Las Vegas Sidewinders: Karl (Book 3) (29 page)

Karl grinned. “She’s
amazing.” He got out his phone and pulled up his favorite picture of the two of
them; the night of Louise’s engagement party. Kate was in that gorgeous red
dress, before she’d lost weight, and he still wished she would gain a little
more back.

“She’s beautiful,” Ken
nodded and turned to Karl in confusion. “I don’t think she’s fat?”

Karl laughed. “I don’t
either, but she’s battled that perception all her life. I think we’ve gotten
past that, though.”

“Are you going to have
children?”

“Probably not soon,”
Karl said slowly. “She’s not thrilled with the idea of being pregnant—I think
it’s still all about the weight—but maybe in a year or two.”

“I’d like to meet her.”

“Maybe you can come to
Las Vegas.” Karl almost felt guilty saying the words, but it was so good to
talk to the man he’d idolized all his life.

“I’d like that.” Ken
paused. “Your half-siblings are all over the place, but I’m going to tell them
about you.”

“Tell me about
them
,”
Karl said after a moment.

“Kenny and Kari are twins,
they’re 29. Kenny played in the AHL for a while, but couldn’t quite cut it, so
he went back to school and is a physical therapist now. Kari was my great
hockey player,” Ken said sadly. “She played in Canada for a while, but you know
how it is for women. She got tired of being poor and not getting the same
respect men get, so she coaches a girls’ hockey team at a prep school here in
Connecticut. She got married last year and they just found out they’re having a
baby, so I don’t know how much longer she’ll be doing that. Kimberly is 31,
married to a rich Wall Street guy. She does a lot of lunching and shopping. No
kids yet. My oldest, Kelly, is an accountant in L.A. She’s 33, not married, but
does really well. You two look a lot alike. She’s almost six feet tall, with
blond hair and blue eyes—you could almost be twins. I had to do a double take
when you walked in.”

“I’d like to meet
them,” Karl said. “But they may not be receptive to me when they find out you
cheated on their mother.”

Ken shrugged. “Kim might
balk a little—she’s kind of a snob. But the others will be cool. Maybe before
summer is over. Mary passed away a few years ago, so there wouldn’t be any
issues of loyalty at this point.”

“Let me know.” Karl
took out his phone. “We should exchange numbers.”

They did, and then they
sat for a moment, just looking at each other. “I’ll need a week or two to talk
to the kids,” Ken said. “So I’d appreciate you not making this public until
I’ve had a chance but—”

“I’m not interested in
a public announcement,” Karl waved a hand. “I wanted to talk to you, find out
who you were and why you didn’t care about the child you made. But I don’t want
anything—not even recognition. I have two parents, and my mom has no idea I’m
here, so I’m going to have to break this to her as well.”

“Tell her I’m sorry,”
Ken said softly. “And if she needs anything at all, I’m here. I owe her that
much.” They were quiet again for a little bit.

“It was good to meet
you,” Karl said, breaking the silence as he stood up.

“Maybe I can get out to
Vegas in the next couple of weeks and meet your lovely wife.”

“I’d like that.” Karl
shook his hand and was surprised when Ken pulled him into a quick hug.

“You’ve grown up into a
man I’m proud of,” he said. “Your parents did a good job.”

Karl smiled. “Yeah,
they did.”

He called Kate on the
way back to his hotel and told her everything. Then he called his mother. That
wasn’t the easiest conversation, but she needed to know and now it was done. He
planned to meet Kate in Philadelphia in the morning so he could see Emilie
before he and Kate headed home to Las Vegas.
Home
. It seemed so far away
all of a sudden. It had been a long, stressful summer and he hadn’t even taken
his bride on a honeymoon. He was going to fix that right away.

He called his travel agent
and booked a trip to Tahiti for them at a resort he’d heard friends talk about.
It was expensive, private and gorgeous. For ten days, he would finally get to
show Kate how much he loved her and how much of a priority she was. Although it
wasn’t about money and expensive vacations, she deserved an epic honeymoon
since they hadn’t had a wedding of any kind. His mother wanted him to come to
Sweden and have a big party to celebrate, but he didn’t feel good about going
home for that. If there was going to be a party, some sort of belated wedding
reception, they would do it in Las Vegas with the people he cared about and
trusted. Sweden no longer held any allure for him; the U.S. was his home now
and probably forever. He might play hockey somewhere else, but this was where
he would live.

