26. JAGGER
Chapter twenty-six
JAGGER
When I see Jess up in that balcony, there’s nothing that’s going to stop me from getting to her quickly: like bullet-train fast. These skates aren’t made for sprinting, but I don’t care. I’m not waiting to take them off.
Knowing Jess is here and within my reach is all the motivation necessary. We can talk later. For now, I need her lips on mine in the worst way.
I rush to the balcony, lifting her in my arms and wrapping her legs around my waist. The instant heat of our bodies could melt a polar ice cap—sorry, penguins. It’s everything I’ve been dreaming of since the day she left.
I don’t know who’s watching, and I don’t care. Nothing has been right since she walked out of my life for the third time. My left-hand shoots for her thick, caramel hair, while the other one tightens its grip on her legs, trying anything to get her body closer to mine.
Jess’s arms coil around my neck, like a boa constrictor suffocating its prey, but I can’t help but smile at her fierce embrace. She’s the sexiest reptile on the planet at this moment.
The world narrows to just the two of us, tangled in a cocoon of affection.
Her full lips satisfy every longing I’ve had for the month or so. She’s a steady rain after an extensive drought from her arms.
I put her back on the ground but never let her mouth leave mine, afraid this moment could be a mirage. But everything feels real—her warm breath mingling with mine, the goosebumps running up and down her arms, and my heartbeat pounding like a drum, racing with an intensity I’ve never known.
The release of emotion between us is all consuming, like an uncontrollable wildfire. We continue raging on, lips and hands in exploration mode until we’re both breathless.
Our kiss finally slows to a tender, soft embrace but none of the heat is dissipating. My entire body still radiates from her touch. I cup her cheeks in my hands, then run my fingers over her jawline. A shiver ripples through her body.
Jess buries her head in my chest, and I pull her close, relishing this moment of being together again.
“I missed you, Jess. Please don’t do that ever again. My heart couldn’t take it,” I whisper in her ear. “We belong together. We’re JJ.”
She pulls back, her emerald eyes misting. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what else to do. I thought it would be for the—”
I stop her with a finger to her lips. “Being apart from you would never be for the best. But I do have a way you can make it up to me,” I say with a playful smirk curling on my lips. I point to my neck.
She obliges my direction with a soft kiss, a gentle graze that has the power of a lightning strike. Then another and another. I’m in a full-on storm of sensations, electrified by her touch. I could spend the rest of the night like this, but suddenly Dax calls out from down below.
“Finally! Maybe now you can start playing better again, Thunder!”
I laugh. Jess definitely did a great job of breaking the tension that’s been in my body.
“That’s the first time he’s called me that in forever.”
She smiles at me. “Maybe it’s time for a lot of things to get back to the way they were.” Jess runs her fingers through my hair, sending a new wave of tingles from my head to my toes. “I’m not visiting, Jagger. I’m here to stay. Coach is taking the relationship restriction out of your contract. We can be together.”
It’s a light switch moment for me. One that’s hard to believe is possible after everything we’ve been through over the course of the last five years.
But hearing I’ll have her by my side brings everything into focus. I’m going to turn this team around; be the leader I was supposed to be and stop letting these guys down.
I give her a quick kiss on the forehead. “I gotta go catch the guys before they leave. We need a team meeting. ASAP.”
“No problem. Take as long as you need. I’ll wait for you in my office. I have a few things for tomorrow I can get started on now.”
I turn to go, but something’s pulling me back, not letting me leave. I should just say those three little words. I pretty much did in her card. Ok, I guess Daisy did, not me.
“Jess.”
“Mm-hm?” she hums, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as her lips twitch into a smile.
I get a flashback from being under her desk and blurt out, “You had me at hello.”
She looks thoughtful, then giggles. “Hey! That’s my line.”
“Um, I’m pretty sure that’s Jerry Maguire’s line, technically.”
“Cute,” Jess says as she moves closer again, playfully circling me as she trails a hand around my body, “but give me something that’s not Daisy or Jerry, something that’s pure Jagger.”
