Xander_Kings of Denver Read online

  “Alright, Charli. I’ll leave you to it. There are clothes in the drawers in the bedroom and towels are in the linen cupboard. I’ll meet you downstairs at about eleven to introduce you to Layla and get you started on your training.”

  “Ok, thank you so much. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for your generosity,” I tell him, wiping away another stray tear.

  He gives me a tight smile and a small nod of his head. “You’re going to be ok, kid,” he tells me before backing out of the room and pulling the door closed behind him. “Don’t forget to lock the door,” he adds moments before the door closes, leaving me in the safety of a new home.

  I immediately rush over to the door and flick the lock before turning around and taking in the apartment before me. Wow, I can’t believe how amazing Micky has been. A complete stranger has just given me a job, a place to live and is going to help me achieve my goal of becoming a hairdresser. I swear the worst day of my life has just become one of the best.

  I search out the linen cupboard and grab a towel before desperately heading to the bathroom. I strip off my wet clothes and climb straight into the shower, welcoming the hot water that flows over my chilled, damp hair. I’m pleased to find the bathroom is fully stocked with shampoo and conditioner and I get straight to work.

  Exhaustion takes over but I force myself to stay up and dry my hair in fears of becoming sick after being in wet clothes for the past four or five hours. I head into the bedroom to search out some clothes and find some pyjamas, I also come across the underwear draw but I just can bring myself to wear someone else’s knickers.

  I quickly change the sheets on the bed, I do a piss poor job of it but I can fix it in the morning. I rush into the kitchen and search through every cupboard looking for a glass when I come across a washing machine and dryer hidden behind a door. Score!

  I grab my wet clothes from the bathroom and throw them in the wash before finally finding that cup and getting myself a glass of water.

  I lay down in bed moments later and find myself drifting into a deep sleep for the first time in years.

  Chapter 3

  Xander

  The hockey season has finally started and I stand in the locker room waiting patiently as Coach Harris gives his fist pep-talk of the year. Blah, blah, blah. Once you’ve heard one from one coach they all seem to blend together. ‘Go out there and show them who is boss’, ‘Own the ice, make them your bitches’, “Clean the ice with those sorry assholes’. Yep, they are all the same, though I have to give credit to Coach Harris, he seems to put a lot of dedication in his speeches, I mean, his whole face turns red. Quite impressive.

  The team gets out on the ice and I look over to Jaxon who I notice has some sort of intrigued scowl pointed up at the audience. I follow his eye line and notice he is staring at some chick. Hmm, that’s strange, I’ve only known the guy for a little while but so far, I’m yet to see him be affected by some girl, but man, she is smoking hot, same as her friend beside her. Though, I’m pretty sure the friend is Bobby’s twin sister, Brianna.

  I skate past Bobby who looks over at Jaxon with a strange look in his eye. “What’s up with Jax?” I ask.

  Bobby lets out a small laugh. “Fuckers got his balls tangled, that’s what,” he grunts with a knowing smirk.

  “Right,” I murmur, completely confused about who this chick could be.

  “Just be ready,” Bobby warns me. “With Cass here, I have a feeling Jax is going to be on fire.”

  “Got it, man,” I say with a nod as I push on down the ice to continue my warm up. Well, at least it’s going to be an interesting game, maybe a fast one.

  I skate over to the side and squirt some water into my mouth which is when I notice them. Sitting up in the grandstand, acting like a bunch of supportive as fuck parents. Give me a fucking break. I nod my head to acknowledge them and get a beaming proud smile in return from my mother. My father just simply nods back with his ever-present scowl on his face, though that will change the second the game starts. He will be on his feet, probably down in Coach’s ear, hollering at every call the referee makes tonight. It going to be fan-fucking-tastic.

  I ignore them as I get into position and wait for the rest of the boys to fall in line. The whistle is blown and the game is on. Just as Bobby had predicted, Jax is on fire, he steals the puck from the opposition and we follow him down the ice, ready to defend him if need be. The game must only be thirty seconds in when he scores the first goal.

