The houses along Bexley U’s party street were quiet—all except the one that was holding the end-of-season hockey celebration. It was the biggest fraternity at Bexley U, therefore they had the biggest house, and leave it to Taytum and her flirty smile to get them to agree to host the party.
Everyone was wearing black—a black-out party. The only thing in the midst of the dark color were the shiny silver streamers hanging over every archway. The bowl of black punch—something that screamed bad decisions—smelled of liquor and blackberries. I opted for a beer instead, but mostly everyone had a cup with the liquid sloshing out the top.
There were so many bodies packed in the living room that I was forced to stay in the kitchen with Sutton sipping on her drink. Butterflies filled my belly at the thought of seeing Aasher. I wanted nothing more than to stay in my apartment and wait for their bus to weave through the winding roads toward the hockey rink, but Sutton got word that Crew was making an appearance to congratulate his alma mater on their season, and I knew she’d need all the support she could get.
“It’s only this packed because of Crew coming.” Her eye roll told me she was less than pleased about his appearance.
“Do you wanna leave?” I asked.
Sutton and I had both been burned by hockey players, but her heart was still broken.
Mine wasn’t.
Her blonde hair whizzed past her face when she looked over at me. “No. I don’t want him to have that power over me.”
I completely understood. My beer bottle clanked with her cup, and we tipped our drinks back and took a gulp. My phone buzzed, and I knew it was Aasher. I’d missed nearly all his texts from this afternoon because I was in the rink, practicing.
My tryout for the figure skating team was a formality, according to Coach Chen-Wong, but the entire board would be there. First impressions meant everything, and I wanted to be ready.
Aasher: If you aren’t at this party, you’re in trouble.
A wicked grin curved onto my face as I typed back.
Me: What are you going to do if I’m not?
Aasher and I were on a whole new level. Instead of our usual antics of denying our attraction and hiding our desires, we were embracing them in the only way we could without messing everything up.
I liked knowing he wanted to see me.
I had butterflies every time I thought about him, and just a simple glance from him made me pause.
The anticipation of him walking through the front door had me on the edge of my seat. I nibbled on my bottom lip and watched as several hockey players walked through with their confidence as haughty as ever.
Where is he?
“What am I going to do, hmm?”
I shrieked, making Sutton jump beside me. I spun and gripped my beer bottle by the neck.
Aasher was standing against the kitchen bar with his arms crossed over his gray Henley. How long has he been there? The first two buttons were undone, and I gulped at the sexy smirk he was wearing.
“Jesus,” Sutton said, placing her cup on the bar top. “You scared me.”
Aasher’s gaze didn’t leave mine. “Sorry.”
He wasn’t sorry.
Sutton grabbed her drink again and put her back to Aasher and me. Ford and Emory slipped in past us, and after they said hi to me, they ushered Sutton farther into the party. The guys knew that Crew was showing up. It was all over campus. They would take care of Sutton. She had nothing to worry about.
“You’re lucky,” Aasher said, staring directly at my lips.
“Am I?” I asked, popping my hip out. I leaned against the edge of the counter beside him. I stared at his strong profile, watching his dark lashes move up and down with his slow blinks.
“I’d find you one way or another.” He grinned, and to anyone else, it would look like he was talking to the person in front of him instead of talking to me.
“And what would you do to me if you found me?” I baited, feeling edgier than usual. Just talking to Aasher made the few gulps of beer in my belly bubble.
The muscle lining his jaw flickered, and when he turned toward me, my knees buckled. “Want to find out?”
I tipped my beer back and chugged the rest of it. Aasher’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing. I pushed the bottle into his chest, feeling his ramming heart thump against the back of my hand. “Yes,” I whispered. “You’ve gotta find me first, though.”
His lips parted at the temptation.
I giggled and turned on my heel and weaved through the party, knowing he’d come find me. I stopped and talked to a few people—Taytum, some of her sorority sisters, and even one of the freshman figure skaters who stumbled over every word when she recognized me. Some of Aasher’s teammates followed my every step, probably still attempting to secure that bet they had, but I slipped right past them and darted up the stairs.
