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“Is he still giving you bullshit busy work?”
“Yeah, and to add insult to injury, his class is basically him bragging about the things he’s done at his company. I wouldn’t mind so much if he used the anecdotes as case studies and explained how he made each project a success, but I’m not sure he even knows.”
“Yikes.”
“The worst part is I’ve lost a lot of respect for his firm. His other three assistants ended up working there in some capacity, but they all used the experience to find better jobs. I think I understand why now.”
Stephen stretched his arm behind me. “I realize I’m talking to a brick wall at this point, but I’m going to keep trying. You should take the job that makes you happy, not the one that pays the most.”
“I hear what you’re saying, and I will take it under advisement.”
Stephen snorted and pointed at himself. “This is my ‘the fuck you will’ face. You’ll do what you always do, which is whatever you want. Damn the torpedoes and anyone who gets in your way.”
I held up a finger. “Not true. Gavin is in my way, and despite the many,manyhours I’ve spent cursing his name, I haven’t figured out how to outmaneuver him.”
“Good.”
“Excuse me, what?”
He gripped my chin and forcibly turned my face toward the ice where Gavin and his team were stretching in a way that could only be described as sexual. “Look at him. He’s beautiful, flexible, and he has magic hands. Your reasons for fighting with him are stupid, and at this point, mostly just foreplay. Give in. I’ve been waiting years for someone to outmaneuver you.”
I shook him off. “I’ve already given in. Twice.”
“And yet you’re still cranky.”
I stuck my tongue out at him, then ignored him in favor of ogling my roommate. Several minutes went by, then Stephen bumped my shoulder.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here yesterday.”
A tiny pang of hurt surprised me. “I didn’t expect you to be. You have a life. One that doesn’t coincide with pampering me on the one day a year when I lose my shit.”
He winced. “Did you lose your shit?”
I pressed my lips together, considering. Stephen would feel guilty if I told him it was the hardest anniversary in years, but he’d be ecstatic if I told him about Gavin. Weirdly, I didn’t want to. What passed between Gavin and me felt… sacred. I didn’t have secrets from Stephen, but I wanted to hold the moments when I’d felt safe close to me.
“It was the usual.” The moment of guilt I felt for glossing over it was completely overshadowed by the seed of comfort planted by Gavin.
I was glad when the game started and I could pretend interest in TU’s hockey prowess. Well, mostly pretend. I was pretty interested every time Gavin took the ice. He was smooth and fast, and he seemed to have a sixth sense about where the puck was going to be. I liked athletes—liked watching them do amazing things with their bodies—and Gavin was elite.
He played with a graceful brutality I found beautiful. I’d never admit it, but I’d been watching highlights of their previous games and trying to learn the rules. With the action happening in front of me, I had a hard time remembering the difference between icing and offsides.
Despite the fast-paced game, I was keeping up until right before the first intermission. Gavin flattened a guy against the glass right in front of me. The world slowed down, and his eyes came up to meet mine with a possessive heat. My breath caught in my chest, and goosebumps rose on my skin. Half a second ofsexy eye contact, and I was ready to drag Gavin to the nearest dark corner.
I thought he’d take the moment to make his move, but he shifted and took off with the puck. The guy he’d squished chased after him, and at the last second, Gavin passed the puck to Reece, who flicked it in for a goal. The red light behind the net went off to cheers all around us.
The buzzer rang for the end of the period, and all the guys skated off the ice. Stephen nudged me to ask about food, but the best I could tell him was to look near where we came in. I’d assumed all the players had left to do whatever it was they did between periods, but when my gaze skimmed over the empty bench, my eyes locked with Gavin, standing at the entrance to the tunnel behind it.
He'd taken his helmet off, and when our eyes met, he raised a brow. I was almost certain he wasn’t supposed to be lingering there, but no one else seemed to notice. His hair was all over the place, his chest rose and fell with quick breaths, and the same tension from earlier coiled inside me. As I watched, he slowly grinned and raised his bare hand to his mouth. His tongue flicked out to lick his fingers, just like he had last night.
Heat raced up my neck into my cheeks and flooded my core. I slapped my hands to my face, but it was too late. He nodded my way, then turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Fuck.
I sank lower into my seat and dropped my head back onto the hard plastic. My face tingled with warmth, along with the rest of me. I was horny, not embarrassed, but it didn’t matter. Gavin had made me blush. He’d won the damn bet.
18
The house was empty. I didn’t know how I knew, but when Eva was home, there was a charge in the air. A subtle feeling of excitement. I hadn’t seen her car on the street, but sometimes she had to park farther down. Our driveway/garage situation wasn’t meant for four cars.
