by Avery Flynn
“It didn’t bother you that they posted a very personal moment between you and those two women?”
“Wasn’t that personal. I was fucking them.” His response was blunt and to the point. “I was having a good time, thought they were having a good time. No, I didn’t know about the camera. Wouldn’t have agreed to the camera. But once it happened and they released it, there was nothing else I could do about it. People want to give me crap for that? Whatever. I fucked two women, I didn’t kill any puppies.”
It absolutely fascinated her how steady and even his voice remained. “But that’s not the whole story is it?”
He didn’t say anything, but he gave her side eye for a moment. Finally, he shrugged and blew out a breath. “They went the blackmail route first. Tried to extort some money from me…and from my family. If I’d wanted to, I could’ve paid to suppress it.”
“But you didn’t. Not because of embarrassment, public or otherwise, but because they betrayed your trust. You weren’t going to reward them for that.” Why she suddenly felt the need to share her insight, she couldn’t quite explain, but it fit him. It fit the man she’d been getting to know.
“More or less, and my family they took it well. I told them I was going to do it. I would take the hit and the press and let it go. When people asked me about it, I told him the truth. Just like I told you right now. Makes it hard to question or cast a naughty, scandalous light over something I’m not ashamed of, isn’t it?”
All at once, everything he’d been telling her, all the advice he’d given and demonstrated, coalesced. “My struggle over all of this about my brother isn’t because the press keeps asking me or because my family is not telling me anything. It’s because I am embarrassed.”
“Bingo. And you have the right to be embarrassed. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Sometimes, we feel like the scale used to judge us is one we had no involvement in constructing. But the worst judge of us? The absolute worst judge is ourselves. Doesn’t matter whether you think your brother’s innocent or guilty, the accusation stains you, if you let it.”
“If I let it. Which I am, because I’m running away.” Indecision and anxiety began to do a do-si-do in her gut.
“Strategic retreat is not running away. Right now, I agree with what my publicist told me. Your so much chum in the water.”
What the hell? He talked to his publicist about her? “Why are you talking your publicist about me?”
“Because she was the one to tell me I needed to get the hell out of your orbit. She worried being around you might suck me back down into the vortex of bad news cycles she’s been working overtime to get me out of. This because I didn’t care about the hole the video sank me into. I’ve got something of a reputation, and it was affecting the team, and it’s been affecting the owners, and it’s been affecting the press reception. After the win, I promise to clean it up, not because I give a damn, but because the team does.”
She chewed the inside of her lip as she pondered that revelation. “Are you really this good of a guy?”
“I’m just a guy, sitting with a girl, hoping she won’t mind that I don’t have a pristine reputation or the best luck where women are concerned.”
She gave him high marks for the delivery and for the content. “Well, you must be doing something right.” At his raised eyebrows, she said, “I’m in the car, aren’t I?”
Before he could respond, the radio announced the next song up was hers, and she groaned. Archer gave a fist pump.
“I am definitely doing something right.” Then she was singing, belting out about candy land on the radio. Oh, she could just crawl under the seat and die.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the most embarrassing part. Within the next thirty seconds, Archer began to sing along and she couldn’t help but laugh. The man was adorable. Sexy. Fierce.
And, if she were being totally honest with herself, perfect.
“Starwatch update! After the holiday special she was filming went on hiatus, Hoshi Sato canceled her appearance on Late Night with Arnold. Sources tell me, Sato didn’t just retire quietly to her hotel. Instead, she’s escaped the city with none other than the playboy prince of the ice, Archer Durham. Has our bad boy won the good girl’s heart? Or will this be the next video we see making the rounds? Stay tuned for more updates.” –ACE news clip
The information Felicity sent him about the lodge in the Adirondacks didn’t do it justice. She’d also been right about the hotel looking a lot like the one in Virginia where they filmed Dirty Dancing.
Archer checked them into the suite. He confirmed it had two bedrooms, a sitting room and more then sent up their luggage. Meanwhile, Hoshi stood on the deck, staring at the tranquil valley spreading out around them. Dressed in jeans, a tank top, and sandals, she made casual chic. She’d left her hair free, and it hung to her mid-back…
Stunning didn’t begin to cover it, not when the breeze lifted her hair and tendrils of it danced away from her. A pair of sunglasses hid her eyes from him, but he’d gotten pretty good at reading her body language. Arms folded, she seemed a million miles away and unapproachable.
“Just looking at this place makes me feel like I should do the merengue,” he teased her, hoping to pierce her silent funk. In all likelihood, she was thinking about her brother, her family, and their issues.
When her only response was a slight, polite smile, Archer shook his head. No way was he going to let the problems of everyone around them drain all the fun out of their escape. Not for her and not for himself.
“I have an idea,” he said, extending a hand to her.
She didn’t hesitate to take his hand but when he tugged her away from the hotel and toward the hiking path, she gave him a curious look. “Where are we going?”
“Trust me?” He could tell her, but it might spoil the fun and give her more time to formulate a reason why they shouldn’t. Sometimes, the best way to survive the unthinkable and all the stress was to simply live in the moment. To take joy where they could find it.
