Chapter Eight
Bodie
Walking into the apartment after this afternoon’s win has me on a high.
I tried to sleep on the plane ride home, but I’m too excited to see Bryce.
He’s off work now and thinks I’m coming home in the morning, but I changed my flight to a red-eye at the last minute.
I couldn’t wait any longer to see him. Being away for ten days has been harder than ever before.
I open his door slowly and see him sitting up, watching hockey again.
As soon as I walk in, he’s up and on me.
The kiss is rough, pushing me against the wall with his hands gentle and warm on my lower back as I slide my fingers through his hair, pulling him in even closer.
I’m taken aback by his enthusiasm—I knew he missed me, but this feels like so much more.
“Hi, babe,” he mumbles, his lips finding that sensitive spot behind my earlobe. Babe. My body was already on fire, my stomach filled with flutters. Now, they go haywire because he just called me babe. I want more and I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of it.
“Hey, you.” Arching my back, I raise my chin to give him better access to the rest of me. “You really did miss me, didn’t you?”
“More than you know.” Bryce cups my face, pressing his lips firmly against mine before he leads me to bed, stripping me down to my boxers along the way. He pulls me under his comforter, and I’m cocooned by his warmth.
“Bryce. Are you okay?” He nods, his beard scraping over my pecs.
“Better now,” his lips whisper across my chest, and heat rushes into my face. “I just missed you a lot.”
“I missed you too.” He’s never missed me like this before.
Have things changed that much for him too?
“What were you doing awa—” My words cut off as soft snores reach my ears, and my chest fills with warmth.
Was this man planning on waiting up for me all night?
Shimmying down under his body even further, I settle in quickly, listening to him sleeping until I join him.
I hate to wake him up when he’s sleeping so peacefully, but we need to go soon.
“Bryce, you need to get up.” I snuck out of bed to get in the shower half an hour ago and thought he’d wake up by the time I got out.
“Mmm, five more minutes.”
“Oh no, mister. Calisse is waiting for us. We’re going to be late.”
“Huh?” Confused brows peek out from under the covers.
“You set up a lunch with Calisse and her girlfriend.” I see no recollection in that scrunched nose and squinty eyes. “Bryce, we’re supposed to be there in an hour.”
“Okay. I’m getting up.”
I’ve never seen him so slow to rise. I watched him half the night, and aside from a little dream that stirred him—which I think I was able to stop by squeezing him closer—he slept well.
It doesn’t take him long to get ready once he’s up and moving, though.
He actually has some energy as he hurries to get ready, not wasting any chances to kiss me or squeeze my ass as he passes by.
Still, I make him a to-go tea and rush him out the door.
I hate being late for things. It used to be a problem for me—in school and at practice, I was always getting reprimanded for it.
Thankfully, it very seldom happens anymore.
The short ride to the diner is quiet for the most part, and when we pull up, we see Calisse standing next to her bike with a tall blonde woman—what a beautiful couple.
“About time, loser. Did you finally get some sleep and forget about me?” she teases Bryce as she stretches her suspenders and then wraps an arm around her girlfriend’s waist. “Bryce. Bodie. This is Alina.”
“Hi, guys.” Her handshake is gentle and feels foreign now that I’m so used to Bryce’s strong hold on me whenever we’re close. It occurs to me that I much prefer the firmness of his touch over Amber’s now.
Bryce demands food as soon as pleasantries are over. Luckily, we’re seated right away before my man can get hangry. Once we’ve ordered, we all fall into conversation, Alina fitting right in with us.
“So, you guys have been friends since, like, kindergarten or something, right?” she asks.
“Second grade,” we both say together.
“Oh, are you the finish-each-other’s-sentences type of friends at this point?”
Bryce laughs with her. “Yeah, kinda.”
“That’s cute. I love that.”
“Me too,” I say, smiling warmly at Bryce.
Alina tells us how she and Calisse met, and while I’m waiting for some wild meet cute because it’s Calisse, it turns out how they met was very casual—at the bar. Alina seems to balance her, and that makes me happy for them.
“Bryce, your bags are gone.”
Bags? The scowl on Bryce’s face makes me think he knows exactly what Calisse is talking about.
“You look like you’re actually getting sleep.” She glances at me and back at our friend. “I wonder what’s different.”
