by Toni Aleo
Pulling away, he kisses my nose before sitting down, his fingers lacing with mine. “I’ve wanted to do that all day.”
“Me too,” I admit shyly as our fingers dance along each other.
“I heard your dad yelling at you. He let us have it in the waiting room,” he says then.
“Yeah, he’s pissed,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I heard the benches cleared out.”
“Yeah, no one touches our girl,” he says with a wink, and I grin.
“He actually suggested I go play for the girls.”
His face doesn’t change as he nods. “And I’m sure you told him not just no, but fuck no.”
A grin pulls at my lips as I nod. “In so many words.”
“Are you okay?”
“No, I’m mad at him,” I say, meeting his gaze. “I mean, how dare he, right? He’s supposed to support me at all time, and because I get knocked out, he wants me to give up? What the hell?”
“Is this the first time you’ve been hurt?”
“Like this, yeah.”
“Then he just doesn’t know how to handle his feelings. No one wants to see someone they love lying lifeless, Baylor.”
I shrug. “I can understand that, but still. We’ve worked so hard for this. I already have so many interviews with teams set up for the first of the year, why would he want to pull me from that?”
“I agree, and you’re going to make it,” he says almost like a promise. “He knows that. He’s just freaked out right now. He is your dad.”
“I know,” I breathe, shaking my head. “He makes me so mad though.”
“With reason,” he adds as he squeezes my hand. “But it’s fine. You’re fine.”
“I am,” I say as his green eyes burn into mine. Then I ask something that I wouldn’t usually ask, but I need to know. “What do you think?”
“About?” he asks.
“Me quitting. Stupid, right?”
He grins as he shrugs. “Doesn’t matter what I think.”
Making a face, I say, “Yes, it does. I want to know.”
“The truth?” he asks, his brows coming up, and my heart sinks to my stomach.
“Truth.”
Looking down at our hands, he kisses the back of my hand as he holds it with both of his. Biting into his lip, he looks up at me and I can see it in his eyes. He’s hesitating because he’s worried I’ll get mad, which means he wants me to quit.
“You want me to quit,” I supply, and he shakes his head.
“No way. I want you to do what makes you happy. Hockey is that, and you’ve worked hard, Bay. But I do I want you safe.”
Holding his gaze, I think that over before asking, “But if you had a say?”
“I’d beg you to quit and I’d wrap you in bubble wrap, but that’s just me being overprotective. It’s part of being the boyfriend guy,” he says with a goofy grin, and I smile back.
“Yeah, I get that. It’s the same with the dad thing too, I guess.”
“For sure, we care about you. We don’t want anything to happen to you, and it’s hard to remember that you’re the strongest girl in the history of ever.”
“I just don’t want him doubting me,” I say, letting out a breath. “Or you.”
“I’d never doubt you,” he promises. “You don’t want to quit, right?”
“No fucking way.”
“Then don’t,” he says simply. “No one can control you but you.”
“Yeah,” I agree.
“Come on, control freak, you should know that,” he teases, lacing his fingers with mine before sending me a small grin. I smile back as he says, “But no matter what you choose, Baylor, I believe in you and stand behind you, one hundred percent.”
Yup, my heart just exploded in my chest. But wasn’t that what my dad was supposed to say? I’m not sure how that makes me feel, but soon I’m pulling him to me and out of his seat. He grins as our lips meet, and as I kiss him, I can’t believe how important it was for him to say that to me. For him to believe in me. Dragging back, I cup his jaw while my finger swirls through the scruff on his jaw.
“Thank you,” I whisper, and his eyes darken as he looks deep into my eyes.
“For?”
“For believing in me.”
Leaning into me, he brushes his nose against mine before sucking in a deep breath. He wants to say something, I can see it in his eyes, but instead he kisses my top lip and whispers against it, “Always, Baylor.”
Slamming her bag on my bed, Delanie looks over at me and shakes her head. “Only you get a concussion the week we come to visit!”
I laugh as Mandie hugs me tightly. “Really though, what the hell?” she teases, and I roll my eyes.
