She turns back, grinning so big that her dimples are showing. “And you’re stuck with us.” She kisses my cheek, which sends tingles through my body. “Thank you,” she whispers.
“For what?” I ask, watching her siblings laugh at each other. James is trying to steal a fry off of Lucy’s plate, and she is valiantly trying to stop him.
“For everything,” she says, “I don’t know what my life would be like if I didn’t meet you.”
“I should say the same to you, but maybe I’ll show you when we aren’t in public.” I kiss her cheek before grabbing one of her fries and popping it in my mouth. I’m too engrossed in her eyes and the way her breath hitches to notice the taste of the fry.
Her eyes glaze over for a moment before her lips twitch, and she shoves her own fries in her mouth. “Maybe you should,” she says a moment later.
A napkin is thrown at us, breaking the spell. Lucy looks at us with adoration, while James looks a bit green. “Quit being so cute; you’re going to give him conniptions.”
“I’m already having them,” he mutters.
“I can’t wait for our niblings to start dating,” Lucy says dreamily. “He’s going to have a cow.”
This starts another argument between the two of them that Taylor starts to join in on. I don’t know which side of the argument she’s on, but there’s something comforting in knowing that she’ll pester anyone with enthusiasm and reckless abandon.
The car is filled with tension that I could cut with a knife as I park us near Brynn’s building. I’m walking Taylor up, only because we both have an early morning and are going to be in very different parts of the city—Taylor with her morning skate first thing and me with some social media stuff for Fallon. I won’t be able to drive us from my apartment to the arena and then halfway across the city to meet with Fallon.
There’s an energy thrumming between us. Taylor’s hands haven’t stopped moving since we left the restaurant, and she’s been trailing them over her legs and over mine. Every flutter of her fingertips has me swallowing back my tongue despite wanting to open my legs for her to go exploring.
Tonight is definitely not the night. Mainly because we haven’t spoken about it, and she’s still nervous about a lot of things. I’m not going to make her dive in; I want everything to be special and wonderful and what she deserves.
But she’s in my space as we’re riding the elevatorup to the floor of Brynn’s apartment. She’s within kissing distance. I’m one small jerk away from pulling her to me and kissing her without a care in the world.
Her eyes keep darting down my face, half-lidded and ready for something to happen.
Her fingers are near my hairline, and she’s one errant hair pull away from being pushed against the wall and kissed. She doesn’t know how much restraint I’m showing right now.
“Tonight was fun,” I say gruffly, trying to create some space between us.
She bites her bottom lip mischievously. “It could be more fun,” she wiggles her eyebrows, and I snort. “But I’m glad you liked them. I know we can be a lot.”
I shrug. “It was refreshing. I’m glad that I got to meet them.”
“Even if Lucy sprang James on us?” she asks and I nod.
“It’s nice to know that one of you can be normal,” she pushes me, pinning me against the wall of the elevator and crowding me. Her perfume rises, her pupils grow larger, and I’m barely holding on to my dignity. “Kiss me?” she asks.
The doors open, and I’m grateful to be out, only we’re pulling each other towards her door, and I pin her to it, dipping my head to kiss her. The clash of lips and the clicking of teeth has both of us gasping for breath before I wrap my arms around her. She moans into my mouth, letting me thrust my tongue into hers beforethe door opens inward and we’re both tumbling to the ground.
The air’s knocked out of me as I land on her, both of us groaning. “What the—?” I start before we look up to see Brynn giggling above us.
“Get inside, you horndog. You have an early skate.”
Taylor scrambles to her feet, kissing me softly. “Thanks again for tonight.”
I wave, watching her slip past Brynn, who isn’t moving an inch. Instead, she’s silently laughing at the both of us. “You survived; that’s impressive,” she says quietly.
“James got pulled in as well, so it was a shock for three of the four of us.” Brynn’s snort is loud in the quiet hallway.
“That poor man.”
I shake my head. “He held his own. I guess he’d have to, being their brother.”
She nods. “I think they named the Vortex after the Matthews sisters after our first team family party.” I raise an eyebrow, but she shrugs. “That’s a story for another day. We’re seeing you tomorrow afternoon?”
“Yeah. I’m with Fallon for some media duties before practice.”
