by Toni Aleo
“I could be playing Fortnite and getting drunk.”
I give him a dry look. “Yes, if you want to be a fourteen-year-old, go do that. But if you’d like to be an adult, let’s go to dinner.”
“Fuck you,” he says to me as we head up the drive. The lights are on in Amelia’s little bungalow, and I see her moving around the dining room table. I can’t make out what she’s wearing, but I can tell her luscious hair is falling down her stunning back. Her cousin stands before her and looks as if she hasn’t changed. Shelli has always been on the shorter side but thick in the legs and hips. Her long brown hair is wavy along her shoulders. But for some reason, in that dress, she looks way older than I remember her looking.
My gaze shifts to Amelia’s back, and I go hard everywhere. It’s been a long nine days on the road. We FaceTimed every night, and I am really enjoying getting to know her again. We’ve talked about all the trivial stuff like favorite foods—she’s a pizza girl, and I sure as hell don’t say no to pizza. She only drinks water and wine, which I find very healthy, but she says it’s because she doesn’t like anything else. I told her that Dr. Pepper was life, but she disagreed. I thought she would be one of those girlie-movie girls, but she actually is a huge fan of Lord of the Rings. I belong in the Shire, so it was fun to find we both enjoy the same thing. I told her we needed a movie night, and she didn’t disagree. She was eager, which excited me. Then, I really don’t know why, we decided to play Words with Friends. She sucks, and I’m a winner. But if you ask her, it’s the other way around. So hopefully no one asks her.
I love talking to her. We talked more than I did with my parents on our trip, but damn it, I’m yearning for something deeper. That stuff will need to be discussed in person. I feel she’s holding back. I get it, I do, but I want more. I was really excited she wanted me to come over tonight, but then I found out her cousin is in town. So while here I thought I was getting somewhere, come to find out, I’m not.
But I won’t quit.
I rap my knuckles against the door as Nico says, “The cousin better be hot so I can at least stare at her.”
I glance back at him. “Okay, weirdo.”
He snorts in response as the door opens. There she is. Good Lord. FaceTime does not do this girl justice. She’s wearing a short halter top that cuts down low on her breasts and shows a thin line of skin along her stomach. Luckily for her athletic career, she doesn’t have large breasts, but I’m sure there is enough for me. Her pants are high cut, wrapping around her waist and almost like a second skin on her bottom half. She has makeup on, dark over her eyelids, making her eyes pop with color. Her hair is down over her shoulders, bone-straight and dark.
“Hey,” she says, her lips curving up.
I move in closer, and when she doesn’t pull away, I lose my train of thought. I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her in as she wraps her arms around me, hugging me tightly. Not what I want, but I’ll take it. I move my mouth to her ear, and hell, she smells like roses.
“You leave me absolutely breathless,” I whisper, and I feel her body go still.
She pulls back, her eyes hesitant but sweet. “Thanks.”
I hand her the bottle of wine and the flowers, and her grin grows. “Well, aren’t you bringing all the goodies.”
“All for you.”
She draws in a deep breath, her cheeks rosy with color. “Come on in.”
She turns, and I take in that sweet ass of hers as she walks toward the counter that separates the kitchen from the living room.
Nico leans in, looking up at me. “Dressed like that, it’s easy to say she wants you.” He then passes by me and says, “The party is here!”
I’m going to kill him.
I shut the door behind me and turn just as Shelli comes out of her bedroom. “Hey, Chandler.”
“Hey, Shelli,” I say with a wave. I’ve met her a few times, usually at Ryan’s house. “How’s New York?”
“Great. Living my best life.”
“Awesome,” I say with a grin. Nico smacks my hip, and I look over at him with an annoyed expression. He nods toward Shelli, and I roll my eyes. “Shelli, this is my buddy Nico.”
He holds out his hand, and she takes it as she says, “Nico Merryweather, goalie for the IceCats, save percentage .939 right now. Pretty damn impressive. My dad would be so jealous I got to meet you before him.”
