Chapter 7
GINA
“Oh my gosh, look at this one!” Haddy calls from where she and Mav are huddled over my iPad Pro screen on the table.
Dinner plates are cleaned, the kitchen is cleaned, and Gavin is on the couch cuddling Lucy as always. The guys have started practicing every day, and hockey season is bearing down on us.
I’m feeling the pressure of honoring my commitment to this calendar on top of organizing a last-minute wedding in two weeks, combined with maintaining my dog duties.
Even though I’ve backed off most of the local judging, I’m still committed to judging the Discover dog show in Hidden Springs this weekend.
At least it’s far enough away that any disgruntled dog owners won’t follow me home to egg the house or fling toilet paper in the trees or put stink bombs in the mailbox.
Walking over to the table, I see they’re looking at the pictures of Gav cradling Peepee on one shoulder and Lucy on the other. With his shirt off, biceps bulging, it is possibly the money shot.
“Ryan is so good at this,” I comment, noticing the way the lighting enhances the lines of Gavin’s muscles as well as the perfectly contented face of his daughter.
“Lucy is the cutest baby.” Mav states it as a fact, which it is. “She’s already photogenic, and she can’t even hold her head up.”
“She inherited it from her mother… and her grandmother… and her great-grandmother…” I tease.
“That’s quite a legacy,” Owen says.
Haddy shakes her head, waving at him. “It’s very fraught.”
“I want to see,” Gavin calls from the couch.
“Do you ever put her down?” I tease, laughing.
“Hockey season is about to start,” he replies. “I don’t want her to forget me when I’m gone all the time.”
Haddy and I exchange a melting look, and she walks over to the couch, leaning down to kiss her fiancé’s forehead.
“That little girl is not going to forget her big teddy bear.” She looks down at the sleeping infant in his arms. “I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t cry every time you’re out of town.”
“You’ll just have to come with me.”
Haddy’s brows rise, and she shrugs. “I don’t see why not. I don’t have school commitments anymore.”
I don’t ask out loud what my cousin is doing now that she’s finished her master’s degree. For so long, she was the science girlie, studying the transmission of viruses through the air.
Then she met Gav, got pregnant, and went on her honeymoon to Japan, where she met her counterpart in studying Kawasaki disease. Since they got back, she hasn’t mentioned what’s next.
Of course, it’s only been a few months—and I’m still thinking she might be the Champions’ newest PR director.
“I know what you mean,” Owen says quietly, and I notice his stance shift. “I used to feel the same way about Maddie, until Heather started helping me.”
“I can’t imagine how you must miss her.” Haddy’s voice is warm.
He changed out of his practice clothes, and now he’s in jeans and the gray T-shirt he had on this morning when we were in the yard taking photos.
The one he pulled over his head in one sweep, leaving his dark hair in a sexy mess. I’m pretty sure Ryan was applying pressure to the situation when he asked me to fix it.
He knew I was dying to thread my fingers through that thick mop. I can attest it’s as silky as it looks, and his body is as gorgeous as I remembered.
The entire photo shoot, my neck was hot and my mouth dry. His biceps bulged, and the muscles in his stomach flexed, his thighs stretched his shorts… the scent of cedar and soap drifted around him in a tantalizing blend.
His skin is smooth, but his chest is dusted with coarse hair because he’s mature. He’s a man. It makes me shiver thinking of pressing my bare skin to his.
“I like this group shot of the four of you,” Mav calls from where he’s still swiping through the proofs. “You’re not trying to steal Spanky from me, are you, Sly?”
“He isn’t.” I walk to the table, giving his arm a playful nudge. “That photo of Spanky over your shoulder is priceless. I’m pretty sure he’s smiling.”
“Can a dog be cocky?” Haddy asks from where she’s sitting beside her fiancé on the couch.
“I don’t know, but Spanky is definitely Mav’s spirit animal.”
“Speaking of spirit animals, look at those two.” Mav nods to where Ladybird is lying inside Spanky’s crate with my dog right beside her.
“Our two rascals.” Crossing my arms, I shake my head. “We should call Ladybird Darla.”
“She’s such a gorgeous dog,” Haddy says, walking over to pet them in the crate. “Have you ever thought of showing her, Owen?”
