CHAPTER41
Edith
(MAY 13TH – DAY 37 POST OP)
“How does it feel?” Tori sits across the sofa from me, my feet in her lap. They cut my cast off less than an hour ago, and everything feels kind of weird. I wiggle my toes, scrunching up my face.
“Like I need a fucking pedicure.”
She giggles. “I won’t argue there. You’ve got some seriously ugly feet right now, boo. Maybe we’ll stop by that place Ares and Eloise use. They love going for mani-pedis.”
I don’t think I could ever convince Apollo to come get his toes done with me. I’d say it’s because he has gnarly, gross feet, but even his little fucking piggies are fucking perfect. I bet even his butt hole is fucking perfect. Ugh.
“Sounds like a plan.”
“What time are people arriving?”
“Any time now.” We’re hosting Get Lit, the Raccoons monthly book club. It’s early this week as we’re on the long stretch into finals before the summer. Or everyone else is, I’m still figuring things out.
Apollo and the guys agreed that Eloise, Tori, Savannah and I could hang around as long as we didn’t make fun of the boys as they talk about their feelings on the book. Not that we would. I’m looking forward to getting a glimpse into what they actually talk about at these things.
A folding table is set up against the far wall in the living room. It has a stack of paper plates, napkins, and paper cups next to a slow cooker of some form of chicken with green salsa for tacos.
Cooper Duke arrives first with pies from Get the Fork Out. My stomach flips in glee. He not only pours himself a drink, but he gets one for Victoria and me. Then he plumps one of the couch cushions and puts it under my foot on her thigh.
Nothing makes me go ga-ga more than a giant hulk of an angry-looking man being warm and squishy. Cooper is a beautiful man. On the ice a single glare has some of the biggest men in the league quaking in their skates, but off-ice he is the sweetest man I’ve probably ever met.
He does door duty, letting everyone else in. Before long, the girls are in the living room, and Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Scott, Justin, Cooper, Slater, Tyler, and Jackson are all crammed around the dining room table with paperback copies of Lucy Score’s chart-smashing hitThings We Hide From the Lightin hand.
The food table bows under the weight of the aromatic dishes everyone brought with them. Everything from sandwiches to French toast casserole. Abuelita sent an entire pan of patatas bravas with spicy sauce with Ares from Guac ‘n Roll.
There is even a stack of Tupperware containers next to the spread for everyone to bring some food home with them. Because there’s no way Apollo and I can get through all of this by ourselves.
This isn’t simply a book club, it’s a bougie book club. I should have expectedextrafrom these fancy pants players. They’ve got it all covered. Paperback copies for everyone—including extras in case anyone new shows up, enough food to sink a ship, and from the fact everyone took their shoes off at the door, I’d wager no one is going anywhere fast. It might be my new favorite thing.
Listening to Apollo as he deep-dives into the male psyche while flicking through his highlighted and tabbed copy ofThings We Hide From the Lightis more arousing than I expected it to be. I squirm every time he speaks, turns the pages, or glances my direction.
It’s as though he can read my mind. He pulls off his sweater, revealing his tanned and toned forearms. Drool pools in my mouth. The only thing hotter than a delicious man turning pages, is when you can see the slight ripple in his muscular arms as he does it.
I’m so fucking hot for him right now. And I have two functional feet. Could I convince him to bend me over the bookcase and have his way with me?
He licks his lower lip, hooded eyes darkening like the hero his friends are talking about in the book. Something about how I’m staring at him has the corner of his lips tugging up in a knowing smirk. It’s as though he heard my inner monologue screaming for his tongue to plant itself on my clit and lap like it’s an Olympic sport.
“Stop eye-fucking my brother.” A Cheeto bounces off my forehead and lands in Victoria’s glass of wine.Wine. These college hockey players are so extra.
Eloise doubles over, laughing so hard tears stream down her cheeks.
Savannah points to me. “Do that again, Hen. I want to see if it was a fluke.”
I dust off any orange powder from my forehead. “Thanks, but I don’t consent. I have no doubt Athena could get it in ten times over if she wanted.”
One of the boys hollers, “That’s what she said,” and Athena hurls a Cheeto at him too.
Eloise finally composes herself as Tori smacks my thigh. “Athena isn’t wrong, E. There is some serious eye-fucking going on between you and her brother. The temperature has climbed four degrees since book club started. When they called it Get Lit, I don’t think they meant it quite so literally.”
“What are you girls whispering about?” Apollo knows exactly what the topic of conversation is, he’s just being a dick. My face is on fire as half a dozen hockey players turn their attention from Nash and Lina in their books, to me.
Savannah opens her mouth to answer him, but I cut her off with a pointed finger and a snarl. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
