One Pucking Destiny (Crane Hockey #4)

Chapter 3

CHAPTER

THREE

ARIANA

H e's gorgeous, I’ll give him that. This view—the way he’s smiling and dancing with abandon—is a turn-on, and I can’t deny that.

It’s the wannabe Book Thief on the dance floor with some blonde—his sister, maybe—and now, he’s gawking at me like he’s seen a ghost. I can leave quite an impression, I suppose.

He says something to the girl he’s with, and before I can come up with an exit strategy in this jam-packed place, the pair have made their way over to me.

“Hey there, stranger,” he greets me before extending a hand toward the blonde. “This is my sister, Hattie. ”

“Hi.” I wave.

Hattie’s lips roll together, and she offers a genuine smile. “Have you started the book yet?”

I shake my head. “No. Some of my friends convinced me to come out instead.”

“For your birthday.” Hattie nods.

“Yeah.”

“How old are you?” Hattie asks.

“Twenty-two.”

“Nice!” Hattie nods in approval before singing the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s song “ 22 .” I don’t know if I’ve ever had anyone burst out in a serenade for me like this before. I’m sure alcohol is involved, but I also get the impression that this is just Hattie. Oddly enough, her whole aura is endearing. She seems fun.

Book Thief raises his hand. With an amused grin, he says, “Yo, Taylor. Do you mind?”

“Sorry!” Hattie giggles.

“Where are your friends?” Book Thief asks.

I look past him, pointing in the general direction of the entire bar. “Somewhere over there.”

Before he can respond, another guy joins us. Coming up behind Hattie, he wraps his arms around her waist. She squeals, turns in his arms, and gives him a kiss. I steal a look toward Book Thief, and he wears a face of utter disgust as he glares at the pair .

“I’m going home with Anthony!” Hattie announces. “You can get back to my apartment safely on your own?”

“No, Hattie.” Book Thief frowns.

Not wanting to be a part of any family drama, I excuse myself and weave my way through the crowd to the back of the club. Our table is vacant save for the empty bottle of vodka and our glasses. Looking around, I spot my girls scattered around the dance floor, each with their tongues in a guy’s mouth. This is the time of night when we all start coupling up. Nothing makes a girl hornier than the impending closing time after a night of drinking.

“You okay?” Book Thief is at my side

I lean back and tilt my head up. I’m five foot eight, and this guy must be at least six foot four.

The smile. Check.

The height. Check.

The dancing. Check.

The charm. Check.

Yeah, this guy is right up my alley, but I don’t need anyone up my alley at the moment. “I’m fine. Everything okay with your sister?”

He sighs. “Yeah, she went home with her ex. Whatever, I get it. I’m just not a fan.”

“Not a good guy?”

“No, he’s fine. He’s just not fine for her. ”

I nod. “Gotcha. The overprotective brother.” Damn, even that is a turn-on.

He grins. “I don’t know about all that. I wouldn’t say I’m overprotective. I just want only good things for the people I love. By the way, my name is Sebastian, but my friends call me Bash.” He extends a hand.

I shake it. “Ariana, but my friends call me Ari.”

“Nice to meet you, Ari.” There he goes with that hotter-than-hell grin.

“A little presumptuous to think we’re friends already. Isn’t it, Sebastian?” I raise a brow.

He shrugs and takes hold of my hand. “I don’t know. This is our second date, after all, so I’d say it’s safe to say we’re friendly at the very least.”

I snort. “This is not a date.”

“Whatever you say. Let’s dance.”

Seeing that we’re already on the dance floor, we start moving to the music. It’s hard to keep my guard up with this guy. I don’t know what it is about him, but I can tell that if I were to let him in, he’d stay. While he seems like an incredible person, I’m not looking for serious right now. I have to finish vet school before I can even think about a relationship.

