Page 17 of Stick Move

Noah backs up. “Want me to catch you?” I shake my head. “You don’t trust me?”

No, actually, I do not trust him. Why would I? “It’s too cold to jump in,” I answer and keep the truth to myself. “I need to ease myself in.”

He comes closer, urging my thighs apart as he positions himself between my legs, and a crazy needy sound catches in my throat. He cocks his head grinning. Is he playing with me? Seducing me? Is that all part of the payback?

His hands move to my sides and I shiver under his touch as he lifts me, holding me against his body and out of the water.

“Doing good?”

“Yup.”

Nope.

He loosens his hold and I slip lower. He eyes me, giving my body a minute to adjust to the cold water, but damn, I’m not cold at all. No, I’m downright hot.

“Let’s go down together.”

Oh, God, his words just sent my thoughts in an erotic direction.

I clear my throat. “Okay.”

He holds me tight, and slowly begins to lower us both in the water. His hands hold me carefully, like I’m something to be treasured and I like that a lot. But I’m sure I’m making too much of it.

“Doing good?”

“Yup.”

Nope.

Once I’m submersed up to my neck, he lets me go, and my hands land on his chest. I glance up, to find his mouth right there. If I wanted to kiss him, all I’d have to do was push off the bottom of the pool. But I’m not going to do that.

I don’t think.

5

NOAH

I might have just gotten out of a cold pool, but that still doesn’t mean I don’t need a cold shower. Jesus, seeing Brighton in her bathing suit had my dick twitching in ways it hasn’t twitched in years, which is highly inappropriate for many reasons. One, we were in a public pool. Two, my daughter was nearby. And three, she’s our new nanny.

You can’t sleep with the nanny, bro.

As I repeat that mantra, I turn the water on colder and resist the urge to tug one out. Brighton invited Camryn to her wing to help with dinner, so I do have the privacy, but I don’t want to keep them waiting. Not that it would take long to climax with Brighton back in my mind, more now than ever.

I turn the water off, dry off and pull on a clean pair of shorts and T-shirt. I exit my new ensuite bathroom and glance around my large bedroom. I still have a few things to put away, but most of it’s been done. Seeing Camryn so happy here has definitely eased most of my worries that I’ve made the wrong choice for her, and while I want to keep her grounded, Brighton was right. I’m an NHL star, which means her childhood will be quite different from other kids. Still, I can do my best to raise her to have respect and compassion.

My phone pings and I pick it up to find a message from my buddy, Brady, who’s the team’s goalie, and a hell of a player, on and off the ice. I love the guy. I love all the guys on my team. They’re open and inclusive and accepting, no matter where you came from or what you look like and they were all so happy to hear about my new investment.

Brady: “When do we get to see the new digs?”

It’s Friday night. My parents are coming tomorrow, and I’d like a quiet Sunday at the beach, or at the park with Camryn, so I give that some consideration before I text back.

Noah: How about a rooftop swim and barbecue next Saturday?

Brady: I’ll let the guys know.

I smile. I do love the camaraderie between the guys and between the wives. Some have children and that’s always nice for Camryn. But because I’m single, a lot of the guys want me to go out to bars with them. I’d rather stay home with my daughter, and I can’t say that I miss the partying. There are times that I do get lonely. I’ve given up on finding love out there. Like I said, Crater Skater knows he’s only wanted for a bucking good time. I consider that for a second.

Bucking good time. I play for the Bucks. Ah, okay, now I get it.

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