Tangled Vows (Willow Brook Falls #3)

19. Easton

19

EASTON

H oly.

Fucking.

Hell.

My breath caught in my throat, and my lungs seized. I couldn’t draw in air as Shayla tugged her shirt over her head and leaned down to drag her shorts down her legs. The forward motion pushed her tits up even higher, giving me a perfect, unobstructed view of her cleavage. She shimmied the thin material down those decadent thighs, thighs I wanted to wear as earmuffs. Thighs I wanted wrapped around my hips so I could bury myself deep inside her.

Fuck, now I was hard … in a hot tub with two of my teammates. I needed to get it together before someone noticed. Shayla glanced up and caught me staring at her, and I quickly looked away, but it was too late. I gritted my teeth together, fighting the urge to look at her again. She was exquisite, like a priceless work of art. I could sit and stare at her for hours.

“Wow, this water feels amazing,” Shayla said when she stepped into the hot tub. I snuck a peek at her as she lowered her sinful body into the water. I tried to tamp down the hedonistic thoughts running through my head, but seeing her like this, thighs bare and the lush curve of her breasts spilling over the cups of her top, tested my restraint. It finally felt like we were on better terms, that we’d formed a tentative friendship, and I didn’t want to ruin it by openly ogling her. She had to know I was attracted to her. Surely she felt how hard I was that day in the weight room when I helped her with squats. There was no way to hide it.

I swallowed hard, trying to clear those images from my head as the conversation picked up. Clearing my throat, I studiously fixed my gaze on Shayla’s face, willing it not to drop to the swells of her breasts visible just above the water.

“So, uh, did you watch the game?” I asked, sounding awkward even to my ears. I mentally kicked myself. This wasn’t high school. I was Easton Fucking Walker. Talking to women came easy to me. So why was I so nervous all of the sudden?

“Of course,” she replied breezily. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

“She even wore my jersey,” Kent added proudly, puffing his chest. What the fuck? Why would she wear Kent’s jersey? She could've asked for mine.

“Seriously,” I asked before I could stop myself. A frown tugged at the corners of Shayla’s lips, and I instantly regretted not keeping my mouth shut. Her eyes narrowed on me, and I worried she saw straight through me, to the inexplicable jealousy swelling in my chest.

“I wanted to show my support for the team,” she replied, her tone even, though I could detect her annoyance. I’d come to know it well. “And Kent brought me a jersey. A lot of the support staff wears them to games,” she explained. I wondered if someone wore mine. I didn’t want anyone but Shayla wearing my number.

“I see,” I replied. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her to wear mine to the next game when Dr. Norton approached.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” A sly smile tugged at her signature red painted lips. I swear, I never saw the woman without lipstick on. “Three hockey players and one hot chick in a hot tub. I read a book like this once,” she announced, a wicked gleam in her eye. Shayla’s face, which was already flushed from the heat, turned a deeper shade of red. I didn’t know what kind of books Doc liked to read, but I could guess what she meant solely by the wicked smile she wore and the quirk of her brow. And I didn’t like what it implied. If I ever got a chance to be with Shayla, I sure as hell wouldn’t share her with two other guys.

“Mind if I join you?” Dr. Norton asked.

“Be my guest,” Kent offered with a huge grin splitting his face. We all shifted to make room for her. She took the empty spot between Kent and Shayla, who was thankfully no longer in my direct line of sight. It would be easier to avoid staring at her now. At least that was what I told myself.

“How’s Quinn?” Slater asked, a worried crease settling between his brows. He and Quinn were tight, nearly inseparable even.

“He’ll be fine,” she assured him. “Just needs to stay off the ice for a week or so.”

“Damn, it sucks he got hurt so early in the season,” Kent mused. He was met with a chorus of mumbled agreements.

An awkward silence descended over the group, our expressions somber as I was sure we were all reliving the moment Quinn got hurt. He’d managed to keep their center from scoring and wore a huge smile as Weiss helped him off the ice, but that saved point wasn’t worth him getting injured.

