Groaning, I roll over in my bed and slap my hand around the nightstand until I connect with my buzzing phone.
The phone stops buzzing. I roll over.
The phone starts buzzing again.
“Damn it, who the hell is calling me!” I shout at no one, since I’m at home, alone. But really – who the hell is calling me on a Saturday morning?
Flipping the covers back, I sit up and rub my hands over my face to help myself wake up.
Grabbing my phone, I see Meghan’s name and I answer with the grumpiest tone I can manage. “What?”
“Good morning, sunshine! How was the rest of your night?” She sounds way too cheerful.
I’m about to say nothing happened, exhibit A: me home alone, but then I’m jolted back to our exploits in the hallway behind the locker room. I’m glad Meghan can’t see me, since I can feel the insta-blush that just crept up my face.
And just like that, my entire body wakes up, and I’m left thinking about how talented Jackson is with his hands. And his mouth. And his whole sexy body. Gah, the way he had me pinned against that wall…
Suddenly, my phone is ringing in my hand. What the hell?
It’s Meghan. Again.
“Hello?” I answer.
I can hear her laughing before she says, “Okay, space cadet, I need details.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh gee, I don’t know. Maybe about how I asked how your night went and then you spaced the fuck out. Bitch, I was yelling your name. I had to hang up and call back just to get your attention. Clearly, you were reliving something, and I want to hear all about it.”
“Well, we didn’t have sex last night if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m at home, alone, and still in bed. Fuck you very much for waking me up.”
She ignores my tone. “Hmmm? Okay, so there’s something you aren’t telling me here. But before we get into that, I was calling to warn you. Give you a heads-up. Whatever.”
Well shit, that doesn’t sound good.
“Okay…” I say tentatively. “What’s up?”
“Nothing bad, I promise! But you’re semi-famous after those videos posted from last night. Didn’t take long for them to spread like head lice at a daycare.”
“Ew.”
Meghan keeps talking. “People love it. And the internet did not disappoint. There are some great edits out there!”
“What are you talking about? What videos?” I ask cautiously.
“Uh, duh, the one from the Kiss Cam with Jackson practically breaking the glass. And then Jackson climbing up the motherfucking railing to kiss you after the game! Hello! Do you not remember what happened last night?”
I breathe a sigh of relief. For a moment there I was thinking that maybe someone had video from the hallway. I would really love to get through life without ever having a sex tape made public. Even if it wasn’t exactly sex last night. No one needs to see that. Except me. I would very much enjoy watching a replay of that.
“Katelyn!”
“Huh?”
“If you don’t start talking, out loud, in words, I’m going to come over there and drag the details out of you!”
“Yikes, okay.” Yeah, I’m distracted.
“Okay. So. What happened after the game?”
Flopping back on the bed, I think about how much of it I want to tell Meghan.
“Don’t you dare leave out the good stuff,’ she scolds, knowing me too well.
“Fine, fine.” I chuckle. “Like Jackson asked, I had Izzy bring me down to that private hallway, or whatever it was. Anyways, when Jackson came out, we were all alone, so we kissed. For a while.”
“You kissed.” She doesn’t word it like a question. She words it like she’s bored.
“Made out.” I pause. “Oh, and he had me pinned to the wall. With his body.”
She squeals. “All right. That’s more like it!”
Taking a deep inhale, I talk fast to get the rest out in one breath. “Ohmygod it was so fucking hot. He lifted me like I weighed nothing, and kept me trapped between him and the wall. He was grinding against me, and kissing me, and I couldn’t handle how turned on I was getting. I think I begged him for more and he made me agree to a date before he would give me what I wanted. Then he set me down, turned me around, told me to “put my hands on the wall” and shoved his hand down my pants. It was insane and he got me off in like record-breaking time.”
Silence on the other line.
“And then he drove me home.”
Still silence.
“And he’s coming to pick me up for a date today at noon.”
Silence.
I look at my phone to make sure we didn’t get disconnected.
“Meghan? You there?”
“Uh. Yeah.” She quiet for another beat. “Can you go back through that, slower, and using a thousand percent more detail?”
“You are such a perv.” I laugh. “It was incredibly hot. You should totally be jealous.”
“I am so far past jealous. I completely hate you right now.”
