Nope. Patience, I reminded myself.
“I’m not going to bite.” I patted the couch next to me, to which she just shook her head.
“Don’t get too comfy, she still has to okay this little arrangement,” she warned. Her eyebrow creased in worry, and again, I wished I could comfort her. A massage would ease those worries away… a massage in bed would probably be just what sheneeded…
Nikki, the taller, dark-haired girl from the venue, came out from the hallway that must’ve led to the bedrooms.
She was dressed in flannel pants and a sweatshirt, clearly ready for bed. Her eyes glinted when she saw me, and a slow smile spread on her face as she looked at Ellie. That was a good sign. I was already in with the bestie.
“Wow, some company? This is an upgrade from Grey,” she laughed and leaned against the living room wall.
Ellie rolled her eyes. “I’ll fill you in tomorrow, but can he stay the night on the couch? I told him it was only okay if you said so.”
It looked like Ellie gave an ever so slight head shake saying no, to which I did pout my bottom lip out at.
“Yeah, sure! I have no problem with it,” Nikki said. She pushed off the wall and walked into the kitchen, then started rummaging around in thefridge.
“Want some wine, girlie? Hockey dude?” Nikki asked.
“Yes!” I said, leaning back into the couch. “I can finally celebrate.”
Ellie looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Celebrate staying on my couch?”
“Well now that you ask… I got offered a two-way deal with Detroit!”
Ellie’s face transformed intodisbelief.
“OhmyGod!” Nikki yelped. “They have their whole preseason camp circus up here every August. You’re in that?”
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “Thank God someone here knows something abouthockey.”
“Oh, Ellie knows!” Nikki called over. “She always gets soannoyed-”
Ellie loudly cleared her throat and cut Nikki a look, signaling her to shut up about the topic. Interesting… I’d have to figure out what that was all about later.
Nikki proceeded to rush over with the wine and three glasses and place them on the coffee table.
“You have to tell us everything. We have an inside man now, Ellie,” she said excitedly. “So much traffic around there and so many hot dudes walking in and out. Congrats by theway.”
“Thank you, Nikki,” I said genuinely, and looked at Ellie for some kind of acknowledgement. She, however, looked stupefied by Nikki sitting on the couch with me. I patted the space on the other side of me again.
“Um… I need to change,” she said slowly.
I bit my tongue, stopping myself from charmingly offering help.
I politely chatted the next couple of minutes away with Nikki, who was easy to talk to. But when Ellie emerged, my brain seemed to stop functioning. I felt like I had somehow stolen my way into secret girl territory, and I felt lucky to be here… because damn, Ellie in some loose PJ shorts that showed off a bit of booty and an old t-shirt that read Up North in big block letters was a sight to behold. She had Victoria’s Secret Angels beat by far, and she wasn’t even trying. It looked like she had also swiped off all the make-up she had been wearing earlier, making her look younger and prettier. I know some guys liked that whole contoured makeup look that a lot of girls did, and itwassexy, but I was always a sucker for the natural look. Then again, I think all guys got a thrill over seeing girls without makeup because then it felt like you were “in”- you weren’t an outsider anymore.
I wondered if she knew the effect that she had on me. She proceeded to bend over and grab all her thick, long, auburn hair together to put in a messy bun, which exposed her beautifully delicate neck that I would kill a man to kiss. I could practically feel myself being drawn to her, like a magnet was pulling me to get up and hook my arm under one of her gorgeous legs and push myself into her, while holding her neck, and lightly kissing it all the way toher-
“Earth to TJ,” Nikki joked.
“Huh?” I snapped my neck to look away from my sassy temptress.
Nikki clapped her hands together and threw her head back. “I love it!”
I felt my neck heating up as I tried to shake the daydream out of my head. Ellie just looked back at Nikki like she was crazy and reached forward to pour her own glass.
I took a sip of my own wine and then almost spit it out when I felt my shirt being pulled up to expose my chest.
