Offside Read online

  OFFSIDE

  By

  Bianca Sommerland

  Copyright 2013, Bianca Sommerland

  Smashwords Edition

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Edited by Lisa A. Hollett

  Cover art by Reese Dante

  License Notes

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the vendor and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Warning

  This e-book contains material not suitable for readers under 18. It also contains scenes that some may find objectionable, including BDSM, ménage sex, bondage, anal sex, sex toys, and one man erroneously labeled as vanilla. Author strongly advises care be taken when using ladders and gym equipment in ways other than originally intended. And sex on cruise ships whenever possible. The author advises that as well.

  Also by Bianca Sommerland

  The Dartmouth Cobras

  Game Misconduct (The Dartmouth Cobras #1)

  Defensive Zone (The Dartmouth Cobras #2)

  Breakaway (The Dartmouth Cobras #3)

  Also

  Deadly Captive

  Deadly Captive (Collateral Damage)

  Rosemary Entwined

  Rosemary & Mistletoe

  The Trip

  Dedication

  Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge. This year we have hope.

  Acknowledgements

  Rosie, for vanilla and sprinkles! Lol! Our little thing. You know how much you mean to me! To Cherise, so much love and respect. You taught me the meaning of affectionate revenge. ;)

  To my betas, Missy, Ebony, and Stacey. You’ve become such an important part of this series and I’m so happy to have you along for the ride. To the fans of this amazing hockey team, thank you for cheering them on, for giving the team what it need to thrive. Because of you there are many books still to come!

  And this last acknowledgement, probably the most important one I will ever make, is to my daughters. It will be a long time before you pick up one of these books, but by the time you do I hope all this hard work has gotten us where we need to be together. Sharing a bright future in which I can help you make all your dreams come true. There’s a lesson in this juggling act you see me perform every day. No matter how hard things get, you can do so much more than even you believe. Don’t doubt that no matter what anyone says. You’re my girls and that means no one will ever hold you back. I love you so much!

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  License Notes

  Warning

  Also by Bianca Sommerland

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Dartmouth Cobra Roster

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Epilogue

  Game Misconduct Description

  Defensive Zone Description

  Breakaway Description

  Chapter One

  Early July

  I can’t do this. Rebecca Bower hunched down, arms crossed tight over her stomach, keeping her voice low so her five-year-old daughter, who sat in the backseat of the car coloring, wouldn’t hear her. Her eyes burned as she glanced up at her mother. “Mom, I can’t do this.”

  Lifting her hand from the steering wheel, her mother, Erin Bower, patted her shoulder. “Yes, you can. I know it will be hard, ma bichette, but Patrick is Casey’s father. He has some rights.”

  A length of barbed wire seemed to wind around her stomach, around her heart, digging in and tearing her insides apart. The last time Casey had been with her father, she’d ended up in the emergency room. I almost lost her because of him.

  “Becky, get out of the car for a minute, please.” Her mother opened her door and stepped on to the parking lot. A big straw hat sat on her head, shielding her pale face from the glare of the sun until she tipped her head back to stare up at the planes leaving the airport. The fine lines around her mother’s eyes deepened with tension and exhaustion. She lived for her children, had dropped everything in her own life to come to Dartmouth, but as strong as she was, the weight of all she’d pulled on to her slender shoulders was beginning to show.

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” Becky whispered as she came around the car to stand beside her mother. “You’d be on your way home if I’d kept this to myself.”

  Her mother pursed her lips. “I would have been very disappointed if you’d kept this to yourself. You’re staying with your brother because he needs you, which makes me very happy, but don’t be too proud to accept help yourself.”

  “I’m not, I just—”

  “You tried to hide how upset you were about this. You wouldn’t have told either me or your father if I hadn’t insisted. I understand your not wanting to talk to your brother, he’s dealing with enough, but since when can’t you talk to me and your father?”

  “It’s not that I can’t talk to you . . . it’s just . . .” Ugh, how the hell am I supposed to make her understand? “This is my mess. I need to show my daughter I’m strong enough to manage on my own.”

  “No. Right now, you need to show your daughter she doesn’t need to be afraid of her father.” Her mom took her hand and squeezed tight. “It’s as simple as that. She doesn’t remember much—if anything—about what happened last time she saw him. She’ll feed off your reactions, so you need to get better at hiding how you really feel from her. I know it’s hard. I wish you didn’t have to go through this, but you do. His mother will supervise the visits. She might be blind where he’s concerned, but she’ll keep your daughter safe.”

  Becky swallowed hard, nodding slowly. She couldn’t argue with that. And Patrick had gone to a few parenting courses. Enough that her lawyer pointed out he was entitled to visitation, and denying him would put her in contempt of court. Again.

