Gloves Off: a marriage of convenience hockey romance (Vancouver Storm Book 4)

The tattoo is beautiful.

The flowers span Alexei’s broad chest, the soft, lovely roses such a shocking contrast to the hard and brutal lines of his face and body.

His eyes never leave my face. God, my heart breaks all over again at the bruise around his eye. He looks like hell. My nerves are still fried from the breakneck speed at which the ambulance drove here from the arena.

The Teasing Georgia. My heart skips every other beat. If I were wearing that watch of Alexei’s, the battery would be on fire right now, it would be going off so hard.

“Tell me you didn’t get a tattoo for me, Volkov.”

“I got a tattoo for you.” The corner of his mouth slants. “Before I tell you what the flowers mean, though, I want to give you something.”

His gaze cuts to his bag on the other side of the hospital room. One of the trainers had brought it after the game.

“I think now is a good time to give you the rest of your Christmas present.”

My breath catches at the look in his eyes, part nerves and part warm, glowing affection. He directs me to his bag, to the side pocket. My hands close around a small velvet box, and I freeze.

I turn, holding it. “This?”

“Mhm. Come here.”

My heart begins to hammer for the second time tonight as I take a seat beside him on the hospital bed.

“You had this with you?”

“I’ve been carrying it with me everywhere since early December, waiting for the right moment.” He gives me a rueful smile. “And I didn’t want you to find it before the time was right, or you’d freak out. Open it, Georgia.”

With butterflies in my stomach, I open the box.

A pear-shaped diamond the color of caramel and whiskey sits on a thin gold band. White diamonds stud the band, subtle but sparkling.

It’s breathtaking. I’ve never seen something so beautiful.

“It’s a cognac diamond,” he explains in a low voice, gaze never leaving my face. “I found it in a vintage ring and had it reset in a more modern setting.”

It’s so pretty, so perfect and unique and special.

A long beat of silence. He stares at me and I stare at the ring. “Do you like it?”

I laugh in disbelief. “Alexei, I love it. It’s easily the most beautiful thing I’ll ever wear. Thank you doesn’t seem like enough.”

His mouth quirks, eyes warm and affectionate. “Say yes, then. Marry me for real. Be my wife forever. I love you. I love you so fucking much. I don’t want this to end. There’s no way I’m letting you go. Being married to you is everything I never realized I wanted.”

He takes a deep breath, broad chest and tattoo rising and falling, and his throat works.

“I love being your husband. I said I’d never fall in love with you and that this marriage wasn’t real and that I wouldn’t miss you when it’s over but . . .” He shakes his head. “I was so wrong, sweetheart. So fucking wrong about all of it.”

He takes a deep breath, his gaze full of resolve and determination. There’s my competitive hockey player, so determined and hardheaded.

“I’ll never ask you to give anything up for me. I’ll never get in the way of your career. If we want to have kids, I’ll do whatever it takes so your career isn’t affected. I’m in, Georgia. I’m all in. And I’ll never stop taking care of you.”

For a long moment, I’m speechless, staring at him, unsure if I heard right or if this is all the best dream I’m about to wake up from.

“Ask me what the flowers mean, Hellfire,” he says softly, running his thumb over the back of my hand.

My heart’s pounding now. “What do they mean?”

His eyes glint. “Come here.”

I bring my mouth to his, and his hand lifts to thread into my hair with gentle pressure.

“Does that hurt?” I whisper.

“Yes.” An inch from my mouth, his pulls into a smile. “But I want to kiss you. The Teasing Georgia, also known as the golden rose, means friendship.” He presses a soft kiss to my lips, and my eyes flutter closed. “Joy.” Another kiss. “Loyalty.” His lips linger there for a moment, his breath tickling my skin. “Eternity.”

“Eternity,” I whisper back, eyes still closed but stinging with more tears as I’m seized with euphoria.

“Mhm.” A beat of silence. “Georgia,” he murmurs.

A tear rolls down my face, and he swipes it away, watching me with so much concern and affection, my heart breaks.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

My throat works. “Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s amazing,” I laugh, another tear rolling down my face. “Eternity, though?”

“Eternity.”

“That’s a long time.”

His mouth twitches. “I know.”

“You want me forever, don’t you, you sick fuck?”

He lets out a sharp laugh before he winces.

“Don’t do that.” I hold his eyes. “I love you, too.”

His fingers come to beneath my chin and, so gently, he tilts my face up and kisses me. I feel it all the way to my toes. Our kiss is soft, sweet, and easy. Effortless.

“Be a good wife and say you’ll marry me.”

I laugh, lean down, and kiss him. “Okay.”

“Yes?” He pulls back to look into my eyes. “You’re saying yes?”

“Yes,” I whisper, smiling, searching his gaze. “Are we ridiculous?” We’ve only technically been together three months.

“I don’t care.”

“Me neither.”

He reaches for my hand and begins to pull the band off, the ugly, plain one he gave me months ago, but I snatch my hand back.

“Don’t.” I send him an accusing look. “I like it.”

“You called it a cheap little piece of shit.”

“It is. But I like it. It’s mine.” I give him my hand again, and he rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling, too, as he slips the new ring on in front of the old one.

Alexei makes a face. “They don’t match.”

My grin broadens as I study my hand. The new ring is shockingly beautiful. I’m going to be gazing at this thing nonstop.

“At least let me get the old ring coated to match the new one,” Alexei says.noveldrama

“Okay.” I smile at him. “I’ll give you that. But only because I love you.”