“And I’m taking your car.” Kelty sauntered up next to them and held out her hand. Emma clapped a hand over her mouth, then dug in her purse and handed over her keyring. Kelty hugged her, then jogged off toward the pub.
Emma’s smile widened. “You didn’t know your season was going to be over when you planned this.”
Tyler pointed with his stick. “Can you please just get in the damn car?”
* * *
As much as Tyler wanted to, he wasn’t going to strip Emma’s clothes off in the back of a car where the driver could lower the partition at any moment. Instead, they’d both gotten handsy until they couldn’t take it anymore and now Emma was lying on his chest, drawing slow circles over his shirt.Ten more minutes.
"If you could have one superpower, what would it be?" Emma asked.
Tyler sighed and squeezed her upper thigh. “Right now? I’d say teleportation.”
Emma laughed. “Funny. I was going to say x-ray vision.”
This time when they arrived in Canmore, the ground was covered in snow. Emma squealed as they stopped next to the curb. She grabbed onto his arm as they waved the driver off without a second glance.
The same staff member, Quinn, walked out and looked between the two of them. He quirked an eyebrow. “Should I tell our staff to prepare an early breakfast?”
Emma sighed. “You never know with this one.”
Tyler feigned offence, and Emma winked at Quinn as they walked into the lobby. Anticipation bubbled beneath his skin, fizzing faster than champagne on New Year's Eve. He took their key and thanked Quinn, then took the stairs two at a time with Emma jogging to keep up.
“I assumed you’d be tired after the game.” She laughed, slapping his butt as they reached the top.
“You assumed wrong.”
They strode down the hall to the rooftop suite, and as soon as the door closed behind them, Tyler started stripping.
Emma’s eyes widened as she saw the dessert plate. “Tyler. Bowen.” She popped a truffle in her mouth.
“If you’re not naked in thirty seconds, I’m taking those away from you.”
Emma brought a truffle over to him, holding it in her teeth and making him take it from her. She kissed him, then stepped back and tugged at her shirt. “You’re not going to wait in the bathroom this time?”
Tyler shook his head, blood pulsing through him as she pulled off her clothes, dropping everything in a puddle on the floor. Tyler watched as she slipped an elastic off her wrist and tied her hair up, then picked up the dessert plate and padded toward the patio doors, all curves and silky skin.
Tyler grabbed two towels and followed her to the tub. Emma set the plate on the side and dropped into the steaming water. She tried to settle into the same seat she’d occupied the first time, but Tyler hit the button for the jets and pulled her onto his lap.
He stared at her, the stars still poking through the cloudy night sky above her head. “I’m sorry about last time.” Tyler’s throat worked, and Emma brushed a hand over his cheek. “I don’t ever want to make you feel that way again, but—”
She leaned down and brushed her lips over his. “We’re going to hurt each other, Tyler. That part’s inevitable. But then we’ll strategize. Change our training routine—”
Tyler laughed and pulled her into him. “No more hockey talk,” he whispered. “There’s too much I want to do to you.”
“What, that doesn’t put you in the mood?”
He chuckled. “I don’t think there’s a topic that could put me out of the mood right now.”
“Is that a challenge? Because—”
Tyler’s hands found her under the water, and Emma sucked in a breath. “You were saying?”
* * *
Tyler’s hands moved over her skin, both of their bodies glistening in the starlight like freshly groomed ice.
In that moment, Emma wasn’t scared anymore. Sitting there with Tyler was so good it ached in all the best ways. She wasn’t naive enough to believe they wouldn’t have their ups and downs, but there was no one she’d rather have on her team than him.
