Page 26 of Game Changer (Wynn Hockey #5)

Jax

We spend the next few days touring around the park. We wander out onto the pier to gaze at the water, walk the town and explore the shops, which delights Molly, and swim in the lake, which does not delight Molly.

“Holy shit, this water is cold!” she squeals on our first venture in.

“Yeah.” I grin. “It takes a hardy soul to swim in Clear Lake.”

“I’m hardy.”

I raise an eyebrow. Luckily it’s a hot day, so we’ll warm up fast when we come out. She’s only in up to her knees. “I’ll help you…” I start toward her purposefully.

“Okay, fine.” She plunges in.

I laugh and follow her. Oh yeah, the cold water takes my breath away. “You get used to it,” I tell her when we both surface, reminding myself too.

“If you say so.” She sets out swimming in an attempt to stay warm, I think. “Are all Canadian lakes this cold?”

“No. This one is cold because it’s so deep. It’s also very rocky, which is why it’s so clear.”

Of course I have to dive deep and grab her foot to try to drag her down. I already know she’s a good swimmer. She fights me, laughing, and I end up with her in my arms, both of us wet and slippery and staring at each other. Suddenly the water doesn’t feel cold anymore.

We separate at the same time, forcing laughs, and head back to the beach to lay on our towels and warm up in the sun.

July 1 is Canada Day, so there are all kinds of activities going on to celebrate.

We listen to music at the bandstand, dancing in the crowd, bare feet on the grass, then sit on a blanket near the beach to watch the fireworks set off on the end of the pier explode into color and light over the dark lake.

I find Molly’s enthralled face almost more entertaining than the pyrotechnics, and she leans her shoulder into mine at one particularly breathtaking display.

I slide my arm around her, holding her there.

I know I shouldn’t. But she doesn’t move away.

Every nerve ending in my body is on alert with her next to me, her hand on my knee, her smile glowing as bright as the fireworks. I want to lower her to the grass and kiss the breath out of her beneath the sparkling sky.

And when they’re done, we gather up our stuff and as we trudge across the lawn in the dark I hold her hand so as not to lose her in the crowd.

Back at the cottage, we go to our separate rooms. It’s getting harder and harder to do that.

She told me she missed sleeping with me.

Christ, I miss it too, except I want so much more than just sleeping with her.

It’s becoming torturous, and I almost regret inviting her to come here with me, except that if I hadn’t, she wouldn’t be here, and well, it’s tough to regret being with Molly.

She’s like sunshine and glowing flames and starlight.

I love how happy she is about everything I show her, full of questions and appreciation for the history and the beauty of this place that’s so special to me.

It’s not new or fancy, but it’s comfortable and familiar.

Tomorrow I have something special planned, if the weather cooperates.

And it does.

“We’re going out later,” I tell her after dinner the next evening. “So don’t fall asleep.”

She tilts her head and gives me side-eye. “You told me no late-night parties.”

“Ha ha. It’s sort of a party. Dress warm and bring the bug spray.”

“Hmm. I’m curious.”

We’re watching TV, thanks to the satellite I installed on the roof a few years ago. I check a sports news channel, because as of yesterday, the free agency period began.

“Holy shit.” I stare at the TV and the news that two of my teammates, Olaf Pilkvist and Gabe Gandy, who are unrestricted free agents, have signed big contracts with other teams.

“What?”

Molly understands how it works and we discuss it. “We knew the team couldn’t keep all of us because of the cap. But they let Pilker and Gander go.” I shake my head.

“That’s good news for you, right?”

“Maybe?” I’d like to think so. “That definitely frees up cap space.”

Gander is one of my best buddies on the team. This sucks. But it’s a business.

I head into the bedroom to grab my phone so I can text my former teammates my congrats.

These sound like great deals, especially for Gander, who’s a fourth-line winger.

He played great for us last year, but I think it had more to do with his linemates than his own talents.

Not being snarky, just realistic. Fans love him, though, because he’s gritty, so it’s kind of a loss for the team.

As we continue to watch TV, Molly dozes off. I let her sleep because it has to be really dark before we go. And I kind of like watching her sleep, admiring the smooth curve of one cheek, the shape of her lips, her bright silky hair spread on the dark cushion.

When I nudge her awake later, she’s a tad grumpy.

“What?” she mumbles. “What are you doing?” She frowns blearily at me. “What’s going on?”

“We’re going out, remember?”

“Ugh. I don’t want to. I just want to sleep.” She closes her eyes again.

“Come on. It’s the perfect night for it.”

