“I’m so glad you came!” Everly throws her arms around me in the little booth we’re sitting at in the back of Wild’s. The bar is packed tonight after the Wildcats’ win. I skipped the game but met up with Ev and some of the wives and girlfriends after it was over.
I lean my head against her shoulder. “Me too.”
“Thank god they won,” Scarlett says across from us with Jade, Declan’s wife. “Between my dad and Leo worried about the season to Callum teething, my life has been filled with grumpy men.”
Cheering in front of the bar alerts us to the entrance of the guys. Jack, Tyler, Maverick, Leo, Declan, and Ash walk in one after the other. Most people just lift their drink in greeting, but a few pat them on the back or crowd around, making it hard for them to pass by.
“I’m gonna go save my man,” Jade says. “He looks like he needs to feel me up in a dark corner somewhere.”
“Get a room!” Scarlett calls behind her, but she’s smiling.
Everly nudges me. “Are you going to say hello to Ash?”
I shake my head. “We’ve decided to play it cool in public. Especially this close to the arena and after a game.”
I look up at where he’s standing at the bar waiting on a drink. It’s only been a few weeks since we started hanging out, but I’ve come to know so many things about him. The easy way he makes conversation with anyone and everyone. His genuine love of people and wanting to know their story. The way one side of his mouth pulls a little higher than the other when he smiles. How he can make my entire body light up with a simple touch. All the sweet and thoughtful things he does to show me how much he cares. The way he can flip from playful to demanding when we’re kissing. And the way that he’s staring at me now tells me he’s picturing me naked.
He winks from across the room and my stomach does a series of Olympic-size somersaults.
“You two aren’t fooling anyone,” Everly says, arching one brow.
Heat creeps up my neck and I force myself to look away.
“You came to the bar just to be in the same place as him, but have no intention of talking to him or kissing him or interrupting that girl that’s trying to get his attention?” Scarlett asks.
When I glance back at where Ash stands, he is indeed talking to a girl.
“Want me to go tell her to get lost?” Ev asks me.
“We’re not exclusive,” I say as jealousy sweeps through me. “And yes, I know it isn’t ideal, but I want to support him even if it means we can’t make out in the corner like Jade and Declan.”
“Oh, honey, that is just about the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.” Scarlett reaches over and squeezes my hand.
She and Everly are both giving me weird looks.
“And to hang out with you guys,” I say quickly before taking a drink. “Do you want to play pool or darts or something?”
“I’m gonna go to the bar.” Scarlett tips her head toward where the guys are. “Leo and I only have about an hour before we need to go pick up Callum.”
“I’m in.” Ev finishes off the last of her soda and then stands. She grabs my hand and pulls me to my feet. “But first we need to get another drink.”
I have no idea why I’m nervous as Everly tugs me behind her toward the end of the bar where Ash is standing with Jack and some girls I don’t recognize. My friend obviously is not because she marches right up between Jack and Ash.
“Hey. Nice game,” she says to them. She moves closer to Jack, forcing him to make room and then uses our joined hands to pull me beside her.
“Congrats!” My smile is timid, but my heart is beating so fast as I get a whiff of Ash’s cologne.
“Thanks,” he says, then turns sideways to lean one hip against the bar. He tips up his beer with long fingers and stares at me. I watch as his throat works. One day. It’s only been one day since I’ve seen him, but it feels like an eternity. Dating a hockey player means lots of time apart when the team travels. A month ago that seemed like no big deal. Those were simpler times back when I didn’t know how hard Ash Kelly could make me come. Or how many times. Or…
Ev breaks me out of my daydream by squeezing my hand. “Do you want something to drink?”
“Oh. Yeah. Chardonnay,” I say to the bartender.
“Same,” Ev tells him.
“One Chardonnay and one Pepsi,” Jack orders the guy behind the bar while giving Everly the side-eye. “Put their drinks on my tab.”
“Having a good night?” Ash asks. He leans an inch closer, and I can feel the heat of him. I’d think he were completely unaffected if not for the way his eyes hold me captive and the tension in his shoulders. He wants to throw me over that tense shoulder and get out of here. I want that too. So badly.
But Ev has been giving me shit for not going out with her and Grace more since I started seeing Ash. And I know that somewhere, deep down below the sex haze we’re in, Ash wants to celebrate the win with his teammates too.
“Pretty average so far,” I say with a small shrug, fighting a smirk.
He invades my space so quickly it catches me off guard and I inhale sharply.
