The Package Deal #3.5
Deciding to spend the holidays in the tiny Colorado ski town of Amber Falls brings some Christmas magic to the lives of the Portland Pirates linebacker Jackson Kincaid and his former team doctor husband, Simon Taylor.
Family time, reconnecting with old friends, and some sexy nights by the fire with the husband is all a man could ask for, right? How could life get any better than what they have now with their son Parker?
But through a fortunate turn of events, the ¬Kincaids just might get their Christmas wish.
Two Point Conversion is an Unnecessary Roughness holiday novella from The Package Deal Series and a crossover with the Amber Falls Series by Rheland Richmond.
CHAPTER 1
SIMON
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22ND
Parker and I were freezing our asses off, sitting in the visitor’s section with Luca and Tobias as Portland took on Denver in the divisional game. Why I thought Parker would enjoy experiencing this during a Colorado winter was beyond me. Should have taken the box seats Coach Reed offered us.
We’d decided six months ago, when the Pirate’s schedule was released, to spend Christmas in Amber Falls, Colorado. We needed to win this game, which was too close to call. Alex was leading the offense down the field, but they just couldn’t punch it into the end zone.
Luca elbowed me, then nodded his head toward the sideline. “Is Jackson limping down there?”
I studied my husband’s gait as he stomped along the edge of the field. “Yeah, it looks like it.” Dammit! If he was limping, he was hurting.
Since his ACL reconstruction surgery a year ago, Jackson had been determined to play this season. Nine months of grueling physical therapy got my husband back on the field in September. I’d been worried to death ever since. He was making an older man out of me than I already was at forty-eight.
Even though I no longer worked for the Pirates, Greer was good enough to allow me to keep my medical credentials for the team. He asked me to stay on as a consultant to the medical staff. Basically, what it boiled down to was he allowed me to take care of Jackson.
I turned to Luca. “I’m going to go down and check his knee since it’s almost halftime.”
“Probably a good idea,” he observed.
I glanced at my son, who’d grown so much in the last year. “Do you wanna go with me to check on your dad, or do you want to stay here with Luca?”
Parker smiled, but shook his head. “I’ll stay here. Too far to walk.”
Smiling, I nodded back. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be back when halftime is over.”
Working my way to the end of the aisle, I looked at Tobias. “I’ll be back. Checking on Jackson’s limp. Park is staying here with you guys.”
He nodded and sipped more coffee as I studied how far I had to go to get out of the stands. “We’ll keep an eye on him,” he replied, patting me on the shoulder.
The game was a divisional rivalry, and we’d played Denver at home last year. Normally, I didn’t go to away games anymore unless Parker and I could fly with the team. When Luca came to Atlanta for Allison’s service, Jackson was determined he wouldn’t lose touch with him again. So when Denver was on the schedule for the last game before Christmas, we decided to spend it here. There were so many things I wanted to show my husband and son since I was from Colorado.
Weaving my way through the crowd to the special staff entrance, I couldn’t help but reflect on the last year. I never knew I could have this life, and I was grateful every day for it.
When I reached the door for access to the tunnel, I held up my medical credentials for the Pirates to the guard.
“Hey, I’m Dr. Simon Kincaid. Need to get to the visitor’s locker room before halftime.”
The older man studied my family game pass and then the medical pass. “You do all this, doc?”
I nodded, then put my hand on his shoulder. “Yep, I have a knee to check on to make sure the fool hasn’t injured it again.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, they think they’re invincible. The visitor’s locker room is down there on the left. Good luck.”
“Thank you,” I shouted over the crowd with a smile and a wave as I walked toward the tunnel.
As I stood waiting for halftime outside the locker room, one of the assistant coaches spotted me. He smiled and raised a hand.
“Hey, Simon. Here to check on your patient?” Coach Thompson, the special team’s coach, asked.
“Yup. Noticed he was limping. I’ll evaluate it and at least re-wrap it for him.”
“Good deal. Come on in. I’ll send the Flash out to get him. Alex and the boys are on the field.” My lips curved at the reference to Dominick.
Clicking into his headset, he called one of the other coaches. “Hey, Dr. Kincaid needs Jackson in the locker room. Send him on in.”
Why did hearing myself referred to as Dr. Kincaid still manage to give me butterflies?
He nodded at whatever was said. “Good, thanks.”
Instead of staying in the locker room, I walked to the end of the tunnel to wait for him. It wasn’t long before I saw Dominick on the sideline, relaying the message. Jackson nodded, then turned toward the tunnel.
That limp was not good. I sighed. Of course, his determined ass wouldn’t say a word. But I wouldn’t change a single thing about him. Sometimes I still couldn’t believe he was mine and how much my life had changed in two years.
