Chapter 16 #2
Soon they were heading down the highway, miles of pristine sand that brought to mind unbleached flour on the right, with the shimmering sapphire waters beyond. “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison blared through the speakers.
He swiveled his head toward her. “Did you pick this?”
With the sunglasses on, she couldn’t read his expression. Had she chosen wrong? Conrad had hated hair bands, but she’d always loved singing out loud to the familiar tunes.
“Yes. Is that okay?”
He faced the road again. “Oh hell yeah! I grew up with this shit. Didn’t think anyone else liked it.” He belted out the chorus, and she joined him, trying to contain the happiness building inside her chest before it overflowed.
They sang their way down the highway, and when they weren’t singing, they rode in companionable silence, enjoying the scenery racing past. Sometimes his hand was on her knee or tugging on the hair poking out the back of her cap, and other times her hand was on his leg or shoulder or cradled inside his as it rested on the console.
He pulled off the road several times so they could hunt for seashells or simply take in the view.
Gulls wheeled overhead, and the sun was a bright yellow disk illuminating the azure sky and the water’s shifting blues and aquas.
Inhaling the smells of the seashore, Lexi felt a peace settle inside her. This day was perfect.
When their bellies told them it was time to eat, Josh found a quiet beach and hauled the big basket out of the trunk.
“There.” He pointed to one particular spot where the sand was especially soft and flat.
Out of the basket came a large blanket, which he spread out and she straightened with meticulous precision.
She offered to help him unload the rest, but he ordered her to sit instead. She pulled off her cover-up and stretched out, legs in front of her and hands behind, carrying her weight as she leaned back.
He glanced over at her, a wicked smile curling his lips. “Baby, you need sunscreen, and I’m just the man to rub it all over you.”
“Sorry to disappoint. I took care of it before we left.”
“Disappointed? No way. Not when I’ve got you in that bikini to look at. Although, I’m kinda partial to that mesh thing. I’d love to see you in it without the bikini.”
Did he think about her that much, or was he throwing out the lines?
She decided to leave the comment where it lay, ignoring how it tickled her tummy.
“What about you? Need a second coat?” He’d taken off his T-shirt during one of their stops where she’d slathered him up, but that had been a few hours ago.
“Maybe later.” Whistling, he pulled out plastic flutes, a bottle of champagne wrapped in some sort of cooler contraption, and practically an entire deli’s worth of charcuterie board. He’d gone way over the top.
She rolled her lips together to hide her amusement. “That’s an awful lot of food. Is a crowd joining us?”
“Just you and me. Wait’ll you see the desserts.” He winked as he poured her bubbly. “Wanted to impress my girl.”
“Consider her impressed.”
“My girl.” Some lucky woman would carry that title permanently someday. But for the next two and a half days, it belonged to her. She was his girl. And she was going to lap up every minute of it.
They clacked glasses and sipped. Josh served up small paper plates of food, pausing now and again to push little delectables into her mouth. Whether he did it to feed her or because she sucked his fingers each time, she wasn’t sure. But she didn’t care. She was having fun being herself with him.
When they were full, he packed away the leftovers and hauled out decadent chocolate cupcakes filled with fudge-like cream and succulent chocolate-dipped strawberries before topping off the champagne.
“Hey,” he said in a husky voice. “Lie down.”
Her head reeled a bit with dizziness, so lying back was somewhat of a relief. “What are you going to do? There are people—”
“Just acting out a fantasy. Don’t worry. I won’t do anything indecent.” He drizzled champagne into her belly button and lapped it up, making her giggle.
He did it again. “Tastes so much better this way.” Then he looked around and poured a little between her breasts. He promptly licked that up too, running his tongue along the lines where her flesh and the tiny triangles of fabric overlapped.
“Josh,” she hissed. She lifted her head, appalled to see an older man gawking at them. The man narrowed his eyes in obvious disapproval. Two teenage boys watched with hawkeyed interest and giggled.
“They’re just jealous,” Josh laughed, “but I’ll be a good boy. For now.” With one hand resting on her head and the other on her stomach, he leaned down and kissed her thoroughly. When he was done, she wanted to haul him to the car and do him in the back seat.
Instead of acting on her fantasy, though, she pouted. “You got me all sticky.”
“I’d like to get you all sticky, but we might get arrested.” He waggled his eyebrows before kissing away her pout.
Without warning, he scooped her up in a fireman hold and ran down to the water with her draped over his shoulder, ignoring her squeals of protest. He dunked her, and she pulled him down.
A water fight ensued with no clear winner, but both were drenched and achy with laughter when they finally stumbled back to the blanket and packed up.
