Laces and Lace (Assassins #6) (44 page)

Cupping his face in her hands, she brought her lips a breath from his and whispered, “Forever.”

“Damn right,” he said roughly against her lips. “Forever and always.”

“I feel weird.”

Karson looked over his shoulder and laughed. “But you look so damn hot.”

Lacey made a face as she looked down at the fitted purple and black Assassins jersey that was adorned with a number sixteen and Mrs. King across the back. She was too cute for words, and pride burned in his chest knowing that she was wearing his number and name.

Even if she wasn’t an Assassins fan.

Yet.

“I feel bizarre. This is not my team.”

“The hell you say, woman,” JT said with his hand on the door. They had been about to walk out and head to the arena before Lacey came out in her jersey. “You bleed purple and black now.”

She set him with a look that had all of them laughing. It was funny how in a two short days, JT and Lacey were getting along like old friends. It surprised Karson how quickly JT warmed up to her, but he was thankful for it. He didn’t want his best friend hating his wife. That was awkward.

“It’s so odd,” she said, crossing her arms.

Closing the distance between them, Karson asked, “But doesn’t it feel good to know that you are supporting your man?”

She smiled as she nodded. “Yeah, I guess I should embrace my new team.”

“Yes, you should, and you’ll look hot doing it,” he said with a wink as his arms came around her. “Now, the car service will be here at six. When you get to the arena, find your seats and enjoy the game.”

“Be ready by six in this jersey,” she said with a grin. “And watch my boo thang kick some butt! Who are you guys playing, by the way?”

“The Kings.”

“How fitting, my first game as a King and you’re playing the kings,” she said with a grin that hit him right in the chest.

“Gag. Let’s go, King,” JT groaned from behind them.

Smirking down at her, he said, “I gotta go. The man-child is restless.”

She giggled as JT growled, “Fuck off.”

Meeting Lacey’s gaze again, he said, “See you at the game.”

“I’ll be the Blackhawks fan in the Assassins jersey,” she teased with a wink and he laughed.

“You’ll be an Assassins fan by the end of the night, I just know it,” he said with full confidence. Everyone who came into the Assassins’ arena always had a good time, and Karson had no doubt that his girl would leave a fan. She just needed to be immersed in the society of it all.

“We will see,” she said with a shrug. “Good luck, I love you.”

“For the love of God, let’s gooooo,” JT whined and Lacey giggled against Karson’s lips.

“I am going to kill him, but I love you too, baby. See ya later.”

And as he left his Blackhawks-loving wife, he knew by the time the final buzzer sounded she’d not only be an Assassins fan but a proud one. Forgetting all about those Hawks.

Once they got to the arena, Karson found himself a tad bit nervous and he really didn’t know why. This wasn’t the first time that Lacey would see him play. She was there when he played in Chicago, but something had his stomach in knots. He wasn’t sure if it was that or if it was that he had just written a check for their new home. He had acted like it wasn’t a big deal to drop two million on a home, but it was by far his biggest purchase. Though, he knew it was worth it.

This was their brand-new start.

So he chalked his nerves up to the game, the upcoming move, and then the fact that as soon as they were settled, his mom would come and grace them with her presence. Despite the fact they’d just recently seen her, his mom was hard-nosed about calling every single day not only to talk to him but to Lacey too. While it was sweet, he was starting to think it was a bit much. She was suffocating them both, but Lacey didn’t feel that way. She loved Regina King and couldn’t wait until she came to visit.

He guessed it was good that his wife loved his mom. It wasn’t a normal event for that to happen, but still. It was weird. He was starting to think they had a better relationship than he did with his own mother, and that left him feeling jealous. Who got jealous of his wife and mother’s relationship? That was ridiculous! But Karson found himself feeling that way.

Leaning back in his locker, he closed his eyes as his music brought him to another level, leaving thoughts of his mother and even Lacey behind. He had to focus; he had a game to win. He had to prove that he deserved his spot on the second line, that he could even take the first line. Jakob Titov had slowed down since his latest injury, and while it sucked to hope for his teammate’s position, he had to think of his career. His contract was coming up for renewal, and he was hoping to give Elli Adler a reason to pay him the big bucks that she paid her top line.

He had a family to provide for.

As Muse’s electric sound pulsated in Karson’s ears, he mentally prepared himself while he waited for it to be time to get dressed. When his phone dinged with a text message, he almost ignored it, but not only was it from Lacey, it was a picture message. Clicking on the text, his eyes about fell out of his head. His beautiful wife was standing in only the jersey, no pants, and just a little peek of her purple lace undies.

