Page 29

Chapter

Twenty-Six

JONAS

Cooper: Evan says you work out too much. Go relax and enjoy your summer!

Jonas: Nah, he’s exaggerating. I’m good.

Jonas: How’s Denver?

Cooper: Gorgeous views. Cool town. Crazy busy!

Jonas: I bet! Can’t wait to see you hit the ice with the Avalanche.

Cooper: You know I’m not actually on their team, right?

Jonas: Yet. You’re in their farm system, you’ll get there in no time.

Cooper: Thanks for the vote of confidence, man. Means a lot.

Lying in my bed, I stare at the ceiling. There’s blemish in the feathery pattern right over my head, and it resembles a beach umbrella. I’ve spent a lot of time contemplating it this summer, and tonight’s no different.

I can’t sleep, can’t get my mind off of Hadley.

I should go for a run, but I don’t need Evan or the other guys harassing me about it.

So what if it helps? Because lying here, I keep reliving every moment I’ve shared with Hadley this summer—every laugh, every touch, every kiss.

It’s all been so much better than I imagined.

I’ve wanted her since the first time I met her and it’s only deepened as I’ve spent more time with her.

After cooking together, our hot and heavy make out in the kitchen was interrupted when Evan came home and invited us to watch a movie down the hall with Mateo and Brody.

I couldn’t say no, and the movie ended up being fun.

It was a relief to take my mind off the pressure of my future and my career choices.

And once we got home, it made sense for Hadley and I to go our separate ways in our separate bedrooms. Although, based on the longing looks she was sending me, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t her first choice. It definitely wasn’t mine.

I sigh and roll over onto my side, trying to get comfortable. Every time I close my eyes, I see her smiling face, her laughing gaze, her perfect pink lips.

She’s just a wall away. If I want to torture myself, I pretend I can hear her in the next room. Is she tossing and turning like I am? Burning up with thoughts of me, imagining what would happen if all our clothes disappeared in the kitchen and we were alone?

Flushed, I throw off the covers and?—

“What the hell?”

Is that Hadley?

“Oh, shit!”

That was louder, and definitely her voice. Is she okay?

I really can hear her moving around in the next room. I slip on my glasses and get up, padding to my door, listening outside of it. The tentative knock on the wood by my head makes me jump.

“Jonas?” she calls, her voice quiet but laced with tension. “Are you awake? I need help.”

I swing the door open and blink at her. Rubbing my bare chest, I adjust the waistband on my pants.

I should be used to her miniscule sleep shorts and tiny tank top by now, but I have to press my lips together and take a deep breath.

The acres of magnificent, smooth skin on display is a lot to process.

“What’s going on?” I ask, running a hand through my rumpled hair.

“Um, I have bad news.”

My heart rate trips up. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, but my room’s not.” She gestures with her hand, and I follow her down the hallway.

Peeking inside, I see the problem. Water drips from her ceiling onto her bed. The plaster is peeling and puckered, and a wet spot forms on her comforter.

“What in the world?” Getting on her bed, I stare at the ceiling and get a drip in my eye for my trouble. “Ow!”

“Sorry. I don’t know what’s going on, though.”

“How’s it leaking, do you think?” Moving out of the splash zone, I take off my glasses and wipe them. I survey the ceiling, then glance around her room. There’s not enough space to relocate her bed to a dryer area—no matter where we put it, it’ll get wet.

She shrugs. “Can’t be the roof because we’re not the top floor. Who lives above us?”

“John and Luke, maybe?”

“Do you have their number? Can you call and see what they’re doing?”

“Yeah.” There’s no way to fix her bed right now, so I grab her hand and tug her with me back into my room.

Swiping my phone off my nightstand, I call John, who’s become our primary goalie since Adam graduated. Right before it’s about to roll over to voicemail, he picks up. His voice is harried.

“Jonas, is that leak dripping on you?”

“Uh, yeah, man. What’s going on?”

He sighs so deeply it comes through the phone. “We had a toilet malfunction. I brought a girl up and she didn’t know to jiggle the handle. Anyway, my bathroom’s flooded.”

With toilet water. Ew. Hadley’s listening in and can hear every word. She sticks out her tongue and shudders.

“Can you call that twenty-four-hour maintenance line the college has?” I say as Hadley gestures towards my bathroom.

“Gonna shower,” she whispers. “I might have cooties now.”

I nod as John says, “Yeah, I’m gonna google that. Sorry if this messed up everything for you downstairs.”

“Nah, no big deal. Good luck and let us know if you need anything.”

