Sasha laughed. “Now I know you’re just trying to make me feel better. But it’s true. He loved sex, of course, and wanted plenty of it, but he just wouldn’t kiss me.”

  I couldn’t believe it. With lips like hers? They always looked so plump, almost too full for her face, but matched her features perfectly. She looks like one of those Bratz Dolls. Minus the slutty clothing, of course. Stop it. This is Sasha, but that guy was a moron.

  Where did all that come from? Probably from the same place that offered up those inappropriate thoughts about her. The same place the devil lived, and I didn’t need to go there.

  “Sash, he’s a moron. Any guy in his right mind would give anything they could to kiss you. Especially if they were dating you. Kissing’s half the fun.” I shook my head. “I mean, not that I want the details mind you, but how did foreplay work?”

  Sasha blushed. “Well, he’d start kissing my neck. That part I didn’t mind. And obviously—” She looked at her chest and pointed to the parts of herself that I’d sworn a mere three minutes ago I would never look at again. And now she was dragging my attention right back to the most perfect pair of tits I’d ever seen. Like a fool, I couldn’t help but look.

  “Okay, yeah, I don’t want to know about that.”

  Sasha laughed. “Yeah. So I underestimated how watching a romantic comedy would make me feel, especially with all the kissing. I miss it.”

  I gave her another glance. “Yeah, I can imagine. That’s just—crazy.”

  We continued to watch the movie, but my attention was elsewhere. I kept trying to figure out how someone as gorgeous as Sasha could go a year without being kissed. When another scene came on, she groaned. This scene was worse. This scene was leading up to more than just kissing.

  “We can watch something else if you want,” I offered.

  “No, it’s fine. You know, maybe I’m just going to go hang in my room. Read or something. It’s my first night off in a while, and I’m ruining it. I need to just relax.”

  She set aside the popcorn, but before she could stand, I reached out my hand and wrapped it around her wrist. “Sasha, wait.”

  What the hell was I doing? Although I was fully aware, I couldn’t believe what I was about to say. “You deserve someone to kiss you. It’s really shitty that Ryan refused to.”

  “Thanks, Fox. It’s my stupid choice for staying with him for so long. I mean, that’s just weird, right? No kissing, that’s ridiculous.”

  I nodded. “Yes, it’s ridiculous. I’ll kiss you.” The words tumbled out before I could chicken out.

  Sasha’s mouth fell open. “What?”

  Did I actually say that out loud? There’s only one thing to do in a scenario like this. Double down.

  I shrugged. “Yeah, look, we’re friends, so obviously none of this means anything. Plus, you need to be kissed, to be reminded that the douche-sac and his hang-ups aren’t you. You didn’t do anything wrong in this scenario except stay with him for too long. I’m actually pretty good at it, and I’ll be sure to make your toes curl.”

  She stared at me for a long second. “Wouldn’t that be weird? We’re best friends.”

  I shook my head. “Nope. Just look at it as an exercise and a chance to practice. You can practice on me, rather than the next guy.”

  She gasped. “Oh, my God, you might be right. I’ve been so used to doing it Ryan’s way for so long. It will take a while to get back into the swing of things.”

  I nodded sagely. “Hence, I’m offering you my services. That guy was a dumbass. You deserve someone who kisses you.”

  She swallowed visibly. “And this isn’t weird for you at all?”

  I shook my head. “Nope.” Liar.

  “So how does this work? Are you gonna stand up and kiss me? That’s bizarre.”

  My heart thumped rapidly against my rib cage, and I feared that the thing would burst. I tried to stay calm by drawing slow, even breaths. “No, just come sit by me. Watch the movie. We’ll just chill out and let it happen naturally like it should. Like it does for people every day.”

  For a moment I thought she wouldn’t go along. I thought she’d walk away. But she eventually sat next to me with the popcorn bowl acting as a barrier.