He sent Kate the
confirmed travel reservations, with links to the resort, and 30 seconds later
his phone rang.

“Are we really going
there
next week
?!” she demanded with excitement.

“Unless there’s
somewhere you’d rather go instead,” he said lightly.

“Karl!” She let out a
squeal that nearly broke his eardrums, but he just laughed.

“Does this make you
happy, baby?” he asked softly.

“I’m happy without
fancy trips,” she said. “But this is my
honeymoon
, so hell yeah, I’m
happy!”

“I’m sorry our life
together started out so rocky,” he said, leaning back against the wall of his
hotel room. “But I’m going to spend the rest of my life making that up to you.”

“Most of what happened
wasn’t your fault,” she said. “I don’t blame you for any of that. Now we can
concentrate on the future.
After
our honeymoon!”

“Go buy a bikini,” he
whispered. “
’Cause
that’s all you’re going to need.”

“And handcuffs,” she
teased.

“We don’t
need
those, but you can bring them.”

“I love you, Karl.”

“I love you, too, baby.
I’ll be back in Philly by lunch tomorrow and we’ll head home the next day. Then
we’re going on our honeymoon.”

“I’ll see you
tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,
babe.” He hung up with a smile.

Sitting on the bed in
Philadelphia, Kate smiled too.

I hope you enjoyed Karl
and Kate’s story! Book 4 in the Las Vegas Sidewinders series is going to be
“Anatoli”, coming in August, 2016! Please visit my web site or Facebook page
for sneak peeks, contests and updates! Enjoy a teaser from
Toli
and Tessa’s story on the next page…

www.facebook.com/authorkatmizera

www.katmizera.com

Las
Vegas Sidewinders: Anatoli (Book 4)

Chapter
1

Las
Vegas

October

Asshole
. Tessa Barber pictured
her husband’s face as she ordered a shot of Jack Daniels and tossed it back. It
burned all the way down, making her eyes water and her mouth tingle, but she
gritted her teeth and powered through it. She put the shot glass down on the
bar and looked up at the bartender.

“Another,” she said.

The bartender raised an
eyebrow, but did as she requested. This time, however, she put the glass
between her thumb and forefinger and twirled it back and forth thoughtfully. It
had been a very long couple of weeks.

Her decision to come
visit her two best girlfriends in Las Vegas had been impulsive. One minute she
was folding laundry, lamenting the turn her life had taken, and the next she
was on the phone with her mother, trying to make sure she had coverage for her
21-month-old daughter, Raina. Three hours later she was on a flight to Las
Vegas.

She hadn’t told anyone
she was coming, and realized too late that neither of her friends would be
home. This was opening night for the Las Vegas Sidewinders, the NHL team both
their husbands played for, so they were at the arena. She could have called or
texted and met them there, but the truth was that she wasn’t ready to sit with
their close-knit group of friends and listen to how wonderful their lives were.
She loved her girlfriends, and wanted to see them, but tonight she needed a
little time to herself.

Fucking prick
. Picking up the second
shot, she poured it down her throat and realized that it didn’t burn as much
this time. That might be a good thing. It had been a long time since she’d
gotten drunk; probably too long.

She ordered another
shot and then looked around the bar. It was a fairly busy place, with a mixed
crowd, including twenty-somethings, married couples and middle-aged men ogling
the twenty-somethings. A handful of young women stood around a high-top table
flirting outrageously with everyone in sight. A young couple was slow dancing
in the middle of the room, despite there not being a dance floor, and a group
of men were watching a football game on one of the big TV’s.

The bartender leaned
over the bar with a smile. “The gentleman at the other end of the bar wants to
buy your next shot—you ready?”

Tessa glanced down and
gave a brief nod to the young man smiling at her from the other end of the bar.
She raised the shot in his direction before tossing it back. It stung again,
and she winced, afraid her stomach might revolt. She’d never been a big fan of
whisky, but tonight it seemed almost necessary. Her entire life had been turned
upside down and she wanted to let go of everything that had happened for just
one night. Was that too much to ask?

She took her time
drinking a glass of ice water before making her way to the ladies’ room. After
taking care of business, she washed her hands and stared in the mirror. She
looked good for 30. She still wore the same size she’d worn in college, and her
face really hadn’t aged, except for the dark circles that had recently appeared
under her eyes. Of course, if she could just sleep through the night, those
might actually go away.

