“You’re so beautiful.” I hold her hips, helping her rock.

“So are you.” She bends to kiss me.

When we come, it’s within seconds of each other, but I’m privileged to watch her fall first.

chapter twelve

DATES

Lilah

If there was any question as to whether the chemistry between us had faded over the years, it’s certainly been put to rest over the weeks leading up to the exhibition games.

I honestly have no idea how Ethan and I ever got anything accomplished back when we were in high school and hormonal impulses dominated any kind of rationality. I’m currently using lunch breaks and the nights he has practice or team meetings to keep up with course work.

Tomorrow morning Ethan gets on a plane for his first exhibition game away from home, which will give me much-needed study time, but it comes with a price: Ethan’s anxiety. He’s very much a creature of habit when it comes to prepractice and game rituals—even exhibition games. He doesn’t like that he can’t follow the ones he’s already set in place—which usually include a good luck kiss from me. There’s a lot riding on this game for him, and Ethan stresses most about his away-game performances because he doesn’t have the comfort and familiarity of home ice. I worry he’s going to give in to the superstitions he sometimes gets hung up on.

Tonight Ethan has something special planned—maybe as a distraction from his anxiety. I figured we’d stay in, I’d wear a pair of his favorite boxers for good luck, and we’d order takeout and have one of our marathon sex nights. But he’s excited about whatever he has set up, so instead of luring him inside, I step out onto the front porch as soon as I hear him pull into the driveway.

As I walk toward the truck, he jumps out, hands behind his back. “I have something for you.”

“Oh?” I pause and grin.

He produces a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a bag of candy in the other.

“What are you apologizing for now?”

He gives me a look. “I’m not apologizing for anything. I’m taking you out on a date and I thought you might be out of Hot Lips, so I got you more, but if you don’t want them … ” He makes a move to throw them back in the truck.

“No, no! I want them.”

“I knew you would.” He hides them behind his back again when I reach for them. “A kiss first.”

I wrap my arms around his neck and give him a soft peck on the cheek.

“Not good enough. I need your hot lips on mine.”

I laugh, but he wraps his arms around me, and our mouths meet, the kiss soft at first and then needy. It goes on long enough that I think maybe we won’t be going out after all, but he disengages and presents me with my gifts. “Why don’t you run those inside and I’ll stay here.”

“You sure you don’t want to come in for a few minutes?”

“I’m sure.”

He waits while I put the flowers and candy in the house and out of Merk’s reach. I grab a few Hot Lips on the way out the door. Ethan meets me around the passenger side, pausing to kiss me again, much more chastely, before he helps me into the truck. Once I’m buckled in, he rounds the hood and hops behind the wheel. He’s wearing dark-wash jeans and a green shirt, the sleeves of which hug his biceps in the most delectable way.

“You look nice.” He gives me a lingering once-over, gaze traveling from my sandals up my bare calf to the hem of my dress. Summer is fading, the nights growing steadily cooler, so I’ve brought along a wrap to cover my bare shoulders.

“So do you.” I fiddle with the bangle on my wrist, playing with the charm as I glance at him. I only take it off for work these days. Ethan thinks it’s a talisman of luck when I wear it. Much like the dual set of dog tags hanging from the rearview mirror, boasting his jersey number—I had them made for him back in high school, and I recently had a new set made prior to the first exhibition game this season. “You’re sure you want to go out tonight?”

Ethan stretches his arm across the seat, fingertips brushing along my collarbone as he reverses out of the driveway. “Yes, and don’t worry—we’ll still have lots of time to get naked later. I promise.”

“I’m not worried. I’m just wondering how difficult dinner is going to be with you sporting that.” I point at the very obvious erection pushing at the fly of his jeans.

“It’ll go away.”

I shrug and cross my legs, smoothing out my skirt when it rides up, drawing attention to my legs. Ethan is an ass man, but he loves legs almost as much. They get him all riled up, especially when the only thing covering them is a flippy skirt. And panties that can be just as easily pulled down. Those might be in my purse at the moment—he’s not the only one who can be a tease.

“How are you feeling about tomorrow?”

He taps on the steering wheel and bites his lip. “Excited but nervous.”

“Because it’s away from home?”

He nods. “I know my dad is doing a lot better, but I worry about my mom managing on her own.”

“I’m here to help, and Jeannie knows that.”

“I know. And I appreciate it. I just don’t want anything to happen while I’m gone.”