approval, since she’d left Cloud Spin believing she’d never win that coveted prize. She could have been on the women’s national team, and he probably still would have found fault with her game. It was just his nature.
And probably one reason why she’d chosen a career field so far from what he’d wanted for her.
“So what do you think?” J.C. joined her inside the warming shed where she’d taken a seat to put her foot up. “Are you going to hop on a sled and school those kids in the fundamentals?”
“You’re the NHL player. Isn’t that your job?”
“Nothing will light a fire under their butts to practice like having a girl best them on the ice.”
She rolled her eyes. “Aren’t the younger parents raising a new generation of less sexist kids?”
“Ideally, maybe.” He pointed to the ice where Riley Elliot was racing circles around his friends, his upper body strength allowing him to really shine. “But realistically, those kids are going to practice until midnight after you thoroughly shame them with your wrist shot.”
“Spoken like a disciple of the Walker School of Hard-Assery.” She edged closer to him on the bench, wondering how much time they needed to put in here before she could drag him back to his place and have her way with him.
The past two days had been the most sexually fulfilling of her entire life with twenty-four hour access to all the orgasms she could handle. Which, even with her body on the mend, turned out to be quite a few.
But even more than she wanted to lose herself in him again, she wanted to decorate the Christmas tree. He’d snapped a photo of a pine tree on his property while out on his run the day before. She’d given it the thumbs up and now it sat in the window of his front room, infusing the whole house with the scent of balsam and lifting her spirits considerably.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. But don’t you think all that drive and determination he gave you served you well? Even if you used in a different arena from what he envisioned?”
She shrugged. “I came here to try and improve relations,” she reminded him. “So you’re preaching to the choir. But I can’t fix things between us if he doesn’t show up.”
“You should let me hold you hostage until they get back here.” He spoke the words into her ear, the warmth of his breath against her skin giving the idea sensual implications.
But she didn’t know if she trusted herself to stay beyond Christmas. She already feared feeling too much too fast for a man who’d made it clear his career came before her. That had been true a decade ago, and nothing they’d shared this week—no matter how incredible—did anything to suggest he’d changed.
“I thought you said your team would be calling you any day to start practicing again.” She wondered how much of that was wishful thinking on his part.
“They will.” Straightening, he said it with a fierceness that told her exactly how important it was to him.
As it had always been.
She needed to keep that in mind when her heart started softening toward him. Before she could respond, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out, careful not to drop it since she had gloves on.
“It’s my mom.” Surprise and wariness made her debate answering for all of a second. “Hello?”
“Hi Shea. I’m so glad I reached you. Your father and I have been hearing rumors you came home for the holidays. Are you really in Vermont, sweetheart?”
“I am.” Her eyes followed J.C. as he stood to give her privacy. He moved onto the ice to give one of the bigger boys some pointers. “I was excited to hear you are finally getting your Hawaii trip. Good for you.”
“But we never would have come if we’d known you were even considering a trip to Cloud Spin.” Her mother sounded upset, while in the background of the call, Shea could hear traditional Hawaiian music playing—was that a ukulele that made that sound? “We’ve gotten so
And probably one reason why she’d chosen a career field so far from what he’d wanted for her.
“So what do you think?” J.C. joined her inside the warming shed where she’d taken a seat to put her foot up. “Are you going to hop on a sled and school those kids in the fundamentals?”
“You’re the NHL player. Isn’t that your job?”
“Nothing will light a fire under their butts to practice like having a girl best them on the ice.”
She rolled her eyes. “Aren’t the younger parents raising a new generation of less sexist kids?”
“Ideally, maybe.” He pointed to the ice where Riley Elliot was racing circles around his friends, his upper body strength allowing him to really shine. “But realistically, those kids are going to practice until midnight after you thoroughly shame them with your wrist shot.”
“Spoken like a disciple of the Walker School of Hard-Assery.” She edged closer to him on the bench, wondering how much time they needed to put in here before she could drag him back to his place and have her way with him.
The past two days had been the most sexually fulfilling of her entire life with twenty-four hour access to all the orgasms she could handle. Which, even with her body on the mend, turned out to be quite a few.
But even more than she wanted to lose herself in him again, she wanted to decorate the Christmas tree. He’d snapped a photo of a pine tree on his property while out on his run the day before. She’d given it the thumbs up and now it sat in the window of his front room, infusing the whole house with the scent of balsam and lifting her spirits considerably.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. But don’t you think all that drive and determination he gave you served you well? Even if you used in a different arena from what he envisioned?”
She shrugged. “I came here to try and improve relations,” she reminded him. “So you’re preaching to the choir. But I can’t fix things between us if he doesn’t show up.”
“You should let me hold you hostage until they get back here.” He spoke the words into her ear, the warmth of his breath against her skin giving the idea sensual implications.
But she didn’t know if she trusted herself to stay beyond Christmas. She already feared feeling too much too fast for a man who’d made it clear his career came before her. That had been true a decade ago, and nothing they’d shared this week—no matter how incredible—did anything to suggest he’d changed.
“I thought you said your team would be calling you any day to start practicing again.” She wondered how much of that was wishful thinking on his part.
“They will.” Straightening, he said it with a fierceness that told her exactly how important it was to him.
As it had always been.
She needed to keep that in mind when her heart started softening toward him. Before she could respond, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out, careful not to drop it since she had gloves on.
“It’s my mom.” Surprise and wariness made her debate answering for all of a second. “Hello?”
“Hi Shea. I’m so glad I reached you. Your father and I have been hearing rumors you came home for the holidays. Are you really in Vermont, sweetheart?”
“I am.” Her eyes followed J.C. as he stood to give her privacy. He moved onto the ice to give one of the bigger boys some pointers. “I was excited to hear you are finally getting your Hawaii trip. Good for you.”
“But we never would have come if we’d known you were even considering a trip to Cloud Spin.” Her mother sounded upset, while in the background of the call, Shea could hear traditional Hawaiian music playing—was that a ukulele that made that sound? “We’ve gotten so