Holiday Shot, page 1
HOLIDAY SHOT
A LAUDERDALE KNIGHTS HOLIDAY NOVELLA
KAT MIZERA
Copyright © 2023 by Kat Mizera
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Editing: Kay Springsteen
Cover Design: Dar Albert, Wicked Smart Designs
Created with Vellum
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Body Shot (Lauderdale Knights #8)
Also by Kat Mizera
About the Author
1
Henrik
It was never a good thing when my ex-wife called at the ass crack of dawn, especially when our children were here with me. My phone rang again, and I rolled over wondering what catastrophe would require my attention.
“I’m bored,” she announced by way of greeting.
I gritted my teeth.
“Lydia, it’s 6:30 on Thanksgiving morning. What do you expect to be doing?”
“I don’t know, but the gym at this hotel is lame and I already had breakfast.”
“Okay.”
“Henry!” Her voice had an annoying little whine that had been cute when we first met. Not so much anymore.
“Lydia, I don’t know what you want from me. I’ve got the boys so you’re free to do anything you want. I paid for you to fly out here and for your hotel. We agreed this was how we were going to do things until they’re old enough to travel alone, so I don’t know what you want from me.”
“Well, why can’t I spend Thanksgiving with you? It’s not like you’re remarried or anything.”
I nearly groaned with frustration.
“Because we’re not together anymore.”
The last thing I wanted was to spend Thanksgiving with my needy, clingy, completely narcissistic ex-wife. She was beautiful, but that was probably her only redeeming quality. The fact that she was hot didn’t make up for how awful it had been to be married to her. I didn’t want to spend five minutes with her, much less a holiday. Especially since I had plans to spend Thanksgiving with the head coach of the professional hockey team I worked for. My boss.
Getting the job as an assistant coach for the Lauderdale Knights had been a dream job for me, and I loved almost everything about it. The only issue was the schedule. I was busy. Always. Travel, games, practices, meetings, watching video. It was a lot, and it often meant not being able to spend time with my seven-year-old twin boys, Aiden and Adam. If I wanted to see them during the season, I had to pay for my ex to fly out to me with them, and put her up in a hotel until they left.
Nothing about the arrangement was ideal, but it was the only way I could see them since she lived in San Diego and I lived and worked in Fort Lauderdale. I spent the summer in San Diego, but this was only my second season as assistant coach, so we were still trying to adjust.
“That’s ridiculous,” she said. “We’re raising children together. There’s no reason we can’t spend holidays together. Last Christmas was wonderful, so what’s the difference?”
“Last Christmas was not wonderful,” I said. “Your family was either rude to me or ignored me completely. The only people who had fun were the kids.”
“You’re such a buzz kill,” she muttered.
“Daddy, I’m hungry.” Aiden padded into my bedroom, his hair sticking up on top.
“Gotta go, Lydia.” I disconnected before turning to Aiden. “Good morning. How do pancakes sound?”
“Yum! Do you make them like Mommy’s?”
“I don’t know,” I hedged. “But they’re pretty good. Is your brother still asleep?”
“No. He’s watching TV.”
Great.
He was probably watching porn or something.
Adam was definitely the wilder of the two.
I got out of bed and pulled on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.
I loved my boys, but it was hard to intermittently step into the role of dad. I’d had them for Christmas last year, and that had been rough. I’d flown into San Diego on the morning of the twenty-fourth, spent all of that day and the day after—at the house with Lydia and her family—and then got on the first flight out on the morning of the twenty-sixth. It had been awkward as fuck, and I’d vowed to never do that again. So here we were, with me footing the bill to fly Lydia and the boys across the country.
“Daddy, look at the hockey!” Adam pointed to the TV where he was watching recaps of last night’s games.
“Watching some video for me?” I asked, chuckling, as I scooped him up and kissed the top of his head.
“Yes!” He giggled, wiggling to get down.
I made myself a cup of coffee and started pulling out the ingredients for pancakes. I’d never been much of a cook, but I’d figured I needed to learn if I was going to be a single dad. Even if I only saw them every couple of months. I tried to FaceTime whenever possible, but I missed a lot. Hell, I missed almost everything.
Putting three pancakes on each of their plates, I cut them up into pieces, drowned them in syrup and then turned back to the griddle. Pancakes weren’t the norm for me, but I’d added protein powder to help counteract the carbs.
I’d just sat down to eat when someone knocked on the door.
“Mommy!” Aiden raced across the room and threw open the door before I could stop him.
Fucking Lydia.
I walked to the front door scowling.
“Hi, baby boy.” She picked him up, kissing him.
“What are you doing here, Lyd?” I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral for the boys’ sakes.
