“We only ordered one pitcher.”
“What?” Megan glanced at Zach, wondering if he was teasing her. No, he wasn’t. And he was sliding his chair closer to Travis—away from Jason. “Haley said—oh.”
Megan looked over her shoulder, searching for Haley, but she hadn’t come back. Had she really messed up the order? Or had she asked for a second pitcher for another reason?
Knowing Haley, she’d ordered it for another reason. And knowing Haley, she knew exactly what that reason was.
Megan turned back, kept her gaze averted as she placed the second pitcher and the glasses on the edge of the table. “She must have made a mistake. No worries, the second pitcher is on the house.”
“You sure that’s not meant for him?” Zach laughed and nodded toward Jason. Megan refused to look at him, refused to acknowledge him.
“Well, if your teammate is thirsty, I guess it is.”
“That’s not what I meant. I meant are you sure Haley didn’t plan to pour it over his head?”
“I have no idea what Haley meant. You can ask her when she comes back.” Megan kept her smile in place, her cheeks hurting from the effort, and grabbed the tray.
“Maybe you should do it.” The voice was warm, deep, tinged with something that sounded like regret. She told herself not to look at him. To just walk away and ignore him. But she looked anyway, thinking she would just give Jason a brittle smile, letting him know she didn’t care he was here.
She should have never looked. His eyes caught hers, those clear glacier-blue eyes that she would never lose fascination with. Warm, intense. Too intense. A shiver ran along her spine, causing her skin to pebble. Not from ice. No, his gaze was anything but cold. It seared her, igniting a flame deep inside her that crept along every nerve. Spreading out, warming her.
She caught her breath and tried to look away, lowered her gaze and gasped. Her eyes widened, then narrowed in confusion—and disbelief. Her hand shot to her throat, her fingers catching the leather cord wrapped around her neck, feeling the cool metal of the engraved disc hanging from the necklace.
The exact same necklace that Jason was wearing.
Her gaze shot to his, filled with silent question. He’d had one made to match hers? But why?
Don’t read into it.
The thought ran through her mind, over and over. But it was so much easier said than done.
He shifted in the chair, his gaze still holding hers as he leaned forward. “Go ahead. Do it.”
Do it? Do what?
He nodded, pointing to the pitcher of beer sitting in front of him. “I deserve it. I deserve a lot worse. And we both know that’s what Haley was going to do.”
Was he serious? No, he was insane. She was not going to pour a pitcher of beer over his head. She shook her head, tried to look away. “I have no idea what she was going to do.”
She swallowed, started to turn away, needing to get away from them, from Jason. But he called her name, his voice a little rough, absent of any teasing.
“Megan. Please.”
She froze, closed her eyes against the sudden burning, then sucked in a huge gulp of air. She would turn around, try to give him a smile, tell him…something, she didn’t know what.
But when she turned around, he was no longer sitting. He was standing, mere inches away from her. So close that if she leaned forward, just the tiniest bit, her mouth would be against his chest. She took a hasty step back and would have stumbled if he hadn’t caught her arm.
He didn’t let it go.
“Megan. I’m sorry.”
“I—” She swallowed, shook her head, swallowed again. “I need to get back to work.”
“Just give me a minute, okay?”
“I—” She stopped, looked up at him, felt her heart start racing at the heat in his eyes.
“I missed you. I know you probably don’t believe that. And I know it might not make sense, but I’ve missed you. And I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Jason—”
“I want to be with you, Megan. I want to hear you laugh and see your beautiful eyes sparkle. I want to feel your heart beating against mine and feel your breath tickle my skin. I want to hear the little sounds you make when I hold you close. I want—”
“Jesus Christ.” Zach threw his hands up in the air and groaned. “Just fucking tell her you want her and be done with it, will you?”
Jason turned, a scowl on his face. “Fuck you, Mummert. I’m trying to spill my guts here, okay?” He turned back, the frown disappearing. “Where was I?”
