“That was Jaxon’s ex.” I point to the dining area as we walk past reception toward the hall to our room, passing the blazing fire and the sparkling tree. As soon as we reach the threshold of the hall, an alarm goes off and I nearly jump out of my shoes.
“What the?—”
Jaxon’s mother claps her hands, and new guests coming inside turn to see us, no doubt wondering why I’m in the middle of a cardiac arrest.
“Mistletoe alarm,” Penn informs me and points overhead.
“Ooh, it works.” Fiona grins from ear to ear.
“I think we might need to turn the volume down,” Donovan says as he cringes.
You think?
“Okay you two lovebirds, you know what that means.” Fiona points up as all eyes turn our way.
“Just go with it,” Penn says and pulls me into his arms. I lift my face to his and he dips his head, his lips closing over mine, and for a second, I lose myself in him, forget that we have an audience watching us. Honestly, I could stay in his arms, lips locked like this all day.
Donovan clears his throat and when I inch back, heat moves into my face.
“That was fun,” I joke. I turn to Fiona who is beaming at us. The woman truly loves Christmas. I mean, I do too, but the mistletoe alarms are overkill. A cold breeze rushes in and when the door opens and the second Fiona turns her attention to her guests, I grab Penn’s hand and hurry down the hallway.
Once inside our room, I head to the bathroom and brush my teeth, and when I come back out, Penn is staring out the window. “You okay?” I step up to him and place my hand on his back.
“I am.” He turns to me, and pulls me against him. The movement is so natural and easy, it’s like we’ve been together for years. “Should I be worried about Jaxon?”
“He’s a big boy. He can work things out.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have bailed. What happened between them, anyway?”
“It’s kind of sad really. They were engaged?—”
“Jaxon was engaged?”
I cock my head and study his face. “You really don’t know much about him, do you?”
“Not really.”
“You’re teammates. Aren’t teammates supposed to play and party together?”
A measure of sadness falls over him. “I haven’t been with the team long.”
“Do the guys not invite you out?”
“They do.”
“You don’t go.”
He looks over my head, his thoughts miles away. “I’m a team player,” he murmurs almost to himself. “I’m a bit of a loner outside the rink.”
I pull him against me, hold him tight. “There’s nothing wrong with being a loner, Penn. But it seemed to me that Jaxon was trying.”
“Yeah. I just…” he exhales. “This is going to sound strange.”
“Hey, we’re engaged,” I tell him playfully. “You can tell me anything.”
“I don’t think I’m really good at bonding. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because…”
I don’t want to say anything to upset him, but add, “You didn’t have a lot of stability in your life, or a father figure?”