“I have an idea,” Kent announced, clapping his hands together to get everyone’s attention. Reaching behind him, he pulled out a glass bottle and several small plastic cups from his bag. He lined up five cups and began pouring shots into them. “We’re going to play never have I ever.” He passed the shots around, and everyone silently took them.

“Are these mouthwash cups?” Shayla asked.

“That’s all I had,” Kent replied with a shrug.

“Uh, won’t we get in trouble?” Slater asked, glancing around nervously. He technically wasn’t old enough to drink, but being a pro hockey player tended to offer these guys some leniency as long as they were discreet about it.

Kent waved him off. “The hot tub is open for another forty-five minutes. No one is going to come snooping around until it’s time to close. We can get at least a couple rounds in before that.”

“Alright, if you say so,” Slater replied warily.

“I’ll go first,” Kent said, then tapped his chin as though he didn’t already know what he would say. “Never have I ever sucked a cock.”

A choked sound left Shayla’s mouth, and she coughed. Dr. Norton reached over and gave her a couple gentle pats on the back while attempting to hide her amusement. Once she was composed, she brought the shot to her lips. She and Doc slung theirs back in unison. A spike of jealousy speared through my middle. I didn’t like the thought of Shayla’s lips wrapped around another man’s dick. Of course, I realized how ridiculous that was. I had no claim to her, and she surely wasn’t a virgin. But still, the idea of her with someone else sent white hot envy coursing through my veins.

“Alright, Walker, you’re next,” Kent said as he refilled the two lady’s cups.

“Okay,” I began, completely unprepared for what I would contribute to this game. Then I remembered what I had the misfortune of seeing in the locker room earlier. “Never have I ever had my genitals pierced,” I proclaimed, smirking at Kent.

He returned the gesture and drained his shot. To my surprise, so did Dr. Norton.

“Fuuuck,” Slater groaned and ran a hand over his face at the same time Kent hooted a, “Hell yeah!” Shayla’s eyes were wide as she took in her friend.

“I had no idea,” she half whispered, stunned.

“You’re not exactly my type, so I never thought to show you,” Claire replied cheekily with a wink.

Slater was up next. “Never have I ever had a threesome,” he admitted sheepishly. Everyone but Shayla took a shot. I avoided her gaze as I drained my drink.

It was Shayla’s turn next. “Never have I ever,” she began, tilting her head thoughtfully. Her gaze landed on me, and I held my breath, awaiting what she would say. “Had a one-night stand,” she finished, keeping her eyes trained on me. I’d known that night we met she wasn’t used to doing things like that, and I could kick myself for what went down. I could’ve been her first. Now, it was possible she could give that honor to someone else. And I wanted to kill him, whoever he was.

Everyone but Shayla tossed back their shot. At this point, Dr. Norton had to be getting tipsy. She was the only one who’d had to drink each time, and now it was her turn. Was there anything left that she hadn’t done? But she was ready, and she brought out the big guns.

“Never have I ever,” she began, a sly smile tugging up one side of her mouth, “hooked up with a coworker.”

I nearly flinched as a curse worked its way up my throat, but I swallowed it down. She was watching me as if she knew what happened between Shayla and me. Had Shayla confided in her?

My gaze flicked to Shayla who held stock still, just like I did. She wasn’t drinking. Neither would I. Technically, we hadn’t hooked up. It was just a kiss. The most incredible kiss I’d ever had in my life, but still. We didn’t have sex, not even oral. My dick never entered her body, so it didn’t count. Right?

Dr. Norton’s gaze bounced between Shayla and me as I deliberated. No one else drank, but I felt the heat of their stares on my face. Kent and Slater remained silent as tension slithered around us. They all knew something was up, but they couldn’t prove it, and I wasn’t admitting anything. The ball was in Shayla’s court. I just kept waiting for her to pick it up to play.