Page 27 of Home for the Holidays

“Oh, so it’s not just to trawl for pussy in each city?”

MacGregor cringes. “I mean, yeah, that’s part of it. But it’s the loss of privacy, too. It’s hard living your life with everything open and exposed all the time. The press, social media, they all think they’re entitled to every piece of our lives. Sometimes it’s nice to keep things quiet.”

“You got a girl?” He keeps things pretty close to his chest.

He snorts. “Yeah, no. Not for me.”

“A guy, then? No judgment.” One of my college teammates is gay and a guy from my AHL days just came out as bi. I’ve heard rumors about Robby Andrews, our team’s equipment manager, but until he decides to announce anything, I’m not going to pry.

“Nah. Just don’t have time for anything,” MacGregor denies. “I’m not ready to settle down.”

“I don’t know that I am, either,” I admit. “I just know if I let Rachel walk away, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“That’s your answer, then,” he tells me. “Don’t live your life with regrets. Go get your girl.”

It’s a long, exhausting day before I get home. The team won, but it was a hard-fought victory. I let two goals slip by me. It’s nothing short of a miracle that the offense was able to score three.

Despite my urgency, the team took forever to load the bus to the airport, and then there were mechanical issues with the plane, making us even more delayed.

I’m dead on my feet when I open my front door. The sight of Rachel’s boots beside the console table buoys me, lifting my spirits. Dropping my bags, I all but race to my bedroom.

And there she is.

Fast asleep, her hair spread on my pillows, adorable little snuffling sounds filling the room. A t-shirt—it looks like one of mine—is on the floor beside her fuzzy slippers.

Quickly, I pull off my shirt, leaving me in my sweats.

Just in case…

And when I pull back the covers, revealing her nude form, I kick myself for being overly cautious.

Rachel turns over in her sleep, twitching away from the gap in the blankets.

Dropping my sweats, I crawl into the bed beside her, my heart pounding a thousand beats a minute. There’s more adrenaline coursing through my veins than during a shutout game when I’m facing the best sniper in the league.

Calm down, I tell myself. She’s just a woman. She’s just⁠—

Every fantasy come to life.

She’s all I’ve wanted since I knew how to want.

And now she’s naked. In my bed.

She squirms closer to me, and I wrap her in my arms and pull her into my chest. Rachel lets out a soft sigh and burrows into my torso, her cheek on my chest.

I could do this forever.

I was dog tired a few moments ago, but now I’m wide awake. I don’t know how long this will last. I want to enjoy every fucking moment, sear it into my brain like a brand.

Holding her in my arms, coming home to her… it feels right.

It feels inevitable.

Now I just have to figure out a way to keep her.

eleven

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