Chapter 5
Dylan
Aurora had barely touched any of the food that my father made. She’d picked at her salad, barely touched the steak, and sat there looking like she was still about to throw up. To be honest, I was in shock that she was here in my father’s house, but I was happy to see her.
Over the past nine months, I’d kicked myself almost daily for not getting the name or number of the girl I’d met in Cozumel. I’d relived the night over and over in my mind. When I’d woken the next morning to an empty bed, I realized how stupid I’d been. Now fate had stepped in and handed her to me on a silver platter. Or perhaps it was gold. Whatever it was, I was glad to see her again. I just wished she looked the same. Instead, she avoided my eyes and looked like she was going to be sick.
“Don’t like steak?” I questioned as I leaned in close enough to her to catch a whiff of her. She wore the same coconut scented body lotion that she had on that night, a scent I hadn’t been able to forget.
“I’m surprised she hasn’t inhaled it.” Walker chuckled. “Aurora loves meat.”
She looked at me and I winked, then grabbed the pitcher from the centre of the table. “Anyone for more drinks?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, please,” Penelope said, while grabbing Joe’s glass as well.
I poured everyone a glass and added a little more to my own, then looked at Aurora and poured more into hers. She needed to relax a little.
“Well, she doesn’t like to eat, but she sure loves to drink.” I chuckled, watching as she reached for the glass. I’d watched her down at least four of my father’s killer cocktails without food. I’d only guess she’d been feeling something by now.
“So, when do you play again?” Penelope asked.
“Thursday.”
“Will you be able to attend the party on Saturday?”
I nodded and glanced over to see Aurora tear her eyes away from me.
“Aurora, you’ll be here for the party, won’t you?” I questioned, hoping she’d bring those pretty green eyes to mine.
“Of course she will be, along with Walker,” Penelope answered.
“Oh, Mom, I’m not sure about that. I had to get special clearance to come here tonight. Not sure if my commander will allow it,” Walker answered.
“So you have to get special clearance every time you want to attend something?” I questioned.
“Pretty much every time I leave the base. Especially while I’m in training.”
“Wow, that is crazy. Well, hopefully we will see you,” Joe added.
“Aurora, want to help me with the dishes?” Penelope questioned.
Aurora only nodded and began collecting dishes.
“Boys, let’s retire to the family room, shall we? Dylan, you can show Walker some of your hockey videos while the girls clean up,” Joe announced.
“Come on. I may even have a jersey here that I can sign for you,” I said, getting up and slapping Walker on the shoulder.
“Oh man, I’d love that.”
* * *
The conversation turned awayfrom hockey once Penelope and Aurora joined us in the den.
“You know, I think we should show the kids around. What do you think?” Joe asked Penelope. “Show them where they will stay if they come here.”
“I think we should,” she agreed, getting up and joining Joe.
“Come on, Dylan, why don’t you do the honours?”
I glanced over at Aurora, who was now leaning up against the bookcases, playing with her phone. She’d barely looked at me since she’d come back in here. She finally looked up and over at her mother.
“Mom, I’m going to skip the tour. I need to take care of something for school. Lorelai is messaging me. She needs help with something,” she said, meeting my eyes briefly.
“Oh okay. No problem. I can show you around after.” Penelope laughed.
“Come on, Dylan,” Joe said.
“You know, I think I’m going to check in with the team. See how the interviews went,” I muttered, pulling my phone from my pocket. Immediately, I noticed Aurora squinting in my direction. That had caught her attention.
“Alright, well, that leaves the three of us.” Penelope giggled, taking hold of Walker’s arm and pulling him out of the room.
I sat down on the couch, pretending to text, glancing over at Aurora occasionally. The second she lifted her eyes and looked my way, I smiled, but she quickly averted her eyes and stood up, turning her back to me.
I was finished playing this game. I got up from where I was sitting. She stood in the back of the room, facing the bookshelves, and I knew everyone else was far enough away that they were clearly out of earshot. With her face in her phone, she hadn’t noticed I had moved to her side of the room. I placed both hands against the shelves and boxed her in.