Nico looks as if he just creamed his pants. “Wow, and you are? And who’s your dad?”
“Shelli Adler, daughter of Shea Adler.”
Nico’s mouth drops open. “Marry me?”
“Nope, sorry,” she says with a wink and then walks off like it’s nothing.
“Nico, what the hell?”
“What? Adler is the greatest player of all time!”
From the bar in the kitchen, Amelia laughs. “That happens a lot.”
I grin back at her. “What, the proposal?”
“Yup. All players want Shelli because of my uncle—”
“Except one,” Shelli complains.
“I’ll be him,” Nico says, and we all laugh. Well, not Nico. He’s serious.
I really shouldn’t have brought him.
I lean on the bar, held up by my elbows as I watch Amelia make a salad. “Need some help?”
She raises a brow. “Thought you couldn’t cook?”
“I can open a bottle of wine,” I suggest, and she looks up at me through her lashes.
“Get to work, then,” she says, and I do just that. The kitchen seems so small with both of us in it. I don’t know if I’m crowding her, but I refuse to move as I open the bottle. Shelli is getting some kind of dish out of the oven as I lean into the sink, pushing the wine opener into the cork. When she leaves, I look over to Amelia and notice that her shirt is backless.
My mouth goes dry, but I somehow ask, “How was your day?”
“Good,” she says as she cuts up some tomatoes. “How was yours? Aren’t you tired from traveling all day?”
“Nope, not at all.”
She grins over her shoulder at me. “Well, that’s good.”
I hold her gaze, and I want to kiss her so fucking bad. “Did you get all fancy for me?”
She makes a face, snorting a bit. “Fancy? Jeans and a top?”
“Jeans that show off that spectacular ass of yours and a top that’s making it hard to breathe.”
She giggles softly as she drops the tomatoes into the bowl. She then grabs the bowl and heads toward the dining room. Before she leaves, though, she looks back at me.
“Maybe.”
Yup, she’s going to kill me.
Once we’re all seated around the table, we dig into the amazing chicken parmesan Amelia made. The conversation is easy and fun. Shelli talks about New York, and then we talk about our road trip where the IceCats went 5-1, which is really great in my opinion. The game we lost was bullshit. We were tied, but then we got a shit penalty and they pulled their goalie for the extra man. Risky but rewarding play by their coach. Bullshit for us, though.
“I thought that one save you had on Ratatin was phenomenal,” Shelli says, and Nico leans on his hand, his eyes burning into hers.
“I’d save you any day.”
I scoff as I roll my eyes.
Shelli grins but then looks at me. “You had two goals, right? You’re on a streak? A point a game?”
“Yeah,” I say, impressed. “I didn’t realize you followed the game that closely.”
“Oh yeah, it’s her life. It’s funny… She didn’t want to play hockey, but she loves it. Her sister, Posey, is the one who plays, but she’s still a massive fan like Shelli,” Amelia adds, her eyes meeting mine. “They’re weird.”
“We grew up with hockey shoved down our throats. We love it, and you’re weird. She doesn’t even watch it now, when she used to be a huge fan,” Shelli gripes at her, and immediately, Amelia becomes visibly uncomfortable.
“Maybe she just needs to go to a live game. If you two want to go while you’re
in town, I can get you tickets.”
Shelli lights up. “I’d love that.”
“And I’ll win the game only for you,” Nico says then, looking at Shelli dreamily, but she just laughs.
“Isn’t going to happen, buddy,” she retorts, but he doesn’t seem derailed.
When I reach for my glass, I notice Amelia is watching me. I smile. “Did you quit your job yet?”
She looks shy as Shelli exclaims, “I told her to do that!”
“I told you I don’t want to be bored,” Amelia reiterates. But she wouldn’t be bored.
“You could get a job at the gym on Meeker Street.”
Shelli looks from me to Amelia. “Yeah, do that.”
But Amelia shakes her head. “I’m good.”
I don’t want to fight her on this, but apparently, Shelli does. “For real, Am, that would be awesome for you. You’d be so happy. Back in the gym, coaching. Go. Let’s go now.”
