I WOKE WITH A BONER. Zoey’s back curled up against my chest and her tight butt was snug against my rock-hard cock. My entire body vibrated with desire. I gently eased my body away from her, stilling momentarily when a soft sigh escaped from her.
With one arm still beneath her neck, I rolled over onto my back, trying to will my dick to settle down. I stifled a groan, when she rolled towards me, seeking my body heat in her sleep. I bit my lip when her bent leg landed just below my junk and pressed on my balls. It felt way too good.
I gently pushed her leg down. She moaned and pushed her leg back up, curling tighter against me. It would be really fucking awkward if I came in my shorts, but it also felt so damn good, I lay there enjoying it.
I lifted my head and stared down at her face. Asleep, her softened features made her look like an angel. She had the most stunning face. High cheekbones, a petite nose, big expressive eyes, and that pouty mouth that made me think of doing things that would break every code in the friendship book.
Something was bothering her. She hadn’t been herself in the last few days, and it was freaking me out. Was Bianca messing with her? I knew those two didn’t like each other, and if that was the case, I had no hesitation in showing Bianca the door.
I wanted Zoey to trust me and come forward and share what was bothering her. We’d come a long way since our first days, but there was still a part of her she shielded and held back from me. And I wanted to know her, all of her. Which made little sense because typically, the inner workings of the female mind had never been my concern. Despite that, women always ended up telling me exactly what was on their mind without me asking a single question. Zoey was the opposite. No matter how much I questioned or prodded her, she kept her secrets to herself.
It drove me crazy. I thought about her far more than what someone would consider healthy, and even though that alarmed me, it didn’t stop me.
I didn’t understand it. This situation was different. We were friends. We lived together. We weren’t a couple. And she was a mystery. Every time she shared something personal with me, it felt like a gift. And it made me want to know more.
Zoey sighed and buried her head into my side. My cock twitched hard.
“Morning,” I said as I gently pushed her knee off my cock. The last thing I need was to freak her out even more.
She lifted her head. Instantly she became wary and struggled to move away from me.
“It’s okay,” I squished her closer to my body.
She sighed, and I felt her body relax again. “What time is it?”
“Just before 8 AM.”
“Sorry about last night.”
I could hear the anxiety in her voice.
“Zoey, please tell me what’s wrong.”
Her body stiffened again. “I can’t.”
“But something is wrong.”
Her head moved against my chest in a nod.
“What can I do?”
“Nothing.”
That word cracked my heart. “I can’t do anything if you won’t let me.”
Her head lifted and blue eyes solemnly stared into mine.
I tried again. “I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s wrong.”
She swallowed hard. I could tell she was on the verge of speaking. I held my breath.
The apartment alarm beeped, indicating that someone was coming in. Zoey’s eyes went wide with fear.
“It’s just Bianca,” I whispered, as a resolute expression settled on her face. She would not tell me.
A soft knock sounded on my door.
“What?” I called, my tone sharp.
“Ryan? It’s Bianca.”
I hated how Zoey sat up in bed, her body filled with tension.
“What do you need?”
“I thought you’d like to know that Zoey’s bedroom door is open and she’s not in her room.”
Zoey’s eyes went wide. She frantically shook her head at me. She didn’t want Bianca to know she was in here.
“She’s in here with me,” I spoke towards the door.
Nothing but silence from the other side of the door. Zoey, in mock horror, buried her face in the pillow.
“If I go out there and fire her ass, will that make your problem go away?” I whispered.
Zoey lifted her head and her eyes were sad. “No.”
I didn’t know what to do, so I lifted my head and touched the side of her face. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she pressed her face against my hand.
I wanted to kiss her.
No. I needed to kiss her.
I slowly moved my head towards her, but was cockblocked by my phone alarm. I lost the moment. The day was beginning. And I still did not understand what was going on with Zoey.
“I need to get to the gym before practice.” I also needed to get in the shower and jerk off. At least twice.
“Can I come watch your practice?”
