Once, spending so much time with one woman would have been his cue to start working on his exit strategy. He’d have already started to feel hemmed in, aware that the relationship had run its course, and begun to pull away.
Not this time. Not with Maggie.
Buoyed by the way his play had improved in parallel with their relationship, he’d found himself wanting to spend more time with her. Instead of shying away from the fact that they were a couple, he wanted to shout it from the rooftops. To make it public knowledge. He wanted everyone to know that he was serious about her.
The holiday had reinforced those feelings. The cozy atmosphere, the warmth and love, made him determined to take their relationship to the next level.
Thanks to the Ice Cats’ PR department, he had the perfect opportunity to do so.
He deposited the last few dishes with the Jelinek brothers, then walked into the living room, where the women were slouched in chairs, engrossed in a holiday movie.
“Do you want to go for a walk, Maggie?” he asked.
“That’s a good idea.” His mom smiled indulgently.
“We’ll look after Emily.” Aunt Karina’s eyes twinkled. “Don’t hurry back.”
Jake rolled his eyes at their blatant matchmaking.
“That would be nice.” Maggie rose. “Thanks.”
They’d barely turned the corner before he pulled her to him. “It’s been too long since I tasted you.”
“About eight hours.” She nipped his bottom lip.
A flash of heat speared his groin. “Way too long.”
A car honked as it drove past, making them draw apart. Her reluctance pleased him and gave him the boost he needed.
“I’ve been thinking.” He slung his arm over her shoulders, steering her toward the park.
“Is that allowed under The Code?”
“Funny. Any more wisecracks and I’ll resort to tickling.”
“No! Anything but that.”
They laughed together. It felt good. Right.
They snuggled close on a bench beneath an old maple. The pale, wintry sun did little to warm the damp, chilly air.
He inhaled deeply, enjoying the way Maggie’s soft scent added a subtle sweetness to the smell of wood smoke and autumn leaves. “I want you to come to the Ice Cats Gala Charity Evening with me.”
He groaned inwardly. That was really romantic.
She stiffened. “That’s the team’s major event of the season.”
“You’ll love it. They hire out a fancy ballroom and invite season-ticket holders, investors, sponsors and anyone associated with the organization to spend a crazy amount of money per plate to have the team serve their dinner.”
“It must get a lot of media coverage.”
Surprised by her subdued response, Jake played up the event’s glamour. “Yeah. The Cats always manage to get a bunch of celebs to come.”
Instead of impressing her, his words seemed to unsettle her more.
“Sounds like a fun evening.” She twisted her fingers in her lap. “Perhaps another time.”
He frowned. Most women would jump at the chance to go to such an important function with him. He’d never asked anyone before, preferring to go stag than give the wrong idea—it wasn’t an event where you brought a casual date.
“Besides, we’ve only been dating a few weeks.”
“And this is the logical next step.” Logical? What the hell was he saying? “I mean, it’s the perfect opportunity to show everyone the wonderful woman I’m dating.” Damn. He should have worked out what to say beforehand. “I want people to know how important you are to me.”
Why did she look like he’d asked her to sacrifice her firstborn?
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m not sure I’m ready for that kind of function yet.”
Had he misjudged her feelings about him? “I thought things were good between us.”
“It’s been wonderful.” She raised her eyes to his. The warmth in the dark brown depths was encouraging.
“So what’s the problem? You don’t want people to know we’re together?”
“This isn’t about our relationship, Jake.”
“What is it about?” He shook his head, confused.
“A high-profile party with massive media exposure. Being thrust back into the public eye, dodging the press and the paparazzi. Having my picture and my life splashed everywhere again.”
“It’s not that big a deal,” he backtracked quickly. “Hockey events don’t get the same coverage as the NFL. There’ll be plenty of famous faces for the media hounds to salivate over. We’ll be lucky if one picture of us makes the cut.”
Maggie shot him a disbelieving look. “You’re a guaranteed headline. I’ve seen the media attention you get.”