“So you are good with women, yes?”

Lucas looked over and gave Odder a cocky grin. “I used to be. I’m a one-woman guy now,” he said with a wink.

Odder gave him a wide grin, showing off his gap as he said, “I want one woman, and I like my lady, I want to ask her out.”

“Lady?” Lucas asked.

“Yes, um, that, uh, speeeeeeeccchhhh lady,” he said enunciating each syllable.

“Oh! Okay, well ask her,” Lucas said with a shrug of his shoulders. “It can’t be hard.”

“No, I don’t think she likes me.”

“So? Make her like you,” Lucas smiled, shaking his head. “You got to have confidence, bud. You have to think that every girl in the world loves you and wants only you. That’s how I used to do, and I got myself a lot of females.”

“Yo, Odder,” Anderson said as he leaned across the aisle, “listen to Brooks, dude’s got mad game.”

Lucas laughed. “Who told you that?”

“My brother played with you back in the AHL, and when I told him about you being on the Assassins, he had nothing but stories for me,” Anderson said with a grin. “Epic stories.”

Lucas eyed Anderson, trying to put a face to his brother. Lucas had no problem remembering people but the AHL wasn’t his most sober period. “Who’s your brother?”

“Miles Anderson.”

Lucas laughed. “Man, I haven’t seen Miles in years. Tell him I said hi, and to stop telling my stories.”

Anderson laughed as he smacked Lucas’ arm and leaned back in his seat. Lucas looked over to see Odder looking over at him. “So you teach me?”

Lucas nodded his head. “I’ll help you out.”

Lucas had to, the kid was obviously desperate, and if Lucas could help he would. He could tell him some good lines and help him with his confidence, but that would be it. The kid was on his own after that.

Lucas leaned back in his seat and smiled. He was completely settled in with the Assassins and couldn’t have felt more at home. Between his home life and his work life things were great, but he still had that nagging feeling about Audrey. Lucas sat back up and reached over, smacking Anderson in the chest.

“You have a girlfriend?”

Anderson laughed. “Nah man, haven’t found that right girl yet.”

“I think I might know one.”

It was a close game, but the Assassins won and were going to the semifinals.

Thank God.

At the beginning of the period, Lucas was sure the Assassins were going to lose because the Wild were up by three, but by the grace of God, the guys came back and beat them 5-3. It had a lot to do with Adler, Titov and Odder — without those guys the Assassins wouldn’t have won. They were on point and brought the win home. After a long plane ride home and a grueling morning practice, Lucas sat on his couch watching the rain fall.

Lucas loved days like these It made him want to cuddle up with someone he loved and watch the rain fall but unfortunately, Fallon and Aiden were out with her parents. So Lucas sat alone in his big house, thinking about how much he wanted to be with them. He had missed them so much while he was gone and he was ready to spend the next few days with them before the Assassins faced off against whoever won between the Wings and Hawks. Lucas was hoping for the Hawks but either team was going to be hard, and the guys needed to be ready. It wasn’t going to be easy to get to that moment when he would hold the Cup above his head, but he wasn’t going to quit until he got there.

Lucas closed his eyes, lying back against the couch listening to the rain fall and doors open and close upstairs. Levi hadn’t talked to him in days, but Lucas didn’t let it bother him. Things were never going to be the same between them and Lucas had already accepted that.

When the doorbell rang, Lucas glanced over, wondering who it was. He slowly got up, scratching his stomach as he made his way to the door. He hurt everywhere and wished he would have stayed at the arena for a little longer to be rubbed down, but he wanted to come home in case Fallon and Aiden got done early.

When he opened the door to Fallon, a grin broke out across his face. She smiled up at him and Lucas noticed that she was drenched from head to toe. “Hey, get inside,” he said, pulling her in the door.

“Jeez! It’s raining cats and dogs out there. Were you sleeping? I’m sorry, I should have called first.”

“No, don’t be sorry, I’m glad you are here. Let me take your coat.”

Fallon smiled up at him as she undid the belt of her raincoat. She opened it up slowly, her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked up at him with a seductive look in her eyes. When Lucas looked down and saw that she was only wearing a skimpy black lace bra and matching panties, he swallowed loudly.

“Surprise?” she asked, shrugging her shoulders.

“Holy crap,” he muttered as his eyes ran up and down her beautiful body. When his eyes met hers, he smiled. Lucas then pushed her into the door, trapping her head between his hands as their mouths met. Her body was freezing but Lucas had no doubt that she would be hot in a matter of minutes. He pressed his growing erection into her as his lips dusted her jaw. She let out a soft moan as his lips moved up to hers. “What a surprise,” he whispered against them. She nodded, looking up at him with her eyes full of lust.

“Good surprise?”

Lucas scoffed, “Best damn surprise in the world! Come here.” He moved his mouth against hers, their tongues dancing together as their hands explored each other’s bodies. Lucas ran his hands up Fallon’s bare stomach before cupping her perfect br**sts in his hand. The lace of her bra tickled his hands as he played and massaged her heavy br**sts. She let out a sharp breath before biting down on his shoulder. Lucas let out his own sharp breath before moving his hands to beneath her thighs and picking her up, slamming her harder into the door as he tried to get closer. He needed her, he craved her and he was going to make love with her against the door. He just prayed Levi didn’t come downstairs.