I couldn’t think of anything I’d like more than to have her close by, so I could keep my eye on her. “Sure. We can go to IKEA right after.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Even the mention of IKEA didn’t warrant a reaction out of her.
I lay there, watching her crawl out of bed. Was she avoiding Bianca? Is that why she wanted to be part of my day? Was she lying about Bianca? What else could be bothering her?
“Hey,” I said. “You sure it won’t help if I fire her?”
“I’m sure,” she said, before slipping out the door.
I SET Zoey up on my laptop in the arena seats before moving to the gym. At least half the team was already working out. Mica moved his head in my direction, inviting me to sub in for his trainer, so we could spot each other.
“Was that Zoey I saw walking in with you?”
“Yep.”
“I’ll have to say hi to her.”
“She’d like that.”
Jensen lifted his head at the sound of her name.
“So, when are you having that party you promised everyone?” Mica’s voice boomed.
I could see several more heads turn towards us. Zoey’s birthday was Friday, but we had a game that night. “Saturday night. It’s Zoey’s birthday.”
Mica nodded his approval. “What kind of cake are you getting?”
Oh shit. “Not sure yet.”
“Chicks care about things like the cake. They want things like…” he snapped his fingers. “Those fizzy candles.”
“Sparklers?”
“Ya, sparklers.”
I made a mental note to call Krista as soon as possible. “I’ll make sure it has sparklers.”
“You want me to let everyone know?”
His tone was casual, but this was a big deal. If he passed on the news, I figured more guys would be receptive to it than if I announced it myself. “That’d be great.”
His eyes flicked to Jensen. “Is the whole team invited?”
Jensen’s eyes met mine.
“The whole team is invited and the WAGs. As long as they know the party is for Zoey.”
“HEY, KRISTA.”
“Ryan. What’s going on?”
I pinched the phone between my shoulder pad and my head while I laced up my skate. “I need your help to plan a party for Saturday.”
There was zero hesitation in her response. “No.”
“Please?”
“What happened to Bianca?”
“If she plans it, she might want to attend.”
“She’s your PA. The entire reason why I made you get a PA is so I could stop taking care of all your personal shit. Mainly because I have this thing called my own life.”
“I’m over my head and I need this to be special.”
“Look, Sugar. I adore you. But you need to use your PA. Bianca can plan a spectacular party, and if you don’t want her to stay, then you ask her to leave.”
“The party is for Zoey. Her birthday is on Friday.”
“Well hell, why didn’t you tell me that in the first place?”
“You’ll help?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely.”
I let out a breath. “I need a cake and those sparklers and…”
“Darling, leave it to me. I’ll make this Zoey-worthy. How many people?”
“Zoey, you, Mica and me are confirmed — and maybe the rest of the team and their plus ones.”
“So anywhere from four to fifty?”
“Approximately.”
“Has anyone told you that you’re a walking disaster?”
“Isn’t that what I pay you to tell me?”
“Okay, here is what will happen. I will take Zoey out for a pampering spa day on Saturday and you can stay at home to let in the caterer, the cleaners and get the bartenders set up.”
My idea of a party was a bunch of guys showing up with cases of beer. Krista knew how to put the sparklers on the cake. “Whatever you need. Just make it special.”
“Special is what I do.”
“Thanks, Krista.”
“Not doing this for you, Sugar. I’m doing it for our girl.”
AFTER WATCHING Zoey buy out half of the IKEA store, I considered I might do well buying stocks in the company, but watching her shop had made the trip worth every single penny. Now we sat in the corner of the IKEA restaurant, celebrating our success. I ordered the salmon lasagna and Zoey wanted the Swedish meatballs and fries.
“How’s your meal?”
“I adore Swedish food.”
God, she was cute.
“So do you think we bought everything we need for the bathrooms and the living room?”
“Yes, but I don’t know why you thought you needed to hire furniture builders.”
“They’re better at it than me. Besides, I need the place in top shape by Saturday.”
She nibbled on a fry but didn’t ask me why. “Okay.”
