Chapter 12
“It was pretty awkward when she left,” I admit after chugging half of my water bottle. It’s been a few days since that night. I haven’t talked to the guys about any of this, and Baddie hasn’t talked much to me either, but she’s busy working. She even rescheduled our run for Tuesday morning.
“So let me get this straight. After you left Colton’s, Baddie Addie, your best friend, the Addison said, 'hey, let's be friends-with-benefits' and both of you actually followed through with it?” Chase leans against his locker, arms crossed, eyebrow cocked in disbelief. “On the night of the game?”
I shrug, stuffing my gear into my bag. “What was I supposed to say, no?”
“Uh, yeah bro.” Andrew shakes his head while shoving his shit into his locker.
He’s the messiest on the team and it drives me nuts.
“She’s your fake girlfriend now. You don't agree to benefits too. That’s the number one rule to not break, especially when you're in love with her. Faking it is one thing.”
“Whoa whoa whoa, I’m not in love." I hold my hands up in defense . “Baddie suggested something casual with no strings attached because we’re already going to be acting as a couple. I'm just taking her up on the offer.”
I can’t mention that I need practice in the bedroom. My sex life needs some spicing up, and she’s going to help me with that.
Chase snorts. “Sure, casual. You keep telling yourself that, Wilder. Your nickname for her is Baddie , like come on.”
I zip up my bag with more force than necessary. “It’s the truth.”
“The only truth here is that you've got it bad for Baddie and this little arrangement is going to blow up in your face,” Colton says.
My eyes flick over to Colton, disliking that he’s calling her Baddie. But she did name her coffee shop that and now everyone calls her that.
“Guys, nothing’s blowing up. I got it under control. I'm not in love with her.” The words sound flimsy even to my own ears.
“Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England,” Chase deadpans. The other guys crack up.
I glare at him. “I’m serious. We're best friends.”
“Friends that are fake dating now,” Chase adds.
“Friends who are now banging,” Andrew points out.
“So? People do the casual sex thing all the time.”
“Yeah, people who aren't pining for their best friend,” Colton counters. “Face it, Ry. You've never been able to hide how stupidly in love with her you are. It's painfully obvious to everyone.”
I open my mouth to argue, but I've got nothing. They're right and we all know it. We’re just going to go in circles if I keep denying it, and I feel like I’m just trying to convince myself at this point. Denying it protects me.
“Look, just be careful, okay?” Chase claps a hand on my shoulder, going sincere. “I'm all for you getting your girl, but I don't want to see you get your heart broken in the process. Addie may have suggested this whole thing, but she might not return your feelings.”
I can’t mention the part when I asked her if we could do the real thing instead of this pretending crap. I got shut down, denied. She rejected me, and they’re going to give me shit if I tell them. It’s something I can’t hear.
“I know that,” I mutter, shaking him off. “I'm an adult. I can handle a friends-with-benefits situation.”
“If you say so.” He doesn't look convinced. They all glare at me. None of them are convinced, and I don’t like being the center of attention.
Chase jerks his chin toward the locker room door. “We should get out of here before Coach comes looking for us. Something’s up his ass. You need to talk to him about easing up on the drills. I thought Andrew was going to puke after those suicides.”
“Dude, I almost did,” Andrew groans. His hair is slicked in sweat like the rest of us. “Coach Wilder has been in a mood ever since we lost to the Saints.”
“Those drills were intense,” Colton agrees. He looks at me. “He's your dad, Ry. Talk to him.”
I snort. “Yeah, no thanks. You think this is bad? Imagine that at 10 years old. I’m not saying shit to him. He’ll ease up soon.”
Chase squeezes my shoulder in sympathy as we file out of the locker room. “And that's why you're the China Wall, my man,” he says. “Unbreakable.”
I force a smile, but internally, I'm not so sure. Maybe on the ice, but when it comes to Addison, I'm one wrong move away from shattering completely. My career might be ruined if she crushes my heart like the guys are claiming.
We part ways in the parking lot with promises to grab beers later in the week. I climb into my truck, tossing my bag in the back. As I pull out onto the street, my mind drifts to that night with Addie.
Christ, she felt good. Better than good.
The slide of her soft skin against mine, the little breathy moans she made when I hit just the right spot, the way she'd clutched me tight and breathed my name like a plea when she fell apart beneath me.
I'd imagine that sometimes over the years—what it would be like to touch her, taste her, to have her look at me with that look—but the reality was so much sweeter.
