After my dad finishes up with Duke, he hugs me so tight that he lifts my feet off the ground.
“Kat,” he whispers. “I missed you, baby girl.”
“I missed you, too, Dad.” I wiggle free from his strong grip. “But I think you’re going to crush me if you don’t let me go.”
He holds me at arm's length and studies my face. “You look so much like your mother, even more so since the last time I saw you.”
I smile at his comment. “Where’s Austin?”
“He’s on his way,” he says with a wink.
He knows why Austin is late, though I was hoping he would be here sooner. I thought he would at least catch the end of Dean’s game. That was part of the plan that went to shit. At least I tried to make today special for Dean.
My dad pulls Dean into a hug. “Great game, son.”
Dean smiles so wide it lights up his face. “Thanks, Nick.”
“You keep that up, and you’ll be making the big bucks soon enough.”
“I hope so.” Dean’s eyes widen, and a childlike expression crosses his face. He gets so star struck around my dad. It’s cute because he has no clue that he does it.
My dad slaps his hand on Dean’s shoulder. “You hungry?”
“Starving.”
Dad’s eyes travel from Dean to me to my brother. “Good. Let’s eat.”
After my dad congratulates the twins, we take our seats at the table. Dad sits at the head next to Duke. I skip over a chair to leave room for Austin. Despite having a lack of consistency growing up, we have a structure to our family. Duke and Austin always sit at my dad’s sides, with me on Austin’s right and the twins on Duke’s left.
“That was one hell of a game you played today,” Dad says, staring down the table at Dean. “You too, boys,” he says to Theo and Travis, who both smile. “I’m glad we could all get together to celebrate without any of our schedules getting in the way.”
While the men exchange pleasantries and talk about the Strickland Senators victory, our waitress comes into the room to take our orders. I remove my cell phone from my purse. I’m about to send Austin a text message when I hear his voice cut through the conversation.
“Look who I found on my way home,” Austin says.
Emma Crawford smiles in my direction, wearing an emerald sundress that fits her petite frame. My surprise for Dean is finally here. He wanted his mom to see his last college game since she’s missed so many, but he couldn’t afford to buy her plane ticket. So, I made the plans behind his back, hoping she would get to see Dean play.
Drawn to the sound of her singsong voice, Dean looks over at his mother in disbelief. “Mom?”
He rushes over to her and wraps his arms around her, burying his face in her neck.
“Hey, baby.” She runs her painted nails along his back. “I’m sorry I missed the game. My flight was delayed twice.”
“But…” He struggles to find the right words. “We can’t afford this.” Dean lowers his voice, though it’s not hard to hear him with the silence in the room.
“I didn’t pay for a thing, sweetie.” She smiles, a gesture he returns immediately.
Dean turns his head to me. “You didn’t?”
I nod and push my chair out from the table. “I wanted your mom to be here for the game since it was your last one.”
“Have I ever told you how much I love you?”
I laugh at his words. “All the time.”
“See, I told you,” Duke says. “More than friends.”
The room erupts into a fit of laughter.
Chapter Seven
Dean
After dinner, I’m still in shock. My mom is in Chicago. And Kat is the one who planned this.
“I still can’t believe you’re here,” I say to my mom. “What about the diner?”
I didn’t want to ask her about work in front of Kat’s family.
“Susie’s covering my shifts this weekend. Don’t worry, baby. We will be okay without it.”
I hope so.
“But what about Gary? He gets mad when you take time off. I have some money back at the house I can send you. I got paid before we left for Chicago.”
She runs her hand along my arm to silence me. “Stop worrying, Dean. Everything will be okay. Let’s enjoy the time we have together.”
“What do you want to do? Is there anything special you want to see?” I look over at Kat. “Where should we take my mom?”
“We can go to Millennium Park if you want. That’s a big tourist attraction. Do you know how to ice skate, Emma?”
“Who do you think taught Dean?” She smiles at Kat before her gaze shifts to me. “You used to put your hand in my pocket to hold onto me, and now look at you. My boy is about to become a hockey star.”
“Fingers crossed.”
I don’t want to get her hopes up. The NHL Draft is still a few months away. A lot can happen in that time.
She squeezes my hand. “I can feel it. Call it a mother’s intuition.”
I have to get on a pro team’s roster. My mom needs a break. I worry about her non-stop. She works too much, though she will never admit it. My mother is the strongest person I know. She taught me to never gave up. My dreams became hers, and she found a way to make them happen. All of her sacrifices have to count for something.
“I’m kind of tired from the long trip,” my mom says. “I could use a hot bath and a cup of tea.”
“Whatever you want to do, Mom.”
“You’re staying one floor below me,” Kat says. “The suite has a hot tub that you’ll love. We can order some tea from room service.”
My mom touches Kat’s arm and smiles. “Thank you for everything.”
After we arrive at the hotel, Kat orders room service. The Peninsula is the nicest place I’ve ever stepped foot inside. My mom’s room looks like a fucking palace.
“I’ve never stayed in a five-star hotel before,” Mom says to Kat. She stares around the room in awe, her mouth open in shock. “I have no idea how I’ll ever repay you for this thoughtful and generous gift.”
