The kisses overlap, moments stretching into minutes. There are no obligations. No one is going to walk in on us. It’s just the two of us in this hotel room and it’s heaven.
He pulls away sooner than I’d like, but hovers closely over me. His long fingers stroke up and down my neck, erasing the last bit of tension from the day of travel.
“How was your flight?” he asks, studying my face.
I smirk up at him. “Weren’t you on the same one?”
“Yes.” His voice is a low rumble. “But I’ve been on dozensof flights this year alone and you’ve been on one your entire life. So I’ll ask you again. How was your flight?”
“It was fine, I think. A little bumpier than I would have liked, but I don’t have anything to compare it to.”
He nods, like I’ve just confirmed something he already suspected. “I was worried about you. During turbulence.”
“I was worried about me too. Mostly about dying in a fiery explosion. But we all survived. And I’m sure I’ll survive the next flight too. And then I won’t have to get on an airplane for another thirty years, give or take.”
He exhales a little laugh. “Thirty years, eh?”
I shrug. “Give or take.”
He pushes the hair away from my forehead. “So if I were to suggest a trip out west this summer?”
“Why would I go out west?”
He hesitates before continuing. “I have a place in Vancouver. I bought it after my first year in the league. It’s on a lake. It’s remote, but beautiful. I spend a lot of my off seasons there. My sister usually visits for a few days. I thought you might want to come out for a bit.”
“I…”
“It was just a thought,” he reassures me. “It’s fine if you don’t want to.”
It’s not that at all. I do want to. So much. But I can’t help but worry that we might be taking things too fast. “What about Sam?”
He blinks down at me. “Well, he’d come too, of course. I figure we’d wait until school is out. Early July, maybe? The playoffs will be over by then.”
My heart swells with the knowledge that he’s taken my son into account. But as much as I want to throw myself into this plan, I find myself holding back.
Yes, Sam knows about Arthur and me. I should have known the most observant pre-teen on the planet wouldconnect the dots. And while I’m relieved that he’s okay with it—more than okay with it, it would seem—I can’t seem to silence that tiny voice in the back of my mind that warns me to proceed with caution.
Sam has been let down so many times before. We both have. I don’t want to start planning family vacations when there’s a chance that things won’t work out.
Everything is going so well with Arthur now. But who knows what things will look like in two months. Will his feelings have changed?
I’m a big girl who’s experienced more downs than ups in life. I’ve been hurt before, and if it happens again, I know I’ll be able to put myself back together. But the last thing I want is for Sam to get caught in the crosshairs if things go badly. He didn’t sign up for that. And protecting him is my number one priority.
That leaves me with this beautiful man looking down at me expectantly.
“I’d love to see your place in BC,” I tell him honestly. “Why don’t we get through the playoffs and see where we’re at, yeah?”
He exhales slowly, his mouth turning up. “That sounds great.” He rests his forehead against mine. “I’m glad you’re here.”
A feeling close to giddiness sweeps over me. “I’m glad too.”
“Now, about your servicing…”
One moment I’m standing upright, back against the wall, then next I’m in the air. Arthur scoops me up, does a 180-degree turn and tosses me onto the bed. My squeal turns into a laugh as I try to catch my breath.
He doesn’t come closer, just stands at the edge of the bed watching me. His eyes travel from my face, over my torso, and all the way down to my bare toes. Part of methinks he’s taking me in, committing what he’s seeing to memory.
And part of me thinks he’s trying to decide where he wants to start.