“Yes.” The single yes elevated his mood from determined to unstoppable. He wouldn’t let her down.
“All right, then, come on.” Hand-in-hand with her, he followed the trail. The receptionist at the desk had shown him a map of the many tranquil lakes in the area, including two cleared for swimming. She warned him they’d be a bit chilly, but they were perfectly safe and, even better, they had no fish in them or any other slimy things that might make Hoshi squeamish.
He had to give it to her, she was a total trooper. She followed him all the way to the lake without complaint. When they got there, he let out a grunt of satisfaction. They were totally alone. After giving her hand a quick squeeze, he released her then tugged his shirt off and tossed it onto a rock. Next went his shoes, then he reached for the belt of his jeans.
“Excuse me?” Hoshi’s voice carried a treble of nervousness. “What are you doing?”
“I’m stripping then I’m getting in that water. I’ll wade out there ‘til I’m waist deep and you’re gonna come join me working to do the lift.”
“I’m sorry the what?”
“The lift. From the movie.” At her blank look, his heart sank. “Come on, you can’t be perfect if you tell me you have never seen this movie. I can’t begin to describe the level of disappointment I will feel in your gender.”
Her sudden burst of laughter was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds. “Of course I’ve seen the movie. Every girl in my high school has seen it. I had to go to a friend’s house to watch, but I did see it. And I had you.” She cackled and pointed a finger at him.
Archer chuckled and shook his head. “Brat.”
“That’s Ms. Brat to you.” She corrected primly then toed off her sandals. “I think the bigger question is why did you see it?”
“Chick flick, got laid. Why else would I see a movie like that?”
Hoshi giggled again. “Believe it or not, that actually makes me feel better.”
“Why is th
at?” Archer got all the way down to his skivvies, feeling both awkward and great to be in the sunshine while wearing nothing more than pair of cotton briefs. And he should enjoy the heat while it lasted, because that lake was not going to be warm.
“Because I’m sitting here entertaining lascivious thoughts about your body. If you told me you saw the movie with your mother, I’d feel like a perv.” The unvarnished admission pulled him around and he stared. She stood as she peeled down her jeans. Beneath them she wore a pretty pair of red lacy panties. They were decadent and completely at odds with everything else about her personality.
He loved it.
“Please, perv on me some more.”
She laughed then shook her head. “In the water with you and your nice little friend there.”
He didn’t have to look down to know she’d noticed the stiff posture of his cock. He was well aware of the erection he sported. “Yeah, that’s gonna be all over for me when I get in that water.”
“It was your idea,” she reminded him but she grinned, engaging with him and not lost in her troubles. A little ice on his balls wasn’t gonna kill them.
He hoped.
Never one to miss an opportunity, though, Archer paused long enough to lean into her comfort zone and press a sweet, if chaste kiss, to her lips. She blinked then rose up on her tiptoes to cradle his face. She returned the kiss, though hers was certainly less chaste than his, and it required every ounce of his willpower to keep from pursuing. The need to devour her devious little mouth to a rather enjoyable conclusion for them both challenged his willpower. Forcing himself to back away, he shook his head. “You’re mean.”
“I’ve never thought of myself as mean. Mean would be giving you the kiss to see if it would have any real effect,” she said casually then dipped her gaze rather deliberately. The open playfulness astounded him, but why not? They’d stolen away somewhere private, no cameras, no other people, and no real lives to deal with. Right now he wasn’t a hockey player and a distant member of a royal family, and she wasn’t a pop princess and the worried sister of a criminally charged brother.
They were just Archer and Hoshi—and it was the best feeling he’d ever experienced, damn near close to the day the team took the Cup.
“I’m very happy to see that you did have a reaction, but as I was saying—mean would be kissing you then doing this…” She lunged forward and gave him a shove. He wasn’t off balance, and she didn’t have near the body weight to take him down, but they were playing, so Archer let himself stumble into the water. The icy splash may have shrunk the family jewels a bit, but it did very little to dampen his ardor. Standing knee-deep in the water, he laughed.
“Good point. If you were that mean, I’d be forced to retaliate. Something like this.” He scooped up icy water and flung it at her. It had the desired effect of soaking her tank top, which immediately clung to her pert little breasts and revealed the pebbled tips of her nipples stiffening at the chill of the water. But he was a good boy, he only peeked before meeting her gaze.
“Are we going to be bad, Archer?”
So many levels to that question and so many layers of meaning.
“I’m game if you are.” He curled his fingers beckoningly. “Come on, let’s go do this lift.”
“I’m so gonna regret this.” She rushed forward, splashing into the water next to him. By her second step, she squealed. Laughter welled up from within him, rumbling in his chest and shaking free all the anxieties and troubles of the preceding months.
Hand in hand, they waded deeper into the water. She kept laughing harder and squealing and then they were hanging onto each other to stay on their feet.
“Okay, maybe one lift,” he told her. “Then we run back to the room, and I’m turning up the fire and we’re getting some hot cocoa.”
