by Layla Hagen
“Hey, why did you do that?” she protested.
“You snooze, you lose.”
We bickered about the coffee for about ten more minutes before it was time for me to leave.
After bidding her goodbye, I took a train directly to the state park. I was traveling separately from the group because they'd already arrived a few hours earlier. From the train station, I took a prebooked transfer to our cabin, looking out curiously on the way.
I sighed when I got out of the car in front of the huge B&B. My God, it looked so gorgeous, even better than in pictures. I walked up the front porch, inspecting my surroundings. The A-frame was made from wood logs that had darkened already. There were two swings on the porch with folded gray blankets on them and a swinging armchair. Laughter and the occasional shriek filled the air. I couldn’t see the kids, but I suspected they were in the backyard; the property was narrow in the front, but I remembered seeing a huge yard in the back in photos.
The front door swung open when I arrived in front of it. Tyler stood before me, tall and impossibly handsome.
“Hey. How did you know I was here?”
“One of the kids saw the cab pull up. Welcome.”
Stepping closer, he brought his mouth to my cheek. My whole body tightened up when I felt his hot breath on my skin. And when his lips touched my cheek, every nerve ending was on edge. Tyler was exuding even more sexy vibes than usual. I felt them in every fiber of my body, as if he was feathering his lips all over me.
Stepping back, he pointed to my suitcase. “I’ll take that.”
I stepped to one side so he could pick it up. Yummm, that bicep flexed deliciously while he brought my bag into the house.
“This looks amazing,” I said. "You went all out."
"I told you I was going to get the best for them."
I’d only just arrived, and he was already waking up the butterflies in my stomach. I could feel my defenses melting away now that we were 150 miles away from Chicago.
I focused on my surroundings again, taking it all in. The cabin was so cozy, yet luxurious at the same time. Like the exterior, the interior was also all wood logs. It had hardwood floors and an old-style open fireplace.
How much did he spend on this place?
Five of the kids were storming about the living room, jumping on the couches and running up and down the staircase leading to the upper levels. One of the boys tried to climb the railing at the top, presumably to slide down, but Mr. Dawson stopped him just in time.
Thank God Mr. Dawson had come with us. While I could handle kids for about half an hour at a time, I wasn't qualified to keep this many safe at once—especially for two days.
“Kendra," Tim said loudly, coming up to me. "Mr. Dawson says he found a cool place where we can eat and look at all sorts of stuffed animals."
Stuffed animals? He must have been referring to mounted animals from a taxidermist. Regardless, that sounded like a nightmare to me.
"Okay," I said cautiously, wanting to be more enthusiastic, but honestly, that just gave me the creeps.
"I made reservations at six o'clock. It's called The Bear," Mr. Dawson said.
"I have a phone call at five thirty that will probably last an hour, but I can join you all afterward."
Taking out my phone, I searched for The Bear and then opened it in Google Maps, zooming in. “Okay. As long as I don't get lost on the way. How can the route be so complicated?”
It wasn’t far away, just twenty minutes on foot, but the directions were super twisty, turning this way and that.
Tyler stepped closer to me, and my entire body tightened with his presence.
“I’ll stay behind and wait for you. We’ll go together,” he offered.
I craned my head up, looking straight at him. "Why would you do that?”
“I'm good with maps." There was a dangerous twinkle in his eyes and an edge to his smile that made all my lady parts dance with joy. "We wouldn't want you to get lost, would we, Kendra?"
“Then that’s settled,” Mr. Dawson said, fortunately missing the exchange between Tyler and me.
“I’ll show you to your room, Kendra,” Tyler added.
I nodded, walking side by side with him.
“Our rooms are up in the attic. Everyone else is spread out on the floors below.”
Wait a second. Tyler and I have rooms near one another?
I licked my lips, narrowing my eyes at him. “Did you have anything to do with that arrangement?”
Tyler flashed a devastatingly sexy smile. “Not at all. Mr. Dawson decided. I might have suggested that it would be safer to have the kids on the same floor with him. Might.”
“Of course you did.” My heart was beating insanely fast. “Tyler... there will be no sexy times during this trip. I mean it.”
“We have to be role models,” he said seriously.
“Exactly.”
“Sexy time was not what I had in mind, Kendra. But glad to know you did.”
Wait, what?
As we went farther up the staircase, I felt his presence beside me so strongly it was as if we were touching the whole time. Sweet heavens.
Two minutes later, we arrived in front of my room. He brought a hand to my lower back, and that little bit of contact singed me.
“This is one of the rooms. Take a look at mine too. We can switch if you prefer. I didn’t unpack in case you wanted it.”
Such a gentleman.
He opened the door to the only other room up here. They looked identical. Only the view out the window was different. There was a huge fir tree in front of this one, whereas you could see a good distance from the other one.
“I’ll keep the other one,” I said.
He took the bag back into the first room, putting it up on a luggage rack so I could unpack. He flexed those biceps again. Yumm...
When he turned around, I schooled my features but immediately felt the heat of my skin exposing my true feelings.
“I’ll be next door,” he said. “Just knock when you’re ready.”
