by Toni Aleo
His eyes don’t leave mine. “You know it’s you.”
“I don’t.” I’m not fooling around. Why would he be here for me? Also, how would he know I was here?
“Don’t play like that, Aviva. You’re extremely confident and smart. That’s why I’m attracted to you.”
Oh, the desire in my gut is going crazy. I’m a bit breathless as I say, “How would you know I was here?”
He waggles his brows at me. “I had a source.”
I tip my head as I try to read him. He has a source… That brat! “Callie?”
“I won’t confirm or deny that.”
I smack him playfully. “Don’t use my sister to get close to me.”
He grins. “Hey, I’m not. If she was the one, she gave up the info without me asking.”
She would do that. I roll my eyes. “She’s a thorn in my side. As are you,” I accuse, and he grins.
“How am I a thorn in your side?”
“You’re always there. Flirting and being cute. I am busy. I have things to do.”
“Can I be one of those things?”
“Nico!” I exclaim, smacking him once more. But this time, I lean in closer. It was unintentional, but now that I’m here, I don’t want to leave. His eyes have lighter flecks of gold in them. His lashes are long and lush. Lord, he is beautiful.
“You know you like it. You know you like me.”
Oh, my face hurts from grinning. “Do I now?”
“You do,” he says, and then he winks again. I don’t know why more men don’t wink like that. It really sets my panties on fire. He swallows hard as he orders another beer. When he takes a long pull, I eye him. “Thirsty?”
He looks around as he shrugs. “I don’t like bars.”
That surprises me. “Really? I thought this would be your scene.”
He shakes his head as he leans toward me. His body is so big, and he smells absolutely sinful. “No, I like being home.”
He holds up his finger for another beer, and I raise a brow. Being the daughter of an alcoholic, I know the signs. Plus, I’m pretty sure I read an article that said athletes struggle with vices. Drinking, drugs, both, and that is not something I want to be a part of. Not when I have Callie, and not when my dad is enough to handle. “Wow. Another one?”
He sighs heavily. “I really don’t like bars, and usually, this one is not this packed. Or so Kirby said. I guess they were running a special or something. I don’t know.” He must have noticed that I don’t like that excuse, for he stands up taller as he looks down at me. “Drinking numbs the need to run out of this place.”
I perk my brow. “Why do you want to run?”
“There are too many people. I feel like I’m suffocating, but drinking makes that feeling go away.”
“Claustrophobic?”
He shrugs, and I can tell he’s holding back. “I guess. I don’t know. I’m good on a bus with the team or on a plane. But when it’s people I don’t know, in a place like this, all these people…it makes me feel a certain way.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, and since there is no way I’m missing this opportunity to be with you, I’m gonna drink to numb myself so I can stay.”
The narcissistic part of my brain wants to tell me that it’s a line, but I feel it isn’t. I feel he’s being truthful, and I know I don’t know him that well, but I’ve never seen him look like this. He looks nervous, freaked out, and my heart goes out to him. I put my hand on his wrist, stopping him from lifting his drink. “If I’m getting to know you, I want to know real you, not drunk you.”
My hand is tingling with desire as his eyes meet mine. He pushes the beer away and takes a deep breath. “So, I’m about to fast-forward our moment.”
I perk my brow. “How?”
“By asking you to leave with me.”
“Leave with you?” I ask, my heart jumping into my throat. “Where to?”
“The car, a restaurant where we can hide in the back, a park, the beach, anywhere.” He runs his hands down his face, and when he looks back at me, I can see the panic in his expression. “I swear I’m not just trying to get in your pants. I just want to get to know you, and I can’t here. I’m too worried about what’s going on around us—”
I don’t know what the hell has gotten into me, but I cup his jaw. His words stop immediately as his eyes bore into mine. I run my thumb along his bottom lip as I inhale deeply. I honestly don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but I need him to feel better. If leaving is what will do that, then we need to leave.
And yes, I know I said we.
Holy Grilled Cheese Jesus.
“Let’s go.”
He exhales in relief as he stands up, throwing a few twenties on the bar. “For hers and mine,” he calls to the bartender as I turn to Jaylin.
“We’re leaving,” I say because I don’t know what else to say. The excitement on my best friend’s face makes me feel like an idiot, but I don’t care.
I want to fucking live.
“Okay. Call me tomorrow?”
“I will.”
“And have fun.”
I feel giddy. “I will?”
“You will,” she says with a nod.
As I stand, I glance back at her. “Can you drive by the—”
“I’ll text you if anything is wrong.”
I swallow hard just as Nico’s fingers thread through mine. I look up at him, and I’m out of breath. How in the world did this happen? I’ve never even noticed a guy before, but this guy… I see and I want. Badly.
“Do you want to run by the shop? We can do a drive-by to check on things.”
My heart is pounding like a drum. One of those big steel drums they use in the symphony. “Yes, please.”
“No problem,” he says, and it really doesn’t seem like a problem. It’s almost like he wants to. Like he cares about Callie, but I guess I know he does. Before he can turn away, I grab his tie and pull him toward me. I don’t know what I am even thinking, but I rise up on my toes and press my mouth to his. The hand that is holding mine wraps around my waist, pulling me closer to him as he grasps my face. I fall into the kiss as my insides clench, and every single inch of me is set on fire. He tastes like beer and everything naughty. His lips are soft, inviting, and when his tongue meets mine, I’m in utter heaven.
