Chapter 28

Jack"s handshook as he pulled out the card to his room. He glanced down the hall to make sure the security guards posted at the stairwells had successfully kept the hoards of people contained in the lobby and parking area, then swiped it over the mechanism. When the light turned green, he pressed down on the handle and pushed.

He hadn"t even been tempted to meet with the rest of the guys in the suite they"d booked for meals. He"d spent the last three days with his team, and they couldn"t blame him if he wanted some time with his girlfriend. He and Delia had put in their food requests, and one of the staff was going to bring it straight to his room.

Girlfriend.Was that what she was? Regardless of what they'd spelled out on paper, he was having trouble seeing any of this as a publicity stunt anymore.

Delia grabbed his elbow before he could step in. "Jack, I just remembered. I don"t know where my bag is."

"It"s not in your room?" His pulse spiked. Was she second guessing this? The first time they"d sat in a hotel room together it had been a logistical necessity, and his pulse hadn"t been rushing like the Humber River after a downpour.

She shook her head. "They took it when we checked in, and—" Delia stopped as Jack pushed the door open wider. "Oh."

Jack turned his head and found a rose gold suitcase sitting next to the closet door. "Well. That wasn"t there when I left for Roger"s Place." He walked into the room and held the door for Delia to follow.

"Why would my bag be here?"

Jack peeled off his jacket. "Probably because most couples like to stay in the same room together."

Delia"s eyes flicked to his, then back to her bag. She looked like she was about to say something, but bit her tongue. His heart was pounding out of his chest, and he turned, hoping she couldn"t see his flushed cheeks in the dim light of the lamp.

"Do you mind if I change? I"ve been wearing this since we left the house this morning." Delia pushed her suitcase into the room and unzipped it.

"Go ahead. You can take a shower if you want."

Delia"s eyes widened. "Do I smell? I probably do. I was in a car for three hours and?—"

"No, you don"t smell." Jack laughed and sat on the end of the bed. "I was offering in case you wanted it."

Delia grabbed cotton pants and a shirt from her bag and stood. "Okay."

Jack reached for the remote, working hard to ignore the rush of blood in the opposite direction of his head. He cleared his throat. "I"ll see what"s on."

He concentrated on the red, half-moon power button harder than anything else in his life as Delia nodded and turned to the washroom. As soon as the door clasped shut, Jack flopped back on the bed and drew a much-needed full breath.

He couldn"t think. His stomach swirled like he was about to jump off a ten-metre diving board, and his tongue moved like he had peanut butter stuck to the roof of his mouth.

What did he want out of tonight?It was the stupidest question he"d ever asked himself. His muscles were gassed. His legs trembled even sitting still on the bed. And yet all he could think about was movement. Exertion. What Delia"s skin would feel like under her shirt. Under her?—

A knock at the door made him jump. He dropped the remote, realizing he hadn"t done anything other than turn the TV on, and stalked to the door. He peered through the peephole and saw the second best thing to Delia"s bare skin. Food.

Jack ripped open the door and took the first tray from the staff member. The man didn't look surprised to see him, so someone must've prepped him for the room he'd be stopping at. Jack returned for the second tray at the same time that Delia opened the washroom door. She stepped out, and the man's eyes bugged out of his head. Jack took the tray before he could drop it.

"Holy hell. D-delia Melise?" the man stammered.

She smiled and nodded.

"Oh, and you"re—sorry, I didn"t put the name together. Jack Harrison. Duh. Makes perfect sense now." He took a step back from the door. "Edmonton"s my team. Obviously. But sorry about the loss, and—you two have a good night."

Jack gave him a wave and shut the door, then took the second tray to the desk. When had it become so ordinary to have someone fall all over themselves because he and Delia existed? It was ludicrous, and yet it had become so commonplace, it was almost stranger when someone didn't know who they were.

He loved that the employee hadn't known him until he spotted Delia. Maybe most men would've wanted it the other way around, but he didn't. The idea of being known as Delia Melise's boyfriend sent heat flashing under his skin. It was stupid, but seeing that other people saw them belonging to each other made him more sure he wasn't crazy for wanting it to be true.

