinstry,” I say as I watch him down a glass of scotch like it’s water.
“He’s… intense.”
“You can say that again. He’s the toughest guy in the league.”
“I’m going to feel better if he’s on the ice watching your back,” Alina says.