“I have a few ideas on how to improve both our nights,” he whispers, breath tickling my neck and making goosebumps dot my skin.
He pulls back as quickly as he came. Everly hands me my wine. I take a large sip, but it doesn’t do anything to cool the warmth flooding my body.
After a few more torturous minutes of talking with Ash and Jack, Everly and I leave them. The dartboards are occupied, but Ev recognizes a couple of guys from school, and they let us join them. She introduces me, but I barely catch their names. Ash and Jack have attracted more people, mostly women, and I want to claw their eyes out.
He isn’t even paying them that much attention. Every time I look up at him, he’s staring back. And I know Ash well enough to know he isn’t going to hit on anyone in front of me or do anything to purposely hurt me. That isn’t him.
Blowing out a breath, I do my best to ignore my hot man at the bar (for now) and hang with Ev and get to know her friends. They turn out to be pretty nice. I think they both like Everly, but that’s not all that surprising because she’s beautiful and fun and has that air of confidence that guys love.
We play two games, then go to sit at a table with them across the bar.
I can’t see Ash from here unless I crane my neck over the crowd of people between us.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
ASH
Where’d you go?
ME
With Everly at a table in the front.
ASH
Meet me by the jukebox
“Is there a jukebox in here?” I ask the table.
Everly nods. “Yeah. It’s in the far-left corner. You want to play a song?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure.”
Her gaze narrows, then she glances at the phone in my hand and her lips curve up. “Tell him I said hello.”
The jukebox isn’t hard to find, but Ash isn’t there. I turn in a circle looking for him, then open our text chain again in case I misread it.
I’m tapping out a reply to ask him where he is, when warm arms wrap around my waist from behind.
“Hey,” he rasps. “Don’t freak out.”
“Why would I—” My sentence is cut off when he picks me up and carries me down a long hallway.
He kicks open the men’s bathroom and then sets me down. It’s empty and cleaner than I would have expected.
“Really? The bathroom?”
“I know, not romantic at all, but I couldn’t wait to kiss you any longer.” He backs me up against the door and both hands frame my face. “You’re so fucking beautiful and I’ve had to watch you talk to every other guy in the bar while I kept my distance. I hate it.”
Jealousy is a very good look on him. It’s not mean or fueled with angry words.
His thumb strokes the corner of my mouth. “But I’m so glad you’re here.”
My pulse races and my breaths come in quick, shallow gulps. “Me too.”
His lips drop to mine in a soft kiss, but that tenderness only lasts a moment before we’re both frantically trying to press our mouths together harder. His hips pin mine and his hard length pushes against my stomach.
One hand drops to the top of my jeans and a long finger curls under the material and pulls it away from my body. “I hate that I can’t claim you like this out there where everyone can see.”
His words make my heart soar. I shouldn’t want to be claimed. Not by him. That’s not what this is. We agreed to casual. But it feels so much bigger than that.
He pops the button and undoes the zipper of my jeans slowly as he continues to kiss me, then Ash shoves his hand down the front. The tips of his fingers brush against the silky material of my panties and then lower until he’s cupping me. He kicks my legs farther apart and then one finger is dipping inside me.
He pulls back to watch me as he pumps in and out of me with his long, strong fingers. First one, then two.
The door handle moves a fraction like someone’s trying it from the outside, then there’s a knock.
“Go the fuck away!” Ash calls without removing his eyes from me. The heel of his palm presses down against my clit and my eyes slam closed with pleasure.
The beat of the music in the bar filters through, drowning out the little moans and pants slipping from my lips.
“Come for me, Bridget. It’s all I’ve thought about for the past twenty-four hours.”
He removes his fingers from my pussy and strokes those two long fingers over my clit until my body goes rigid against him. My head falls back, and he drops his mouth to my neck. He sucks hard on the sensitive skin above my collarbone as his fingers glide over the sensitive bundle of nerves until I cry out his name.
His fingers don’t move until I’m limp and quivering against him. I’m thankful for the wooden door to lean against because my legs are wobbly.
“I missed you.” He places a sweet kiss on my lips.
“I kinda got that,” I say, smiling, eyes still closed. When I open them, he’s grinning back at me.
“What time do you want to get out of here?”
“You want me to stay with you tonight?”
“I always want that.”
I’m still not quite used to that. For a guy that’s only ever done casual relationships, he’s pretty into hanging out whenever he’s free.
“Okay. Well, whenever you’re ready, I guess. Just text me and I’ll leave a few minutes after you.”
