EVERLY
Wish you were here!
ME
Me too. Cheer extra loud for me.
EVERLY
Already on it.
The game is on while I paint my toenails in the living room. I don’t know a lot about Colorado, or really any of the teams, but they seem good. At the start of the third period, the Wildcats are down by three goals and the announcers keep talking about how they need to shake off the first two periods and come out strong.
A fierce protectiveness rages inside me when they mention that Ash has been struggling since his return. But when they zoom in on him after an icing call, I can see the tension in the set of his jaw.
Guilt gnaws at me. He wanted me to be there, and I said no. It isn’t like I didn’t want to go. I don’t think Ash realizes just what lengths Gabe will stoop to get what he wants.
He said he understood, but I still feel crappy. And it makes me hate Gabe that much more. And, okay, myself a little. I was so glad to be free of him, but he’s still this annoying, silent presence keeping me from living my life.
The Wildcats do pick up a little momentum (according to the sportscasters) as the third period winds down. Jack scores, then less than a minute later Maverick does as well, but Colorado follows it up with one of their own, and with one minute to go, they’re still down two goals.
ME
Do you think the guys will go to Wild’s after the game?
EVERLY
I doubt it. They don’t usually go out after a loss.
ME
Oh. Okay.
EVERLY
You want to go out? I think I heard that Kappa is having a party tonight.
ME
No, I don’t really feel like partying. I was just curious.
EVERLY
OMG were you going to surprise Ash?
ME
I feel bad for not going to the game. It’s probably a terrible idea anyway.
EVERLY
NO WAY. He’ll be so excited. He can probably use some cheering up. You HAVE to go.
ME
You just said they weren’t going out.
EVERLY
Not to the bar. Surprise him at his house.
ME
That sounds a little presumptuous. Maybe I’ll just text him and see if he wants to hang out.
EVERLY
Are you kidding? He’ll love it. Ash loves a surprise. He’ll be so stoked to see you.
ME
What if he made other plans or just wants to be alone? Or what if he brings another girl home?
EVERLY
I would kill him for cheating on you, but he would never.
ME
We’re not together so it’s not cheating. Appreciate the loyalty though.
EVERLY
Always.
Nerves have me fidgeting while I wait parked in front of Ash’s house. The entire street is dark and quiet. I feel like a total lurker. Dropping my head to the steering wheel, I contemplate leaving for all of two seconds before I talk myself out of it. No. I should have showed up for him at the game and I didn’t. Even if he doesn’t want to hang out, I want to see him long enough to tell him how much I regret not being there.
Lights flash through the windshield and I glance up, squinting to identify the vehicle. Ash’s truck slows and turns into the driveway in front of me. I can’t see through the tinted windows, but my heart races, knowing that he’s in there and there’s no turning back.
I swallow down my nerves and get out of the car. Ash is already walking around behind his truck when I shut my door.
“Hey.” I give him a wobbly smile. “Surprise!”
He’s in joggers and a sweatshirt, with a black Wildcat hat pulled low over his eyes, making it hard to read his expression. His long legs eat up the space between us before I can decipher if he’s happy to see me or freaked out.
When I finally do get a glimpse of his face, my chest tightens at the serious and focused glint.
Shit. Not cool, Bridget. So not cool. What guy wants you to show up unannounced after he just had a crappy day at work?
“I’m so sorry—”
His mouth crashes down on mine before I can get the full apology out. His giant hands frame my face and he tilts my head to deepen the kiss. His tongue strokes mine, needy and frantic.
I’m breathless when he pulls back, and his chest rises and falls in the same rhythm.
“I guess it’s okay I showed up without warning then?”
“I think my heart catapulted out of my body when I realized it was your car. It’s really you?”
“In the flesh.”
His gaze dips to my bare legs. I hadn’t planned on standing outside in a skirt, but the look he gives me makes it well worth braving the freezing temperature out here. Ash reaches down and scoops me up into his arms.
I let out a little squeal as he swats my ass. He starts for the house, bypassing his truck.
Laughing, I try to wiggle out of his hold. “Ash. Wait. You left the door open.”
“Left all my stuff in there too. Don’t care.”
“What if someone steals it?”
“Ah, shit. I need my keys.” He backtracks and carries me to the truck instead. He sets me on the driver’s seat. The cab of the truck is still warm. “I missed you.”
“It’s only been a few hours,” I say, but his words make me giddy inside.
“I stand by my words.” His palms glide down my thighs to my knees and then back. “Did you have a good day?”
“No, not really.”
His brows furrow.
“I felt like shit for not coming to the game. I shouldn’t have let Gabe scare me away so easily.”
