Wild Tendy (IceCats 2)

“So, where did you meet these stalkers?”

I laugh as I grimace. “Tinder.”

She laughs. “I tell Jaylin to stay off there. She gets in trouble with those guys.”

“That’s the damn truth,” I agree as I walk into the kitchen, putting away some stuff I left out before I went to the arena for the game. “It’s a cesspool, for sure.”

She nods as she looks at the different photos on the wall. A lot of them are of me growing up and then some of my family. “So, the girl you were speaking of before… How long did you date?”

“We didn’t date,” I say as I open the fridge. “We were just fucking, and when I wanted more, she told me she was in love with someone else.”

She looks over at me. “Well, that’s unfortunate.”

“Eh, it is what it is,” I say, pulling out some ciders. I stuff a piece of cheese in my mouth before shutting the fridge with my hip. “She’s happy with him. Getting married and all that jazz.”

“Did you love her?”

I shrug as I get the bottle opener. “I thought I did a bit, but my therapist says it was more infatuation.”

“Oh,” she says softly as she leans into the bar and checks out a goalie helmet I have lying there. When she reaches out to touch the helmet, my breath hitches.

“Sorry, can you not touch that?”

She pauses midway and jerks her hand back. “I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s me. I’m weird about my equipment.”

I lean into the other side of the bar and hand her the cider as she says, “It was rude of me to assume I could touch it. I’m really sorry.”

“Don’t be,” I say, waving her off. I know I need to explain more about the helmet. But instead, I find myself extremely embarrassed. I watch as she takes a long pull of her drink, and I don’t miss the side-eye. She probably thinks I’m a crazy person.

The silence is killing me, but then she says, “I was in love with the last guy I was with.”

Why does that bother me? “How long were you two together?”

“It was complicated.” She shakes her head. “We grew up together and dated in high school. When we went to college, it was very much a hookup when it was convenient for him. I started to realize that I was falling in love with him and he wasn’t with me. I tried to cut it off, but I was lonely.”

“Lonely? Aviva, you can have any guy you want.”

“Hush, you,” she teases, smacking my hand. She’s handsy when she’s drinking. I fucking love it. “I don’t know. I had a soft spot for him. But the last time we hooked up, he told me he couldn’t do this anymore because he was getting married. I was devastated. But then I realized he was only with me because he felt sorry for me.”

“Sorry for you?” I ask, confused.

She must have decided she’d said too much because she shakes her head. “Oh, is this your mom and grandparents?”

Ah, fun. Secrets. “Yup. That’s the fam.”

“Your mom is stunning.”

I come to stand beside her. “Thanks. When my dad left, I think he took a lot of her confidence.”

“Well, that’s shit.”

“Agreed,” I say, tapping my bottle to hers.

We both take a sip before she points to another picture. “What trophy is that?”

“Vezina. I was voted best goalie last season.”

“Wow, that’s cool.”

“Yeah, not to toot my own horn—”

“Because you’re so humble and all,” she teases, and I grin.

“This is true, but I’m pretty badass.”

“I know. I was watching tonight.” Her face flushes a bit with color, and it sets me on edge. She’s fucking gorgeous. “Don’t read into that.”

I move her hair off her shoulders, and the stars in her eyes are beautiful. “Why? I like that you watched me.”

She rolls her eyes. “Just gonna make your head bigger.”

I waggle my brows at her. “You being here is making my head bigger.”

She perks her brow at me. “Which head?”

Her grin lights up her face, and I find myself unable to hold in my laughter. She laughs with me as I open the door to the back deck. She walks out in front of me, and I watch that sweet ass sway. I want to touch it so bad, but I don’t want her to think I only want her for sex. While I wouldn’t mind taking her right into my bedroom, she deserves more than that. If she’s gonna give me her time, I’m gonna value it. As I shut the door behind me, I look over at her while her hair blows in the ocean breeze.

“Yup. I’d never leave this spot if I lived here.”

I walk over to stand beside her. “It’s pretty awesome.”

“It’s exquisite,” she gushes. I love the look on her face. The blissful, carefree one. I haven’t seen it on her before, and seeing it now leaves me fighting for my next breath. Unable to resist, I lean toward her, kissing her jaw. I linger longer than I should, but then my need for her is rewarded when she turns her face so that her lips meet mine. I place my bottle on the railing and gather her up in my arms, wanting to consume her completely. She feels so damn good in my arms. Her lips are tender, soft, and she tastes like the cider I just gave her. I run my hands up her spine, the muscles in her back teasing my fingertips just the way I wanted. She cups my face with one of her hands as her other hangs between us, the coolness of her bottle against my chest.