Chapter 7
Seven
Nova
The beer that Harper gave me is absolutely disgusting. No wonder she offered it to me. It tastes like piss.
Not that I’ve ever drank urine, I’m just assuming that’s what it tastes like because it’s so incredibly awful.
I grab a bottle of water and crash on the sofa next to Ashton.
“No hot hookup tonight?” I ask.
I’m well aware that he’s got player status written all over him.
“Do you see a lot of hot girls here?” Ashton asks.
I glance around and know he’s right. The party was a last-minute get-together. Thrown exclusively because they won by a landslide.
Had they lost, the guys would be sitting at home commiserating on their own.
“I mean, there’s the girl over there,” I say and nod, trying not to gesture and point her out.
She’s a redhead, cute, but dressed a little unflattering, not that the guys probably care much for a girl’s style. But she’s talking to Chase, another one of the Narwhals’ players.
“Yeah, I think Chase has first dibs on her.”
“I’m happy to keep you company,” I say and shrug like I don’t mind being his hangout buddy for the evening.
I mean, that’s not exactly what I want in regard to Ashton, but I’ve got to play this carefully. I’m going to be living with him in a couple of weeks. The last thing we want is a messy situationship.
I’ve done my best to temper those thoughts, especially from my older brother. The last thing I need is for Luca to cockblock me and force me to live in the dorms my first semester.
Maybe pining for Ashton is a bad idea, but fuck, it’s Ashton Rinaldi and he’s gorgeous. It’s hard not to imagine what he’d look like naked.
And I’ve seen him shirtless.
He’s one hell of a specimen.
Pretty sure he knows it too. Probably why he manages to sleep his way through Evergreen.
“You’re staring at me. Do I have a booger coming out of my nose?” He swipes at his face, and I playfully shove him.
“That’s gross, and you’re perfect. I mean, you look perfect. You’re fine. I’m just going to shut up now.”
Shit.
I blame the couple sips of piss beer for my loose lips.
Ashton offers me his wayward grin, and his nose crinkles just slightly.
Holy hell, it’s rare to see that smile.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have a crush on me.”
Fuck me.
“In your dreams, Ashton,” I say, denying it.
He can’t know.
I mean, I like him. I want him, but this—whatever it is between us that’s been slowly evolving can’t happen.
Luca would kill Ashton.
“You’ve crossed a few of my dreams,” Ashton says and takes another swig of beer.
Oh shit. Did he really just say that he dreams about me?
Is he messing with me? It seems like something a friend of Luca’s would do.
But this is Ashton, he’s not just any friend or roommate to Luca. I’ve been hanging around Ashton for months. Hell, he even let me give him a colorful manicure without so much as batting an eye.
Not even my brother was that willing to appease me.
“Your dreams?” I repeat, my breath catching in my throat. I don’t even know how to answer because it’s Ashton, and he’s this ever-evolving crush that I can’t seem to escape, nor do I want to.
Ashton stretches and rests his arms on the back of the sofa.
I’ve seen that maneuver in movies, when a guy wants to wrap an arm around a girl’s shoulder.
Is he being coy or fucking with me?
I honestly can’t tell, and I take another swig of the disgusting piss drink just to gather a little more courage.
Unfortunately, it isn’t an instant drink-and-be-brave potion.
“You don’t want to hear about my dreams,” Ashton says and throws me a wink.
My body heats and I shift on the sofa to face him.
“Are you flirting with me, Ashton?”
His eyes tighten, and he smiles lazily. “Would it be so bad if I did, Nova?”
It’s the way he says my name that sends tingles down to my core.
Ashton leans closer, his lips brushing my ear. “I can’t stop thinking about you. You invade all of my thoughts, my dreams. I want to kiss you.”
My mouth parts and I stare at him in disbelief. If this is a game, it’s cruel.
“You want to kiss me?” My voice betrays me as my mouth grows dry. Holy hell, I never thought a guy could make my insides heat from just a simple phrase of the tongue.
His thumb grazes my cheek, his hand on my jaw, guiding his lips to mine. “Tell me to stop if you don’t want me, Nova.”
It’s that voice that’s toe-curling when he whispers my name. Maybe it’s just because I’ve got it bad for Ashton Rinaldi.
His lips move closer, hovering over mine, his breath mingling with my own as he pauses, waiting for me to either make the next move and lean in or pull away.
His gentle caress against my cheek pulls me in, finding his lips against mine. The kiss is soft and sweet at first, gentle and inviting.
I don’t want it to end, and I pull him against me, tasting beer and something else distinctly Ashton.
He smells incredible. He showered after the game, and the fresh scent still lingers like cologne and mixed with a woodsy soap that tickles my senses.
