* * *
Thirty minutes later I come out of the bathroom to find Jamie already in our bed, arms tucked behind his head, expression thoughtful.
I shut off the light and climb in beside him, ready to finally hear what’s on his mind. Maybe it was something I said?
Or maybe not, because Jamie rolls toward me immediately, hand on my belly, fingertips sweeping across the skin above the waistband of my flannel pants.
I open my mouth to ask what’s on his mind, but it doesn’t quite work. Because his lips land on mine, and then we’re kissing. I’m not an idiot. When the love of your life wants a make-out sesh, you don’t toss that aside.
So I move closer, running a hand up his bare back, threading a flannel-covered knee between his bare ones.
Wait. Jamie isn’t mad at me. Jamie is naked. I do a mental backflip at this realization, and kiss him a little more deeply. I miss him so much when I’m away. There’s another road trip coming up, too. I’ll be on the West Coast for days and days.
Jamie knows this. Jamie is a smart man. Very very smart. I groan, sliding my tongue against his. And then I turn my head in order to explore his jaw, testing the softness of his whiskers with my lips.
It’s been almost three years since our first kiss. My life changed that rainy night in Lake Placid when Jamie pushed me up against the side of a roadside bar and kissed me. It was like falling into a fantasy from which I’ve never had to wake up. I suck on his neck, right under the line of his whiskers. He smells of minty toothpaste and the shower products we both share.
The room shifts, and I find myself on my back. My golden boy has escalated the situation by climbing on top of me and sifting his fingers through my short hair. His next kiss is hard, maybe even a little desperate.
“Jamie,” I say against his mouth.
“Mmm?” He runs a hand across my chest and then pinches my nipple.
“You okay?” I’m loving the attention, but I can’t shake the feeling that something is bothering him. When he’s troubled, my guy won’t always say what’s on his mind.
“Really?” he rasps, kissing me again. “You want to chat right now?”
“With you? Always.” I brace my hands on his shoulders, lock a heel against the bed, and then roll quickly. I’ve turned the tables, so now I’m looking down into his handsome, startled face. “Now spill, babe. You can’t have this hot body until you tell me why you were so quiet tonight. I mean—you didn’t even react when Blake claimed that sloppy Joe sandwiches were named after his uncle.”
Jamie snorts. “That wouldn’t even surprise me if it were true.”
“Yet you didn’t hear it. And I want to know why.”
He turns his head to the side and sighs. “I had a weird day, is all. But it’s nothing a couple of blow jobs can’t fix.”
“Weird how?” I press. “Tell me, and then we’ll have more time for funzies.”
He smiles, then runs a hand down my chest. “It’s not that big a deal, okay? We had some scouts at the rink today.”
“From where?”
“Ottawa.” Jamie yawns before continuing. “The goalie scout. Again.”
“They must be seriously interested in your man Chambers.” Jamie is the goalie coach for one of the best teams in the Ontario Hockey League. He’ll probably be named Head Coach for a major juniors team of his own in a few years. He’s had three rock-star seasons just like I have. “This is exciting, right? They’re going to draft your guy?”
Slowly, Jamie shakes his head. “That’s what I thought, too. But then the scout pulled me aside and blew my mind. He said they had some pressing issues on their keeper bench. And would I consider coming to Ottawa on a two way contract for their farm team.”
“Oh,” I say quietly. “As a player. That’s…” I break off, because I have no idea what to say.
It shouldn’t be all that shocking, because Jamie was a prospect for Detroit right after college. He was a terrific goalie. Is a terrific goalie. But he made the unusual decision to forgo that life in order to coach young hockey players.
And to be in Ontario. With me.
“You gonna talk to them about it? You should,” I a
dd quickly, just so he doesn’t think I’d be upset about it.
“I’m really not sure. I mean, I’m probably days away from a promotion that I really want. And I didn’t move to Detroit because I didn’t want to sit around waiting for a chance to play.“