Hockey Holidays Read online

  “Can’t wait,” she said, gasping when he stood with her in his arms. She slid down his body, and he held her steady as she found her balance.

  “Last chance,” he teased, brushing a quick kiss across her lips.

  She tugged him to the front door.

  “Don’t worry, if we can’t find any mistletoe, I have a sprig in my purse. Can you zip me?” she asked, turning her back to him.

  “I’d rather not,” he grumbled as he slowly fixed her dress, pressing kisses along her back. Then he spun her, his arms tight around her waist. “I love you, Maggie. You walking back into my life is the best present ever.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down so their lips were inches apart. “Definitely the best present ever. I love you, Alex. And maybe tomorrow we could visit one of the ornament kiosks at the mall.”

  “Yes. We have years to make up for.”

  And then she closed the distance, her lips meeting his.

  They were going to be extra late to the holiday party.

  ~ THE END ~

  Books by Stephanie Kay

  Love by the Bay

  Unmatched

  Last Call

  San Francisco Strikers

  Breakout

  Skating the Line

  Delay of Game

  Faceoff

  About Stephanie Kay

  Stephanie Kay has always loved a good romance, and she got hooked on the dirty ones at the tender age of 14, when she told her mother that if the cover wasn’t a bodice ripper, then there was no sex in the book. As an avid mystery reader, her mother never checked to see if Stephanie was lying. Twenty plus years later, Stephanie’s most prized possession is her Kindle, and she may have a Hallmark movie obsession.

  Sports were never her thing, but after beta reading for another hockey author and buying NHL Game Center within one month of watching her first hockey game a few years ago, she dove into learning everything she could about the sport and the hot men that play it. Now she spends her spare time visiting hockey arenas in the name of research and loving every second of it.

  Email | Website

  Jennifer Lazaris - Lucky Holiday

  A Las Vegas Kingsnakes holiday novella

  Tyler Quinn made the biggest mistake of his life when he broke Ella’s heart, and he’ll need more than an ace up his sleeve to win her back in time for Christmas.

  Chapter One

  “I'm getting married! A Christmas engagement!”

  Ella's co-worker, Chloe, held out her left hand—now adorned with a sparkling diamond ring.

  The break room of the Brynnley L. Morrow Foundation exploded in congratulatory shrieks. Ella forced a smile, swallowing down her own painful emotions.

  Would hearing news like this ever get easier? She glanced down at her bare left hand—her own beautiful engagement ring now buried away in a drawer.

  It had been two years since Ty had broken their engagement—two years since she'd heard from him—and it still hurt just as much now as it did then.

  He'd given no warning. Just a ragged, “I can't do this anymore, Ella.”

  Three whole years of love, laughter, and promises erased with six words.

  Ella waded through the group to congratulate Chloe, then escaped back to her cubicle, staring at the little fiber optic Christmas tree in the corner of her desk.

  She'd tried everything to get over Tyler Quinn—moving from their shared apartment in Winnipeg back home to Ontario, throwing herself into her work for the past two years, and even online dating—but nothing had worked.

  When the Brynnley L. Morrow Foundation offered her a position at their corporate headquarters in Las Vegas two months ago, she'd leaped at the chance. Still, she couldn't outrun her broken heart.

  Though her personal life might be in tatters, things were looking up professionally. Getting this job was a dream come true, and she’d already been given a few important projects, despite being the newest member of the staff. Her boss was trusting her with more tasks, and she already felt at home here. She was excited and looking forward to her new career.

  Lina, her boss, paused outside her cubicle. “Ella, I need you to do a coffee run. One of the Las Vegas Kingsnakes hockey players is visiting this morning. He's bringing an autographed jersey from the entire team for a future raffle, and he'll be signing photos for us to give out to the local Foundation kids.”

  Lina handed Ella a press release. “The Kingsnakes are partnering with the children's hospital for their annual Holiday Charity Carnival, and kids from the Foundation are participating. You’ll be our social media point person for this. I’d like you to take the reins when it comes to gathering content, talking to those involved, and so on. Ideally, I’d like to move you from my administrative staff to our art and media division full-time if you’re successful with this project. That was always my plan, but I wanted to make sure you got a feel for how things work here first. You’ve blown me away with how well you’ve adapted, and you’ve done a great job with the projects I’ve given to you. But your talents will be better utilized as part of that team.”

  Ella's mouth went dry. She was beyond thrilled that Lina was moving her up. It was a major accomplishment, and she welcomed the chance to work on such an important project for the media department.

  But why—why—did it have to involve hockey?

  Ty played center on the third line for Winnipeg, and after the breakup, she'd severed all ties with professional hockey—freezing out hockey news and losing touch with the other girlfriends and wives. That life was firmly behind her.

  But this was business, and her past charity experience had helped her land this job. Lina probably thought it was a great fit. And it was… at least professionally.

  “That’s amazing, Lina. Thank you so much for the opportunity.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ll introduce you to the player, then you and I can meet later this afternoon and go over a few things. For now, coffee. I texted you the order.”

  “Got it.” Ella grabbed her jacket and headed to the elevator.

  Escaping hockey might not be possible, but the Brynnley L. Morrow Foundation was where she wanted to be. The charity had been there for her family when her little sister, Jessie, was diagnosed with a heart defect at birth. For ten years, through the ups and downs of Jessie's illness, until she'd passed away, they'd helped. Now, she wanted to give back.

  Ella placed the coffee order via her phone, and the drinks were waiting when she arrived. Grabbing the tray, she headed back out into the Vegas sunshine, toward headquarters. Late December in the high fifties was a significant change from snowy Ontario winters. She was going to miss all of that snow on Christmas morning. Not that it mattered much this year, because she’d be spending Christmas alone. She was staying with her cousin, Wendy, until she found an apartment, but Wendy was away on vacation with her boyfriend for the holidays.

  Ella struggled with the building's front door while balancing the tray, then hurried toward the elevator. “Hold the door, please!”

  A tanned arm grabbed the door in the nick of time as she dashed into the waiting car.

  “Thanks,” she said, righting one of the teetering coffees.

  “Ella?”

  Her entire world stopped as the elevator rocketed skyward. She'd know that soft, raspy voice anywhere.

  Tyler Quinn.

  Ella turned and glanced up into his dark, serious eyes. Surprise flared in their brown depths as they locked gazes.

  Just then, the elevator jerked to a stop, going dark as she pitched forward and crashed into him. Emergency lights flickered on as his right arm snaked around her waist, steadying her. He grabbed the drink tray with his free hand as it trembled in her grasp.

  His light, familiar cologne invaded her senses, and the gentle touch of his hand, which glided up and down her back in a gesture of comfort, pulled her back to another time.

  Back to when he was hers.

  No.

  Ella jerked out