Chapter 3 #2
“Bristol Greyson,” Liam admits, and his cheeks redden. “I swear, I hated her up until that kiss. Have you ever kissed someone, and you craved more? Like one kiss isn’t enough and you need more to survive?”
I chuckle. “You don’t want to hear about Ashton’s and my sex life. But I do want to know more about this fiery seductress who kisses like a goddess.”
“Boy, does that ever describe her. Except I think you mean succubus.”
I double over laughing, my legs sliding out to the side on the mattress. “Oh my gosh! She can’t be that bad.”
“She is. She punched me in the first grade.” Liam stares at me, serious.
“I’ll bet you deserved it.”
His eyes narrow, and he thinks it over for a moment. “I may have been flirting with her.”
“Wow. So, you’ve had a crush on her for over a decade.”
He shoves me with his feet. “Don’t go getting any ideas. I hated her for all of that time. I swear, it wasn’t until that kiss and her shoving me out of her dorm room that I started catching feelings.”
“What were you doing in her dorm room?” I need all the juicy details. If he hates her so much, how did they end up kissing?
“I went looking for Iris. Ended up on the wrong floor. Stupid mistake.”
“And kissing Bristol?” I tilt my head, waiting to see if Liam also claims that was a mistake.
“Was the highlight of my year so far.”
“It’s only March. Have you tried reaching out to her?”
“And say what?” Liam’s nose scrunches in disgust. “We have a salty history. If she liked kissing me, she wouldn’t have shoved me out of her dorm room.”
“Maybe the kiss surprised her as much as it surprised you?” I shuffle down on the bed but let the pillows prop me up. I hate to admit I love listening to all of Liam’s dirty deeds, because he’s one who usually doesn’t kiss and tell.
I’m a girl for gossip.
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
He’s clearly second-guessing himself or the kiss.
“Do you have her phone number? You could text her and suggest coffee. That’s a pretty safe date.”
“I’m not dating her, Nova.”
“Well, obviously not yet.” Grinning, I hold out my hand. “Give me your phone.”
“Why?”
“Do you have her number or contact information?”
“She’s on my social media.”
My eyes light up. “Stalker.” I’m joking with Liam, but he blushes again. So, he has been stalking her social media feed.
He pulls up her profile and slides his phone across the bed. “Don’t comment or hit like on any of her posts.”
“Right. You can’t let her know that you actually like her.
” I shake my head and scroll through her wall.
There are lots of photographs of her and her friends.
There are also several of her at Ice Dragons’ games, wearing their jersey and posing with different players.
The pictures are posted over several years as I keep scrolling, even more of them when she was younger.
The girl clearly has an “in” with the team. “She’s cute.”
“I know,” Liam says, and his nose wrinkles with a wry grin.
“And she’s single, according to her profile.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not going to ask her out.” Liam yanks the phone from my hand.
Pouting, I gesture for him to deposit the phone back into my hand. “You should send her a message, or I can do it, as you.”
“You’re not contacting her!” Liam scowls and then glances at his phone, staring at her photo, which is still on the screen. His eyes soften, as does the look on his face.
He’s smitten.
“What if I reach out to her, as myself?” I suggest.
“How is that going to help? You’re a stranger.”
“I could tell her I’m a huge Ice Dragons’ fan. My brother plays hockey, and I could ask if she might get him an autograph for his birthday? Since, clearly, she knows some of the players on the team.” It’s the first thought I have, and Liam laughs.
“Fuck, no. Please don’t do that. You’ll embarrass all of us, including Luca, and he will be pissed at you again.”
“What? Why?” I don’t understand why my suggestion is that terrible.
“Kyler Greyson isn’t just some hockey player.”
“Wait.” My jaw drops at the mention of Kyler Greyson. “Her father is the Kyler Greyson? MVP. Star hockey player for the Ice Dragons. Now current owner?”
Liam silently nods.
“Oh, damn. Yeah, you’re fucked.”
“I know.” Liam rolls onto his back and stares up at the ceiling. He brings his phone above his head, scrolling through more of her feed. “Fucked and horny.”
I shove him with my feet. “Gross.”
“Sorry, but it’s true. She’s hot. Have you seen her in a bikini?” Liam scrolls until he shows me one of her summer photos that she posted of her and the girls at the beach in California.
“She’s cute. I get it.”
“She’s more than cute,” Liam says, and I can hear the dreamy tone in his voice that has him head over heels for Bristol.
“Then grow a pair and call her.”
I’ve never known Liam to be shy. He’s certainly more reserved than Ashton and Luca, but shy, no.
“I don’t have her phone number.”
“That’s just an excuse. You could send her a message, ask her for it.”
“Also, no.” Liam shoots down my suggestion.
“Show up at her dorm room?” If he’s got it that bad for her, maybe she has the hots for him, too, and they could just fuck and get it out of their systems?
He has always been more about friends-with-benefits than relationships.
Liam is quiet as he considers my suggestion. “I’ll need an excuse. A reason that I stopped by, without looking like I’m obsessed with her.”
“But you are … in a good way.” From what I can tell, he isn’t exhibiting stalker signs, except maybe staring at her social media profile for ungodly amounts of time.
“You’re not helping,” Liam grumbles. “A reason that I show up at her dorm room. And it can’t be because I got the wrong room again.”
“Why can’t it?” I shrug and laugh. “Booty call. Or bring pizza,” I suggest.
“What if she’s not home? Or slams the door in my face?” Liam is already coming up with all the reasons it won’t work.
“Both valid possibilities.”
He groans and rolls back onto his side. “You’re not helping.”
“Oh, was I supposed to be? I mean, we could give you a fake girlfriend and see if she gets jealous, but since you said the girl hates you, I doubt that will work.”
