Page 5 of Playing for Keeps (Seattle Hawks Ice Hockey #4)

Realization fully dawns on me. “Jade?” I splutter. Now it’s like I’m trying out her name to see how it fits.

I truly think I’m seeing things when it’s suddenly clear Jade Jones is staring up at me.

Jade fucking Jones . Oh fuck.

I open my mouth to say something else, I don’t know what, because the words don’t form quick enough and I end up closing my mouth and swallowing hard.

Did I really just chat up, grope-dance, kiss with-in an inch of my life, and wrap my best friend's little sister around my body? And then pin her with my erection, while contemplating carting her off to a more private venue like my bedroom, or the nearest flat surface?

Her frozen stare is still fixed on me. Her body is still unmoving. Other than her wide eyes, the rest of her features are frozen. All I know is she is blinking in rapid succession and that can’t be good.

“Holy shit, is that really you, Jade?” I hone in on her name for a moment, connecting the dots as my eyes career down her petite frame. I quickly avert them back to safe territory, on her face, where I can really discover her features and take them in. Yep, I’m definitely making the connection now.

My delayed reaction at being faced with little Jade Jones finally causes me to make a quick step back to give us some space. Like a knee-jerk reaction back to reality, my head finally catches up to the severity of this situation, because I shouldn’t be this close to her. Fuck. Double fuck.

Her hands fly up to her face where she leaves them, pressing into her pink cheeks as she gapes at me.

“I’m sorry—I—I.” I don’t know what to say to her, so it comes out in a babble. And I know how fucking lame that sounds. How could I not know?

“Jay,” she finally settles on my name again, her voice calmer this time. I’m not sure how that can be safe territory, but she doesn’t seem to be able to form any other words right now, and I can hardly blame her. I’m struggling as well.

“I had no idea,” I start, badly needing to adjust myself, but I can hardly do it now. “I didn’t see your face properly under the lights, it was so dark. You seemed familiar, but I didn’t know?—”

She’s still standing there with wide eyes, momentarily stunned.

“I didn’t know you were in town,” I continue, like that’s the answer we both need and will iron out this whole mess.

“It was kind of spontaneous,” she finally speaks. “Originally it was only for a few days, but it turned out to be a little longer than I thought. I was going to ask Tanner to flick me your number.”

My hands work their way up to my hair and I grip my dishevelled strands, holding on for dear life. I resist the urge to tug my hair out as I adjust to the idea that Jade Jones is standing in front of me, and I just groped her on the dance floor and have already fucked her in my mind.

“I had no idea. Again, I’m so sorry.”

Her hands finally fall from her face as my eyes coast down at her bunched up tank, her nipples still hard under the fabric.

I clear my throat and quickly avert my eyes.

I don’t know if she’s going to laugh, cry, or maybe even hit me.

I wouldn’t even blame her if she took a swing.

Okay, it took both of us to tango, but still, I feel as her brother's best friend I need to take the load.

“I didn’t know it was you either,” she whispers as we stare at each other.

Even though she isn’t smiling, her eyes are warm and wide open.

I have the urgency to reach up and touch her cheek, but my hands have done enough damage for one night so I let them unfurl my hair, and keep them safely at my sides.

“You seemed familiar too, and I’ve seen you on TV over the years, but not in person for so long. ”

“I guess I’ve changed a little since we’ve seen each other.”

“Yes, a little. But your eyes are the same,” she says. “Now that I’m looking at you properly.”

My eyes flick down to the floor and I’m suddenly hit with an unexpected sound as she suddenly bursts into a fit of laughter. I glance back up and watch her face, feeling my eyebrows knit together, puzzled. For the first time in a long time, I don’t know what to do.

What’s the protocol for this kind of situation?

As a few moments pass by, I can’t help but find the humor and I laugh, too, at the irony of it all as my hand rests next to her head on the wall. Maybe it’s hysteria on my part, I’m not sure what it is on hers.

“What a coincidence,” I finally say when we’ve recovered from our laughing fits.

“I know. What are the chances we’d run into each other like this?”

“Pretty crazy,” I sigh. “It’s so good to see you.”

She smiles, her eyes still managing to shine in the dappled light of the hallway as she straightens herself out. “It’s good to see you, too.”

We stand in awkward silence.

“I think I should go and find my friend before I get into any more trouble,” she says.

I nod, running a hand over my face. My body still feels rigid and the warmth I felt pressed up to her just before still lingers.

“Come on.” I reach down to her hand and wrap mine around it, our fingers curling as we walk back the way we came.

I quickly scan my brain for something coherent I can say for what just happened.

How the fuck did I not know it was her? Am I completely insane?

Okay, I had a few drinks with dinner and I haven’t seen her in a long time, but I’m far from drunk.

I mean, for fuck’s sake. What if we hadn’t bumped into Ulrich?

We would have realized sooner or later, I guess. But still.

“What are you even doing in Seattle?” I ask as we walk back to the bar. I don’t let her go because the place is so full and I don’t want to lose her in the crowd. I’m also not sure if small talk is going to get me out of this, but I’ll give it a try.

“I’m here for work, and to see Beth.”

“Oh, really?” I cock an eyebrow. “And what about your old friend here?”

“You’re included in that as well.” She shoves me in the chest playfully as we find seats at the end of the bar.

A quick glance over to the dance floor shows Jake and Beth are still entwined, unable to take their eyes off or hands each other.

“I was going to surprise you this weekend and see if you were free. Tanner is talking about us taking dance lessons for the wedding, so I thought catching up would be a good idea. We lost touch over the years, so I didn’t have your number. ”

“That’s so cool,” I reply. “About catching up, I mean. But dance lessons?”

Yes, Tanner’s wedding is coming up in early December in Vegas, where his fiancé’s family lives. I’m the best man, and Jade is the maid of honor. It’s the first I’m hearing of dance lessons. That could be a little hard given we live in different cities.

She pops a shoulder and giggles. “Proper dancing, not a grope fest.”

I facepalm myself, no longer able to help it. “Well, this is the first I know about it. And seeing you is definitely a surprise.”

She laughs quietly now, almost shyly, like the reality of her words are just dawning. Grope fest.

“Do you normally let strangers kiss you like that?” I cock my head. I don’t even wanna get into the rest.

She pulls her bottom lip under the perfect row of white teeth, battling a smile. “Do you?” she fires back when she releases it.

I laugh. That’s the girl I’ve always known could be a little feisty given the opportunity, she always was a little infectious, too.

Tou-fucking-che Jade Jones.