Chapter 24
Zaila
The next home game fell mid-week, which meant I’d spent the last three days pining for time with Gunnar.
He was so busy, and while he texted often, face-to-face and body-to-body time remained elusive now that the season was in full swing.
So when he pulled me through the empty parking lot behind the arena after the game, once everyone else had departed, I was ecstatic.
The first raindrop hit my nose as thunder rumbled in the distance.
With him close by, I barely noticed the noise.
The hockey game had ended over an hour ago, but these were the first moments we’d had together today, and the air between us crackled with tension—the kind that made my pulse stutter every time his fingers brushed mine.
“Gunnar, what are you—”
“Shh.” He pressed a finger to my lips, stopping though we hadn’t reached his car, his grin wicked under the flickering streetlamp. “Right now, I want to savor.”
“Savor what?” I asked.
He smiled down at me, his expression tight with desire. “You.” He leaned ever closer until his lips touched mine. Just like the first time—every time—we kissed, fireworks burst under my skin, heating my blood. He tipped me back and settled over me, his palm cradling my head as he deepened the kiss.
Thunder crashed and lightning rent the inky blackness, adding another layer to the electrical charge racing between us. His tongue slid past my lips and into my mouth, causing me to tighten my hold as I moaned. He made me so hot, so ready for more.
More lightning, more thunder. I didn’t care about the weather, not as long as Gunnar kissed me, held me. Icy rain sluiced down my cheeks, soaking my blouse in seconds. I gasped, but Gunnar just spun me under his arm, his laughter rich and warm against the drumming storm. “Dance with me.”
“You’re insane!” I shouted over the downpour, but I was already moving, sliding against the slick asphalt.
Gunnar’s hands found my waist, pulling me flush against him. “For you I am. Took you this long to figure that out?”
The man moved as if he’d been born for this moment, and the rain was just another partner as he guided me through a turn, his palm hot even through my soaked clothes. My heart hammered, equal parts exhilaration and terror, because this felt…real.
Like my parents’ marriage.
Before I could catch my breath, ask to pause, to think, my heel hit a puddle. I squeaked as my feet shot out from under me. Gunnar saw me mid-fall, his arm hooking under my knees as he dipped me low, our faces inches apart. Rain dripped from his eyelashes onto my cheeks.
“Nice save, Mr. Evaldson,” I breathed.
His smile softened. “I’ll always be here for you, Zaila.”
And then, because the universe has a sense of humor, my phone buzzed in my back pocket. Back on my feet, I pulled it out, the screen lit up with a text from Jay: Saw you two sneaking off. Cute. Just remember, he’s not the settling type.
Gunnar’s gaze moved over the screen. His jaw tightened.
I shoved the phone away, but the damage was done. The magic of the moment shredded like ice under a skate blade.
“Zaila.” His voice was rough. “We need to talk.”
My stomach dropped, and I braced myself, but Gunnar just cupped my face, his thumbs brushing away raindrops and some tears.
“I love you.”
The words punched through me, leaving me breathless, weightless.
“I love you,” he repeated, louder this time, like he was daring the world to argue. “And I don’t give a damn who knows it. Not the team, not your coworkers, not the fucking press.”
I stared at him, my lips parting… Up on my toes, I kissed him. Not gentle. Not sweet. A kiss that tasted like rain and recklessness, like every doubt I’d carried about our age difference, our professional disparities, melting away. Gunnar hauled me closer until there was no space left between us.
When we broke apart, gasping, he rested his forehead against mine. “I’ve wanted to tell you that—yell it from rooftops, really—ever since you schooled that stuffy old shirt at the gala with your literary knowledge. You were so unbelievably sexy.”
“Why didn’t you?” I asked.
He stared down at me. “You didn’t seem ready.”
I raised my eyebrows, ignoring the rain in my face. “I love you too, you ridiculous man.”
His grin could’ve powered Houston for the month of August. “This is the best news.” But then he frowned. “My love looks chilled,” he announced, like the words my love weren’t currently short-circuiting my brain.
I elbowed him. “I don’t feel the cold.”
He kissed my temple. “That’s because all our love is warming you, Rookie. But you’ll chill soon.”
Perhaps he was right. And I did feel a bit of a chill as Jay’s comments and smirks flitted through my mind. Deep down, I was unable to shake the feeling that I didn’t fit into Gunnar’s world, and perhaps I never would. But, then again, we could build a new one—where we fit so perfectly together.