A Favor for a Favor
by Helena Hunting
Published by Montlake Romance
Book 2 in the All In Series
When I joined Seattle’s NHL expansion team, I thought it was the start of something great.
But nothing ever goes the way you expect. Take my introduction to my new neighbor. She came rolling in on the hot mess express at midnight, making a racket while she tried to get into my team captain’s apartment. Did I mention that he’s married to a woman who definitely was not her?
Imagine my surprise when I end up with an injury that has me out of the game for weeks, and she’s the one to offer to help me. I should probably add that she’s not the captain’s mistress. She’s his sexy, pastel-haired younger sister.
So we come up with an arrangement: she rehabs me so that I can get back on the ice sooner, and she can add a professional athlete that isn’t her brother to her client list. Seems simple enough. As long as I can keep my hands to myself and my hormones in check.
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
A Favor for a Favor is the second book in Helena Hunting's All In series. It centers around Stevie, Rook's younger sister, and Bishop, one of the players who transferred to the new Seattle team, and would have been captain if not for Rook transferring. When a noisy, sexy, pastel haired woman moves into Rook's vacent condo in the middle of the night, Bishop assumes that Rook has a mistress, and is moving her into his spare place. Their dislike for each other grows, even after Bishop learns that the woman is not Rook's mistress, but his younger sister. But after Bishop becomes injured on the ice, he strikes a deal with Stevie - put in extra PT with him, and get him on the ice sooner, and in exchange, he will write a letter of recommendation, so she will have a professional athlete on her client list who isn't her brother. But as the two work together, feelings grow between them. But can Bishop take the risk of sleeping with his captain's sister, when he is already on thin ice? And can Stevie, who is coming off a long term relationship that ended badly, take a risk with her heart?
I LOVED THIS ONE! If you have read my reviews before, you know I am a sucker for enemies to lovers and grump/sunshine tropes, and this is a delicious combination of the two. It's fun to see these two very different characters come to blows - in their underwear and work out clothing of course - and even more delightful when they start working together, and the arguments that occur. Bishop - yeah, he is a jerk sometimes. But I don't mind that he is growly. He is the first male lead in this series since Alex that isn't a player, and he has priorities. And Stevie is fun, but she is also professional, and focused, going to far to work with her recent ex who she caught cheating on him, and not have it affect her job. And while Helena Hunting has already did the teammates sister trope - twice! - in the Pucked series, she at least puts a different spin to it.
If you enjoyed Helena's previous works, you will love this one. Especially if you love an argumentative (in a good way, or course) pairing and a good opposites attract story. I gotta say, I am loving the All In series so much more than I loved Pucked.
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Stevie: “What in the actual fuck? How the hell do you manage to attract women with your horrible personality? I really don’t get it. Unless they’re all brain-dead idiots and they duct-tape your mouth shut while they’re riding you.”
She tilts her head, as if considering that, and nods once.
Stevie: “That has to be it. I can see how that might be doable.” Stevie: “A mistake becomes a choice when you make it more than once. Looks like maybe you should’ve thought about the consequences before you made yours.” Nolan: “You’ve been bitching about this woman incessantly since she moved in. First it was because she was so damn loud and because you didn’t approve of her moral standings or whatever. Then you bitched about her being a student and wearing too much perfume. After that you started moaning about how she’s always in workout gear and doesn’t she have real clothes, blah blah. I’d also like to point out that unless you have to leave this apartment, you’re always in boxers. I’m so familiar with the outline of your junk I could identify it in a lineup before I could my own.” Bishop: “I need you to stop touching me!”
It’s stupid because I’m still holding on to her, not the other way around.
Stevie: “Why are you yelling at me?”
Bishop: “Because you’re half-undressed in my tub, and I’m a guy, and apparently my dick is a fucking sadist. It honestly feels like my balls are on fire right now. A semi has never been this painful.”
Stevie: “Well, close your damn eyes and think about dead things.”
Bishop: “It doesn’t matter if I close them. The image of you in panties is burned into the back of my lids, probably for the rest of my fucking life. It’s all I can see.”
