After the showdown with my mom on the balcony, the rest of Christmas Day is much less eventful. We play board games, eat until we’re stuffed, and welcome multiple groups of carolers at the front door.
Seb is by my side the whole time, almost protective in the way he holds my hand, slips his arm around my waist, puts a reassuring palm on my thigh under the table when Adam brings up his and Elizabeth’s upcoming nuptials over turkey and ham.
But at the same time, there are moments where he’s not quite present. He’s physically close, but his mind seems to be elsewhere. There’s a tension to him that normally isn’t there.
I don’t blame him—it’s an awful lot of high-intensity family time with a bunch of people who are total strangers to him. And he’s gone above and beyond for me at every turn. Poor guy probably needs a mental break.
At around 8pm, everyone is cozy in the living room—save for Dot, who’s gone to bed early after the day’s excitement, and Jax, who’s wandered back into the forest to play with wolves or whatever the hell he does in his free time. The parents are playing mahjong around the card table, Adam’s waxing eloquent about some new type of confectioner’s sugar he’s importing from France or Zanzibar or something, and Elizabeth’s pretending to listen while playing Wordle on her phone.
Which is the first thing I’ve found I have in common with her. Two things, in fact—I love Wordle, and often feigned interest in Adam’s monologues when we were together.
Seb, though seated next to me on the sofa, still seems far away. His brows are drawn over his eyes and his mouth is twisted down in one corner as he stares out the window.
“Hey,” I whisper to him, and he starts a little before his eyes meet mine. “Wanna sneak off and go in the hot tub or something?”
I can’t quite believe I’m proposing this. The thought of Seb the Specimen of Human Perfection seeing me, Maddie Grainger, in a bikini, is a little frightening.
But after today, I’m choosing to believe in myself.
His eyes darken at my suggestion, making my stomach fill with butterflies once again. “Hell yeah, I do.”
And if that enthusiastic response doesn’t quell my worries, I don’t know what in the world would.
We manage to creep out of the living room together without garnering more than an annoyed mid-monologue glance from Adam.
Upstairs, I dig two plush robes out of the closet, and then grab my swimsuit. “I’ll get changed in the bathroom and meet you out there.”
That trademark Seb smirk is back in place. “You can get changed wherever you want, Maddie.”
“Perv.” I swat him on the arm with a giggle and then duck out to the bathroom.
“Can’t a man admire his wife’s body anymore?” he calls after me.
This makes me really laugh.
In the little hallway bathroom, I change into my bikini. It’s not the sexiest bikini in the world, but it’s cute—midnight blue with criss-cross straps on the back and little bows on the sides of the bottoms.
I scoop my hair up into a bun on top of my head, pull on my robe, and pad downstairs to the side deck, where the hot tub’s located.
I slide open the door and squeak as the frigid air fills my lungs. Seb’s already soaking in the tub, sitting contentedly in the billowing steam and laughing at my current grave peril. “Hurry up, slowpoke! You’ll freeze!”
I dart across the deck—skipping as carefully as possible over the icy bits—then throw off my robe and practically jump in.
“Brrrrr,” I breathe as the steamy water stings pleasantly on my cold skin. I position myself at the far end of the tub, away from Seb, and sit on my hands. The man looks good enough to eat right now—all wet and shirtless, his hair tousled and damp, his cheeks pink from the heat. I don’t want to accidentally maul him like I’m a hungry grizzly bear or something.
Seb catches me checking him out, and smiles lazily. “Hello, Mrs. Slater.”
“Mr. Slater.” I sigh happily. This is miles better than sitting in the living room. The sky above is a black velvet blanket with a million stars woven across it. The crisp air smells like pine and snow and chlorine. And Seb is looking at me with a heat in his eyes that makes my lower belly feel fizzy.
As the steam clears a little, I catch a glimpse of his swim shorts under the water, and have to laugh. They’re canary yellow with pink donuts all over them. He follows my gaze and grins. “My Homer Simpson shorts.”
“That explains nothing.”
“Okay, if you want the full story… I got them at Universal Studios a couple years back when I was there with my family. I flew them down to see me when I was playing an away game, and I took them to Universal the next day. My younger brother loved the shorts, so we bought matching pairs.”
“You have a brother?”
“Two, actually. One’s a high school hockey coach back in the little mountain town where I grew up, and the other plays in the European hockey league.”
“Runs in the family, huh?”
“You could say that. My dad is obsessed with hockey, but growing up, he could never afford to play. And so, when my brothers and I were younger—and were clearly as hockey-obsessed as he was—he made a ton of sacrifices so we could have the opportunities he didn’t.” Seb smiles a little wistfully. “My parents are really great.”
I put two and two together as I think about how distant Seb seemed all afternoon. “You’re missing your family today. Because it’s the holidays.”
“We actually haven’t spent Christmas together in years. Hockey’s been my priority for a really long time. I’ve been lucky to get as far as I have in my career, lucky that I can financially support my parents to thank them for everything they’ve done for me. ”
“But don’t you miss being close with your family?”