And now that I've had her, I'm not sure I can go back to the way things were before. To being just friends. The guys are right; this has the potential to ruin me if it goes south. But God help me, I'm powerless to resist her.
I want her again. The craving is a physical ache in my chest. Before I can second-guess myself, I'm pulling out my phone and shooting her a quick text.
Ryan: What are you up to tonight?
Baddie: No plans
Ryan: Well, I was thinking we could get more practice. I need more advice.
Baddie: More advice? You have a hot date soon?
Ryan: No. Meet me at my place at 8 pm. Don't be late.
Baddie: So bossy
Ryan: Is that unsolicited advice?
Baddie: I’ll be late if I want to
I nearly rear-end the car in front of me, I'm smiling so hard at my phone. Yeah, okay, so maybe the guys have a point. This thing with Addie has the potential to be catastrophic. But if I get to have her, even just for a little while, even if it's only physical?
It’s totally worth it.
I’m watching the minutes pass, so I get up and do chores to take my mind off the time. I do a load of laundry, wash a few dishes, clean the toilet, and hang outside on the patio in a hoodie. It’s thirty past 8 P.M.
Baddie: Told you I would be late
Ryan: New job?
Baddie: Yeah. I’m almost done here. I need to go home first
Ryan: (Draft) You can head straight here if you want
I delete that message.
Ryan: (Draft) Don’t take too long
I delete that message too.
Ryan: Drive safe
I close my phone and rub my hard dick. Shit, I have bad. It’s just a text about Ads getting off of work, and I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited. I thought the cold air would suffice this blood flow.
Over an hour later, she’s walking through my front door. I lift my hand in the air and wave.
“Am I too late?” she asks walking over.
I wipe my face, wondering if this is some sort of test. “No.”
“I’m sorry. I got stuck on the phone with Jess and she had a lot to update me on.” Jess is her childhood girlfriend who lives across the country. Addie sits on the couch next to me and smiles. “You look so tired.”
“Yeah, my dad has us doing suicides. The guys want me to tell him to ease up on the drills, but they’re fooled if they think I have any say in how he does things.”
“Okay,” she says, leaning over me. The closeness has me smelling vanilla oranges with a hint of her perfume, and toothpaste.
This isn’t normal Addison behavior, but I don’t want to read too heavily into this because she grabs the remote and turns off the TV.
“The reason for being a couch potato is now off.”
A smile spreads across my face.
“What?” she asks.
I shake my head. “The TV is not why I’ve melted into the couch.”
“Yeah? Then what’s your reason?”
I resist every urge inside of me that wants to lean in and grab her. Instead, I stare. A man without self-control is not the man I want to be.
I shrug. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
She jumps to her feet and extends a hand. “Let’s get you into bed.”
I take it and don’t let go. She pulls me through the house until we’re in my bedroom. She grabs the nicely made blanket on my bed, so I joke, “Are you tucking me in?”
She nods. “Get in.”
I’m too tired to protest, so I get in and ask, “Are you going to join me?” I pat the bed beside me.
She sits at my feet and says, “I know your feet ache sometimes because of those high heels you work in.”
I breathe in and close my eyes. We’ve had this argument before. Skates are not high heels, but she says her feet know no difference. I told her that her skates were probably too big, so clenching her feet the entire time would make them ache.
She grabs my right foot and squeezes it, rubbing it nicely.
“Baddie,” I mutter. “You don’t have to.”
“Okay,” she says. “Just a few minutes on each side and I’ll be done.”
I attempt to pull my foot away, but she has a tight grip on it.
I inhale as her thumbs dig into the arch of my foot, her fingers working magic on my sore muscles. Hockey practice was brutal today, but I would do it a thousand times over if this was how I got to end the day.
I'm relieved to know that things haven't gotten weird between us. I was anxious about seeing her tonight but at the end of the day, Addie is still my best friend. Nothing’s going to change that.
“You're the best, Baddie. Thank you,” I mumble, my eyes slipping closed as her hands work their way up to my calves.
She chuckles. “I know. You're lucky to have me as a best friend.”
“Yeah.” I crack one eye open to peer down at her. “Although I seem to remember making you feel really good the last time we saw each other.”
A blush stains her cheeks, and she ducks her head, focusing on my legs. “Yeah, well, I'll change my score if you keep embarrassing me.”
I grin, enjoying the fact that I can playfully tease her. Addie's always been confident and self-assured, but there's something about knowing I can make her blush, make her come undone––