“I found another tea. It’s relaxing.”
“Oh, yeah? What kind?” Calisse asks. Has Bryce really had that much trouble sleeping, and I haven’t even noticed?
“It’s something I ordered from Australia. Western area.”
“Mhm. Glad it’s helping. You deserve it.” He glares at her, and Alina changes the subject, probably sensing something is up, like I am.
I squeeze Bryce’s thigh under the table, trying to offer him silent comfort.
Our hands find one another, and I realize his thumb swiping the back of my hand over and over again may be bringing me more comfort than him.
When the server comes with our food and the ladies chat with her, I lean into Bryce. “Are you okay?”
“I should be asking you the same.”
“I’m fine. Did you sleep well?”
He aims those emerald eyes at me and, with conviction, says, “I’ve never slept better in my life than when you’re lying next to me.”
The sting of my teeth on my lip centers me. I can’t let my emotions show. Did I miss something here? I feel like a terrible friend. I just nod at him because I don’t trust my voice at the moment.
His lips brush the hair by my ear as he says, “I love you, Bodie.” I nuzzle into him, wanting to tell him the same, but I can’t. Not here, not like this.
I catch Calisse watching us when the server leaves, so I ask Alina the obligatory first meeting questions about her job and whatnot as we all dig into our food.
While I say goodbye to Alina, I watch Bryce carefully as he speaks to Calisse near the cars. His jaw is tight, like she’s telling him something he doesn’t want to hear. I hurry us along to meet them, or maybe just to save him from the conversation.
“What was all that about?” I ask Bryce as soon as we get in the car.
“Nothing. She’s just pushy, that’s all.”
“I thought you were good friends. What’s she being pushy about?”
He’s quiet, with pursed lips and defeated eyes.
“Bryce, I’m supposed to be your best friend first and foremost, right?” He glances at me and then back at the road in front of us. “Bryce?”
“It’s not a big deal. I have trouble sleeping sometimes. That’s all.” The excuse is vague, but I don’t push further. Instead, I simply nod in understanding, knowing I’ll circle back to this another day.
We turn into our parking lot, and I reach for our leftover containers in the back seat, but they’re an inch too far. I unclip the belt to reach for them and feel a hard slap on my chest that takes my breath away, right as the car comes to a complete stop in the middle of the lot.
“Bodie, what are you doing?” Bryce’s voice sounds frantic. “You could’ve been hurt or k—” His throat constricts, and he sucks in his lips.
“Bryce, we were going like ten miles an hour. There’s not another car in sight.” The combination of his bizarre behavior and his heaving chest have me genuinely worried about him. “What’s going on?”
He pulls into a spot and turns off the car.
“You just scared me.” The finality of the sound of his door closing as he walks away from the car feels nothing like the Bryce I know.
My chest is thumping with all the energy of a brewing storm, each beat of my heart like thunder trying to break free of it.
I haven’t been this nervous in a long time—not even when exploring sex with Bryce.
He’s taking me to a club tonight—a gay club.
I’ve been invited to come once or twice but always had other plans with Amber.
Now that I think about it, Amber would always make plans for us as I was telling her Bryce had invited me. I guess now I know why.
Now that I’m going, it’s getting the best of me.
I’m not a dancer at all. I’ve always felt like a buffoon between my height and size—at six foot three and pushing two hundred and five pounds, it’s difficult to look comfortable dancing with a woman as short as Amber.
I’m hoping things won’t feel so awkward now, since Bryce is much closer to my height.
“You ready?” He surprises me, coming into the bathroom while I’m psyching myself up in the mirror.
“Yeah.” His hand strokes my arm just before he leaves the room.
“Just a second,” I say, peeking out the bathroom door to see those tight black jeans and the sleeveless white shirt on him—his blessed, well-rounded ass looks downright bitable.
He comes back and rests on the doorframe with puppy eyes, and I steal the kiss I need, letting his affection calm my nerves. I know he’ll take care of me.
“I got you.” He always knows.
Bryce takes a call from Kasey, another bartender at The Garden, who we’re going to the club with tonight, and I finish up and make my feet move toward the door whether my anxiety wants to or not.