“I do. I guess family and relationships have just… taken a backseat. I’ve always been focused on my next goal.”
“That sounds stressful.”
He looks at me then, and it’s a long, loaded look. “I was furious when I overheard your mom talking to you today. The way she puts you down makes me angry. And the way Adam walks all over you makes me wanna punch him in the face. I dunno, maybe I have anger issues.” He snorts a laugh. “But I’m so impressed by you, I can’t help but go on defense for you. I mean, you showed up for your family Christmas. You could’ve said no, told them to go screw themselves… but instead, you came. Meanwhile, my family loves and supports me—sacrificed so much for me—and in my trying to prove that it was all worth it… I think I ended up putting hockey first to the point that I hardly ever see them. Or talk to them.”
He runs a hand through his hair and tugs on the ends. “I realized today that I’ve been trying to make them proud, but I think I ended up being selfish in my pursuit of that.”
I shake my head. Slide a little closer to him. “You’re not. And you know how I know that? Because I initially thought that you’d been distant all day because you needed to mentally check out and take some brainspace for yourself… but here you were, thinking about other people.”
He pulls a face. “And how much I suck at keeping them close.”
“You can change that.” I shrug. “You’re a good person, Seb. You’re thoughtful. You listen—like, really listen. You care about people. You’re already generous and kind with your money, and you just have to learn to be generous with your time, too. Figure out how to make space for more meaningful things in your life than only hockey.”
He swallows. Nods. “You’re right, Maddie.”
“I’m always right. Never forget that.”
“C’mere.” He wraps his hand around my arm and pulls me none too gently along the slippery seat until I’m right next to him. Like, if I was any closer, I’d be in his freaking lap. “That’s better.”
“Hey!” I splash him indignantly, glad that the mood lifts as he comes back to the present with me.
He shoots me a devious grin. “I’m making space for a meaningful thing in my life.”
My heart jumps into my throat.
That face.
That voice.
Those words.
It’s too much for a red-blooded woman to take, I tell you.
“Still!” I manage to force out, trying with everything in me to seem as unaffected as possible right now. “You can’t just manhandle me like that, you big—”
“Sexy manly man?” he interrupts, that cheeky grin of his spreading wide. “World-class hockey player? Stellar husband of the highest order, purveyor of the happiest, most satisfied wife in the entire world…”
“I was going to say you big jerk!” I laugh. “But now, I’m changing it to you big, cocky a-hole.”
“How dare you talk about your husband like that,” he responds with a mocking wag of his finger.
Quick as a cat, I grab said finger and use my other hand to send a wave of water at his face.
He roars like a lion, throwing his head back, and then pounces on me, tickling me as I squirm and shriek and splash around. The hot tub water is flying in every direction and my bun has come unraveled to create a lovely drowned-rat look, but I don’t care. He pulls me onto his lap, his chest to my back, and his fingers move over my slippery body for a few dreamy moments before he locks both my arms in one big hand in front of me. But I kick at his shins and he relents, clearly letting me have the upper hand before those arms wrap around my midsection in a bear hug, effectively pinning me against him.
We’re still for a few moments, pressed against each other and breathing hard and fast. His skin is hot, and I feel his heart thump against my back. He puts his mouth close to my ear. So close that I can hear the hitch in his breathing, see his words curl like clouds through the night air. “You fight good… for a girl.”
Of course, this is fighting talk, and it’s immediately on again.
And oh my gosh, who knew that hot tub wrestling with a hockey player was on my sexy bucket list? Not me, I tell you.
But in a matter of moments, it’s shot straight to the top.
It feels good to be this close to Seb, this free and uninhibited. I have more fun with Seb than with anyone else, but he simultaneously makes me feel like my heart is ablaze and my veins are pumping full of hot, liquid want.
And from the way he looks at me… touches me… I think he might feel the same way towards me. Which is a wild thought in itself.
I whirl around and he catches my hips, pulling me onto his lap once again, but this time, facing him. We’re scuffling and wrestling and laughing, our wet limbs tangled, our hands sliding over shoulders and torsos, and the sounds of our laughter filling the night.
Then, a throat clears.
We both freeze—like we’re kids with our hands caught in the candy jar—and look at each other before turning towards the noise. That’s when I spot the shadowy figures of Adam and Elizabeth peering out an open window upstairs like a pair of weirdos.
Seb sighs with exasperation and touches his forehead to mine. His hands are still on my hips, holding me in place on his lap.
“Guess we were being too loud,” he says softly.
“I didn’t realize this cabin had quiet hours,” I whisper back. “Let’s just pretend we don’t see them?”
“Deal,” he responds immediately, his thumbs gently stroking the soft bare skin of my stomach. “I can’t see from here. Are they still looking?”
I check. “Yup.”
“I think they’re jealous,” he mutters into my ear, which makes me laugh and shiver all at once.
“Well, my mom was pretty sure earlier that we were putting on a show,” I say, boldly sliding my arms around his neck. “So maybe it’s good for Adam to see us together so he doesn’t think the same.”
“They want a show?” His hands tighten on my hips. “Let’s give them a show, love.”
