She couldn't help but smile at him. His fumbling was pretty adorable and she couldn't remember the last time any man had reacted to her like that.
"You can still have the toothbrush, Andy."
He took a hesitant step towards her, quickly snatching the toothbrush and toothpaste out of her hand before recoiling as if her skin was dangerous to touch. Then he stared down at his hands, too flustered to even look at her.
"I thought about our first kiss, and I promise you it did not involve a free toothbrush from your dentist."
She took a tentative step towards him and when he didn't move back, she took another one. She wanted so much to touch the texture of his shirt again, finally allowing herself to reach out and gently grab his arm. His bicep flexed in response, sending a shiver down her spine. It was a damn good bicep.
"It's really OK," she said reassuringly.
He nodded and gave her a sheepish smile. "I should probably get some sleep."
"Yeah, of course," she said with a nod. "We both need some sleep, don't we?"
"Yeah."
He stepped out of her reach and her hands once again felt cold without being able to touch him. Instead, she wrapped them around herself, trying to get herself warm again.
"So are you good out here?" she asked.
"I'm good." He dropped himself down on her sofa and put his elbows on his knees. "I promise I'll be gone by the time you wake up."
"You don't have to rush out," she said quietly. "Stay as long as you want."
"Thanks, Sydney," he replied.
She pulled her lips into a tight smile, trying to think of something to say to him to make it less awkward. But it was late and her brain just couldn't think that fast at the moment. Instead, all she could muster was a quick, "Good night, Andy."
"Good night, Sydney."
"Let me know if you need anything else."
"I'll be fine, thanks."
Sydney gave him a small smile and went to her room, closing the door quietly behind her and leaning up against it.
I thought about our first kiss.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had been so wrapped up in her problems that she hadn't noticed until now that Andy had woven his way into her life. The fact that he had even thought about kissing her was melting her brain a bit. And the fact that he was such a sweet guy who kissed like that? If she didn't get to her bed soon, she was going to pass out right there from the effects of his mind-blowing lips on hers.
Sydney laid down and pulled her unmade sheets over her, not even bothering to take off her yoga pants and t-shirt that she had worn all day. She could hear Andy walking down the hall from the bathroom back to the couch, realizing that she was in her thoughts so deeply that she hadn't heard him walk by the first time.
Andy finally seemed to settle himself in the living room, and it didn't take long for her to hear him quietly snoring from the other room. But Sydney was still wide awake, too busy thinking about that amazing kiss from that man in the next room. It was an hour before she finally drifted off to sleep, trying to concoct ways to get her lips on Andy again.
Chapter 11
The sun filtered in through Sydney's bedroom windows as she stretched out, thankful that she had enough to drink to make her feel good last night without giving her a hangover this morning.
Then she remembered that she wasn't the only one who drank last night, which is why there was a man who may still be asleep on her couch right now. A man who had kissed her the night before. The memory of Andy's lips against hers still lingered from the night before, and she had to quickly decide if she would bring it up when she got out there. Maybe she wouldn't have to. Maybe she could hope that he had already left and they could talk about it another time. No big deal.
Except it was a big deal. She walked into her bathroom and threw some water on her face to try and clear her mind. It didn't work. It also didn't clear out her overnight guest, who was still on her couch when she walked out to her living room. He looked like he had just woken up and ran his hand through his hair, sending it spiking in different adorable directions.
"Morning," she said.
His eyes snapped up to meet hers. "Um, hi," he said nervously.
Sydney quickly decided it would be better to ease into the potential kiss conversation. Instead of confronting it or talking about feeling, she made a beeline for the kitchen and got two glasses of ice water for them.
"Thanks," Andy said as she walked over and handed a glass to him.
She sat down next to him and the two of them drank quietly. Because really, what was she supposed to say? Where was she supposed to start? They had kissed, and he had apologized profusely afterward so did that mean he didn't like it? Because she did. The stuff that comes after the kissing part was stuff she couldn't deal with in her life right now — the drama, the lack of trust, the whole being in a relationship thing. But kissing Andy? Well, if last night was just a preview of the way that man could kiss, she would totally be willing to do more of that.
She could hear Andy gulp down the last of his water, and he set the glass down on the table in front of them. Sydney figured she should follow his lead and put hers down as well. But then… there was just more silence. Damn, it was awkward. Maybe it would be better to just get it out in the open and acknowledge what happened. But just as she was about to say something, he finally decided to speak.
"Can I ask you a question?"
She nodded quietly.
"Why did Alex come home with you guys the other night after you left the bar?"
She gave him a quizzical look, because that was definitely not the question she expected him to ask.
"Um, Ryan let him park his car in his extra spot in the garage," she explained. "He drove his Maserati and thought it was safer here than in some parking lot out there."
"Right, sure, of course," he replied.
Sydney noticed the slightly bitter tone in his response, which stuck out because it wasn't like Andy to act bitter. Well, it wasn't like him to act bitter about anyone except his ex-girlfriend. But then Sydney started to put the pieces together from the night at the bar. They were having a good time together despite the fact that his ex was there. The ex who dumped him because he was just the trainer. So when Sydney left with the hockey players…
"Wait, you weren't jealous that Alex walked home with us, were you?"
