I lick my lips quickly, trying to decide if this is the right decision. I’ve already been going back and forth about asking her since we got back from Thanksgiving, but if I think about it anymore, then I’ll chicken out. Truthfully, I don’t think I can make it a whole month without seeing her.
“Come to Texas with me.”
She blinks, staring at me for a moment, her jaw dropping.“What?”
“I want you to come to Texas. Momma would love to see you again, and I could take you to see the ranch I work at in the summers. I’ll show you anything you want, but I just want you there . . . with me,” I say, rambling because I’m so fucking nervous. I can’t believe I actually said it. “Please think about it?”
I take it a step further, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
Alondra’s still staring at me when I step back, and I think I might’ve broken her. She exhales a deep breath, her eyes scanning over my face. “Okay,” she says.
My heart leaps to my throat, and I try not to think about what it means. “Okay, as in you’ll come, or okay, you heard what I said?”
“You’re crazy,” she says, her curls twirling around her with the subtle shake of her head.
“Never said I wasn’t.”
“If I can find something reasonably priced, I’llconsidergoing, but are you sure you even want me there? I know how much you look forward to time with your mom.”
If anything, the fact Al’s taking my time with Momma into consideration, makes me more certain I want her there.
“I want you there,” I say without hesitation, but this time, I don’t kiss her cheek. I lean down, kissing Alondra deeply because I don’t give a flying fuck who sees.
I’ve honestly never enjoyed kissing someone as much as I enjoy kissing Alondra. And sex? My god, I can’t keep my hands off her. My back is scratched to hell, but it’s a small price to pay to have Al moaning underneath me.
I can’t get enough of everything with Alondra.
She smiles against my lips, pulling away before rising up on her tiptoes to kiss me briefly once more. “I really do have to go now, but we’ll talk more about this later.”
This time I let her walk away, but I really prefer to see Al walk toward me.
I shake my head, trying to shake my nerves because I already asked her, and at least Alondra didn’t immediately say no. I pivot, turning toward the end of campus the barn is at. I left my truck in the parking lot of the rink this morning, knowing I’d be back to meet up with Johnny and Coop.
Coach talked to me this morning about potentially moving Johnny onto a different line to give him more playing time, and I want to see him use the skills we’ve been working on against Coop, who is arguably one of the best goalies in college hockey.
I might not like who the kid associates with, but I can’t deny he has the potential to be a good player.
After changing into my gear, I grab all the shit I think we’ll need and head out to the ice, but I catch a glimpse of Al’s bag, unable to keep from smiling.
Johnny’s already out on the ice with another bulky figure, looking as unsteady as a baby deer taking their first steps. I don’t bother hiding my laugh when I glide onto the ice, getting ready to go through my usual warm up routine as Johnny’s buddy falls flat on his ass. “Richards, c’mon, man. Stop fucking around, you need to warm up before Coop gets here,” I call out, moving closer to them.
My smile fades as I realize who his friend is, and Johnny’s wise to look uneasy. “I will in a second, I just have to get Bradley off the ice.”
“What the hell is he doing here?” I ask, refusing to take my eyes off Alondra’s ex.
He has the nerve to smile at me, and I clench my jaw. God, I want to hit him, but it’d make me no better than him. I won’t let Bradley bait me, but this place is my sanctuary. He doesn’t get to be here.
“I thought it was fine since you’ve had people out here. He just wanted to learn to impress his girlfriend who likes to skate,” Johnny stammers, and the fact that Bradley’s now here, when he’s the reason Alondra quit skating, makes my vision turn red.
“Get him out of here, and don’t bring him back,” I scold, struggling to maintain my grip on my temper, and Bradley puts his hands up, feigning innocence.
“Sorry, Jack, I didn’t mean to cause any problems for Johnny. I just wanted to show Alondra how much she means to me by learning to skate.”
“Dude, let’s just go,” Johnny says, trying to pull him along.
Hearing him say her name aftereverythinghe’s put her through nearly sends me over the edge. Al can’t know he washere. I know she’s doing her best to keep him from controlling her life, but this is her safe place too.
“You ever go near Al again, and I’ll make sure everyone knows what a fucking piece of shit you are.” My voice is shaking with anger. I need to walk away before I do something I’ll regret.
