Page 21 of One Last Puck

“Forgive me.” I extended my hand toward her and flashed her my pearly white, diamond-encrusted smile.

“I guess. I’m not about to let you ruin my big day.” She rolled her eyes as she placed her hand in mine.

“I’m never here to ruin it, Faye Baby. I’m just here to make it better.”

I led her out of the car, and the cameras flashed instantly.

“Jaxton! Jaxton Saint!” someone shouted. “Who are you with? Is this the contest winner?”

I turned my head in the direction of the reporter. There were only a few out here. They were probably trying to get good spots for the red carpet.

“Yes. This is Lafayette Porter from Saint Louis. She is this year’s Rep Your Podcast EPIC Award winner. Tell them a little about yourself.”

A familiar wave of adrenaline rushed through me as I recited my rehearsed script. Lafayette’s grip on my hand tightened, and her body tensed up beside me.

“Hi… u-umm…I-I’m...”

She was nervous. Leaning over a little, I found her ear.

“Relax. This is your playground,” I whispered.

She looked up at me and took a deep breath.

“Hi, I’m Lafayette Porter fromThe Porter Reportand this year’s Rep your Podcast winner. I’m so excited to take you behind the scenes at this year’s EPIC Awards.”

I gave her a thumbs up as they asked her a few more questions. I could see the nervousness on her face. She wasn’t herself. She wasn’t in her element. We made our way through the small crowd past the cameras, and we were escorted to a private waiting area with food and drinks to wait for the pre-show to begin.

“You’re nervous,” I stated as soon as we were alone.

“Yeah. Well, did you see all those people? When I’m doing my podcast, it’s just me. That out there is a damn circus.”

She was pacing back and forth in that beautiful, tight dress that showed off her body. I could barely fucking concentrate on getting her to relax. I wanted to hike that damn dress up and bend her ass over the little ass sofa in the room. That wasn’t what she needed right now, though. She needed support.

“I can’t argue with you on that. It is a damn circus,” I said, moving a little closer. “It’s overwhelming, but you were made for this. Come here.”

She stared at me hesitantly at first, but her feet eventually started moving.

“Before games, I breathe. I block out the world, and I breathe. It helps me calm my nerves so I can just focus on moving across the ice and blocking pucks. I just breathe and focus on what I love to do. You want to try?”

She nodded her head as I leaned against the wall and held my hands out.

“Okay.”

I closed the space between us, taking her hand in mine, and I lowered my voice.

“Breathe in… one, two, three,” I instructed.

My eyes focused on her as her chest rose. She filled her lungs, and then I guided her through the exhale.

“And out… one, two, three.”

Her chest fell.

“Good. Again.”

We repeated it a few times, and with each breath, I could feel her tension dissipate and our connection grow. I’d never been connected to a woman like this. We weren’t even having sex, and she had my mind gone.

“Thank you, Jax,” she abruptly said, pulling me back to reality. “I needed that.”

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