Jack took the lids off the plates and the aroma of steak, potatoes, and roasted vegetables filled the room. He audibly exhaled.

Delia laughed. "Wow. I"ve never seen a person food-gasm before."

Jack turned and raised an eyebrow, and Delia blushed, her skin getting all splotchy on her neck. It was an impossible situation. Whether to put the steak or Delia into his mouth first. But since he hadn't quite grown the balls to tell Delia about the thoughts in his head, the steak won out for the moment.

His stomach gurgled as he grabbed his napkin-wrapped cutlery and the packet of HP sauce, then took his plate to the bed. He propped himself up with the extra pillows and started to dig in.

"Ooh, the TV guide. Riveting." Delia set her plate down on the comforter and tossed him the remote, then went back for a bottle of water. "You want one?"

Jack nodded, his mouth already full of steak and potatoes. Delia brought one over and set it on his nightstand, then retrieved her plate, set her water on her side, and shuffled onto the bed next to him.

Jack set his fork on his plate and scrolled through the channels. "Hey, there"s the original ‘Iron Man.'"

"That fits our theme. Men who fly solo and eventually lose everything they love."

"He doesn"t lose Pepper."

"Not in this movie."

Jack frowned. "Wait, doesn"t he eventually die? He sacrifices everything for the Avengers?"

Delia pondered. "Yeah. I guess he does break the mold. He builds real friendships."

"Does that mean I have to find something else?"

She grinned and took a bite of roasted broccoli. "No, let"s do it."

Jack didn"t care what they watched. He just wanted the decision made so he could eat and figure out what to do next. Time with the team had been a good distraction right up until he"d gotten those texts from Delia before warmups. Then all he"d wanted to do was bust out of the dressing room and climb however many flights of stairs he needed to to get to her suite. He was elated that his parents had driven from Moose Jaw, but he couldn"t help but put them in the backseat.

"I love the coat."

Jack cut another bite of steak. "You mentioned that."

She turned, considering him. "Why did you do that?"

"Because you said you wanted one."

"I know, but people say they want a lot of things. They don"t usually have someone around who makes their dreams come true."

Jack dipped his steak in HP. "I believe in over-delivering. It's one of my best features."

Delia quieted next to him, staring intently at Tony Stark standing in front of a group of military personnel. He hoped she was thinking about all of his other best features.

"Ooh, the coat!" Delia turned, almost spilling her food onto the comforter. "Is Clara pregnant?"

Jack blinked. "What does your coat have to do with Clara being pregnant?"

Delia laughed. "No, her coat. She came in the suite today and her coat was open, and there was definitely a bump there. I didn't say anything because who knows, right? But that would be strange for her to gain weight just there and nowhere else."

Jack processed this, then thought back to that night in the Jukebox. How he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her drink. Had it been New Year's? "I think she might be pregnant."

"Right? Wouldn't that be so exciting?"

Jack's head felt like a dust storm. Exciting, yes, but it also turned up the heat. If Clara was pregnant, they'd need that extra room.

He was doing everything he could to be considered for the next season, but even if he was impressive, they had to have a slot open for him. The ground still shifted like quicksand under his feet.

They ate in silence, though Jack couldn"t focus on one iota of the action on screen. Delia, on the other hand, seemed riveted. It knocked his confidence down a notch.

"I forgot this movie started with his Hummer getting blown up," she murmured.

"Brutal." Jack scooped up the last of his potatoes and set his plate on the nightstand.

Delia finished her meal a few minutes after him. She stood and rounded the bed to collect his dishes.

"You don"t have to do that."

She met his eyes for the first time in fifteen minutes. "I know. I want to." Delia stacked his plate with hers and took everything back to the desk. "Do you want your cookie?"

"Maybe later." There was something different about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Like some push and pull inside her had been resolved. A question answered. It made him nervous.

Delia walked back to her suitcase and pulled out a toiletry bag. "I"m just going to brush my teeth." Jack grinned, and Delia pursed her lips. "Don"t you dare laugh."

His smile grew wider. She was so hot when she put a hand on her hip and told him what to do. "I"m not laughing."