“I was bored,” she said petulantly. “You made me fly out here, so the least you can do is invite me to Thanksgiving dinner. They’re my kids too.” Her lower lip protruded slightly and I had to bite back a snippy retort.
“I didn’t make you do anything,” I said as patiently as I could. “This is what the custody agreement says. I pay for your travel and expenses, so the boys don’t have to travel alone. But nowhere does it say I have to alleviate your boredom.”
She brushed past me into the house. “Adam! Mommy’s here.”
“Mommy!” He came running out of the kitchen, his face covered in syrup.
“Ew. Go wash your face, please.” She held him at a distance and his little face fell with disappointment.
It really bothered me that she played favorites with the twins. For some reason, she worshipped Aiden and tolerated Adam. To be fair, he was a handful and I suspected he had ADHD, but she’d refused to get him tested and I simply hadn’t had time. Seeing the way she’d treated him just now made me realize I needed to make the time.
Sooner rather than later.
There was no way to keep Lydia from joining us without making a scene in front of the boys, so I’d stopped arguing and texted Toli to let him know I had an extra person coming with me. He knew the situation with my ex and had simply said she was more than welcome. He wouldn’t ask a lot of questions, and there were always a lot of people at his house during the holidays. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be a lot of questions about why she was here.
“Henrik, hi!” Toli’s wife, Tessa, came over to give me a hug before turning to the twins. “The boys are upstairs in their playroom. You’re welcome to go join them.”
“Yay!” They spoke in unison before they took off and Lydia cleared her throat.
“This is my ex-wife,” I said, without looking at her. “Lydia, Toli and Tessa Petrov.”
“Hi!” Lydia grinned. “It’s so nice to meet you! Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Sure.” Tessa nodded. “Follow me.”
The two women disappeared into the kitchen and I glanced at coach. “Sorry about this.”
“It’s one extra person.” He shrugged. “We’ll have enough food to feed the entire neighborhood and you’re not the only one who brought an extra guest. We’re used to hosting a houseful.”
“Well, I appreciate it. I don’t have the stomach to fight with her anymore—we did enough of that before the divorce. And I really don’t want the boys to see it.”
“I understand that. And don’t worry—there are going to be so many people, and so much chaos, you’re barely going to see her. I can tell Tessa to keep her occupied.”
“You’re a lifesaver,” I said, chuckling.
“You’re going to be in charge of wrangling the boys for dinner,” he said. “So we’ll see how you feel then.”
“Totally worth it.”
“You want a beer?”
“Absolutely.” I followed him to the patio and pulled a Swedish beer called Pripps Bla out of the cooler. “You got the good stuff, eh?”
“I do my best.”
I took a pull and looked around, grateful for Toli and not just our working relationship, but our friendship too.
“Hey, Coach.” Zakk Marcus-Cloutier, one of our star defenders, came over and clinked his beer against mine. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Happy Thanksgiving.” I arched a brow. “When did you start drinking Swedish beer?”
“When you introduced me to it.”
I chuckled. “Glad to provide a service.”
“Having a good time with the boys in town?”
“I guess. Less so since the ex comes along too. I wish I could have the boys without her, but we both feel they’re too young to travel alone. It can be done but neither of us are comfortable with it.”
“Hopefully, that’ll change in a year or two.”
“Yeah.”
The doorbell rang and I glanced in that direction.
The house was already full, but people were still coming.
“Happy Thanksgiving!” Toli’s voice carried from the foyer.
“Happy Thanksgiving.” I recognized Camden Locke’s voice. He was our starting goalie and a good guy. I liked him as a person in addition to his skill on the ice, and I was glad he’d come today.
As a coach for the team, I could be friendly with the players on the team, but I couldn’t be close friends with them. There had to be some distance between us because I was in a position of power. I needed them to respect and follow direction, so close friendship was difficult. Toli managed it with some of the guys, like Zakk, whom he’d known for years, but in general, we didn’t socialize with the players beyond a major event like this, where everyone was invited.
It got lonely sometimes, but Cam was the exception to that rule. He was a goalie, so we didn’t have a lot of interaction on the ice since I worked more with the offensive lines. That unofficially allowed us to hang out when we had time, especially on road trips.
I turned in that direction to say hello to him and his fiancée, Sutton.
That was when I saw her.
Autumn.
Sutton’s best friend.
The gorgeous twenty-five-year-old hockey-playing redhead I’d hooked up with a couple of times earlier in the year.
Sixteen years my junior and the sexiest, most exciting woman I’d ever met.
The two nights we’d spent together had been incredible.
We’d talked and texted and gotten to know each other.
Then I’d ghosted her without explanation.
Now she was a few feet away.
