I take a breath. “Shelley and I were together for a year. I had feelings for her, but I didn’t love her. She wanted more than I could give her, so I broke things off.”
Jessica’s mouth tightens at my words, but she doesn’t say anything.
“Shelley wasn’t happy, so she fabricated a story about me. She’s a journalist, so it was difficult for her to get her little fairytale published.”
Jessica’s eyes flick to mine. “What did she do?”
“She told everyone she was pregnant, and the baby was mine. She accused me of being abusive and said I liked to use my strength against women off the ice. All lies.”
Jessica sucks in a shocked breath, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Of course, it was lies. You would never…!” She trails off, shaking her head, her mouth a tight, angry line.
Her faith in me is humbling after the way I reacted to seeing her with Shelley. “I sent my lawyer after her, and she finally retracted her accusations, but the damage was already done. Innocent until proven guilty doesn’t seem to apply in situations like that. Throw enough shit, and it sticks. My reputation was trashed. I had hate mail, and almost lost my job because it reflected badly on the team. Shelley issued a public apology, blaming it on mental health issues, and checked herself into a treatment center for a month. Then she returned to her life and picked up where she left off like nothing had happened. Like she didn’t try to destroy my life.”
Jessica looks furious. “God, I wish I’d slapped that bitch when I had the chance!”
Her expression and her words pull a reluctant chuckle from me. “I’d like to see that.” I sober, bringing her hand to my mouth and kissing her palm. “I’m so sorry, angel. I saw red when I saw you with her, laughing like you were old friends. I’m not proud of how I reacted. I was an asshole.”
“Yeah, you were.” Jessica nods. “I understand why you reacted when you saw Shelley, and I’m sorry for what she put you through, but I didn’t deserve your anger, Harrison. I met her for the first time this afternoon, purely for business reasons. I don’t follow hockey or any sport, and I didn’t know you had history.”
“I should’ve told you everything right from the start. I hate reliving that time, but I thought I’d get a chance later . . .” I trail off and shake my head.“I swore I wouldn’t let another woman get close enough to hurt me like that again, and then you came along. You smashed down every single one of my defenses that evening. I love you, Jess. All of you. I love your strength and resilience. I love your little snores when you’re sleeping”—she opens her mouth to object, but I plow on— “and I love how you give a hundred percent of yourself to everything. And now, I’m giving a hundred percent of myself to you because without you, I’m nothing.”
Jess bites her lip and tears fill her eyes.
“I want the wedding, the house, the babies, and I want it all with you. I’ve screwed up, Jessica, but I swear to God, I’ll spend every day for the rest of my life making it up to you.”
She stares at me for a long moment, and my heart batters my ribs. Finally, she asks, “How?”
I frown. “How what?”
“How would you make it up to me?”
I hesitate, aware we still have an audience. I lower my voice. “In all kinds of sinful and delicious ways.”
Mack makes a puking sound behind me, and I turn to look at him. “Okay, I’m done. You were doing pretty good until that part,” he grumbles in disgust. He looks at Jessica. “We’ll be inside if you need us. I still have that baseball bat by the front door if needs be,” he adds, giving me a meaningful look. With that, he tugs Harmony to his side and closes the door.
I guess that’s as good as I’m gonna get from him for now. I admire his love and care for his sister. We have that in common.
I turn back to Jessica, taking another step so our bodies are almost touching. “I’ll never keep anything from you again, Jess. I’m an open book, but only for you, angel. Only you can flip my pages.”
She places a hand over her mouth to smother her laughter. “Flip my pages?Seriously? Dear God, we need to work on your sweet talk.”
“Pretty sure it’s mydirtytalk that gets you all hot and bothered,” I growl, sliding my hands around her waist and tugging her against me.
“Ah, shit. You got me there,” she says breathlessly as I press my aching cock into her soft belly.
I lean down, sliding my nose along her neck. “Have I groveled enough?”
She sighs dramatically. “Not sure. You may need to do a little more groveling in bed.”
I bite her earlobe. “How about I eat your pussy until you come all over my face instead?”
She nods. “That’ll work.”
Jessica takes my hand and tugs me toward what looks like a guesthouse. I assume that’s where she was when I arrived. I barely notice as she leads me through the open-plan living area and dining room and along a short corridor to a bedroom.
My mouth is on hers in the next instant, and her hands fist in my hair as I lick inside her mouth.
“God, I missed you,” I mutter against her lips.