THERE ISย a real chance I could spontaneously burst into flames at any moment.
Nateโs voice is barely above a whisper as he suggests testing his theory, but I feel every syllable all over my skin as goose bumps spread down my neck and across my chest. I have been betrayed by my body from the second he put his hands on both sides of my head and leaned in.
Heโs barely touched me and yet Iโm ready to melt into a puddle at his feet.
I donโt know whether itโs the proximity, the sheer adrenaline, or the tequila, but every rational thought disappears, and I crush my mouth against his.
He wastes no time sinking his hand into the hair at the nape of my neck, gripping tightly. His free hand slips around my body and palms my ass, making me moan into his mouth.
Nate is everywhere at once; all I can do is hold onto him and take it, and when his mouth travels down my neck, sucking and nipping, Iโm practically panting.
I didnโt think this would happen when I followed him up here, I swear. He just looks so good in his tux and watching him nervously check the party is going well all night has been sort of endearing. And heโs hot as fuck, have I said that before? All dark hair, dark eyes, and muscles upon muscles, upon muscles.
He sinks to his knees in front of me, tugging at his bow tie and undoing the top button of his shirt. With messy hair from where Iโve held onto it and flushed cheeks, he looks up at me. His hands run from my ankle to my
knee, then back down again, and yep, still close to melting territory. โYou sure?โ
โDo you have a pen and paper for me to draw you a map?โ
Iโm making jokes. Why am I making jokes? Why do I find how unimpressed with me he looks right now so funny? And hot?
โI donโt joke about consent, Anastasia,โ he says softly, leaning forward to kiss the inside of my knee.
โIโm sure.โ I donโt know why Iโm sure. Iโm sure I shouldnโt be sure. I shouldnโt like how he looks hooking my leg over his shoulder. Iโm definitely sure I shouldnโt be enjoying his tongue running up the inside of my thigh.
He pulls the material of the dress to the side, and when I put on this dress earlier, this is not how I saw the evening turning out. I hear a groan of approval when his mouth gets closer to the apex of my thighs, and he realizes Iโm not wearing any panties.
The anticipation is killing me. I know heโs doing it on purpose, getting closer and closer, but not doing anything meaningful.
Iโm about to open my mouth to tell him to hurry up when his tongue runs between my folds, circling my clit slowly. A loud, desperate moan echoes around the room. I donโt even realize the noise came from me until I feel his shoulders move because the jackass laughs.
Fingers tickle up the back of my thighs until they canโt go any farther. His huge hands sink into my ass, squeezing at the same time he sucks my clit into his mouth in a way that makes me feel like Iโm floating.
Iโm a wreck. A writhing, moaning, shaking wreck. Shit. I donโt even need to be looking at his face to realize how arrogant he is right now, not that I couldโitโs buried pretty deep between my thighs.
Sinking my hands into his hair for something to hold on to, a satisfied groan rumbles in his throat and the butterflies in my stomach freaking multiply.
I want to say something smart, sass him in some way. Not give him the satisfaction of knowing heโs turned me into a whimpering mess in a matter of minutes. Back arching away from the door, eyes rolling to the back of my head, hair pulling mess.
One of his hands moves from my ass cheeks, and when I look down, a pair of brown eyes are staring back at me. They stay burning into me,
watching me closely as two of his fingers slide into me, finding my G-spot in 2.5 seconds.
Itโs game over.
His pace increases as he pumps his fingers in and out of me, perfectly coordinated with his tongue, and if he wasnโt holding up my entire body with his mouth, Iโd have toppled over by now.
The feeling keeps building, hands tug harder at his hair as I cry out, stiletto heel digging into the hard muscles of his back as I desperately try to move my hips to ride his fingers. โNathanโฆโ I whimper. Iโm wound so impossibly tight I canโt breathe. โNathan, Iโm going to coโโ
I donโt even get the words out as every part of me spasms and I scream, everything tingling and throbbing as I tighten around him, bucking and thrashing, pleasure and heat flooding my entire body.
Removing his fingers and mouth, he leans back so he can look up at me properly, wearing the smuggest expression Iโve ever seen as he sucks his fingers into his mouth, not once breaking eye contact.
Oh fuck.
ITโS BEENย days since the party and every day I learn something new about myself.
A disaster will do that to a person.
