A low, greedy moan rumbles through Reid, and my cock thickens in reply. If this were a dream, I’d drop to my knees and blow him right here in this alleyway. It would make one hell of a birthday present, that’s for sure. But this isn’t a dream, and just behind this wall waits our entire team and his family. I break our kiss and step back two paces.
“That was . . .” I begin, my fingers brushing along my lips, reveling in the taste of him that lingers there.
“I’m a bit out of practice,” he says, and a pang hits my chest.
“I was going to say incredible.”
“You were?”
Before I can reply, though, the side door opens, and White pokes his head around.
“Oh, thank fuck you haven’t killed each other out here. Iseverything good?”
I turn away a little, shielding my half chub, so as to not give away just how good we are.
“Yeah, we’re good,” Reid replies.
“Okay, then get your asses back in here, Aunt Peggy is lighting your candles.”
Reid starts to follow him in, but pauses by the door and turns his attention back to me.
“Can we . . . talk after?”
“You still want me to stay?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“Then I’ll stay.”
He smiles, and it’s like seeing an eclipse for the first time, only those might actually happen more often. It brightens up his face, and the fine lines around his eyes crinkle deeper, giving me the impression he used to smile a lot. Maybe he just doesn’t smile much around me? Well, he does now.
Back inside, we do cake and speeches. Reid’s brothers, David and Benji, give a surprisingly heartfelt speech about how much their Dad Bro has done for them, and Reid keeps it brief, thanking everyone for coming before raising his glass.
After that, it’s like he’s on a mission to talk to everyone in the room but me. I join a group chat he’s having with White and a few other guys, and like a second later, he pretends to spot someone waving his way behind me and excuses himself to go say hi.
I give up and decide I’m better off just waiting until after everyone leaves. I’m standing at the bar with Kirkston’s wife, Otter, as she’stelling me about some intense fire they were called to a few weeks back, when I spot Reid laughing with Dawes and Harris, but then his eyes land on me. Without thinking, I fold my arms over the bar and adjust my stance, pushing my ass out in his direction. He bites his lip a little, shaking his head before returning to his conversation, but I still catch him glancing my way every chance he gets. Okay, this could be fun.
I do everything I can after that to tease Reid, and it’s the most fun I’ve had in ages.
When I get up from a table, I purposefully drop my keys, so that I have to bend to get them, and of course, I’m sure that Reid’s right behind me when I do it.
Later, I order a disgustingly sweet mocktail, just because I spotted one of the girlfriends drinking one, and it comes with a thick straw. I sit at the bar and wait until Reid’s gaze finds me, then I suck the straw into my mouth, letting my eyes flutter closed a little as I drink it down, like it’s the best thing I’ve ever had in my mouth. I know at least one thing that I’d prefer to be sucking on, and that’s exactly the thought I want popping into Reid’s mind right now. I would have blown him right there in the alley, which would have been dumb, and not just because of the party going on in here, but being arrested for public indecency is not exactly the headline either of us wants to see.
When I pop off the straw, I hold his gaze and wipe the corner of my mouth with my pointer finger, then suck the tip of my finger into my mouth for just a second. I watch Reid gulp, his Adam’sapple bobbing up and down as his face grows pinker, and I turn away satisfied.
“Are you having a good time?” Colt asks me as we sit at one of the small bar tables, picking at a bowl of fries. They brought out towers of pizzas earlier, and while I still think the pizza I had in Boston was better, this place is the best I’ve tasted in Philly so far.
“Yeah, it’s nice hanging with the team away from the rink. We should do this more often.”
“Coach usually plans at least one bonding event every few weeks, but because he knew the brothers had this planned for Raines, he chipped in for the party instead.”
“That’s cool of him. My birthday’s in December, and I’m more into outdoor games like paintball, go-karting, and shit like that, just in case he asks.”
“I’ll make sure he knows,” Colt laughs.
Reid is talking with his brothers a few tables behind us. He’s positioned himself at the table in the one seat that faces my direction, and his eyes keep flicking my way like they’ve done all night since our rendezvous in the alley.
“Is it getting hot in here?” I ask, and Colt shrugs.