  I set the popcorn on the other side of my feet and then pulled Sasha closer. “Relax, it’s just a kiss. C’mon, how long have we known each other? You’re not dating anyone right now, and I’m clearly not looking for a girlfriend. I just think it’s a travesty that no one has kissed you in over a year. This is a friend thing.” The hell it was. I was desperate to taste her.

  Sasha nodded as if what I had said made total sense. That was astonishing, because I had no idea what I was talking about. I hugged her tight to me like I normally did. She eventually leaned against me, her body melting into mine. Our shared warmth created an impenetrable cocoon.

  We watched the movie for a few more minutes, me with my arm around her, casually stroking her shoulder. I was so aware of her. Her apple-scented shampoo, the fine strands of her dark hair almost dancing on my fingertips. I watched her breathing. At this point in the movie, the hero had swung his girl around before planting another kiss on her. I leaned over, Sasha looking up expectantly. First her glance was questioning, but then it morphed into curiosity.

  I angled my head, even as my fingertips still played in her hair. I shifted my other hand to her face, cradling it to remind her that this was me. She could trust me.

  This is just a kiss. My thoughts swirled in my head. Liar.

  I gently brushed my lips to hers. There was an immediate spark.

  What the hell?

  Instead of pulling back, I chased that spark. Sasha parted her lips in a gasp, my tongue sliding into the warm depth of her mouth. My tongue asking hers to play. She stroked her tongue against mine, and I moaned. I couldn’t help it. I deepened the kiss while my hand slid from her jaw into her hair.

  Sasha reached up, her arms winding around my neck. Her fingers teased the hair at my nape.

  Oh, hell, I thought. This was not supposed to—

  Sasha arched her back into the kiss, pressing her breasts firmly against my body, and I lost total control as I continued to chase the spark as if it were pulling her further and further into me. I dove headfirst into the abyss.

  The two of us had just entered completely uncharted territory. It started from something silly. Now it was all too serious. I leaned her backwards, both of us shifting and sliding until she lay along the length of the couch, me over her, my hips nestled between her thighs. My lips never leaving hers.

  My cock rested against her burning heat as I pressed against her, begging her to let me in. My mind sought any remaining shred of control, but it was long gone. Sasha, my best friend, tasted fucking incredible. I couldn’t help but gently rock my hips against her, and what do you know, Sasha widened her legs to give me more room.

  I held myself slightly above her, so as to not crush her with my full weight. All the while she rocked her hips up, seeking more, and I couldn’t help myself. In the matter of a minute we had gone from friendly kissing to desperately pawing at each other. I slipped my hand under her tank top.

  She’s so damn soft. I just want a taste of her belly button, and up along the bottom of her ribcage.

  Sasha arched up as if inviting me. God, yes. I wanted to slide my hand up farther still, cupping her fullness in his palm. I wanted to see how well we fit together. The thought had been clawing at me for so long. The alarm bells blared, but the devil on my shoulder just shouted over the din. Go on. Cup her. You know you want to. She wants it too. She wants your hands on her. Your thumbs on her nipple. But somehow rationality prevailed, and I just barely managed to keep from sliding my palm up over her full curves.

  It took my lips longer to get the memo though. When they finally did, they staged a small mutiny before I dragged them away from hers as gently as I could. I kissed along her jaw-line and had to force myself to sit up and back away…all the way over to the far side of the couch. Whatever the hell had happened here was very dangerous. Destructive.

  I couldn’t live without Sasha; I needed her like I needed to breathe. I knew what I was like, so I wasn’t going to ruin this by taking it to a point of no return. I took her hand and tugged her into a sitting position.

  “Now that’s how that dipshit should have been kissing you,” I said, before settling back against the couch like she hadn’t just rocked my whole world upside down.

  7

  Sasha

  After meeting with Echo on Tuesday, I put in my notice at the restaurant. Echo was going to pay me three times what I made in tips for a fraction of the work.

  “The manager said that I didn’t even have to come in for my shifts the rest of the week,” I told Fox. “I’m not sure whether to be relieved or insulted.” I joined him on the couch, careful not to touch him.

