And after? We collapsed to the floor, a mess of tangled limbs and heaved breaths.
I’d never felt happier or more complete than I did in that moment.
I was nearly drunk on the knowledge that Jansen Sterling had claimed me, heart and soul.
15
Sterling
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The edge of the desk bit into the back of my thighs as I stared at the clock on the wall in London’s office like it was the countdown on a nuclear weapon. Fifteen minutes. That’s exactly how long I had to get my ass downstairs and into the locker room to gear up.
“Then you need to get another security screener down there,” London said as she walked through the door, her cell phone at her ear. “Because we can’t have an hour-long line to get through security, Sean. It’s not acc—” Her eyes widened slightly as she saw me, and then her expression softened. “Call Rob and ask him for another screener. I have to go.” She hung up and slipped her phone into her back pocket.
“No rest for the wicked, huh?” I asked. “You’re supposed to be off today.” She’d even come in casual—jeans and a fitted, black Reaper jacket.
“Right?” She took a seat next to me on her desk. “Sean hasn’t quite figured out the staffing issues.”
“Don’t worry, next year there will only be one desk in this room, and it will be yours.” I put my arm around her shoulder and tucked her close to my side. Just having her near settled my stomach.
“Speaking of this room…” She nailed me with those glacier-blue eyes. “Are you hiding? Usually you’re the first one in the locker room, and I can’t help but notice that you’re about fifteen minutes from the mandatory check-in time.”
I glanced at the clock. “Fourteen minutes.”
“I know today has to be hard for you.” She stroked her hand down my thigh in a soothing motion.
“I’ve never played when I knew he was in the stands. He’s shown up to a couple of games, but I only knew afterward, and I’ve sure as hell never been on the ice with Maxim at the same time.” Great, the nausea was back in full force.
“What can I do for you?” she asked gently.
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Just love me.”
“I do. I love you with my whole heart.” She tipped her face up and kissed me. “You are an amazing goalie, Jansen. Sure, maybe he gave you some good genetics when it comes to hand-eye coordination or something, but the rest is you. Your training. Your hard work. Your dedication. He can’t touch you out there.”
“Still feels like I have something to prove.”
“Only to yourself. The rest of us are already well aware of what an incredible player—incredible man you are.”
The knot in my chest loosened with her words, and I kissed her again before rising to my feet. “I love you, London Foster.”
Her smile was bright enough to make me fall all over again. “Good. Now go. I’ll see you after.”
“You’re not going to wish me good luck?” I teased, already backing toward the door.
“You’ve never needed luck, Jansen. Now go!” She shooed me off with a grin, and I went.
The hallways beneath Reaper arena weren’t crowded yet. Security was always tight on game day, and I made my way toward the locker room with minimal interference until I neared the fork in the hallway that intersected the players’ entrance and the path to the locker room.
There, two women with passes around their necks waited, both leaning against the wall. One was blonde, and one brunette, but that was all I noticed until one stepped into my path, effectively blocking my way.
“Oh, my God,” the brunette whispered. “You’re him.”
I put on the smile I used for fans. “Depends on who you think I am.”
“You’re Jansen.” She stared at me with wide, blue eyes, the color draining from her face as she gripped the thick strap of her purse with both hands.
She was a beautiful girl, but I wasn’t interested. Besides, no one in the world could hold a candle to what London stirred inside me.
“I am.” I peered to the left, over her head, and caught Coach McPherson looking at me from where he stood at the entrance to the locker room, tapping his watch. “And I am going to get reamed if I don’t get into the locker room.”