Her curly blond hair
fell below her shoulders, soft and silky, and her make-up accented big blue
eyes with long lashes. Eyes that had been tear-filled for two weeks, she
thought, making a face in the mirror. She pulled out her lipstick and reapplied
it, carefully outlining her lips in pink. They were full and round, with her
lower lip slightly bigger than the top. Once upon a time, guys had told her
those lips were incredibly sexy. Lately, not so much.

You’re too pretty, her
husband had told her. There’s so much pressure to be with you.

What did that even
mean? Just thinking about it made her furious all over again, and she’d been
pretty furious the last couple of weeks. With a scowl, she turned and headed
back to her seat at the bar. It was getting late now, and starting to get
really busy. Her friends, Erin Riser and Kate
Martensson
,
were probably home by now, but she wasn’t ready to face them. They’d been
friends since college, and Tessa and Erin had gotten married almost immediately
after they graduated. Erin had gotten married for the second time just nine
months ago, and was having her first baby any day now. Kate had just gotten
married in July, and the two couples lived together in the condo their husbands
had shared before they married. Somehow, the idea of moving before the baby
came was too much for Erin, so they decided to wait. It was sweet, but it made
Tessa feel even further away than she already was.

Sighing, she mindlessly
ordered another shot as her thoughts raced back and forth. She’d gone home to
Chicago after college, while Kate moved to Manhattan and Erin joined the
military. After an ugly divorce Erin met her current husband Drake, and Kate
promptly fell in love with his roommate, Karl. Suddenly they were both married
and not just living in the same city, but in the same condo. Tessa had been
happy for them until her own life had gone to hell in a hand basket three weeks
ago. She’d been so overwhelmed she hadn’t even been able to bring herself to
tell them what had happened.

“So, what’s your name?”
The guy from the other end of the bar sidled up to her, leaning so close she
could smell the peppermint from the gum he’d put in his mouth.

“I’m Tess,” she said
softly, wondering why he made her uncomfortable. He was cute, but something
about him put her off.

“I’m Pete,” he said
grinning. “Do you live here or just here on vacation?”

“I’m here visiting
friends.” She glanced around, wishing he would go away. Her eyes settled on a
tall blond guy who’d just walked up to the bar and ordered a drink. He was cute
in a casual way. Not the best looking guy in the bar, but he was tall and had a
great body and muscular arms. His butt wasn’t bad either, she thought, watching
him take his beer to a table with a couple of other guys.

“How long are you in
town for?” Pete was not deterred by her reluctance to look at him.

“A few days,” she
murmured.
Another asshole.

“We should hang out!”
he said happily, continuing to chatter.

Tessa nearly groaned.
She was a little tipsy and his voice grated on her nerves. She instinctively
sought out the blond man and let out a little sigh of delight when he laughed
at something his friend said; he was adorable when he smiled despite crooked
teeth. When he leaned on his elbows on the table, she saw the ripples of the
muscles in his forearms and nearly sighed out loud. Imagining those arms
wrapped around her, she closed her eyes for a moment, lost in the fantasy.

“Hey, are you okay?”
Pete was asking her as he snapped his fingers in front of her face.

“I’m sorry.” She tried
to smile through her annoyance. “It’s been a long day and I’m tired.” The truth
was that she was thinking about sex, but she’d never picked up a guy in a bar
before. The blond guy with the nice ass was not her usual type, but something
drew him to her and she couldn’t look away. His short hair was spiked on top
and his whole face lit up when he laughed. A smooth, angular jaw made him ooze
masculinity, something that made her insides jiggle a little.

“You want to get a
booth?” Pete was still talking.

“No thanks. I’m going
home soon.” She looked at the bartender and motioned for another drink.

“You want to share a
cab?” Pete was asking.

“I’m having one more
and going to meet my friends,” she said. “But thanks anyway.” She glanced back
at the blond, noting that he looked at her and then away again.

“Are you blowing me
off?!” Pete demanded.

“I’m sorry, I really
wasn’t looking for company.” She couldn’t help but look at the blond guy again
and suddenly he turned, meeting her gaze. She blinked, silently willing him to
join her as she took in the intense look he pinned on her.

“Seriously?!” Pete was
obviously annoyed, and now Tessa frowned at him in irritation.

“I said I was sorry,”
she said quietly.