  “Well, congratulations on your newfound freedom from the food service industry,” Fox mumbled as I munched on my salad. I expected it to be a late night at the station, so I figured dinner at home was prudent. Besides, I liked hanging at home these days.

  “I’ve got a night off on Friday,” he said. “Practice will be over by five, at the latest. So what do you say we go out to celebrate? I desperately need to, uh…find some company, if you know what I mean.”

  I blinked. When I finally computed that Fox might be bringing some bottle blonde back to the apartment, I swallowed hard. “Um…yeah, I know what you mean.” I didn’t. I liked our bubble. “And…sure, I guess. I should be able to get out of work at the station in time for a night out,” I said with a shrug, as I had a sudden urge to hunt down my shoes.

  In reality, I needed a second to sort through my feelings. “Actually,” I said. “It will kind of work out perfectly. There’s this after-work thing on Friday that I’ve been dreading. If I have plans with you I can get out of it, and I won’t have to see Ryan. Hanging with you would be a much better start to the weekend. And hey, maybe I can find a hot guy, too. I don’t have time for a relationship, but I wouldn’t mind flirting a little. It would be nice to talk to someone who actually saw me, you know?”

  I slid my gaze over to Fox, who was staring at his phone, jaw slack.

  “Fox? Are you okay? Did something happen?” I found the shoe and sat next to him to slip it on, taking the chance to peer at his phone.

  “I, uh…I have a voicemail from Coach Tremblay,” Fox murmured.

  “What did he say?”

  “I haven’t listened to it yet.”

  “Well, go on, then.” I tucked my feet up onto the seat.

  His hands visibly shook, as he took a deep breath and punched in his voicemail retrieval codes.

  “Looks like Rhodes is retiring.” Coach started. “We’re working with the team’s publicity staff to draft a statement, and the team has been pushing for more time to prep Henri. In the meantime, however, we’re going with the excuse of having to break in the new guy to cover for Rhodes until the announcement.”

  I held my breath as we listened.

  “We’ll also be needing a new backup brought up, so you’ll have some time to show us what you can do with the rest of the team. Give me a call back, and I’ll give you more of the details for the upcoming practice and game schedules. We’ll send the paperwork to your agent.”

  Fox sat stock-still, dazed and unmoving. I grabbed him by the shoulders.

  “This is fantastic! Congratulations!” I threw my arms around him. For one brief moment, we sat like that, me pouring all my joy into the hug and Fox holding me close, his big body engulfing mine. Like the night we’d kissed, something bloomed low in my belly, and I ached for something…more. I wanted more of this. Stop it. Fox Coulter is not on the menu. You’ll only get hurt. And unlike any past boyfriends, the pain would be intense when Fox decided he was tired of me.

  “I… That…wasn’t what I was expecting,” he managed to mumble while I shook him in my excitement.

  “Call him back, call him back,” I chanted as I danced on the balls of my feet. “I’ve got to go finish putting my stuff together and get into the station, but call me as soon as you talk to him. I want to know everything!”

  Fox only continued staring at the phone. “I fucking made it.”

  I grinned. “You fucking made it.” I nodded exuberantly. “You can say it now.”

  He blinked at me and frowned. “Say what?”

  “You were right, Sasha.”

  A smile cracked through and suddenly, I had the fun-loving Fox back. “The hell I will.” But still, he picked me up and swung me around. “I fucking made it.”

  “Yes, yes you did. And tonight, we celebrate.”

  * * *

  I hummed the whole way into the station. I’d been worried after the night he’d shown up at my place. But this opportunity would certainly help snap him out of his funk. Now, all he had to do was believe in himself. Easier said than done.

  “You look like you’re in a good mood,” Jeanine, my deskmate, said as I dropped my things. “Good news on your story?”

  I deflated a little. “That’s…coming along, but no. The news is actually more on the personal front. I got a better part-time gig so I was able to quit the restaurant. And my friend, Fox…he might have gotten a promotion. I’m waiting for him to call me with the details after he talks to his new boss.”