"No, I wasn't jealous," he scoffed.
Sydney's eyes went wide as she stared at him. "You were jealous."
He turned and rolled his eyes. "OK, I was a little bit jealous."
"It was just Alex!" she said. "Why would you be jealous of him?"
Andy got quiet and looked down at his hands. "Because he was going home with you."
Nice Andy, fun Andy, sweet Andy was sitting on her couch being quiet Andy. Not a word. Not an explanation. Just a guy who was sitting in front of her and, just like last night's kiss, was telling her so much with so few words.
She met him when her boss was arrested for being a crook. Since then, she had tried at times to close herself off from the world, especially emotionally. She had started to build the walls she thought she would need to protect herself, knowing that things were going to get worse before they got better.
And yet Andy had still been there. Even after the kiss last night that was sweet and awkward, even after that when he said he would be gone by the time she woke up, he was still here.
"Did you want to go home with me?"
Andy didn't respond — at least not with words — but his reaction gave Sydney his answer.
She needed to be closer to him. Perhaps it was because she had been so emotionally beat down that she had to cling on to something happy, or maybe she was just desperate for some human contact. Or really, if she was being honest with herself, it was because the man sitting in front of her wanted to be there with her. He was protective because he really believed she wasn't a bad person. He was jealous because he was the one who wanted to go home wit
h her. He wanted to be with her, just like he was with her now. Not permanently, not seriously, but in that moment in that room, someone wanted her.
Sydney couldn't help herself. She reached over and put her hand on his cheek, forcing him to turn and face her, his piercing blue eyes searching her face for some sign. And she definitely gave him one: a small brief smile before she leaned in and kissed him. She was tentative at first, lightly brushing her lips against his, and when he responded, she instinctively decided to stop being so gentle. He quickly followed her lead, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him, his hand running through her hair like it had the night before. She got closer, teasing his lips with the tip of her tongue, causing him to growl in a way that made his chest vibrate underneath her touch.
Andy slid his hand up her back under her day-old t-shirt, and she mentally thanked herself for not putting on a bra yesterday. She could tell he noticed as his fingers began to tease the skin along her spine before he gently pushed her down on the couch, his hand guiding her lower as his mouth began to roam her body. That spot under her ear. The side of her neck. That little part on her collarbone that made her moan in ecstasy.
"Andy," she whispered.
Her hands bunched themselves up into fists in the gray shirt he had slept in from the night before, pulling him closer to her. But no matter how close his body was to hers, it wasn't enough. She reached for the hem of his Henley and pulled, his hands briefly leaving her body to help her with the job. It gave her a great view of his abs as he pulled the shirt over his head, and she took in the amazing sight in front of her. Andy caught her staring and smiled at her, and dammit, she didn't care that he knew just how much she admired his body.
But apparently, he would only let her do that for so long before diving back into a spot in the crook of her neck that drove her wild. His hands began to roam her body again, this time along the waist of her yoga pants, and she ran her fingers up his arms, feeling his biceps tighten under her grip. He paused for just a moment, but it seemed like an eternity before she heard him speak again, his voice low and husky in her ear.
"If we go any further, I don't think I can stop myself, Sydney."
"Then don't stop."
She could feel his smile against her burning skin before he nipped her gently with his teeth.
"Can we at least move this to a more comfortable place then?"
Sydney nodded and waited for him to push himself up gently. He reached for her hand and pulled her up with him, their fingers still entwined as she led him to her bedroom.
Having an actual bed seemed to have a major effect on Andy, who apparently left the kind and sweet version of himself back in the living room. Instead he was replaced by a man who knew exactly what he wanted to take, and what he seemed to want right now was Sydney. He quickly pulled her shirt off and backed her up to the bed, letting her fall gently on the soft mattress.
"Move up," he told her.
Andy's hands helped her up on the bed, giving him enough room to crawl up her body. His arms finally rested on the bed on both sides of her body, giving him the ability to hold his weight up while still being close enough to kiss her exposed sensitive skin. Her heart sped up and she couldn't keep her desire for him down any longer. She needed him. Now.
Sydney's hands moved between them, reaching for the zipper of his jeans, causing him to groan again — damn, she loved the sound of that groan. Andy pulled away quickly, rising up to his knees to get rid of his pants as fast as he possibly could. He kicked them off onto the floor, his boxers going with him, his hardness finally freed from its tight confines. But before Sydney could admire the view, his hands were on her again, or rather on the waist of her yoga pants.
He paused and smiled up at her. "I want these," he said with a sexy smile on his face.
"Take them," she said quickly. "Oh fuck, just get them off!"
His smile widened and he did as he was told, peeling them off her legs and dropping them quickly on the floor. Then his hands found her body again, roaming up her thighs, her stomach, her breasts. Then he paused, moaning in frustration as he hovered above her.
"Dammit," he muttered. "Wallet on the living room table."