“Aww, thanks.”
“Ugh, you’re such a lucky whore.” She sighs. “Oh, wait! What was his dick like?”
“Um, I didn’t see his dick. Also, rude much?”
“Like you haven’t told me that stuff before.” She had a point. “And when you say you didn’t see it…”
“I mean, I didn’t see it. It didn’t make an appearance. I asked if he wanted… something. But he cut me off before I could make an offer.”
“And he just said No thanks, I prefer blue balls?”
“I believe his exact words were ‘Oh, I fucking want. But not tonight.’ And he’d made a comment before the whole hand-in-my-pants thing about how he wasn’t going to fuck me in a hallway. Honestly, I would’ve gone for it. I’m pretty sure that man could convince me to do all sorts of things I should not be doing.”
“Fair.” Meghan agrees before gasping.
“What?” I ask, startled.
“Were you wearing your Biggest Fan underwear last night?”
I pause for a beat before we both burst into laughter.
“Seriously, Katelyn, that man’s got it bad for you. I know you don’t want to do any internet snooping about his personal life, so I won’t give you any spoilers, but he doesn’t seem to be a player. Like, not at all. I think the fact that he kissed you in public like that, knowing cameras would be all over him, says something.”
“What does it say?” I’ll admit that I’m excited about the idea that Jackson might really be interested in me.
“I don’t know exactly, but I don’t think he was just doing that to get in your pants. Especially if he literally turned down an offer to get his rocks off.”
I mull it over. “I don’t want to get too ahead of myself with him. I know what you’re getting at, and I find myself wanting to agree with you. But I need to lower my expectations. All of our interactions have been intense, fraught with sexual tension, and we’ve had a lot of interruptions. We really haven’t spent that much time one-on-one. But even with all that, I feel close to him. Closer to him than I have with any other guy. And it’s freaking me out a bit.”
“You’re falling in love with him, aren’t you?”
“It feels that way,” I whisper. “But it’s way too soon. I mean, that’s crazy, right?”
“That’s the definition of a whirlwind romance. And love is crazy. There’s no way to control when and where it hits.”
I swallow against my worry. “But what if it doesn’t work? He’s so different from anyone I’ve been with before. And not just him personally, but his lifestyle. He’s like a literal celebrity.”
“He’s just a guy. A super fucking hot guy, but just a guy. Don’t let any of that other bullshit intimidate you. You are Katelyn Brown. You’re a wonderful soul with a beautiful face. That hunk of man might be a lot of things, but he’d be lucky as fuck to have you.”
“Thanks, Meghan. I adore you.”
“Duh, bitch. I’m the best.”
Smiling, I sit up again and climb off my bed. It’s time for coffee.
Measuring out the grounds, I prompt Meghan, “So, about these videos…”
Meghan instantly starts laughing. “I’ll send you the links now! They haven’t identified you yet, but I’m sure it’ll happen soon. And obviously anyone who knows you will recognize you.”
I’m back to groaning. “Well, at least it will be limited to hockey fans. I don’t know too many of those.”
“Um, yeah, no. This shit is gold. It’s already all over Facebook and Twitter.”
“What?!”
“Hello? Hot professional hockey player kisses some chick in the stands? It’s every girl’s dream. Plus, you add in the whole alpha-male thing when he smashed into the glass to keep that other guy from kissing you. Panties all over the country are combusting.”
“That’s quite the visual.”
“You look great in the video, by the way. Super pretty and adorable. But you also look like a normal girl, so to speak, getting kissed by the Jackson Wilder. I’m sure there’ll be some trolls, just like with everything, but the public loves you.”
“I should probably double-check that my security settings are locked down on all my social media accounts.”
“Not a bad idea. Okay, I’m hanging up, then sending you the links. Oh, wait. What are you guys doing for your date today?”
“I’m not sure. He said to dress casual and warm. He’s picking me up at noon.”
“Interesting…” she drags the word out. “Give me a call later, and I want way more details next time!”
“Yeah, yeah. Bye!”
Hanging up, I stare at my phone for a moment. Do I try to search for these videos on my own? No, I need patience. Meghan will send them over in a moment.
