Review
“Bishop is a fun, sexy, and totally entertaining read. . . . I loved getting to meet all the other guys of this series. I am truly looking forward to each of their stories.”—Book Bitches Blog (five stars)
“This is a feel good, fun story with great writing and dialogue. The characters are easy to connect with and there are lots of entertaining secondary characters. I can’t wait to read more books in this series.”—Cocktails and Books
“Forbidden fruit always tastes better! With the kick off of a new hockey series, Sawyer Bennett introduces us to the Arizona Vengeance team and brings us Bishop’s story. The characters are quick to grab attention, and keep us entertained throughout.”—Thoughts of a Blonde
“I love that we were in Bishop’s head for about 60% of the book. . . . Bishop was a swoony hero . . . This is a great first book in a series that I know it’s going to be in my list of favorite hockey romances.”—What to Read Next Podcast
“If you love a hockey romance then you can’t get much better than Sawyer Bennett.”—Story Lover’s Society
“A very good series starter.”—Scandalicious Book Reviews
“Bishop and Brooke connect on so many levels . . . Watching them both discover their true feelings will warm your heart!”—Schmexy Girl Book Blog
“Bishop is a fast read, free from too much drama. It is a sweet, sexy, and heartwarming story.”—Mia the Book Addict
“Bishop was an entertaining and very, very steamy read and a great start to the Arizona Vengeance series. We loved meeting new characters and catching up with old friends, and can’t wait for more.”—Totally Booked Blog
“I enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick read with enjoyable characters and hot sexual situations. The end of the book made my heart jump a beat and brought a huge smile to my face.”—Read with Me
“I loved loved how this played out for Bishop and Brooke.”—Shh Mom’s Reading
“I love hockey, I love Sawyer Bennett, and I loved Bishop—both the character and the book. You do not by any means have to be a fan of hockey to enjoy this book.”—Slow Readers Blog
“With unforgettable characters and an invigorating plot, Bishop is sure to get your blood pumping. November cannot come soon enough. I cannot wait for Erik and more Arizona Vengeance.”—Crazies R Us Book Blog
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1
Bishop
I see her and it’s all over for me.
At least for tonight, anyway.
“I’ll be back,” I mutter to Dax as I push away from the bar, snagging my beer at the last second.
Shouldering my way through the crowd filled with twenty-something yuppies here to take advantage of the last few minutes of happy hour, I keep my eyes locked on her. How could I not, when those full, wet lips wrap around a straw sticking out of her fruity-looking cocktail, prompting wild images of those same lips wrapping around my cock.
Before I can reach her, another man—who I’m sure is having the same lewd thoughts as I am—steps up to her and blocks my view. An involuntary growl rolls up out of my chest and I grip my beer bottle harder than necessary. More images swamp my brain and I can see myself cracking the bottle over the idiot’s head. I figure at that point I’ll just drag her off to my lair like a caveman.
“No, thank you,” I hear her say as I pass behind her.
“You’re going to turn down a free drink?” the man asks incredulously.
“I can buy my own drinks,” she purrs at him before taking another long pull from her straw. Her cheeks hollow slightly and my dick twitches.
Stepping to her other side, I set my beer on the bar and lean an elbow right beside it. Her neck twists and her gaze locks with mine. Those eyes are incredible—a golden color that I’d noticed earlier from across the bar. Even in the soft light provided mostly by neon beer signs, they almost glowed. I noticed that along with her gloriously long chocolate-colored hair as it flowed down her bare back revealed by her sexy halter top. Long-ass legs and curves everywhere. Tits, hips, ass—all f***ing spectacular.
The original plan had been to buy her a drink too, but that’s clearly not the way to this woman’s heart.
“What can I offer you besides a drink that would get you to talk to me?” I ask her.
The man on the other side of her snorts, but apparently my honest question has some merit. She tilts her head, studying me for a moment before she replies, “Read any good books lately?”
Well, heck. I’m not much of a reader.
I shake my head with an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Not my thing.”