“Bitch!” He grabbed the
shot the bartender had just poured for her and dumped it out all over the bar
before turning and stalking away.

Tessa closed her eyes,
shaking her head in frustration.

“That was rude.” A deep
voice spoke beside her and Tessa’s eyes flew open, startled to see the blond
man looking down at her with clear blue eyes. “Can I buy you another?”

“I, uh, sure.” She
swallowed, liking the lilt of his voice and the trace of an accent she couldn’t
quite place. “Thank you.”

The man motioned to the
bartender and then leaned against the bar, looking her over her slowly. When
their eyes met again something sparked between them that made her swallow hard.
God, he was better looking up close. Despite somewhat crooked teeth, he had
nice lips and chiseled features. His nose had a slight bump if you looked at
his profile, but his chin was firm and his cheekbones high and distinctive.
More than that, though, was his incredible body. With a flat stomach, great ass
and muscular arms, she had to stop herself from staring. She knew the alcohol
was probably making her less inhibited than usual, but the urge to kiss him was
almost overwhelming.

“What are you thinking
with such a serious face?” he asked softly.

“That it’s been a while
since someone’s kissed me and I wish you would,” she said, the words slipping
out before she could stop them.

He stared into her eyes
for a long moment before leaning forward and gently brushing his lips across
hers. Tessa felt heat shoot down from her lips to the tips of her toes; damn,
that was the sexiest kiss she’d had in years, and he’d barely touched her.

“Wow.” She blinked.
“That was nice.”

“I liked it too.” His
smile made her heart beat a little faster.

Suddenly
self-conscious, she reached for the shot in front of her and swallowed it
quickly, before she lost her nerve. She was going to regret these shots
tomorrow, but right now she didn’t care. Meeting men had never been a problem
for her, yet once they started talking to her she tended to lose interest
quickly.

“How many of those have
you had?” he asked after a moment, watching her intently.

“Too many,” she
admitted. “It’s been a shitty few weeks, so I am allowing myself one night to
get drunk and be an idiot. Then I’ll go back to being a grown-up.”

“So you’re not grown up
tonight?” he asked, lighting running two fingers along her forearm. His touch
made her shiver.

“Tonight I’m pretending
I’m back in college, before I had responsibilities or commitments or…
anything.” She watched his fingers move along her arm, her brain slowly getting
fuzzier as the Jack Daniels made its way through her system. Her natural
tendency to be cautious nagged at her, but she firmly pushed the vigilant side
of her away. For one night, she didn’t want to be careful; she wanted this
gloriously sexy man to keep touching her.

“I think we all have
those days,” he said. “But Las Vegas isn’t the kind of city you can completely
lose control in. There are a lot of people who would take advantage of such a
situation, bad people.”

“Are you one of them?”
she asked, looking up into his face. “Are you going to take advantage of me?”

He seemed surprised by
her question but he smiled. “I wouldn’t mind taking advantage of you, but I’m
not a bad person.”

“I guess that idiot who
poured out my drink is probably someone who would take advantage of me in a bad
way.”

 “Most likely.” He
nodded.

His gaze was unnerving
and she tried not to stare; what the hell was wrong with her tonight? Was she
really that drunk or was it that this particular guy had her stomach in knots?

“I’m glad I met you
then.” She smiled, leaning forward to rest her hands on his strong chest. “I’ve
always been the mature one, the designated driver, the one who makes sure
everyone else is okay—but I’m not doing that tonight. Tonight I don’t want to
be any of those things.”

“What, exactly, does
that mean?” he asked, his hands closing over hers.

“I don’t know,” she
admitted. “You want to hang around to find out?”

He chuckled. “Sure.” He
waved off his friends who were grinning at him, and turned back to her. “So,
are you visiting Las Vegas?”

“Yes. I live in
Chicago, but I have friends here and I’ll see them tomorrow.”

“And tonight?”

“I’m hoping you’ll kiss
me again at some point.” She looked into his face expectantly.

He smiled faintly,
leaning over so that his lips found hers, parting them just enough to make a
tiny moan of delight escape her. “Like that?”

“Yes.” She wasn’t sure
what was wrong with her, but right now, with this guy, she barely remembered
what she’d been so upset about or all the craziness in her life. All she could
think about was listening to his slightly accented voice, watching his handsome
face and feeling the heat of his body inches from hers.