He rubs a hand over his chin. “Wouldn’t she have to be registered or have papers or something like that?”
“Not always.” I walk over to where Ladybird is watching all of us with perfect doggy posture. “Some shows judge solely on physical characteristics, and she has good ones.”
“I don’t think she’d cooperate.”
“You’re very photogenic yourself.” Haddy’s eyebrow arches as she swipes her finger across the iPad screen. “These are very good pictures of you two.”
We walk over to study the pictures of Owen giving sultry looks at something behind the camera. Prickly heat climbs up the back of my neck when I remember where I was standing as the pictures were being taken. He was looking at me.
Maybe this is the money shot after all…
“I love the way you’re looking at each other in this group shot.” Haddy smiles at me. “You can feel the chemistry through the screen.”
Clearing my throat, I take my iPad from them. “Unless you have preferences, I’ll head up and pick the best ones to send for the calendar.”
“I like them all.” Mav walks over to flop on the couch, scooping up the remote. “Spanky’s my partner in crime.”
I have no idea what that means, but I look over to where Owen is standing at the foot of the stairs watching us.
“Owen?” My voice is soft. “Did you have a preference for pictures? We have the ones of you kneeling, but also the ones of you standing.”
“I do like that one,” Haddy says. “You have very nice hands for a hockey player.”
Owen actually seems a little embarrassed by the compliment, which only makes him hotter.
“I’ll let you decide,” he says, starting up the stairs. “You’re the experts here.”
It’s quiet when he leaves the room. None of my cousins say a word, and I can feel three sets of eyes boring into me. I can also feel the weight of what none of them are saying. It’s clear as day in the pictures, but neither Owen nor I seem ready to acknowledge it.
“Well, I’m heading upstairs,” I finally say, ready to get out of the pressure cooker.
“Have a good night, Gigi.” Haddy’s tone is pointed.
“I always had good luck on that floor,” Gavin adds, doing his best not to laugh.
Maverick is the only one not giving me a hard time, and I can only guess it’s because his eyes are glued to his phone.
I ignore Gav and Haddy’s innuendo, jogging up the stairs just in time to bump into Owen at the top. He’s fully clothed, leaving the bathroom, but he stops when he sees me.
“Hey…” he says quietly. “I had a really good time today. Your friend’s really good at his job.”
“Yeah, he has an amazing eye.”
We hesitate, struggling with all the unspoken words about what everyone could see in the pictures.
“Talking about photogenic, I thought you were really pretty in those pictures today.” His full lips press into a smile, and he melts me with that sexy blue gaze.
“Thank you,” I manage to say, blinking up at him.
Leaning forward, he puts a hand on the doorjamb above me. “I really enjoyed our walk the other day. I like talking to you.”
I lift my chin, getting closer to him. “I like talking to you, too.”
We’re blinking at each other, and that invisible pull is drawing us closer. Chemistry is definitely the word for it. It sparkles in the air around us. The only problem is what to do with it.
“I’m no good at relationships right now.” His voice is low, husky. “I’ve got my daughter and the new season starting. It doesn’t leave much time for anything else.”
My chest sinks, but he’s being honest. I appreciate honesty after my last… whatever it was.
“I know all about hockey players and hockey season,” I say.
“I’m not boyfriend material.” He seems to be struggling with the words.
My jaw tightens, and I don’t know why this makes me angry. “I’m sure you’re not. Why else would you decide I’m interested in you and then get mad about it?”
“I’m not mad.” His voice rises.
“Then why are you shouting?”
“I’m not shouting!”
The click of doggy nails precedes Ladybird bounding to where we are, plowing straight into me, and knocking me into his arms. Again.
I fall against his hard chest with a little oof! And of course, his strong arms go around me, holding me close as he gazes into my face.
We’re both breathing fast, but I won’t fall for a man who plays games. Not again.
“What are you doing?” I try to push away.
“I really want to kiss you right now,” he growls, flexing his fingers against my skin and sending currents of lust through my veins.
Jerking my chin, I meet his eyes head-on. “What’s stopping you?”
The muscle in his jaw moves attractively, momentarily hypnotizing me. He flexes his fingers on my arms once more before releasing his hold and stepping back.
Looking down, he shoves both hands in his hair, pushing it back before stepping away with one word. “Everything.”