“I just finished a reread of The Count of Monte Crisco,” the other guy says, moving in closer to her. I’m gratified by the humor that flashes in her eyes before she twists her neck the other way to give him her attention.
I see an opening and make my move. Staring over the back of her head at him, I correct his slip of words. “It’s The Count of Monte Cristo.”
The gorgeous woman whom I am bound and determined to take home tonight turns right back my way. My eyes drop and I grin at her. “I read it in high school. I have a good memory, so we could talk about that if you want.”
“I meant Monte Cristo,” the man blurts out almost frantically, but she doesn’t look back his way.
Instead, she holds out a perfectly manicured hand to me. “I’m Brooke.”
“Bishop,” I return as I shake her hand. I have an inherent sense that she would not be charmed if I kissed it.
To give the other dude credit, he knows this is defeat and melts away into the crowd.
Motioning to the stool beside her, I ask, “Mind if I join you?”
“Be my guest,” she says sweetly, swiveling slightly to face me. She uncrosses her legs and recrosses them, not even bothering to pull down her scandalously high-riding skirt. It’s black with shiny silver threaded through, and the silvery top she’s wearing displays a set of fantastic tits. I noticed them when I first saw her, but since coming to stand beside her, I’ve kept my eyes meticulously locked on her face. She knows they look phenomenal and that I’ve already looked.
“Are you here by yourself?” I ask her, because while not totally unusual, most women dressed like that come out in packs for a night of fun on the town.
“I was actually meeting a coworker here tonight, but she texted me just a few moments ago that something came up and she can’t make it.”
That works for me.
“Gotcha,” I say as I pick up my beer and hold it up to her. “Then hopefully I can keep you well entertained in her absence. So what did you think about The Count of Monte Cristo?”
Brooke laughs and picks up her drink, tapping it to my bottle. “Actually, I’m not big into the classics. I’m more of a fashion magazine kind of girl.”
The fashion thing I get right away. I’ve dated enough women and paid for enough designer bags and shoes to know that Brooke is very much into high-quality retail. However, her refusal to let a man buy her a drink tells me she’s also independent, so she may not be into a man buying her those things.
Honestly, I wasn’t into it either—buying someone I was dating something expensive. I did it, I guess, as sort of a thank-you, and it was something they’d wanted. I did it knowing exactly what it meant to them. The women I date—and that most professional athletes date—are in it for the lavish lifestyle I can provide, with even grander hopes it could be a permanent thing one day.
It’s just the way it is.
“So what does this fashion magazine kind of girl do for a living?” I ask her, getting settled into the type of conversation that I hope will spark enough of a connection that I’ll be f***ing her later.
Her smile is neither coy nor flirty, but as direct as her gaze. “I do event planning. What about you?”
“Sounds exciting,” I say, having no goddamn clue what that even means.
She shrugs. “That remains to be seen. I just relocated out here.”
Funny. So did I.
Now would be a good time for me to wow and amaze this woman with the fact that I’m a professional hockey player and I just moved here to join the newly franchised team, the Arizona Vengeance. And you know, if it puts her in my bed all the more quicker, so f***ing be it.
I shoot a quick glance down the bar where I’d left Dax, my teammate who joined me here in Phoenix direct from our positions with the New York Vipers. The Vengeance is the first team that’s been added to the league in eighteen years and I’m not overly thrilled to be here. This year the Vipers are poised to give the Carolina Cold Fury a solid run for their money for the championship, and now suddenly to be moved out west to an expansion team has not made me happy. It’s why a night f***ing my brains out with this gorgeous creature would be a great way to end my summer vacation before training camp starts tomorrow.
Dax is talking to a woman—leaning intimately close—and I’m guessing he’s going to be getting lucky tonight. My eyes come back to Brooke, and I decide to leverage my star status to move things along. If my gut is right about this sexy-as-heck lady, it’s going to be a long night.
Before I can even tell her about how I’m a hot-as-shit right winger, she leans into me and places a hand on my thigh. “Bishop?”
