“I look like a green goblin.”
“A really cute green goblin.”
A delicate, rosy hue travels up her neckline, illuminating a path on her skin I want to trace with my lips.
“Well, the green goblin is…flustered,” she says and then her stomach grumbles. “And hungry. But a little thief ran off with my crispy chili beef.”
I let go of her wrists and take out my phone. I click on my DoorDash app and tap on my screen a few times before putting it away.
“Your food will be here in twenty.”
Her eyes widen. “I didn’t mean for you to…”
“I wanted to,” I say before walking over to her kitchen sink. I let the tap run until the water is pleasant under my fingertips. I take a clean towel from the shelving unit above the sink, hold it under the faucet, and wet it.
When I trail back over to Erin, she’s watching me intently. I wipe the damp towel over her hands first, cleaning them off and then folding it in half before bringing the towel to her face. Her eyes close on a sigh as soon as I make contact.
Starting with her forehead, I run the wet material over her face. I maneuver my way down her temple until I get to her cheeks. I smooth it over her chin and lips until she’s no longer a green goblin.
My eyes flick to her plump lips that shine from the combination of the wet towel and lip balm. I’m still dying to taste and savor the flavor of them. My dick stirs at the thought of her mouth on mine, an image I’m used to seeing every time I close my eyes and palm myself.
I step back, putting some needed distance between us.
“Now,” I say, clearing my airway as Erin’s eyes open. “We need to talk.” I take her hand in mine as I guide her to the sofa. “I can’t believe you talked to Coach Avery,” I say, letting out a gravelly chuckle.
Her brows pinch together as soon as her butt hits the plush fabric.
“You’re not mad at me?” she asks quietly.
“Erin,” I say, shaking my head. “No one has ever done anything like that for me.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she says. “You laced up your skates, got on the ice, and kicked ass. That was allyou. I just took the polar bear plunge and word vomited on the coach. No biggie.”
She shrugs, and I wonder if she’ll truly ever know the magnitude of what she’s given back to me.
“No biggie, huh?” I smirk. “So, it must have been the excitement of meeting the silver fox that is our coach that had you puking into the trash as soon as you left his office, then.”
She groans and hides her face.
I gently peel her hands away and hold them in mine.
“Sometimes that happens when I getreallynervous,” she admits. “But I don’t regret it. I, um… I wanted to do it. For you. I wanted to help you the way you help me.”
“You did more than that,” I say. “Briar cleared me to play in the upcoming season.”
She gasps and launches herself at me, arms tightening around my neck as she squeals. We tumble backward into the cushions, and I chuckle, holding her to me.
She pulls back, eyes sparkling with glitter. That damn dimple appears on her left cheek.
Breathtaking.
I lean in, pressing a kiss just above her cheek where that dimple winks at me. Her cheek flares under my lips.
“Congratulations, Chase. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you, Erin. Thank you.”
I hold her close, wanting to remember how she fits in my arms. I want to savor it—because this moment is the start of something new. A future worth holding onto.
