Page 22

CHAPTER

TWENTY-TWO

DELANEY

T he Crane Hockey team takes the ice, and my heart stutters.

Max is skating out with that calm, predatory confidence he always seems to carry—but here, in this space, he’s more than just confident. He’s commanding. His presence is magnetic. He doesn’t even have the puck, yet my eyes never leave him.

God, he looks good.

It’s not just the uniform—which, okay, is doing plenty of work—it’s the way he moves.

Smooth. Focused. Completely in control. There’s a split-second moment where he blocks a slapshot, absorbs the hit, spins off the boards, and launches the puck down the ice all before I even realize what just happened.

“Damn,” I whisper.

Caroline coos in agreement, and Iris chuckles. “I knew you’d like it once you gave it a chance.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty addicting to watch. Who knew?”

Max skates back to the bench, jaw tight, sweat dotting his brow as he leans forward and talks strategy with his teammates.

That intensity in his expression, the focus—it does something to me.

Something unexpected. I’ve seen this all before on TV, but witnessing it in person is intoxicating. It’s a whole new experience.

Living with Max allows me to see him in every light—tired, funny, silly, sexy.

I’ve watched him in pajamas, in the kitchen, covered in pureed carrots.

I’ve held his daughter in my arms while he kissed her forehead and hummed her to sleep.

He’s been teasing and competitive during our never-ending game of rummy.

I’ve seen him in so many ways—and not one of them has been disappointing.

But this? This is a different version of him. A more primal version. And I want him.

Not just because he’s hot—which, obviously—but because this man on the ice, this driven, quiet, brilliant player, is the same one who sings Care Bear lullabies and eats dill pickle hummus like it’s gourmet.

It’s all him. Every single version. And suddenly, my chest aches with something bigger than want.

Somewhere in the second period, he takes a nasty hit into the boards, and my breath catches.

I grip a now-sleeping Caroline a little tighter and stand halfway up.

But Max pops back up like it’s nothing, shaking it off and skating away without missing a beat.

My pulse doesn’t settle for several minutes after.

By the time the final buzzer sounds, the Cranes have won by two, and while I still know very little about the game, his defense seems unmatched.

Caroline sleeps in my arms as Iris leads us down to a private area outside the locker rooms. We make plans to get together soon, and she excuses herself, leaving us alone.

I wait, heart pounding. The hallway is quiet, staff buzzing past with gear and equipment, and then—he’s there.

He steps through the tunnel, hair damp from the shower, duffel slung over his shoulder.

His eyes scan the space, and a brilliant smile lights his face when he sees us.

In a second, he’s standing in front of me.

He lifts his hands, cradles my face, and crashes his lips to mine.

I moan into his mouth as our tongues swirl.

Without warning, he pulls away—freezes—and looks around. “Sorry. I was just so happy to see you.”

“It’s fine.” I shrug, not caring in the slightest.

He leans down and gently brushes a piece of Caroline’s silky hair off her forehead and kisses it, careful not to wake her.

“I thought you were coming to a road game in a couple of weeks. I had no idea you’d be here today,” he says, grinning.

“We wanted to surprise you. So I had Iris get permission in a roundabout way. I figured if you didn’t care that we traveled in a couple of weeks, you wouldn’t care if we traveled today.”

“If it means I get to see you, I don’t mind in the least.” He reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, skimming my cheek as he pulls his hand away. The gesture is so innocent and sweet. “You want to get out of here?”

“Absolutely.”

He places his hand behind my back and leads us toward the exit where the driver is waiting. Once we’re in the car, he tells me how adorable Caroline’s outfit is.

“Wait until you see the whole onesie. It was too cold in there, so I had to cover it up, but it has ‘Park’ embroidered on the back,” I tell him.

“Seriously? Ah, that’s the best.” He grins.

“It was really fun to see you play in person.”

“You liked it?”

“Absolutely. I loved watching you.”

“Just me?” He quirks a brow.

“Pretty much.”

Once we’re back in the suite, I hurry to Caroline’s room. She wakes briefly as I change her diaper and slip her into pajamas, but she falls right back to sleep when I place her in the crib. I switch her noise machine to her favorite setting, and to my relief, she doesn’t stir as I exit the room.

The moment I close her door behind me, Max is already there, threading his fingers through my hair and pulling my mouth to his. I wrap my arms around his waist, pressing myself against him, craving the closeness.

I’m more than a little turned on that we’ve reached the stage in this arrangement where we take what we want when we want it.

I was planning to head straight to him after putting the baby down, so this works out perfectly.

All I could think about while Max was on the ice earlier was how much I was looking forward to tonight—to being with him, to feeling him.

Our connection is unmatched, and when we’re together, it’s always explosive.

“I’m so happy you’re here,” he sighs against my lips as his hands begin exploring my body. “I miss you so much when I’m away.”

That last sentence makes me freeze—just for a moment. He says things like that all the time, and I always convince myself he’s talking about Caroline. But this time, there’s no question. He’s not talking about her. He’s talking about me.

The instant his hand slides into my panties, any urge to question it disappears. I give in to the sensation. His finger hooks inside me, pressing against the spot that makes my toes curl, and I start moving against his hand, voicing my pleasure.

Wanting to be closer, I push away and utter a single word. “Clothes.”

He pulls his hand back, and we make our way to the king-sized bed, shedding clothing as we go.

Inside the room, his hands circle my waist, tugging me toward him. That’s when I remembered the email I wanted to show him.

“Wait,” I say, placing a hand on his chest. “I have something to show you.”

He raises a brow, intrigued. I step away, retrieve my phone from my purse, and pull up the results my doctor’s office sent. Holding it out, I flash him the screen. “Looks like I’m in the clear.” I grin. “Have you checked yours?”

His eyes go wide at the realization, and he rushes to his discarded jeans, yanking his phone from the back pocket. His thumbs move across the screen, and then he smiles. “I got it, too.” A few more swipes, and he turns his phone toward me. “We are good to go.”

I throw my arms around his neck and pull him down onto the bed with me. We lie pressed against each other, kissing. At first, I think I’m imagining it—but when the vibration against my palm persists, I pull back.

“Are you trembling?”

“Probably,” Max admits.

“Why?” I cup his cheek with my hand.

“Because I’m so fucking excited. To feel all of you. It’ll be a totally new experience.”

I raise a brow. “Are you telling me you’ve never, not once, done it without protection?”

He shakes his head. “Not once.”

“How is that possible? You have a daughter,” I tease.

“I know. And as I mentioned, her existence came as quite a shock. Her mother and I never went without. I guess that warning on the box about them only being 97 percent effective is true. She fell in that 3 percent.”

“Why now? Why me?” The words leave my mouth before I can stop them.

“Because it’s you.”

His answer sends a rush of warmth through me, and I pull him closer on instinct. He lowers his mouth to mine, and our kiss deepens. Even with our clean bills of health, he doesn’t rush. He kisses, sucks, and caresses every inch of my skin—savoring my body until I’m the one trembling with need.

“Max,” I sigh, no longer able to wait another second to feel him inside me.

“Laney,” he breathes, my name leaving his lips like a prayer.

He straddles me, his hands cradling my face. My mouth falls open with desperate breaths as he slowly inches inside. A smile crosses his face.

He begins to move—and this time, it’s not hard and fast like I usually prefer. It’s slow, measured, and somehow, it feels even better. The realization hits me: Max and I will never be the same. This connection, this moment, it’s something deeper. It’s everything.

And I’m not scared.

That is, until he speaks.

Still holding my gaze, he says, “I love you.”

Now I’m terrified.