  The fines, the threats from Patrick’s lawyer, she could deal with. But the judge at their last hearing had warned her that she could do jail time if she refused to respect the visitation order. The judge had shown some sympathy when she presented him with reports from the doctor and the social workers who’d been involved when Casey had nearly drowned in the bathtub while in her father’s care. Because he’d left her alone. But the fact was that he’d eventually taken steps to become a better parent. The court believed it was in Casey’
s best interest to get to know her father. The only concession was supervised visits since contact had been limited for so long.

  Maybe he’s changed. Maybe he can be a good father.

  Her instincts all screamed at her, fierce voices like a dozen fists pounding at the inside of her skull, telling her not to believe it.

  But she didn’t have a choice.

  “All right, I got it.” Becky leaned into her mother’s hug, then planted a broad smile on her face as she caught Casey peering out at them from the back window. She opened the door and unstrapped her daughter from her booster seat. “So, poupée, are you excited about going to Marineland with Daddy?”

  “I like dolphins.” Casey picked up her little purse and her stuffed Shrek. Her tiny white dress shoes clicked on the pavement as Becky set her down. She tucked the purse and the toy under her arm to straighten the skirts of her pink floral sundress. “But I’d rather stay with Uncle Landon. I want to see the baby. And Silver is fun.”

  Holding in a sigh, Becky crouched down to her daughter’s level. “You’ll only be gone for three weeks, Casey. The baby won’t be here yet.”—I hope—“Besides, you promised Silver you’d take lots of pictures for her. Since she’s stuck in bed, you’ll need to tell her all about your trip when you get back so she won’t be bored.”

  “And I can talk to her, and Uncle Landon, and Uncle Dean every night,” Casey said, repeating what Silver had told her before they’d left Dean’s house. “But what if Daddy doesn’t let me use the phone?”

  “He will.” He’d better. “You’ll talk to me too though, right?”

  “Well, duh.” Her daughter giggled, sounding a bit too much like Silver Delgado for Becky’s liking. Then she topped it off with a statement that set Becky’s teeth on edge. “Silver said you need a break. Can’t you come with me?”

  “I just started a new job, baby. I can’t take time off now.” She continued before her daughter could remind her she worked for Silver—well, more specifically, she worked for the Dartmouth Cobras as the Media Relations Coordinator, but her daughter didn’t know the difference. “Besides, this is a special trip for you, Daddy, and Nanny.”

  Casey wrinkled her tiny nose, winding her pink beaded necklace around her fingers before sticking the end in her mouth and speaking around it. “I guess . . .”

  Way too serious for a five-year-old. Becky laughed and took her daughter’s toy and purse. “Come on. Daddy’s probably waiting.”

  Her mother held Casey’s hand as Becky retrieved her suitcase from the trunk, then chatted excitedly with her as they made their way into the airport. All Casey’s reluctance seemed to disappear as she caught sight of her father. Her face lit up. She pulled away from her grandmother and bolted toward him.

  “Daddy!”

  Becky moved to run after her daughter, but her mother halted her with a hand on her arm, shaking her head. Patrick met Casey halfway, bending down to look her over as she skidded to a stop in front of him. The noise in the crowded airport made it impossible to make out what he said, but Casey ducked her head shyly and moved in for a hug.

  As Becky and her mother approached, Patrick straightened, rubbing his thick, brown beard and reaching out for Casey’s suitcase. “Anything I need to know?”

  Don’t let her out of your sight? But no, he knew that. His mother had spent hours on the phone with Becky, assuring her he knew he’d messed up when he’d left Casey alone in the bath so he could make a move on his latest girlfriend. That he wanted to be a good father. That he was ready to try again. Undermining his efforts wouldn’t improve the situation.

  “She’s allergic to strawberries. She has an EpiPen in her suitcase. Check everything she eats.” He knew that too. Her brow furrowed as he nodded distractedly. His phone buzzed, and his slid his hand into the pocket of his black slacks. The buzzing stopped.

  “Does she still wet the bed?” he asked.

  Casey gave him a horrified look. “Daddy!”

  “No, but no drinks after six.” Becky smiled at her daughter. “She’s good with that, though. She usually gets herself a glass of milk and some cookies around then.”

  “Do you have cookies, Daddy?”

  “I can pick some up.” Patrick ruffled his daughter’s hair, then pointed toward the escalator. “Nanny went to get an iced tea and some croissants. You still like croissants, don’t you?”

  “Yes! Uncle Dean makes them for me almost every morning!”

  “‘Uncle’ Dean?” Patrick arched a brow at Becky. “Exactly how is he her uncle? I didn’t know Landon swung that way.”

  “He doesn’t,” her mother said tightly, speaking up for the first time. “But Casey has become very close to him lately and decided to call him ‘Uncle’ out of respect. He’s family.”

