Dirty Pucker (Denver Bashers #2)

14. Del

Chapter 14

Del

I won’t lie. When my teammates pitched the idea of going for a steam tonight, I wasn’t into it.

Spending time in the steam room is great for recovery as an athlete, but I’ve always hated it. Sitting in what feels like a stuffy closet while I sweat my balls off isn’t what I’d consider a fun time.

But then Ingrid said she was interested. And my mind changed instantly.

If this woman wanted me to go skydiving with a faulty parachute, I’d have a hard time saying no to her.

I know I should stay away from her, but I can’t help it. I like talking to her. And I want to spend as much time with her as I can.

I like everything about her. The way she laughs, the way she smiles, the way she makes sure I’m included every time there’s a team gathering, the way her eyes are bright and focused whenever she looks at me—like she’s genuinely interested in me and what I have to say.

The way she made me feel when she found out that I used to help my sister with her hair when we were kids.

I think about what she said earlier tonight.

You’re an amazing big brother. And a good person. And I’m not just saying that. I mean it. You’re incredible, Del.

I can still feel the warmth pooling in my chest, just like it did the moment she said that. Because it meant the world.

Maybe it’s stupid, but I don’t care. That’s not something I hear very often, how good of a person I am.

I hear what a great hockey player I am all the time, and that’s nice. But not as nice as it feels to know that someone like Ingrid, who’s sweet and funny and likable and sincere, thinks I’m a genuinely good person.

Because most people don’t really know me. They think I’m Dirty Del, the player who never backs down from a fight. The player who’s an asshole on the ice, who will do anything to get under my opponent’s skin.

But Ingrid doesn’t see me like that. She thinks I’m a sweetheart. She thinks I’m a good person. And that means more than she’ll ever know.

That warmth in my chest intensifies.

I force myself to stop thinking about how perfect Ingrid is as I walk into Theo and Maya’s place. It’s a massive house in the mountains, with an open-concept floorplan and modern finishings.

“Wow. Nice place,” I say as I toe off my shoes at the entryway.

Theo flips on some lights. “Thanks. It was a gift from Ingrid.”

He turns and smiles at his cousin, who is smiling as she walks over to the marble kitchen island.

“You gave them a house as a gift?” My voice hitches in shock.

Ingrid chuckles. “Yup. It used to be my house, but I was traveling so much. Theo was staying here when he was taking a pause from hockey. Maya was my personal assistant at the time, and I asked her to stay with Theo at the house to keep an eye on him.” She gives her cousin a look. “He had quite the party boy reputation and I didn’t want him trashing my place. But then he and Maya ending up falling in love while living in this house together, and it seemed like the right thing to do, to let them have it.”

Maya runs over and gives Ingrid a hug. “Best friend ever.” She grabs Ingrid’s hand. “Come on, let’s go get changed for the steam room.”

Sophie follows them down the hallway while the guys and I stand in the kitchen. I watch Ingrid walk off, in awe. This woman has a heart of gold.

Theo tells us he’ll grab towels for all of us for the steam room. When he returns, he hands me one.

“I gotta piss. Steam room’s at the other end of the house, next to the home gym,” Theo says before heading to the master bedroom.

Xander and Blomdahl head down the hall to a couple of the guest bedrooms to change. I head to the hallway bathroom, strip out of my clothes, and wrap the towel around my waist.

I walk out and make my way to the steam room. When I open the door, I’m shocked at the size. A lot of my teammates have steam rooms in their places, but they’re pretty small, usually only room for one or two people.

But this one is huge. Ten people could fit in here easily.

The heat and humidity pummel me in the face the second I step inside. I take a few seconds and deep breathe so I can acclimate to the sudden temperature increase. I sit on the wooden bench. A minute later, the door opens.

I look up, expecting to see one of my teammates. But then I spot Ingrid standing there in the tiniest bikini I’ve ever seen in my life.

My eyes pop out of my head as I gawk at her perfect breasts, which are spilling out of that swimsuit top.

She chuckles. I look up and see her cheeks flush red.

“I know, I look ridiculous.” She holds her hands in front of her, fidgeting. “This swimsuit top is way too small.”

I scoff. “Ingrid, there are a lot of words I could use to describe the way you look right now, but ridiculous isn’t one of them.”

She smiles and bites her bottom lip. Her mouth is so lush and pouty. My dick twitches.

I clear my throat and dig my thumb into the side of my quad, hoping that the sharp pain keeps my cock from hardening.

She sits on the bench across from me and my gaze falls to her chest again. Sweat beads along the delicate curve of her throat and collarbone. I watch as a drop trickles down, disappearing in her cleavage.

My mouth waters and my tongue aches to lick the sweat from her throat and boobs.

I swallow hard and force myself to look up.

“So, um…pretty cool that you had a steam room in your old house,” I say, keeping my unblinking gaze on her face.