  Awesome, I can’t say I don’t love the game. It’s fast and exciting. Not the same sort of adrenaline that I get from being in the ring but still exciting all the same.

  I’m on fire tonight and I must admit, it probably has something to do with Cole’s training. The dude is a legend and knows exactly what he is doing. I feel faster and stronger and I’ve only been training with him for two weeks. I’ve given him my training requirements for the team so he has also managed to slip all that shit into my training so I’m not wearing myself out.

  His friends are pretty cool too, Caden, Luke, and Jace. I’ve met them a few times and so far, they all seem pretty pumped about me getting into the Underground and even think, with Coles training, I could take it out, which also means a shit load of money and getting out from under my parents hold. Though, each and every one of them has come to me and made sure I fully understand the dangers of it. Which, I certainly do. If I fuck up, I’m screwed. It’s as simple as that.

  After one of the most exciting games of Hockey I’ve ever been a part of, the game comes to a close and just as I had expected, we are declared the winners.

  We line up and shake the opposition’s hands before getting off the ice and heading into the locker room. I have a feeling this season is going to be awesome. It will be hard and exhausting but I have no doubt this team will take out the championship, the only question is if I will be here to do it with them.

  I strip off my hockey gear and head straight for the showers. Five minutes later, I’m dressed and ready.

  The boys start discussing what we’re going to do to celebrate as apparently heading to Micky’s bar after a home game win is some sort of tradition, so I guess that’s what we are doing.

  I grab my shit out of my locker and head out with Shorty and Aaron. My phone comes to life in my pocket as we walk out to my truck and I dig it out of my pocket.

  Mum – Great game, love. Your father and I are heading home.

  Thank fuck, that’s one awkward conversation I can avoid tonight. I slip my phone back into my pocket and we throw our shit in the back of my truck. Shorty climbs in the front seat beside me and raves about my truck as he directs me to Micky’s pub but to be honest, I’m not really listening. This truck isn’t exactly something I take pride in. It’s just one of the million things my parents gave me to buy me off.

  We get to the bar five minutes later and the moment we step through the door, it’s like we’re the local celebrities.

  Shorty looks over to me and gives me a knowing smile as he leads us to a table in the back. “What did I tell you, man? We’re the fucking Kings of Denver,” he declares.

  I can’t help but smirk at his attitude as we join the other guys from the team. Drinks are thrust in our direction and chicks begin throwing themselves at us but to be honest, most the guys are more interested in discussing how good the game was. They don’t need to cater to these girl’s desires, all they need to do is pick one as they leave and she will follow. Sounds bad but it’s just the way it is.

  Some guys from last year, Miller and Tank have shown up with their girlfriends, Dani and Sophie. Miller and Tank were apparently some sort of ‘dream team’ and made it into the NHL but to tell the truth, I haven’t really been following it lately, but so far, they seem like cool guys.

  Jaxon shows up with Bobby and the two chicks from the grandstand and he doesn’t look impressed, while Bobby looks like he is ready to party hard. So, I settle back in my chair and watch the show unfold.

  Over t
he last few weeks, I’ve noticed how the boys seem to be a family, they always have each other’s backs and are constantly encouraging each other to be better. As the newbie to the group, I feel like I haven’t really broken through that wall yet. Don’t get me wrong, the guys are awesome and have been extremely welcoming but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m the black sheep of the group.

  I feel like they can tell something is up with me, that something is holding me back from truly being a part of their family but they have no proof to pull me up on it, after all, I have attended every single training session and am always giving my all to my training.

  Maybe it’s just me because I’m feeling more and more at home at Rebels Advocate rather than in an ice rink. I guess I’ve always enjoyed being in a ring more than I have the ice. Maybe the guys can sense it, that I don’t share that same love for the game that they do. Who knows?

  An hour later, after an extremely revealing game of ‘never have I ever, the whole table is sloshed, especially the girls.