  “I’m not sure I like you having all kinds of men around my daughter.” Patrick put his hand on Casey’s shoulder. “Especially the kind of men Silver Delgado would be involved with. I’ve heard things about her—”

  “She happens to be involved with my brother.” Becky did her best to keep her tone pleasant. “And this is a conversation we can have some other time.”

  “Whatever. I’m just telling you now, I plan to take a much more active role in my daughter’s life. I will have a say in who she spends time with. And I’m not comfortable with her being around that woman.”

  “But Daddy, I love Silver. She’s having a baby, and it’s going to be my cousin and . . .” Casey pulled away from her father, the soft roundness of her cheeks going red as she inched closer to Becky. “Silver promised I could see the baby after it comes out of her belly. She promised, Mommy!”

  “You will, poupée,” Becky said, wishing she could pick her daughter up and bring her home. Home being Dean’s place, even if only temporarily. But she’d set up their new house while Casey was gone. And Casey had to go. So Becky had to find a way to get past this little setback. Damn Patrick for not dropping it. “Daddy just doesn’t know Silver. He’s looking out for you.”

  “That’s right.” Patrick made a face and grabbed Casey’s hand. “Come on, Nanny’s waiting.”

  “No!” Casey sobbed, pulling away from her father once again, throwing herself against Becky’s leg. She clung to Becky with one arm and hugged her Shrek toy with the other. “I don’t want to go, Mommy! Daddy and Nanny can visit me here!”

  “This is ridiculous. We’re going to miss our flight.” Patrick checked his watch. “Come on, Casey. You’re acting like a baby.”

  She is a baby. Becky’s throat locked as she gently pried her daughter off her leg, then bent down to cup her tear-streaked cheeks in her hands. “Go with Daddy, poupée. You’ll have so much fun you won’t want to leave.”

  “Please don’t make me go.” Casey’s tear-filled eyes broke her heart. “I won’t watch SpongeBob anymore. I know you hate it.”

  This isn’t fair. Becky felt her own eyes moisten and blinked fast to keep the tears at bay. She glanced over at her mom, grateful for her presence as she bent down beside them.

  “Casey, your daddy misses you.” Erin wiped away her granddaughter’s tears. “Be my big girl and go with him now. You can call us as soon as the plane lands. You love plane rides. And I’m sure Daddy will take you to see the falls. I haven’t been to see them in a long time. Will you take pictures of them for me?”

  Casey hiccupped, then nodded shakily. “I’ll take lots of pictures. For you and Silver and Mommy.”

  “Good girl.” Erin rose and placed Casey’s hand in Patrick’s. “You know, Daddy needs to learn a lot more about hockey. Maybe you can teach him?”

  “You need me to teach you about hockey?” Casey peered up at her father, eyes wide. “I have all the Rock‘em Sock‘em DVDs. We can watch them together if you want?”

  “Great.” Patrick scowled at Becky. “Thanks for making this easier for me.”

  Becky ignored his sarcasm as she stood. She hugged and kissed her daughter, determined to make it as easy for Casey as possible. “Chin up. No mo
re tears. Show Daddy how tough the Bower women are.”

  “She’s a Dubois,” Patrick said through his teeth.

  And you’re an asshole. But thankfully, Casey managed to go with her father without any more protests, though she sucked her thumb and held Shrek tight as she followed him. Becky watched them step onto the escalator. Her whole body trembled as she retreated. Her back hit something solid.

  “Hey, Becky.” Firm hands on her shoulders steadied her, and her eyes widened as she glanced up to see Scott Demyan, one of the Dartmouth Cobras. The last one she wanted to see right now. Just being around him made her feel like the whole world had tilted beneath her feet. And she didn’t have the strength to haul up the walls she needed to put between them. He seemed to notice, because he wasn’t stripping her with his dreamy blue eyes like he usually did. Actually, he sounded concerned. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She managed a shaky smile. “My baby’s first trip without me.”

  “Ah.” He glanced up toward Casey and frowned. “He should be holding her hand.”

  Becky nodded, following his gaze. Her breath caught in her throat as Casey dropped Shrek and bent down to pick him up near the top of the escalator. Patrick was on the phone. He didn’t see Casey’s necklace catch on the steps as they reached the top.

  “Patrick!” Becky bolted for the stairs, Scott a breath behind her. She heard her mother scream.

  “Zach!” Scott launched up the steps, then threw something to a man about to step onto the descending stairs. The man snatched it out of the air.

  The escalator stopped. Casey let out a high-pitched cry, struggling against the necklace cinched around her neck. Patrick shouted.

  Beads covered the floor as Becky dropped to her knees and pulled her daughter away from the escalator and into her arms. A blade flashed before it was tucked away, and her breath lodged in her throat as she gaped up at the man standing over her. Zach Pearce. Another player. He took a knee beside her.

  “Becky, look at me.” His bright green eyes were hard. “Calm. Down.”