Delayed Penalty (Empire State Hockey #5)

Chapter 10 – Avery

Chapter Ten

Avery

Peter

Stop being fucking ridiculous and get back here.

Avery, this is ridiculous. I was at an event, I’m not going to look like a dick and embarrass these women by turning them down.

You better just be out cooling off or getting your nails done. Whatever you need to do to calm down, we all know I can make your life hell if you leave me.

“ S o, what happens now?” Harris asks as we sit in his kitchen having coffee.

It doesn’t matter that I said it was only happening once and then I would be leaving. Once turned into twice, which turned into three times, then I lost count when we finally went to sleep at four in the morning, only to be woken up with his mouth kissing down my body.

Ten out of ten recommend that as a way to wake up with a smile on your face.

But now that it’s done… that the rebound hookup has happened, what do I do next?

“I don’t exactly know. I texted my sister last night, but I knew she was leaving to drop her kids off this morning so hopefully I'll hear from her once she’s done.”

Kelly doesn’t have a huge place, but I’m sure she’d let me snuggle in her bed with her for a little while until I can get back on my feet. I have to figure out what I’m going to do, though, because I thought Peter was just being extra possessive last night because he had been drinking. Based on the text messages I woke up to this morning, that’s doesn’t appear to be the case.

He’s not letting me go—at least, he doesn’t think he is. He’s definitely willing to ruin my entire career to keep me with him if that’s what it takes. I don’t want to give in… but how can I afford to live on my own, find a new job, get insurance, and not end up homeless?

“But you’re really not going back to him?” he says, his usual confidence is gone, stripped back leaving him vulnerable.

How do I explain that just because I’m not going back to him, doesn’t mean that we’re turning this into something it’s not?

“Nope. I’m pretty sure cheating on me with at least two women last night made this one pretty cut and dry. Although, he’s not quite getting the hint,” I say, looking out the window at the city, focusing on the madness below and not the busyness in my mind.

“What do you mean he’s not getting the hint?”

“Oh, he’s just been texting and calling me since like five this morning and doesn’t understand it’s over. He keeps waiting for me to quit being dramatic and to come back to him. Then, he was a dick and said I have nowhere else to go and I’d come crawling back to him.

It’s quiet, too quiet, as I look back and see Harris is doing the same. Only he looks lost in thought.

“Well… you could always stay here. You know, until you get your life figured out,” he says quietly, his eyes looking up to meet mine and I see it now.

The hope.

I can’t stay here with him.

I know I could; it would make my life a lot easier to not have to search for a place right off the bat, plus he’s a lot closer to my work than Kelly is. It would take me at least an hour longer of commute time to and from work, and also, by the looks of it, he has a lot more room than Kelly does with the kids already sharing a room right now.

But I also know it’s a bad idea… especially after what we let happen last night… and again this morning. I emotionally don’t think I’m prepared to have to be around him, yet somehow keep my emotions turned off. Maybe one day we could be able to be around each other and not let the sexual tension get the best of us.

“I think we both know that’s not really the best idea,” I say with a smile, setting my coffee cup down and turning to face him. “What happened last night?—”

“Don’t you dare say it was a mistake, what happened between us could never be a mistake and you damn well know it,” he seethes, every word filled with intensity.

“That’s not true. It was a moment of weakness while I was emotional, and we went with something we both felt safe with. Sexual tension started from day one with us, and it’s always been superhot so it’s really no surprise we had as good of a time as we did. But it can’t happen again.”

“Why not?” he asks quietly. “Nothing about what has happened between us feels like a mistake. We didn’t just run into each other for you to leave your fiancé and us not to see what this is.”

“No, Harris. We know what this is. It’s comfortable and it was easy and I’m sorry I let my vulnerability cause this confusion, but I’m not willing to go down this road with you when the last time we did it ended so horribly.”

“Ave, come on now, that was so long ago. I’m not even asking you to move in as my girlfriend. I’m just telling you I can help you out, be a friend for you. Why not, though? I have the means, I have the space, if you feel safe with me then it feels silly for you to not let me help you out.”

“No. I’m getting out of a relationship with a fiancé , I’m not jumping into living with an ex,” I say, knowing I need to start getting a move on and get out of here, but he’s not making this easy on me. “Look, I’m just going to get my stuff ready and head over to get my car then go over to my sister’s so I can start figuring out what to do next.”

I stand up, leaving Harris sitting there and go rinse out my mug in the sink, the feeling of his eyes follow me the entire time, but he doesn’t say anything until I’m nearly in the doorway to his room.

“If you just give me five minutes to change, I can drop you off on my way.”

I look at him for a moment considering telling him no, but unfortunately it would make my life a lot easier if I didn’t have to lug bags around the city just to get to my car.

“Fine, but only if I won’t make you late.”

“I’m pretty sure they’ll be okay if they have to wait a minute or two for me. Especially if they knew it was to help a friend.”

I just nod and get my stuff ready, doing my best to not let my mind wander on what sort of plans he’s got going on today, just praying it’s not with another woman after everything we did last night.

The emotions and the reality of everything I’m going through hits me the second I’m on my sister’s couch with a bottle of wine, our pajamas on and some action movie ready to play on the TV, because who wants a chick flick when you’re going through a breakup.

And in this moment I feel like I just went through two.

With Peter, it’s not that I’m mourning him in the sense one would assume after you’ve been together for almost six years. No, I’m more mourning the old me, the one before Peter turned me into a shell of myself. I’m most certainly not sad I’m not with him anymore, I’m sad I stayed with him for so long when all he wanted to do was suck the joy from my life.

I should have just treated him like a Dementor and just eat chocolate whenever he’s around, but then he’d probably just tell me it’d make my ass too big.

