Twelve
Blaine
Going into this date tonight with Alex, I wanted to make sure I did it right.
I haven’t needed to think about dating in a while—especially since the thought of going on one would make me want to run for the hills screaming—but with Alex, it’s different. It’s the thought of not seeing him again that makes me angry, like I want to Hulk smash everything in sight.
No one's ever had this kind of hold on me, and it's making me restless.
Back in college, when I was dating Kelly, it was easy. We’d go to a restaurant or bar near campus, nothing fancy because nine times out of ten we would bump into our friends, so it was never really just the two of us.
Thinking back, I wasn’t exactly a picture-perfect boyfriend. I’d often bail on planned date nights to stay late at practice or because I was too tired after a game.
But the one thing I do know is that I’ve never felt this excited about a date before. The only thing that comes close was when I lifted the Stanley Cup two seasons ago.
It was like seeing him at the bakery so unexpectedly was the universe’s way of nudging me to follow Mom’s advice. Not to mention the fact that Elliot wouldn’t drop it in the car on the way back home.
I know I’m not supposed to get distracted, but can Alex even be called a distraction when I’ve been playing some of the best games of my career since that night I slammed into the boards in front of him?
It’s like knowing I’ll be seeing Alex tonight has empowered me.
Seven goals, five assists over the last four games, and the biggest shocker of all?
Zero penalty minutes.
Zero.
Zilch.
Yep, that's right. I’ve been such a good boy that even Coach has been in disbelief, but my game has been on fire, and I’m putting it down to Alex.
I slow down when I near his house. He’s already standing on the porch outside a gray-clad house, a small lamp above the door illuminating him in a soft glow. The light bounces off the top of his blond hair like a halo, and my breath hitches in my throat as I take him in.
He’s too fucking nice for me.
Putting my car into park, my stomach flutters nervously as he takes a few steps down to the sidewalk and heads toward my Range Rover. I wipe my sweaty palms down the front of my jeans, and I can’t contain my smile when he opens the car door.
“Hey,” he says, sliding into the seat. His cheeks and the tips of his ears are rosy from the cold. He puts his seatbelt on, then shifts in his seat, shoving his hands underneath his thighs.
“Hey.” I chew on the inside of my cheek as I debate my next move. Do I kiss him? Do you kiss before a first date, or do you wait until after?
I should have Googled this shit.
“Fuck it,” I mumble under my breath and lean across the center console.
Placing my hand on his arm, a shiver runs down my spine as I kiss the corner of his mouth.
His skin is cool beneath my lips, and my mind races, wanting to just slide my lips across and find out what his lips taste like, but a car blasts its horn, ruining the moment.
“Fucking asshole,” I grumble.
Alex chuckles, biting his bottom lip. “You might wanna move; they get really angry around here when you block the road.”
“No shit.” I put my foot on the gas, glancing in the rearview mirror to see the angry driver behind me giving me the finger. I hope they hit every red light. “How’s your day been?”
“It’s been pretty quiet, which is good since we’ve had a lot of custom orders to get through, and we had another order from Zach.”
I tip my head back and laugh. “That guy and his donuts. I have no idea how he stays in shape with the way he eats. He’s like the donut monster.”
Alex’s laugh is like melted caramel, so smooth and soft. I want to make him laugh all night because the sound is fucking beautiful.
“Your game last night was incredible.” He turns to face me, and a small crease forms between his brows. “I’m sorry, is it weird I just brought that up?”
“No, no.” I shake my head. “Of course not.”
He lets out a sigh of relief. “Oh, good.”
“It was a really tough game for us, and I’ll be honest, I don’t like playing against Nashville. They’re always pulling dirty tricks whenever they can, thinking that the officials won’t see it.”
I find myself telling him all about the game. How Zach was tripped, and it went unnoticed by the officials. The slashing, the heavy hits, the melon-sized bruise I now have on my ribs from being boarded, and how the pinching in my hip is keeping me awake at night.
Alex listens so intently. He’s invested in everything I have to say, and I realize for the first time that nobody has ever really paid me this much attention before, outside of family and those who are being paid to. Nobody has really cared about my day.
Yeah, my teammates do, but that’s because we’re in it together. We have each other's backs, and we understand it better than anyone, but aside from that, it’s only really my parents and my twin brother.
