Reed (Cold Fury Hockey 10)

Josie snickers and lies down on the blanket, resting her beer bottle on her stomach. She looks up at me and bats her eyelashes flirtatiously. "Now that you have me here, what are you going to do with me, Mr. Olson?"

"I'm going to lie down right beside you," I tell her. I lie next to her, shoulder to shoulder, and I look up at the inky black sky. "Just look at the sky and watch."

It's quiet between us for several long moments. We both lie there on our backs with our beer bottles resting on our stomachs and watch the sky. I hear Josie's gasp before I actually see what causes it.

"Oh my God," she murmurs in wonder.

I see a streak of sparkly brilliance cut across the sky before it flickers out of sight. Then I see another. I wait only a few more seconds and then another.

"Tonight's the Cresson meteor shower," I tell her softly, then reach over and take her hand in mine. "I thought you might enjoy coming out and watching it."

I feel Josie move slightly and roll my head to look at her. She has her face turned my way. "You brought me out here so I can see a meteor shower?"

The wonder and softness in her voice touches me.

"I know damn well you're so busy you probably didn't even know there was a meteor shower going on tonight. It's actually going on for a few nights, but tonight's supposed to be really good viewing because of the weather."

Josie squeezes my hand. "I think this may be the best date I've ever been on in my entire life."

I laugh and give her a squeeze back. "You're only saying that because I brought microbrews instead of cheap beer."

"Something like that," she says quietly, then turns her head back to look at the sky.

We sip at our beer, pointing out different shooting stars as we catch sight of them. We make ridiculous wishes on each one.

Josie wishes for world peace, no-calorie ice cream that tastes good, and a decent DC Comics movie to come out. I tell her she obviously has not seen Wonder Woman yet and vow that we'll watch it the next night she has off. I wish for unlimited morning blow jobs--which she says is not going to happen--and for another Stanley Cup victory next season.

We eat sandwiches, drink another beer, and I stand by close to Josie with my back turned when she has to pee so killer clowns don't get her.

We go home and she insists on a shower, and I'm not one to deny her, especially when she invites me in. I'm also not one to deny her when she insists on riding my cock.

After, and as she usually does, she drops down in exhaustion--this time on top of me--and goes out like a light. I carefully slide out from under her, take care of the condom, and just as carefully slide back into bed. I think about going into the living room to watch some TV, but it really holds no appeal. Instead, I manage to pull Josie's body back on top of mine without waking her, and I lie there for a very long time just thinking about how amazingly perfect the night was.

Something I've never had before.

Something I didn't think I needed.

Now that I've had it, it's something I don't want to do without.

Chapter 14

Josie

"Need me to help you with that?" I ask Reed as I watch him struggle up the front stairs of my porch.

He grunts and huffs. "Nope. Got it."

"We really shouldn't have bought such a big one," I say as I turn to push my door open. I step into the foyer, backing up as Reed advances toward me with the huge-ass 4K television he just talked me into buying.

"You need a big one," he says with a waggle of his eyebrows as he peers over the top of the box at me.

"Pervert," I grumble affectionately, and back all the way into my living room. Reed's dressed in a T-shirt and shorts today with a pair of running shoes. His sunglasses are perched on top of his hat's bill and his hair sticks out from the under the edges. He looks sexy as hell, and I do not mind the way the muscles in his arms and shoulders ripple as he wrestles the TV into my house.

"I should have you move stuff for me more often," I observe as he squats to set the box down on the floor.

He shoots me a quick grin. "Like what you see, huh?"

"Oh yeah," I say solicitously. "Like a lot."

"Well, let's get this bad boy hooked up and then I'll do a striptease for you in the bedroom." His green-gold eyes flash with a mixture of humor and sensuality, and it's a damn fine look on him.

"Or, you could strip first and hook the TV up while you're naked," I suggest. "I'll just sit on the couch and watch."