“You don’t want to know why?” I pressed.
“Mica said he’s coming over.”
“He did? Did he say why?”
She shrugged. “I guess to hang out.”
I let out a pent-up breath. “Yeah.”
“You two will have fun.”
I blinked. It never dawned on me that I needed to get Zoey to her own party. Before I could ask her, she switched the subject.
“When is the last time you had a girlfriend?”
I blinked at Zoey’s question. “When is the last time you had a boyfriend?”
Her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. “You go first.”
I pushed my tray away, trying to be honest without showing what a dick I’d been in the past. “I guess my last girlfriend was three years ago. Her name was Carmen.”
Zoey’s eyes went wide. “You haven’t had a girlfriend in three years?”
“Why does that surprise you?”
Her cheeks flushed darker. “I thought someone like you would sort of need to..”
It took a moment for me to realize she was talking about sex. “When I stopped dating, I just hooked up when I needed to.”
So much for not looking like an asshole.
“Why did you stop dating?”
“I couldn’t keep up.”
“In bed?” she whispered, horrified.
I tried not to laugh, but I failed. “No, things were fine in the bedroom. I couldn’t keep up emotionally.”
Her eyes narrowed as she nodded. “They fell in love with you.”
“Things always seem to start out normal. Women tell me how independent they are and how they don’t want to get serious and within six months, they are dropping hints about engagement rings and babies.”
“What did you do?”
“It became a pattern I didn’t like. I had feelings for them, but I wasn’t ready to get married. I’d try to slow things down, and they’d get upset. The relationship always ended with the girlfriend falling apart and me feeling like shit.”
“I get it,” she nodded sagely. “So you decided casual sex was easier.”
“I like having a girlfriend, but the messy ending wasn’t worth it. I always ended up being the dick that was hurting someone I cared about.”
“They did it to themselves.”
“How so?”
“They should have told you up front they wanted to get married and have kids.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“What’s your dating history?”
Her eyes wandered around the restaurant. “I don’t really date.”
I couldn’t imagine Zoey having casual sex, but then again, Zoey constantly surprised me. “So you just keep it casual?”
Her eyes jumped around. “I don’t like casual relationships.”
I could think of a million reasons why someone who had been living on the street didn’t date, but I wanted to know her reasons. “I told you my story.”
“I’m saving myself.”
Zoey was a virgin. I felt the shock jerk through my body, but I worked to keep my expression nonchalant. To my dismay, I felt my dick harden. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been with a virgin. Maybe my first girlfriend in high school?
“That’s cool. Are you saving yourself for marriage?”
Her gaze was downcast. “Just for someone special.”
The thought of Zoey giving herself to another dude made jealousy and frustration wash through every cell, momentarily muting me from responding. I felt my nostrils widen as I worked to bring more oxygen into my body. I wanted to ask her what she considered special. I refrained and instead said, “Don’t ever forget that.”
“I’ve seen people on the street have sex in exchange for a meal or to score drugs. When you’re cold and hungry, you get desperate, but that’s a slippery slope. I made a pact with myself to never cross that line.”
I leaned forward. “Zoey, those days are behind you. I promise you never have to live like that again.”
Her smile was sad. “You’re a nice person, you know? Never forget that.”
I watched as she slid off her chair and picked up our trays. Something unsettling passed over me. Like a dark warning. I had the urge to wrap her up in my arms and never let go. Why did it feel like she was slipping away from me?
I caught up with her, “Can I ask you a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Can you help me out on Saturday night?”
She hesitated for a long moment. “To do what?”
“I was hoping you’d hang out on Saturday night. It’d make me feel better if you were there. You know, some friendly fire.”
She frowned. “I thought you and Mica were already friends.”
I had assumed that she’d attend this party. What if she didn’t want to come? “Well, Mica might bring more people.”
She reached out and grabbed my arm. “So you think more guys will show up!”
I was counting on it. “So what do you say? Can you hang out and be there for me?”
She looked conflicted, then she nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