She rolled her eyes and padded into the washroom. It was then that Jack realized if he wanted anything besides watching a movie together to happen, he"d better make sure his mouth was clean, too. He turned down the volume on the TV and walked to the door. "Mind if I join you?"

There were two sinks, and Delia shifted to the far one so Jack could use his supplies that were already placed by the first. As he put toothpaste on his brush and watched Delia in the mirror, nostalgia and grief crashed over him like a tidal wave. They"d done this every night. He clamped his eyes shut and gripped the edge of the counter.

"Jack?" Delia dropped her flosser and stepped closer to him, pressing her hand into his lower back. "Are you okay?"

He nodded and forced himself to breathe. "Yeah. Sorry, just—" He pushed back to standing, but Delia didn"t step back.

"Just what?"

Jack set down his toothbrush and found her eyes in the mirror. "It"s been a long time since I brushed my teeth next to someone."

Delia exhaled. "I can go out."

Jack shook his head. "No, it"s good. It"s been a long time, that"s all."

Delia"s placid expression cracked. "Jack?—"

He twisted and pulled her between him and the counter, finally giving himself permission to touch her. Really touch her. As his hands settled on the curve of her waist, feeling the edge of her hip bone under the thin cotton shirt, he realized his mistake. He"d opened up a floodgate that he had no energy left to close back up.

He let his eyes travel slowly up her body until he met her gaze. "Have I earned this?"

Delia frowned for a moment, then her focus sharpened. She knew exactly what he was referring to. That morning in the café. When she'd said the word he hadn't been able to stop thinking about since. Sacred.

He'd toyed with that concept every night as he lay alone in bed, analyzing the years since Angie left. It explained everything. Why he couldn't bring himself to touch other women, why he couldn't push past the first awkward moments to begin building an actual relationship.

He knew connection, body and soul, and nothing else was good enough. But growing that with Angie had taken time. Pain. Effort. It had all been so much work, and he'd convinced himself he didn't have the energy to do it again. He didn't want to have the energy to do it again, because for years he'd been looking back. Wanting only her. Living in a past he couldn't tap into, and ignoring half the life he was forced to stand in.

Then came Tony's call. Dinner with Delia. His signature on that contract. It had forced him to step into a world he refused to enter on his own, and now here they were. Standing in a hotel washroom. His hands on her hips. Looking into her eyes of ice and fire.

No place had ever felt so hallowed.

Without meaning to, he'd dipped his toes into the water, then stumbled in up to his knees, and he'd been toying with the idea of plunging his head under the surface since he'd seen Delia at the Saddledome.

He was ready.

Was he ready?

Delia swallowed, then nodded her head. "You've earned a lot more than this."

Jack's knees went weak. He blamed his shredded hamstrings and widened his stance. An ache built in his middle as Delia pulled him closer. When he spoke, he sounded as if he'd just skated a double shift.

"I don"t want to be your fake boyfriend anymore." Jack lowered his forehead to hers. "I don"t want to kiss because we"re trying to make it look real, and I don"t want to stick to a damn schedule." He paused, trying to figure out how to make his words honest. "I don"t know what I"m doing. You know it"s been years since I"ve wanted to be with someone, and I don"t know—I can"t promise you I won"t be a mess, but I want to try. With you." He stood there breathless, his hips against hers, giving away every last thought in his head.

Delia pulled her hands off the counter and placed them on his stomach, then moved them over his chest, sending shivers down his spine. "What about the contract?"

Jack lifted his head and tucked her hair behind her ears. "To hell with the contract."

"What about the money?"

"I don't need it." He didn't know if that was true, but he sure as hell wasn't going to take another dollar out of Delia's pocket.

"Do you know if they're bringing you back for next season?" she asked. He shook his head. "Then?—"

Jack put a finger to her lips. He didn't want Delia to ask any other questions—he was all too aware that his life was in shambles. That they didn't even live in the same province, and that Delia would have to go back to Toronto eventually. It was terrifying that a growing part of himself hoped he didn't get signed to the Blizzard so he wouldn't be stuck on the other side of the country.