“I’m fine, completely fine, been skating all week,” I say with my hands up in a calm-down motion.
“Still, that’s dumb.”
“’Cause I wanted to get knocked the fuck out by Wilkie! You guys should yell at him.”
Delanie sets her eyes on me, her hands on her hips as she nods quickly. “You know I did. I even told everyone he has herpes, but it didn’t matter, he got suspended for the rest of the year. Bye-bye, draft,” she sings as she lies down on my bed.
“Oh, I didn’t know that,” I say, surprised, and Mandie laughs.
“Oh yeah, big trouble. Most of the guys are too. It’s bad, but who cares? They deserve it. They can’t hurt people like that,” she says, falling next to her sister.
“For sure,” I agree, lying next to Delanie. “But whatever, it’s in the past. We’ve got the weekend to party, and since we don’t have a game tomorrow, we get to go out.”
“Sounds good,” Delanie says with a grin. “And will boys be joining us?”
I roll my eyes, bumping into her shoulder. “Well, since all my friends are dudes, yes.”
“But will Jace?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” she says as Mandie grins.
“And your boyfriend?” Mandie sings.
“He’ll go too,” I say shyly before hiding my face, which causes them to laugh.
“Aww, you’re so cute!” Mandie teases before tickling my side. “Are you in loooooove?”
Smacking her away, I scoff. “Please. No way. He’s great and I like him. A lot. But love? Be real.”
“Whatever,” Delanie mocks. “You are for sure falling. We bring his name up and your face turns bright red.”
Making a face, I hop out of the bed and reach for my jacket. “Whatever, let’s go. We have Nashville to explore!”
“Told ya,” Delanie says, getting out of the bed.
Mandie nods, agreeing, “Totally.”
“What?!” I snap, and they both grin at me.
“You are so in loooooove with him,” Delanie challenges, but I shake my head.
“No, really, I’m not,” I answer, but I can tell they don’t believe me.
Hell, I don’t really believe me
“Sure, Baylor, it’s fine. Don’t admit it to us or yourself; we know the truth,” she says, putting her jacket and hat on.
“Whatever, you’re insane. But really, remember not to say anything to anyone. We are keeping it quiet,” I remind them, and Delanie waves me off.
“And he’s okay with that?” Mandie asks and I shrug.
“Yeah.”
Looking over at her sister, she grins. “He’s so in loooooove with her.”
“What! What the hell?” I ask, my heart speeding up in my chest. “That’s ludicrous!”
But they actually believe it! Looking at me like I’m the insane one, Mandie says, “Baylor, if he wasn’t in love with you, he wouldn’t have agreed to that. He’s taking what he can get, just to be with you.”
My face scrunches up as I shake my head. “No, he is respecting my wishes.”
“Because he loves you, doofus,” Delanie says. “Plus with all the shit he’s said to you, yeah, he is head over heels digging you.”
“Y’all are insane and have no just cause to think that,” I say, w
aving them off. “You guys are messing with me, trying to get me to admit something and shit.”
“Admit what?” Delanie asks innocently. “That you love him too?”
Glaring at them, I roll my eyes before reaching for the door. “I’m leaving.”
And as I walk out, their laughter follows, but I can’t hear it. My heartbeat is loud in my ears, my chest is aching from my heart pounding against it, and my palms feel clammy.
Is he in love with me?
Letting out a hysterical laugh, I shake my head.
No fucking way. Why would he be?
My weekend with the girls is passing faster than I thought it would. I’ve been waiting for them to come visit since I left them, and now that they are here, I’m kinda sad that Sunday is closing in on us so fast. They are so much fun, and it’s like old times hanging out. We’ve done all the fun, girlie things that I can only do with them. It isn’t like I can convince Jace and Markus to go get manis and pedis with me. Or even Jayden. Not that I would try, though. It’s also fun to talk to girls. They don’t smell as bad or fart on command, so it’s been nice.
But I do miss Jayden.