“You were right to say no. It wasn’t fair of me to ask that of you. I underestimated what a prick he is.”
My body tenses. “Did something happen?”
“Nothing important.”
I cock my head to the side.
“Everything is fine,” he says. I’m not convinced, but he leans in and kisses me again and all my thoughts of Gabe, or anyone else, are gone.
Ash steps between my legs, pushing them farther apart as his fingers drift up under my skirt.
“I’m sorry about the game.”
He hums, then the tips of his fingers graze the lacy material between my thighs. His lips go to my neck and work their way down to my collarbone.
“You’ll get them next time, or whatever they say in this scenario.” I jolt when his thumb strokes my clit over my panties.
“In this scenario, the only thing I want you to say is my name, babe.”
“Ash,” I say, far breathier than intended.
“That’s it.” His fingers slip underneath the material. “Lie back, baby. I need to taste you.”
“Here?”
“Right fucking here. I can’t wait.” He hooks one leg over his shoulder as I lean back over the center console. He tosses his hat onto the dashboard.
Any uncertainties are quickly erased when his lips brush over my aching core.
“Ash.”
He moves my panties over to the side and then places another kiss in the same spot. I’m vibrating with a need so big it feels impossible to quell.
“Fuck, Bridge. You’re so wet. So ready for me.” His eyes lock onto mine as he covers me with his mouth.
“Yes.” I reach out for him and pull at the front of his joggers. I need more. I need him. Sex with Ash is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. He’s playful and fun but surprisingly tender and attentive too.
“I don’t have any more condoms in my wallet.”
“I’m on birth control and I haven’t been with anyone else since…” I don’t say his name, but Ash nods in understanding.
“I get checked regularly.”
“Okay,” I say breathlessly.
He dips back down between my legs and nips at my inner thigh. “But first I want to feel you come apart on my tongue.”
This time when his mouth covers me, his touch is hard and demanding. His hands hold me in place as he alternates sucking and licking my swollen clit.
I’m gasping and writhing beneath him. It’s too much and not enough.
“I need…I need you,” I rasp.
“You want this.” He stands tall and lets his hard cock nudge against my throbbing pussy. He’s still wearing his joggers, but I’m so close it sends a wave of pleasure through me.
“Yes.” I arch into him, but he pulls away.
I whine, out of my mind with how turned on I am. How much I want him. How much I need him.
He drops a quick kiss against my lips and murmurs, “Come for me, Bridget. Then I’ll take you inside and fuck you so hard you won’t remember anyone but me.”
Oh, I remember the others, all right. Remember how none of them ever made me feel like this. Even without his talented tongue, huge dick, and dirty words, Ash puts every other experience in a column labeled Nowhere Near as Good as This.
When I shatter for him, it’s with the knowledge that he’ll always stand apart for reasons I don’t fully understand and couldn’t explain.
My legs are still trembling around him when Ash adjusts my panties and pulls my skirt down. “Uhh, Bridge?”
His tone, full of hesitation and apprehension—two things Ash is not—makes me sit up quickly. “Yeah?”
“We’ve got company.”
“Company?” I squeak as I finally notice the headlights pulling to a stop on the curb in front of my car.
“Hey,” Leo’s deep voice calls from the open window. “Everything okay?”
“Yep. Everything is great.” He motions with his head for me to step out.
I shake my head. I cannot imagine what I look like right now.
“It’s just Leo,” he says when I don’t move.
Another head shake.
“He knows I’m not over here talking to myself, babe.”
Reluctantly, I shimmy forward. Ash is impatient, though, and decides to lift me out and set me on the ground in front of him. He wraps his arms around my waist. “Bridget came by to surprise me.”
Leo’s smile widens. “Hey, Bridget.”
“Hey, Leo.” Heat hits my cheeks. I wave, then smooth a hand over my messy hair.
Without another word, he rolls up the window and pulls into the driveway across the street.
“Oh my gosh. I’m going to kill you. I’m so embarrassed.”
“He knows I make out with girls. I think you’ll survive.”
“Yeah, but not in your truck with the door open in the middle of the driveway.” I wave my hand around dramatically, then groan again.
“You’re cute.”
“I am mortified.”
He chuckles, then wipes a thumb under my left eye where I’m sure my makeup is smudged. “Well, put that mortification on hold because I sort of promised him and Scarlett I’d come over for a bit tonight.”
“I thought you might have made plans. It’s no big deal. You should go. I just wanted to drop by and tell you I’m sorry for not going and that it was a tough game.”
His face twists in confusion. “You’re not going anywhere, babe. You’re coming with me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Scarlett will be thrilled.” He circles my waist and pulls me flush against him. “Besides, we have plans later.”
