“This fucking sucks,” I grumble again. The buzzer sounds, signalling the third consecutive Saint’s loss in the past two weeks.
“I know, but it’s only for another two and a half weeks. Then you can start practicing with the team again. Try and think positive,” I hear Ava reassure me from her seat in between Morgan and me.
“Don’t you think I’ve been trying that?” I accidentally snap at her, my words spilling out before I have a chance to stop them.
Her hurt expression is like a knife to the side. As much as I try to remind myself that she’s just trying to help, her overbearing need to always see the cup half full is starting to drive me crazy.
“Hey, asshat. Knock it off. Maybe if you weren’t such a baby she wouldn’t have to console you all the damn time,” Morgan seethes. She grabs Ava’s hand and yanks her out of her seat. “We’re going home. Find your own ride home.”
Before I get a word in, Morgan has already dragged Ava into the sea of people who, just like them, want to get out of here as fast as possible.
“Dammit.” I drag my good hand down my face, scratching at the beard that’s starting to cover my jaw. I wanted to shave it off when the scruffy stubble began to morph into a full-on beard, but Ava insisted that she liked it, so I kept it.
It’s no secret that I’ve been letting my temper show more often than I should, specifically towards the one person I never wanted to see it. It kills me to know that she’s upset with me, especially with how understanding she’s been about this whole thing. Morgan is right. I am a giant baby.
Dragging my ass out of my seat, I head to the parking lot and wait for Matt to come out and beg him to drive me and my shit attitude home. With my old ride no doubt dragging my name through the mud to my girlfriend, he’s my last hope.
“You’re lucky you’re my bro. Morgan is going to kick my ass when she finds out I gave her current enemy a ride,” Matthew states as he starts up his F-150 a few minutes later.
“Thanks again, dude. I appreciate it,” I say again, leaning back in the seat with a sigh.
“Don’t mention it. But a word of advice. Knock it off. Every girl has her limit, and if I know anything, it’s that you don’t want to reach it.”
It’s not like I don’t already know this, but I appreciate it nonetheless. I nod my head once. I stay quiet and listen to the music softly playing from the speaker system the whole way to the girls’ apartment.
OCTAVIA
“That boy needs a good ass whooping for talking to you like that. I would have done it myself but there were too many witnesses!” Morgan shouts, waving her arms around theatrically as we sit on the couch in our living room.
A rerun of some home improvement show is playing on the television, but neither of us pays attention.
“It’s so frustrating,” I admit at last. “I’ve been as understanding as I possibly can be. I just don’t know what more Oakley wants from me.”
Huffing, I throw my head back against the armrest. I’ve been listening to him complain about not playing because I understand where he’s coming from. Hockey is his life, and I know he’s struggling. I couldn’t imagine having my passion ripped away from me. But I’m also not an emotional punching bag.
Morgan nods her head fervently. “I’m going to kick his ass the next time I see hi—” A knock on the front door cuts her off. “Perfect! Speak of the devil, and he shall appear!” she yells excitedly, looking through the peephole in the door.
I jump up from my spot on the couch and grab her shoulders before she can rip Oakley a new one.
“Go to your room. I can take care of this,” I say gently and push her down the hallway to her room. After a few seconds of fighting, she huffs and
crosses her arms.
“Fine, I’ll go. Just shout if you need me. I have my own boyfriend to yell at right now.” Uh oh.
I unlock the door and pull it open to reveal a very sullen looking Oakley—his mouth set in a frown. The sight of him makes me want to wrap my arms around him and hold him close, but I don’t.
“Before you say anything, I want to start by giving you these.” He pulls out a bouquet of white roses from behind his back and holds them out to me.
I can’t fight off the small smile that spreads across my lips. “Thank
you.”
My thanks must help relieve some of his nerves because his lips turn
up slightly, and a slight pink flush covers his cheeks.
“The main reason I’m here is to apologize. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that earlier, and I definitely shouldn’t have been so hard on you these past couple of weeks. I like you so much and I don’t want to do anything to damage that.” He bites his bottom lip as he waits anxiously for my answer.
“It’s okay. I just want to help, is all. I don’t mean to overstep.” “You’re my girlfriend. You can’t overstep.”
“You sure about that?” I cock my head to the side and move closer
to him.
He swallows visibly, his Adam’s Apple bobbing up and down.
“I think so,” he says quietly. He drops his eyes to my lips and
watches my tongue glide across my bottom lip.
My fingers itch to reach out and touch him, the close proximity teasing me. He turns me into a damn kid in a candy store.
“Good to know.”
His eyes light up, letting me know that I’ve succeeded in provoking him. He grabs hold of me, throwing me over his shoulder. I let out a squeal as he carries me to my bedroom.
“Let’s go test it out,” he growls playfully and slaps my ass, letting his hand linger before giving it a rough squeeze. I let out a giggle and press a sloppy, open-mouthed kiss to the skin beneath his jawline.
I feel his pulse beneath my lips, and I fill up with a sense of pride when I feel it thump harder, quicker. His grip on me tightens when he throws open my door, not waiting to close it again before I’m being tossed
on the bed. Excitement swims in my belly as I watch him stalk towards me, a predatory smirk on his lips, and a fiery blaze sparking in his lustful gaze.
My heart thumps against my ribcage when he moves on top of me, placing his weight firmly on the two hands now resting beside my head. We’re so close now, his breath fanning across my parted lips, his body heat enveloping me like a blanket.
I don’t realize that I’m tracing my fingernails along his chest until I hear his groan of appreciation, my cheeks going pink. Swallowing my nerves, I slip them under his t-shirt, nearly melting when I feel the deep, hard ridges on his abdomen.