He’s giving me space, letting me hang with my friends and not giving me shit for missing our nightly ritual of watching Supernatural. But I have to admit, I’d rather be watching TV and cuddling with him. It’s weird how much of a staple he’s become in my life so quickly. As much as I want to go over to his room and jump up into his bed, I know that I need to put some distance between us. Every time I think of how much I miss him, Delanie’s and Mandie’s accusations weigh heavy on my heart.
That I am in love with him.
Or that he is in love with me.
It’s total insanity, but to be sure, I’m taking advantage of the distraction of my friends. That is until it’s time to go to the Gilroy with the guys, because as soon as I see him in the kitchen, I’m breathless. He looks all tall and big and manly and… Ugh, I just want climb up his body to nuzzle my nose in the scruff of his jaw. He meets my gaze, and I think he’s thinking the same thing I am.
Which is a whole lot of sex.
Drinking him in, I grin as he tucks his hands into the pockets of his jeans, his beanie hanging low on the back of his head, while his shoulders look like they’re gonna bust out of the jacket he wears.
“I forgot how sexy Jayden was,” Delanie says as she walks past me. “Good job, Baylor.”
Rolling my eyes, I watch as she squeals before running to Jace and wrapping her arms around him, kissing him fully on the lips as if they’ve been dating since forever ago.
“He is mighty fine,” Mandie says from my left, and I grin as he comes toward me.
“Do I look okay?” I ask, my gaze stolen by his as he heads my way. I went out on a limb and wore skinny jeans with a cropped top, not that he can see it, but my hair is down in big, fluffy curls and my makeup is insanely awesome, thanks to Delanie.
“Yes, you’re hot, babe,” she says just as he stops in front of me.
Leaning over, he gives Mandie a sideways hug as he says, “Hey, Mandie.”
“Hey, good to see you again.”
“You too,” he says before his gaze falls on me again. I feel all warm and fuzzy under his gaze, and soon I’m grinning like a fool as he reaches out, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Stunning, as always.”
Wrinkling my nose, I look away, shaking my head. “Shh, Jayden.”
He laughs before looking over at Mandie. “She doesn’t take compliments well.”
“No, not at all, unless she asks for you to give one to her,” she laughs.
“She asks?” he asks, feigning shock. “Really?”
As I roll my eyes, Mandie laughs. “Oh yeah, two seconds before you walked up, she asked me if she was hot,” she says with a wink. “But excuse me, let me get my sister before she stays in to have sex with your brother instead of going out.”
That has us all laughing as she leaves us to go to where Delanie and Jace are now making out. I look from them to Jayden as he says, “So I have to wait for you to ask me to tell you that you look good for you to receive the compliment?”
“No, she’s delusional. Come on, I’m getting better at the whole compliment thing,” I say but his brow rises.
“You are?” he asks doubtfully, and I glare.
“Yes,” I assert, leaning my shoulder into his. “Now, come on, are you ready?”
His eyes move down my body and then back up, and when they meet mine, I can tell he wants to say something, but he nods instead. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Gathering our group, we make the short trek to the Gilroy to find that it is in full party mode. The rest of the team is already here and has a table saved for us. After getting drinks, we meet up with them, and I make quick introductions.
“So who’s single?” Kuntz asks, and I grin as Delanie eyes him.
“Um. Well, Mandie is engaged now, right?” I ask, and she giggles breathlessly, holding up her hand where her ring sits. It’s easy to say she’s excited, but who wouldn’t be? She getting married, and she’s moving to New York with Jason so that he can play for the Rangers. I’m excited for her. “Yeah, so not Mandie, but Delanie… I don’t know, are you single?”
“No,” Jace says, wrapping his arms around her neck, kissing her hard on the cheek. “She’s going home with me tonight.”
“Where?” Jayden asks, laughing when Jace glares at him.
“In our room.”
“And where am I going?”
“I don’t give a shit where, but make yourself disappear.”
“Yeah, okay,” he taunts, shaking his head as everyone laughs.
I smack Jayden’s thigh and he looks over at me playfully while I roll my eyes. “Let him be.”
