ever mine
Honey Mountain Series ~ Book 2
laura pavlov
Ever Mine
Honey Mountain Series, Book 2
Copyright © 2022 by Laura Pavlov
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Laura Pavlov
Cover Design: Hang Le
Cover Photography: Regina Wamba
Created with Vellum
contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Keep Up On New Releases
Other Books by Laura Pavlov
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dedication
Jennifer DeJong,
I cannot begin to thank you for all of your support from beta reading, to making me the most beautiful book bibles and talking through the timeline with me. Most importantly, thank you for being an amazing friend. I am so thankful for you! Of course, Hawk is all yours (no worries, we haven’t forgotten about you, Gray!), so I thought this would be the perfect book to tell you how much I love and appreciate you!! xoxo
one
Everly
I took one last look around the house, folded the throw blanket on the couch for the third time, and blew out the candle on the counter because I didn’t want it to look like I was trying too hard. Then I relit the candle because it should smell good in here. I’m a professional, after all.
The gorgeous house that the San Francisco Lions had rented for me while I’d be working with their star player, Hawk Madden, was completely magnificent. A gorgeous three-bedroom ranch house in the town I’d grown up in, Honey Mountain. It’s actually the town both Hawk and I grew up in.
Fell in love in.
Lost our virginity in.
Broke up in.
I digress.
The house had a separate guesthouse on the property where my sister Dylan was temporarily living. My baby sister Ashlan was in and out this summer as she had an internship back at school, but when she was home, she stayed with me or at our dad’s house which was not far from here. The Lions appeared to be willing to spend big money on me, as they’d offered me a temporary job for the next few months during the off-season and paid six months’ rent on this house in advance.
Cha-ching.
They’d made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Though I really wanted to refuse it, because seeing Hawk after all these years—I wasn’t ready for it.
I recently finished my fellowship as a sports psychologist with a professional basketball team back East, and it’s time to find a job. With no other offers on the table, a boatload of cash and a free house was impossible to turn down. Even if it was temporary.
Even if it meant working with Hawk Madden.
Coach Hayes, the head coach for the Lions, had teased the idea that they might bring me on full-time, but it would depend on how things went with Hawk. Sports psychology was my passion, as I’d always been an avid sports fan, and the mental game for athletes had always intrigued me. But not every sport was on board just yet with how important the mental game was for athletes. Hawk had been drafted into the NHL after we graduated high school. He’d been picked up by the Lions almost nine years ago, and they’d won two Stanley Cups since. But due to a few injuries and what Coach Hayes called a temporary case of burnout, they wanted me to get his head back in the game. But getting my head on straight would be just as important to making this work. Behaving like a professional around Hawk would be a challenge—one I was certain I could handle.
The doorbell rang, and I smoothed my hair into place and took one last glance in the mirror in the front room as I made my way to the door. Did I mention that the furnishings in this place were something straight out of an HGTV renovation show?
Deep breath.
It had been several years since I’d last seen him in person. But of course, the man was splayed across every sports magazine, and I’d seen him on TV in numerous interviews over the years. We followed one another on social media, though we never commented on each other’s posts. He was a big name in the sports world, and he’d been linked to several famous models and actresses over the years. I had muted his social media, as seeing him with other women still stung. He was coming here with his trainer, Wes, so that I could meet him as well, and we’d come up with a schedule that worked for everyone. I didn’t know how much would be required, as Coach Hayes hadn’t shared much of his plan with me.
The doors were glass, which allowed the natural light to flood the open space, but more importantly, it allowed me to get a glimpse of Hawk before opening the door.
My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him. His green eyes locked with mine through the glass, and I tried to calm my breathing. I pulled the door open.
“Ever,” he purred. The man had more charm in his little finger than any one man should be allowed. Even as a boy… he’d always had a way of charming the pants off of whomever was near.
It was just usually me.
He’d always called me Ever, and for years he’d followed it with the word mine.
Ever mine.
“Hey. It’s good to see you.” I cleared my throat as my voice sounded gravelly and hoarse, and I took in the older man who stood behind him smiling.
“I guess they’ve hired you to fix me, huh? You think you’re up for the task?” Hawk said as his lips grazed my cheek, and I squeezed my thighs together at the contact.