Page 109 of Just Friends
“Because I wanted you to know I was serious. And this was the only way I could think of doing it.”
“What are you talking about?”
He resumed talking to the live-stream audience. “Guys. Here’s the thing. I know a lot of you out there thought Piper and I scammed you, that the promotion was a hoax, and you think Piper and I are secret lovers, or whatever the hell. And if you believe that, honestly, I think you’re a bunch of idiots.”
I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t sure insulting the small audience that we had left was going to do us any favors.
“But that being said,” Jax continued, “I can’t blame you.”
“What?!” I shrieked. “We didn’t scam anybody.”
“No, not the scam part—that’s obviously bullshit. I meant the secret lovers part.” Jax took a deep breath. “Guys, the truth is, Piper and I really werejust friends.Okay, yeah, if you want me to becompletelyhonest, I thought she was a total babe when we first met. And yup, you better believe I tried to get her to smash the very next night, too.”
My elbow jabbed his stomach and he wentoof.
“But she turned me down,” he said once he recovered. “Why? Because she’s too classy a gal to hop in the sack with a guy like me—a guy who was only after one thing. But we really clicked, because we have a whole lot in common. And I didn’t want to write her off forever just because she wasn’t down to fuck me. And so began one of the best friendships of my life. For five years, Pipes has been my closest friend in the world. She means the world to me. And we never even kissed.”
Knowing what was coming, I shot him a glare.No, don’t do it, Jax. No good can come from this.
“Not until the promotion, that is,” he said. He wagged his finger at his camera. “There’s a lot of you internet sleuths out there, by the way. I know you guys were analyzing the footage for kissing sounds. Well, I’m gonna let you in on a secret—”
I tugged at his forearm, begging him to stop. “Ja~x, no.”
“You guys were right. After Soulmate paired us together, Piper and I were lying on our big leather couch, just off camera, about to share our very first kiss just.No,it wasn’t planned, and no, the promotion wasn’t a hoax. Neither of us wanted to be paired together—but it happened, just like the kiss happened afterward.”
I hid my eyes under my hand, but I still bobbed my head in agreement.
“You guys want to hear some real talk? That kiss was the best I’ve ever had. It was the hottest, most intimate, mostrealkiss I’ve had in my life. I didn’t even know a kisscouldfeel like that, honestly. My one and only complaint about that kiss?” He turned to me and let the question hang to build suspense. “Pipes cut me offwaytoo quick.”
I rolled my eyes and laughed, relieved he didn’t have any realgripes.
“But that kiss stuck with me. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it ever since—and wanting more.” He looked at me. “That kiss stirred things up. It really got me thinking.”
“About what?” I asked curiously.
“Feelings I’ve been repressing. Some of my shortcomings.” He paused. “For example, I realized I’m a little shy when it comes to commitment.”
“Ya think?” I teased.
He laughed, too. “But seriously, this past week hasn’t been easy. I’ve had to do a lot of soul searching.”
“I have, too,” I admitted.
“Yeah, but it’s easy for you,” he said. “I’m not so good with feelings and stuff. But I’ve done a lot of thinking about what you mean to me, Pipes, and—” He paused to wrangle his thoughts, or perhaps his heart. “Being a pro athlete is nice and all. But without you by my side, it doesn’t mean athing. I’m not even sure I could do it without you.”
I wasn’t so sure about that; I knew he could manage just fine without me. Heck, he’d made it to the NHL before we’d even met, after all. But still, it was such a sweet sentiment to hear from him.
“Aw, Jax,” I whispered, my bottom lip jutting out.
“I mean it.” He pulled me against his side and into the shot. But the second his big hand touched my bare shoulder, he recoiled with surprise. “Whoa.” His hand rubbed up and down my shoulder. “What the?!”
“What?”
“Your skin is so—” Now his hand flew up and down my bare arm, squeezing and petting me, like a child discovering some fascinating new texture for the very first time. “Sosmooth!What did you do?!”
“You took me to a luxury spa, Jax,” I said, grinning. “Whatdidn’tI do might be a better question.”
“I know. I’ve just never felt skin this soft.” He stroked my shoulder absent-mindedly as he continued to address the live-stream audience. “Anyway, guys, the point I’m trying to make here is this: Soulmate isnota scam. The app fucking works,alright? It works so well, in fact, you’d better watch out—because who knowswho it might pair you with? It might pair you with the person you least expect and turn your life upside down, like it did to mine. I’m just warning you, Soulmate might fuck your shit up.”