“I didn’t. Theo had it installed recently. But I come over and use it a lot.”

“Oh. Nice.”

She wrinkles her brow as she looks at me. “You okay? You look kind of mad.”

It takes a second before I realize just how hard I’m frowning. “Uh, yeah. I’m all good. It’s just kind of hot in here.”

And I’m trying not to stare at your insanely sexy body like a creep, and apparently I look like a psycho when I concentrate that hard.

I close my eyes and press a fist to my forehead. “The heat takes it out of me sometimes,” I lie.

The door to the sauna jiggles. I open my eyes and glance over. Ingrid does too.

“Del? Ingrid? You in there?” Theo asks.

“Yeah,” we both say.

“Did you guys lock the door? It won’t open.”

“No…” Ingrid stands up and walks to the door. She grabs the handle and pulls on it, but it doesn’t budge.

I stand up and try to open it, but it doesn’t move.

“I think it might be stuck,” I say to Theo.

I hear him sigh on the other side of the wooden door. “I bet the wood expanded with the heat. It does that sometimes. Hang on, let me get my tools and I’ll pry it open. You guys okay in there?”

“Yeah, we’re good. Just sweaty.” Ingrid chuckles.

“Okay, gimme a minute.”

I step back, careful not to trip on the dip in the floor.

Ingrid turns around. “I guess it’s just me and you?—”

She trips on the uneven wooden flooring and falls toward me. I grab her by the shoulders, but the force of the fall knocks me back. My ass lands on the bench and she lands on top of me. We make identical “oof” sounds.

“You okay?” I ask.

“Yeah.” She lets out a breathy laugh and looks down. A beat later, her blue eyes are wide.

“Um, Del…”

“Yeah?”

“Your towel…is…um…gone…”

I glance down and see that my towel is on the floor. Which means I’m totally naked and my half-hard dick is barely an inch from Ingrid’s body. Specifically her crotch.

Embarrassment heats me from the inside out. I tug a hand through my hair, mortified.

“Shit, I-I’m sorry,” I babble. “My towel must have fallen off when you bumped into me.”

I expect Ingrid to jump off me instantly, to let out a nervous laugh and say something funny to change the subject.

But she doesn’t do any of that. Instead, she keeps staring down at my lap…at my cock specifically.

Her eyebrows, which are currently at her hairline, ease back to their normal position after a second. But that dazed look in her eyes remains.

A slow, hard swallow moves down her throat. “Wow.”

I’m speechless. A whispered “wow” wasn’t the reaction I expected.

But it’s…a nice surprise, I won’t lie. Because Ingrid is currently looking at my dick and she doesn’t seem grossed out or horrified at all. She seems intrigued.

“You’re really impressive,” she murmurs after a long moment.

My ego swells at the wonder in her voice. “Thanks.”

She looks up at me, her full cheeks bright red. “You’re hard.”

My heart thuds in my chest. “I am.”

She licks her lips and my now fully hard cock is aching. “Why?”

I almost laugh at her sweet and curious tone.

“Because you’re the hottest woman I’ve ever seen in my life. And you’re half-naked and sitting on my lap.”

Her breath catches as she looks at me. Our faces are barely two inches apart.

When Ingrid exhales, her breath sheets across my lips. It’s hot and wet and fuck, I’m aching to kiss her, to taste her lips and tongue.

Slowly, she cups her hands around my face, pulling me closer. And then, before I can even think or say anything, she brings my mouth to hers.

It’s not even one second of my lips on hers and I’m moaning. Fuck, her lips are the softest I’ve ever?—

“I’m back with my tools,” Theo announces.

We break apart right as we hear a creaking noise. Ingrid jumps to her feet and I reach for my towel on the floor, then quickly wrap it around me right as the wooden door pops open.

When I look out, I see Theo, Xander, Blomdahl, Maya, and Sophie all standing there, looking at us.

“Are you guys okay?” Sophie asks.

I nod as Ingrid stammers out, “Y-yeah. All good.”

Everyone walks in and settles on the benches. Ingrid and I look at each other. Her eyes are wide and her pupils are blown out. I bet I look the same.

For a second, we stand there, unsure of what to do.

“I love that swimsuit,” Sophie says to Ingrid as they sit down.

Ingrids lets out a breath and flashes a shy smile. “Oh. Thanks.”

“You need to get that door fixed, dude,” Xander says to Theo.

Theo sighs and closes his eyes as he leans back. “It’s on my to-do list.”

I glance over at Ingrid, who’s staring at me. My head spins. Not even thirty seconds ago she was sitting on my lap, my cock was hard as steel, and we were kissing.

I glance down at my lap, my boner long gone.

When I look up at Ingrid, her pretty face twists in sympathy. She mouths, “Sorry.” I mouth, “Me too.”

The rest of the night, all I can think about is how I barely kissed Ingrid…and how I’d give anything to finish what we started.