I felt Aasher’s eyes on me, even if I didn’t have the notion to look back. Most of the doors were locked, so I slinked down the dark hallway and slipped into a closet.
A laugh brewed.
Why is this so fun?
I was giddy with nerves at the thought of Aasher opening the door and finding me.
My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my back pocket.
Aasher: You’re going to be sorry.
Me: I highly doubt that.
I jumped when the door unlatched. I pressed myself farther into the shelves. The door creaked slowly as he pushed it open. It revealed nothing but his shadowy figure in the hall. My breath quickened.
“A duster in the cleaning closet? How ironic.”
I rolled my eyes at his joke.
“You aren’t very good at hiding, Riley.” The door slammed behind him. “Some would think you wanted to be found.”
“I did,” I said, surprised at how sultry my voice was.
My breasts pushed forward when his hands fell to my hips, slipping underneath my black long-sleeve shirt. It was mesh, so I paired it with a lace bralette, knowing I’d catch more attention than usual. “I like your outfit,” he whispered over my ear. “But I’m about to rip it to shreds.”
“That’s what I hoped for when I put it on.”
I weaved my hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck. My fingers teased his unruly strands of hair, and when his teeth grazed the sensitive part along my neck, I pulled on the ends.
“You smell so good.” He pulled back and pressed himself into me. He was already hard, and suddenly, our touches grew more frantic. I tore my top off at the same time as he undid my pants and shoved them down my legs. The button hit the door behind him when he threw them, cutting through the booming music from downstairs.
One second, I was on flat feet. The next, I was slammed onto the shelf behind me. My legs spread when he crowded my space, and the moment our mouths touched, his fingers dove through the front of my panties, and his palm scratched against my throbbing clit.
“God,” I whimpered.
“It’s only been a couple of days, Riley. Yet look at how wet your pussy is for me.”
His words made something curl inside of me, and I moved myself against his hand, chasing the high only he could give me.
“Oh, she likes it when I talk dirty to her?”
I whimpered, grabbing on to his hand to keep it steady as I rocked my hips back and forth.
“Sinful,” he moaned.
I felt drunk, but it had nothing to do with the beer I had.
His other hand that was keeping me steady crept underneath the lace of my bralette, and he squeezed, sending tingles down past my waist.
“Fuck,” he said. “I feel how close you are.”
“I am,” I gasped when his mouth fell to my nipple. He licked and sucked. My head hit the back of the wall when I came against his fingers, but the pain only lasted a second when he pulled my panties down my legs and entered me a second later.
“I can’t wait any more.”
My body shook as my heels dug into his lower back, keeping him as close to me as possible. He moved fast and took what he wanted, and I let him.
I moaned his name. His teeth sunk into my lips, and my back arched. There were voices outside the door. People were walking down the hall.
“Aasher.” I dug my nails into his shoulders, but he wasn’t stopping. “Did you lock the door?”
“No,” he groaned, tilting his hips to hit a spot that took my breath away.
“But—” I moved against him, unable to stop. “Someone could walk in and see us.”
His mouth fell to mine, and he swallowed my worries. Our tongues tangled, and we were both sweaty. I pulled on his hair again and matched his pace. I was close to orgasming again, and he knew it.
“Let them. I want everyone to know you’re mine.”
“But—”
Aasher’s thumb brushed over my clit before he pressed hard and rubbed me.
“But nothing.”
He sent me over the edge. His hot, needy mouth ate away at my moans, and he pumped in one more time before pulling out and shooting his cum out beside me.
We were both out of breath and stayed put for so long that the sweat dried on our skin. I was surprised when his hands found my hips again, pulling my naked body to meet him. We made out again, except this time, it wasn’t rushed. It was slow, sensual, and he cursed before pulling away.
“I could fuck you again.”
He bent down and pulled my panties up my legs, righting them on my hips before placing me on the ground. Once I was fully dressed and I ran my fingers through my hair, Aasher grabbed me by the hand and kissed my knuckles.
The door opened, and a blast of cool air floated around us. He turned and peered down at me with his slightly red cheeks and swollen lips. “I need a beer after that.”
I laughed. “Same.”