“Babe, I was ready as soon as I walked in.”
My face must show my surprise because he adds, “Did you really think I’d rather be here than at my place fucking you?”
“Ummm….Yeah, kind of. You won. You should celebrate with your teammates.”
“I love my teammates, truly, but the only thing I want to do for the rest of the night is listen to you scream my name over and over again.”
Heat creeps up my neck.
Ash flips the lock on the bathroom. “I’ll go get my truck and pick you up out front, so you have a few minutes to say goodbye to Ev.”
“I drove. My car is in the lot across the street.”
“It’ll be fine until the morning.”
“I have class in the morning.”
“I don’t mind.”
I cock my head to the side. “Do you even need to come back here tomorrow? I thought you had the morning off before the flight to Toronto. If I take my car then you don’t need to make an extra trip.”
“What I need is for you to ride with me so I can make you come with my fingers again before we get to my place.”
I squeeze my legs together to ease the ache that’s started up again.
“Okay by you?” he asks.
I nod and swallow the lump in my throat. Yep, absolutely fine by me.
Ash makes good on his promise and makes me come again in the truck. I made him wait until we were parked in his driveway. Safety first. Then he carried me inside and got another orgasm out of me with his tongue before we made it out of the entryway.
I’m not sure I’m capable of more when he pulls me into his bedroom, but I owe him several. He helps me get him out of his shirt and pants. I spend a few seconds gawking at his body every time I see him naked.
“See something you like?” He strokes himself slowly.
“Maybe,” I say with a coy edge to my voice and a little indifferent shrug.
He growls as he playfully narrows his eyes at me. “I’ll make you pay for that, babe.”
I don’t know what he has in mind, but before he has a chance to move, I drop down to my knees in front of him. When I glance up, his gaze is dark. I open wide and he feeds his dick carefully between my lips.
He’s too big to take completely, but I wrap my mouth around him and swirl my tongue.
“Fuck me.” His hands slide into my hair and he rocks his hips slowly.
Tears prick my eyes as he hits the back of my throat. He’s being gentle, but he’s just so big.
He pulls out and motions for me to stand. “Come here.”
“I wanted to return the favor,” I tell him.
“Getting you off isn’t a favor. It’s a gift. Lie down, beautiful.” One arm circles my waist and he places me on the edge of the bed.
Ash kisses me, pushing me onto my back as he covers my body with his. I missed him. Missed this. Missed being here.
Despite the number of orgasms he’s already gotten out of me tonight, I’m panting and writhing beneath him quickly.
“One sec,” he says, reaching toward the nightstand for what I assume is a condom or lube or something, but Ash reaches under the bed and pulls out something I haven’t seen before. The metal bar is about a foot long with cuffs on either end.
“Trust me?” he asks.
“In theory.”
He chuckles, places a kiss to my lips, and then moves down my body. Carefully, he puts a cuff around one ankle, then does the same to the other. I can’t close my legs and the bar is sturdy enough that Ash uses it to pull me closer to the edge of the mattress.
He lifts the bar, and my legs, off the bed and then somehow extends the bar so my legs are pushed farther apart. I let out a little gasp that makes him chuckle again.
I’m spread out for him. Vulnerable in a way I couldn’t have imagined letting anyone but him make me feel. I’m safe with Ash. I know he doesn’t realize how much that means, but it’s something I’ll be forever grateful to him for giving back to me.
“You take my breath away, Bridge,” he says, voice husky as he stares down at me.
Ash lowers the bar and climbs onto the bed. His nose grazes the inside of my calf, and he kisses my knee as he moves higher. His touch makes goosebumps rise on my skin. On instinct, I try to clench my thighs, only to be met with the resistance of the bar. The sensation is overwhelming.
My core throbs with anticipation. His long fingers splay out over my leg and drag upward so slowly that I moan in frustration.
“Ash.” His name comes out breathy. “I need you.”
“You have me.” He kisses my stomach and then lower, flicking his tongue over my clit.
My hips jump.
“I need your dick,” I clarify in a bossy tone.
I get another laugh out of him, but his eyes darken as he leans back and scans my body. “Fuck. Okay. I can’t wait either.”
He lines up the head of his cock at my entrance. I’m already so wet that the thick crown slides in easily. He pushes in gently, groaning as if the restraint to not go faster is physically painful.
I’m helpless to do anything and safe to feel everything.
