Chapter 26
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Hunter: Bowling? What are you, eighty-five?
Cooper: I don’t think eight-five-year-old dudes can lift a bowling ball, let alone whup you.
Hunter: Is that a challenge?
Cooper: Bring Natalie bowling with Jasmine and I and you’ll find out. Prepare to lose!
“You dare me?” Jasmine holds up her glittery, maroon bowling ball, eyes gleaming with delight.
I nod, slipping my arm around Natalie’s waist. “We absolutely do.”
Then I lean down, whispering in Natalie’s ear, “Our victory is practically guaranteed if she tries that.”
I inhale, and Natalie’s citrus scent hits me like a punch to the gut. God, I want her. Hockey practice is the only time I’m not thinking about kissing her. We had an early one, so I convinced her to come on a bowling date with Cooper and Jasmine afterwards. But now we’re going to lose because all I want to do is make out with her.
Unless I can convince Jasmine to bowl “granny style.” I insinuated she didn’t have the stones to launch the ball down the alley between her legs—knowing that Jasmine doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her.
She approaches the line, determination flashing in her gaze, and Cooper groans. “Babe, come on. Don’t you want to win?”
She shoots him a glare. “Don’t you trust me?”
“No.” He shakes his head as she lets the ball roll between her legs and down the slick surface towards the pins. “Not at all.”
It takes longer than I expected. My hands tighten on Natalie’s waist, and I brush her hair off her neck, placing a soft kiss there. She shudders, and god, I wish we were alone in my bed. But I can’t let Cooper think he can beat me at bowling.
We wait, watching the ball inch its way straight towards the goal. It taps two pins, knocking them over, and they careen off two more.
“Four!” Jasmine cheers, raising her arms and yelling. She rushes Cooper, and he picks her up and spins her around, her fluffy skirt fanning out behind her. “I got four!”
Cooper laughs at Jasmine, setting her back down on her feet and placing a kiss on her nose. “Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit! I did not think that technique would work!”
Natalie shakes her head at him. “Why in the world would we butter your butt? Where do you come up with these expressions?”
“Texas.” He shrugs, then makes a courtly bow towards the ball return. “It’s your turn. Are you gonna try Jasmine’s new favorite style?”
Natalie looks up at me and grins. “Nah. But maybe Hunter should help me work on my form?”
I swallow and hurry to follow her. She brushes her pinky across mine at the ball return, and I’m embarrassed at how much it turns me on. I can’t believe she’s reduced me to this—a guy who has a pinky fetish and can’t control himself in public. I swallow and meet her dancing eyes. She giggles, and it hits me—she knows exactly what she’s doing. Minx.
I can’t believe I’m hanging out with a girl and we’re still on first base. This is new territory for me.
But it bothers me less than I thought. Every little thing with her—every brush of her fingers, every butterfly kiss, every time her heated gaze collides with mine—it feels deeper than it ever has before. More meaningful.
She hasn’t said she’s not ready, but she hasn’t offered. I like her so much; I don’t want to push it or scare her off. So I return her soft kisses, deepening them until she pulls away, breathless, and tells me she wishes she could stay but…
I don’t think her excuses are fake, but it’s tricky. She helps with Jace, and she lives at home. Her parents aren’t used to her spending the night anywhere else, and I don’t want to create friction for her. Not when she has such a strong relationship with them. I can tell they are pretty old-fashioned.
So I’ve been over there for family dinners and movies, soaking up interactions with a normal, loving family. And enjoying every minute with Natalie. She’s funny and kind, always thinking of others and putting them at ease.
Although right now she’s doing the opposite to me. She grabs her light blue bowling ball and shifts her long hair over her shoulder, making my mouth water.
“Are you going to show me how it’s done?” She smirks. Is she trying to kill me? I need to keep my hands off her for a minute and calm down.
I shake my head. “I like the view from here.”
She sticks her tongue out at me before turning back to stare down the alley. I watch her backside in her jeans as she launches the bowling ball and glance away before I lose my cool.
Clearing my throat, I look at Cooper, and he chuckles and elbows me. “Man, you’ve got it bad for this one.”
“Do not.”
I don’t know why I deny it. Habit, mostly. But he doesn’t believe me.
“I’ve never seen that look on your face before, but I’m pretty sure it’s the same way I look at Jasmine.” Crossing his arms over his chest, he shifts in his bowling shoes and stares me down. “I didn’t realize when I told you to give Natalie a chance, it would lead to this.”
Natalie rolls a seven, then waits for her ball. I can’t tear my gaze off her.
I shrug. “She’s pretty great.”
“She is, and it’s good to see you happy with someone.”
“Have you made it exclusive yet?” Jasmine asks, popping around Cooper to squeeze his waist and harass me.
“What a girl question.” I roll my eyes. “Why does it matter?”
“Duh. Whether I can tease you about having a girlfriend or not.”
