Wild Zone (Rough Riders Hockey 4)

, and when he returned, she lay exactly where he’d left her. He laughed softly and put one knee on the bed beside her.

“What?” she asked.

“You haven’t moved.”

“I can’t.”

The bathroom light cast a glow over the room, and the sight of her pale hair against the white sheets created a soft spot beneath his ribs. He couldn’t see the details of her face, but he could see the oval shape, the way her features cast delicate shadows. Once he’d realized she’d modeled, he’d known her face was as gorgeous as her body. That combined with the fact that he was still so well-known turned the soft spot brittle.

But she didn’t want to see him again, so it was a nonissue.

Trying to let it go, he leaned over her and kissed her lips. “I guess you’ll just have to stay, then, won’t you?”

She reached up and combed her fingers through his hair. “I’d love to. If I didn’t have a customer fitting tomorrow, I’d change my plans.”

“Can’t you reschedule?”

“No. She’s in a wedding this weekend.”

Damn.

“You probably want to get out of this.” Jax took the cuff of one jacket sleeve and tugged. She groaned and pulled her arm out. Jax reached for the other cuff and leaned over her, bracing himself on the bed. His hand pressed against a corner of his jacket, over something hard and cylindrical in the pocket. “What’s this?”

Lexi’s hand covered his, feeling around.

“Oh.” She pushed her hand into the pocket and drew something out. “That’s your second surprise.”

“More like my tenth surprise. You’ve been delivering one beautiful surprise after another since you walked in.” Jax sat back on his heels. “And I can’t wait to hear what this is.”

She pressed a small bottle into his hand. “Massage lotion.”

He hummed at the pleasurable thought.

“Give me a little time to rest,” she said, her voice languid, “and I’ll work out some of your sore muscles.”

Jax turned the bottle in his hand. “I have heard it called a love muscle before, but I happen to know it’s not in the muscle group.”

Lexi slapped his hand and pulled the bottle away, laughing. “It’s not for that. It’s for your shoulders and your legs. Aren’t they sore after swinging a sword and riding a horse all day?”

He lifted her upper body from the bed to drag the jacket from beneath her, then tossed it aside.

“Really?” he said, sliding onto his side next to her, propping his elbow on the bed and his head on his hand. He spread his free hand flat over her belly. “Sure you weren’t trying to get a massage out if it yourself?”

“Smell it,” she said, pouring some on her hands and lifting them to his face. “If it was for me, I wouldn’t get something that was going to make me smell like a guy.”

“Smells good.” Warm, spicy, sultry.

“And it’s edible,” she said, her voice lowering with insinuation. “But I don’t like massages, so I’ll be doing the tasting.”

Warmth flowed into his cock again. “What? Who doesn’t like massages?”

“I’m ticklish, remember? And I don’t like having a stranger’s hands on—” She stopped suddenly, leaving the sentence hanging there in the dark. Then she laughed. “Well, that’s a pretty ridiculous thing to say, considering…”

A place deep in Jax’s belly softened. He slid his hand to the opposite side of her waist and pulled her close until they were skin to skin.

She flinched, squirmed, laughed. “See?”

Jax laughed and rolled to his back, taking her with him. He found more ticklish spots on her sides, and she laughed, screamed, wiggled. She was breathless when he finally stopped tickling her and draped her body over his, heavy and relaxed.