Reed laughs as he starts to rip open the box the TV came in, shaking his head. "If I stripped and you sat over there and had your hot little eyes on me, I'd get nothing accomplished. So I'm preserving our dignity and choosing to remain clothed while I hook up this TV. Besides, I'm dying to see if the quality is as good as promised."

I roll my eyes as I turn from Reed to head into the kitchen. Such a boy with his toys sometimes.

"Want something to drink?" I call over my shoulder.

"Nah," he says confidently. "This won't take me long."

TWO HOURS LATER...

"Perhaps if you read the instructions," I suggest hesitantly to Reed as I cover the speaker of my phone that I'm holding up to my ear. He's hunched over the back of the TV, brow furrowed in extreme concentration as he moves some cables around.

"I've got it almost figured out," he murmurs distractedly, and I have to stifle a laugh, but apparently I don't do it well enough because my mom--who is on the other line--hears it.

"Is he still fiddling with the TV?" she asks.

We've been on the phone for a good fifteen minutes doing our weekly catch-up on each other's lives. I've told her about Reed and how we've sort of become an item, but she's playing it close to the vest. After my sister, Jeanette bailed on the perfect wedding my mom helped plan, she's afraid to dare to hope.

Reed had no problem getting the TV out of the box and plugging it in. The trouble started when he decided that he should move his Xbox over here, since he's been staying most nights with me. We sort of fell into that habit over the last few weeks, mainly because of my work schedule. It was just easier for me to be here at my house in the mornings, since I needed to get up early on the days I worked.

There was a slightly more irritating reason, and that's because some of Reed's Barbies haven't quite received the message that he's off the market. On two occasions when we were at his house, both times fortuitously eating dinner and not having sex, some of his past conquests just showed up at his house without invitation.

The first time I was slightly amused, mostly because it was entertaining to watch Reed try to get rid of the woman like she was a hot potato and was worried I'd be offended. But I wasn't.

The second time, though, my amusement was lessened as I was reminded that Reed did have a very particular type that he went to time and again, and I wasn't it. It was a slap-in-your-face kind of reminder that Reed might decide he wants that again, and there's nothing I can do about that.

Our relationship is, after all, casual.

At any rate, after the second one showed up, Reed tended to steer us over to my house so we wouldn't be interrupted, and I know he felt bad about it.

Reed, however, insisted I get a TV. I go to sleep early and he's a night owl. He refuses to sleep in his bed, always joking he likes the convenience of having me close by in the morning. I finally felt guilty enough since he was rearranging a bit of his life for my convenience that I broke down and got one today. And this came only after he ultimately threatened to buy one for me, which I was not about to let him do.

So, like a little kid with his brand-new big toy, he decided to move his Xbox over.

Although Reed might be a big geek when it comes to his electronic toys, we soon discovered he's not all that great at figuring out how to hook them up. His current dilemma is that he can't get the Xbox to connect, and I'm pretty sure if he'd just read the directions or Google the issue, the problem would be solved. After that, he needs to figure out how to hook up the HD antenna, a

nd I figured we might be awhile, so I started to cook an early dinner for us.

"All right, Mom," I say into the phone as I turn back to the kitchen. "I've got to get going. I'm cooking Noni's sauce for Reed."

"Don't forget to roast the garlic first," my mom says, and I roll my eyes. She says that every time.

"I won't forget. Love you," I say with a fond smile on my face.

"Love you, my darling. Tell Reed good luck with the TV."

I grin, not able to help the good feelings that produces. That my mom already has an incipient bond with Reed even though she's never met or talked to him. She only knows him through what I've told her, but it's obviously all been good.

I decided to prepare my grandma's famous spaghetti sauce today because I've got nothing better to do and I wanted to show a different side of myself. Every so often, Reed looks up from his work to sniff and say, "Damn, that smells good," and, "I didn't know you could cook."

It's a casual, relaxed Saturday and we have no obligations. Just two friends hanging together who will later have some hot, passionate sex.

But even I have to admit, things have changed.