One Pucking Destiny (Crane Hockey #4)

Chapter 23

CHAPTER

TWENTY-THREE

BASH

A ri twirls the pasta I picked up from a local Italian restaurant around her fork. She’s wearing a baggy pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Her hair is wrapped atop her head in a messy bun. She doesn’t wear a speck of makeup, and she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

“I actually miss those guys.” She smiles before plopping the forkful of noodles into her mouth.

We sit atop her bed cross-legged, containers of pasta between us as I regale her of all the Crane hockey shenanigans. Our schedule for the past couple of months has been blissfully brutal, allotting me lots of material to entertain Ari.

“Something crazy happened last week. I was warned that if I told anyone, I would be murdered.” I chuckle.

Ari’s eyes go wide. “Oh my God. Tell me.”

“Do you know Penny?”

“I met her once when I stopped by the offices to see my mom.”

I nod. “Okay, well, she and Gunner hate each other. Right? Like so much so that it’s uncomfortable sometimes.”

“Do you like Penny?” she asks. “I didn’t get a good read on her.”

“Oh yeah, she’s great. She has a low tolerance for stupidity, and as you know, we’re never in a short supply of that, so she’s often annoyed with us. But she’s a good person and really cares about us.”

Ari nods, listening.

“So anyway, at the beginning of last month, she and Gunner got stranded in Vancouver together after one of our games. There was a huge storm, and they didn’t make the plane home before the storm rolled in. They were stuck there together for three days before the runway was cleared enough for the Cranes to send a plane to retrieve them. Anyway, when they came back, something felt off. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but they were different around each other. There wasn’t the normal palpable hate between them. You know? ”

“You think they did it?” Ari leans in, drawn to the juicy gossip.

“Probably. It hadn’t crossed my mind at first because I was so used to them hating each other. Right? So then last week we were helping build a dog kennel for a new animal rescue through our Cranes Care non-profit—the whole team was there. I ran out of screws, so I went to the supply closet to get some. Only, when I opened the door, I saw Gunner and Penny going at it like animals.”

“What? They were doing it?” Ari gasps and laughs.

“Yeah, right up against the shelves.”

“Oh my gosh! What did they do when you walked in?”

“Well, they looked at me in shock. So I quickly shut the door and, of course, ran outside to tell the guys.”

“Bash.” She hits my arm. “Maybe they didn’t want people to know.”

“Then they shouldn’t have been doing it in a supply closet we all utilized. Plus, I couldn’t keep that good of tea to myself. I mean, you don’t understand. These two have hated each other ever since I’ve known them.”

She raises a brow and waggles her fork in my direction. “There’s a very thin line between love and hate.” She stabs a piece of chicken and puts it in her mouth. “I think they’re going to make it all the way. ”

“All the way to what?”

“Marriage or a long-term commitment at the very least.”

“You think?”

She nods. “Oh yeah. If they are so drawn to each other that logic flies out the window, and they do it in a public space like that, it means they have insane chemistry that they aren’t going to find with anyone else.”

“Well, aren’t you the relationship guru?”

“I know things.” She lifts her shoulders and grins.

It’s crazy to me how in tune Ari can be when it involves other people, but she is so clueless when it comes to admitting to the reality of her own life. Her level of personal delusion astonishes me.

“So Gunner said he’d murder you if you told anyone?”

“Yep. I’ve never seen him so serious, either.”

“See, he’s protecting her because he loves her.”

I toss my fork onto my empty plate and grab another bread stick from the foiled bag. “Then maybe he should’ve screwed her somewhere other than a closet where I could walk in.” I supply a small laugh.

“I told you. It’s that carnal, ‘oh my God, I have to have you right now’ kind of attraction.”

My mind wanders to the last day of bye week and the carnal activities we partook in all night long. The irony of her words makes it hard to keep my opinions to myself. I don’t risk pissing her off because I’m simply relieved she agreed to let me stay in the first place. When we left Texas, she was adamant that we had a no-contact agreement. I’ve tried to persuade her over text for months. So either I caught her on a good day or she needed me as much as I needed her. Either way, I have no intention of messing it up.

She leans back against a pile of pillows. “I can’t eat another bite. That was so good, though. Thank you.”

“Of course.” I lean forward and give her a peck on her lips. It feels so good to be here with her. I’ve missed everything about her. Our getting reacquainted session in the shower earlier was fire, but I don’t crave her just for sex. If only that need had to be met, I could find someone else.

She’s so closed off to us ever being more, one wouldn’t think this thing we have going on would be satisfying. Yet it is. My heart is happy in her presence. Maybe she’s right and not the one for me, but I can’t make myself believe it. I can’t put my finger on it because it’s so much deeper than anything I’ve ever felt. But deep within my bones, I know that continuing to fight for this at Ari’s pace is the only course of action that will lead to anything worth having.

I clean up our area and carry our leftover food and trash to the kitchen, which is about three steps from the “bedroom.” “Ari, your mom’s a millionaire now. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind springing for a new place. Half of this apartment is flowers.”

She chuckles, pointing at the four vases I’ve sent her over the past two weeks. I knew from the picture on the florist’s website that they weren’t small, but in Ari’s apartment, they’re overwhelming. “I told you I didn’t have room for any more flowers.”

“I know, but I thought you were lying, just like you do when you say you don’t want to see me.”

“We’re not even going there.” She shakes her head and looks around the tiny room. “I like it here. I don’t know. It’s been my apartment for a few years and feels like home.”

“It feels like a closet.”

She lifts her shoulders. “It doesn’t bother me. Mom and I didn’t have much when I was growing up. I’ve never needed stuff to make me happy.”

“I understand, and that’s cool, but Ari, I’m sure your mom would be happy to help you out. You could afford something a little bigger. You know, a place where you don’t have to store your shoes, boxes of pasta, and toilet paper on the same shelf.” I point at the small shelf by the entry door, my eyes wide with accusation.

She laughs. “My mom has offered to pay for an upgrade, but I don’t need one. I like it here, and honestly, I’m rarely here. ”

“Okay, but what about that death trap you drive? You think you can upgrade that? I’m sure it doesn’t handle well in the winter.”

“Hey,” she protests, putting her hands on her hips. “She is a good car.”

“I’m sure she is. I have no doubt she served her original owners well when she drove them to Woodstock.” I flick my hands in a “come here” motion. “Join us in this century, Ari. The water’s real nice.”

She throws a pillow toward me. “You’re ridiculous.”

I leap at her and land on the bed. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I tickle her sides.

She snuggles up against me and rests her face on my chest.

“If I bought you a car, would you accept it?”

“Hell no.” She bolts up. “Don’t you dare, Sebastian Calloway. I’m serious. It’s bad enough I have to live in the Garden of Eden.” She motions toward the flowers.

I squint my eyes. “You are a little brat.”

She giggles. “I’m kidding. The flowers are super sweet, but please don’t buy me a car. That’s way too extravagant for an occasional booty call.”

I pull her back down against me and kiss the top of her head. “You know you’re more than that, right?”

She doesn’t answer .

“Is there anything you want to do this weekend?” I ask.

“Whatever you want.”

“Okay. How about we pick back up on our Marvel marathon, order in lots of delicious food, and experience lots of orgasms.”

She releases an audible grin. “I think that sounds perfect.”

“Me too.”