Chapter 16 #2
“Yeah, but that doesn’t rule out my own sheer stupidity,” he remarked dryly. “It sounded funny, so what was I supposed to do?”
“Let me translate that: You were dying to ride a quad.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “That too.”
“You all remember that you’re contractually prohibited from participating in dangerous sports, right?” he snapped. “Does Lucy even know you’re here, Dax? This is a PR nightmare, so we have to…”
“I told her I was going to the beach, so I wasn’t lying. But she doesn’t need to know about this!” He sounded almost panicked.
“She’ll find out,” Leon muttered. “I called Hazel earlier. When I signed the contract a few weeks ago, she said she’d take care of all my problems, so it only seemed fair.
She’s looking into a solution — and that probably includes calling Lucy.
Anyway, Dax, you caused the accident, your insurance will pay! ”
“You went into the water!” the striker exclaimed incredulously.
“Because you forced me off the road.”
“It was a street race, and anything goes in a street race.”
“I don’t see a road here, just a fucking beach, and that was unsportsmanlike conduct! You should be glad I wasn’t hurt. I’m in my mid-twenties, and unlike you, I’ve got my whole life ahead of me.”
“I’m not even thirty yet!”
“Almost. And you have the body of a fifty-year-old.”
“Man.” A vein throbbed on Dax’s forehead. “How can someone be such an idiot and so damn good at hockey?”
“You do realize that was what everyone asked you at first, right?” Austin interjected. “Now stop insulting each other, it’s not helping. You’re all to blame and you all have to live with the consequences. So, none of you is really hurt?”
“Just my ego,” Dax muttered.
“Behave yourself, Temple, before I call not only Lucy but also your sister — who’s narrow-minded when it comes to your willingness to get injured.”
Dax sighed heavily and glanced at Leon. “Do you ever look at Fox and think, damn, how can someone be so mature?”
“Yeah. The guy has a trash can in his bathroom and uses fabric softener and dental floss and everything! I honestly think he’s even thinking about his retirement plan.”
Lilly bit her lip to keep from laughing.
Austin glared at her before saying, “I heard that!”
“Of course you did because grownups listen,” Dax announced.
“Besides, ears don’t stop growing and since you’re old, yours are very large,” Leon added.
Austin sighed heavily. “Both of you shut up, and for crying out loud, get in deeper water before you two seriously start a dick-measuring contest.”
Oh.
Lilly's gaze automatically darted in their direction and downward.
“Don’t you dare,” Austin growled in her ear, grabbing her arm. “Keep your eyes up and stop staring. They really are nothing special.”
That almost made her laugh because the men in the water… Goodness, she’d never seen so much physical perfection in her life. Michelangelo would have fainted.
“You’re drooling,” Austin said, surprisingly hostile.
“Sorry. It’s just…I really haven’t seen a naked man in a long time.” She clapped her hand over her mouth. Oh God. “Did I say that out loud?”
Austin smirked. “You still haven’t gotten that problem under control, have you? Turn around, they’re coming out now.”
She snorted. “You can’t tell me what to do!”
“Turn around, Lilly!” he growled. “You’re only allowed to see one NHL player naked and that was me.”
“I don’t think there’s a rule about how many NHL players a woman is allowed to see naked,” she said, puzzled.
“Yes, there is. I just made it up.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s a possessive troll!” Leon shouted. “Man, I’m cold! Can you two sort this out already?”
Lilly’s cheeks flushed, and she looked up at Austin expectantly because surely he would disagree. But he just stared straight ahead, silent.
Oh.
Surprised, she shrugged and turned around. “Okay,” she said, confused. “Then…”
“Thanks,” Austin mumbled, before adding louder, “I only had jerseys in the car, so they will have to do.” She heard fabric rustling as he tossed the jerseys to his teammates and loud splashing as they waded out of the ocean.
One by one, they walked past her, their jerseys wrapped around their waists so their fronts were covered, but their backsides were completely exposed.
Oh, wow. Cautiously, she leaned forward…
Austin slapped a hand over her eyes from behind, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her back as if he was afraid she might chase after the players.
“Unbelievable,” he whispered dangerously softly in her ear. “You’re worse than a paparazzo.”
She laughed, ignoring the shiver his voice caused. “Sorry! But this is the chance of a lifetime!”
“They’re not hot,” he growled.
“Of course they are. And did I mention how long it's been since I saw a naked man? That wasn’t a lie. I wanted to see if everything was still where it used to be.”
Austin snorted. “How long has it been?”
Her face flushed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“That long, huh?” he muttered and she was glad when Leon talked over him a moment later.
