I feel his hand on the back of my head, his fingers moving down to my chin and he tips it slightly, enough for me to coast a glance up to his beautiful eyes. “You’re fucking beautiful,” he says.
“I think you’re beautiful, too.”
He chuckles and gives me a cute little tap on the ass. “I don’t know about that, but my god of thunder thanks you.”
“You mean JJ Jun?—”
A loud rap at the door has us both springing to attention downstairs before I can finish the name he loves so much. I can faintly hear someone calling Jay’s name. My heart strums in a nervous pang as Jay and I exchange a quick, horrified glance.
“A bit early for housekeeping,” I say, glancing at the bedside table. It’s only seven-thirty.
“Yeah, I’d say so.” Jay throws the comforter back and pushes himself up off the mattress, making light work of his steps to the door, where he grabs the hotel robe on the back of it and slides his arms through. “Hopefully it’s not your brother or any other members of your family…”
My eyes pop open at that notion. It’s not that I don’t realize where I am or where I ended up last night, but I was so roped up in snuggling with Jay this morning and spending every spare second I can with him before I snuck back to my room, I lost track of time. It might be early, but my family could be roaming around anywhere. And this could very well be Tanner at the door.
“Maybe I should’ve snuck back to my room before the sun came up. I never thought about if someone came knocking?”
Jay chuckles to himself and walks back over to the bed, leaning down to kiss the top of my head, his lips pressing warmly into my skin. “Who’s going to be up at this hour wondering what we’re doing?” He quirks a brow and I sit upright, dusting myself off, while my brain does a quick round of mental gymnastics.
“You’re forgetting Tanner and Deb have a three-year-old,” I remind him.
“Actually, on second thoughts, Tanner mentioned hitting the tee for a game of golf or some shit before breakfast. I may have said to come wake me up, I just didn’t think it would be this early.”
“You play golf?” I giggle.
He looks at me pointedly, like I can’t imagine him doing anything else except waving a hockey stick around. “I can whack other sticks around, you know, other than on the ice.”
The way he says that makes my core throb again, because I’m only thinking of one stick right now. “Oh, that you can.”
It’s only another rap at the door that breaks us both apart again.
Shit. My heart palpitates again as Jay casts me a wink and disappears down the stairs with a solid dozen or so thuds down to the bottom. I sit still like a jungle cat, listening intently. Jay opens the front door while I decide whether I spring out of bed and quickly dress, then maybe hide in the bathroom, or duck my head under the covers and stay there.
My worst fear is realized when I hear the all too familiar sound of Tanner’s voice.
“Hey man, shit, did I wake you?”
“Just snoozing,” I hear Jay reply. Facepalm of the century.
“We went by to see Aunty Jade, but she’s not there,” I hear little Luca’s voice now.
Oh holy shit.
“Yeah, you haven’t seen my sister have you?” Tanner asks.
CHAPTER 25
Jay
“Actually,” I run a hand over my messed up hair because let’s face it, it’s been fucked into next week with a jolly good thanks to Jade Jones. I stare at my best friend, my eyes adjusting to the morning light as he stands there leaning in the doorway with Luca hot on his heels. “I haven’t.” It’s so fucking lame.
Guilt floods over me lying to his face like that, rolling right off the tongue without a second’s pause. I’m such a fucking asshole.
“Uncle JJ!” Luca interrupts my guilt-ridden haze, keeping my rising panic down at having his Aunty Jade upstairs, stashed in the bedroom. He tugs on my bathrobe and beams up at me. “Mommy and Daddy are getting married!”
“Hey, Bud. Wow, I know right, not long to go now.” I scrub a hand down my face, hoping I’m not coming across as a panicked mess. “And a little birdie tells me that you’re going to be the ring bearer?”
He giggles, shooting his arms up in the air. “Yes! Me and Robbie! And Daddy said I get to wear a tuxedo!”