The first thing I learned was Iโm good at running in heels; I found that one out when I sprinted from Nateโs room. Iโve learned Iโm not good at keeping a low profile, even when Iโm actively trying to avoid someone. Iโve also learned Iโd be a terrible criminal; Iโd end up getting caught. Iโm too jumpy and paranoid, which is why my instinct is to immediately panic when I wake up to the sound of heavy banging on my bedroom door.
Ryanโs arm tightens around my waist, head burrowing deeper into my neck, his deep groan of annoyance vibrating against my skin. โMake it stop.โ
There is only one person in this house who is confident enough to slam their fist against someone elseโs door this early in the morning.
โWhat do you want, Sabrina?โ
โAre you two fucking or can I come in?โ
Ryan and I didnโt even hook up last night, we watched a movie and fell asleep. We agreed the benefits aspect of our friendship was over now that heโs looking to ask Olivia to be exclusive with him. I donโt feel sad about it because I always knew itโd come to an end. Iโm happy I managed to gain a best friend out of whatโs been an amazing situation.
Ryan untangles our bodies and rolls onto his back with a huff. โIf we were fucking, you just killed the mood.โ
โOkay, Iโm coming in! Put your dick away, Rothwell.โ
Carrying two boxes on her hip, Sabrina bursts through the door and throws herself onto the bed. She shields her eyes dramatically when she gets a look at Ryanโs exposed chest.
He looks at me in disbelief, tugging the duvet up to cover himself. Hooking up or not, Iโd have a picture of Ryanโs body as my bedroom wallpaper if I could. Sabrina is ridiculous.
โHow is my favorite not-couple this morning?โ she asks cheerfully, throwing one of the boxes at me. โWe have presents!โ
Ryan yawns, ensuring to keep his body covered as he stretches. โBetter if youโd woken me up with mโshewsha instead of a headache.โ
Brin making breakfast is Ryanโs favorite thing about staying over.
Charming, isnโt it?
Sabrina tuts. โNobody likes a drama queen, Rothwell.โ
โWho are the presents from?โ I ask, examining my surname on the box in big letters.
โNate.โ She taps away on her phone, the signature video call sound starting. โWe have to open them on a video call.โ
Video call?ย โBrin, waiโโ
โGood morning,โ Robbie says. โYouโre beautiful in the morning.โ โSheโs got an audience,โ I grumble before the phone sex starts.
โSo have I,โ he says back. Sabrina turns around so her back is to me and Ryan, she holds her phone up and manages to get the three of us in the shot.
Robbie does the same thing, showing he has Nate and JJ on either side of him, eating what looks like cereal. JJ looks up from his bowl to the camera and chokes. Nathan looks up, too, his expression is blank. Robbie ignores him and talks louder over the noise. โOpen your presents now.โ
โHere, Rothwell,โ Brin says, turning back around and leaning to hand Ryan the phone. โMake yourself useful and be the cameraman.โ
Finally, after what feels like hours since Brin crashed her way in, I rip the box open. I feel weird opening what is supposed to be a gift from Nathan while sitting in bed with Ryan. I have no reason to feel weird, but I do.
Oh wait, it might be because Iโve been avoiding Nate since he gave me the best head of my life five days ago, and the first time he sees me afterward, Iโm in bed with someone else. Maybe thatโs it.
Dipping my hands into the box, I pull out its contentsโa Titans hockey jersey.
Brin squeals excitedly, holding up her matching one.ย Allaliย is printed on the back and when I flip mine over,ย Allenย is staring back at me in big white letters. โThanks, Nate!โ
โI was told this is all it takes to make you two listen to me. Welcome to the team.โ
The poor rookie on door duty at Robbieโs party obviously reported Sabrinaโs message.
โPut them on,โ Ryan says from behind the camera. โI canโt believe Iโm in bed with two hockey stars, I feel so lucky.โ
โCould have made it three if youโd given me the heads-up,โ JJ says with a snort.
โShut up, dipshit, thatโs my girl youโre talking about.โ
Brin winks at me right before pulling the jersey over her head. We have both read enough romance novels and watched enough bad romance movies to know we love aย sheโs mineย type of man. โI love it.โ
โWe gotta go to practice. Iโll speak to you later, yeah?โ โSure, bye.โ
โBye, guys,โ Ryan and I add.
