Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
JENSEN
I pace Matt’s kitchen, palms sweaty, nerves buzzing.
Alley’s on her way over, and I’m a fucking mess.
Not because I’m nervous to see her—we spent most of yesterday together.
I picked her up from the airport in the morning, took her to breakfast, then grabbed coffees to go and bundled up for a walk around Central Park.
We had lunch, couples massages, and stopped at a new cozy bookstore where I let her wander (for what felt like forever) and choose whatever she wanted.
We sat at a table with another coffee for over an hour, laughing as I read dirty scenes from some of the books she was deciding on.
It was fun and easy and exactly what we needed.
She had dinner with Scarlett and stayed at her place last night. She plans to go back there after the game tonight.
I’m nervous because she’s coming here. To our building. Where our home sits a few floors below. Matt said she’s only been back once, a few weeks after she moved out, to grab some things.
I just want everything to be perfect. For her to feel comfortable. For her to miss this, and miss being here with me.
Who am I kidding? I want her to stay the night with me. Tonight. In our home.
Megan and Kevin are coming…
Oh, and Scarlett too—so, that’ll be fun.
Like I said, I’m a mess.
I blow out a breath, raking a hand through my hair. Then check the fridge for the third time, making sure the sparkling waters are cold.
“Jesus, dude. Calm down.” Matt’s voice carries from the foyer as he comes down the winding staircase with two cases of beer in his arms.
“It’s not like you’re trying to impress some new girl or get laid for the first time,” he says, setting the beer on the counter and slapping my back.
“This is Alley. Your wife. I know you’re nervous, but you don’t need to put on some show.
That’s just gonna make it fucking weird.
” He waves a hand in front of me. “Whatever this is? Not normal. The last time I saw you this nervous was when you took Ashley Bengal to junior prom. Relax.”
I stop pacing and plant both hands on the countertop, smirking. “And do you remember what happened that night?”
Matt laughs. “Touché.”
I had sex with Ashley Bengal that night. I still remember the sweet smell of her Vera Wang perfume. I’d bought it for her birthday a few days earlier.
He cracks open the beer cases and starts stocking the fridge. I join in, pulling bottles from the cardboard and handing them to him.
“Don’t question my methods,” I say. “They’ve never failed me.”
“Except for that one time you got hooked on Oxy.” He pops open a beer, takes a swig, and eyes me over the neck of the bottle. “Too soon?”
I chuckle. “Only if you want a black eye to go with that beer.”
He howls, swaps the beer for a can of Liquid Death water, and hands it to me. “Got you some of these. I know it’s not exciting, but I didn’t want you to feel left out.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” I really do. I take the can from him and pop it open. The cold condensation seeps into my palm, and it’s crazy how just holding a can or bottle can quiet the craving to blend in. Means a lot that he thought about me.
The elevator doors slide open, and Alley and Scarlett step into the foyer.
God, she’s beautiful. I grin, and my pulse kicks up a notch as my eyes roam over her.
She’s wearing one of my jerseys. She must’ve taken it when she packed, and that alone punches me right in the fucking feels.
It brings back memories of Sunday nights on the couch with her curled up in it.
“Hey, Al. Hey, Scarlett,” Matt calls out as I’m already moving toward her.
We meet halfway, and I don’t slow down. I crash into her, mouth first, tasting her. My hand slides into her hair, the silky strands combing through my fingers as she makes this soft mmm that shoots straight to the tip of my dick.
I finally break the kiss, still grinning like a stupid-happy fool. She gives me a slow, sexy smile, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. My gaze drops. Jesus Christ. She’s wearing biker shorts. My jersey’s big. I’m six-two, and on her? It looks like she’s wearing nothing underneath.
She knows I lose my mind when she wears those shorts.
It’s hot—she’s hot. I’m getting hard, and it’s a fucking problem.
“Damn, baby,” I murmur. “You look hot.”
“Thank you.” She plants another kiss on my lips before turning to hug Matt, who’s hovering a step behind me.
Scarlett’s already hugged him and is now unpacking items from the paper bag she brought in.
“Hey, Scarlett,” I call out.
“Hey.” She doesn’t even look up.
Christ. This should be fun.
“Super Bowl in the Berkshires was so much fun two years ago. We should’ve done that again,” Megan says as the game cuts to commercial. There’s only three minutes of playtime left before halftime.
“Yeah, but Jeff and Amber couldn’t go this weekend, remember? Hence, why they aren’t here,” Matt says as he stands. “I gotta pee.”
