19. Corbin
CHAPTER NINETEEN
corbin
As Oakley and I walk into Stinson’s party with our hands interlocked together, and a rush of emotions snakes through me. Despite being hot and sticky in Nashville, Oakley wears an off-white macrame tank top that allows a peek into what’s underneath with a short, white mini skirt and a pair of sandals.
Every guy’s head turns as they see her. There’s a faint whisper before one of my teammates says, “Damn, Shearer. Where have you been hiding her?”
In true Oakley fashion, she blurts out, “Jail.”
The room erupts in roaring laughter. “She’s the one who stole your truck.”
“Borrowed, she borrowed it.”
Beaming, she looks up at me and says, “Now you believe me.”
I lean down and peck her lips to make a good show of our first date in front of my friends. As we pull apart, our eyes lock and for a moment, being with her, here and now, it feels like it’s where I’m supposed to be.
It’s getting harder to keep up the act of pretending that I hate her and that she annoys me, but I know I can’t let myself get caught up when all she wants is access to her trust fund. When I’m with her, I never know what to expect, and her spontaneity is a turn on. Just live.
Her smile is effervescent, as she tugs me back down and whispers over my mouth, “That was nice.”
Nice? Huh.
My smile fades, and it’s like she can read my mind. “It’s a compliment. A perfect kiss for that moment.”
Stinson’s wife drags us outside to the pool where they’re making different flavors of margaritas. When she offers me one, I decline, but Oakley says, “I thought we were going to let loose tonight. You don’t have practice tomorrow.”
Spoken like a true girlfriend. And like a good boyfriend, I give into her requests. She makes a pineapple margarita for herself and a regular one for me. We sit on the edge of the pool with several of my teammates and their significant others, talking about hockey before Oakley gets us another drink. When she returns, she emerges in nothing but a white bikini.
My jaw hits the floor. My mouth is dry like it’s filled with sand as I choke out, “Holy mother of Jesus.” It's almost inaudible, but she knows what I’m thinking because she’s left me speechless. I have to force myself to look away before I drag her from the pool and do what I’ve been dreaming of for weeks. But even then, out of the corners of my eyes, I’m obsessed with her every move.
My chest rises, and my heart races. She’s reading me like an open book, knowing I want her, and I’m betting she can feel the power she has over me. Oakley struts toward me, hands me my drink, and, in a devil-can-do manner, brushes her chest against me, sending an electrical current down my spine.
She swallows a hefty drink of her pineapple margarita and says, “Anyone want to play pool volleyball? Rules are you can’t be on the same team as your partner.”
Everyone yells, “Hell yeah.”
She comes up to me, placing her hand firmly on my chest, and I know she can feel my body respond to her touch, and she revels in it. I can practically see the smirk playing on her lips, knowing she has me wrapped around her finger. “You pick first, and we have to alternate girls, guys, etc.”
“Winnie.” Finnegan’s girl claps and high fives me.
“You. Sorry, I don’t know your name,” she says to Adam. Of course, she chooses him because he's the tallest. The goalies usually are so they can take up more space in front of the net. Oakley smirks at me. This girl with the dog has turned out to be quite a competitor.
He throws his hand over his chest. “I’m Adam. Is this what she does to you, Shearer? Acts like she doesn’t know who you are.” He chuckles.
“I had no clue who he was when we met at Buc-ee’s,” Oakley spills.
“Buc-ee’s? This is a story we haven’t heard. Why is that, Shearer?” Baker says.
“Shut up. You’re on my team, Baker. Where’s your girl tonight?”
“Living the good life by myself.”
Oakley says, “Why do guys feel the need to screw different women? I mean, really?” The women around the pool grumble in agreement. “Find one that rocks your world and find out how great it can be.”
“Shearer, damn, you’ve got a feisty one. Is she that way in bed?”
I can feel my body heat, and I catch a glimpse of Oakley who’s blushing. “All right, that’s enough. You pick, Oakley.”
She chooses Dasha to be on her team, and we round it out with Chloe and Baker on my team and Stinson on hers.
“Okay, four versus four. First team to eleven, wins. You have to rotate, and everyone must serve. You can only hit the ball once. Ready?” The girls jump in the pool but us guys cannonball, splashing the girls with epic waves and damn, Oakley looks hotter when she’s wet, and I didn’t think it was possible.
We take a break when the score is five to three, and everyone refills their drinks. “Are you having fun?” I ask her as we both down our drinks. It’s so hot.