The caption read:
I think I look better like this. What do you think?

He scoffed as he typed back quickly.

Karson: I think it’s going to be mighty hard to play with a boner if you show up like that.

Lacey: lol, wouldn’t dare. I know how jealous you can get.

He smiled.

Karson: That’s fucking right.

When another picture came of her with her legs open, the jersey draped along the inside of her thighs, his tongue fell out of his mouth.

Karson: Fucking hell, Lace. Are you trying to kill me?

Lacey: Just giving you something to keep you nice and warm until I see you.

Karson: I’m going to be burning until I’m deep inside you.

Lacey: mmm. can’t wait. Now stop ogling me and get ready to kick ass.

Karson: I have to go whack off first.

Lacey: smh…men.

Laughing, he turned the music back on and then closed his eyes. He was just teasing her, but the images of her in next to nothing weren’t going away. So when he found himself in the bathroom, his cock in one hand and his phone in the other, he wasn’t that surprised.

The girl drove him mad.

Two hours later when Karson hit the ice, his eyes immediately searched for her, and what he saw pleased him. Standing in a pair of jeans, thankfully, boots up to her knees, and his jersey, Lacey looked like a fan. She even had his name and number written on her face like she used to when they were in college. In one hand was a beer, and in the other was a foam sword, identical to the one that the Assassins’ mascot, the Assassin, carried.

Beaming at him, she waved with a bright grin on her face as his heart tightened in his chest. She was there to cheer him on, and that alone had all the nerves evaporating. With his girl in the stands, he could do anything. He had felt that way back in college and felt it even more now that she was his wife. Feeling on top of the world, Karson sat down on the bench as the game started.

Erik won the puck, sending it back to Shea, and the game was on. But like always, the Kings came out to win, meaning this was going to be an awesome game. Looking across the ice, he found Lacey watching the game intently, cheering when the Assassins did something good and that pleased him. She was trying, no matter how weird it was. When the tap on his shoulder came, Karson jumped over the boards just in time to get the puck. Sending it up to Anderson, he went to the line, just in case the puck came back, and it did. Sailing it across the ice to Thomas, he watched as JT shot it, hoping for a rebound, but it sailed to a Kings’ player instead. Going on defense, Karson started skating backward and then a player dug in, trying to get by him.

He wasn’t getting by Karson though. Not with Lacey in the building.

Poke checking the player, Karson caught the puck and then rushed back down the ice. He had JT behind him and knew that he also had Brooks and Franklin to his left. Crossing the line into the Kings’ zone, Karson faked a shot, knowing that JT was behind him. Like he knew he would, Thomas sent it over to Franklin, where he sailed it past the goalie’s shoulder with ease.

It was a beauty of a play.

As his teammates wrapped him up in a hug, congratulating each other, the crowd went wild. Karson looked up to find his wife screaming her head off as she jumped up and down, and his grin grew even more.

Seeing her like that felt fucking amazing.

But knowing that later he would be tangled in the sheets with her felt even more miraculous.

Life couldn’t get any better.

L
acey chewed on her lip as she stared at the calendar on the fridge in her new home.

In four days, Karson was leaving for two weeks.

For the first time since they were married.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She knew it was his job; she knew he had to go, but for the last month, they had been inseparable. They did everything together with only the company of JT. Went to the movies, dinners, shopped for the new house, and hung out, enjoying each other. She even went to watch him practice and then to all his games. Wherever Karson was, there was Lacey, and she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Besides being completely engrossed in each other, they’d also moved into their new house. It was easy to say she loved it. Every single detail of the house was spectacular to her and everything she’d dreamed of. She loved it when they looked at it, but seeing all their furniture in place, along with bringing in new stuff, was actually making it a home. She loved the raised ceilings, the beautiful hardwood, and the kitchen was to die for. Karson had wanted to hire a decorator, but Lacey had it under control. She made their home everything they ever wanted. It screamed Lacey and Karson. Before, she had never seen herself living in Nashville in a country-chic inspired home, but she was doing it.

And she couldn’t be happier.

Well, that was until she saw that her husband was going to be leaving her.

She knew it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. She was leaving a week after he was for Chicago for a weekend, and surely she would be fine until then. She had lived by herself before. Plus, she had work she could do. Stuff to clean. And things… Who was she kidding? She was going to be lost without him. She had no friends, didn’t know what she could do while he was gone, and really, she was scared. She was usually good by herself, liked it actually, but now that she was spoiled by his love, she didn’t want to be apart from him. She was being selfish and she knew that, but it didn’t stop the worry that settled in her chest.