I just don’t try very hard to help keep us focused.
In any case, we made plans earlier in the week to spend a quiet New Year’s Eve at his place. This is the first time we’ve both been free in way too long, and I’m eager to spend some time with him that doesn’t involve navigating around the rest of the team and the coaching staff.
I usually spend New Year’s Eve with Celena, but she gave me her blessing to stand her up this time. Supposedly Ash and I are just going to watch movies until the ball drops, but I’m pretty sure both of us expect the night to end in sex.
Or at least I desperately hope it will. Other than a make out session in a stairwell at the training center on one of my visits before Christmas, Ash and I haven’t been able to do anything more than text-tease each other, and I’m ready to combust. He’s made big promises, but we’ll see if he follows through. Drew was big on talk as well, so I’m not counting my orgasms before they’re…whatever.
When Ash opens his door that evening, I’m struck dumb by how good he looks. This is the first time I’ve seen him out of a hockey uniform in a while, and the man wears the hell out of a henley and jeans.
The smile Ash gives me is lopsided and shy, just big enough for his dimples to make an appearance. His eyes scan my body, and I’d give anything to know what he’s thinking.
I had no idea what to wear tonight. I wanted to dress up, but watching movies is a casual event, so I opted for a pair of jeans that make my ass look great and a nice sweater.
“Hey, come on in,” Ash says as he steps out of the way to let me pass.
I feel the awkwardness as we head into his living room. I’m sure we’re both wondering if we should actually try to watch a movie or just strip naked and fuck. At least that’s whatI’mwondering.
“Any preference on movie?” he asks as he heads into the kitchen. “Comedy? Action? Drama?”
“Surprise me,” I say as he puts a bag of popcorn in the microwave, then pulls two wine glasses out of a cabinet. I walk over to the counter and set down a bottle of rosé I brought from home.
“Popcorn and wine,” Ash says, looking at the bottle. “Nice.”
I pour the wine as the popcorn begins to pop. When it’s done, Ash puts it in a bowl, and we settle onto the couch as he scrolls through one of the streaming services to see what’s new. He sits close, one arm across the back of the couch but not touching me, and we decide on an action movie that was just released. He offered to watch a romcom, but truthfully, I prefer action.
About an hour into the movie, my phone dings with an incoming text, and I pull it out of my purse. I push a breath out through my nose when I see who it’s from.
Drew
Happy New Year.
Ash leans over to look at the screen.
“Drew?” he questions. “Why is he texting you?”
I look at him in alarm. I don’t want him to think I’m back with Drew.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosey,” he says.
“It’s fine,” I assure him. “He’s been texting me since we saw him at the club, but I haven’t responded.” I swipe open the screen and show him the string of texts from Drew I’ve left unanswered.
Ash huffs a laugh as he looks through the messages. “He wants you back now that he thinks you’re taken,” he says.
I grunt in agreement as I put the phone down on the coffee table. “Why do men do that? Is it something in your DNA that only makes you see something as valuable when someone else has it?”
Ash chuckles as he pauses the movie. “I think we need a refill on wine and popcorn.”
I agree and get up. My wine glass has been empty for ten minutes, but I didn’t want to move.
I refill our glasses as Ash puts more popcorn in the microwave.
“Hey, can you look in the cabinet in front of you?” he says. “I think there’s some popcorn seasoning I forgot I had.”
I open the upper cabinet and look around. I do see the seasoning, but it’s on the top shelf. I stand on tiptoe, and my fingers graze the container, but I only push it further back into the cabinet. I swear under my breath and try again, but it’s out of reach now.
“Sorry,” Ash says coming up behind me. “I forget not everyone is as tall as me.”
I turn to face him as he presses forward against the counter and reaches up to pluck the container of seasoning off the shelf. It jumps out of his hand, and we both grab for it on instinct. The container ends up between us, my hand wrapped around the seasoning, his hand wrapped around mine…our bodies pressed together.