Delia snorted. "I didn't know you lived in a fantasy world, too."

He knew she meant it as a joke, but the words hit home. Was he kidding himself? "You of all people should love that."

Delia's voice dropped to a whisper. "I do love that." She slipped her hands into his back pockets. "We're supposed to have a public break up in a couple of weeks."

Jack worked to catch his breath as he pressed his lips to the soft skin just under Delia's jaw. "I'll happily sign an addendum."

Delia sighed and tipped her head back. The sound sent another rush of blood to his middle, and after waiting three years, the thought of waiting another thirty seconds to tear her damn loungewear off sent him out of his mind. He fumbled for the hem of her shirt, but Delia stopped him.

"Jack." She lifted a hand and ran it through his hair. "I know it's the least sexy thing in the world, but I do need to brush my teeth."

_____

Delia sucked in a breath as Jack grinned against her skin and kissed the underside of her jaw, then stepped back, wincing at what she could only imagine was the tight fit of his jeans. She forced herself not to look down as she reached for her toothpaste and toothbrush.

Jack hastily spread toothpaste on his brush, wet it, and shoved it in his mouth. He didn't come close to the recommended brush time since he was standing there leaning against the sink before Delia was even half done.

"That's not helping," she said around the whir of her electric toothbrush.

"What?"

"You. Watching me." She lifted a finger to swipe away a drip of white foam, and Jack laughed. He turned his back, and Delia exhaled. She looked ridiculous, and the last thing she wanted to do was kill whatever energy they'd had a few moments before.

When her toothbrush beeped for the final time, she spit and rinsed, then set it on the counter and found a washcloth to dry her lips.

Blood rushed in her ears as she stared at Jack's backside. She was done, but she had no idea how to reenter the situation. Jack must've noticed the lack of movement or sound behind him because he turned. "Done?"

She nodded.

"Then why are you still standing over there?"

Delia's hands shook as she stepped forward. Jack had a good reason for taking a dating hiatus, but she didn't. Her relationship desert had come purely because of her inability to match well with someone. So even though she could feel the electricity pulsing between them, her thoughts started to get away from her.

What if you can't get there? What if he thinks that means you're not into it? What if he just lost a game and then has to walk away disappointed from this, too?

Jack reached out and tilted her chin up. He turned her head side to side. "Just checking."

"For what?"

"Pupil size."

Delia couldn't help her confused look. "What?"

"You looked like you were about to have a stroke or something?—"

Delia smacked her hand against his chest and, just like it always did around Jack, the truth came tumbling out. "I'm nervous, okay? Haven't you ever been nervous?"

Jack laughed and grabbed onto her wrist, pulling her out of the washroom. "All the time. I threw up before the game."

"And you kissed me with that mouth?"

"I brushed in the dressing room! They actually had supplies in there this time."

Delia squealed as Jack pulled her onto the bed and caged her beneath him. "I chose the wrong profession."

She sank into the mattress as Jack pressed his leg between hers and lowered himself against her body. He held his weight on his forearm as he lifted a hand to her cheek. "Based on your pond skating, I think it's wise you didn't choose hockey."

Delia groaned. "My tailbone is still bruised, by the way."

Jack reached his hand under her hip. "Yeah? Where does it hurt?"

"Stop." She laughed.

"Here?" He ran his hand along the waistband of her joggers.

Delia shook her head, suddenly sober and breathless. She looked up at him through her lashes. "A little lower, I think."

Jack's jaw tightened as his eyes snapped into focus. He slipped his fingers under the cotton fabric, feeling along the top of the lace thong she might have worn purely because it matched a very specific bra she'd put on in Jack's washroom.

Jack's breathing changed, sending a thrill from the crown of her head to her toes. "There?" His fingers played with the scalloped edges.

"Getting closer."

Jack dropped his mouth to hers, his hand growing more frantic as he explored her skin, pulling the waistband of her pants tight. She reached down and tugged her joggers over her hips, then let Jack do the rest. His fingers brushed against her legs as he pulled them off, and she'd never been more grateful she'd shaved the night before.

