“Mmhmm.” Stray pretended to dramatically ponder my statement. In the rearview mirror I saw him rubbing his chin while staring off as if in deep thought. “So if Jamie is not around, does that mean you are no longer Ripley’s pretend boyfriend?”
An exasperated sigh escaped me. “Dude, shut the fuck up. I know what you’re doing.”
Both Stray and Codie shared a laugh, making me want to turn around and knock their heads together. “You like her,” Codie stated, amusement in her tone.
“So? I like a lot of things and a lot of people. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s not like we’re betrothed. You two need to settle down. If you keep this shit up once Ripley is in the car, I’m dumping you both on the side of the road.” They were both starting to drive me crazy. Sharing a house with them didn’t help. I’d been listening to this crap all week.
Much to my surprise and utter relief, they stopped with the teasing bullshit once Ripley got in the car with us. We made it to the game without issue. The crowd was fired up with excitement now that we were in the playoffs. Everyone was eager to have a good time.
The game against a neighboring city’s school proved to be exceptionally impressive. Both teams played hard, doing their best to come out on top. Having the home advantage seemed to help our guys. The Eradicators scored several times on the opposing team in the first period. By the end of the third, we were up eight to two.
At one point the crowd went wild, everyone cheering. Ripley grabbed a hold of my hand, clutching it tightly as she screamed along with everyone else. When she started to pull away, I slipped my fingers between hers, holding on.
She felt nice. I enjoyed the way her soft, small hand felt in mine. And the way her vanilla scent occasionally drifted over to tantalize me with her heady aroma. I was a hotblooded straight man, and she was a sexy as hell woman. I’d be a fool not to enjoy her.
When I caught Codie staring at our joined hands, I shot her a warning glare. She raised a hand in surrender and redirected her stare back to the game. They all thought they knew what was going on between Ripley and me. When this all came to an end, they were going to realize they’d been wrong.
After the game ended and everyone filed out of the arena high on our victory, we returned home so I could swap my car for an Uber. I didn’t plan on being sober enough to drive home later.
The girls shared a drink in the kitchen while Stray and I waited in the living room for the Uber, smoking a joint. I kept expecting him to say something stupid to piss me off and bust my balls. I saw the intent there in his eyes.
Finally, he raised both hands and said, “I’m not saying a word. I don’t think I have to.”
“Since when are you able to keep your mouth shut?” I laughed. “I’m pretty sure your head will explode if you try to hold that inside.”
Stray considered this. “You might be right.”
In less than an hour we were walking into one of the biggest parties of the year. One of the hockey players was hosting it at his house. A large house on the rich side of town. His parents were both lawyers, well known in the community.
“Holy crap.” Codie marveled at the huge entryway as we entered.
I wasn’t easily impressed by such things, but even I had to admit the house was pretty damn nice. Marble floors that stretched throughout. A large chandelier overhead to light up the entryway. The living room off to one side packed with people. A spiral staircase straight ahead that allowed us to see people partying on the large second floor landing as well.
We started by finding our way through the living room to the kitchen, where a huge array of booze had been set out. It didn’t take long for us to get tipsy. We made our way through the party, mingling with those we knew. Pausing to congratulate the hockey players that were present.
Eventually Dom showed up with Noah and Damon. Rebel and Storm weren’t far behind. They brought Athena along. Casper and Luna finally arrived to round out the group. Athena quickly excused herself to go socialize while the rest of us hung out in the large living room, squeezing onto one end of a giant sectional couch.
I pulled Ripley onto my lap, sliding an arm around her waist. Her soft ass pressed against me, stoking my cock into a frenzy. I had to have her again. The short skirt she wore enticed me with thoughts of bending her over and taking her any way I wanted her.
When she squirmed slightly on my lap, I knew she felt my hard on digging into her ass. Didn’t she know all that squirming was only going to make it worse?
Brushing her hair aside, I pressed my lips to her ear and whispered, “If I didn’t know better, I would say you’re trying to make me crazy. It’s working.”
Her cheeks turned pink. I fucking loved how easy I could make that happen.
“Just trying to get comfortable,” she said with a coy smile. “Are you comfortable?”
“I’d be a lot more comfortable with my cock inside you.” I waited for her to avert her gaze, satisfied with my ability to make her put on the shy innocent act. We both knew that wasn’t true.
She playfully slapped a hand against my chest. “Stop that. Someone will hear you.”
“I don’t care, and you shouldn’t either. Why don’t we go upstairs and find a room? There’s got to be a free one in a place this big.” I wiggled my brows, sliding a hand up her side.
Codie decided to cock block me then. She leaned over to grab Ripley’s hand, dragging her off my lap. “Sorry, Auryn, but I need to steal Ripley for a bit. The girls and I are going to find Athena. We need some girl time. You guys will be fine without us for a while.”
I was tempted to grab onto Ripley and make Codie fight me for her. Instead, I sat back against the couch, taking a sip of my drink, watching as the ladies skipped off together. That’s fine. I could wait. That would only make it so much sweeter when I finally got between her legs.
“Too bad there’s no fight ring here,” Dom mused, leaning in to playfully grab Noah by the throat. “You know I like my foreplay rough.”