He began to lift himself off of her, which was a totally unacceptable thing to do in this moment as far as she was concerned. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.
"Don't leave this room," she commanded.
Sydney kept her grip on him with one hand while reaching for her nightstand drawer with the other. She thanked whatever sex god needed thanking for letting her have unexpired condoms left over from her stupid ex-boyfriend. She pulled one off from the row and handed it to him, his fingers quickly ripping open the packet and rolling it on.
"Always prepared like a Boy Scout?"
"I am nothing like a Boy Scout," she replied.
Andy gave her a vicious smile that she had never seen from him before. "Oh believe me, I can see that very clearly."
He gently lowered himself down on her again, his hardness teasing her between her legs and making her go wild.
"Andy," she groaned against his skin.
His hand tightly gripped her thigh as he sunk himself into her, making her gasp as her fingers tightening around his biceps. She wanted this, wanted it with him, and wanted it now.
"You OK?" he asked her in a husky voice.
"You need to move," she begged. "Just move."
He did as he was told, his body tensing under her touch as he began to set a steady pace for them, his breathing ragged as Sydney's hand scratched the warm skin pulled tight against his muscular back. She moaned in his ear, and he took it as a sign to speed up, hitting her exactly where she wanted him to be. Over and over and over. She could feel the tension coiling in her belly, growing tighter and tighter, telling herself to hold on a little more, just a little more, feel him move inside her for just a little longer.
And then she couldn't hold on, a loud moan escaping her lips as she shattered beneath him. It was only a moment more before she felt his body tensing under her touch as he finally let himself go. He practically collapsed on top of her from exhaustion, being held up only by the strong muscles in his arms. Sydney could feel the tension still in them as he tried to hold his weight up above her.
"It's alright," she said soothingly, running her hands along his back to give him a sign that she didn't mind his weight.
He gently lowered himself onto her, his nose finding the crook of her neck, and quietly exhaled. "God, Sydney. You're amazing."
She turned and kissed his forehead, pulling her arms around him more, too exhausted to tell him he had been just as good to her.
Chapter 12
Andy came out of Sydney's bathroom to find her gone despite the fact that he had just left her naked and sprawled on her bed only five minutes earlier. He grabbed his boxer briefs and jeans off the floor and pulled them on before trying to find his shirt and failing.
He wandered out into the living room to see Sydney in her kitchen making coffee, wearing a pair of black lace underwear that was barely covered by his gray shirt hanging on her body. He stared at Sydney's back as she stood in front of the coffee maker, rocking from one foot to the other while she waited for the coffee to brew. If he hadn't needed his shirt back, he would've let her keep it just so he could see her like this all the time. Andy lightly cleared his throat to get her attention, and she turned to smile at him.
"Good morning," she said. "I hope you don't mind me borrowing your shirt."
"You look good in it." He walked over to her and pressed himself against her back, his hand wandering up her thigh as he kissed her neck. "But I need that back," he muttered.
"That can be arranged," she said teasingly.
He hummed against her warm skin, his mind wandering to what that could mean, before heading to the living room to get his shoes and socks.
"You want coffee?" she yelled over at him.
"I have to go actually," he called back. "Game
day."
He could hear her moving around in the kitchen, opening cupboards and moving cups around.
"What do you like in your coffee?"
"Two sugars." He nabbed his phone off Sydney's coffee table to check the time before sliding it into his pocket. "But as much as I really want to stay, I have to get to work."
"That's fine." Sydney walked over with a Detroit Pirates travel mug and handed it to him. "Coffee to go."
He stood up and grabbed it from her, gently laying it down on her end table. Then Andy's arm snaked around her waist and pulled her close for a passionate kiss, her lips plump and sweet and warm against his. He hummed in approval, and Sydney pulled back to smile at him.
"You have to go, don't you?"
"I have to go," he said quietly. "Ryan said he's coming to the game tonight and you may be there with him."
"Maybe. I don't know if I want to go out in public like that yet."
He nodded in understanding. "Well, it would be nice to have you there if you decide to come."
She looked up at him and gave him a warm smile before pushing herself away from him, leaving him cold without her. Then she pulled off his shirt. Thankfully, Andy was too surprised to react to her bare breasts in front of him before she wrapped an arm around herself to cover them up while holding out his shirt with her other hand.
"I think this belongs to you."
"You don't play fair," he growled.
"I don't play fair?" she asked.
"No, you don't," he said in a husky voice.
He forcefully pulled his shirt over his head and stuffed his arms into it. He liked it better when she was wearing it and not him.
She gave him a teasing smile. "Then I guess you should leave before you put me in the penalty box."
He stared at her, flexing his jaw to try and relieve some of the tension that was building in his pants. He walked over to where he left his coat, his eyes still lingering on her soft skin — and there was a lot of it to linger on. He shoved his arms in the coat with the same force as his shirt. Stupid clothes. Stupid work. He walked past her towards the end table to grab his wallet, which still had an extra condom in it. He would have to remember to make sure it was there when he saw Sydney again. At least, that's what he hoped.
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