Leaning over, he whispers in my ear, “If I don’t get to get any, he doesn’t.”
Turning to face him, I ask, “Who said you won’t get laid tonight?”
Pointing at me, he says, “I’m fully taking that as a promise.”
Giggling, I watch as his eyes dance with lust before standing back up to nurse his beer, only giving me a heated sideways glance that has me breaking out in gooseflesh. Breathing in deeply, I lean into Mandie as she leans into me, grinning at me. With her lips at my ear, she says, “You know that y’all act like a couple, right?”
“No way,” I say, looking at her.
“Yes, whoever doesn’t think y’all are sleeping together is an idiot. Sparks fly between you two. It’s sort of a gorgeous thing to behold.” Eyeing her, I take a step away from Jayden, which makes her laugh. “He’s still looking at you with those dreamy green eyes.”
“Whatever,” I say, but it isn’t whatever.
I need to keep this quiet. Dad already sent in his request for some scouts to come look at Jayden and Jace. He told me after practice the other morning, and I can’t do anything to mess that up. Plus with the whole team here, I need them to keep respecting me. We are all working as such a unit now, I can’t have anything disturb that. While it would be best for us to call this off, I know I can’t. Not anymore, but I need Jayden to go into the draft. He deserves it. So maybe I should try to stay clear of him tonight.
But that’s hard when I really only want to be with him.
“Wanna dance?” he asks once everyone starts for the dance floor, and while I want to, I shake my head no.
“Probably not a good idea. Mandie says we look like a couple.”
He looks at me, perplexed. “Aren’t we?”
Giving him a deadpan look, I say, “Yes, but no one is supposed to know.”
He rolls his eyes. “No one cares, let’s have fun.”
When he bats his eyes at me, my resolve flies out the window, and soon he is pulling me onto the floor. I’d blame it on the alcohol, but I know darn well it’s him. He intoxicates me like nothing in this world, and as our bodies move together, the fact that people are probably watching doesn’t even bother me. Nothing does. All that matters is Jayden and his mad da
nce moves. He dances with ease, he’s goofy and silly but also very serious when he takes me into his arms, moving against me.
As Usher sings about not minding about his girl being a stripper, I turn in Jayden’s arms and move my ass very suggestively against him. When everyone starts to holler, I only dance harder, letting go completely. I feel so free, and I love feeling him against me. The more I move, the more I know I will make good on the promise he assumes I made. When I look back at him, he has this grin on his face that leaves me gasping for air as his arms go around me, hugging me tightly to him. Laughing, I lean into him as we sway, and to say I’m having fun is an understatement.
I’m in complete bliss.
When Delanie pulls on my arm, I open my eyes to see her waving me toward her. “I gotta piss, come on,” she yells over the music.
Rolling my eyes, I go with her, with Mandie trailing behind us. Once in the bathroom, after waiting for what seems like forever, we all hit the stalls and do our business before gathering in front of the sinks to make sure we look good. As I move my hands through my hair, Delanie says, “I had to get you out of there before you started doing him on the floor. You need to tuck your cat in heat back in, Baylor.”
Scoffing, I set her with a look. “The only person that was having sex on the floor was you, Del. You looked like you were a stripper.”
She shrugs. “Hey, Jace likes it.”
“We can tell,” Mandie laughs and I grin.
“Whatever. As I was saying, for two people who are hiding a relationship, you guys suck,” is her answer as she glosses her lips.
I take the tube and slide it against my lips as I shrug. “I’m having fun. No one thinks anything about it.”
“Jace does! I thought they knew?”
I shake my head, panic filling my chest. “You didn’t tell him, did you?”
“No, I just started making out with him! Jeez,” she yells at me before shaking her head. “Warn a girl next time!”
I meet Mandie’s gaze in the mirror and she asks, “Why are you hiding it again?”
“Because my dad,” I explain, and she nods.
“Oh yeah, okay,” she says with a nod. “Makes sense.”
“No, it doesn’t! Wanna know what I think?” Delanie asks, almost slurring, and I shake my head.