“You’re still thinking about that night, aren’t you?” I whispered, my lips practically grazing her ear, the sweet smell of coconut filling my nose.
She stood still, her chest rising and falling in rapid succession.
“I bet you still get wet thinking about that night. I know I get hard as a fucking rock thinking about you,” I whispered, this time my lips touching the shell of her ear.
Her body stiffened, and she spun around and lifted her head enough that she could meet my eyes and shook her head while swallowing hard. I could see her pulse beating on the side of her neck and her cheeks and chest were now flushed.
“It’s enough.”
Her voice, while a little forceful, shook as she spoke. I thought it was cute how she was trying to control everything in this moment, when in fact her body and eyes were betraying her. I could already see the want, the need, in them.
“That’s too bad,” I whispered, bringing my hand to her cheek. “I’ve been dying to do this again.” I brought my lips to hers.
She didn’t fight me, so I deepened the kiss. She brought her fingers to the back of my head and let out a tiny whimper as she ran her fingers through my hair, which was when I pulled my lips from hers and my hand from her cheek. She stood there, her eyes closed, rocking back and forth a little. When she opened her eyes, the look she gave me gave her away. She still wanted me.
“Dylan, we can’t do this. That night was…”
“Magical. I know.” I winked.
“A one-time thing,” she corrected.
“Is that so?”
She shook her head and licked her lips. My eyes fell to her chest. She was still breathing hard, and I could see the outline of her perfect nipples through that sweater. Nipples I’d love to suck on again.
“So, are you telling me you don’t want another shot with me?” I asked, bringing my hands up and grazing her breasts ever so slightly.
The instant my hands connected with her breasts, she closed her eyes and let out a tiny moan.
She nodded but said nothing.
“That isn’t want your body is saying,” I whispered.
“I…I…it can’t happen again,” she said, placing her hands on my chest.
I couldn’t help but smirk. “Is that so?”
She nodded, bringing her hands down from my chest. She turned away from me. It was then I wrapped my arm around her waist and brought her body back against mine.
With my free hand, I brushed her hair away from her neck and brought my lips to her soft skin, sucking hard enough I knew I’d leave a mark. I felt her body weaken in my arms as I kissed her neck. I continued small kisses and finally tipped her head back a bit and brought my lips to hers, my tongue parting hers. I swiped through her mouth. She didn’t pull away; she didn’t fight me. Instead, her body melted against mine, and like before, she kissed me back.
I allowed my hands to wander a little, bringing one up over her breast. I figured that would be a telltale sign. If she didn’t want this, she’d freak the hell out. Instead of fighting me, she arched her back, pressing her breast into my hand as her lips moved over mine.
I broke our kiss and looked into her eyes. She stood against me, breathing hard. “Just imagine how explosive it will be next time,” I muttered as I heard voices approaching. “The next time I fuck that sweet pussy.” I ran my hand down her flat stomach and between her legs, then made my way back to the other side of the room where I’d been sitting before and acted as if nothing had happened. She stood there, her mouth open, staring in my direction as Penelope, Walker, and my father entered the room, all of them laughing.
I looked across the room as they all sat down to see Aurora still staring my way. The look in her eyes said it all. She wanted me as much as I wanted her, and I’d be damned if I gave up that easily.
* * *
“Wantto go grab some breakfast? I’m starved,” Knox asked, climbing into the driver’s seat and starting the engine.
We always went to early-morning practices together. Knox normally dragged his ass, but this morning, I was dragging mine. I’d gotten home late last night and had tossed and turned at the fact I’d been so close to having her again.
“What the hell got into you today?” Knox asked, once he was in the car.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, first, you weren’t anywhere near ready when I showed up and you played like shit.”
“I did not.”
“Fuck me, yes, you did. You seemed distracted.”
