Chapter 6
Iwoke up with half my ass asleep, and my face mushed into the couch cushions. Not my couch. A familiar weight curled up behind my neck, and I recognized Sunny’s tiny snores. A heavier, stranger weight leaned against my front and over my right arm, cutting off the circulation.
Taryn.
I blinked my eyes open, noting the pale early morning light streaming through the windows of my neighbor’s living room. Taryn shifted and her soft scent hit me right in the dick. She was spooned in front of me with her hands tucked under her chin.
The last thing I remembered was agreeing to a movie. Before that, we’d played her retro game all the way through, stopped for pizza, then started again.
Like last time, I was amazed at her skill. She had the kind of hand-eye coordination Reece could only dream of. She understood the strategies of the game on a deep level, and she was patient when I fucked up our run.
Unlike last time, we’d spent the entire time talking.
I’d started out teasing her about the game being older than her, but we’d quickly moved on to discussing the vintage vehicles we both enjoyed.
She kept her VW bug because she knew how to fix it, and I liked my truck because I didn’t like the computers in new cars telling me what to do.
Yes, I was a control freak.
Sometime around midnight, I’d thought about going home, but then I’d suggested we rectify her glaring gap in cultural knowledge after learning Taryn had never seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
We’d somehow ended up longways on the couch.
I moved my hips farther away from her so my morning wood wouldn’t give her the wrong idea. Or the right idea, considering my unique reaction to her. I’d had my share of hookups, but never with anyone I planned to see again. Certainly not with a neighbor I’d just spent the night cuddling.
But she wasn’t just a neighbor.
No other woman had captured my attention like Taryn. The puck bunnies were easy enough to ignore. The parade of women my roommates had brought through the house hadn’t even garnered a single glance.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the gamer girl who’d kicked my ass.
She shifted again, wiggling her butt closer, and I sucked in a breath.
Not the smartest move since whatever hair stuff she used seemed to have the effect of making me want to touch her.
I angled my head up and took several long, slow breaths, then tried to blindly grab my phone from the armrest above my head where I thought I’d left it.
The time flashed on the lock screen, and I silently cursed. Morning skate started in thirty minutes. I’d spent the entire night at her house, and now I had to do the walk of shame to grab my gear or risk pissing Coach off even more.
I never missed practice.
With patience I didn’t feel, I tried to ease my arm out from under Taryn without rolling her off the couch. My back was already pressed into the cushions, leaving me no room to maneuver, and I had to be careful not to squish the duck who’d decided to nest in my hair.
As if she could sense my need to get away, Taryn rolled toward me and tucked her head under my chin with a satisfied sigh. On the plus side, I could now bend my elbow and try to restore feeling to my fingers. On the negative side, she was pressed against me from chin to knees.
I quietly groaned at the contact.
The noise woke up Sunny, who pecked at my ear with a little chitter. Taryn remained asleep. I’d avoided touching her as much as possible, trying not to aggravate my dick anymore, but Sunny shook out her feathers, then took the most complicated path she could find to the floor.
Right over Taryn’s face.
Taryn jerked back as a webbed foot slapped her cheek, and I had to wrap an arm around her waist to keep her from yeeting herself off the couch. Thankfully, I had full use of my hand again because I was inches from an accidental boob grab.
She sucked in a quick breath, and her head jerked up toward me. I moved my chin out of the way just in time to avoid being headbutted. In a bid to keep my face in one piece, I stared at the ceiling, waiting for her to freak out and remove herself from the situation.
I desperately hoped she missed the hard evidence of how much I liked waking up with her body next to mine. Taryn had grabbed a handful of my shirt at some point, and she jerked on it to get my attention. When I lowered my gaze, she met my eyes with a wicked grin.
“You have to let go of me if you want me to get up.”
My grip tightened. I didn’t want her to get up. But what I wanted didn’t matter. She’d already told me I could be dangerous for her, which isn’t something someone says when they want your hands on them.
Not to mention the uncharted territory I was exploring.
I liked Taryn—a lot—and I wanted to spend more time with her. I had no idea how to do that and also keep her at a distance if I saw her naked.
