Page 65 of Lost on Ice
I can’t keep myself from smiling. “All right. I’ll see you guys later.”
Turning, I head out of the clinic, feeling like I’m walking on air.
Chapter Twenty-One
ABBIE
I’m so fuckinghot and bothered, I can hardly stand it.
I watched his game, and damn it, he was impressive.
From the first faceoff, he played fast, focused, and just a little reckless in that way that made my heart thud unevenly in my chest. He made an assist in the first period, threading a no-look pass through a mess of defenders like he had eyes in the back of his helmet. The goal lit the place up. He took a hit in the second period, slammed into the boards so hard I actually stood up off the couch out of instinct, hand pressed over my mouth. Thankfully, he got up like it was nothing, tossed a smirk toward the bench, and went right back in.
It was in the third that he really came alive. Jake picked off a pass at center ice and took off. He deked left, pulled the puck right, and slipped it clean under the goalie’s pad, winning the game.
His prowess on the ice, plus seeing him with Lilah earlier today…that was like catnip for my mom-brain.
Sitting in bed, I try to focus on the book I’m reading, but I can’t stop thinking about Jake and how hot he makes me, but also how guilty I feel for not telling him that Lilah is his. When he was holding her today, wearing that fucking suit, it was almost too much for me to handle. He was so caring and adorable with her.
But I made a big mistake when I yelled at him about how he’s “not her father.” I’m still so angry at myself about that. I don’t know. I’ve dug myself into this damn hole, and I don’t know how to pull myself out. Now I’m sitting here, waiting for him to come home as if we’re an actual couple. It’s all so messy, and I’m at a total loss of how to navigate it.
My thoughts are interrupted when I hear the apartment door open and close.
I know it’s Jake. The timing makes sense, and I recognize the sound of his footsteps. But my breath still tenses at the thought it could be the stalker. I don’t know if that nervousness will ever go away now.
Thankfully, it really is Jake. I drop my gaze to my book and pretend to be engrossed in it as he walks into the room.
“Hey there,” he greets me, and I look up to meet his eyes. Fuck, he’s wearing that suit again. “You’re still up.”
I nod, closing my book and setting it on my nightstand.
“Yeah, I am.” I hesitate a moment. “I watched your game.”
“Oh yeah?” He smirks, looking pleased by that. “What’d you think?”
“You were… damn good.” I smirk. “I liked watching you.”
“Oh yeah?” He loosens his tie and my heart beats like a drum in my chest.
Yeah. Your team has a solid defense.”
“True.” He chuckles, shrugging out of his suit coat before removing his tie completely. “It was a tough one, though. Nashville has a killer center—one of the best in the league. He’shard to contain.” He starts to unbutton his shirt and I watch his fingers as they move. As he reveals his toned, bare chest, I squeeze my thighs together under the blankets.“If his left and right wings were at his level, they’d be unstoppable…”
He trails off when he looks at me, and too late, I realize I’m staring at him while biting my lower lip. He grins, and it’s devilish.
“What’s on your mind?” he asks in a rumbling voice.
Swallowing, I jerk my gaze away from him and shrug, trying to appear nonchalant.
“Nothing,” I lie. “I just was… lost in thought.”
He chuckles. “Nice try, but you forget that I know exactly what your ‘fuck me’ face looks like.”
Looking back at him, I feel entranced. My whole body is warm and there’s a throbbing between my legs that I can’t ignore.
“You played really well tonight,” I tell him, breathless.
Smirking, he moves to my side of the bed until he’s standing next to me.