I nodded, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “I will. Thanks for staying behind with me.”
“My pleasure.” His voice sounded huskier than before, and it sent tendrils of heat between my thighs.
“And thanks for doing all this. It’s amazing, and I’m sure the kids will treasure it forever.”
“It’s easy to make them happy.” He stepped closer until I had to crane my neck to make eye contact. “What will it take to make you happy, Kendra?”
I swallowed hard. “Ummm... not sure. I’ve never thought about it.”
No one’s ever asked me.
He gently caressed my cheek with the backs of his fingers. The touch electrified me.
“Think about it. And tell me.”
“How are you even real?” I murmured. “Who says stuff like that?”
“Someone who means what they say and wants to know you intimately, Kendra.”
I instinctively knew he wasn’t only talking sexually. He wanted to know me, and this was a first for me. I had no idea what to say.
He stepped back, moving toward the door like he hadn’t made me swoon and heat up at the same time. “It’s almost five thirty. I’ll leave you to your call.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
The second he closed the door, I hurriedly took out my laptop from my bag and sat on the chair in front of the small vanity table.
I didn’t have time to process everything Tyler had said to me. I was hyperaware of him as if he was right behind me and not next door. Even through the closed window, I heard the yelps of joy of the kids playing outside. I put on my headphones and typed in the Wi-Fi password that was written on a sticky note. I shut out the rest of the world as I joined the Zoom meeting. This was a pitch for a new project, and I was excited. I liked sharing my ideas and finding the right people for them. In this case, I was trying to arrange for volunteers from the ice skating world to meet up with kids.
"Kendra,
this sounds like something our skaters would love to do. After all, it's important to interest young people in sports. I'll talk to them, okay?" Dorian, the manager of the skating club said.
"Sure. Text me or email me if they need more details or if you have any questions at all.”
"Yeah, sure. Thanks!"
The call disconnected, and I took off my noise-canceling headphones. For a few seconds, I felt that maybe my ears weren't working properly because it was so quiet. I couldn't hear any voices or noises at all, but then I realized it was already past six o'clock. Everyone was at the restaurant—everyone except Tyler, who was waiting for me.
I jumped from my chair, suddenly feeling butterflies in my belly. I pressed a palm against that spot. Smiling to myself, I put on a super thick sweater and jeans. I was about to take my trusted Ugg boots from my luggage when I heard a knock at my door. "Come in."
I sucked in a breath when Tyler stepped inside. He was wearing a Henley shirt that covered far too much but somehow still looked incredibly sexy, probably because it was so tight that it showed off every muscle. Yum. There should be a rule: only tight shirts on Tyler.
The air instantly changed in the room.
"I just finished a few minutes ago and was changing."
"I thought so when I didn't hear your voice anymore. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes. Yeah, we can go."
He looked at me intently. "We don't have to."
"You want to skip dinner with the group?" I didn’t know what to make of that. What would everyone think?
"Fuck yes." He stepped closer, looking me in the eyes. "I just want to spend this evening with you."
"Wow. Way to be straightforward."
"I told you I would be."
"I wasn't sure you were serious." The thought of an evening with Tyler was ohhh so tempting...
"Oh, I'm always serious when it comes to going after what I want."
I felt his gaze like a physical caress. And when he touched my face with the back of his fingers, I knew I was a goner. The intensity in his eyes and the barely restrained passion in his touch were almost too much.
I blew out a breath, then took a step back. I planted my foot the wrong way, losing my balance and almost fell on my ass.
"Wow. That was close," I whispered as I righted myself in his arms.
"It was, but you're okay. Does your ankle hurt?"
“No, I’m okay.” Clearing my throat, I took a step back. “Tyler, we said no sexy time, remember? Or, well, I said it. You agreed.”
“You make me lose my mind.” Swallowing hard, he pointed to the door. “After you.”
Was it my imagination, or were the muscles of his arms extra bulgy? Or maybe I was more sensitive to his insane sex appeal? Whatever the reason, I couldn’t stop the huge smile from forming on my face.
Mr. Perceptive didn’t miss it. "What's with that look?" he asked.
"I was just admiring you. Can't I do that?"
The corners of his lips twitched. "Let's go before I change my mind."
"Oh, and you assume I'd change mine too?"
“Yes.”
I laughed, shaking my head as we left my room, taking out my phone to look at the map.
It was cold outside, and I hugged my jacket tight around me as we walked through the twisty streets. I pulled my beanie down to cover as much of my ears as possible and crossed my arms over my chest to keep myself a bit warmer.
Tyler put an arm around me. "You're cold?" he asked.
"This is better. Now I'm extra warm from your body heat." It was the beginning of November and the chill was settling in.
"Really? You feel my body heat through three layers of clothes?"
"Oh, I think I could feel it through a wall. It just pours off you, like the sexiness. It's irresistible."
He kissed my cheek, making me melt.
"You're something else," he murmured. "You’re not a winter person, are you?"
"Hell no. Ever since I was a kid, all I did in winter was sit inside and read."
