Mackenzie
The following morning, Jake went out for coffee and breakfast while I slept in. I’d stayed up late the night before trying to defuse the impact of Daisy Jones’s latest drama. She had rear-ended someone on her way home from a nightclub and then failed the mandatory sobriety test afterwards. The ramifications were going to be huge. Especially with her endorsement deals, considering one of them was with SafetyFirst, a national vehicle safety brand.
I had rang John Johnston, her manager, and told him we needed to meet. Daisy was unraveling and we needed to get her the help she needed before she had some kind of breakdown. Her well-being was my priority, while her ability to go on tour in two weeks was his.
We had argued and he had pulled rank. I was only her agent while he was her manager. He told me to shut the hell up, so I told him to go fuck himself. Daisy needed something, and she needed that something quick.
Daisy wasn’t answering her phone so I left her a ton of messages to call me. When she didn’t, I’d waited up, pacing and worrying, a thousand different scenarios rushing through my brain as to why she wasn’t answering her phone. Finally, a little after one o’clock in the morning, her father rang me to let me know she was safely tucked into bed.
Exhausted, I’d climbed into bed next to a sleeping Jake and fallen asleep curled into his warmth.
Hours later, the sound of Jake closing his bedroom door woke me up.
“Hey, Sleepy,” he said gently. When I briefly peeked through tired eyes he was sitting on the edge of the bed, a box of Krispy Kreme in one hand, and to-go coffee in the other.
I closed my eyes and smiled to myself. I was a damn lucky girl.
“Is that Krispy Kreme?” I asked, opening one eye.
“Yep.”
“And a coffee with creamer and two sugars?”
“A-ha.”
I opened both eyes. “Am I dreaming?”
“Na-ah.” He grinned. “Am I the best or what?”
I sat up and grinned back at him. “You are seriously the best!” I watched as he opened the Krispy Kreme box and six shiny, original, glazed donuts came into view. “God, I love you.”
Jake paused and turned to look at me, his eyes as wide as saucers, his eyebrows raised.
Mine went just as wide when I realized what I had said.
Immediately, my mind snapped wide awake. “No, I don’t. That’s not what I meant,” I backpedaled quickly. I closed my eyes and mentally face palmed. When I opened them again, Jake was grinning up at me.
“I don’t love you,” I assured him.
His grin grew wider. “Yes, you do. You totally love me. And you should, because I am so damn lovable.”
I rolled my eyes at him, “And not to mention modest.”
I reached for a donut. But he yanked the box away. “Nah-uh. Not ‘til you say it again.”
When he pulled out an original glazed donut and held it even farther away I gave up. “Fine,” I said. “I love you.” I gave him a pointed look. “Now can I have the donut?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Not ‘til you say it like you mean it.”
I slumped my shoulders. “You’re mean.”
“No, I’m not. I think we’ve already established how lovable I am.” He held the donut to his mouth. “Now say it, or the donut gets it.”
I sighed. Defeated. The safety of my donut depended on it. Rising up on my knees I looked him in the eyes and placed my hand over his heart.
“Jake Pennington—sexiest hockey player of all time—not only do I love you . . .” I paused, my eyes on his, “but I am crazy for you.”
As I spoke Jake’s face grew serious. All the humor left his eyes and I watched as his pulse pounded against his throat. The moment had turned serious. Beneath my hand, his heart sped up. I smiled and went to pull my hand away to reach for my donut but he quickly pressed it back down to his chest.
“Do you mean that?” he asked softly.
I looked at him and love burst from my heart, flooding every pore of my being.
“More than you could know,” I replied.
His eyes searched my face, searching for any sign I was playing around. But I wasn’t. I was crazy in love with him and I didn’t plan on fighting it anymore.
Finally, he smiled that big bright smile of his, and handed me my donut.
I grinned as I bit into it, and then pressed sugary kisses all over his beautiful mouth with my original glazed-covered lips. He laughed and pulled me down to him, flipping me on my back and kissing me hard and long.
He didn’t say I love you back but I didn’t need him to. I had a feeling my hockey player was already crazy in love with me.
* * *