Even though I know this is all fake, this feeling is foreign to me…this nervousness. I only get nervous before a game. I don’t get nervous around women.
I continue to hold her in my arms, and I will my words to shoot out of me and construct themselves into a sentence. “I wanted to ask you out. Properly. On a date,” I mumble against the crown of her head.
Aeris pulls back slightly, moistening her bottom lip. God, what I wouldn’t give to have her tongue in my mouth again right now, tracing the inside of my cheek, running along the blunt edges of my teeth. I remember how life-changing that kiss was. Hell, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.
“A date?”
“A date,” I repeat confidently. “You. Me. Maybe some handholding.”
I can tell she’s intrigued, but there’s also a part of her that’s wary, and I don’t blame her. I lied to her, then ghosted her. I was an asshole. And I’m still technically lying to her.
I don’t know how long I’m waiting for her to answer, but it feels like I have to swallow each everlasting second.
She steals a few glimpses at me, then eventually gives me a nod that diffuses the tension in my shoulders.
“I’d love to go on a date with you,” she finishes.
I hold her face in my hands, brushing my nose with hers, my parted lips mere inches away from slanting over her pretty mouth. Our breaths mingle, and I can smell the mintiness on her tongue, like she’d popped a piece of gum halfway through the game.
I want to kiss her. And judging by the heavy pants racking her chest, I know she wants this just as badly as I do.
But my self-restraint must be at an all-time high because I don’t kiss her. I pull away the minute she leans in, and it’s not because I want to be a tease. It’s because I’m afraid what will happen if I lose myself in her.
“I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow.”
11
THE FUTURE’S NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD
AERIS
My pulse is off the charts, and I’m sweating so much that I can feel it seep into every pore. If I wasn’t wearing a dress, I would have major pit stains. My stomach’s been a mess all day, so I haven’t been able to eat anything. I’ve only been in heels for five minutes, but my feet are already starting to ache. Maybe this was a bad idea.
After Hayes dropped that nuclear-sized truth bomb on me, I did some digging on him. He got drafted to the Reapers when he was a senior in college, and according to some fan sites, he’s been playing hockey since he was eight, he’s allergic to shellfish, and his birthday is on November twelfth.
There were also some…interesting headlines that I came across. Headlines about Hayes’ love life. Look, I know we’re not together, and whatever this is may not even evolve into anything. But I can’t help but think about all the beautiful women who are constantly around him.
I glance down at my phone to check the time, and as soon as the digital six turns into a seven, there’s a knock at my door. Punctual. He’s punctual. That’s an attractive quality.
Modulating my breathing like pregnant women do when they’re in labor, I smooth the nonexistent wrinkles in my dress. I’m wearing a tight, red dress that zips up the middle and hugs every little lump and curve. The neckline is sinfully low, allowing my breasts to strain against the fabric. My hair is knotted into an elegant updo, little wisps curling down the length of my face, and I’ve woven some gemmy bobby pins throughout the strands. It took me three YouTube tutorials and a whole can of hairspray to get my hair to stay in place.
Stuffing down the monsoon of nerves inside me, I hesitantly open the door, my eyes going as wide as saucers at the sight of Hayes in a suit. A suit.
I know I’ve already seen him half-naked, but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of looking at his body. Hayes has one of those torsos that taper down to a slimmer waist and thighs that could probably crush a watermelon without much effort. His dirty-blond hair is gelled back, his face is clean-shaven, and he's wearing a heady cologne that sends a streak of pleasure between my legs.
Hayes hazards a look at me, and his cheeks go so warm they could give Arizona heat a run for its money.
“You look beautiful,” he says, a dimple developing at the corner of his lips. There’s a rustling coming from his hands, and that’s when I take in the bouquet of flowers he’s brought me.
No guy has ever given me flowers. Wilder certainly never did, not even on our anniversary or Valentine’s Day.
“You brought me flowers?” I gasp, taking them from him and inhaling deeply. He went with a pink, purple, and white color palette. It looks like there are some carnations, lilacs, and roses in the mix. They’re stunning, and the gesture releases butterflies to reside in my belly.
“You like them? I didn’t know what kind of flowers you liked, and I didn’t want to ask you because it would ruin the surprise.”
I blush something fierce. “They’re perfect.” I wave him inside, ambling over to the kitchen in search of a vase to put them in.
A friendly meow comes from the mass of fur weaving in and out of his legs, and he crouches down, scratching Crunch behind the ear.
“She must really like you. She’s usually never this social with anyone,” I tell him, grabbing a vase from the top shelf of my cabinet. I’m glad I’m wearing heels, otherwise I’d embarrass myself by teetering on my tiptoes.
“I’ve always wanted a pet,” he confesses, having switched to rubbing the white spot underneath her chin.
I lean over the sink, cutting the stems at an angle. “Dog person?”
“Cat person,” he corrects.
Oh, wow. Did it just get hot in here?
“Well, you’re welcome to come over and see Crunch whenever you want,” I laugh, setting the flowers in the vase and fluffing their petals.
Hayes waltzes over to me, pulling me into his hard body. My heart skips a beat under his touch, and my breath catches in my throat.
“When I come over, it won’t be to see your cat, Aeris.” His voice is rich, warm, growly, oozing with a pinch of arrogance that the lower half of me can’t resist. That tone of his sends a tingle to every one of my erogenous zones.
I foolishly think he’s about to kiss me—just like I had last night after the game—but he doesn’t. He nips at the hinge of my jaw, then lashes his tongue over the stretch of skin below my ear, pulling my lobe into his mouth and sucking.
I moan in surprise as I involuntarily tilt my head back, squeezing my thighs together. Oh my God. Forget dinner. We should skip straight to dessert.
I’m lost on cloud nine before he rips me from my Hayes-haze, planting a peck on my cheek.
“We should go. We don’t want to be late to our reservation.”
The restaurant that Hayes takes me to is a lot fancier than I expected. Pasta La Vista: a dining establishment that specializes in some of the best pasta dishes in Riverside. Once I stepped through those lavish double doors, I was like Dorothy in Oz. Curtains of red velvet cascade down the sides of elongated glass, drawing into a burgundy bow in the stained center. Tables of white silk sit dispersed among the spacious area, a luminous, crystal chandelier shimmering sensationally across an impractically tall ceiling. Potted plants are stationed at every entrance, and an extensive number of waiters and waitresses wander the restaurant.