serious, though. We can’t spend the entire summer in this apartment.”
“We won’t if I get traded.”
Her gaze met his, and he saw the certainty in her eyes. “I hope that doesn’t happen,” she said.
“I know,” Thom said. “And I appreciate everything you’re doing to help me. But I’m not sure I’m ready for another spa day.”
“So, what can we do for fun? There has to be something.”
“Well, I have a cabin up near Mille Lacs Lake. We could go up there for a week.”
“Is there Wi-Fi?” Malin asked.
“There’s no running water, no indoor plumbing and no electricity,” he said.
“I have to be able to do my work. And as much as I’d love to be stranded in the wilderness with you, I require indoor plumbing.”
“All right. We could leave the country. No one would recognize me in Mexico or the Caribbean. We could go to Belize. I’m sure they’d have Wi-Fi at the resorts.”
“Then there’s always Europe,” Malin suggested. “Paris and Rome.”
“Ireland,” Thom said.
“Norway,” Malin added. She drew a deep breath. “But we’re not going to be one hundred percent safe anywhere. All it takes is one person with a cell phone.”
“Would it be so bad if we got caught?” Thom asked.
“Maybe not for me, but believe me, my father would find a way to destroy you.”
“So? I can’t play hockey forever.”
“Why would you want to quit? You have a lot of good years of hockey left.”
“Sure, but I could just as easily be injured and have to quit. No matter what, hockey wasn’t going to be my life.”
Malin ran her fingertips across his chest. “I know how hard it is for some guys. They’ve played hockey for their entire lives. They aren’t prepared or qualified to do anything else. And when it’s all over, their whole world changes. What will you do?”
“Honestly? I’m not sure,” he said.
“Well, I suppose if the whole Supreme Sex God thing works out for you, that’s fine. But aren’t you going to want to get up and have some kind of purpose to your day?”
“I’ll get it all figured out someday,” Thom said. That sounded way more optimistic than he felt. But he wanted to keep his options open. If there was even an infinitesimal chance that Malin would still be in his life, then that changed everything.
“Until then, I have a plan for today. I know a guy who has a private ice arena. Sometimes I use it to train in the summer when I don’t want to go to the team rink. Why don’t we pick up your skates and we’ll go get a little exercise on the ice?”
Malin rolled off him, sitting on her knees, her body still flushed from their early morning activities. “I don’t have skates,” she said. “I don’t really need them since I never learned to skate.”
“Your dad owned a hockey team and he never got you out on the ice?”
“I was a girl. Girls don’t play hockey. At least, that’s what my dad thinks.”
“Girls do play hockey,” Thom said. “And I guess I’m going to have to be the one to teach you.”
“All right. But we’ve got to buy some skates. And I’ll need a stick. And I definitely need a helmet. And lots of padding in case I fall down.”
“We’ll take care of that,” Thom said. “But first, a shower, then breakfast, then skating.”
“I’m excited,” Malin said. “My brothers played hockey and I always wanted to learn. Instead, I got ballet and riding lessons.”
He crawled out of bed and pulled her to her feet beside him. “You can ride a horse?”
“I can ride a horse while it’s jumping over a fence,” Malin said.
Thom wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her close to his body. “Well, that explains everything.”
Malin frowned. “What does it explain?”
He led her to the bathroom, then turned on the shower to warm it up. He sat her down on the edge of the tub and looked at the cut on her head. “Almost healed.”
“What does it explain?” Malin asked again.
“Why you’re so good at
“We won’t if I get traded.”
Her gaze met his, and he saw the certainty in her eyes. “I hope that doesn’t happen,” she said.
“I know,” Thom said. “And I appreciate everything you’re doing to help me. But I’m not sure I’m ready for another spa day.”
“So, what can we do for fun? There has to be something.”
“Well, I have a cabin up near Mille Lacs Lake. We could go up there for a week.”
“Is there Wi-Fi?” Malin asked.
“There’s no running water, no indoor plumbing and no electricity,” he said.
“I have to be able to do my work. And as much as I’d love to be stranded in the wilderness with you, I require indoor plumbing.”
“All right. We could leave the country. No one would recognize me in Mexico or the Caribbean. We could go to Belize. I’m sure they’d have Wi-Fi at the resorts.”
“Then there’s always Europe,” Malin suggested. “Paris and Rome.”
“Ireland,” Thom said.
“Norway,” Malin added. She drew a deep breath. “But we’re not going to be one hundred percent safe anywhere. All it takes is one person with a cell phone.”
“Would it be so bad if we got caught?” Thom asked.
“Maybe not for me, but believe me, my father would find a way to destroy you.”
“So? I can’t play hockey forever.”
“Why would you want to quit? You have a lot of good years of hockey left.”
“Sure, but I could just as easily be injured and have to quit. No matter what, hockey wasn’t going to be my life.”
Malin ran her fingertips across his chest. “I know how hard it is for some guys. They’ve played hockey for their entire lives. They aren’t prepared or qualified to do anything else. And when it’s all over, their whole world changes. What will you do?”
“Honestly? I’m not sure,” he said.
“Well, I suppose if the whole Supreme Sex God thing works out for you, that’s fine. But aren’t you going to want to get up and have some kind of purpose to your day?”
“I’ll get it all figured out someday,” Thom said. That sounded way more optimistic than he felt. But he wanted to keep his options open. If there was even an infinitesimal chance that Malin would still be in his life, then that changed everything.
“Until then, I have a plan for today. I know a guy who has a private ice arena. Sometimes I use it to train in the summer when I don’t want to go to the team rink. Why don’t we pick up your skates and we’ll go get a little exercise on the ice?”
Malin rolled off him, sitting on her knees, her body still flushed from their early morning activities. “I don’t have skates,” she said. “I don’t really need them since I never learned to skate.”
“Your dad owned a hockey team and he never got you out on the ice?”
“I was a girl. Girls don’t play hockey. At least, that’s what my dad thinks.”
“Girls do play hockey,” Thom said. “And I guess I’m going to have to be the one to teach you.”
“All right. But we’ve got to buy some skates. And I’ll need a stick. And I definitely need a helmet. And lots of padding in case I fall down.”
“We’ll take care of that,” Thom said. “But first, a shower, then breakfast, then skating.”
“I’m excited,” Malin said. “My brothers played hockey and I always wanted to learn. Instead, I got ballet and riding lessons.”
He crawled out of bed and pulled her to her feet beside him. “You can ride a horse?”
“I can ride a horse while it’s jumping over a fence,” Malin said.
Thom wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her close to his body. “Well, that explains everything.”
Malin frowned. “What does it explain?”
He led her to the bathroom, then turned on the shower to warm it up. He sat her down on the edge of the tub and looked at the cut on her head. “Almost healed.”
“What does it explain?” Malin asked again.
“Why you’re so good at
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