I press the end button and toss my phone onto my nightstand. I approach my bathroom door. The water’s already running, so I clear my throat, hoping she can hear me through the wood. “Hadley, there’s an extra towel under the sink you can use. Need anything else?”

I don’t know if she heard me or not, but I’m not going to open the door and intrude on her privacy.

Shit, where is she going to sleep tonight? Of course, Evan and I still haven’t found a couch yet, so that’s not an option. All of her bedding needs to be washed, so we can’t put her on the floor in the living room.

I peek back into her room, and the wet stain is spreading and getting worse. I don’t want to touch those blankets now I know it’s toilet water. We don’t have any rubber gloves for cleaning, but I have surgical gloves somewhere. I pace back to my room.

Before I can stress about this further, Hadley opens the bathroom door. She’s in her tiny, tempting pajamas, and her hair is wet. After combing her fingers through it, she takes a rubber band off her wrist and twists it onto her head.

“I know you’re not supposed to sleep with wet hair, but that’s the least of my worries right now.” She smiles at me, but it’s strained, and I want to take away the frown line between her brows.

“Hey, it’s okay. We’ll do some laundry tomorrow and wash your stuff. Until then, I have a very spacious extra-long twin bed I’d love to offer you.” I wave at it like I’m Vanna White showing off a new car, gratified when she giggles.

“Thanks for that, Joe, but I’m not going to steal your bed. I’ll just…” She trails off as her limited options must hit her. “Um, I can sleep on the floor. I just need some bedding. All of mine is drenched.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “If anyone is sleeping on the floor, it’s me. You deserve to have a bed tonight after yours got soaked in… never mind.” Mentioning sewage might not be kind right now.

“Do you have an extra pillow or blanket for you, then?” she asks, motioning towards my spartan bed. And no, I do not.

“I’ll figure it out. I’m sure I can borrow from someone around here. Or I bet there’s an extra empty bed in one of their rooms.” Yeah, that’s smart. There has to be somewhere to sleep in this dorm. It’s late but I can make some calls and?—

“Or if you don’t hate the idea, we could share?” She raises her brows, and my heart rate triples.

We could share. I didn't want to pressure her, so I let her set the pace. But she suggested it. I glance from her—those long, perfect legs on display in those shorts I love so much—to my bed. It’s big enough for me, but both of us, together in a twin?

We’d need almost every part of our bodies touching for that to work.

Pressed against each other. No space between.

I swallow. “I don’t hate the idea.”

With a smile, Hadley climbs in my bed and pats the spot next to her. It’s not enough room. “Come on, then. Get in here.”

She doesn’t have to ask me twice. Peeling back the covers, I try to get situated. I end up on my back with my arm around her while she uses my chest as a pillow. There’s no other way we’ll fit.

Her wet hair is nice on my shoulder, like a cooling towel. And then she starts tracing patterns through my spartan chest hair. Every nerve ending in my body is on high alert. It’s amazing. Hadley hikes one of her bare legs up to twine around mine and presses a kiss to my chest. I might explode.

She moves her lips to kiss my neck, my skin on fire. I’ve never wanted anything in my life as much as I want her at this moment.

“Hadley.” My voice is a low growl. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

She nods against my neck. “Is it working?”

“Yes.” I shift her so I’m laying on my side, facing her. Enough light streams in through the blinds so I can make out her features. “But I’ve never done this before.”

“What, you’ve never had a girl in your bed before?” Her tone is light and teasing, but I’m not offended.

“Nope.”

“I—what?” She scoots up, resting her head on her hand. There’s no place for her to go.

“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “I don’t—I just wanted it to mean something. I’m not judging anyone else’s choices, but I had to do what was right for me. And I wanted it to be someone I cared about, someone special. Not something random.”

She stiffens, speechless for a second. What is she thinking?

“Jonas, I don’t know what to say.”

Did I scare her off? I stroke my finger along her cheek.

“I’d love it to be you, though, if that’s where this is headed.” I clear my throat. “And if not, that’s okay, too. I’m content to sleep next to you tonight and never bring it up again.”

She smiles, the tension melting out of her body. “I mean, I’d be honored. But that’s a lot of pressure, you know? What if I don’t measure up?”

“Nah, you don’t have anything to worry about. It will be the best I’ve ever had.” I let her hear I’m joking. “But what if it’s bad for you?”

Hadley shifts closer, kissing my neck again, and all my arousal comes rushing back. “I bet you’re a quick study. I’d be happy to instruct you, too.”

“I can’t think of anything better.”