My coffee maker alerts me with a beep, telling me the pot is ready. Filling a mug, I take a seat at the kitchen island. My phone chimes with a text from Meghan. Then another. Then another. Opening the text screen, I see that she has sent several YouTube links and put a little caption under each one.
The first video says open first; the title is Jackson Wilder Interrupts Kiss Cam. I click on the link. It’s a mini montage of the three times Frat Boy and I were paired up on screen. You can see me shaking my head, then mouthing I don’t know him, then his stupid pouty lips. The camera stays on us while we’re startled into looking away from the big screen. I just look stunned. Frat Boy looks horrified. It’s exactly as I remember. Then the video switches to a view that must have been shot from someone’s phone. It’s of Jackson, up against the glass, staring down Frat Boy, mouthing Back the fuck off. Followed by Jackson shifting his gaze and winking, before going back onto the ice. The video ends.
The next link Meghan sent says open second; the title is Jackson Wilder kisses fangirl. Fangirl? Sure. Clicking on it, I’m brought back to YouTube. This one is short, but it looks like it was taken by one of the actual TV cameras from the game. It starts out showing the backs of the players as they walk down the ramp away from the ice. As soon as Jackson steps off the ice, you can see him start to strip off his gear. From this angle I can see the front of the little boy who got Jackson’s game stick. The kid’s wearing a Wilder shirt and looks like he’s going to blow a gasket with how excited the gift made him. The camera had already started to zoom in for the cute-kid moment, but it follows Jackson as he hoists himself up on the railing. Everyone in the crowd was already standing, and the other fans near our row were all leaning toward him. I didn’t notice that when it was happening. You can see his mouth move but it’s in profile, so there’s no way to read his lips. I’ve been so distracted watching Jackson in the video that I didn’t even look for myself yet. But there I am, walking toward the handsome sweating man. Then he’s reaching out, wrapping his hand around my neck, and pulling my mouth to his for a kiss I’ll never forget. It only lasts for a few seconds, but I’m breathless just watching it on my phone screen. The kiss stops but he doesn’t let go right away. A second later he releases me and drops back to the ground. The camera stays on me for a moment. Standing there, looking after Jackson, one hand up, fingers touching my lips. Yep, that about captured it. I think I’m still a little stunned.
The next and final video sent by Meghan says open last, this is the bomb, I love the internet. The title of the video is Jackson Wilder’s Kiss Cam Remix. Oh boy. Clicking the link, I see it already has over 150,000 views. ‘Oh shit’ doesn’t cut it. This is either going to be great or horrible. Hitting play, I hold my breath.
The video starts with a fade-in to Jackson at some event where he’s all dressed up and looking hot as fuck. It takes me a few beats to realize that I recognize the song playing along with the video: it’s “Candyman” by Christina Aguilera. I burst out laughing. The video continues with a series of clips of Jackson looking sexy, in interviews, working out, laughing with a teammate. Then it cuts to the Kiss Cam clips. The short clips are switching and stuttering to the beat of the song. Then Jackson is smashing into the glass with his helmet. Whoever did this video found several different camera angles to choose from for this glass-smashing scene, since it’s replayed in quick succession from all sorts of views. It goes to split screen and has pissed-off Jackson on one side and terrified Frat Boy on the other. Through the magic of editing, Jackson’s face goes red with smoke coming out of his ears, and Frat Boy goes all the way pale until he’s in black and white. Hitting the refrain of the song, the scene changes to the teams facing off on the ice. Oh god, I know what’s coming next.
Right on cue, Jackson punches the guy across from him. Then the remix goes into high gear and replays the initial punch a bunch of times with special effects. Pale-looking Frat Boy is cut into the clip like subliminal messaging. The view zooms out to get the full brawl. And suddenly I’m popping up on screen, standing amongst the cheering crowd, hands covering the bottom half of my face. The massive fight matched to the song is actually pretty amazing. As the song builds up for the final verse, the scene switches to the view from the last video. Jackson stripping his gear, climbing on the railing, and pulling me in for a kiss. As Christina hits her high notes, the action of Jackson pulling me into him is played on a boomerang, so it looks like a dozen kisses. The final bars of the song are matched with Jackson walking away and me pressing my fingers to my mouth.
By the time it’s done, I’m grinning.
I watch it a second time.