Liam snarls at me. “You’re just being mean now.”
“I’m not!” I laugh and grab his phone from his hands.
“Nova! Give that back.” He reaches for the phone, and I keep it far from his grasp.
Liam climbs across the bed, leaning over me, his fingers attempting to pluck the phone from my death grip.
Ashton’s tired and worn expression turns red. “What the hell is going on?”
“You’re home!” My voice comes out more as a squeak than I intend. I release my grip on Liam’s phone and shove him off me. “I was worried about you.”
Ashton’s gaze narrows. “Looks like you were really worried. What the hell are you doing here, Moretti?”
Liam clears his throat and shifts back on the bed, falling onto his ass. “Keeping your girlfriend company while we were waiting for you to get home.”
“Great. I’m home. Now get the fuck out of my room,” Ashton growls at Liam, and I smile apologetically.
“Thanks,” I whisper to Liam as he brushes past Ashton, who is practically blocking the door.
The moment Liam is out of the bedroom, he shuts it briskly behind him, and a rush of wind hits me.
I breathe a sigh of relief as I glance over Ashton. There’s no sign of a struggle. He looks all right, just tired and, pissed. “Hey,” I say and smile. “You’re okay.”
“I’m just fucking peachy.” He stalks to the dresser, stripping out of his clothes.
I inhale sharply, watching him disrobe.
His lines are taunt. His muscles ripple as he keeps his back to me. But I catch a glimpse of him in the reflection of the mirror and his eyes land on me.
He thrusts a pair of boxers into his palm and yanks them up, hiding himself from me.
Ashton turns around to face me, his eyes dark. There’s no smile on his face. No hint of happiness that he’s pleased I’m here. “If you’re sleeping in my bed, then you’d better fucking get undressed.”
I inhale sharply and quickly disrobe. He doesn’t have to tell me twice to get naked. My clothes are thrown to the opposite side of the room, near the closed door.
“Is this better?” I ask, letting him ogle me.
He hits the light on the wall, basking the room in darkness as he approaches the bed. I sit up, reaching for him, finding his mouth, his tongue, his lips.
He takes my breath away, our kiss searing and heated as he pushes me down on the mattress onto my back.
Each breath is heavy, loaded, fueled with need.
“Fuck,” Ashton rasps, and he buries me beneath him, dragging my leg up around him as he grinds against me.
We’re kissing, practically tongue fucking and I feel his hard-on poke me through his boxers.
My fingers roam down his chest, into his waistband, touching him, grazing him at first, feeling his body respond.
“I need you, Nova,” his whispered words are pleas, and I nod.
Unsure if he can see me in the darkness, I kiss him and push at his boxers, helping him out of the only scrap of clothing between us.
“Take whatever you need from me, Ashton. I’m yours.”
He growls, and his fingers swiftly enter me, teasing and coating my folds. “Fuck, you’re already wet for me.” He pauses, and silence fills the room. “Or is it…”
I silence him before he can even say that thought aloud.
Liam is nothing more than a friend.
Ashton is my everything.
“You make me like this—needy, raw, primal.” I drag my lips across his and down his neck. “Fucking take me. I’m yours.”
Within seconds, he grabs a condom, readjusts, and then he’s inside me, stretching me.
“Fuck,” I rasp, my neck falling back against the pillow, eyes shutting for a moment.
Heat floods all of my senses.
“You’re so tight but feel so incredible,” he whispers into my ear and then nips at my neck.
I yelp, and he pushes deeper, driving harder and faster. He pins me down, his hands pressing me against the bed as I wrap my legs around him, wanting more.
His mouth finds mine, silencing me, keeping anyone from overhearing the sounds I’m making as the bed creaks and groans beneath us.
The bedroom door flies open, and both of us catch a glance at Luca, who doesn’t even have the decency to knock.
“Nova?” Luca’s brow pinches, and he runs a hand through his hair.
“Who’d you think I was fucking?” Ashton bites out at his best friend.
Luca shakes his head and backs out, slamming the door shut.
“Shit,” Ashton grumbles and rolls off me.
I inhale sharply and roll onto my side, dragging my leg over his. “Do you need to go check on him?”
“He decided to come in without knocking!” Ashton’s breathing hard, trying to catch his breath.
Sweat trickles on my forehead. “We could just ignore it?” It’s not like we haven’t been interrupted before, this isn’t anything new. Locking the bedroom door, however, should be an automatic by now.
Ashton glances at me and shakes his head. “I can’t. Tonight was…” The words hang in the air.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask, offering to listen.
“You know I can’t.” Ashton’s gaze winces, like he’s thinking over the night’s events.
I run my fingers over his chest to try to settle him down. “You know nothing between Liam and I—”
“I know,” Ashton says and sighs. “He just made me see red when I came in, expecting to get some rest, and then you’re on my bed with him.”
“It’s Liam,” I say, smiling. “Come on.”
“Yeah, well, we were just friends once too.”
I pinch him on the arm for that comment.
“Ow.” He grimaces, and I roll my eyes.
There’s no way I hurt him, other than perhaps his pride. “You and I are more than friends.” I climb onto him, straddling his hips, staring down at him. My hair curtains around us, the world disappearing. “Don’t even suggest that I would do anything with Liam again.”
“Fine,” Ashton says and sighs. His hands find my hips, his fingers dancing over my skin. “What are you doing here tonight? What are you both doing here?”
“I was worried when you called and I couldn’t quite understand your message. I tried calling Dad, but he practically hung up on me. So, I convinced Liam to drive us here so I could make sure you were safe.”
“Us? Are Harper and Zeke here too?”
I shake my head and drop a kiss on his lips. He doesn’t kiss me back. His body is tense.
“No, she’s still at home, asleep. Why do you have that look on your face?”