I can’t remember the last time anyone new has given a shit about me .
And that’s really fucking sad.
Alex fills me in on one of the custom orders they’re doing for a wedding when we pull into the parking lot outside of Neon Tee Party.
We head inside and check in at the front desk.
The girl whose name tag reads Maddie lets us know the rules and hands over the putters.
The entire place is completely dark except for the bright neon lights on the walls, lighting up each individually themed hole.
There are dinosaurs, a circus, a forest, space, the ocean, and many more.
“Wow, this place is incredible!” Alex gapes, his eyes wide in amazement as he looks around.
I internally fist bump at the praise. “Yeah? I saw it online and thought it looked pretty cool.”
He slips off his jacket to reveal a navy-blue ribbed Henley that accentuates his broad shoulders and slim torso, the color complimenting his fair skin tone.
His skinny jeans sit low on his narrow hips, showing off his long, lean legs, and I nearly swallow my tongue at how hot he is.
It takes me a minute to squash down the urge to pull him somewhere private and strip him.
Lord Gretzky, please give me strength.
“It’s really cool. Do you like to play golf?” he asks as we head to the first hole.
This one has an underwater theme. Coral decorates the edge with a mermaid at the end, the hole situated at the end of her tail.
“Nah.” I shake my head. “Some of the guys do, but it’s not really been of any interest to me. I find it a bit boring, but this place looked fun.” I come to a halt. “Shit, I should have asked if you liked golf.”
“I like mini golf as it’s less serious, but I find a driving range kinda boring.”
I sag in relief and take a step to the side to let him take the first shot. He gets it really close, stopping only a couple of inches away from the hole. “Nice!”
When it’s my turn, I end up hitting it so hard that it goes over into the next course, bouncing off the head of a T-Rex with a ding .
“Ugh! I’m terrible at this.” I rub my jaw. “Here I am, trying to impress you, and I can’t even hit a fucking golf ball right.”
“You’re not supposed to hit it like you’re taking a slapshot.” He bursts into laughter. The motion exposes the slender column of his throat.
For fuck’s sake.
I want to press my lips against it, hear his moans as I suck on his skin, and mark him as mine.
Mine?
Where the hell did that come from?
He fetches the wayward ball, and the smile he gives me does something weird to my heart.
I’m frozen in place. I’m unable to do anything except watch as he places it back down on the tee, then guides my body into position.
“You’ve gotta be a bit gentler with it.”
He stands behind me, looping his arms around and placing his hands over mine.
Goose bumps erupt over my skin from his touch.
His scent fills my nostrils, like sweet apple and spice.
My legs quiver from the soft thud of his heartbeat against my back, and it takes me by surprise how fucking good this feels.
I have to stop myself from leaning into him, tipping my head back, and claiming his mouth.
He guides my hands, giving the ball a softer tap, and I watch as it travels up the course, bouncing off the mermaid’s tail and coming to a stop not far from the hole.
“See?” His voice is like smooth whiskey, and my cock thickens in my jeans, pressing against my zipper as all my blood rushes south.
Squeezing my eyes closed, I take a deep breath through my nose before taking a step forward to remove myself from his embrace. If I stay that close to him any longer, I’ll break my promise of keeping my hands to myself.
His eyes look heated when I turn, and that fucking bottom lip is caught between his teeth again. I close the gap between us, reveling in the hitch of his breath as I release his bottom lip with my thumb.
“You’ve gotta stop that if you want me to stick to my word and behave myself.” I growl into his ear, rubbing my thumb over the pillowy flesh.
His pupils are blown wide. The blue of his eyes has turned dark with desire.
I want him to want me, just as much as I want him.
His nose brushes against my cheek, and he nips my thumb before whispering, “What if I don’t want you to behave yourself?”
Fuck.
“I’m trying so fucking hard to be a gentleman, Alex. It’s taking every ounce of willpower not to push you against this wall and fuck your mouth with my tongue. I wanna taste you so much it hurts, so please don’t test me, because I’m holding on by a thread.”
The sly grin that spreads across his lips completely catches me off guard. The tips of his ears are still flushed, but he’s showing me a more confident side of himself, and I fucking love the tease.