He leans down, capturing my lips with his, swallowing my sigh when he grinds his arousal between my legs, making my jaw slack, mouth falling open. My core throbs from the contact, leaving me breathless and wanting more–needing more. Reaching down, I grab his hips and pull him closer, giving him permission to keep going before he pulls away.
I can feel the thick, long outline of his erection against me, and I nearly orgasm from the thought of having him inside me. I know it’s too early, but that thought is fading in my mind, leaving me tainted with dirty thoughts that make me meet his thrusts and reach for the button on his jeans.
“Ava.” He lets out a throaty groan, the sound itself making me shiver with need. His tongue slips into my mouth, playing with mine in a way that should be illegal while he pushes down the waistband of my biker shorts, rubbing his thumb on my hip bone. He’s putting all of his weight on his forearm, yet his arm doesn’t shake, the corded muscles holding himself up with ease. Shit, that’s hot. Too hot.
We’re grinding on each other like teenagers in the backseat of a beater car, but I don’t care. I can’t find it in me to stop once I’ve unbuttoned his jeans and pulled down the zipper, tugging on them until he reaches down and pulls them down to his thighs for me before pressing against me again. I can feel the wetness from his arousal through my thin shorts, and I roll my hips against him, cooing his name.
Without stopping to give myself a chance to back out, I reach down and grip him in a tight fist, my eyes shutting when he throbs in my hand.
“Baby, we don’t have to go further than this,” Oakley groans half- heartedly, letting his forehead drop to rest against mine, our dewy skin making them stick together.
I slip his underwear down his thighs and grab his bare cock, giving it a quick jerk. “I want to.”
“Okay.”
He nods, almost to convince himself it’s okay to go further before he does just that. My shorts are quickly shoved down my legs before a long finger traces my slit, meeting the pool of arousal that’s soaked through my panties. His mouth finds my neck: kissing, sucking, and biting on the sensitive skin as I plead for him to touch me—to really touch me.
My eyes roll behind my eyelids, my thighs spreading when he pushes my panties to the side and pushes a finger inside me, moving it in a wide circle while his thumb pushes up on my clit.
I tighten my grip on him and pick up my pace, letting my thumb drag along his wet tip with every pull. He’s pushed another finger into my core now, jerking them around, hitting my special spot over and over until I’m crying for more, begging for him to make me come.
He starts to thrust himself in my hand the second I feel my stomach tighten, my walls gripping onto his fingers as spark after spark shoots through my core. I’m arching my back off the bed, pushing my chest against his.
“Fuck, Ava. You’re gonna make me come,” he growls, seconds before his fingers are pulled from me, my shirt now being pushed up my stomach. It’s less than a heartbeat after my skin is exposed that I feel hot, thick ropes of cum decorate my stomach.
“Holy shit,” he whispers, smiling a wide, white smile down at me, still holding himself up. I giggle when I notice his biceps wobbling slightly. “You are something else, Octavia Layton.”
“A good something I hope,” I reply breathlessly as I pull my short back up.
“A very good something.” He places a gentle kiss on my swollen lips before pulling back and pushing himself back on his knees. “Actually, you’re everything.”
“I have a question,” Oakley murmurs as we lay in bed. I can’t read his expression in the dark. The only source of light in my room is the TV. A particularly gruesome horror film is playing, but I’m not paying enough attention to know what is happening.
I look up and attempt to meet his eyes. “I might have an answer.”
He runs his hand through the length of my hair, sending shivers down my spine when he toys with the damaged ends.
“Who’s going to be at dinner on Friday? I feel like I need to be doing my homework so I don’t jam my foot in my mouth or something,” he lightly chuckles.
I push out a gentle hum and smile to myself as I think of seeing my family again at Thanksgiving. It’s a casual holiday in our house, but the idea of having Oakley there makes it feel as exciting as Christmas.
“My mom and dad, my brother Ben, and his girlfriend, Sydney.”
Although we all live in the same city, I don’t see them as much as I would like to. I envy Oakley and his family for that. Even though they live four hours away from each other, they still manage to see each other every few weeks.
My brother lives in Ontario for school. He only ever comes home for the holidays. And my parents both have jobs—incredibly busy jobs—so we don’t get to spend a lot of time together. I hate it, but it makes the time we do have together that much more special.
“I can’t wait to meet the people who helped shape you into the amazing woman lying beside me,” Oakley mumbles into my hair, the gently spoken words vibrating against my skull. His words hit me hard, and I suck in a sharp breath as my heart starts to go haywire in my chest.
In an attempt to move the attention from myself before I hyperventilate, I ask him the same thing.
“What about you? Who’s going to be at your mom’s?”
“Mom, Gracie, my buddy Andre, and Gracie’s boyfriend, Jacob. I’m thinking of asking Tyler as well. He mentioned something about not having thanksgiving dinner a couple of days ago, and my mom loves feeding hungry boys. I think it’ll be nice.”
My heart flutters at how much he cares for everyone around him. And I have to agree. Tyler could definitely use some Anne Hutton love.
“I think that’s a great idea. Gracie’s boyfriend is going to be jealous, though. Your sister practically idolizes Tyler,” I add, smirking when Oakley
tenses.
“On second thought…” he trails off, and I swat at his chest, making him laugh. A soft sigh escapes my lips when I move closer to him, letting my breath fan his chest as I trail my fingers along the hard muscles resting under my cheek.
“I can’t wait, baby,” Oakley murmurs as my eyes begin to droop.
Me either.
