I wanted to say it wasn’t a move. I had never done that before. Only she made me this unhinged animal. Instead, I smirked. “Glad you enjoyed it.”
“Who knew you matched my energy in bed?” She sat up and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “This is awesome.”
“How so?”
“Do you know what this means?”
No fucking idea.“I’m gonna let you explain it. You’re grinning like a dork right now so it must be good.”
“Preston. Preston.” She pushed up from the bed and paced at the end of it, hand in her hair and her messy hair everywhere. She met my gaze, her eyes sparkling. “I never would’ve guessed you matched my energy. No one ever does. It’s so boring. But you…I’m thinking we work something out. Friends with bennies for a bit? Have some fun? I don’t know. We can talk it out, but holy shit, this cannot be the last time we’re together like this.”
Work something out. Friends with bennies.
“Like we date?”
“Date?” Her eyebrows disappeared into her forehead. “I don’t date for real, Preston, you know this. I mean more like an arrangement. I want to jump your bones right now, but I want to make sure we talk it out because our friendship is too important. If you don’t want to, your choice won’t affect anything.” She frowned and walked to my side of the bed. “Seriously, our friendship is the most important. Nothing can ruin that. So ifhooking up on the side would destroy that for you, then we don’t do it. I love you for life, Charming. Sex or not, you’ll always be my guy.”
“Sex doesn’t complicate things for you?” I asked, not caring that my response made me sound less cool. I’d done one-night stands and casual flings, but feelings did happen. There was a science about sharing sexual experiences with someone.
“No.” She giggled. “Not at all. With you, it’ll be great. I already trust you. You could blindfold me and tie me to a bed, and I wouldn’t worry for a second.” She placed her hands on my shoulders, her smile wide and her eyes dancing with joy. “How about this? You think on it. You play the best game of your life tonight, and we talk about it tomorrow.”
“So you’re suggesting we hook up but don’t date and don’t let it affect our friendship?”
She nodded. “Yes. That.”
“Would you still date others?”
She pursed her lips. “I don’t think so. My goal was to be a little wild the next three weeks and lean into my impulses before the internship starts at the country club. That meant dating, however…we could be wild. Yes. Oh yes. This is even better.”
My brain short-circuited. No other way around it. Her suggestions were straight out of a dream playbook, minus the wholeno feelingsbullshit. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Thoughts weren’t thoughting.
“Don’t answer now.” She kissed the top of my head. “Please don’t. We gotta get you ready for the game, and I have a theory that when you play a little horny, it makes you better.”
“Wait,” I choked on my own spit, laughing in disbelief. “What did you say?”
“It’s my own personal theory, so don’t quote me. But I swear, when you skate worked up, you’re more aggressive and angrier.”
“Me?”
“All of you.” She placed her hands on her hips and grinned at my crotch. “Good, you are horny. That means you’ll have a hell of a game.”
“You’re a maniac, you know that?”
“Yeah, but you love me.”
Yeah, I do.
7
JORDAN
Despite the rink being cold, every time I thought about Preston my skin heated. The way he’d commanded me and sucked my fingers… straight out of my deepest fantasies. Clearing my throat, I took a swig of water and forced myself to be present in the game. It was in between periods two and three, and the Wolves were down by two.
“Okay, spill it. You’re being weird for you, and I can’t stand it.”
I faced Logan, my skin tightening with memoriesagain. “Uh, so like, remember how you said Preston and I had chemistry?”
“Oh my god, no way!” Logan hit my arm. Her eyes bugged out of her head, and her voice rose three octaves. “You did it! You’re finally together. I knew it. Quentin and I called it!”