Stevie: “You’d think you’d never seen a set of bare legs before.”
She helps me lower myself into the tub and steps out.
Bishop: “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a pair up close,”
I grumble.
Stevie: “Such a surprise, with your warm, fuzzy personality.” Bishop: “My balls don’t feel like they’re on fire anymore,”
Stevie; “That’s great, Bishop.”
A shock of cold against the inside of my thigh makes me temporarily alert, and I ask about the exercises I’m supposed to do.
Nolan: “What the hell is remotion sex?”
Stevie laughs.
Stevie: “I think he’s trying to say ‘range-of-motion exercises.’ We’ll get to those tomorrow.”
Nolan: “Oh. That makes a lot more sense, ’cause I don’t think he’s gonna be in any kind of shape to have sex in the foreseeable future.”
Stevie: “Probably not, if getting excited makes him cry.” Lainey: "Besides, I saw the way he looked at you.”
Stevie: “And how does Bishop look at me?”
I try to sound flippant, but really I’m curious as to what she sees, because at this point I’ve convinced myself that any flirting is all in my head and a result of Bishop’s raging testosterone and his inability to manage his situation.
Lainey: “Like he wants to hold your hand.”
She pauses, her smile widening at my eye roll.
Lainey: “And shove it down the front of his pants.” Bishop: “I would rather eat a dirty, sweaty pussy than take another bite of that disgusting combination of toppings.”
He shoves half his slice of all-meat-and-cheese pizza into his mouth, presumably to cover the olive-pineapple taste he’s not so fond of.
Stevie: “I haven’t showered since yesterday, so I have one of those if you feel like dessert.”
I slap a palm over my mouth.
Stevie: “Oh my God. Pretend I didn’t say that.”
A slow smirk spreads across Bishop’s face.
Bishop: “First you tell me you’re a swallower, and then you offer me up your pussy for dessert? When I’m ninety years old and senile, I’ll still remember this conversation.” Bishop: "Besides, you’ve met me; I don’t have a shining personality that women fall for.”
Stevie: “You’ve grown on me.”
Bishop “Like fungus.” Stevie: “You’re offering to lend me your SUV?”
Bishop: “You’ve driven it plenty. You don’t have a lead foot, and you can parallel park like a boss. It’s just sitting there otherwise, so why not?”
Stevie: “Uh, I don’t know, because guys’ cars are like their girlfriends?”
Bishop: “Mine isn’t. And the tailpipe doesn’t make a very good hole to stick my dick in, since it’s hot but not wet and tight.”
I dig my thumb into the muscle above his knee.
Bishop: “Ahh! Fuck. Stop!”
Bishop flails and grabs my hand. He threads his fingers through mine to keep me from doing it again.
Bishop: “That was nasty and unnecessary.”
Stevie: “So were the words coming out of your mouth.” Stevie: “Why would you want to come to my work event?”
Bishop: “Because Douche McFuckhead is going to be there.”
Stevie: “You don’t want to do that, Bishop. It’s going to be full of amateur athletes. They’ll be humping your leg all night.”
Bishop: “And I’ll be humping yours, so it should be an exciting night.” Rook: “King, if Winslow slept with your sister, would you punch him out?”
Kingston’s eyes dart around like he’s looking for someone else with his name to answer.
Kingston: “Uhhh . . .”
Rook: “Be honest,”
Rook snaps.
Kingston: “I don’t use violence to solve my problems,”
Kingston replies. Rook twists his head to look at him with one eyebrow raised. Kingston sighs.
Kingston: “I would probably be inclined to punch him.”
Bishop: “Seriously, King?”
Kingston: “Sorry.”
He shrugs.
Kingston: “It’s a brotherly duty. Plus, there’s the video . . .”
Bishop: “You suck, man. Don’t think I won’t remember this when you have woman problems down the line.”
Kingston: “I don’t plan to sleep with any of my teammates’ sisters, so I should be fine.”
I swear Kingston is smirking. Asshole. Bishop: “I want to be the olive to your pineapple.”
