When he places her on the bed, she opens her eyes. “Okay, fine, sweet cheeks, but you are going to have to do all the work.” She throws her hands out to the sides and spreads her legs. Miller backs away, shaking his head. I cover her with the duvet and then turn off the light before we walk out of the room.
“Well, this has been a night to remember,” he says when we get to the door.
“It should have been for her since it cost me twenty-five thousand dollars,” I tell him as we stand in the doorway.
“About that …” he says and looks at me. “When I was sitting in the limo tonight …” He starts talking, leaning closer to me. “While I ate the food and I tried not to think about what was happening inside.” He continues stepping closer, and I suddenly move back, not sure I want him in my space. Not sure I want to be in his space. “I wondered why would she bid so high for me?”
“It was for charity,” I say, feeling my back hit the wall.
“Is that the real reason?” He’s standing so close now that our feet touch each other. “For charity?”
“Yes,” I almost stutter and have to swallow because my mouth is suddenly dry. “Why else would I do it?”
“I think you did it because you were jealous.” His hand reaches up to play with the hair that has fallen out of my ponytail, twirling it around his finger.
“I was not jealous.” I want to push him away because I can’t think when he’s this close. “For me to be jealous, I would have to care.”
He laughs now. “Oh, you care, gorgeous,” he says. His voice goes low, and whereas before I thought he was going to kiss me, I don’t think that this time. So I’m even more surprised when his mouth falls on mine. The kiss is so soft that if my eyes weren’t open, I wouldn’t realize it happens. “You owe me,” he tells me softly, and I can still feel his lips on mine. “And just so you know, I’m going to collect.” He moves away from me, going to the front door. “I’ll text you tomorrow.” He opens the door, and it slams behind him, and for the first time in a long time, I have no comeback.Chapter 10MillerI walk past the canvas and get into the limo. “Take me home, Jimmy,” I say, closing my eyes to block the throbbing in my head. I thought I had seen it all. I thought that I was open to just about everything, but Nancy is way out of my league. Fuck, she’s out of everyone’s league. She’s in a league of her own.
My phone beeps in my pocket, but when I see it’s an email from Candace, I just turn my cell off. I can’t even think right now, let alone answer her email.
When I get home, I don’t even bother bringing in the blanket or the extra cases of wine that I brought just in case. After all the shit Jimmy saw and heard tonight, it’s safe to say he’ll never do me a favor again in this lifetime.
Dragging my ass to my bedroom, I don’t even bother to turn on any lights before I slip into bed naked and close my eyes. I toss and turn most of the night, the nightmare from the day before making me jump awake.
At six a.m., I finally give up and get out of bed, walking into the kitchen as soon as the coffee maker starts. Walking over to the big coffee table in the great room, I pick up the remote to turn the television on and switch it to SportsCenter. The ninety-five-inch screen lights up the whole room, so I don’t have to turn on any lights. After pouring my coffee, I grab my laptop and head over to the couch, taking my first sip of coffee right before I sit down and watch the highlights from the night before. The season just started, so everyone is fresh out of the gate, including us.
My email is full of the same, and I answer the one from Candace first, asking about my calendar for the next two months. In the off-season, I usually do a lot of meet-and-greets. Last year, I did my first ever kids hockey camp in my hometown of Montreal. It was such a success that I’m spending most of the next summer there doing a whole month.
Tomorrow morning, we leave for a five-day road trip. We hit St. Louis, who won the cup last year, Detroit, and then Washington. Not only will it be hard mentally but it will also be physically grueling. Once I finish my coffee, I get up and walk over to the front door, putting on socks and my sneakers, then walk up the stairs to my home gym. The room has three walls of windows overlooking my backyard, so I grab the remote and open the pull-down shades. I also turn on the television before I climb on the bike.