And with that, his mouth is on mine. Hot and needy and sexy and oh-so-perfect.
Exactly the way I hoped—okay, fantasized—that Sebastian Slater would kiss.
This kiss fills all of my senses, and Adam and Elizabeth are soon entirely forgotten. The only thing I can possibly be aware of in this instance is this.
Him.
The kiss is soft and sweet for a few tantalizing moments, before it turns scalding. I moan into Seb’s mouth as his hands expertly move into my hair, one tangling at the nape of my neck and the other dancing down the ridges of my spine. He slants his mouth and deepens the kiss, and when his tongue slides against mine, my whole body arches at the sensation. Prickling shivers run over my skin as I kiss him back with everything in me, completely lost in him.
Our surroundings only heighten everything that’s unfolding between us—the cold sting of the wind makes my lips all the more sensitive, the searing heat of the water makes my body feel more on fire. Seb’s fingers tighten on my waist, digging deliciously into my bare skin like they’re holding on for dear life.
Fueled by this, my hands begin to explore his body, moving over the incredible hills and valleys of his shoulders and chest, my thumb swiping across his nipple and fingernails scratching against his sides, rewarding me with a throaty groan that turns my insides molten.
Who even am I right now?
I have no idea. But I know I’ve never been kissed like this.
His mouth breaks away from mine and a noise of protest escapes me, but it’s not for long because his stubbled jaw soon scrapes along mine. He kisses down the column of my throat, his lips fluttering over my pulse for a heartstopping moment before he nips at my skin with his teeth. Soothes the same spot with a kiss.
His fingertips lightly graze over the sides of my bikini bottoms, tangling in the strings, and between kisses and shallow breaths, he murmurs against my skin, “These little bows have been driving me crazy since the moment you got in here. Do you have any idea how hot you are, Maddie? You drive me wild.”
I swear I’ve never heard anything sexier in my life.
I’ve never felt sexier. More desirable. More wanted.
Like a woman possessed, I tangle my hands in his hair, attempting to bring his head back up towards me so I can put my mouth back on his. I tug frantically, and he gives a little laugh, looking right into the depths of my soul with those blue-gray eyes of his.
“What?” he teases.
I make an impatient noise in response.
“Is this what you want, Maddie?” He moves to cup my face, and this time, when he kisses me, it’s slow and sensual and sweet… and so utterly sexy, I can hardly bear it.
“Yes,” I say without breaking the kiss.
“Good,” he responds. Holding me tighter. Kissing me deeper in a way that I hope will never, ever end—
“MADELYN LOUISE GRAINGER!”
I spring away, almost falling backwards off Seb’s lap, as my mother’s shrill and insistent voice lands like a bucket of ice water to the face.
Seb’s eyes are a dazed. He swears. “I legit forgot where we were.”
I’m breathing so hard, it takes me a moment before I can find my voice. “Me, too. I got a little carried away.”
I look over my shoulder to see Mom standing in the doorway of the deck, arms crossed. I’d bet anything that Adam had something to do with her coming out here right now, looking for me. But I’m a grown, married woman doing nothing wrong…
So why do I feel like I’m a teenager, tipsy off a wine cooler and caught making out in the backseat of my car?
Honestly, I feel more drunk than I did that freaking night in Vegas. Seb’s kisses have got my whole head twisted.
“Madelyn, come inside this minute. We’re starting a cribbage tournament and you are expected to take part!”
“Oh.” I breathe a sigh of relief, my eyes flickering back to Seb.
But my Mother Dearest isn’t quite done: “And acting like a floozy out here for the entire world to see is not a good look, either!”
Ah. There it is.
Seb chuckles. “Tsk tsk. The entire world, Madelyn.”
I look around our very desolate surroundings of trees, forest, and snow. Seriously, there’s only one paved road leading to this cabin in the woods, and there’s not even another building for miles around. “What on earth was I thinking?” I ask, feigning shock.
Seb locks his hands behind his head as he looks at me. “Say sorry to the families of elk in the woods whose eyes you’ve scarred with your rampant floozying,” he says wickedly, quiet enough that it’s for my ears only.
I have to laugh. “Sorry, elk.”
“Good.” Seb’s eyes are dancing. “And now, apologize to the bears.”
“Wait. Aren’t the bears hibernating right now? You’re Canadian—shouldn’t you know that?”
The look he gives me sears me to the core. “I think we woke them up.”
I flush, my mind flashing back to how… enthusiastic that kiss was. All at once, I’m embarrassed and excited and hoping we get to do that again ASAP.
“Madelyn, you are being exceptionally rude!” Mom calls again, her voice sharp and impatient.
I cringe. “She’s so pissed. She, and probably Richard by extension, are not gonna let us hear the end of this.”
“That kiss was well worth their wrath to me,” Sebastian responds with a smile. It’s a beautiful, dazzling smile—one that signals that he cares not one iota about what everyone else thinks, because he’s totally, solely, wholly focused on me. “And for you… worth it?”
I grin back, not even having to think about it. “Worth it.”