Bryce does what he always does for me when I’m anxious and we’re in the car—he plays my favorite ‘loosen me up’ song. When he finally joins in on my awful, high-pitched singing and ‘MMMbopping’ away to Hanson, my heart feels like it might just burst out of my chest.
We make it to the club in no time and find Kasey waiting outside.
“Hey hey hey. Bryce, my man.” Kasey greets us with a bro hug when all I want to tell him is “No, he’s my man.”
Geez, when did that happen?
“Hey, Bodie, right?” I reluctantly shake the guy’s hand like a gentleman. My hackles are up, and I don’t understand why. Bryce has worked with this guy for months now.
“Yeah, Bryce’s best friend since childhood, and now, uh—” Fuck, why did I say that?
“Now what?” Kasey’s confusion has sweat breaking out at the back of my head.
“Now it’s more,” Bryce adds, taking my sweaty palm in his hand and squeezing.
“Awesome, man. Happy for you guys.”
He takes off, leading us into the club and straight to the bar.
While I watch the crowded dance floor, Bryce and Kasey order drinks behind me.
“He’s hot,” I hear Kasey say. I turn around to see why the fuck he would be pointing out hot guys when Bryce just told him we’re here together, only to find Kasey staring at me.
“Stay away,” Bryce warns Kasey as he sets his sights on me, handing me a beer while his hand finds its way to my hip bone—I love it when he grabs me like that. I reward him for his possessiveness, his lips tasting like the sweet ale he’s downed half of already.
Kasey’s friends start crowding around us, and we all fall into a thundering chatter over the music. Bryce introduces me to a few guys as his boyfriend after they give me a once-over from head to toe and back up, and I’m loving every second of him staking his claim on me.
I let my hands wander over his backside and under the hem of his shirt, feeling the warmth of his skin on mine. It grounds me enough to engage in the conversation.
“You’re a hockey player?” Recker asks. He looks like he should work in one of the tattoo shops Bryce frequents.
“Yeah. Starting goalie for the Charlotte Kings.”
“Never met a hockey player before. Is it true what they say about hockey players’ thighs?”
“Who and what exactly do they s—”
“Yes.” Bryce, who was talking to someone else next to us, answers Recker’s question for me and goes back to his conversation.
Recker looks at Kasey, and they fall into a laughing fit, probably noticing how zoned in on me Bryce has been this whole time.
I snuggle up to Bryce’s side and whisper loud enough for only him to hear, “You’re really fucking hot when you go all ‘he’s mine’ on them.”
“Good. Get used to it.”
I sink my teeth into his neck as he pulls away, leaving a pink mark.
“Excuse us, guys.” Bryce turns us toward the bar where he orders us both another beer. “Do you want to dance a little?”
“I can’t dance, Bryce, you know that.”
“Down that beer and maybe another, and you’ll think you can dance well enough to have fun.
” Beer sprays out of my mouth, and his sultry grin shines brighter than ever when he turns to the bartender and grabs another round.
Carrying two beers in one hand as he presses the other beer-filled hand against me, he guides me onto the dance floor.
The music is louder here closer to the speakers, and I feel it vibrating through my entire body.
I try to relax, but it doesn’t work, so I try Bryce’s idea.
We down our beers before tossing them in a nearby garbage can.
He’s standing close enough to me, so when we start dancing, I don’t think we look as awkward as I feel, aside from the first few times I step on his toes.
“Fuck, sorry.”
I’m pulled into him, chest-to-chest, his palms on my ass, when Bryce grumbles at me, “Stop saying sorry, and relax. I got you.” My arms find their new home on his shoulders, listening to his commands as I let him and the music take over.
Those damn emerald eyes have me spellbound as we sway to the music, my mood mellowed out between the beers and all things Bryce.
His hands exploring under the back of my shirt and the way his breath whisps across my cheek give me the comfortable chill of a rainy fall afternoon. I want to be wrapped up in him like this forever.
“You’ve always been mine, you know.”
“I know.” The words flutter from my lips to his. “It just took me a while to figure it out.”
He closes the distance between our mouths in a warm embrace, and my mind spins with anticipation. Where are we headed, and can we get there faster? Everything I thought I knew about Bryce seems like a drop in a pond—there so much more beneath the surface, and I’m just getting started.