"I was out all the time. My brothers and I seemed to get all sorts of ideas in winter. We drove Mom mad. I mean, we did in general. It was just worse in winter. She used to run around after us with extra clothes because we forgot to put on jackets and stuff."
"How can you forget to put on jackets? It's freezing."
"Yeah. Not something we noticed. We were too busy being up to no good.” He changed the subject then, asking, “What was your call about?"
“I’m trying to convince some prominent skaters to drop by some of the schools. I want the kids to know they can dream big.”
Tyler’s eyes softened. “I’ve never met anyone like you. How are you even single?”
My mood plummeted. I sighed. "How much time have you got? It's a long story."
"I've got time, Kendra."
"How about you?"
"It's not exactly a secret that I've always been single. I've had hookups."
"Puck bunnies?" I asked, and his eyes widened. "Yeah, I know the term.”
“Honestly, that lost its appeal a long time ago. Anyway, before all this madness with the video, I met this woman, Blair, who didn't even seem to know much about hockey, and I thought that was a plus. But after the scandal, she said she didn't want to be tied to someone whose career was going down the drain."
I stopped in my tracks, utterly shocked that someone could be so callous. "She told you that?"
"Yeah." His eyes darkened. "I was blind to the signs, if I’m honest. She loved posting stuff about us on social media. That's most of what she did while we were together. But I thought it was normal. So many people seem to have this dire need of posting everything they do or eat in a day. It's not my style, but I understand that other people like it, and it didn't bother me. I just didn't realize that she was doing it in the hopes of, I don't know, becoming famous or something, and once she realized I wasn't her ticket to fame, she decided I wasn't worth her time after all."
"I'm shocked. But you're you," I said. “Hot and... you know. Everything else.”
He chuckled again, smiling, and that dead look in his eyes dissipated. "It's all fine, Kendra. It wasn't such a big deal."
But I got the feeling that he was minimizing the impact because he wanted to appear strong or something. I could only imagine how it felt when your whole career seemed to collapse around you, and then the person who was supposed to be your partner and support you bolted as well.
“You didn’t tell me your story,” he went on.
“It’s pretty basic. I went out with Peter for a year before I brought up the idea of moving in together, and he freaked out. Broke up with me the next day.”
“What the fuck!”
“Sums up my thoughts. I mean, I’ve never been a huge romantic or anything.”
“No?”
I shook my head. “I’m... practical. I mean, my parents were very much in love. But after he passed away... Mom was in two long relationships that both ended with the guy leaving when things became tough. She worked for a car manufacturer that ended up moving production elsewhere. The guy she was dating at the time, Mateo, left her two weeks later. Then she started seeing Alex, who was around for a while... until she got sick with MS.”
“I am so sorry.”
“She was inconsolable after he left.” It was horrible. I hated to think about those times. I felt so bad for my mom, that someone could treat her that way. I loved her so much, and I wanted everyone else to love her like I did. Some people could be so cruel.
“When did she pass away?”
“Seven years ago.” And I missed her every day.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks.” I racked my brain for a way to change the topic. “So, as I said, I’m not much of a romantic, but I do believe in soul mates. I just don’t think they necessarily meet, at all.”
“Soul mates?” he asked on a laugh, clearly taking my cue about changing the subject. “Can’t say I’m a believer. What
happened after you ended things with Peter?”
I appreciated the way he phrased it: “after you ended things,” not “after he dumped you.”
“That was two years ago. In the meantime, I’ve been on maybe three dates. That includes the one you’re going to take me on,” I said boldly. Peter was in the past, and I’d wasted enough time thinking about him and what I might have done wrong and why I hadn’t been enough. I was probably lucky it was over.
“Fuck yes, I will.” He stopped walking, cupping my face with both hands. “I promise I’m an excellent date.”
“I’m counting on it, Mr. Goalie. I’m not sure how you can make me swoon or heat up more than you already have at this point, but—”
“I’ll do my very best.”
After a few minutes of walking, Tyler looked around, frowning. Then he glanced at the map on his phone.
“We got lost, didn’t we?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
I burst out laughing. “I thought you were good with maps.”
“I am... when I’m not focused on you. I’ll figure it out.”
We arrived at the edge of the property where the restaurant was twenty minutes later. My face was frozen, but my body was heated up from all the walking.
Lamps lit the path leading up to the restaurant on either side, but I still felt a bit on edge while walking.
When I stepped inside The Bear a few minutes later, I gasped.
"Holy shit." There really were stuffed animals, as Tim called them, everywhere, but I stood corrected. They weren't creepy—they were downright scary. They looked so lifelike that it was hard to believe they weren't alive. The restaurant seemed to love bears the most because they were mounted everywhere.
Tyler and I walked side by side to the table where our group was. The kids were talking about what costumes they wore for Halloween two days ago.
“Tyler, you’re here. We thought you forgot about us,” Tim said.
“Of course not, buddy.”
“Hmm, I don’t believe you.”
“Kendra here can vouch for me, right?” He turned to me. “I’ve been on my best behavior, haven’t I?”
I felt my ears heat up. “Yes, you have been.”
A behavior I was liking very much.