His loss, I tend to like my ass on the bigger side, more for a man to hold onto.

But that’s beside the point. I’m frustrated that I let myself be so blind to how unhappy I was for so long that I don’t even recognize myself anymore. That doesn’t mean I’m not afraid of the repercussions that will most likely come from the fallout in these next few weeks as we slowly untangle our lives, but I also know that I’m not willing to let a man dictate life if they’re not willing to put in the work to be a partner. So now I feel like a little kid staying with my big sister as we snuggle and drink.

“I feel like I should be throwing you a celebration for finally leaving his sorry ass, but I also know the right thing to do is to be respectful and let you process your breakup if that’s what you need. So, which one is it?” Kelly breaks the silence bluntly. Subtlety has never been her strong suit.

“We are definitely not mourning Peter. That’s not on this year’s bingo card, or any in the future of forever.”

“Then why the lost eyes? I thought you’d be out celebrating, I figured I’d have to beat you off with a stick trying to go out drinking and letting loose.”

“That’s what last night was for,” I say, flinging my arm over my eyes as I hide, knowing the Spanish inquisition is coming.

“You went out and celebrated leaving that asshole without me?” Such a bitch. “Wait, last night?”

I haven’t told Kelly all the details about last night… mostly because it still feels weird to tell her I slept with someone who wasn’t Peter, and I’m not sure what I’d say when she inevitably asked me where I stayed.

I didn’t stay anywhere for too long last night, I switched it up quite a bit.

Under Harris. On top of Harris. On my knees for him.

But I don’t think that’s what she’s getting at.

“It’s not like I gathered the troops and went and had bottle service and male strippers at the club. I, uh—I met up with a friend.”

“Does this friend have a name?”

“Of course, he has a name. Doesn’t everyone have a name?”

“Avery, don’t be a pain in the ass. Why are you being a brat and not telling me who?”

“Because I know you’re going to give me shit about it. But I also know that you’re going to be disgustingly happy, and goddamnit, I’m not sure which one I’m avoiding more.”

“Avery.”

“Nope.”

“Avery…” she says, getting more annoyed.

“No.” I cross my arms, full-on toddler pouting right now like I’m not standing in front of my sister with two crotch goblins of her own, so she’s well versed in tantrums.

“Avery Marie, tell me before I call and tell Mom you’re leaving Peter.

“You’re evil… you wouldn’t.”

“Bet, bitch.”

“I spent the night with Harris.”

Her eyes widen, mouth agape and for a moment I think she’s pissed at me, like I’ve done something wrong by already hooking up with someone… but that’s not Kelly… especially not when it involves me and Peter. She would’ve high fived me had I cheated on him, of course telling me it was wrong afterward. But still, when I told her he cheated on me and that’s why I ended it, I thought she was going to go over there and kill him herself.

But then I pointed out it got me to leave him and she said fuck it. I guess my pain and embarrassment is worth it in the end after all.

“Like, I think I’m going to need you to spell it out for me because my mind is bouncing around on the many things this could mean… did you go hang out with him to get your mind off of Peter? Did you go stay at his place because you needed a place and he had a room? Or is the tiny little smirk just dying to come out an indication that you did all of the above, only you stayed in his room and probably did very minimal sleeping?”

I feel the blush rise up, immediately heating my ears as the memories of all the not sleeping we did last night come flashing back. That man was incredible at sex as a twenty-two-year-old college guy, but the twenty-eight years old… he’s daddy .

I nearly came more times than I remember without him even touching my pussy. His voice, the way he would tweak my nipples, giving me just the right amount of pleasure until letting it finally explode, consuming me entirely.

“Girl, do you need a cold shower? Because you are not climbing in bed with me looking that hot and bothered with whatever it is you’re remembering right now. I’m too afraid you’ll start humping my leg in your sleep like Robbie used to do.” Kelly laughs before quieting down, her face still one big smile though.

“Oh, shut it, woman, you’ll be fine. As for last night… I mean, we definitely spent the night together… and part of the morning.”

She waits not even three seconds before gesturing for more details, like confirming we hooked up wasn’t enough, and just because it’s her, I divulge. After she grabs another glass of wine for us, we go over all of the torrid details leaving me questioning why the hell I’m here and not there.

Not really, though, that’s just my vagina talking.

Kelly listens, comments as expected about just how hot Harris’s dirty talk is and how she’s happy I was finally able to have a non-self-induced orgasm again. She knows all about Peter and my lack of sex life and how in the entire time we were together he never once actually gave me an orgasm. So, it’s no shock she’d want to see if I had better luck.

Yeah, bitch. I didn’t just see sparks fly, I saw the entire damn explosion, fireworks included as that man lit up my life.

“Look, I know the way you two broke up fucked you up big time. I remember. That being said, you guys were kids, it was nearly six years ago. But this is now, you both have grown up, why not take him up on his offer? He seems nice, you definitely cared about him and he’s hot as fuck and knows how to use his dick so that’s a win-win if you ask me.”

She’s not wrong, that man uses his dick like a champ.

“I just don’t think it’s a smart idea. There’s too much gray area between us, it would get confusing especially because we crossed the line. We both know it was a one-time thing, though, so staying there would just get awkward.”

She just shrugs and presses play on the remote, the TV coming back to life. “I mean, I get that. It might be more awkward waking up next to your sister every morning and not the hot guy, but that’s just me.”

Fuck me.

Now the only thing I’m going to be thinking about is what it would be like to wake up next to him every morning.

But that thought hurts more than it brings joy because it’s the sad reminder that at one point years ago that was the dream I thought we were living. I thought that was going to be my life.

But it was all a big lie.