“It’s no trouble at all, Emma.” Kat hooks her arm around my mom and smiles at me over her shoulder. “I’m glad you like it.”
I mouth thank you to Kat because I have no idea what else to say. There are no words to express how I feel about her right now. I love her more than I did yesterday if that’s even possible.
My mom sits on the lavish couch and runs her hand across the fabric. “What a long day. I’m exhausted.”
“I’ll draw you a bath, Emma,” Kat says. “Room service should be here any minute.” She points at the coffee table. “Order whatever you want. There are a few movies OnDemand you might like.”
“Thank you, sweetie. You’re too good to me.”
Kat walks toward the bathroom that’s fit for a king. I follow behind her. She bends over the tub, her back to me. Feeling the water with her hand, she adjusts the knobs to get the prefect temperature.
“You’re officially the best friend a man could ever have,” I confess.
“I’m glad you think so. Seeing the look on your mom’s face and yours was worth it.” Kat sits on the ledge and pats it, telling for me to sit next to her.
I stare into Kat’s eyes and run my thumb along her jaw, holding the side of her face in my hand. She sucks in a deep breath and closes her eyes. For a split second, I think about kissing her. The moment feels right.
“Dean,” she says, and her eyes open. “I swear to God if you kiss me I will punch you and mess up your pretty face.”
I laugh. “I’m not pretty.”
“You look like a goddamn model, and you know it.”
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes at her. “I’m not pretty. That’s what you say about a woman.”
She taps her shoulder against mine. “Fine, you’re hot. Is that better?”
“You shouldn’t say that after telling me not to kiss you.”
I glance behind her and see the tub about to overflow
. As I lean over her to shut off the water, my hand grazes her breast.
“Dean,” she hisses.
“It was an accident,” I spit back. “If I wanted to cop a feel, I would do it.”
She laughs, knowing it’s the truth.
“We should let my mom have some alone time.”
After Kat fixes my mom a cup of tea, we say goodnight, promising to come back in the morning. Kat’s suite is larger than my mom’s. The living room area has more windows that overlook the city and a larger dining area.
Kat brushes her teeth, and then I follow her into the bedroom. Out of habit, I turn my back to her as she gets changed.
“Okay, you can look. I’m decent,” Kat announces.
I pull back the covers for Kat to get into bed, and she complies with my order.
Throwing her hands above her head, she yawns. Kat taps the open space next to her on the mattress. “Get in. I need you to snuggle with me.”
I strip down to my boxers and climb into bed next to her. Kat rolls onto her side, her ass pressed against my front. She grabs my hand and holds it over her stomach, keeping our fingers interlocked. The second my head hits the pillow, I close my eyes and take in the vanilla scent on her skin. She smells good enough to eat.
It’s impossible not to think about the night we kissed when I’m this close to her. We also have very little clothing between us. Her body molds to mine, and when she wiggles in my arms, I can’t stop my body’s reaction to her.
“Dean,” she whispers.
“Yes, Kitten.”
“Please tell me that’s a remote digging into my ass.”
“It’s a remote,” I lie, but I’m unable to contain my laughter.
She smacks my arm. “No, it’s not, you idiot.”
“I can’t help it, okay? Bedtime is sort of…”
When I think of you…
I suck in a deep breath and attempt to think about anything other than Kat’s ass pressing into my cock. “Close your eyes and go to sleep.”
She laughs. “I don’t know how you expect me to do that with you digging into my ass cheek. If you need to take care of that, I don’t mind.”
“You want me to stroke my cock while you watch me?” I speak against her earlobe, and she shivers from my breath on her skin.
“Go ahead,” she says. “I want you to be comfortable if you’re going to spend the night with me.”
What is she saying?
“I can’t,” I groan. “Ignore it. I’ll fall asleep eventually.”
Not likely.
She sighs, and then rolls onto her back. “Is this weird?”
I cock an eyebrow at her. “Is what weird?”
“All of this. Us. I don’t know. Ever since we kissed, I can’t stop thinking about you in less than friendly ways.”
“Same for me,” I admit. “I want you so bad I can’t even think straight right now.”
“I know,” she says with a wicked grin. “I could feel how much on my ass.”
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay.” She reaches between us, and when her fingers graze my boxers, my cock springs out from the slit. Kat pauses for a second, and then she peeks up at me. “Can I touch it?”
Doing my best not to laugh, I nod. I should have told her no. But how can I deny her? I love her. I want to be with her. So, why not?
Kat drags her thumb up and down the length of my shaft.
“Kitten,” I choke out, biting my bottom lip. “Fuck, that feels good.”
“Your skin is so smooth,” she says, surprised. “I could touch you all night.”
My eyes slam shut when she wraps her fingers around me and gives my shaft a few strokes. “You might kill me if you do.”
“You’re a lot bigger than I thought,” she says in a hushed tone. “I could feel you through your jeans last week when we kissed, but I had no idea…” Kat’s movements are so slow and steady I can’t take much more of this torture. “You know I’ve never been with anyone before.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“I want you to be my first, Dean. It should be you.”