  The girls disappear to the dancefloor and the boys get comfortable. I try to signal to the waiter for another drink but the place is packed. I get up from my spot and start heading for the bar only to realise Shorty and Aaron are right there beside me.

  We line up like the rest of the people and wait patiently until we make it to the front of the queue.

  “Ooh, fresh meat,” Aaron comments as he looks at some chick behind the bar.

  My eyes turn in her direction only to see her back as she fills up some glasses. She has dark straight hair that has been pulled back into a ponytail, a black shirt and tight black jeans that hug her perfect little ass. My eyes are busy roaming up and down her body when she turns around and graces me with the front view and wow, just wow. She must have the hottest little body I have ever seen, I mean, she is smoking hot. Her black tank stretches over her tits that I can already tell are perky and full, just how I like them.

  My eyes travel back up her body and land on her face, only to be blown away by the soft blue eyes that stare back at me. I don’t know if it’s the dark hair that makes her eyes stand out so much but there is definitely something about them that’s pulling me in.

  A shy smile graces her lips as she rips her eyes away from mine and focuses on Shorty. “What can I get you boys?” she asks with a velvety voice.

  “How’s about your name?” Shorty asks with a flirty wink.

  She gives a playful smile and I realise it’s all for show. She would be used to guys hitting on her working at a place like this and I’m sure it works in her favour with getting tips and all. “I’m Charli,” she informs us as a slight blush creeps across her cheeks. “What would you like?”

  Shorty orders us all a round of beers and I can’t help but notice the way those baby blues keep coming back to me. “So, you guys are hockey players?” she asks as she pours our drinks.

  Aaron puts on his panty-dropping grin, “Sure are, did you catch the game?”

  “No,” she laughs then indicates around her just to prove her point. “I’ve sort of been working tonight.”

  I see the embarrassment in Aarons' eyes as he realises his mistake and I can’t help but smirk at his idiocy. “What time do you get off?” Shorty asks, cutting off whatever Aaron was going to say to try and salvage his awful pickup.

  “You boys are trouble,” she grins as she puts the glasses up on the bar for us to take. Once again those blue eyes connect with mine. I hold her eyes captive as I reach into my pocket and pull out a twenty. I hand it over to her and her fingers brush against mine making the blush on her cheeks deepen.

  “Keep the change,” I tell her before she tears her eyes away from mine. We grab our drinks and head back to the table.

  “Dude, that chick was into you,” Shorty comments as we take our seats, looking slightly disappointed. “She was fucking Ace, you should hit that.”

  I look back up at the bar and watch as she busily fills her customers’ orders. One thing's for sure though, Shorty is right, she is ace, she looks as though she doesn’t have a worry in the world like all her troubles have disappeared and there’s something extremely intriguing about that. A girl like that doesn’t need me to dump my troubles on her.

  Shorty continues at my silence. “If you’re not going to hit it, I will,” he promises.

  My head instantly snaps in his direction as I adopt this strange protectiveness over the girl. “Leave her alone,” I demand with a sharp glare.

  Shorty’s eyes widen as if seeing the real me for the first time, the guy who gets off on a good fight. He holds up both hands in surrender. “Chill man, I’ll back off. She is all yours.”

  The way he talks about her as if she is some sort of object grates on my nerves. A woman like Charli shouldn’t be talked about like that. I don’t know, from the shy blush in her cheeks and those big blue eyes, something screams innocence about her and I’ll be damned if I allow any of these fuckers take that away.

  What the hell is wrong with me? I only just met the check, hell, I didn’t even give her my name, yet here I am defending her honour. Fuck, I must have taken one hit too many from Cole this morning.

  Which reminds me, I have an early session with him in the morning. I look down at my watch and realise it’s past midnight. I really should get out of here. I stand up from the table and grab my glass and skull what’s left. “Ah, I have to get going,” I announce to the guys.

  They all give quick nods as Jaxon speaks up. “Alright man, see you later,” he says with a million questions behind his eyes.

  I don’t dwell on it, just simply turn and make my way to the door.

