Page 64 of Playing for Keeps
“Are you sure you have enough nicknames for me?” she giggles.
“Not quite. But I like to mix it up.”
“You sure do.” My eyes skim down her throat as her hands reach to that pink love heart around her neck, I think it’s a crystal, maybe rose quartz. Dainty fingers tug on it idly. “This is gonna be a fun weekend. It’s really beautiful here,” she says with a thoughtful sigh. “You kinda forget you’re still pretty close to the Vegas strip. The beach access here is amazing.”
“Literally a second from your doorstep,” I say.“It’s pretty cool, even if the beaches here are man-made. Have you ever seen much of Vegas?”
She shakes her head. “No, I’ve only been here once with a couple of girlfriends. We had a spa weekend and got pampered at The Paris, we didn’t do much gambling.” She laughs at the memory, my eyes glued to her face, that sweet sound I’ve fucking missed in the weeks she’s been gone.
“That’s good to hear, I’m not a big gambler myself,” I sigh. “I’d rather give it to fucking charity than lose it to a casino, but walking around and checking out the games is pretty cool. I’ll have a bet here and there, but nothing crazy.”
“I know, I hate giving money away like that,” she says. “Maybe we could have a little flutter?”
“As long as you packed your dancing shoes, a flutter could be on the cards.”
“You better have been practising your dancing steps, Mister!”
I hold up my palms like I ain’t got nothing to hide. “Hey, I showed up on those Skype calls, didn’t I?”
“Isn’t Markus the best?”
“He is if he can get me dancing to a different rhythm than hockey.”
“I hope we remember the steps,” she giggles.
“Maybe we need to practise?” I suggest.
She tilts her head, eyes narrowing. “Are you just trying to work your way into my suite?”
I blow out a laugh and swipe my face, the one that isn’t still diligently stroking Robbie’s belly. “Umm, is that a trick question?”
“We seriously need to talk,” she whispers.
“That doesn’t sound good, J. Are you regretting that thing in the car?”
My eyes don’t miss the catch of her lip with her teeth as she looks down at her hands, lacing them together and squeezing them tight.
“J?” I press, my heart hammering like wild horses just came thundering through it.
She shakes her head and blinks up at me, those beautiful eyes framed by the most gorgeous, long lashes. “No, it’s not that.”
“Are you sure?” I don’t want this to be over before it’s even begun. I know it could be bad timing with her whole family here and more of them arriving tomorrow, but it’s all that has kept me sane these past few weeks, knowing this weekend was coming around.
“Yes,” she whispers. “I don’t regret anything with you, Jay.”
And just like that, she fucking ignites my soul. It’s like I can feel it temporarily leave my body before floating back down and settling inside me again. The warmth radiating off her is like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
That sense of belonging envelopes me, and while my natural instinct is to run from anything that feels remotely too close to me feeling too much, it’s like I can’t stop this. I can’t stop what’s happening, or how I feel about her.
It’s an exposing feeling for me, as though I’ve been rendered helpless and have nowhere else to land, except with her. And I don’t fucking mind it one bit.
She feels like home.
CHAPTER 20
Jade
It’s late when Jay walks us both in the direction of our cottages, the moon reflects on the lake, almost creating a staircase to the moon effect. Stars litter the sky as far as the eye can see, and the mountain air surrounding us makes me feel like I’m a million miles away. It’s hard to believe there’s even a casino within the resort because it’s so quiet and the landscape gives that true feeling of being in the wilderness.
