Penny:Things still bad with him?
Eli:I wouldn’t say bad, just not the same. I’ll say this, defending you on the ice won me some points. He at least talks to me now. Thinking about taking him out for a beer tomorrow night. What do you think? Should I ask him out?
Penny:Not sure you’re his type.
Eli:Maybe if I find a long blonde wig, something that looks like Winnie’s hair, he might give me a chance.
Penny:Now there’s an idea. If it helps, he barely talks to me too.
Eli:That doesn’t help. I don’t want him mad at you.
Penny:It wouldn’t be the first time. We always work through it.
Eli:Not the first time you’ve slept with one of his teammates?
Penny:No, I’ve never done that. You are the first and only. I meant the first time we’ve been in a fight. When it came to Pacey and his teammates, I’ve always been off limits. He never wanted to mix the two. Plus, he always said hockey players are horny assholes and I deserved better.
Eli:We are horny, and we can be assholes. He might be onto something. The horny, though, that comes from adrenaline. After a game, it’s hard to shake that high off, you know?
Penny:Unless I’m completely naïve, what have you been doing to shake it off now? (assuming you’re not having sex with anyone)
Eli:You’re assuming correctly. I’m not doing much to shake the adrenaline. And the last person I had sex with was you, and if I were being completely frank, it’s because you rocked my world that night, and it was hard to forget.
Penny:You were drunk.
Eli:I wasn’t.
My teeth roll over my bottom lip as I stare at his text. His confirmation.
I rocked his world?
Me?
Penny Lawes.
The girl who was told she was bad at sex?
I haven’t had much experience in the bedroom. I mean, I’ve had moments, but I add “rocks people’s worlds” to my sexual résumé. I’d say average with an occasional moment that borders spectacular.
But to rock Eli Hornsby’s world? That just doesn’t seem possible.
Eli:Did I say too much?
Penny:No, sorry. I was just . . . well, I guess I’m not good at taking compliments, and I wasn’t expecting you to say that. But I guess . . . thank you. Seems weird to say thank you, but I don’t know what else to say.
Eli:How about we say good night? I’m sure you’re tired, and, uh, I need to shake this adrenaline off somehow, and when I say that, I mean staying in my hotel room and finding something to do. Like I said before, you don’t have to worry about me sleeping around.
Penny:If you need to, it’s fine.
Eli:I don’t want to, Penny. Okay. It’s just not in me anymore.
Penny:Okay . . . well, good to know. This might be the little sister in me coming out with a dumb question, but were you alluding to the fact that you’re going to go, you know, pleasure yourself now?
Eli:Yes, it was. LOL. I’m becoming reacquainted with my friend the right hand.
Penny:Is it weird we’re talking about masturbation?
Eli:You tell me.