  “Wait, Fox? The hot one? Isn’t he your roommate now?” Jeanine asked, her curiosity taking over. “You guys keeping things platonic or is it, er, not an issue?”

  I frowned, then a laugh burst forth. “He’s not gay,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “And yes on the platonic thing. We’ve known each other since we were kids, so…we’re more like…siblings, I guess…maybe cousins. Anyway, now we have two things to celebrate when we go out on Friday night.” Never mind that the man could deliver a panty-melting kiss.

  “But Friday we’ve got that—”

  “The thing is, with Fox’s work schedule I don’t know that it’ll be easy for him to change plans like that. I’ll have to let you guys know on Friday, but I probably won’t be able to go after all.”

  Jeanine eyed me with a sly grin. “If you’re doing all this to avoid Ryan, I can’t say that I blame you,” she whispered. “You’re well rid of him. The guy’s a tool.”

  I wondered just how many of my friends believed that.

  I snapped open my laptop and got to work. There were several messages on my machine from agents and players directly, whom I’d approached about being interviewed for my story.

  It took me several hours to call them all back, but by the time I was done, I felt like I had a solid lineup for my piece. I had also received a list of leads for psychologists to approach, for both on-camera interviews and explanations of the various studies I had printed and stacked on my desk next to a pack of highlighters.

  Fox called at lunch to give me an update. “I took it,” he told me. “I have to go in this afternoon to sign some stuff, but they’re working on making up some jerseys for me now.”

  “That’s fantastic!” I exclaimed. But I knew him well enough to check his mood. No one wanted to be second-best. “How’re you feeling about it? Still excited?”

  Some of his earlier exuberance had faded. “I’m all right, I guess. I don’t know that it’ll really sink in until I get out there on the ice, you know? Kind of in shock still.”

  “Have you called your parents yet?”

  That one beat of silence told me everything. “No, you’re the only one who knows so far. And the team people, obviously. I was kind of putting off telling them. The team doesn’t want it getting out before they make their official statement.”

  And you’re afraid it could go away. I knew him well. “Of course. My lips are sealed,” I told him, and though I knew he couldn’t see it, I mimed locking them and throwing away the key.

  “So this whole thing means that my game and practice schedule has changed, and I won’t be able to go out and celebrate your dumping the restaurant on Friday night,” he said.

  “Well…when are you free? I’ll make my schedule work around yours. It’s a lot easier for me to do that now,” I said. “And we need to celebrate your gig, too! A night on the town before your new responsibilities remove you from the pleasures of my company.”

  “I’ve really only got tonight. They’re making the announcement tomorrow at noon, and I have to be on the bench for tomorrow night’s game. I’m slated to make my first start on Friday or Saturday, depending on how Henri does tomorrow night. They don’t want to make him do the back-to-back games on the weekend.”

  “Tonight should be fine,” I insisted. “I’ll swing by the apartment to change, and we can head out.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he said. I could sense the lack of enthusiasm in his voice.

  “Hey,” I said, before he could hang up, “you sure you’re okay? Given how upset you were about not getting the bump when your friends did…I thought you’d be more excited.”

  “I…” His voice was quiet. “They didn’t want me before because I wasn’t good enough. It hasn’t even been three weeks since they said that. So I know they’re not calling me up because my playing’s improved. They don’t have a choice, and now…the preseason’s almost over at this point, and if I do fuck up, it won’t just be in games that have no bearing on the standings. It’ll be when people are watching and caring and…” He sighed again. “I don’t want to screw this up, but I’m not sure I know how not to.”

  “What you need is a distraction and an ego boost,” I asserted. “And nothing will accomplish that quite like a night out and getting laid. I promise I will find you someone to hit up that will help you loosen up and get your nerves worked out. I am the best wingwoman ever. Remember Carly Kincaid?”

  Fox laughed. “That woman almost killed me.”

  True. Carly had been older. And when I had hooked the two of them up, I had no idea just how kinky Carly was. Fox hadn’t seemed to mind at the time, though.