Just before Ryan disconnects the call, we hear Henry. โIs that Anastasia? I thought she was avoiding you, Nathan.โ
I manage to not react to Henryโs words, other than one long, loud internal scream, but it doesnโt stop two pairs of eyes burning into me. It was funny when Sabrina and Ryan both started intensely staring at me, but now, minutes later, itโs a little sinister.
โWhat arenโt you telling me?โ Brin says in her most serious voice.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegasย is supposed to be a real thing. I know technically it was a Vegas party in Maple Hills, but the rules should still apply. I should be allowed to be a little irresponsible and a little slutty,
and not have to share with my friends. Unfortunately for me, the secret keepers of Vegas havenโt met Sabrina. โTell us or Iโm calling him back to ask.โ
I sink into the bed, pulling the duvet up over my head so I donโt have to look at anyone.
โHewentdownonmeatrobbieโsbirthdaypartyandIranoff.โ โHuh?โ they both say in unison.
I huff and cling on as Ryan tries to tug the duvet back down. Heโs stronger than me, so I eventually give up. โHe went down on me at Robbieโs birthday party, blah blah blah.โ I ignore their gasps, Sabrinaโs genuine and Ryanโs pretend one to play along with her dramatics. โIt was an accident, a moment of weakness, and Iโve been avoiding him.โ
โYou are not going toย blah blah blahย me. Itโs been almost a week!โ she screeches, arms flailing around dramatically. She turns her attention to Ryan. โDid you know about this?โ
โNo, I was on a date with Liv on Saturday, so I couldnโt make the party,โ he says, completely missing the way her face twists when he mentions Olivia. โIโm interested to know how people accidentally have oral sex though, Stas. Share with the group.โ
โYouโre a dick.โ I groan, hitting him in the chest with a pillow. โI was using his bathroom. He was trying to get me to admit I wanted to be friends, asked if he needed to get on his knees and beg.โ
โClassic,โ Brin says, rolling her eyes.
โSaid I was only pretending to hate him.โ
โYeah, this sounds like the start of any good hookup,โ she says sarcastically, scrunching her nose up with annoyance. โGet to the good bit.โ
โWell, when he asked if he needed to get on his knees, I was honest. I said the only time I want to see a man on his knees is if his head is between my legs.โ
Sabrina canโt breathe, sheโs laughing so hard, and Ryan is nearly as bad.
Iโm surprised Aaron hasnโt shown up because that would beย perfect.
โYou guys are annoying,โ I mutter, hitting them both again with a pillow. โAnyway, he took it as an invitation. Said ask me nicely, and was all โI donโt joke about consent, Anastasia,โ super sexy and brooding and yeah, practically ruined my vocal cords screaming.โ
โTook it as an invitation?โ Ryan repeats back, jaw slack. โStas, you practically told him you wanted to ride his face.โ
โI did not!โ I definitely did not. I was simply making a point that I donโt see anything good in a man begging at my feet. Iโm not sure how it became so misconstrued in conversation.
If anything, I blame Ryan for this situation. If he had been there when Brin disappeared off with Robbie, Iโd have had someone to make sure I didnโt do reckless things with reckless, hot hockey players.
โAnastasia,โ he takes my face between his hands and turns my head so Iโm only looking at him, not Sabrina, who is wiping away tears. โIf a woman is telling me the only time she wants me on my knees is when my face is in between her legs, respectfully, Iโm making a move. Iโd have kissed you too.โ
โWell, technically,โ I mumble, shaking my face free, โif you want to get into the specifics, I kissed him.โ
โYou little slut,โ Sabrina says in delight. โI canโt believe you werenโt going to tell us!โ Her eyes flick to Ryan, nose scrunching again. โWell, me. You two are weird. I donโt know what you share, but I canโt believe you werenโt going to tell me!โ
โItโs not happening again, Brin, so calm down.โ
Ryan groans beside me and drags his hand down his face. โStas, you know I love you, but youโve got to stop being so fucking stubborn. Hawkins is a good guy, fuck him, donโt fuck him, but since when do you avoid people you hook up with?โ
โYou should definitely fuck him,โ Brin says, far more enthusiastically than Iโd like.
โI agree. You probably should at least once, Stas. For science.โ
The performing arts major and the English literature major, the two least STEM people I know, both look at me, synchronized nodding and talking. โFor science.โ