I froze, staring at her. She looked utterly blissed-out, which had me thinking of other ways to keep her looking like this. It was only made worse by having her on my bed.
Mentally giving my head a shake, I sat facing her and propped my elbows on my knees, using one hand to support my head and the other to hold my chocolate shake. We were mirror images sitting this way.
“So you guys are all lined up for playoffs.”
“Not yet. Still a few games to earn our spot. Wait? How do you know that?”
Her cheeks turned cherry red.
“You’ve been watching?” I couldn’t help the surprise in my voice.
“You wish” was her feisty reply.
“Yeah, I kind of do.”
After a few hours and several chapters later, we were completely laid out on my bed, our heads beside each other, surrounded by books and papers. I hadn’t been this relaxed in a long-ass time. She was barely awake, eyes blinking at a slow speed, and she gently rested her head on her arm as if she might drift off.
She looked so fucking exhausted. “Do you want to sleep here? I can sleep in the other room.”
She shifted into a seated position and yawned while shaking her head. “That’s okay. I can drive.” Her eyes were still droopy, giving her a kiss-drunk look.
“I’d prefer it if you stayed. You’re barely holding yourself up.”
She looked at me, deciding that I was sincere and not just horny, and gave me a nod.
“Is there anyone you need to let know where you are?”
Sidney took out her phone and sent a quick message. “All good.”
I handed her my softest shirt and gym shorts. “You can wear these.”
“Thanks.” Her eyes searched for me, and the slightest hint of a smile curved her lip, and then she headed to the bathroom to get ready. I grabbed my spare blanket and a pillow before freezing on the spot. She walked in looking damn good in my clothes. The shirt slid to the side, exposing the soft skin over her collarbone, making me want to lower my head and run my tongue in the dip. She held on to the tangled short strings, not paying attention to me. The shorts were obviously too big for her, and they would have to be tied if they had any hope of staying up. I hummed at the back of my throat at the thought of them sliding down. Her eyes met mine, and I couldn’t resist the draw she had on me. I walked closer, dipping my head to bring my lips just shy of her ear.
“You look like you could use some help.”
Sidney’s skin pebbled along her neck, and a shiver ran through her. “It’s stuck.”
I slid my hands down her arms, moving her hands, and I took the strings in mine. She sucked in a breath as I worked at the knot, quickly opening it. My knuckles grazed across her soft skin. Burning for her, I had to swallow hard to stop from groaning. I pulled the strings tight, riveted by the goose bumps forming under my touch, and my fingers drifted over her skin one last time before I tied a bow.
Sidney was breathing as hard as I was. Her eyes were hooded, and I followed them as they dropped to my mouth. She bit her bottom lip while leaning closer to me.
My thumb ran along her bite mark, pulling her lip free. “You have no idea how many times I’ve thought about soothing this spot with my tongue.”
A shiver rolled through her with my words, and my body tensed, mouth watering. I wanted to close the distance between us so fucking bad, but it had to be her. I paused, my mouth hovering over hers, and strained every muscle not to move.
Come on, Trouble. Break your fucking rules.
Her pupils filled her eyes until there was only a golden rim surrounding them. They flicked between mine, searching for an answer while her fingers dug into my chest, pulling me closer while attempting to push me away. I tried to breathe, but it got stuck in my throat, waiting for her. Fuck, baby. Please.
She slowly raised on her toes, her lips barely grazing mine, and she hummed in the back of her throat. I couldn’t stop my hands from closing around her waist and holding her to me, but I didn’t move to close the distance.
She made a needy sound, and my whole world tipped when Sidney pressed her lips against mine. She dug her fingers into my hair, pulling me closer, and deepened the kiss. Her moans evaporated any hesitance felt, and I bit down on her bottom lip like I’d pictured doing a million fucking times before. It was everything I thought it would be but also so much fucking more. I could get lost in the way she tasted, in the small sounds she made when I sucked on her tongue and the way her hips pushed against me, searching for the friction she desperately needed. She gasped, trembling in my arms, and my control broke. I gripped her jaw, tipping her head back to capture her mouth completely, and took over the kiss. Her fingers dug into my hair, tugging me closer, and I rocked into her, eating up the needy sounds she made. Fuck, I wanted her to be mine so badly I thought it might kill me to stop. But I wanted more than a kiss, and I wasn’t fucking this up.
I pulled away and grinned at her frown, walking backward toward the door. “That’s rule number one. Three to go.”
FOURTEEN
SIDNEY
“Who the hell’s Selena?” The second I walked into our place, Mia showed me several Twitter posts.
A tightness I had no right to feel tugged at my chest, and I didn’t meet her probing eyes. “Jax’s agent set them up. He had to look steady. Basically, junior hockey players had a poor reputation, and the league wants him to look ‘settled down.’”
Posts about Jax running around with two girls were definitely going to have the opposite effect his agent wanted. I rubbed my palms over my face and took a deep breath, trying to shake off the feeling he didn’t need Selena at all.
I reached for Mia’s phone and flipped through the pics until my gaze landed on one of Selena tucked into Jax’s arm. Their faces were so close they were nearly kissing. A sinking feeling started in my stomach and plummeted to the floor. This didn’t look like fake dating. A sharp pain compressed my chest, and I struggled to take my next breath.
Mia peeked over my shoulder. “Doesn’t that bother you?”
I shrugged and did my best to clear the emotions from my face. “Why would it? We aren’t dating.”
Her brows rose, looking at me with skepticism. “Don’t lie to me. You might not be officially dating, but—”
I cut her off. “I knew this was going on. It’s a common part of the industry.”
“Just because you understand why it’s happening doesn’t mean you have to be okay with it.”
“Yeah, well, there’s nothing I can do about it.” I ignored the dip in my stomach as the truth of the words sank in.
“You sure about that? Have you talked to him?”
I put on my best imitation of a smile. “It’s fine. Really. Alright, change of subject.” I plopped down on the couch. “How was last night’s date with the guy in your class?”
She sat down beside me. “He spent the entire time talking about himself and his mother, of all people.”
I made a disgusted face at her. “Gross.”
“The guy’s a lost cause. So, if he asks, tell him I’m swamped. I’m hoping to ghost him until he gets the point or moves on.”
“So what you’re telling me is you don’t have plans tonight?” I asked, trying to sound innocent and in no way desperate.