He disappears down the hall. I turn my head, finding Alley in the kitchen with Scarlett, manning the appetizers. She’s mixing a dip and chatting with Scarlett, who’s perched on a stool across from her. Megan gets up and joins them.
Seeing Alley and Megan together again here in New York was one for the books.
I don’t know who cried more, but it gave me hope.
Hope that even if it takes Alley a while to trust me, maybe she’ll stick around for the others.
God, that’s pathetic. I don’t know if she’ll ever fully come back to me.
But if flirty Super Bowls and separate hotel rooms is all I get? I’ll fucking take it.
“How long is Alley in town?” Kevin asks.
I grab the remote and turn the volume down. Between the girls in the kitchen, and the TV, it’s loud. Matt’s ceilings are high and everything carries in here. “She leaves tomorrow.”
He nods. “How’s having her back home?”
“It’s been great, but she hasn’t come home yet. She’s staying with Scarlett.”
“Oh, damn. You okay with that?”
“Not much I can really do about it,” I say with a shrug. “But I’ll be in Chicago again next weekend. And then we have the Berkshires. I’m just taking it a day at a time. She’ll get there.”
He gives me a half-smile that says I’d hate to be you, and shifts the conversation to work.
Matt sits back down and asks Kevin a question, and Alley’s laugh pulls my attention. I look over my shoulder, catching her watching me. She doesn’t look away, just holds my gaze, a faint grin tugging at her mouth before she finally looks down at her phone.
Seconds later, mine buzzes.
Alley
Do you have a boner?
I chuckle to myself. She’s so damn cute.
Why? You wanna sit on it?
Alley
Depends…
On???
Alley
On whether you can be sneaky.
A grin spreads wide across my face.
Babe—sneaky’s my middle name.
Alley
Wanna meet me in the back room?
Depends…
Alley
On???
I feel Matt’s eyes on me, but I don’t look up. I’m too focused on the next text. Gotta get it just right if I want her all hot and bothered.
Whether you can be quiet when I drag my tongue up the center of your pussy. I don’t want anyone to hear when you cum. That’s for me. Only me.
I look up. Matt’s smirking, glancing between Alley and me, eyebrow raised. It’s hella fucking obvious.
Don’t care.
I catch her reading my text. Her eyes go wide, and she bites her lip, failing to hide the smile that’s creeping in as she types.
Alley
Hope you brought a gag.
My blood’s already rushing south before she even drops her phone on the counter, says something to the girls, and walks out of the kitchen. Down the hall. Toward the back room.
I stretch my arms over my head, then stand. “Gotta pee.”
Matt chuckles. “Sure you do,” he mutters. Then, louder, “I know how you always love the halftime show.”
He’s not wrong. Alley and I have a reputation for disappearing during halftime. I can’t even remember the last one I watched since meeting her.
Oh well.
If you’d told me six months ago we’d be back to sneaking off during halftime, I don’t know if I’d have believed it. But here she is, flirting with me like I’m hers again.
I head down the hall and make a right just as Alley slips into the back room. My pace quickens. My cock’s throbbing, and with every step closer to her, I get harder.
God, I’ve missed this.
I step into the room, and Alley’s lips are on mine before the door closes behind me.
“Lock the door,” she whispers against my mouth.
Don’t mind if I do. My hand’s already reaching for it.
Kevin and Matt clink their shot glasses of whiskey together and tip them back in one smooth motion. Envy hits me right in the gut. That nagging ache to be included, to just feel normal.
But only a little.
Megan’s voice pulls my attention. “Al, I can’t even tell you how happy I am that you’re coming to the Berkshires.
I screamed when I read Jensen’s text that you were in.
” She grins, and it warms my chest. Seeing Megan and Alley talking and laughing like the good old days? It’s pretty fucking special.
“I can confirm she did, in fact, scream,” Kevin says, eyes glazed from all the shots.
We’re all spread around the kitchen counter, some standing, some sitting.
Alley’s grinning, her eyes shining with a happiness I haven’t seen in so long.
I can’t seem to keep my eyes off her. I don’t want to miss a second of that joy, and I can’t stop thinking about the halftime show in the back bedroom.
Rough. Bossy. Wild. We kept laughing, trying to stay quiet, and then just as quickly, we stopped caring if everyone heard. It’s one I’ll never forget.
Her eyes shift to Megan. “I’m excited to go. Excited to see Amber and Jeff too.”
“So how does it feel being back in New York? Has it been weird settling back in at home?”