A Kiss for a Kiss (All In 4)

“And you don’t think he is.” Jake slips his hand under my hair, and I get a whiff of his cologne. He always smells so good, and the way his thumb smooths up and down the back of my neck makes my toes curl. It’s a welcome distraction from the emotional turmoil.

“Based on what I’ve seen so far, no. We’re usually so open with each other. I wish he’d talk to me.” I lean into his touch.

“Maybe now that you’re here and closer, you’ll be able to have those discussions that weren’t possible with you living halfway across the country. King is always very aware of what other people are feeling, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to upset you, but I think in keeping whatever is bothering him bottled up, it’s doing more damage than good.”

“Maybe he and I should have a lunch date this week. We can have a heart-to-heart.”

“That’s a good idea.” He presses his lips to my temple.

He does that often, and I’ve come to crave it.

He leans back and smiles, his expression both hot and tender. “Can I tell you how glad I am that you’re here?”

“I’m glad, too. And thank you for being so incredibly supportive. I know I’ve been nothing but emotional, and you’re probably pretty tired of tears and hormones.”

“You’re human and you’re making big changes in your life. If you weren’t emotional, I’d have a lot more questions. I know this wasn’t an easy decision to make, and that leaving your family and everything familiar isn’t a small thing, so whatever I can do to help make this transition easier for you, just tell me.”

“Do you think you can stay here tonight? With me?” It shouldn’t be a big thing, but I’m nervous asking, and a kaleidoscope of butterflies lets loose in my stomach. Or maybe it’s JJ moving around in there.

“Of course I’ll stay.” He brings my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Hanna?”

“Maybe you could give me a hand in the bedroom.”

“Unpacking?”

I shake my head no.

A slow, knowing smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “You need some connection and stress relief?” His fingers trail up my arm, causing a wave of goosebumps to break across my skin. “Or are you just looking to cash in on some snuggles?”

I can see the hopefulness mixed with heat in his gaze.

“Can I be greedy and say all three?”

That smile grows wider, and with it, the promise of a perfect distraction. “Absolutely. Anything for you, Hanna. You know that.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The Things That Keep Me Up at Night

Jake

IT DOESN’T TAKE long for Hanna to settle into life in Seattle. It’s made that much easier by Queenie’s enthusiasm and the way the hockey wives fold her into their group. I also sit down with King so we can talk things out. We decide it’s best for him to answer to Alex when it comes to the team, and that I can understand the difficult place this puts him in. He seems receptive, and I have to trust that he’ll tell me if things aren’t okay.

Over the next month, Hanna and I split most of our time between her place and mine, and more often than not, a sleepover ensues.

At this point, I have a small section in the closet at her place for those mornings when I have to go straight to work, and she has the same at mine. Although, she’s working remotely these days, so she only ever really needs to get dressed from the waist up. She’s taken to stealing my grey sweats and letting the waistband sit under her bump. Once all her Zoom meetings are done for the day, she trades her blouses for t-shirts. Half the time those are mine, too.

I don’t know what it is about seeing her dressed in my clothes, but I can’t deny, or hide, how much of a turn-on it is. The parts below the waist find her particularly appealing.

It’s a Saturday afternoon, and I’m working on the schedule for next week while Hanna tackles a few emails. “Are you sure you’re okay with the guys coming over for poker night? I can cancel if you want.”

Hanna doesn’t look up from her laptop, which is perched on the lap pad, her legs stretched out and propped up on the coffee table with a pillow. As usual, she’s wearing a pair of my sweats and a shirt that reads LOADING on it. Queenie bought her the shirt. “You don’t need to cancel. Besides, Queenie’s picking me up in an hour, and we’re heading to Lainey’s for movies and mocktails.”

I flip my pen between my fingers. “Are you going to come back here tonight?”

She stops typing and looks up at me over the rim of her blue light glasses. “I figured I’d go back to my place. Why?”