Staring at me in surprise.
“Henrik.”
“Hello, Autumn.”
And when she smiled, it all but blinded me.
2
Autumn
One-night stands had never been my thing, but I’d made an exception for Henrik. Tall, blond, and blue-eyed, with broad shoulders and chiseled features, he’d been too gorgeous to resist. Especially in the aftermath of ending my engagement and cancelling a wedding. The moment I’d laid eyes on Henrik in that hotel bar, I’d known I wanted him to touch me. And his touch had been glorious.
Possibly the best sex I’d ever had.
He was also sweet, charming, and funny. I loved his slightly accented voice, the dimple in the middle of his chin, and the way his blue eyes turned dark green when he was turned on. Not to mention his big—.
Nope.
Not going there.
Even if he looked good enough to eat.
Or jump on.
Again.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” I said instead of any of the dozen naughty things I could have said.
“Welcome.” Toli took the casserole I was carrying, and Cam and Sutton followed him into the kitchen, leaving me standing there with Henrik.
“How have you been?” he asked, his eyes zeroing in on mine.
“Good. What about you?”
“The team keeps me busy, so I don’t do much but work during the season.”
“I’m familiar with that concept.”
“What are you doing now? Are you still in Chicago?”
Since he’d stopped calling and texting, I figured he hadn’t given me a second thought.
“Yup. I’m working as a substitute teacher at the local high school and helping out with their hockey team.”
He cocked his head. “Didn’t you go to school to be something else? Kinesiology, right?”
He’d lost my number but remembered what I’d majored in?
Interesting.
“Yes, but substitute teaching is an easy way to pay the bills until I find something else. I haven’t been able to find a job as an athletic trainer or a strength and conditioning coach. They want a man and I’m…” I motioned up and down my body. “Too female.”
He didn’t say anything, his eyes roaming the length of my body with laser focus. “You are most certainly female. To be fair, I’d hire you if it was up to me.”
I had a feeling he wasn’t talking about as an athletic trainer.
I smiled. “I appreciate that.”
“If you need a letter of recommendation, I’m happy to write one.”
That caught me off-guard. “Really?”
“Of course. In fact, maybe we could get Dani to write one.”
“Oh, I barely know her. I couldn’t ask her to do something like that for me.”
He smiled. “Well, you’re not the one who’d be asking.”
I opened my mouth but couldn’t think of a response, so I closed it again. “Thank you,” I said after a moment. “That would be amazing. US History and British Lit aren’t really my forte.”
“I’ll bet. I think I would—” He was interrupted by a blonde boy of about seven or eight.
“Daddy, Adam is being a pill.”
Henrik turned. “Don’t talk about your brother that way.”
“But that’s what mommy says and anyway, he’s always mean to me.” The little boy folded his arms across his chest. “We don’t want to play with him.”
“Da-ad!” Another indignant voice sounded from the stairwell.
“What’s the matter, Alex?” Toli walked to the bottom of the stairs.
“Let me deal with this.” Henrik said, before glancing at me apologetically. “Excuse me, Autumn.”
I was momentarily annoyed at the interruption, but quickly shook it off. He’d told me about his twin sons, but I hadn’t given it much thought since we’d only been together on two separate occasions before he’d stopped calling.
“He looked happy to see you,” Sutton murmured under her breath.
I laughed. “Sure. He’s just being polite. Stop thinking romantic things.”
“Why? He’s hot and romance is fun.”
“He literally stopped calling for no reason,” I said. “That tells me everything I need to know.”
“You don’t know the reason,” she protested.
“Maybe I sucked in bed,” I said with a shrug.
She snorted. “You do not.”
“How would you know?” I demanded, laughing.
“I’m taking an educated guess.” Her eyes twinkled with amusement.
“Daddy!” Another child’s cry made us turn and I looked up to see Henrik carrying another little blond boy down the stairs. When the child realized his cries for his dad to put him down weren’t working, he just started wailing pitifully into Henrik’s shoulder while Henrik spoke to him in a soft, soothing voice.
I was nowhere near ready for kids, but watching Henrik handle his son so gently might have made my insides shudder with need. I’d always wanted a family, but this certainly wasn’t the time. And Henrik was definitely not the guy.
I couldn’t help but imagine the possibilities, though.
We’d make pretty babies.
Geez, what was wrong with me?
The chemistry between us had been instantaneous and explosive, carrying over into the bedroom, but the way he’d unceremoniously stopped returning my calls told me he hadn’t been nearly as into me as I’d been into him.
“Makes you want to make babies with him, doesn’t it?” Sutton stage whispered.
That was the problem with having a best friend. They could practically read your mind, and in situations like this, it could be annoying.
