Page 11 of Game Changer
Finally, sweaty and frustrated, I give up.
I walk out the living room where Jax still sits.“Sorry to bug you with this, but…I can’t get my dress undone.”
He looks over at me.“Oh.”He sets his glass down and rises.
I present him with my back.“The buttons are really small.”
“Yeah.”He clears his throat.“They are.”
The dress is off the shoulder, so the top of my back is bare.He moves up behind me, and his fingers brush over my skin as he starts to work on the tiny studs.I can feel his warmth and his focus as he opens each button, from the top down to my waist.The bodice loosens around me and I lift my hands to hold it in place.
Finally, he says hoarsely, “There you go.”
“Thank you.”
I hasten back to the bathroom, the dress now loose, my back entirely bare.I step out of it, leaving it in a pile on the tiled floor.I’m not wearing a bra, and my panties are white lace.The white lace that was supposed to be sexy for Steve when I first planned to wear them but which I knew he was never going to see when I put them on earlier today.
“Fuck him,” I mutter, pulling on Jax’s T-shirt.I tighten up the drawstring on the pants and roll down the waistband, then roll up the hems so I don’t trip over them.Jax is a lot taller than me.
I bundle up the dress and shove it in the corner.Then I pull out the pins and pearls and flowers in my hair and shake it out with my hands.There.Now I’m comfortable.
Back in the living room, Jax has some music playing quietly and he’s looking at his phone.
I sit again and pick up my tequila.“Are you getting texts about the wedding?”
“Oh yeah.”He tosses his phone onto the couch.“I told the guys I bolted since it seems the wedding wasn’t happening and I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“Do you need to pack?Don’t let me keep you from doing what you need to.”
“I’m mostly packed.My flight’s not until three o’clock, so I have time in the morning.”
“Okay, good.”
Our pizza arrives.I manage to eat a couple of small pieces even though I didn’t think I wanted any.
“So you’re going to see your family in Los Angeles,” I say to Jax as we eat.
“Yep.”
“You don’t seem thrilled about it.”
His jaw tightens.“It’s not going to be fun.Family stuff.”
His family is pretty famous.His grandfather is a hockey legend.As a Chicago girl, I’ve always been a fan of the Aces, but I learned a lot more about hockey when I started dating Steve.I’ve heard the stories about Jax’s dad suing Jax’s grandfather over money, but I’ve never really talked to Jax about it.
“Well, they’re still family, so it’s good to go visit.”
“It’s not just a visit.My grandpa has Alzheimer’s.”
“Oh no.”I gaze at him sympathetically.“I didn’t know that.”
“They haven’t really gone public with it yet.”
“That’s awful.But it’s good that you’ll go spend some time with him.”
“The thing is, I haven’t really seen Grandpa for a long time.”He sets his empty plate on the coffee table.“The last time was a family wedding and I pretty much avoided him.”
“Oh.Why is that?”