Her words hit me harder than my orgasm that has me on the edge. I’m so close to coming. But now… I open my eyes and cover her hand with mine to stop her. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
I don’t want to be her first.
I want to be the only one.
“Yes, I do,” she challenges. “I’ve been thinking about this for days now. Silvia says losing your virginity is like a Band-Aid you have to rip off.”
Blowing out a deep breath, I sit up and push her hand away, stuffing myself back into my boxers.
“What’s wrong? I thought you’d want to have sex with me.”
“I do. But…”
Not like this.
She leans back against the headboard and crosses her arms over her chest. “But, what?”
“I’m afraid of what will happen after we have sex. It could ruin our friendship forever.”
“We kissed and nothing changed.”
“Are you kidding me?” Something snaps inside me. “Everything has changed!”
“Yeah,” she mutters, looking away from me. “I guess it has.”
Why did I let her touch me?
Because I want her.
I need her.
Kat rolls onto her side, her back facing me. Unlike last time, this isn’t an invitation to cuddle with her. Knowing I need to be here for my mom in the morning, I don’t bother to head back to my hotel. So, I follow her lead. Neither of us speaks a word, and I eventually drift off to sleep.
Chapter Eight
Dean
Ever since our fight, Kat avoids me like I have a disease. What’s one kiss between friends, she’d said before she shoved her tongue in my mouth. Yeah, right. That was more than a kiss to both us. She damn well knows it. That’s why she won’t talk to me.
I was always the one who was more invested in our relationship. The one who was ridiculously in love. Now, she’s acting like a girl who had her heart broken. But I’m the one with the broken heart.
At first, Kat stopped meeting me at Broad Street Beans for coffee before class. Then, she had excuses for why she couldn’t come to the SAC to play air hockey. I’m only giving her space. This is not permanent. I won’t allow Kat to walk away from me.
Sex always complicates things, which is why I’m picky when it comes to women. Kat knows that. She knows everything about me. I wouldn’t have kissed her if I thought it would ruin our friendship and any shot of us ever being together. Now, I don’t know what to do. I need her back in my life.
I walk past the library like a stalker, hoping to see Kat on my way to the SAC. My teammates are playing air hockey in the game room. Kat’s usually on my team when we play. But she’s been MIA, refusing to hangout. She has a class across the street from the library, on the second floor of the business hall. Even if she’s mad at me, she won’t turn me away in person.
I know her schedule so well that when I near the doors of the hall, I spot Kat walking out with Silvia. They’re both studying Sports Communication, hoping to one day become announcers or even reporters for a major news outlet. With Kat’s connections, she was able to score an internship for both of them at a sports news publication in Chicago called The Locker Room.
I bring my fingers to my lips and whistle to get her attention. Kat pushes her long, blonde hair behind her ears and then holds her hand up to her forehead to block the sun from her eyes. She gives me a tiny wave that I return, deflated by her reaction.
“What the fuck is her problem?” I mutter and then cross the street to close the distance between us. “I’m on my way to the SAC to play air hockey with the guys. Come with me. I need a partner.”
She looks away from me, a frown on her lips as she glances over at Silvia, looking to her for an excuse. Silvia doesn’t give her one, her expression stoic, unreadable.
“I have to study,” Kat says after a long, awkward pause. “My la
st exam is tomorrow.”
“Please.” I’m not above begging at this point. “Just give me an hour. We graduate on Saturday. We don’t have much time left.”
Kat peeks up at me from beneath light brows, her blue eyes burning a hole through me. Why did I have to fuck things up? Why did I kiss her? Not giving in to my desires and her curiosity could have made all the difference. And now, I have no idea where we stand.
Our experiment backfired. All of my feelings that were always there have multiplied. My chest aches from the sadness in her eyes. She regrets what we did. I already knew that when she started distancing herself from me. What’s changed for her? For me, it’s everything. Because now I know what it’s like hold her in my arms and kiss her. I want it all with her. I always did. And now, she wants nothing from me.
I grab her elbow, and she looks up at me. “Can we talk?”
She sucks in a deep breath and lets it out. “I have to study.”
“Kitten, c’mon.” I tighten my grip because I’m afraid that if I let go I will lose her forever. “Please don’t do this to me.”
“I’m not doing anything, Dean. I have to pass this last class. Unlike you, I don’t have a professional hockey career waiting for me. I have to work for a living, and if I want this internship, I have to keep my grades up.”
“You’re ranked number one in our graduating class. The chance of you failing the final exam is about as slim as the Flyers winning the Stanley Cup.”
She laughs at my comment. “You had to bring hockey into it.”
I shrug. “I can find a way to relate anything to hockey.”
Tilting her head to the side, she gives me a sexy look that takes me back to the night we kissed. I missed her so much. For the past few weeks, my stomach felt like a knife was digging into it. Living without Kat has been awful. She’s my entire world. I just didn’t realize it until she wasn’t part of it anymore.
Dean (Face-Off Series Book 6) Page 4