My mind is on a loop, playing out the last few weeks—all the fun and sexy times we’ve had—as Ash pounds into me at a steady and torturous pace.
The orgasm I was sure wasn’t possible forces my back off the bed. Ash follows me over the edge seconds later.
We lie together in a sweaty heap, catching our breath for a moment before he undoes the cuffs on the spreader bar. He gives each ankle a kiss as he goes, then tosses the bar on the ground beside the bed.
He falls onto the bed next to me and I curl up to face him. Boneless and tired but satiated in a way I’ve never been before.
“I want you to be mine, Bridge,” he says quietly as the pad of his thumb drags over my bottom lip. “I know we said this was casual and there are reasons that we can’t be together right now, but I don’t want anyone else but you and I’m hoping you feel the same way. We can deal with whatever happens together.”
My heart beats so loudly I’m certain he can hear it. The people next door can probably hear it.
By ‘whatever happens’ he means Gabe. I don’t know for sure what my ex would do if he knew we were together, but I don’t want to find out and risk Ash getting dragged into it.
I like him too much to pretend I don’t feel the same. I like him so much. He’s reminded me that there are great guys out there and that relationships don’t have to be a roller coaster. Every day just gets better than the last.
“I don’t want to be with anyone else either. You make me very happy.”
He smiles and brushes his lips over mine again.
My chest tightens. “But for now, I think we should keep things casual and discreet. At least until the season is over.”
That’s a few months away and if we both still feel the same, then we can figure it out. When it will make the least waves possible. I would never forgive myself if being with me caused problems for his career. I know what hockey means to him.
“Exclusively casual?” I ask, hopeful it’s enough for him for now.
A flicker of what could be disappointment flashes across his face and then he nods. “Yeah. All right. Whatever you want, babe, but I’m yours.”
The next morning I wake up to the smell of coffee and bacon. I pull on one of Ash’s T-shirts, brush my teeth, and then head out to find him in the living room. He’s on the couch with an iPad on his lap. He’s shirtless with sweats and no socks. He looks so adorable and at home that it makes the furrow between his brows more pronounced.
“Morning,” I say as I walk in.
His expression shifts and he smiles as he sets the device beside him. “Morning, beautiful. There’s coffee and food in the kitchen.”
“Exactly how long have you been awake?” I climb onto his lap, straddling him as I lean in to kiss him.
“Awhile,” he admits. “I couldn’t sleep, and I didn’t want to wake you with all my tossing and turning.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he says, in a tone that’s not at all convincing. “I was just watching some clips from last night’s game.”
I glance down at the iPad beside us. A frozen image of little green men on the ice. Sliding off him, I pick it up and press play. There he is, speeding down the ice with the puck.
“It’s pretty impressive,” I say.
“What’s that?” He smooths my hair away from my face with a hand he rests along my neck.
“You. Your job. Being a professional hockey player. It’s a cool job and you’re amazing.”
He smiles and a soft chuckle rumbles in his chest. “It is a cool job, but I’m not really that amazing. Not like Jack or Leo or some of the other guys.”
Confusion knits my brow. “Is that like saying you’re the worst of exceptionally talented players? Because that still makes you amazing.”
He laughs again and takes the iPad from me. “I just mean I’m not a guy that makes a difference out there in the same way. Without Jack or Leo, the team would fall apart. Jack is our captain—he keeps everyone motivated and happy, whatever the cost, and he’s one of our top scorers every season. Leo is a quiet, natural leader. Guys look up to him. And we can always count on him in the playoffs. The man has another gear in the spring.”
I wonder if it’s something Gabe said that has got in his head. I know how easy it is to let other people’s opinions create self-doubt, but I never would have thought my cocky Ash would doubt how absolutely incredible he is. “You’re wrong. What you bring to the team is just as valuable.”
He smirks, obviously amused by my comment, but there’s a glint of hope and vulnerability that pushes me to keep going.
“I don’t know hockey that well, but I see how you are with your teammates. They love and respect you. Not because they have to, but because you’re good and loyal. You make people feel seen and capable, and it pushes them to be better. That’s such a rare quality. Don’t undervalue yourself.”
“You’re something, you know that?”
“I do,” I say proudly. Thanks to him.
He tosses the iPad to the far end of the couch and then brings a hand up to caress my neck.
“You gave me a hickey,” I say as he lets his thumb glide along the mark on my skin.
“I know.” A real smile finally pulls his lips apart. He shifts so he’s on top of me. “And I plan to give you another on the other side before you leave here.”
