Chapter 15 #2
The stubble on his jaw, the way his brow furrows as he listens to his dad’s advice, nodding with determination, the sweaty hair plastered to his forehead. Every little thing in this moment makes me want to get back down on my knees and worship his incredible body.
Oh, how the tables have turned. I’m totally fucked for this man, and I have no idea what to do about it.
His dad dismisses him from practice, and I panic. Fuck! I’m standing right where he’s headed. Do I run? Do I stay?
I don’t get a chance to decide before Bennett steps off the ice.
“Easton?” He looks at me with surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“Ah.” I plead with my brain to fucking work, and beg my mouth to make words. “Looking for you.”
“Huh.” He grins, and fuck, my heart. “That's a first. Are you looking for me because I’ve done something wrong and you want to yell at me? Because if so, can it wait until after I’m not sweaty and gross?”
He might think that being covered in sweat is gross, but my cock, on the other hand, does not.
Clearing my throat, I shake my head. “Not here to yell at you. Just want to talk.”
“Guess I am buying a lotto ticket today.” He chuckles as he steps forward.
“Huh?” My face scrunches in confusion.
“The great Easton Wright, who’s been avoiding me for weeks, if not years, has actually sought me out to talk. It’s a miracle,” he jokes as he passes me.
“Fuck off,” I growl. “I’m not the only one who’s doing the avoiding. I haven’t seen you the past week.”
I follow him to the locker room.
“I’m not avoiding you,” he says, pushing the door open and stepping inside. I grab the door and follow after him.
“No? So, is there a reason you haven’t been sleeping in your bed? I haven’t seen you around school, either.”
“Been looking for me?” He casts me a grin over his shoulder as he starts to peel out of his equipment.
“No,” I mutter, glaring at the back of his head as this asshole laughs at me in amusement.
Remind me again why I'm here?
“Like I said, not avoiding.”
“Then what?”
He pauses for a moment. “I’m giving you space.”
“Space?” I grunt. “What for?”
He exhales with a heavy sigh as he continues to strip down. “To process whatever you're going through.”
“I’m not going through anything,” I snap back defensively.
He turns to face me, and my eyes can’t help but drift. He’s only in his boxers now, with his chest on display.
He’s free of tattoos, and muscled, toned, and fit, with a sprinkle of chest hair. He’s masculine and hard, in all the best ways.
“I’ve been out since I was fourteen. I’ve had boyfriends, I’ve had sex with them.”
My eyes snap up to his, fist clenching at my side. Am I jealous?
Yes. I don’t want to hear about him with other guys.
“You, on the other hand, have not. And that's okay. I understand why, but I’m going to guess this is new for you? Being with a man, I mean?”
I resent the way my cheeks heat in embarrassment, but I nod my head stiffly.
“Not going to lie, knowing I own all your firsts with a man gives me a bit of an ego boost.” He flashes me a cocky smile, and I don’t know if I want to slap or kiss it off him.
“Get over yourself,” I mutter.
He just chuckles, turning back around. “My point is, we’ve gone from supposedly hating each other for years, to being roommates, to... whatever this is that we’re doing.”
“What are we doing?” I find myself asking.
“I don’t know,” he mumbles as he shrugs.
“What do you want us to be doing?” I ask, my heart racing, unsure if I want to hear his answer.
He doesn’t say anything, and instead grabs a bottle of shampoo and bodywash before heading to the showers.
“Bennett,” I growl, stepping into angry and anxious territory.
He turns the shower on before shucking his boxers.
My mouth goes dry, and arousal trickles in. Shaking the fog of attraction from my head, I force myself to think clearly. “I asked you a damn question.”
“I’m not sure how to answer that.” He closes his eyes as the water soaks his body and hair.
I take a moment to sneak a peek and nearly choke on my tongue when I see that Bennett is, in fact, hard. Very hard.
“Your eyes on me are only going to make me harder,” he rasps.
My eyes dart back up to his, finding him watching me with hooded eyes.
My head and heart are a tangled mess.
I want him, so fucking bad.
“And that look, right there.” He gives me a small smile. “Is why I’ve been giving you space.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I raise my voice, stepping closer.
“You're confused. And that's okay. This is all new, and it’s a lot. Not going to lie, I was pretty confused at first myself.”
My brows furrow. “And what, now you're not?”
He starts to wash his hair, running his fingers through his dark brown strands. “No,” he says simply, not meeting my eyes before he closes his and lets the water rinse the suds away.
I wait for him to continue, but he doesn’t.
“What the fuck does that mean?” I snap, growing frustrated with him. I’m trying to have a fucking conversation, but he’s being so damn cryptic.
“It means.” He runs his hands through his hair to get the last of the shampoo out. He runs his hand over his face, to wipe the water from his eyes. “I’m not confused anymore.”
My heart races. This could go either way. Either he’s not confused and realizes he doesn’t have feelings for me... or that he does.
The anticipation makes me want to crawl out of my skin as each second crawls by. I need to know. “What are you not confused about anymore?” I ask, chest thumping so hard I can hear my own heartbeat as I step closer.
“My feelings for you,” he practically whispers.
I’m aware of the fact that I’m fully clothed as I step into the shower. The water soaks me, but I don’t care. “And?”
We’re face to face now, water running down both of our foreheads as we stand still under the spray. I’m unable to look away, lost in the honey-brown of his eyes.
“I’m not sure if I should be the one to make the first move,” he whispers. “You’re going to need to be the one who does that.”
“Why?” I rasp.
“Because.” He licks the water from his lips, as his eyes search mine. “I’ve already had my heart shattered by you once before. I don’t think I could survive it breaking again. Not by you.”
And just like that, my whole fucking wall comes crumbling down.