Jackson smiled sheepishly when he saw me walking toward him, and I tried to keep a stern expression on my face. We’d been married for one year and seventeen days. And as much as I loved him, I still had no problem bossing his ass around.
“Please don’t say it,” he grumbled as he put his arm over my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around his waist to support him. To anyone in the stands, it would appear as if I were helping him, which I was. But it was also because he was my husband, and I loved him more than life itself. And also, I could.
“I have to say it. Greer pays me to say it.”
Jackson groaned. “You’re gonna take me out of the game, aren’t you?”
I sighed at my stubborn husband. “It depends on what it feels like when I unwrap it in the locker room. If it’s the least bit swollen, then yes. You’re out. If not… well, I haven’t decided.”
“Where’s Park?” He looked around as if I were hiding him somewhere. “He wanted to stay in the stands with Luca and Tobias.” Jackson smiled at that. It was progress for Parker. He was learning to let go of some of his anxiety about the accident and losing his mom. Jackson leaned into me a little closer, so I was the only one to hear him. “Wanna blow me in the treatment room?”
I rolled my eyes and snorted at my oversexed husband. “Get your ass in there and on that table.”
“Damn, I love you.” Jackson grinned at me like he was getting his wish. Not gonna happen. Not till we got to the resort.
I yanked open the door to the locker room, and Jackson limped inside, then headed to the treatment room. He immediately lifted himself onto the table, took off his helmet, and then ran his hand over his short hair. I pulled off my thick jacket and beanie, then draped them over the chair. I watched his face as he moved to gauge his pain level. I moved to the bag on the counter I’d packed for him and grabbed my scissors and more athletic tape. I pulled out a cold wrap, just in case he needed it.
“Rate your discomfort from one to five.”
Jackson grinned, his blue eyes sparkling at me. “Well, it’s probably a four. It’s been harder, but you know how to deal with that.” He palmed his crotch with the heel of his hand.
I sighed. “I meant the pain in your knee, not the pain in your dick, asshole.”
My husband cracked up at me, and I had to turn my head to keep from laughing. He’d single-handedly disarmed me of my stern, hardass reputation.
“I’m sorry, babe. You know I can’t pass up an opportunity to make you smile. It’s my favorite thing on earth.” Jackson reached out to me, and I took his hand as he pulled me closer. One kiss was all he was getting. And one toe-curling, dick-hardening kiss is what I got.
Pulling out of his hold, I reached for the stool and sat down, ready to work. “Again, rate the pain in your knee.” I gave him a pointed look. “Please.”
“It’s probably a three, maybe three and a half.” Jackson had sobered, and I could see the worry written all over his face. I nodded and waited for him to pull the leg of his uniform up for me to cut away the kinesthetic tape.
“Well, let’s get it unwrapped and go from there. If it’s a three, I’m 99% sure you’re done for the day.”
Jackson sat quietly on the table and watched me work. He was so used to it now he didn’t even complain when I pulled his leg hairs.
Cutting it carefully, I pulled it away and looked up at him, giving the joint and tissues time to relax from the compression. “I know you wanna play, babe, especially since your friends are here. But it’s not worth blowing it out again and facing another surgery. You won’t be able to walk this week if you don’t take it easy.”
Jackson peered at me, then shook his head. “You’re right. I wanna play, but I’d better play it safe. Just check it out, babe, and do what you have to do.”
I nodded. “It’s cute that you think I wouldn’t,” I snarked at him.
He chuckled, “You’re the boss,” he said with a wink filled with promise.
Running my hands under his knee, I let my fingertips be the guide to assess the tendon. I could feel it bulging just a little.
When I pulled my hands away, I stared up into the blue eyes I adored every single day. “Babe, it’s….”
“How is it, sweetheart?” Coach Reed’s sarcastically deadpanned question caught me off guard and made Jackson and me laugh. He’d taken to calling us whatever term of endearment he could think of when I was in the locker room. And today was no different.
“Well,” I replied, still shaking my head at his endearment, “there’s a little swelling there.”
Jackson dropped his gaze because he knew what I was going to say. We’d talked about how I had to do my job and assess him like everyone else every day since he’d gone back to playing in September.
“What’s the call?” Coach asked.
“He’s out for the rest of the game. It might be different if it weren’t swelling, and we weren’t at such a high altitude.”
Coach sighed, then clapped Jackson on the shoulder. “Better to sit out now than down the road in the playoffs. Go hit the shower and let the husband wrap it up. Then you can get out of here and enjoy the holiday. No need to come back out unless you just want to.”
Jackson nodded. “Okay, Coach. I’ll listen to my husband.”
