“It’s weird,” Axel agreed, and I nodded. I didn’t know much about Kaden’s love life. No one did. All we really knew was that he’d been a man whore until he’d met her, then he was secretive and ceased chasing other women.

Steele sighed and leaned his head against the back of the recliner. He closed his eyes for a moment and seemed to debate saying more. Instead he wished us good night and went to his room.

“What do you make of all that?”

“Kaden? Or Steele?”

“Both of them really.”

“I think they have baggage and aren’t dealing well with it.”

“That about sums it up.”

“I don’t want to talk about them any longer. I want to lose myself inside you.” He leaned close to me, studying my face.

“That’s the best idea you’ve had all night.”

Chapter 26—Calm Before the What?

~~Geneva~~

I couldn’t shake the feeling Axel and I were living in the veritable calm before the next storm, but I shook off my bad feelings and lived in the moment.

In the excitement and stress of the playoffs, I’d all but forgotten about Bria, and she’d been quiet. I knew Jock’s attorney was in discussions with hers. Jock had even volunteered to pay for her treatment if she’d go, but she wasn’t being cooperative. No huge shock there.

Game three started out with a bang. Axel scored his first shift on the ice, and I ignored the amused stares of his teammates and my coworkers as I screamed at the top of my lungs. He skated over to the bench and fist-bumped the guys on the way by. His gaze lifted momentarily to me, and he winked. I loved being his—

I hesitated. What the hell was I? His girlfriend? Had we progressed to that point? I didn’t know. We hadn’t discussed it. This entire thing was so new, and I was still skittish about getting in too deep with him. I freely gave him my body, but I withheld my heart and my soul. He wasn’t complaining, and I wasn’t dumb enough to point out what was missing.

We were a pair—the two of us. I fought having any kind of relationship, while Axel pretended he wanted one, but I wasn’t sure he really did. At least, not the kind of relationship most people dreamed about. He wanted the sex. We both did.

But the stuff that came with a deep, meaningful relationship… Not so sure we were ready for that or if we’d ever be. We were both damaged goods. Children who’d been abandoned by their mothers never quite got over that abandonment. The way I saw it, those children as adults always held something back so that they were never all in. It hurt less that way when everything fell apart.

We didn’t talk about us as a couple in any serious manner. It was too early for that, and I was probably too gun-shy about trusting another man to bring up such a conversation. Best to let this go as it was going. We were having fun. We were dating. We were exclusive. I didn’t need or want more than that. I doubted Axel did either.