Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
B riar
I’m standing in line at Cup of Java. It’s late afternoon and I’m dying for a hot chocolate.
There are a group of girls standing in front of me. They keep whispering and looking back at me. It’s putting me on edge.
One of the girls steps up to order and a brunette turns to me and says, “You’re Briar Halle, right?”
I want to lie and say no, but I don’t think she’ll believe me. “Yes.”
“We want to know how you got Aaron Murray to sleep with you. We’ve been trying since the beginning of the year and he kept shooting us down,” she says.
A cold shiver washes over me. “What kind of question is that?”
“Come on, you locked Aaron down. Good for you, but help us girls out,” she says.
My mouth turns dry and drops open. I don’t even have a response for her stupidity. I gasp and turn away. I leave the line, even though I really wanted that hot chocolate.
Hot tears sting my eyes as I make my way through the throngs of students trying to get to class. I don’t even know where I am headed when I bump into Luc.
“Whoa, what’s going on, Briar?” He looks me up and down and he looks terrified. Like he doesn’t know what to do with a crying girl.
“It’s nothing.” I’m about to sidestep my way around him when his hand lands on my shoulder.
“It doesn’t look like nothing,” he replies.
“A couple of girls in line at Cup of Java just accused me of getting pregnant on purpose. Like locking Aaron down because he’s headed to the NHL.”
“Oh,” he says. I see that look in his eyes. The same look the girls had, like he thinks that may be the case.
“Are you kidding me?” I say, feeling like I’ve been slapped.
“Sorry.” He winces. “The thought crossed my mind. I’m only human.”
I mutter a string of expletives and walk away from Luc. So Aaron’s best friend thinks I planned this too.
I can’t go to class since I am probably all red from crying. I also don’t want to go back to the hockey house if that’s how everyone thinks of me.
I head to the library to get some work done, knowing full well I should go to class and not miss out on lectures.
By 4:00 p.m. I get a text from Annie.
Annie: What’s up?
Me: I’m at the library.
Annie: Me too. Which one?
Me: Business Building, third floor.
I don’t hear from her again. I figure she was just asking for no reason, but twenty minutes later she finds me.
“Briar?” I hear my name and my eyes pop open. I must have fallen asleep on the table.
“Huh?” I pick up my head and see Annie.
“Luc called Cade and told him he screwed up, and Aaron was going to kick his ass,” Annie explains.
“Did he happen to tell Cade what he told me?” I ask.
She nods. “I don’t think that, Briar. Neither does Cade, and I am sure Aaron doesn’t think that either.”
“All the girls at school think it. Luc is one of Aaron’s best friends, and he feels that way too.” The tears return with a vengeance.
“Oh, Briar.” She hugs me. “It doesn’t matter what other people think. You know the truth.”
“You had to see how those girls were looking at me. They asked me for advice,” I tell her.
Annie bursts into laughter. “Do you know how absurd that sounds?”
I laugh too. “It’s completely insane.”
A weight leaves my body as I laugh with Annie. “I didn’t go to classes all afternoon. I can’t seem to focus.”
“Things will get better. You shouldn’t care about a bunch of puck bunnies. You’re better than that.”
“I know you’re right,” I say to her.
“I hear a but,” Annie says.
“It’s hard to let that kind of judgment roll off my back. I kept to myself for so long. All I wanted was a little fun and, well. . .”
“You look gorgeous, Briar, and you know what they say, when one door closes another opens.”
“Aaron wants me to go home with him for Easter,” I state.
“That’s good. I think he wants you, Briar. It’s obvious,” she says.
“I want him too, but I’m terrified of allowing myself to feel anything,” I confess.
“You have to let your guard down. Aaron has stepped up. I watch him doting over you. That guy is smitten.”
“He’s kind and responsible. He’s being a good guy, but that doesn’t mean he’ll stick around when life gets complicated,” I say to her.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Annie says.
“How?” I ask.
“You take a chance.”
* * *
I’ve been mulling over Annie’s words since yesterday. I need to take a chance. I’ve also been hiding out in my room because I don’t want to bump into Luc. Aaron came knocking on my door last night. I pretended to be asleep because I was too embarrassed by the fact his best friend could think I would be so manipulative.
Now I am back at the hockey house relaxing on the couch because I know the guys won’t be around this evening with their home game tonight.
Charlie is upstairs doing homework and no one else is home. I know I should be doing homework, but the pregnancy is making me lazy.
I wasn’t expecting anyone when I hear the key in the door. I figure it is one of the girls. The door swings open and Aaron walks through with purpose on his face.
“Briar,” he says my name on an exhale. “Luc told me what happened, and I’ve been worried sick.”
“You’ve been worried?” I ask.
“Obviously, Luc said he saw you crying at school and what he said to you.” His gaze drops to the floor like he is ashamed.
“You must have thought the same thing,” I say, referring to the idea that I got pregnant on purpose.
Aaron looks like I’ve slapped him the way he blinks and takes a large intake of air. “How could you say that?”