Back in the car, Josh looked at her so tenderly that tears gathered behind her eyes. “Hey, baby. I’m having a great time. You happy?”
“I am. Thank you for a wonderful day.”
“If you liked today’s fun, just wait till tonight,” he teased.
He started the car and turned it back toward the hotel. She sank into the seat, a smile permanently etched on her face. Satisfaction oozed from her pores. She was delirious and drowsy and so damn happy she was afraid she might wake up and discover it was all a dream.
She dozed but stirred when a call came through the car’s speakers. The screen flashed “Herb.”
“Shit.” Josh dragged a hand over his jaw before pressing one of the buttons. “Hey, Herb.”
“What’s up, buttercup?”
“You called me. You tell me what’s up, buttercup.”
Lexi knew enough to understand Herb was his agent. She wriggled back to a fully upright position and looked away, as if it would give Josh a modicum of privacy for this conversation with his agent. Though she wasn’t looking at him, she felt tension radiating off him in waves.
“Got a call from the KHL,” Herb drawled. “They’re wondering if you’re interested in their offer or not.”
“I thought we agreed I’m not making any decisions until next week, when I’m not on vacation.” Irritation laced Josh’s tone.
“We did, son, but they’re pressing for a decision. They want you, but if you don’t want to play for them, they’ve got another choice, and they don’t want that guy to get away while they wait around for you to decide.”
Lexi could practically feel the happy bubbles that had been fizzing since this morning all pop at once and disappear into the ether like untethered helium balloons.
Josh’s jaw muscle pulsed, and he blew out an exasperated breath. “Have we heard from anybody else?”
“Not a peep.”
“Fuck,” Josh mouthed. “Did you tell your KHL contact I’m on vacation?”
“I did,” came Herb’s patient voice.
“Then tell him you can’t reach me. I’m out on some fishing expedition in the middle of nowhere, and I won’t be back in communication until the end of week.”
A beat passed. “I’ll tell him. Can’t guarantee the offer will still be on the table when you return from your fishing expedition, though.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
They hung up, and a charged silence hung in the air. Lexi wasn’t sure what, if anything, to say. “Are you okay?” she ventured lamely.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He gave her a wan smile and squeezed her arm.
Josh had made it clear early on that he didn’t want to discuss his future while he was taking time off, so she hadn’t pushed. But now it seemed as though he needed a friend. She wanted to be that friend, should he be ready to let down his guard.
“If you play for the KHL,” she posed, “do you sign a contract for a long time?”
“They want three years. I wouldn’t hesitate if it was for a starting position with a North American team, but three years is a long time over there.”
It was a long time over here too. Wake up, Lexi. This is a fling, remember? Nothing more.
“Do you have other options?”
“You heard Herb. None. The thing is, even if I get offered a backup position for a US or a Canadian team, I’m sitting on the bench for a huge chunk of the season.
There might be an AHL team that wants me, but chances are slim.
They’re focused on developing the young guys.
They want to get those players plenty of ice time so they can step into the NHL.
At thirty-two, I’m too old to fit what they need.
At least in the KHL, I’d be a starter and I’d get to play. ”
She laced her hands in her lap. “Thirty-two is old?”
“Ancient in minor-league years,” he laughed bitterly.
“In the Big League, we might be at our peak, but management looks at us like we’re chugging down the backside of that pinnacle.
We’re the grizzled veterans, the old men.
And it stings because I still have a lot left in the tank.
I love this game, and I want to play as much as I can.
” He let out an extended exhale. “I’m not done yet, but I do have a shelf life, and that expiration date gets closer every season. ”
“It’s hard to believe that at thirty-two, you’re considered old. You certainly don’t act old.”
“You implying I’m immature?” His lips curved into a smirk. “You wouldn’t be wrong.”
“No, that wasn’t what I meant.” A blush heated her cheeks.
“What, then?”
“I was just thinking that you especially don’t behave like an old man in the bedroom.
That takes a lot of … athletic prowess.” No, his energy level was in the stratosphere.
The man was a machine, all vigor and acrobatics and adventure.
But she wasn’t complaining. Her inner Wanton Woman was flexing herself in ways Lexi had only ever heard of in Anna’s smutty books.
The corners of his mouth tugged up a little higher. “That’s because of you. You inspire me, babe.” He reached over and tapped her hand. “You make me want to do better, and I’m not only talking about what we do in bed.”
He placed his hands back on the wheel. “You told me about the breakup song your ex left you with. Know what song I’d pick for you?”
Tongue-tied, she shook her head.
He glanced at her, a sweet smile playing on his lips. “I’d pick ‘Shivers’ by Ed Sheeran.” He hummed the melody.
And there went another hunk of her heart.