Amelia rolls her eyes. “They’re closed, for starters, and also, they wouldn’t want me.”
“They would,” I say, and Amelia’s eyes meet mine. “Any sane person who can YouTube would know in three seconds they want you.”
Shelli holds her hand out to me. “Exactly!”
Nico smacks his lips together and pushes his plate away. “I think I want to marry Amelia now. That was damn good.”
Amelia chuckles as Shelli glares. “Not that I want to marry you, but I can cook too.”
He leans on his hands. “You were always my first choice.”
“Lies. He hit on me when I sidestepped Chandler,” Amelia teases, and I laugh.
“Sidestepped?”
“Yeah, I tried to ignore you. But for some reason, I can’t get rid of you.”
My eyes burn into hers. “You don’t want to get rid of me.”
“Gag. If Shelli won’t marry me, I’m not going to sit here and listen to you two flirt all night.”
“The eye-fucking is what’s getting me,” Shelli complains. “Why did you two even want us here?”
“What she said,” Nico says, pointing to Shelli. “For real, are you sure you don’t want to marry me?”
“Really sure. But I will watch highlights with you so these two can figure out what they’re doing.”
Nico thinks that over. “Will you tell me how great I am?”
Shelli makes a face. “You know you’re going to have a hard time keeping a woman, right?”
He nods. “Which is why I’m single.”
With that, they both get up.
“I think it’s more her than him.”
“Oh, totally,” Shelli agrees, which makes Amelia glare.
I can’t help but laugh. Our eyes meet once more, and Amelia bites her lip. She lifts her glass and drains it. I reach for the bottle, holding it out to her, and she offers me her glass. I fill it and then mine before setting the bottle down.
Amelia takes a quick breath and lets it out in a whoosh. “Want to go out on the deck?”
I nod. “Sure.” I get up and come around to her, pulling the chair out for her as she gets up. As she rises, her eyes meet mine, and my heart nearly stops. They’re so blue, so mesmerizing. I step back when I realize I’m crowding her, and she grabs her glass. I open the door for her, and the ocean air blows into us as we step out onto her deck. She walks the short distance to the railing and sets her glass there. I lean my hip against the railing and look out at the ocean as the sounds envelop us.
I take a sip of my wine before glancing over at her. She’s messing with her nails nervously. When she looks up at me, her eyes are so sad. Gone is the light in them, and it knocks the breath out of me. I want to step forward, take her hand but… Shit. Without wasting any more time thinking about it, I take her hand, lacing my fingers with hers as I meet her gaze. Her eyes widen with surprise, and I squeeze her hand.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“What do you mean?”
Tears well up in her eyes, but she looks away. “My life is a mess, Chandler. I don’t know what I want. I don’t know what I am doing, and I sure as hell don’t want to depend on a man to give me happiness. I did that before. Big fail.” She takes in a deep breath, finally looking up at me. “Listen, I know we’ve got this thing between us. I know it seems like it can be something, but I’m telling you, it’s not a good idea.”
“I think I can be the judge of that,” I say simply, and then I set down my glass. “I get it. You feel lost, but I think you can find yourself quickly. I know it doesn’t seem that way,” I add when she goes to protest. “But make some changes. The thing is, Amelia, you have already started.”
“I have?”
“Yeah, you called your mom, and you fixed that. So, what is it? Your job? You can fix that tomorrow.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“It is,” I insist, and then I cup her beautiful face in my hand. “You can go to the gym tomorrow, get the job, and then you’ll be back in the routine.”
She blinks as she looks up at me. “I don’t want to string you along. Everyone tells me I just need a rebound relationship, but I don’t want to do that to you. I don’t think you’re that kind of guy.”
I shrug, and while I want to be bothered by her comment, I’m not. “I get what everyone is saying. Everyone said it to me, so I did it, and I felt nothing. It didn’t heal what Lana did. It didn’t make my life better, because it was just a fuck. You’re right, I’m not that guy—”
“Which is the problem because I’m not sure I can offer more than that.”