It is uniquely Ashton, and I could drink it in forever.
Our lips tangle, and his fingers move to the base of my neck, holding me tight, bringing me closer.
I feel the need stirring and climb onto his lap, straddling him.
His mouth is fused on mine, my hands caress across his back, holding him close, needing to feel one with him.
Ashton pulls back, both of us gasping for air. He rests his forehead against mine as he stares straight into my soul.
“You should sit back down on the sofa if you don’t want this going any farther,” Ashton says.
My heart is racing as I try to catch my breath.
“I want you,” I whisper, feeling the courage to tell him exactly how I feel.
He moans and covers my lips with his again.
This time, the kiss is even more intense, his tongue pushing its way past my mouth as he lays me down on the sofa and climbs above me.
His weight makes me feel safe, comforted as he peppers kisses across my jaw and back up to my lips.
“We can’t do this down here,” I whisper, staring up at him with a laugh.
It isn’t just the two of us in this room. His housemates and teammates are watching. Although most seem preoccupied. It’s not the first time; I’m sure they’ve seen two people making out.
But a few sets of eyes are on us, Liam’s glaring, and I can’t help but worry that he might tell Luca.
Any of them could.
“Take me upstairs to bed,” I say, wanting Ashton to show me to his room.
He lifts me into his arms with ease. “Don’t have to tell me twice.” He manhandles me to the staircase.
I smack his chest. “Put me down this instant!” The last thing I want is to go tumbling down because he’s showing off in front of his buddies.
“Fine,” Ashton grumbles and sets my feet onto the ground, his hands at my waist as his fingers kiss my skin beneath my clothes.
His touch is overwhelming, and I wrap my arms around his neck, taking another taste. “Lead the way,” I mumble between kisses.
He takes my hand and guides me upstairs.
I’ve crashed in Luca’s room in the past, but I’ve never stayed in Ashton’s bedroom.
Quietly, we pass by my brother’s room and hurry to Ashton’s room. He opens the door, flips on the light, and gestures for me to step inside first.
There’s a hamper in the corner of the room, a few dirty clothes hanging off it that were clearly tossed in and didn’t quite make it inside.
His dresser has folded clothes on top that haven’t been put away, but it’s not as terrible as I thought it’d be.
There are no food wrappers or empty pizza boxes lying on the floor.
The room smells like him but fresher, like a forest of oak and evergreens. I notice a candle in the corner of his room.
“So, this is your room,” I say, taking it all in.
“Not what you were expecting?” He closes the door and locks it, giving us an ample amount of privacy.
“With the way Luca talks about you being messy, I kind of expected a disaster zone,” I confess. “It’s not bad.”
Ashton smirks and comes to sit at the edge of the mattress. “Luca likes to exaggerate.”
I laugh under my breath and stride the remaining distance, wanting to feel him beneath my touch.
“If we do this, Luca can’t know,” I say.
“You want me to keep a secret from my best friend?” Ashton rests his hands on the bed at his sides and leans back.
There’s a genuine smirk that crosses his face.
“What?” I ask.
“Wouldn’t be the first secret I’ve kept from him.”
“Care to elaborate?” I swear he knows how to have me hanging on the edge. I climb onto his lap, straddling him again, this time grateful for the privacy.
“No, then it wouldn’t be a secret,” Ashton says. He leans in, his breath tickling my neck, leaving a trail of kisses before he finds that super sensitive spot that has me wriggling my hips over his.
His hands steady my waist with a soft chuckle. His lips pause over my neck, and he lifts his head, meeting my stare. “I need to know something, and be honest with me, Nova.”
“Always.” I don’t have any reason to lie to him or hide anything. He knows about my family, who they are, what they do. I know about his father running the Chicago mafia.
We’re not so different, the two of us.
And there aren’t any big secrets between us.
I can live with keeping a secret from my brother.
“Are you a virgin?” Ashton asks.
“Yes, but that doesn’t change that I know what I want,” I say.
His gaze hardens for a brief moment. He’s hesitating, and I hate that my honesty is causing that.
“I should have told you I wasn’t as, clearly, it bothers you.”
Ashton holds my jaw, his stare never wavering. “Don’t ever lie to me.”
“I didn’t, but you’re either thinking I’m untouchable or pathetic. I’m not sure which.”
Ashton guides me onto my back, lying down beside me on the mattress. His hand remains on my hip, keeping me close to him.
“You’re not pathetic,” his voice heavy and thick.
“So, I’m untouchable,” I mutter and pull to roll away and climb out of bed, but he keeps a firm hold on me, bringing me closer against him.