“Good,” he clapped me on the shoulder. “Enjoy your family and the holiday. I’ll see you both back in Portland after Christmas.”
As Coach Reed walked out of the treatment room, Alex and Marcus slipped in.
“What’s the verdict?” Alex checked.
“My husband won’t let me play anymore today,” Jackson whined and stuck his lip out to pout. A grown man shouldn’t be able to pull that off, but he managed to.
I rolled my eyes at his theatrics before replying, “It’s swollen. And pain is a three out of five. He’s not playing.”
Marcus patted Jackson on the shoulder. “Sorry, man. Hard to argue with him, especially when he can withhold sex from you if you piss him off.”
“Is that all you think about, Monroe?” Alex nudged his brother-in-law.
“Have you seen my husband?” Marcus let out a deep, appreciative sigh, licking his lips for good measure. Suddenly he faced Alex, “Oh, of course, you have… he’s your brother!”
Jackson and I laughed. I could swear they worked out these routines to entertain people.
Jackson shooed our two friends out. “Go on, get out of here and win that game. I’ll be back in two weeks when we play Houston.”
“Yeah, we gotta go. Have a good time in Amber Falls.” Alex squeezed Jackson’s shoulder, “Rest and enjoy your family for the holidays. I know I will be, even though I have to spend part of it with him.” Alex nodded toward Marcus as they walked out the door.
“Fuck you, St. Clair. You know I light up your life,” Marcus sniped.
Alex ignored him, but he was smiling. “We’ll miss you two. Be safe and call Christian, or he’ll worry. Bye, guys.”
When the locker room cleared out, Jackson studied me with a serious expression on his face. I could tell he was worried about his knee.
“Are you sure?” he checked, even though I knew he knew the answer.
“Yes, your knee is swollen.”
“No, not that, I know that. I can feel it.”
“Then what the fuck are you talking about? Did you get hit in the head out there?” He was something else.
I gazed at him and waited for his reply. “Are you sure you don’t wanna blow me?”
I closed my eyes and let out yet another sigh.
“Get your ass in the shower, Kincaid, so I can wrap that knee. And if you don’t hurry, I might take Marcus’s suggestion to hold out on you.”
His eyes widened, and he put his hands up in mock surrender. “Nope, I’m going. There’s a chalet with a fireplace and a hot tub calling our names. And I’m gonna fuck you all over that place.” Jackson grinned at me as he began to strip off his uniform.
“Then you better hurry the fuck up so we can get out of here.”
Jackson continued until my muscled, gorgeous, thirty-three-year-old husband was stark naked and semi-hard. It wasn’t easy to walk away from a naked Jackson, but I had to do it.
Slapping him on the ass, I kissed him and walked out of the room, barking orders at him over my shoulder, “I’m getting the cold wrap, then grab your clothes from your locker. Hurry up in the shower. And no jerking off. There’s a hot tub waiting on us in Amber Falls.”
Saturday Series Spotlight
For as long as she can remember Rheland's had her nose stuck in a book, getting lost in the world of someone else's creation (She still does). Her love for writing came from her love for reading. She could never have one without the other.
Writing has always been a hobby and a cathartic experience for her. There are many stories lost to the never to be completed or published pile but needed to be written at the time.
She's just a girl that loved stories so much she wrote hers.
Rheland would love to hear from her readers and learn more about Y'all. So if you get a chance... please get in touch.
She also writes Omegaverse as Skye R. Richmond.
Emerson Beckett is new to the publishing world. As an avid sports fan and lover of well-written M/M romance books, Emerson loves her new career as an author of gay romance. It’s even more fulfilling for her when she can combine the two.
The journey to becoming an author started with an idea while reading on the sofa. That idea became an email that ultimately resulted in Emerson using those teacher skills to edit novels for three phenomenal MM romance authors. The third referral led to an opportunity to co-write a book series with one of the most genuine and kindest people she’s ever had the pleasure of knowing- Rheland Richmond.
Emerson is the co-author of The Package Deal Series, which includes The Quarterback Keeper, Pass Interference, Unnecessary Roughness, Two-Point Conversion, and three more upcoming books in the series. She will release her first solo novel in late spring 2023.
Besides being a retired teacher and author, Emerson lives in North Carolina and has been married to the same man for 32 years. She is the mother of three beautiful adults, one of whom is proudly part of the LGBTQ Community and completely responsible for her addiction to MM Romance. Even though the kids no longer live at home, they filled the empty nest with an Australian Shepherd, three cats, and a cute bunny rabbit.
Rheland Richmond
Emerson Beckett
EMAIL: emerson@emersonbeckett.com
Two Point Conversion
The Package Deal Series
