Page 96 of Center Ice
Drew huffs out another laugh. “I just moved back to Boston, and I think I made it perfectly clear that I haven’t so much as looked at or talked to another woman since I first saw you again.”
“What about on the road? There must be other women you’ve hooked up with, in various cities, who still have your number?”
“Nah, I only communicated with women via social media DMs, and I’ve blocked every single one of them and closed my DMs down. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.” He sets my phone on the table and reaches his hand to my neck, slipping his fingers under my hair. “But I’m happy to keep reassuring you as often as you need.”
I close my eyes as he pulls me forward, just enough to drop another kiss on my forehead. I hate feeling insecure and needy, and I look forward to the day that I’m so sure of his feelings that I don’t need reassurances. But I’m not there yet, and I’m glad he understands that.
“Thank you.” I swallow roughly. “I’m not normally a jealous person, but I’ve seen the way some professional athletes act when they’re on the road, and I hate to think of all the temptations out there.”
“First of all, no woman is, or could ever be, as tempting as you. And second, the women these guys hook up with on the road are looking for someone who’savailable, which I’m not. And aside from going out for a post-game dessert with a few of the married guys”—Drew lets out another little chuckle—“and Zach Reid, it’s not like I’ve even gone out after a game.”
“Why is Zach not going out looking for women on these trips?” I ask curiously.
“He’s a serious relationship-only kind of guy, I guess. Just like me.” Drew winks at me when I glance up at him.
“Just like younow.”
“Nowis the only version of me that matters, because it’s the one you’re stuck with. Forever.” He sweeps his hands under me and lifts me from where I sit next to him between the coffee table and couch, depositing me on his lap like I weigh nothing.
I absorb that word as my fingertips trace the line of his cheekbones. I never imagined Drew could be this wonderful, or that being with him would make me feel so complete. “Forever, huh?”
“Yes.” He leans in so his lips brush mine, and then he says, “Forever.”
My lips part for him involuntarily—my body knows exactly what I need from him. And he kisses me back like he knows exactly what I need, too. Which is why I’m shocked when he pulls back and says, “Hang on, I want to show you something.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
DREW
“Ireally did think you were joking,” she says as she stands in the doorway to my bedroom. Her eyes focus on the pole set up in the corner, then she looks over at me, skepticism written across her face.
“We had a deal.” I slide my arm around her waist and pull her to me. Her back rests against my chest, and my breath carries over her hair when I say, “And I plan to collect.”
She steps away from me, walking straight over to the pole. Did I have to buy a new dresser and rearrange my whole room in order to accommodate this pole? Yes. But as she grips it in one hand, leaning back and pulling on it like she’s testing whether it’s sturdy or not, I realize I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
“I’ve literally never danced for anyone before. Even my sister and friends don’t know that I take pole dancing lessons.”
“If not for the performance aspect, why do you take lessons?”
“I wanted to do something fun and empowering that would also be a good workout.”
I take a seat on the end of my bed, facing her. She’s holding on to the pole with one hand, her arm fully extended, and her ankles crossed near the base. She’s fully covered in her leggingsand sweatshirt, but just the thought of her in fewer clothes has my dick stirring.
She takes a few quick steps and a small leap, then hooks one leg around the pole while bending her other leg so that her feet meet behind her. She spins around the pole a few times, so graceful and light.
Once her feet are back on solid ground, she looks at me over her shoulder and the wink she gives me has me up on my feet and closing the distance between us.
When she turns to face me, I back her right into the pole so that she’s pressed up between it and me. My fingers glide along her hips and under the hem of her sweatshirt until I find the soft skin of her abdomen, and I tip my face down and inhale her scent—the honey and citrus smell I’ve come to love.
I can’t imagine not having her in my life. I love every single thing about this woman.
“What’s wrong?” she asks. That’s when I realize that I’m completely frozen in place, like a rigid statue pressed up against her.
“Nothing,” I say, giving my head a little shake to clear it as I step back to give myself a little breathing room. I could get lost in her so deep that I’d never find my way back…and that doesn’t scare me as much as it probably should.
She tilts her head back along the pole so she’s looking up at me, and the delicate column of her neck is begging for me to kiss it. She gazes up at my face, and I see the concern and the lust swirling together in those bright blue eyes. Then she brings a hand up to my cheek, cupping one side of my jaw. “Drew, what’s wrong?”
I press my lips together between my teeth, then say, “Nothing’s wrong, I promise.”