She moves away to grab her drink, and I shake my head. But it makes me wonder. Does Natalie want to be exclusive? There’s no way she’d date anyone else—but maybe she doesn’t know that I wouldn’t do that either. And maybe I’d like to call her my girlfriend, have everyone know that she’s taken. It’s not a bad idea. Even if we’d still keep it under wraps at team stuff.
After Natalie picks up two out of three pins, she ambles over to Jasmine and giggles about something before sitting and sipping her Coke. How am I jealous of a straw?
Cooper shakes his head at me. “You’re pathetic, and it’s hilarious.”
I shove his shoulder and pull Natalie up so I can stand behind her while he bowls. I love the weight of her as she leans back against me.
Lacing my fingers together over her stomach, I drop my head to her shoulder and move her hair out of the way of her neck. Why are necks so sexy? I’ve never noticed anyone else’s before, but I could stare at the curve of hers all night. Her indrawn breath is gratifying as I nuzzle the soft skin there.
“That feels amazing,” she whispers. “Too good for a bowling alley.”
I glance at our surroundings. In the basement of the Union, the space is dim and cozy. There are only ten lanes so it’s smaller than most but decorated with retro Griffins gear. Neon lights glint off the polished wooden floors and eighties pop music pours out of the speakers.
“What’s the appropriate level of good for a bowling alley?” I ask, spinning her in my arms so I can see her face.
“Hand holding, for sure.” She grins at me and holds out her palms.
Instead of taking them, I lean back into her neck and kiss her again, making smacking sounds until she giggles. “So where should this particular level happen?”
Playfully, she pushes me away. “In private.”
Yeah, I’d definitely like that.
“Natalie, it’s your turn,” Jasmine singsongs, and I glare at her. She sticks out her tongue at me as Natalie heads to get her ball. She and Cooper laugh, enjoying this too much. “Last frame of the game.”
With a crash of pins, Natalie gets a strike. I raise my fist and holler a cheer for her as she takes her extra shot and makes a victory walk back to us. Brushing a good luck kiss across her lips, I keep it PG but wish we had some of that privacy she mentioned earlier. I tug her down to sit beside me at the tiny table, keeping her close.
Cooper sits on the bench across from us and Jasmine perches on his knee.
“Still thinking about coming to the Notre Dame games this weekend?” he asks, looking up at her.
Jasmine nods. “Yeah, it’s only a two-hour drive. Even Herbie can handle that. If I can’t find a room to stay overnight, I’ll just drive up on Saturday.”
“You can always take Bubba.”
That they are both crazy enough to name their cars is part of the reason they are perfect for each other.
“You need a place to stay for the Notre Dame game?” Natalie asks, shifting closer to me.
Jasmine stands and finds her street shoes. “Mmm-hmm. All the hotels are booked so I’m looking into an AirBnB.”
“You can stay with me,” Natalie offers with a slight shrug. “They had to change the room assignments, something about the hotel accommodations, so I’m by myself.”
Jasmine’s face lights up. “You really don’t mind?”
“No, it’ll be fun. We can’t sneak you on the bus, but I don’t see why you can’t have the spare bed or the couch.”
Abandoning her shoes, Jasmine throws her arms around Natalie in a hug. “You’re the best.”
Cooper slips his cowboy boots back on and collects the bowling shoes as the girls stand and chat about their plans. I make my shoe swap and grab our coats, holding Natalie’s out to her.
She shrugs into it as I tuck the surrounding fabric with care, then brush a kiss over her lips.
“What was that for?” she asks, eyes glazed when we part.
“Because I like you. Come back to my place?”
Regret laces her features as she shakes her head. “I really should get home and study. But…” She leans closer, pushing up on tiptoes to whisper in my ear. “I could probably linger in your car for fifteen minutes. Can you think of anything we could do in the backseat?”
With a flirty glance over her shoulder, she heads out to the parking lot. Waving goodbye to Cooper and Jasmine, I try not to look too eager as I follow.
“Hey.” I lean against the passenger door, blocking her access, and grab her hand. Lacing our fingers together, I stare at them and breathe in the crisp fall evening air. The parking lot is not romantic—overhead fluorescents buzz and there are puddles from a rain shower earlier in the day. But when Natalie leans against me and looks up at me with her dark eyes, I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.
“Be my girlfriend?” I ask, hit with a sudden worry that she will say no. She bites her lip, obviously about to turn me down.
Instead, she wraps her arms around me and presses close, her cheek touching mine. “I wasn’t sure you were an exclusive guy.”
“I am when I’ve found the right girl,” I say, not caring that I sound like a cheesy idiot.
She kisses me then, taking my breath away and shaking me to my core with the passion she unleashes. God, I want her naked underneath me. But for now, I settle for opening the car door and tumbling inside. She straddles me in the backseat, and I know that asking her that question was the best choice I’ve ever made.