Awk-Weird (Ice Knights, #2)(38)

“Go through your body from your toes to your eyebrows,” he said, his voice deepening and slowing as if he was already halfway asleep. “Concentrate on that one spot, then move on to the next one.”

She did, and when she got to her fingertips and realized that his were so close, she went with whatever in her gut was telling her to reach out. She curled her pinkie around his. She didn’t make it very much farther up her body. The sound of Cole’s deep breaths along with the heat from his body lulled her into sleep.

It could have been a year or five minutes later when she woke up, disoriented if refreshed and in a little bit of pain because Kahn was playing pounce with her curls and yanking them.

“Have a good nap?” Cole asked, sounding farther away than the next pillow over.

Detangling Kahn from her hair, she sat up. Cole stood at the end of the bed in a navy suit that included a vest. It highlighted the athlete’s perfection of his body and the dark blue of his eyes. He’d left his jaw-length blond hair down, tucking it behind his ears in a way that only seemed to emphasize the squareness of his jaw. Sweet begonias, the way he looked right now was definitely going into the fantasy bank.

“You’re changed.” Oh yeah. Great opening line, Captain Obvious. “You look great.”

“Thanks, the tie was a gift from Mar—a friend.” He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced down at the floor. “There’s a frosted chocolate cupcake in the fridge for after the game.”

Normally, the idea of a double-fudge anything would make her mouth water, but that was so far from what she was hungry for at the moment that it barely registered.

“Good luck,” she said, the words coming out breathy and sleep-roughened.

“I don’t need it.” He gave her a sexy smirk that should be illegal. “I have a system.”

And with that, he was out the door, leaving her still in his bed, not wanting to leave. You better fix that. She did. Not because she wanted to but because it would be really embarrassing if he came back and caught her smelling his pillows, the ones he no doubt had slept on with his more-than-likely-to-be-girlfriend-again, Marti. Tess let out a sigh.

Girl, you are so screwed right now.

…

Still riding the high of a three-nothing win, Cole parked in his driveway hours after the game ended—thank you, post-game interviews and traffic crossing the bridge from Harbor City back home to Waterbury. There was a chocolate cupcake and a giant glass of milk with his name on it waiting for him, but he’d make sure to grab two forks so Tess could have some, too.

When he closed the front door, though, the only one waiting for him was Kahn. The kitten swished his tail and licked what looked like a milk mustache from his tiny snout.

He scooped up the devil’s favorite fuzz ball and started walking toward the living room. “Where’s our Tess?”

Not that she was his Tess. She most definitely was not, which was exactly why that nap this afternoon had been a mistake. There was a power dynamic involved in having her here at his house, and the last thing he wanted was for her to feel like he was taking advantage of that. She didn’t owe him a damn thing—especially not sleeping in his bed—and he sure as hell didn’t want her to feel like she did. Before moving in, she’d set out her guidelines and he was going to respect them.

So when he found her in the living room, curled up on one end of the couch using the armrest as a pillow, he didn’t wake her up. Instead, he stood there in the doorway, watching the game highlights play out on the screen. She must have fallen asleep watching the game. His game. He was halfway to her before he realized it, and that’s when he noticed the blanket pulled up to her chin was the one Christensen and Petrov had given him as a gag gift for moving in. It had a giant picture of him on it, but pulled tight around Tess, it looked like she was wearing his jersey.

Fuck. That was hot.

Despite knowing he should just let her be, he scooped her up off the couch. The blanket fell away, revealing a different oversize sleep shirt from the other day. This one was neon blue and said Pew Pew in the Star Wars font. Her fuzzy socks pulled up to nearly her knees had light sabers all over them. According to conventional wisdom, it was not a sexy outfit. His cock didn’t seem to care, thickening against his thigh when she let out a quiet sigh that tickled his neck.

Tess didn’t open her eyes but snuggled her head against his chest. He didn’t do this. Women didn’t stay overnight at his house. He wasn’t the kind of touchy-feely guy who took care of other people. His entire life had been about making sure that he was using his time and energy as efficiently as possible to make it to the NHL. Everything else was just a temporary good time—except for Marti.

Realization sucker punched him on the jaw.

That was the first time in days he’d even thought about the woman he’d planned on being his forever. Up until this moment, he’d figured they’d get back together just like they always did because that’s what they did—it was their routine. But right now, right here with Tess in his arms and that damn cat of hers winding a figure eight around his ankles? Marti felt like his past, one he’d remember with a smile, but definitely not part of his future. Not anymore.

He had no fucking clue what to do with that little reality check.

“Good game,” Tess said, the words seeming to barely make it out of her mouth as she hooked her arm around his. “Tried to stay up, but growing a baby is exhausting.”