I swear, it’s like an out-of-body experience.
When I pull away due to the intense catcalls from my so-called best friend, I look up at him through my lashes. His lips are curved, his eyes playful as he whispers, “Hey, no fair.”
“What?” I ask breathlessly.
“I was supposed to kiss you first.”
I swallow hard. “I couldn’t resist.”
He smirks. “I know. It’s hard to resist me.”
Oh, I’m in big trouble with this one.
Chapter Eleven
Nico
“I know it’s silly that I wanted to check on her.”
I shut the truck door behind her and shake my head. “No, it’s totally cool.”
“I should be fine with all the cameras and the new security system, but she makes me nervous.”
“You don’t leave her much.”
I feel like there is more to the story, but Aviva just nods her head. I could tell how important it was that we checked on Callie. Thankfully, everything was fine, and it seemed Callie was already in bed. The apartment was dark. I almost thought Aviva would want to stay, but she was the one to ask where we were going. With everything closing and the weather a bit chilly, I suggested my house. I thought she’d say no, but here we are.
“I really don’t,” she laughs as she walks beside me up the sidewalk. “This is a really beautiful home.”
“Thanks.” I dig my keys out of my pocket. “I actually bought it from Amelia’s grandparents. She used to live here, but when she and Chandler got together, she moved in with him. The place was for rent for a while, but then I had a few stalkers, so they let me buy it.”
I
could have left out most of that, especially the stalkers.
“Stalkers?”
I nod. “Yup. Bad choices lead to bad women.”
“It’s easy for that to happen nowadays. Especially with your profession.”
“Yeah,” I agree, and then I laugh. “But I really seem to attract the crazy.”
She grins. “I’m not crazy.”
I wink. “The jury is still out.”
She laughs as I open the door for her, and she steps in. I lock the door behind us, and then I walk through the house, turning on lights.
“Wow, this is a nice place.”
“Wasn’t what you were expecting?”
She shakes her head. “Nope. Expected it to be a bachelor pad.”
I chuckle as I kick off my shoes and set my keys in the bowl by the door where I always put them. As I unbutton my jacket, I notice she is looking around. She looks damn good in my house. I like her here. “Do you want something to drink? I have beer and cider. We can go out on the deck or the beach if you want.”
“A cider would be great, and the deck looks awesome.”
“Coming right up.”
I watch as she kicks off her heels and throws her jacket on the couch. Her back is fucking sexy, and I want to run my tongue along all the muscles that make it up. I usually don’t notice things like that on women, but her back is fucking magnificent. All that slinging of sub dough does a body good.
“So, where did you meet these stalkers?”
I laugh as I grimace. “Tinder.”
She laughs. “I tell Jaylin to stay off there. She gets in trouble with those guys.”
“That’s the damn truth,” I agree as I walk into the kitchen, putting away some stuff I left out before I went to the arena for the game. “It’s a cesspool, for sure.”
She nods as she looks at the different photos on the wall. A lot of them are of me growing up and then some of my family. “So, the girl you were speaking of before… How long did you date?”
“We didn’t date,” I say as I open the fridge. “We were just fucking, and when I wanted more, she told me she was in love with someone else.”
She looks over at me. “Well, that’s unfortunate.”
“Eh, it is what it is,” I say, pulling out some ciders. I stuff a piece of cheese in my mouth before shutting the fridge with my hip. “She’s happy with him. Getting married and all that jazz.”
“Did you love her?”
I shrug as I get the bottle opener. “I thought I did a bit, but my therapist says it was more infatuation.”
“Oh,” she says softly as she leans into the bar and checks out a goalie helmet I have lying there. When she reaches out to touch the helmet, my breath hitches.
“Sorry, can you not touch that?”
She pauses midway and jerks her hand back. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, it’s me. I’m weird about my equipment.”
I lean into the other side of the bar and hand her the cider as she says, “It was rude of me to assume I could touch it. I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I say, waving her off. I know I need to explain more about the helmet. But instead, I find myself extremely embarrassed. I watch as she takes a long pull of her drink, and I don’t miss the side-eye. She probably thinks I’m a crazy person.
The silence is killing me, but then she says, “I was in love with the last guy I was with.”
Why does that bother me? “How long were you two together?”
“It was complicated.” She shakes her head. “We grew up together and dated in high school. When we went to college, it was very much a hookup when it was convenient for him. I started to realize that I was falling in love with him and he wasn’t with me. I tried to cut it off, but I was lonely.”
“Lonely? Aviva, you can have any guy you want.”
“Hush, you,” she teases, smacking my hand. She’s handsy when she’s drinking. I fucking love it. “I don’t know. I had a soft spot for him. But the last time we hooked up, he told me he couldn’t do this anymore because he was getting married. I was devastated. But then I realized he was only with me because he felt sorry for me.”
“Sorry for you?” I ask, confused.
She must have decided she’d said too much because she shakes her head. “Oh, is this your mom and grandparents?”