  My eyes flash back to Charli as I bypass the bar only to find those eyes already on me. She gives me a smile and I can’t help but return it. I nod my head in her direction and am graced with the sexy-as-fuck blush again which only makes my smile turn into a grin. She tears her eyes away and focuses back on the customer before her.

  Knowing I have some sort of effect on her, that she is attracted to me does crazy things to me but also drives me insane knowing I should stay away. My life is fucked up at the moment and the last thing I want is to burden this chick with it.

  Something tells me she isn’t the one-night kind of girl, no matter how bad I want to get between the sheets with her. I should just stay away. She’s probably just intrigued by my bad-boy demeanor, maybe she can sense the recklessness within me, the desire to seek out danger but when it comes down to it, she’s probably after a good boy with values who is going to drool at her feet and one thing is for sure.

  That ain’t me.

  Chapter 4

  Charli

  It’s been three weeks that I’ve been here at Micky’s and to say I am on cloud nine is an understatement. For the first time in a long time, I feel that I have control of my own life, that no one in this world will ever have a hold over me again.

  I feel free and the feeling is amazing, exquisite… intoxicating.

  Micky even helped me to secure a traineeship at a local hairdressing salon which starts next week. Apparently, the owner of the salon is an old friend of his and owes him a favour, so she reluctantly but happily took me on. I don’t even care that I didn’t’ do it for myself, I’m just thrilled it’s happening at all.

  It will be a massive change though and I’ll probably be exhausted for a while before I get used to it. I’ll be working in the salon five days a week from 9-5 and then coming home to start my shift at Micky’s at 6. Micky insists that I shouldn’t be working that much but I just don’t care, I owe him everything and I’ll work for him until my fingers bleed.

  The only downfall I am finding is that I haven’t made any friends yet but I’m sure that will come, after all, I’ve spent every day working, so that really hasn’t left me a chance to meet anyone but, to be honest, I’m content with how things are, I’m not really sure I need friends right now.

  Layla, Micky’s daughter came in for the first week to show me the ropes. I thought a
t first, we would be good friends but she is a bit older and a bit too classy for me. She is studying to be a criminal lawyer and is super proper. I mean, she is incredibly nice and all, even brought me a bag of her old clothes that I could borrow but I need friends who are super chilled and drama free, and a girl like Layla screams drama.

  Layla occasionally works at the bar, like on the nights there is a hockey game, she usually comes in. I thought this place was busy and packed when I first started. There’s always a constant flow of customers and I had finally gotten the hang of everything when the hockey season began and this place was standing-room-only. It was ridiculous. I’d never been so busy in my life but to tell the truth, I absolutely loved it. Not to mention, the eye-candy in the room was outstanding and the tips came rolling in.

  The Dragons had won so the drinks were flowing, the fans were in an amazing mood and then the hockey team actually came in. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I’d heard that they like to come in but I hadn’t expected the whole damn team.

  The place simply adored them, like they were their idols.

  Girls went bat-shit-crazy throwing themselves at the boys while every man in the place basically lined up to congratulate them and shake their hands. It’s ridiculous how adored they are, I mean, it’s just hockey… right?

  I don’t really get it, to tell the truth, I’ve never really been a sports fan but the second those boys walked in, it was like sex-on-fire. Those players are simply beautiful. Hmmm, maybe beautiful isn’t the right words, they are sexy-as-fuck, scorching hot, the things dreams are made out of. The kind of guys who are complete playboys and who would break your heart with a click of their fingers. I swear each and every one of them had these bodies that only men dream of having and women dream of being under. It was like muscle porn.

  A freaking wet dream waiting to happen.

  And then, he showed up.

  I noticed him the moment he walked through the door. It was like he had some magnetic field around him and my eyes instantly swivelled in his direction. Though, he is probably the biggest player of them all. Dark hair and dark, smouldering eyes, wearing a black leather jacket that hugged his sculptured body just right, screamed bad boy and made my mouth water. Hmmmmm, just the way I like it.