“Dax, I had to call Hazel. Lucy will be fine. So, you’ll have to sleep on the couch for a few nights, but she obviously loves your ugly mug, so…”
Lilly gasped. “Leon Alvarez!” she cried out, wriggling out of Austin’s grasp. “Watch what you say! That’s no way to talk to a friend and teammate.”
Leon blinked at her, perplexed. “What? I…”
“How would you feel if someone told you that you had an ugly face?”
He opened his mouth. “Uh…bad?”
“Exactly! So watch your tongue and apologize to Dax.”
Dax scratched his cheek, embarrassed. “That’s not really necessary…”
“And you, Dax, apologize to Leon for calling him an idiot earlier.”
“But…”
“You heard her,” Austin replied stonily. “Let’s hear it.”
Both players sighed heavily, but finally murmured almost inaudibly, “Sorry.”
“Good,” Austin said, clearly pleased. “Now get out of here before Cindy returns with her influencer friends. I’m sure Hazel will sort things out with the quads.”
They didn’t need to be told twice. A second later, they disappeared up the path.
“That was fun,” Lilly said, laughing. “Man, they really do what you say, don’t they?”
“Yeah. You could take a page out of their book.”
“Those guys who sank their quad bike in the ocean?” she asked skeptically, turning to him with a grin. “I doubt it.”
Austin smiled crookedly. “Good point. By the way, I’m impressed; you are almost as good with hockey players as you are with Del. You sound kind and authoritative at the same time. It doesn’t surprise me that you’re such a good mother.”
Warmth spread through her chest. She knew she wasn’t a bad mother, but it was difficult at times, and…his words vibrated happily between her ribs. “Thank you,” she whispered. “That’s…thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And I mean it,” he said softly, looking into her eyes.
Suddenly uncomfortable, she nodded toward the house. “Should we go too…?”
“Oh, yeah,” Austin replied, clearing his throat as if he’d momentarily forgotten where they were.
They walked up the beach and through the gate, emptied the sand from their shoes, and strolled over to Austin’s car. Dusk was falling, and Lilly noticed that there were no other vehicles around; the players had apparently wanted to get home as quickly as possible.
“You know, maybe I’ll start dropping by your locker room more often,” she mused aloud. “I like that idea.”
Austin glared at her.
She laughed. “What?”
“You’re not going to do anything. If I’m not allowed to date one of your swim moms…”
“I don’t want to date them, I just want to look at them. You all have this gorgeous V-line, the kind you only ever see in movies.”
“Do me a favor and stop talking about my colleagues’ V-lines,” Austin replied sharply as he tossed the bag into the trunk. “It’s bad enough I’ve learned the term now.”
“I’m talking about yours too,” she explained.
“Okay, now I need to know,” Austin said, shaking his head. “I’m sure I’m going to regret this, but how long has it been for you? You are talking to me, of all people, about muscles that point like an arrow to a certain body part, and you just absolutely had to stare at four men today.”
Blood thundered in her ears and her pulse pounded in her neck. “What? How long has…what?” she said, feigning ignorance, and hurriedly got into the car.
Unfortunately, Austin followed suit and placed the car keys meaningfully on the dashboard, as if he didn’t intend to drive off until she answered him.
“I didn’t mean to stare!” she defended herself, a little belatedly.
Austin raised his eyebrows. “So, if I offered to undress right now so you could be sure that everything on a man is still exactly where you remember it, would you say no?” he murmured darkly.
Her heart raced and heat slowly settled in her lower abdomen.
“Of course I’d say no,” she croaked, clenching the skirt of her long dress with her fingers…
and deciding that attack was the best form of defense.
“Easy for you to say! How long has it been for you? You said at the pool that you only jumped on me because of your abstinence.”
She saw Austin’s Adam’s apple rise and fall. “We’re not talking about the pool.” His voice had grown raspy and a tingling sensation spread across the back of her neck.
“You were the one who started talking about sex.”
“I didn’t use the word.”
“And that makes it okay?”
He took a deep breath, looking directly into her eyes before his gaze drifted to her lips and he whispered, “Yes.”
Lilly’s skin tingled and suddenly, the car felt cramped. Suddenly, the air was too hot, Austin too close, and their conversation too dirty. Suddenly, her breath came in ragged gasps, and all she could do was…
“Five years. It’s been five years.”
He opened his mouth in disbelief. “You… No.”
“I’ve been busy,” she replied weakly.
“And I thought a year and a half was bad.”
“A year and a half is nothing,” she murmured.
He didn’t answer. He was still staring at her, his green eyes darker than usual, before he asked softly, “Don’t you miss it?”