“Because it’s what everyone thinks, Aaron.” My arms fly out to my side. “Those girls on campus asked me how I got you to sleep with me. They said they had been trying since the fall with no luck.”
Tears prick my eyes again. I’m such a mess.
Aaron closes his eyes and bows his head. When he opens his eyes, they are filled with so much hurt and sorrow it sucks the air from my lungs.
“Briar.” He reaches for my hand and guides me to the couch. He sits facing me. “All the guys on the hockey team get a lot of attention from a certain type of girl. Before Mom got sick, I was happy enough to spend the night with girls who didn’t mean anything to me. Then Mom got sick and she started talking about not seeing me get married, and I started thinking differently. I wasn’t interested in hooking up anymore.”
“Then how do you explain our fling in Punta Cana?” I ask.
Aaron watches me like I am a skittish cat. Maybe it is a behavior that truly describes me best. Certain things scare the crap out of me: feelings, emotions, Aaron Murray.
“You intrigued me from the moment I saw you the first time, but you were Charlie’s friend. I knew better than to try to get involved with you. Still, I had this feeling inside me that I never got when I saw other girls. There was nervous excitement,” he says slowly.
“Are you saying you liked me?” I ask.
He nods. “You have this fire inside you, Briar. I remember that night at Black Jack’s when that asshole smacked your ass, and you showed him who’s boss. I knew then I wanted to get to know you better. I asked Taylor to find out where you were sitting on the plane, and I had my seat moved next to you.”
As he says the words, they process. “You did?”
He nods again. “I don’t want you freaking out here but this thing between us, it was different from the start. I told you more about my family issues in Punta Cana than I shared with my best friends in this house,” he confesses.
His words cause something inside me to expand and release.
“Why?” I ask.
“Because I liked talking to you. I liked your little bucket list confession and how driven you are, but you also seemed lonely and for some reason I was attracted to that part of you too. Those nights in Punta Cana were some of the best of my life, Briar.”
He doesn’t say another word. I shift toward him and seal my lips to his. It takes him a moment to catch on to what’s happening but when he does, he wraps his arms around me and kisses me back. The kiss is slow and exploring.
“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this,” he says.
“Me too,” I reply as he kisses me softly on my lips, on my cheeks, down my neck.
“I know,” he says and that throws me off, so I open my eyes and give him a curious look.
“Huh?” I ask curiously.
“I kind of know about your sexy dreams,” he says, looking impish.
“How?” I ask wide-eyed.
“I’ve been down here late at night watching Netflix. Better than hearing all my roommates having sex upstairs. You’ve been, uh, a little vocal.”
“OMG.” I palm my cheeks. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“Why?” he asks.
“Why?” I repeat. “I can’t control my dreams, Aaron.”
“Why would you want to? You clearly want me, Briar. So, give in,” he urges.
“I’m terrified,” I confess.
“We can be terrified together,” he offers, leaning forward and sealing his lips with mine. “And I really miss the taste of your sweet pussy.”
A mewl escapes me. I feel so needy.
“Aaron, this pregnancy has made me a horny mess. Like, I want sex all the time.”
“I can accommodate that.” He smiles devilishly.
He goes back to kissing me, but it doesn’t stay soft and slow like moments ago. A hunger sparks between us hot and heavy, as our tongues collide and twist. Our bodies can’t get close enough. I straddle him on the couch, and he runs his hands over my belly before wrapping them around me. Then he’s standing up and guiding us to my room.
“Tell me you want me inside you,” he says, but it sounds like a question.
“I need you inside me,” I confirm, and he growls. We enter my room, and he kicks the door shut behind us.
Aaron lays me on the bed. I squirm beneath his heated gaze. He climbs on the bed and lies beside me. His hand comes up to my neck as his finger trails down my shoulder, over my nipple, and down to my stomach. I’m a hot mess waiting for what he will do next.
“I need you to tell me that we can be together,” he says. For some reason it sounds like an ultimatum. If I don’t commit now, he isn’t going to have sex with me.
“It’s not that I don’t want to be together. I’m terrified. I never planned on settling down. Kids were something I saw in the distant future.”
“And yet, life has other plans for us,” he says. “I have to be at the arena in an hour, so if you want me to satisfy your greedy pussy, then say the words.”
“You don’t play fair,” I say to him.
“I thought we already established that,” he retorts. His resolve is strong.
“Aaron, please.”
“Briar, I want you. I know you want me. The only thing stopping us right now from having mind-blowing sex is your anxiety.”
He isn’t wrong, but I can’t bring myself to say the words. I fear him leaving me. I would be in shambles.
His phone buzzes and he looks at it. “I need to go.”
“What?” I ask.
“I have to get back to the Sports Complex. Coach called a meeting,” he says.
He leans forward and kisses my cheek. “We’ll finish this later,” he assures. “I wanted to give you my jersey to wear at the game tonight, but I was so worried I left it at the Sports Complex.”
“Wearing your jersey would mean something,” I reply.
Aaron looks irritated. “Exactly.”
I can barely get a word out and Aaron turns to leave. I’m left feeling more confused and hornier than ever.