“I am. They’re all being so nice to me.”
“I think they’re smitten with you.”
She pulls her hair over her right shoulder, twisting it, then ties her hair in a bun thingy behind her ear. “You’re the one supposed to be smitten. You should be touching me. Kissing me. Holding me around the waist.”
“Is that what you want?”
“Gotta make it believable, right?” She continues to tease me, driving me insane with her effortless seduction. Every inch of her skin glistens in the setting sun and makes me want her even more. But I have to play it cool, act like I have self-control. She may be the one in the white bikini, but she has to know I’m the one drowning in this agreement.
I slip my hand around her waist, pulling her close. My heart rattles against my chest as my other hand pushes an errant piece of hair from her face, then my hand slides down her neck with my lips haunting hers but keeping them just out of reach. “I’ll make it so believable, even you’ll believe it, my little thief.”
She shudders, and I laugh.
“You’re mean.” Her eyes narrow, but she’s also smiling.
“Just need to make sure you know the score.”
She jumps back into the pool, yelling, “It’s five to three, and it’s Adam’s time to serve.”
He serves a rocket, but I catch a piece of it and set it to Winnie, who hits it over the net. Oakley dives for it and damn if she doesn’t keep the ball alive, and they end up winning the point on Adam’s serve.
They’re all high fiving, but Baker picks up Oakley by the waist, and her boobs are in his face. I dive under the net and pull his legs from under him, and they both go down. They pop up separately, and I ignore Baker when he says, “What the fuck?”
But looking at Oakley, I grunt out, “Just reminding you who you belong to.”
Oakley wipes the water from her eyes. “Prove it, Shearer.”
Self-control isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s boring, and I want to be more like this firecracker in front of me. I cup her jaws and suckle her bottom lip. Her arms slide up my chest and around my neck as she responds by pulling my chest flush to hers. I kiss her gently, then the world seems to fade away. Her tongue runs along the seam of my lips, and I welcome her sweet tongue into my mouth. With pineapple on her tongue, she moans, and my dick stands at attention. This feels real.
Finally, we realize we’re not alone, and my friends cheer us on like a bunch of high school kids.
“The show’s over,” I whisper in her ear. “I’ll be back. I forgot something in the car. Will you be okay without me?”
She nods but as we climb out of the pool, I realize I have a buzz. But one night is okay. The season hasn’t started, just practice. If the rest of the guys can drink, so can I. I’ve always been disciplined, but Oakley makes me want to live a little free-er.
I dry off, then head out to retrieve my surprise. There’s not a good place to hide it except in my swim trunks, which is gross, so I put the little velvet bag on the mantel of the outside fireplace, under the television, but take out the box and hold it one hand. Now I just have to wait for my moment.
Oakley has wrapped a sheer piece of fabric over her hips and has it tied on her hip as she stands with the other women in a circle.
“I’m back.” She hands me another drink. “Are you trying to get me drunk?”
“Yep, you’re fun when you’re tipsy.”
“One more, but…”
“Afraid you won’t be able to get it up,” she teases.
“You’re the devil disguised as an angel in that white bikini.” For some reason, I kiss her shoulder like I’ve done it a thousand times before.
Dasha giggles. “You two are too cute. I love couples who constantly banter.” Winnie and Chloe agree.
I didn’t expect the time to come so soon, but she deserves a real proposal. One that she’ll remember even after we’re divorced. She hasn’t talked about her mom much, just the facts—my mom died. I had to work to pay the bills at fifteen, but she hasn’t discussed how she felt then or now that her mother is gone.
Spinning her around to face me, she throws her head back with her eyes closed, laughing. I’m glad she likes my teammates and their partners. I tug on her hand, and she opens her lids, revealing the most beautiful eyes dancing with happiness. The same expression I saw on her face at Bryce’s wedding.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hey.” She continues to smile.
I drop to one knee and pull my other hand from behind my back. As I open the brushed velvet box, she gasps. “Oh my God.”
She’s a great actress. It’s just what I would have expected from a real girlfriend. But the way my heart is pounding, it seems to think this is an actual proposal.
Oakley looks down at me with tears in her eyes, and the crowd of people quiets with only whispers floating from our friends.
“Oakley James, you did more than steal my truck. You stole my heart. I know this is quick but in the short time we’ve known each other, you’ve brought a new dimension to my life. One I didn’t think I needed until after my hockey career. But I want you by my side until you realize that you married down and that I’m not good enough for you.” I take the ring from the box and ask, “Will you marry me?”