“Ok, um.” I’m clamming up again. I’ve got a million song lyrics in my brain but can’t think of a single original thought. Maybe she won’t notice. I look deep into her eyes, hoping to distract her just enough from my words. Here goes nothing.
“Jess. I could stay awake, just to hear you breathing…”
“Aerosmith. Nice try,” she snickers.
“When I see your face, there’s not a thing that I would change…”
“Bruno Mars.”
Dang it. She’s like a lyrical encyclopedia.
“Um. Ok. This is all me.” I clear my throat. “Looks like we made it, look how far we've come my baby.” Oh gosh, I don’t ever call her baby. Red flag. Red flag.
“Jagger West,” she crosses her arms. “Although I appreciate your wide array of musical genres, did you actually think I wasn’t going to recognize Shania Twain. That song is a classic.”
I unfold her arms and wrap them around my waist. You’d think I’d be good under pressure, making a living as a professional athlete. But clearly, I’m choking. I want to say something amazing, something poetic, but that’s not me, obviously. I’m a bacon and eggs type of guy, just the basics. Jess is the best of the best; she’s filet and lobster.
But she’s never asked me to be something I’m not.
“Last one, I promise.” I take a cleansing breath and close my eyes, hoping inspiration will pop into my head. When I open them and see the way Jess looks at me, her long lashes batting gently, her beautiful features glowing in the soft lighting, I realize her being in my arms is all I’ll ever need. And I know what to say.
“Being a hockey player means you never know where you may land next. I started in Michigan, went to Texas, then played in Miami. Now I landed here in Echo Ridge, Montana.”
I got this. Simple, heartfelt, that’s all she needs.
“I’ve never truly felt like I was home, anywhere—until there was you. Jess, you’ve become my home. As long as I’m where you are, I’ll never feel lost again. I love you.”
I’m not sure feeling someone melt is an actual thing, but it seems like Jess’s body is in full chocolate fondue mode, a cascade of gooeyness. If I could high five myself right now for the words I chose without looking ridiculous, I’d totally do it.
“Jagger, I’m—”
“Totally melting.” I arch my eyebrows at her like I get it. “Melt away.”
We kiss one last time, and I swear I taste chocolate, sweet and rich. I don’t want to pull away, but I’ve got to get to the team before they leave.
“I gotta go.” I give her a few more pecks on her cheeks until she giggles, then head for the stairs.
“Jagger.” I stop at the stairwell. “I love you, too.”
I flash her a heart symbol with my hands. Where did that come from? Actually, I don’t care—I’m officially a heart flasher now. I love her, and I’ll show her every single day.
But first, I need to save this team.
After I gather all the guys in the locker room and give them a heartfelt apology for letting them down, we head out to the ice. They all groan when I tell them to get a partner to do some trust falls.
Troy gets paired up with Dax. “Sorry, Jagger. I’m not trusting that little fella to catch me before my head smashes on the very hard surface below us.”
I motion for Dax to switch. He sticks his tongue out at Troy before moving to pair up with Brooks. “Real mature,” Troy says, but he’s smiling.
“All right. We could stay out here and run drill after drill, but that’s not our problem. We’ve lost trust in each other, and it starts with me. I’ve let you down. But no more. We still have a chance to turn this season around.”
The guys start nodding in agreement.
“Now, on my call, one guy folds his arms, closes his eyes, and falls backwards into the waiting arms of his teammate. Then we switch.”
“You know we’re not twelve, right Jagger?” Brooks says, then turns to Dax. “If you drop the best goalie in this league, you’re dead, got it?”
Dax salutes him. “Got it! Sir, yes, sir!”
We spend the next sixty minutes doing trust falls until everyone’s been partners with everyone else. Even Troy eventually trusts Dax when he sees he hasn’t dropped anyone else so far.
After a successful catch, Dax pats Troy on the back, then flexes. “See, I got you big guy. These muscles aren’t just for pretty.”
We bring it in one last time before we wrap up for the night. I don’t know if this will do any good, but it’s a start. I see guys laughing and joking with each other for the first time in weeks.
I guess we’ll see this weekend when the best team in the league comes to town.