“Jason, I—”
“I want you, Megan. No, that’s wrong. I need you. I need you. I don’t know where this might go, but I’m willing to try. Aren’t you?”
“Jason, I—” Megan swallowed, squeezed her eyes closed for a brief second, searching for courage, searching for the words she needed to say. “I don’t belong in your world. I never will.”
“My world?” He reached out and cupped her chin in his hand, his touch gentle as he tilted her head back. “Megan, I don’t have a world without you. Not one that’s worth being in.”
He leaned forward, touched his lips against her in the sweetest, gentlest kiss she’d ever had. Then he pulled back, his eyes soft and warm. “How about you? Will you take a chance?”
She couldn’t talk, not with the emotion clogging her throat. She could barely see, not with the tears filling her eyes. So she tried to nod but she had trouble even doing that.
But Jason must have seen because he smiled, relief shining in his eyes just before he pulled her into a tight hug and lifted her off her feet. He swung her around as his teammates clapped and groaned, then carefully lowered her and stepped back.
Then, before she knew what he was planning on doing, before she could stop him, he reached for the pitcher of beer and poured it over his head.
She ignored the beer that splashed onto her and clasped her hand against her mouth, her eyes wide in shock. Laughter rang out around them, along with a hearty round of applause and cheers.
“Jason! OhmyGod, why? Why would you do that?”
“Because I deserved it. And because I figured I’d beat Haley to it.” He motioned behind her and Megan turned, laughed when she saw Haley standing behind her, a wide grin on her pale face.
“Smart man.” Haley winked then turned away, a full pitcher of beer in her hand. Megan laughed again and turned back to Jason, squealed when he pulled her into his arms.
Her gaze dropped to his necklace, the one that matched hers. She reached up for it, gently traced the engraved lettering with her finger, then looked up at him. She didn’t have to ask, not when he could see the question in her eyes.
“I had it made. It, uh, it reminds me of you. And it means something. To me.”
She smiled, leaned up on her toes and pressed a kiss against his lip. “To me, too.”
He smiled and claimed her mouth, the kiss searing. Healing. Deep and warm and full of unspoken promises…
For now.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Jason shifted his weight from one foot to the other, nervous energy singing through his veins as they stood in front of the altar, waiting. He raised his hand, ready to pull at the collar of the tux, and felt someone hit him from the side. He turned, saw Harland narrow his eyes and shake his head.
Jason nodded and lowered his hand, then looked over at Zach. “Do you have the rings?”
“Yes, I have the rings. For the hundredth time. Stop asking.”
“Sorry.”
“No you’re not.”
Zach was right: he wasn’t. He was too nervous and excited to be sorry. He shifted his weight again, looked out over the crowd, his gaze scanning the familiar faces.
His teammates: Aaron, Travis, Ben, Nathan. The coaching staff: Bryan Torresi and Arnold Kroncke and Nelson Richards. Alec Kolchak, their new goaltending coach, and his wife, AJ and their two kids. Even some of the Banners were here with their wives and girlfriends:
Ian Donovan, Dillon Frayser, Kenny Haskell, Nikolai Petrovich.
His gaze drifted across the other faces, those he knew and those he didn’t, and came to a stop on Tyler Bowie. He narrowed his eyes, felt the familiar twinge of year-old anger and told himself now wasn’t the time.
Then the music changed and all thoughts of payback disappeared, pushed away by excitement and anticipation. The doors opened and Jenny walked in, smiling and beautiful.
He felt Zach stiffen beside him, heard his swift intake of breath as Haley came through the doors next. Her wild mane of vibrant red hair was finally tamed, fixed in a subdued style completely at odds were her fiery personality.
Then the music changed again and the doors opened a final time and there was Megan. His love. His life. He didn’t notice the gown, didn’t notice the flowers. He didn’t notice anything except the love shining in her deep brown eyes.
