Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 86878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
It’s a bitter pill to swallow.
“Whatever you want to call it, he was the only one I’d been with long term. There were a few guys after…” My voice trails off as I jerk my shoulders. “They made me feel bad for wanting certain things. And I began to wonder if I was normal. Especially when I couldn’t get off from just regular sex.”
His mouth drifts across my forehead. “You know that’s not true. No one should have made you feel that way because you’re more adventurous in the bedroom. I fucking love it.”
My lips lift into a slight smile as I meet his earnest gaze. “I get that now.”
He tugs me closer, wrapping me up in his arms. They have the rare ability to make me feel protected and safe. “I like every damn thing about you.”
That admittance is all it takes for the tension swirling through my body to dissipate, leaving behind something I’ve spent the last year searching for.
Contentment.
We fall into a comfortable silence as my fingertips drift across his chest before I still. “So… are you going to tell me about what I walked in on earlier?”
When he releases a deep breath, I wonder if he’ll bother with a response.
It would be a major disappointment considering I just experienced the best sex of my life and spilled my guts to this guy.
Honestly, if that happens, then I need to seriously rethink—
“Remember when you asked me about my job, and I said it was something online?”
My eyes widen as I jerk upright before swiveling to face him. “You get paid to jerk off online?”
Humor simmers in his green eyes. “If you want to bottom line it like that, then sure, I get paid to jerk off online. Although, I prefer to think about it as empowering people to live out their sexual fantasies.”
My head spins with this revelation.
Some of the humor falls away from his expression as he searches my eyes. “Does it change what you think of me?”
My brows shoot up before I slowly shake my head. “Of course not. Why would it?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s not exactly something to be proud of.”
“The fact that you’re a full-time college student and a Division I athlete who’s doing everything he can to take care of his family is admirable.” I can’t help but flash a grin as I tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “Now that I’ve seen the goods up close and personal, I’m sure women are throwing a ton of money your way.”
“Not to brag, but there are a few men as well.”
A gurgle of laughter bursts from me. “That doesn’t surprise me.” There’s a pause. “Does your mom know?”
His eyes widen as horror flashes across his face. “Hell no! She wouldn’t accept a single dime if she even suspected where the money came from. She’d go out and get a second job just to make ends meet. Then the kids would never see her, and they’d have to raise themselves. That’s the last thing my dad would have wanted.” He shakes his head. “Next year, all of this will be a distant memory. I’ll sign my contract with Nashville, and my family will have everything they need. More than what they need. Mom won’t have to work her fingers to the bone, and everything will finally be good again.”
My heart constricts at the earnestness in his voice.
That’s all it takes for the last of the walls I’ve built around myself to tumble. It’s also the moment I realize how hard I’ve fallen for him.
My fingers drift across his cheek before tracing his soft lips. His gaze stays locked on mine as he kisses them.
“You’re a good man, Hayes Van Doren.”
“Shhh. Don’t tell anyone.”
The corners of my lips hitch as I snort. “Don’t worry. No one would believe me even if I did.”
30
Hayes
I bring the steaming cup of coffee to my mouth and watch Ava as she glides effortlessly across the ice, her movements smooth and graceful. The way she skates is mesmerizing—almost as if she was born to do this, her ability innate. She executes a perfect spin, the same one from the photo I saw at her apartment. She’s poetry in motion, a force to be reckoned with.
I could stand here for hours and watch her.
It’s wild how much I’ve grown to care about this girl in such a short period of time. She’s everything I didn’t know I was looking for. Hell, I didn’t even think I was looking for anything.
But Ava is different.
The connection between us is impossible to ignore.
She’s burrowed beneath my skin, and I can no longer imagine my life without her in it.
Does she feel the same?
I really fucking hope so.
Each time we’re together, I find myself revealing little pieces of who I am. The ones I don’t allow anyone else to see. Not my teammates or my family. I’ve never felt so in tune with another person.