Doesn’t she see she could if she allowed herself? It’s so frustrating, but it’s a small bump in the road. “I told you, I just want to see what happens.”
“But I’m so fucked—”
“You’re perfect,” I insist as I gaze into her sweet eyes. She scoffs, but I shake my head. “I think you are. I know you don’t agree, but I’m sure.”
“Chandler—”
“Amelia,” I whisper, and she looks up through her lashes. “Can we try?”
“Try?”
“Yeah, just see what happens?”
“What if it goes to hell in a handbasket?”
I grin. “Then at least we know.”
“What about Ryan? He kept us apart before—”
“But he won’t now,” I insist. Her lips are right there, so wet and lush. I take a deep breath, staring at them. “I have to kiss you.”
She inhales sharply, her eyes full of shock, but then lust creeps in as she continues to stare at me. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”
Before she can answer, I take her plump mouth with mine. My heart is pounding against my ribs, and I worry she can feel the sweat from my hands. Hot damn, she feels good in my arms. Her mouth is moving with mine, and I don’t want to be anywhere else. When I deepen the kiss, a small moan tries to escape, but I won’t let it. I taste the wine but then just her as our tongues tangle together. When we were younger, our kiss was fast and urgent, but this time, it’s slow and inviting. Lust builds in my blood as I hold her closer, drinking from her sweet mouth. My cock strains in my jeans, and I want her so fucking bad. Her hands come up, wrapping around the back of my neck as she steps closer to me. I can’t take it. I turn her, pressing her into the railing a little too hard, but I need her. I want her.
But then two glasses come shattering down around our feet.
She pulls away as I mutter a curse. “I’m so sorry,” I say roughly, but I don’t let her go.
She looks around us and then back to me. “It’s okay. No worries.”
“I got a little carried away there.”
“I don’t mind,” she says breathlessly, her hands sliding up and down my biceps. “Can you grab a dustpan? I don’t have shoes on, and—” Before she can finish the sentence, I lift her up into my arms, and she lets out a cry. “Holy crap.”
I chuckle softly as I slide the door open.
“Didn’t expect that, did you?”
She gazes over at me, her fingers laced behind my neck. “I didn’t expect you at all.”
I can’t help but grin because we’re just getting started.
Chapter Twelve
Amelia
I don’t know if I’m just being silly or what, but I swear I still feel Chandler’s lips on mine. I wondered if he kissed like he did in college, but the moment his mouth dropped to mine, I knew he didn’t. Before, he was so nervous, so unsure of himself. I mean, I took all the control then, and he just held me. But last night, not only did he hold me, he took charge. It was…it was amazing.
“You’re two seconds from picking one of those daisies off the table and pulling off the petals to see if he loves you or loves you not, huh?”
I roll my eyes, not looking over at Shelli as she moves around in the kitchen. “Shut it.”
“What? It’s cute. I know you like him.”
“I do.” No point in lying, I do. It just seems so unattainable. No one can go through what I went through and then find someone who wants all of me, the good and the bad. It’s unrealistic. I thought I had it all; I thought I had found my soul mate—only to realize I’d found no such thing. I found someone who ruined me. But I don’t want to think of that. Him. I want to think of Chandler.
I hang my head off the side of the couch, my hair falling, touching the floor. The tingling feeling in my body hasn’t stopped since he kissed me. I never expected him to kiss me, much less in a way that would stun me dumb. I honestly didn’t know what to think or how to act. I just wanted to feel, and boy did I. Everything was trembling, my stomach flip-flopped, and my pussy clenched in a way it hasn’t in years. Shelli is onto something when she says I need to get laid. I do; it’s been so long.
“You two should go out,” Shelli calls to me just as the water starts running in the sink. “Be nice to be just you two, I think.”
I’m hesitant, and I really don’t know why. As much as I want this, I know it will fail like everything else in my life has. For some reason, though, all that caution left when he pressed his lips to mine. That’s so naïve of me, but I want to see him—and I sure as hell want to kiss him again. “I don’t know.”