“So what? Haven’t you been distracted before?”
“I have…but…”
“But what? Are you the only one who’s allowed to be distracted?” I grumbled.
Knox tapped the steering wheel as we came to a stoplight. He reached down and turned the radio down a little lower and glanced over at me.
“It’s almost like we are repeating the few weeks after you returned from Mexico all over again.”
I clenched my jaw and looked out the window. It was Mexico all over again, only this time it was worse. I hadn’t known what to do when I saw her standing there in front of me. All I knew was that during those few seconds when I saw her again, I wanted her in a way I’d never felt before.
“Or maybe I’m thinking wrong. You were relaxed after Mexico, not so pissy. You’re acting like you did when you found out about Carlie. Yeah, that is more like it,” Knox said, pulling into the breakfast diner we always went to and parking the car. “She hasn’t been bothering you again has she?”
Carlie had been a hellish nightmare for me. Not only had she broken my heart, dragged me through the mud, and tried to ruin my career, but she’d stalked me for the better part of five months and slandered me all over social media. I’d had a right to be pissy during that time, and anyone who said differently was an ass. It had ended with me being forced to send a cease-and-desist letter written by my own lawyers and the team’s when I began losing contracts left, right, and centre.
“No, she’s been non-existent, which I am hoping continues on.”
“Then what has you so bothered?”
We entered the diner, sat down, and placed our usual order. Then Knox looked over at me, waiting impatiently.
I let out a sigh. “You were right the first time. Remember Mexico?” I questioned.
Knox nodded, turning his attention to me.
“Remember the girl.”
“Yeah, the one you couldn’t forget. The one you turned celibate for.”
“I didn’t turn celibate. I’m not the type to just jump in the sack with whatever moves, you know that.”
Knox shook his head and chuckled. I was probably the only guy on the team that hadn’t had a different woman in his bed each night while on the road. Well, aside from the married guys.
“What I know is that you are fucked up.” Knox chuckled.
“Call me what you want. Anyway, back to the girl.”
“Okay, what about her? If you are going to tell me you still wish you’d gotten her name, I think I might be sick.”
That was just like Knox. He wasn’t the type of guy who got into deeply committed relationships; he was more the hit it and quit it type. It was fine, it worked for him. I just wasn’t built that way.
“No, I found out who she was.”
“Oh, well, do tell.”
The server dropped our mushroom omelets down in front of us and poured us both a little more coffee, smiled, and walked away. I watched as Knox added a generous amount of hot sauce to his omelet before passing the bottle over to me.
“Remember how I told you my father got remarried.”
“Oh god, don’t you dare tell me she’s your new stepmother.” Knox chuckled. “That would be fucking fantastic.”
“Nope, stepsister.”
“Get the fuck out of here,” Knox said, lifting his head to look at me.
“Yep. She still wants me, I still want her, and I’m not going to stop until I get her.”
“What’s your father going to say about that?” Knox asked.
I thought for a moment. My father shouldn’t have a single thing to say about anything. He wasn’t perfect by any means, and his track record showed it. Besides, he had no right to tell me who I could and couldn’t date, nor who I could and couldn’t love.
“He never did like Carlie.”
“Can’t say I blame him there. She was a bitch, man.”
“Not at first.”
“Yes, at first. She was awful. I’d have cut her loose ages before you did. She was only after you for the money anyway. Perhaps your father saw that.”
“I doubt it. My father liked no one I brought home. Besides, I’m not looking for his approval.”
“Man, you know you are in trouble, right? I mean, what if she wants nothing to do with you?”
“She already tried that. I proved her wrong, and I’ll continue proving her wrong until she admits she is wrong. She wants me, I can tell. She practically crumbled in my arms when I touched her.”
“Okay, if you say so. I’m telling you, man, you are in trouble.” Knox chuckled.
He didn’t need to say anything else. I already knew I was in trouble. Far more trouble than I could even comprehend. Somehow though, I knew she was worth every second of it.