Her fist slowly loosened, and she spread her fingers across my chest as heat threatened to burn me alive. The urge to lean forward a couple of inches and see if she tasted as good as she smelled nearly blocked out the survival instincts yelling at me to remove my hands.
A not-so-distant bark broke the moment, and I released her at the same time as she jumped up from her horizontal position. Hudson came barreling down the stairs at full volume, running straight through the open concept living room and kitchen to the back door.
“Sorry,” Taryn said, her voice husky. “I have to let him out.”
She smoothed her hands over her wild hair as she left my line of sight, sighing at the dog. My head thunked back against the couch cushion, and Sunny quacked at me, demanding her breakfast.
My phone chimed with an incoming message, probably Reece or Cole asking if I was riding with them. Sometimes I went in early when I couldn’t stand lying in bed any longer. I’d drag my tired ass to the rink and skate around in the cold, sharp air until I could use my brain again.
Today, for the first time in a long time, I felt rested. And I was going to be late.
A couple of hours later, I’d avoided Reece’s multiple pointed looks and Cole’s attempt to be friendly.
I thought I’d make it all the way home where I could brood in private about the first real night’s sleep I’d gotten in months—years?
—but Sellers stepped in front of me as I tried to leave the locker room.
He slapped a hand on my arm, a sad look on his face. “I’m going to have to rescind my previous statement about you being the best goalie in college hockey”
I stared at him for a second and decided I didn’t give a shit what he was up to. “Okay.”
When I tried to move past him, he side-stepped into my path again. “I made three shots on you. Three.” He held up three fingers, as if I couldn’t hear him.
Sellers was our second line center. He was good, but he wasn’t serious about the game. Before the last few months, I’d have said the same thing about Reece. They were close.
I eyed my roommate, who was rapidly throwing on clothes while he watched us.
Sellers continued. “Either I’ve finally reached my full potential, or you’re having an off day. I need you to not have an off day when we’re playing UMass in six hours.”
I tilted my head at Sellers, who tried unsuccessfully to look casual as he blocked the door by leaning against the door jamb. “I’ll be fine by game time.”
“I mean, how can I trust that? People always say they’re fine, then bam, they drop dead on the ice.”
I raised a brow. “You’re worried about my health?”
He shrugged, stretching out a little farther. “Definitely your mental health, but sure, your reflexes aren’t what they used to be either.”
Mild annoyance morphed into the beginnings of anger. “Get out of my way or I’ll go through you.”
Sellers’ eyes widened, and he pulled his limbs back. “Just checking in, big guy.”
Reece hopped in our direction trying to shove his second leg into his pants. “Wait.”
I knew it. Sellers was stalling. With a glare, I shouldered past the grinning man as Reece chased after me in his socks.
“I told you to hold him up, not insult him, asshole.” Reece grumbled at Sellers as he passed.
The door clanged after him as I sped up, but I could hear his footsteps also getting quicker behind me.
“Can’t this wait until we get home?” I muttered.
I had options there. They didn’t come downstairs without an invite, and I could always retreat to Taryn’s house if he became too persistent.
The thought of seeing Taryn again—flushed, warm, knocked off balance—sent a wave of longing through me. No, not longing. A craving. A need.
I shook my head. Not good. I didn’t give in to cravings. The basement would be good enough to get me some alone time. I hit the button to unlock my truck, and it immediately beeped again. With a frown, I tried the handle to find it locked.
I mashed the button again, waited for the beep, but before I could open the door, the lock clicked shut again.
“Don’t leave. I just want to ask you something.” Reece yelled as he sprinted across the icy parking lot.
I rolled my eyes when I spotted my extra key fob in his hand. Fucking asshole. Might as well get it over with. Since I was also an asshole, I positioned myself behind a giant, cold puddle as he skidded to a stop in front of me.
Reece hopped from foot to foot, not bothering to look for dry land. His white socks had turned a dark, sopping gray. “Are you okay?”
I let out an irritated breath. “Seriously? That couldn’t wait until later?”
“No. I know you. Something set you off, and you’re going to go hide, then disappear. I don’t want to be chasing your ass all over north Texas when we’re supposed to be playing a hockey game. Plus, I don’t want you to get hurt. This time I’m intervening.”
I grimaced. He wasn’t entirely wrong. “I’m not going to disappear.” Probably.