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“It was. We were total idiots. Anyway, Tyler fell the last time we ever did it. He got partially sucked under the train and lost a leg. He was lucky he wasn’t totally crushed.”
I took a sharp breath. “Oh my god.”
“The leg ended up getting infected. MRSA. And then… he died.” Paxton’s lips tightened, and he kept his gaze on the dark water.
“I’m so sorry. That’s horrible.”
“Yeah.” Paxton finally turned to look at me again. “Anyway, to answer your question—this is gonna sound morbid as fuck, but after Tyler died, I kept remembering something he said to me.”
“Oh?”
“We used to play hockey together, and he always used to tell me he expected me to make it into the NHL. He even told me he’d haunt me if he ever died, so he could make sure I did it.” Paxton paused and smiled, shaking his head. “So after he died, I kept thinking… I have to do it. I can’t disappoint him. And I definitely can’t let him haunt the shit out of me forever.”
“That’s not morbid. I think it’s sweet,” I said. “I bet Tyler is super proud of you, wherever he is. I mean, Tate told me earlier that you’re practically a shoo-in for the NHL draft this year.”
“Yeah, well… we’ll see.”
I smiled. “You’re being modest. Everyone at school says you’re the best forward they’ve ever seen.”
“So you think I should be cockier?” he asked, flashing a tiny smirk in my direction.
“Definitely. You have the goods to back it up.”
His smirk widened. “Well, if you insist…”
He put his hands on either side of my face and pulled me toward him. At the same time his head dipped lower to meet mine halfway. My breath hitched in my chest as one hand cradled my jaw, the other slipping downward to wrap around my waist, pulling me even tighter against him.
His lips finally pressed against mine, and it was nothing like I expected. It was better. Soft. Gentle. Tender. The kiss of a person who wanted nothing more than to push away all of my pain and fill the empty spaces in my life with warmth. It seemed to go on forever as his hand slowly rubbed circles on my back, sending sparks of desire down my spine.
Goosebumps erupted all over my arms, neck, and chest. Paxton pulled back and stroked a fingertip over my skin. “You’re still cold,” he murmured. “Want to go inside? I saved a room for us upstairs.”
I faltered. “Oh, I—”
“It’s okay. We don’t have to do anything. Except maybe more of this.” He pressed his lips to mine again. This time the tip of his tongue slid into my mouth, and I saw stars.
“Yes.” I practically panted the word. “Let’s go.”
We ran inside and dashed up to the third floor, grinning like fools as we clutched at each other. On our way down the main hall, we spotted Callie heading through a doorway. She paused when she saw us and smiled. “I’m going to bed. Night, guys.”
“Night.” We awkwardly waved at her until she closed the door. Then we were on each other again, kissing and running our hands all over each other’s bodies.
Paxton hoisted me up in the air so that I had to wrap my legs around his waist to remain stable. He grinned at me and kissed me again as he backed into the bedroom next to Callie’s.
“Paxton,” I said breathlessly as he lowered me to the bed. “I, um… I really want this. But I’ve been drinking so much. So I don’t—”
He cut me off again, pressing a finger to my lips. “It’s okay. We’re just going to sleep next to each other tonight,” he murmured. “That’s all.”
“Is that okay with you?”
He pulled the blankets back and nodded. “Yeah. If and when something happens between us, I want you to be sober.”
He smiled faintly when he saw the concerned look on my face. “Sienna. I’m serious. I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but I’m not going to ditch my girlfriend for not wanting to have sex with me when she’s drunk.”
Oh my god. I was actually going to have a heart attack.
“Girlfriend?” I said breathlessly.
“Yeah.” Paxton’s smile widened. “You’re mine, Sienna.”