Jack wrapped his hand over her calf, pressed his finger into the back of her knee, then slid his palm up the sensitive skin on the inside of her thigh.

Delia sucked in a breath, arching against him as she reached for his waist and pulled him closer. She yanked at the hem of his shirt, suddenly desperate to get her hands on bare skin. Jack ripped his shirt off and tossed it onto the floor.

"Yes." The word slipped out of her as she pushed him onto his side and ran her fingers over his pecs, taking in the dark hair there that she'd only gotten glimpses of when he'd lifted his arms.

Is Jack a good lover? Does he get you out of your head?

Delia's stomach fluttered as she traced the swirls of ink on his skin. The pinecones. The owl. The mantis.

Jack stilled as he watched her finger follow the lines. "It was a joke."

"What was?"

"The praying mantis."

Delia's breath quickened. She leaned in and kissed a flower bud on his bicep.

"She was fascinated by them, and I told her it was because they ate their mates. When we got engaged, we got matching mantises and promised not to eat each other alive."

Delia kissed his shoulder. His collarbone. "I'm so sorry, Jack."

Jack rolled onto his back and Delia dropped next to him, throwing her leg over his hips. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up."

She nestled against his chest. "I'm glad you did." It was the truth. She loved that he knew how to love. She only hoped he had room in his heart for one more. She wanted to tell him they didn't have to do this, but instead she waited, listening to his breath.

Eventually Jack's hands brushed up her thighs and found their way to her backside. "Are you wearing it?"

She tilted her head to look at him. "Wearing what?"

The corner of his mouth twitched. "You know what. That bra. The one you were holding in your bedroom."

She shrugged. "Hard to remember."

"You are such a tease." Jack pulled her shirt up and Delia helped it over her head. He pushed her back on the pillows, raking his eyes over her as his hand dragged across the curve of her hip. "Yeah. That's it."

Delia grinned. "It wasn't hard to tell you liked it."

"I'm glad I'm so transparent." Jack tucked his fingers under the strap, then kissed her with the same hunger she'd sensed that first night in the bed and breakfast. Her body lit up like the sky on Canada Day.

"I love that," she sighed.

"What?"

"When it feels like you want me."

Jack breathed a laugh. "I do want you."

Delia reached for the button of his jeans. She clumsily pushed until it came free of the buttonhole, then pulled on the zipper.

Jack grunted. "I need to get a condom."

Delia held onto his arm and pressed her hand against his boxer briefs. "I have an IUD."

Jack's heart raced next to hers, making her pulse squirrely. "I don't want?—"

"Jack, I trust you."

He kissed her cheek. "You're aware what sport I play, right?"

She grinned and dragged her teeth gently over the stubble on his jaw. "Oh, I know. I waited until your mom corroborated your abstinence story."

Jack tensed. "She what?"

Delia laughed and strategically moved her hand until Jack dragged in a breath and held it. "She may have mentioned you hadn't dated anyone in a long time." Since Angie. She avoided saying her name just like he had. "You said you haven't been with someone in three years. I haven't been with someone in at least a year and a half, and I always get tested at my annual physical."

Jack's grip tightened on her hip. "You're sure?"

Delia wasn't sure about anything, but she knew she wanted this. She wanted him. Possibly more than anything she'd wanted in the known universe. She was drunk on the sound of his ragged breath, of the clench and release of his fingers against her skin.

"If you keep doing that, there won't be any need for this discussion." Jack's voice was raw as he placed his hand over hers and interlaced their fingers, then drew her arm up over her head. He brushed his cheek against hers and pulled the lobe of her ear into his mouth. His tongue was hot against her skin, and Delia writhed against him.

Jack kept her tethered as his other hand found its way back to lace. "I think it's your turn to teach me something."

Delia whimpered. "I don't . . . know any nursery rhymes."

"Mmm. Good thing, what I'm hoping to learn would never be appropriate for a classroom."

She breathed a laugh as Jack sank against her. She'd been exactly right. His hands were gentle and extremely capable. He was slow, tantalizing, and full of that storm she'd been desperate for.

Yes.Jack Harrison was an excellent lover, and for the first time since she could remember, Delia's head was so full it was silent.