Though, if I had a type, it would be Bash. He’s tall and muscular but not bulky muscle. He has floppy sandy blond hair, blue eyes, full lips, and a dimple under his right cheek. Beautiful is an appropriate way to describe him and not just his exterior. He radiates goodness. I’ve always had a way of seeing into people, of knowing if their soul is good or evil. Bash is good. So good.

He may be a catch, but the timing is all wrong, and there’s really nothing I can do about that.

“What are you thinking?” he asks as if he could tell my mind just put him through a complete assessment.

“Nothing.”

“Lies.” He smirks. “So I assume you’re a student here? What do you study?”

I shrug. “Stuff.”

He nods. “Ah, so that’s how it’s going to be. Well, I’m out of college, but I visit a lot to see Hattie.”

“And what do you do for a living?”

He shrugs. “Sports.” His vagueness mocks my answer from moments ago.

Damn, he’s funny, too.

“I hate sports.”

He produces an audible grin and runs his fingers through his hair. The sandy-blond hair slides through his fingers and flops to the side. “Well, okay then.”

I really need to shut this down. I might be game for a fling or a one-night stand, but in the brief time I’ve known Bash, I know he’d end up as so much more. “Look, I’m sure you’re a great guy. I’m just not looking for anything right now. ”

He grips my waist, changing the cadence of our dance into something slower. “Truthfully, I’m not either. I don’t live here. I’m twenty-four and travel a lot. I’m not trying to put a ring on it.” His mouth tilts up at the corners, and his breathtaking smile accentuates his dimple.

I circle my arms around his neck as he guides my body against his. We sway to a beat of our choosing, and it’s slow and captivating. “Okay, good. Then we’re on the same page.”

“Definitely on the same page.” He trails the tips of his fingers up and down my back, causing goose bumps to erupt.

My breathing becomes labored as his touch moves over my skin. He slides his hands down my arms and then back up and around my back. Slowly, he moves them against my sides and around my waist, expertly touching all of my exposed skin in a way that drives me crazy. And I have a feeling he knows exactly what he’s doing.

The half sigh, half whimper that leaves my lips does so without my approval. In this sea of drunk college students, I’m a prisoner to his touch. I close my eyes as his head dips, and his lips press against the skin of my neck in a soft kiss. Using his full lips, he peppers kisses down my neck and over my shoulder .

Everything in me wants him—all of him. Even if just for one night.

I can do one night. Enjoy his company and walk away. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll make my body feel so good, and I deserve this. It’s my birthday, after all.

Reaching up, I cup his jaw with my palm. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Are you sure?” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear and peers down at me with his beautiful blues.

“Absolutely. Let me just tell my friends I’m heading out.” Rocking up on my toes, I place my lips against his in a chaste kiss. It’s short and sweet, but the promise of what’s to come beats loudly within my chest.

Minutes later, Bash threads his fingers through mine, and we race out of the club as if it were on fire.

The hilarity isn’t lost on us, and we both break out in laughter as we sprint past the bouncer stationed at the front door. “Let’s go to your place,” I say.

“Works for me. It’s only two blocks away.” He releases my hand and steps in front of me, crouching down. “Hop on.”

I jump onto his back, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. He stands tall and slides his arms under my legs, securing my body to his. He walks like a man on a mission .

I pull his earlobe into my mouth before I kiss the skin below his ear.

He groans and starts to jog, causing me to bounce. “Bash! You’re shaking my brain!” I laugh.

“It’s your own damn fault.” He stops in front of an older white house with a wooden front porch. He releases his hold on my legs, and I slide down and follow him up the stairs. He unlocks the door and motions me inside.

The second the door closes behind us, my back is against it, and Bash’s tongue is in my mouth. His fingers thread through my hair, pulling me closer to him. Our mouths move with a familiar heat and undeniable chemistry. It’s as if my lips have been waiting my whole life—starving—for this kiss.