She grumbles but hoists herself off the couch, wiping her mouth. “I think I was drooling.”

“Maybe a bit.” She wasn’t.

She trudges into the bathroom, then the bedroom, returning dressed in long pants, socks and a hoodie. I’ve already changed and have a big duffel bag packed with the things we need.

“Where are we going?” she whines as we climb into the car.

I have to smile. “You’ll see.”

A few minutes later I pull into the gravel parking lot of the Cove. I haven’t brought Molly here yet. It’s an open area for boat launching, which of course is not happening at this time of night. We’re the only ones here.

I lead her out onto one of the docks. It’s a floating dock and it rises and falls gently beneath us.

I drop the bag and pull out a double sleeping bag. I spread it on the wooden surface and pull out two cushions then the thermos of red wine and a plastic container of crackers and cheese.

“A late-night picnic?” She sits beside me on the sleeping bag.

“Sort of.” The distinctive odor of Deep Woods Off reaches my nose. Not Molly’s usual perfume, but she’s still sexy.

“I am kind of hungry.” She reaches for a cracker.

I pour wine into a plastic glass and hand it to her.

“Thank you. This is…fun?”

I grin. “Look at the stars.”

She tips her head back and gazes upward. Above us, the Milky Way shimmers. Thank God it’s a clear night. “Wow,” she says slowly. “Look at them…so many…”

“Yeah.” I lay down, shoving a cushion under my head. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

“You don’t see stars like this in the city.” Then she swats at her face. “Damn.”

“I thought you sprayed yourself.”

“I did. They’re coming for my face.” She pulls up the hood of her sweatshirt and tightens the drawstring around her face so all I can see is her eyes, nose and mouth.

I can’t help the snort of laughter that bursts from my lips.

“What?” she glares at me.

“You look cute.”

“By cute, you mean stupid. I don’t care.” She too lies back.

She really is adorable.

“Look over there.” I point across the lake. “See that faint glow?”

“Yes.”

“That’s the Northern Lights.”

“That’s kind of disappointing.”

“Just wait. Hopefully it will get better.”

The pale gray haze just above the far shoreline of the lake shimmers and shifts.

“I saw a falling star!” Molly points. “I have to make a wish.”

My heart squeezes and I smile. “What did you wish for?”

“I can’t tell you that! It has to be a secret.”

“Ah.” Then a faint green line appears along one edge of the gray haze. “Look now.”

“Ohhhh.” Molly’s wide-eyed.

The green intensifies, moving and changing shape, so slowly and faintly.

“This is amazing!” Molly whispers to the dark sky.

We lie on the dock and watch as the lights grow bigger and deeper green against the indigo sky.

“It’s like magic,” Molly murmurs.

“Like snow.”

She turns her head and our eyes meet, her face shadowy in the dark. “Yes.”

My hand finds hers and I curl my fingers around it.

We watch the lights change and glow, then Molly shivers. “I’m getting cold.”

“That’s why I brought a sleeping bag. Move off for a sec.”

I pull back the top layer.

She looks from the sleeping bag up to my face, then back down. Then she crawls inside. I join her, tugging up the zipper on my side.

It’s a double sleeping bag but it’s not roomy, so her body is right next to mine. She’s still shivering. I move closer and slide an arm under her cushion. “You need to warm up.”

“Yes,” she whispers, turning into me.

That morning in California, we woke up like this. But now we both know exactly what we’re doing.

We gaze up at the sky, the entire circumference of the lake ringed with shimmering blues, greens and white.

“Don’t you wish you were taking pictures of this?” she asks softly.

“Sort of. But it would take a lot of work. I’d need a tripod. And then…I wouldn’t be holding you.”

I feel the change in her, the vibration, her body very still. Then she moves her head to look at me. “Jax?”

“Yeah?” I tuck a strand of hair under her goofy-looking hood.

“I like you holding me.”

My body explodes with heat, every nerve ending on alert. Fire burns beneath my skin.

“I want to kiss you, Molly.” Now I touch my fingertip to her mouth.

Her eyes are big and shiny. I wait, giving her a chance to object. But her lips part and she whispers, “Do it.”

A groan rumbles up from my chest. I lean in and brush my mouth over hers.

Softly. Once, Twice. The third time I linger, opening my mouth on hers.

She responds immediately, a small whimper in her throat.

I lick over her bottom lip, then inside as I deepen the kiss.

Her tongue slides against mine, tasting of red wine and sweet woman.

God. God. We’re doing this. Fucking finally .

In the back of my brain I know it’s a bad idea. I know the problems this could cause. But I can’t stop.