“Deal.” Her teeth chattered. When he was deep enough that he wouldn’t worry about her tumbling, he turned and put his hands on her waist. She was as light as a feather, and it took no effort to hoist her up into the air. She let out a whoop as she flung her arms wide and he tilted his head back, admiring the grace and the beauty as she balanced over his head, until she fell and they both splashed into the water.
Spluttering, they emerged. But their laughter was unabated.
They tried the lift a dozen more times, and it didn’t matter how cold they were or how blue her lips seemed to turn or how certain he was that his balls would never crawl down out of his body—he couldn’t imagine a better time.
Thirty minutes after they’d surrendered the battle with the cold water, Archer rubbed his hands together in front of the fire. The hotel offered thick, fluffy robes and he’d wrapped in his after a hot shower. Hoshi was still in hers, so he took the time to order some food, hot chocolate and get the fire going.
As far as suites went, theirs was luxurious. Apparently, Felicity had decided to go big or go home. He’d have to remember to send her flowers or something as a thank you. The option of two bedrooms set Hoshi totally at ease when they entered, and the large sitting room with the wide sofa and plush cushions was perfectly placed to let them enjoy the fire and the view.
The view really was stunning. They didn’t overlook any common area of the hotel; instead, the mountains and nature filled the horizon. A quiet knock on the door announced room service’s arrival and he let them in, then tipped them well to leave the table and go.
Hoshi stepped out of her bedroom as soon as the door closed. Like him, she’d taken advantage of the hotel’s robes. Toweling her damp hair, she looked past him to the table. “I thought I heard the door.”
A rose cast touched her cheeks, and her dark eyes seemed to shimmer with a brightness all their own. He’d seen her dressed to the nines in a stunning purple gown, rocking out in her tights and neon headband, and relaxed in jeans and a tank top—not to mention soaking wet in a too thin tank and lacy panties…but this was his favorite.
“What?” She paused mid motion to study him. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Cause you’re beautiful, and you’re genuine…and I think I’m falling in love with you.” The admission cost him nothing to share and yet seemed to commit everything. She froze, a deer in headlights, and he fought taking it personally.
“Guys never say it first.” The choked words sounded hard for her to squeeze out.
“I don’t care about other guys,” he said with a shrug. “I know me. I know who I am…I know what it is to be alone, and to be in lust, or to just have a crush. You’re so much more.”
He’d always been an all-in kind of guy. Once the words came out, he didn’t try to stuff the genie back into the bottle.
“Hungry?” He motioned to the table. “I got one of everything on the menu and, as promised, hot cocoa.”
“Am I hungry?” Her mouth opened, and she dropped the arm holding the towel.
“Well, if you’re not, don’t worry, we have a microwave…” He didn’t get to finish the sentence, because suddenly he had his arms full of an angry five-foot woman. “Hoshi?”
“You don’t say you might be falling in love with me then ask me if I’m hungry!” Outrage populated every syllable.
Amused by her fiery response, he slid his arms around her, then lifted her off the ground. It made it easier to meet her gaze at his eye level. “No?”
“No.” She looped her arms around his neck.
“I apologize for the misstep. What should I have said?” Brows raised, he knocked the puck back to her. Would she wing it for the goalie or serve it back?
“I—”
“You,” he supplied helpfully.
“I don’t know, but…” Her expression crumpled. Archer walked over to the sofa he’d admired earlier and sat. It took little to no coaxing to settle her on his lap or to wrap her in his arms. The embrace seemed the most natural choice in the world. “I’ve never been in love.”
“No?” He tilted his head so he could study her expression. “Not even puppy love?”
&nbs
p; “No, not really. I’m pretty sure I’ve had a crush, and I’m pretty sure I know what lust is.” The crimson in her cheeks betrayed her innocent yet sensual admission for what it was.
“Yeah, I got the hots for you, too, babe. We’ll get back to that.” The tease worked. She laughed and finally met his questioning gaze. “You’ve never been in love? Not ever?”
“Nope. I sing about it. Read books about it…but I’ve never had the breathless feeling like I get when I’m with you. Or do crazy things like lifts in a freezing lake or run away to the mountains with the perfect stranger.”
“We’re not perfect strangers.” Not anymore.
“No, I mean—you. You’re perfect. Of all the people I could have met, and have met, you are perfect.” She placed her hands against his cheeks and he was profoundly grateful the robes were thick. His cock had well recovered from the frigid play.
“Telling you I’m falling in love with you doesn’t demand a response.” The last thing he wanted her to feel was pressured to give in to him on anything if she wasn’t ready. He’d block the world for her, cock blocking himself was nothing.
“I know. You’ve asked me for little and given me so much.”
“I gave you a couple of rides.” Hero worship wouldn’t do it for him either.
Hoshi snorted then captured his right hand. Lifting it to her lips, she kissed one of his still bruised knuckles. Hell, he’d all but forgotten the damage he’d done to them. “You punched the reporter.” She moved her lips to the second knuckle. “You took me out on a wonderful date.” At his third knuckle, she stole a look up at him. “You played white knight to get me to where I needed to be safely.” On the last knuckle, she sighed. “You listened to me, without telling me what I had to do, only ever offering advice and experience.”