Ah, fun. Secrets. “Yup. That’s the fam.”
“Your mom is stunning.”
I come to stand beside her. “Thanks. When my dad left, I think he took a lot of her confidence.”
“Well, that’s shit.”
“Agreed,” I say, tapping my bottle to hers.
We both take a sip before she points to another picture. “What trophy is that?”
“Vezina. I was voted best goalie last season.”
“Wow, that’s cool.”
“Yeah, not to toot my own horn—”
“Because you’re so humble and all,” she teases, and I grin.
“This is true, but I’m pretty badass.”
“I know. I was watching tonight.” Her face flushes a bit with color, and it sets me on edge. She’s fucking gorgeous. “Don’t read into that.”
I move her hair off her shoulders, and the stars in her eyes are beautiful. “Why? I like that you watched me.”
She rolls her eyes. “Just gonna make your head bigger.”
I waggle my brows at her. “You being here is making my head bigger.”
She perks her brow at me. “Which head?”
Her grin lights up her face, and I find myself unable to hold in my laughter. She laughs with me as I open the door to the back deck. She walks out in front of me, and I watch that sweet ass sway. I want to touch it so bad, but I don’t want her to think I only want her for sex. While I wouldn’t mind taking her right into my bedroom, she deserves more than that. If she’s gonna give me her time, I’m gonna value it. As I shut the door behind me, I look over at her while her hair blows in the ocean breeze.
“Yup. I’d never leave this spot if I lived here.”
I walk over to stand beside her. “It’s pretty awesome.”
“It’s exquisite,” she gushes. I love the look on her face. The blissful, carefree one. I haven’t seen it on her before, and seeing it now leaves me fighting for my next breath. Unable to resist, I lean toward her, kissing her jaw. I linger longer than I should, but then my need for her is rewarded when she turns her face so that her lips meet mine. I place my bottle on the railing and gather her up in my arms, wanting to consume her completely. She feels so damn good in my arms. Her lips are tender, soft, and she tastes like the cider I just gave her. I run my hands up her spine, the muscles in her back teasing my fingertips just the way I wanted. She cups my face with one of her hands as her other hangs between us, the coolness of her bottle against my chest.
I deepen the kiss, needing to taste every single bit of her mouth. I feel myself getting harder with each sweep of our tongues. She kisses like a fucking dream, and I really don’t know how she does anything but kissing. She needs to be kissing someone every second of the day. Me, preferably. I press my nose into hers, drawing the kisses out as I slide my hands down her back to her ass. It’s thick and utterly flawless. She gasps for breath as we part, and I find myself taken with the way her lashes kiss her cheeks.
When she looks up at me, her lips are swollen, and it takes everything out of me not to capture that mouth once more. Ah, fuck it. I want—no, I need to. I drop my mouth to hers once more, and she meets me eagerly, her lips as wanton as mine. She wraps her arms around my neck, her bottle hanging against my back as we kiss and tease each other. Her teeth are dangerous and have me harder than a pipe as she rakes them across my lips. Heat is radiating off her, and soon, I can’t control myself. I run my hands over her butt, and when I lift her off the ground, she wraps her legs around my waist. Thank God she wants me just as much as I want her.
Against her lips, I whisper, “I think we should take this inside. My neighbor is a peeper.�
�� She smiles against my lips, hard, and I notice her dimples for the first time. “You have dimples.”
She covers her face quickly. “I hate them.”
“What! Why? They’re amazing!”
She shakes her head. “They’re funny-looking.”
I pull her hand down and kiss her lips. “They’re stunning.”
She bites her lip as she gazes down at me. The heat between us is molten-hot and unstoppable. In a low and raspy voice, she whispers, “I think we should take this inside.”
She doesn’t have to tell me twice. I capture her mouth once more and hold her so close to me. She squeezes her thighs around my waist, and everything explodes inside me. I need to get her inside before I blow my load right here. I tear my mouth from hers and, while still carrying her, head inside. She slides her mouth along my ear, my neck, my jaw as I shut the door behind us. Her teeth move along my skin, making each hair on my body stand to attention as I carry her through the living room. I need more space than the couch would provide.
Once in my room, I lay her down on the bed before I take the cider from her. With my free hand, I grab a coaster out of the nightstand and set the cider on it. I can’t do water rings. They haunt me, and then I won’t be able to do anything. So, as a safety measure, I keep the coasters in the nightstand. After I’m happy with the placement of the cider, right in the middle, I look down at her. She lies on my bed like she belongs there. Her hair is fanned out around her, her arms above her head, and there’s this look on her face that is going to make it real hard to take this slow.
As I get onto the bed, I slowly move over her, pressing myself into her hot center as our mouths meet once more. I hold myself up with my elbows to make sure I don’t crush her, but I don’t think she cares. She moves her lips with mine with such heated need as she tangles her legs with mine. I run my hands up her sides and cup her breasts.
And that is when she goes still.
I open my eyes to find her watching me. I pull back and press my lips together. “I thought we were well past taking it slow. I’m in it to win it at this point, and that means I’m grabbing the boob. But if that’s not okay, put the red light on now.”