Sandcastles

Captain Serious. That's what I, as well as most of the NHL universe, knew Johnathan Toews as. The man who was completely serious about more than he should be. Maybe that's why I was so thrown off guard that the man I had expected to never crack a smile was now practically dragging me down to the dark beach. If he had wanted to go for a walk, that would have been a simple thing to ask me to do. But by the childlike grin that was still showing on his face, I knew I was in for something completely different.

The cold water hit my feet, making me tear my hand from Jonny's and retreat slightly up the beach. I hadn't been expecting the water to be so cold, but it was in the wee hours of the morning, which meant the sun had been down for quite some time. Jonny looked back at me and laughed slightly before he stripped his shirt off and tossed it at me. I caught it softly, looking back at him just in time to see him start to strip off his shorts. "Holy..." I started, turning myself around and biting my lip. What in the hell was he doing? Before long, I felt his shorts hit me lightly in the back, followed by another piece of clothing. Next came the sound of splashing and laughter again. "Oh come on Bailey, don't be shy."

Taking in a deep breath, I turned around to see Johnny in the ocean waist deep. Looking to the ground, I found his shorts accompanied by a pair of boxer briefs. I looked back up to him and felt my body tense. What was I doing. Better question, what was I supposed to do. Most girls would kill for a chance to have Johnathan Toews naked. I would be the one girl in the world who didn't know what to do with him. Looking around, I noticed the totally abandoned beach. Picking up the rest of his clothes, I placed them a little further up the beach, to ensure they wouldn't get completely soak by the tide. I removed my shorts and tank top to place with them, but left my bra and panties on.

I started towards the water, and cringed at the water hit my feet. It took me a few minutes to get accustomed to it before I made my way deeper into the water. I swam my way out and met Jonny, who was now soaking wet on his top half as well. "What are we doing out here?" I questioned, still getting used to the water that surrounded us.

I could sort of see Jonny shrug, as he also looked around the vast ocean. "It feels like an escape."

"This is all sort of an escape," I mentioned, smiling softly to myself.

Jonny chuckled slightly and nodded at me. "You're right. But out here, people aren't staring at me. They aren't flooding me for autographs or begging for pictures."

As he mentioned people staring, I realized I was one of them. I looked down at the sea water and started to filter it through my hands. "You take it so well though," I urged, still playing with the water.

Without looking up, I could feel him moving closer to me. One of his fingers found the bottom of my chin and raised my face so my eyes were meeting his. "Bailey," he started. I blinked slightly at him, not sure where this was going. "Would you still be here if I were someone else?"

The question seemed a little too...serious for us just have met. "What do you mean?" I questioned, feeling my face twist slightly into a confused expression.

"I mean, if the guy you had run into tonight hadn't been the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, would you still be out here in the middle of the ocean with me. And be honest."

Taking his hand in mine, I lowered it into the water and smiled. "I would be out here with any guy who treated me like you did tonight. You didn't treat me like some girl you met in a bar. You treated me like a friend. That's something I needed." I felt his eyes find my face again, but my own were focused on the water. Even though I couldn't see into the water, I could feel Jonny's hand lace with mine.

"Promise?" He asked, moving just a little bit closer.

"I promise," I reassured him. "Though it does help that you're Jonathan Toews."

I head him laugh before he picked me up in the water. Screaming briefly, I looked at him with a huge grin on my face. "Don't you dare," I warned, knowing exactly what he was planning on doing. Shaking his head, I shrieked lightly as I was tossed into the water. "Oh, you're dead," were the first words out of my mouth as I resurfaced, jumping onto his back in an attempt to take him down. Either, he was going to let me win, or wasn't expecting it, because he went under quickly. I smoothed my hair out of my face and looked around for any sign of him.

Another little shriek came when I felt arms wrap around my waist. I was expecting to be thrown into the water again, but this time, something else happened. A soft, light kiss fell upon my neck. It sent shivers down my spine. Another followed slightly, trailing down my neck to my shoulder where the strap on my bra lay. I let my arms wrap around his on my waist. One of his arms slipped from my grip and I felt fingers between my bra and skin. Slowly, he began to move the strap down my arm before his fingers trailed back to the hook on my bra. Just as he was about to remove the thin article of clothing, a light shown from shore onto us.

-x-

"We just got caught skinny dipping! I never do anything like this!" I giggled, jogging lightly down the hall. I was back in my shorts, but instead of my own shirt, I was wearing Johnny's. He had replaced his shorts and we were now racing down the eighth floor hall to my room.

I swung the door open and sighed a bit in relief at the fact that I was safe in my room again. After Jonny entered the room, I closed the door behind us and looked around. It wasn't until now that I realized the clock read 4 a.m. and exhaustion hit me. "Make yourself comfortable," I offered before walking into the bathroom and looking into the mirror.

What was I doing? Not even 36 hours ago had the man I thought I was going to marry broken up with me, leaving me broken and desperate. Now, I had one of the most famous faces in the National Hockey League in my hotel room. Did I really want this? What kind of question was that? I had always wondered what it would be like to meet someone like Johnny, and he had exceeded every expectation that I had. I slipped my shorts off and looked at myself in his shirt. It was large enough to cover me completely, and since I had left my pajamas in the other room, it would have to do for now.

Exiting the bathroom, I noticed that Jonny was already laying in the bed that wasn't covered in clothed. I could see the tiredness under his eyes, and smiled softly his direction. "I didn't want to move anything," he said, looking almost guilty for already climbing into bed.

"I don't either," I laughed, shutting off all the lights before advancing towards the bed he was laying in. I tucked myself in next to him slowly, closing my eyes lightly. They fluttered back open when I felt myself being pulled onto my back. Jonny was perched up on his side. I felt his eyes searching mine for some sort of answer, but I knew it was one that I probably couldn't give him.

"I'm glad I met you," He whispered. "Even if we never see one another again."

I felt myself swallow hard before closing my eyes and shaking me head. The thought of never seeing him again was outrageous to me, and I had just met him. "We'll see each other again," I said with a smile. "You do have to wake up in the morning."

Another chuckle from the man I pictures to be like stone. Leaning over, his lips met mine ever so lightly. There they lingered for what felt like forever, but still ended too quickly. Another quick kiss to my forehead. With that, I closed my eyes and felt myself drift into a dreamless sleep.