He hurried down the steps of the altar, ignoring Harland’s hiss of warning that he wasn’t supposed to move yet, ignoring the muffled laughter coming from the pews. He didn’t care, just stood there, a wide smile on his face as she came to a stop next to him.
Her father turned and placed a kiss on her cheek then guided her hand and placed it Jason’s arm. Then he placed his own hand next to hers and squeezed, hard, until Jason looked over at him.
“Just remember, I’m still a good shot.”
“Dad!” Megan hissed the warning, choking on her laughter. But Jason wasn’t sure her father wasn’t joking, didn’t want to take a chance. So he nodded, his gaze meeting his future father-in-law’s.
“I won’t, sir.”
Her father grunted then offered him a brief smile before turning to leave.
And then it was just the two of them, alone in the crowd, staring into each other’s eyes as they said their vows. Jason smiled, losing himself in the warmth of Megan’s stare, losing himself in the warmth of her touch and the love in her heart.
“I do. Always and forever.”
Love Fierce.
Forever.
*****
If you enjoyed Playing To Win, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to leave a review. Even a short one helps other readers discover my books—and means so much to me! Thank you!
And be sure to sign up for my newsletter, Kamps’ Korner, for exciting news, sneak peeks, exclusive content, and fun, games, and giveaways! You don’t want to miss it!
Can’t wait for the newsletter? Need to get your fix of hockey, firefighters, passion and news daily? Then please join me and a great group of readers and fans at Kamps Korner on Facebook!
CROSSING THE LINE
The Baltimore Banners Book 1
Amber “AJ” Johnson is a freelance writer who has one chance of winning her dream-job as a full-time staffer: capture an interview with the very private goalie of Baltimore’s hockey team, Alec Kolchak. But he’s the one man who tries her patience, even as he brings to life a quiet passion she doesn’t want to admit exists.
Alec has no desire to be interviewed—he never has, never will. But he finds himself a reluctant admirer of AJ’s determination to get what she wants…and he certainly never counted on his attraction to her. In a fit of frustration, he accepts AJ’s bet: if she can score just one goal on him in a practice shoot-out, he would not only agree to the interview, he would let her have full access to him for a month, 24/7.
It’s a bet neither one of them wants to lose…and a bet neither one can afford to win. But when it comes time to take the shot, can either one of them cross the line?
Turn the page for an exciting peek at CROSSING THE LINE, available now.
“Oh my God, what have I done?” AJ muttered the phrase under her breath for the hundredth time. She wanted to rub her chest but she couldn’t reach it under the thick pads now covering her. She wanted to go home and curl up in a dark corner and forget about the whole thing.
Me and my bright ideas.
“Are you going to be okay?”
AJ snapped her head up and looked at Ian. The poor guy had been given the job of helping her get dressed in the pads, and she almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Between her nervousness and the threat of an impending migraine, she was too preoccupied to muster much sympathy for anyone else right now.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She took a deep breath and stood, wobbling for only a second on the skates. This was not how she had imagined the bet going. When she cooked up the stupid idea, she had figured on having a few days to at least practice.
Well, not really. If she was honest with herself, she never even imagined that Alec would agree to it. But if he had, then she would have had a few days to practice.
So much for her imagination.
She took another deep breath then followed Ian from the locker room. It didn’t take too long for her gait to even out and she muttered a thankful prayer. She only hoped that she didn’t sprawl face-first as soon as she stepped on the ice.
Her right hand clenched around the stick, getting used to the feel of it, getting used to the fit of the bulky glove—which was too big to begin with. This would have been so much easier if all she had to do was put on a pair of skates. She had never considered the possibility of having to put all the gear on, right down to the helmet that was a heavy weight bearing down on her head.
She really needed to do something with her imagination and its lack of thinking things all the way through.
AJ took another deep breath when they finally reached the ice. She reached out to open the door but was stopped by Ian.
