Page 42 of Wyatt

Shoot, it hadn’t beenat allhowhe’d imagined it. They hadn’t talked about it either. But that night she’d walked inside his heart and never left.

And despite the press and the games and the after-parties, that was still true. She was his one. His only.

His Coco.

Tonight…tonight would be exactly what he wanted for them. And yes, maybe he was still stepping over his moral upbringing, but he’d saved himself for her. Only her. And hadn’t broken that internal vow since.

“I’ve missed you so much, Coco.”

In his heart, he was hers, for life. So, he’d reached out and kissed her and she sort of melted into him like she, too, had missed him. She tasted of home and the piece of himself he’d been missing, and the little sound of surrender she made could make him weep again as he picked her up, drawing her closer. She slid her arms around his neck, and the smell of her skin wound through him, and he lost himself.

Not that he wanted anything but to find himself in her arms again.

But maybe she didn’t want that, and for a second, after he’d brought her over to the bed, the thought that…well, that maybe they’d made a mistake the first time pierced him enough for him to raise his head. Meet her eyes, stir up the courage to ask—“Are you sure?”

She nodded her answer just as he got the words out. “I’ve missed you too, Wyatt.”

Oh, he wanted her. And not just physically, but her heart. Wanted to tell her about the craziness of playing goalie for one of the best NHL teams in the league, to hear about her life in Moscow, and to trace out his dreams for them.

He wanted to stay right there, holding her, and not come up for air.

Except, he had early practice. So he’d left her in their warm bed, tangled in the sheets, with a kiss and a promise to return.We have to talk, Wyatt.

Yes, they would. About all their tomorrows.

He’d even brought a couple of coffees back to the room.

Theemptyroom.

She hadn’t even left a note.

If it weren’t for the fact that she’d shown up in the Blue Ox fan forum a few months later, or the fact that his publicist made him answer postings, he might have never found her again.

The forum certainly wasn’t the place to bare his heart.

You should just forget about me.

Not hardly. But he couldn’t take her walking out of his life again.

Except, something about the way she’d kissed him, looked at him…

Coco is in trouble, and I’m not going to let anything happen to her.

His words to Roman came back to him, solidified in his chest.

The train jerked, and he opened his eyes. The early afternoon sun hung high in the window, heating the red vinyl seats. The train swayed, and out of the window, they passed tiny blue or green farmhouses with ornate windows and coal smokestacks. The occasional cow or goat wandered dirt streets.

He’d traveled back to World War II or 2, into a different world, a different time.

Deke was snoring.

Wyatt got up and opened the door of the compartment, not sure where he was going, just that…

Well, the burning in his chest wouldn’t let him sit.

“Oy, look at who showed up.”

He glanced down the corridor, and leaning up against a window, her arms braced on the railing, was the brunette reporter from the bar. Nat?