I’m lost in a pool of desire. My body melts into Bash’s as our hands touch one another frantically. This perfect kiss keeps us connected and grounded when I’m otherwise out of control. His lips send me spiraling into a haze of lust and desire. I’ve felt need before, but this is next-level. It goes beyond rational thought and swims in the sea of complete abandon.

I’m barely recognizable to myself, just a lust-fueled mass of need—clawing, moaning, and begging for a man I barely know.

Sebastian pulls his mouth from mine, and the loss stings. “How do you want this? Fast or slow?” His words are husky and pained. I have a feeling he’s experiencing the same blinding desire I am.

“Both,” I say as I tear off my clothes.

“Holy shit, Ari…” he says on an exhale as he takes in my body, the heat of his stare burning my skin. He makes quick work of removing his clothes and retrieves a condom from his wallet. “We’re starting with hard and fast. Any objections?”

My mouth open, my breathing becomes ragged as I take in every movement of his hand as he slides the condom over his impressive length. I want him inside me more than I’ve ever wanted anything.

Stepping forward, he cups my chin. “I need to hear you say it.”

I’ve already forgotten the question. “Fuck me, Bash.”

He presses his lips to mine in a hard kiss, increasing my intense and immediate need for him. Releasing his grip on my chin, he takes hold of my hips and, in one quick movement, turns my body away from him. He splays his hand against my back and bends me over. I press a hand against the front door to keep from falling and release a moan as he enters me from behind.

His hands grab my hips, his fingers digging into my skin as he moves me back and forth over him. And, oh my word… he feels so good. Tingles dance across my skin from my toes to my scalp as a deep pleasure builds in my belly. This guy knows what he’s doing.

He thrusts in and out as we vocalize our pleasure.

“You feeling good, Ari?” he says on an exhale, his fingers tightening on my hips.

I whimper as the cadence of his thrusts increases. “So good.”

I’m surrounded by the smell, sounds, and sensations of everything sex. I’ve lost all ability to think, and my senses have been taken over by pleasure. Eyes closed, mouth open, hands splayed against the door—I moan as my climax builds. He claims me again and again, overwhelming all my senses.

“I’m so close.” My voice quivers.

Bash tilts his hip and thrusts harder in response. It’s exactly what I need to push me over the precipice. I cry out as my body shakes through my orgasm.

Sebastian groans, his thrusts hard and determined as he chases his release. “Oh fuck…” he cries out as he empties inside me.

We stand in the hallway, hands on our hips, as we catch our breath. He removes the condom and tosses it in the trash.

“Wow. That was…” I search for the right words.

“Fucking amazing,” Bash completes my thought perfectly.

“Yeah. ”

He extends his hand, and I thread my fingers through his. “Come on, we should venture more than three feet into the house.”

“Oh, there’s more?” I tease.

He smiles, and it’s devastatingly beautiful. “Oh, so much more.” He leads me into a bedroom and walks me back until the back of my knees hit the bed. “We’ve had fast. Now, we’re taking it slow.”

His words are intoxicating. He doesn’t say as much, but I’m under the impression that Bash’s version of slow will be exquisite.

He drags his thumb over my lips and looks me over with his heated stare. His teeth bite against his bottom lip, pulling it back before his tongue peeks out to wet his lips. “Lie back.”

I do as instructed. Forearms against the bed, I prop my torso up to watch as he walks to the foot of the bed. He places a hand on each one of my ankles and moves his hands up my legs. My heart races as I watch him look at me as if I’m the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. The palms of his hands are soft against my inner thighs as he spreads my legs.

My breath catches in my throat as he positions himself between my legs. “I’ve been dreaming about this since the bookstore.” He grins as he inserts two fingers inside me.

I whimper, our gazes locked as he uses his other hand to spread me open. He drags his tongue over my bundle of nerves, and my head falls back in a moan. My arms give way, and I drop to the mattress.

Sebastian works his fingers inside me and his tongue against my clit, and I’m already seeing stars beneath my eyelids. This guy knows exactly what he’s doing.

Happy birthday to me.