“Listen, AJ, I’m not even going to pretend I know what’s going on or why you think you can do this, but I’ll give you some advice. Shoot fast and low, and aim for the five and two holes—those are Alec’s weak spots. The five hole is—”
“Between the legs, I know.” AJ winced at the sharpness of her voice. Ian was only trying to help her. He had no reason to realize she knew anything about ice hockey, and not just because she liked to write about it. She offered him a smile to take the bite from her words then slammed the butt of the stick down against the door latch so it would swing open. Two steps later and she was standing on a solid sheet of thick ice.
AJ breathed deeply several times then slowly made her way to the other side of the rink, where Alec was nonchalantly leaning against the top post of the net talking to Nathan. They both watched as she skated up to them and came to a smooth stop. Alec’s face was expressionless as he studied her, and she wondered what thoughts were going through his mind. Probably nothing she really wanted to know.
Nathan nodded at her, offering a small smile. She had to give the guy some credit for not laughing in her face when she asked his opinion on her idea. “Well, at least it looks like you’ve been on skates before. That’s a plus.”
AJ didn’t say anything, just absently nodded in his direction. The carefree attitude she had been aiming for was destroyed by the helmet sliding down over her forehead. She pushed it back on her head then glanced at the five pucks lined neatly on the goal line. All she had to do was get one of them across. Just one.
She didn’t have a chance.
She pushed the pessimistic thought to the back of her mind. “So, do I get a chance to warm up or take a practice shot?”
Alec sized her up then briskly shook his head. “No.”
AJ swallowed and glanced at the pucks, then back at Alec. “Alrighty then. A man of few words. That’s what I like about you, Kolchak.” AJ though he might have cracked a smile behind his mask but she couldn’t be sure. She sighed and leaned on her stick, trying to look casual and hoping it didn’t slip out from under her and send her sprawling. “So, what are the rules?”
“Simple. You get five chances to shoot. If you score, you win. If you don’t, I win.” Alec swept the pucks to the side with the blade of his stick so Nathan could pick them up. She followed the moves with her eyes and tried to ignore the pounding in her chest.
She had so much riding on this. Something told her that Alec was dead serious abou
t being left alone if she lost. It had been a stupid idea, and she wondered if she would have had better luck at trying to wear him down the old-fashioned way.
She studied his posture and decided probably not. He had been mostly patient with her up to this point, but even she knew he would have reached his limit soon.
“All or nothing, then. Fair enough. So, are you ready?”
AJ didn’t hear his response but thought it was probably something sarcastic. She sighed then turned to follow Nathan to the center line, her heart beating too fast as her feet glided across the ice. She shrugged her shoulders, trying to readjust the bulk of the pads, and watched as Nathan lined the pucks up.
He finished then straightened and faced her, an unreadable expression on his face. He finally grinned and shook his head.
“I have no idea if you know what you’re doing or not, but good luck. You’re going to need it.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Nathan walked across the ice to the bench and leaned against the outer boards, joining a few of the other players gathered there. AJ wished they were gone, that they had something better to do than stand around and watch her make a fool of herself.
Well, she had brought it on herself.
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, pushing everything from her mind except what she was about to do. When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was on the first puck. Heavy, solid…nothing more than a slab of black rubber…
Okay, so she wasn’t going to have any luck becoming one with the puck. Stupid idea. AJ had never understood that whole Zen thing anyway.
She swallowed and began skating in small circles, testing her ankles as she turned first one way then another, testing the stick as she swept it back and forth across the ice in front of her. Not too bad. Maybe she hadn’t forgotten—
“Sometime today would be nice!”
AJ winced at the sarcasm in Alec’s voice and wished she had some kind of comeback for him. Instead she mumbled to herself and got into position behind the first puck. She didn’t even look up to see if he was ready. Didn’t ask if it was okay to start, she just pushed off hard and skated, the stick out in front of her.
Playing To Win (The York Bombers Book 2) Page 18