Page 23

Twenty-Three

RIZZO

“So, on a scale of one to send-me-sexy-nudes, how much do you miss me already?” I ask over the FaceTime video. We’d had to leave for another string of away games the day after everything had gone down with Nat’s dad and it’s honestly been a bit of a whirlwind. The media attention was…a lot, but I convinced her to let us become “official official” as she puts it, on our own terms after the stupid paparazzi photos were posted everywhere. I didn’t want the world thinking that Nat is just another in my admittedly lengthy list of hookups. She’s so much more than that and the thought of people putting her in that box made me want to start punching things.

So, I’d posted a bunch of pics of us from the last few months with the caption “when you fall in love with one of your best friends, life just makes sense,” and I think it made her feel better about the whole thing. She’d even teared up when she saw it and then promptly threw a pillow at me when I started to tease her about it.

Despite the whole Harrington secret identity bombshell, things with us are solid. Yeah, I’d been a little hurt, I won’t lie, and that had thrown me a bit—I’ve never been hurt by a woman before, so I wasn’t really sure how to navigate it—but I understand why she kept that part of herself and her life hidden, and at the end of the day, she’s still the same Natalie to me. She’s the same girl I fell in love with and can’t imagine my life without. So, yeah, things are good with us. Great. Fucking perfect.

“Hmm,” she says, tapping her chin. “I’d say send-you-sexy-videos-of-me-doing-very-naughty-things-to-myself level.”

I groan and wipe my hand over my mouth.

“You’re killing me, woman.” She grins and I have to adjust myself. Just the mere thought of seeing her playing with herself because she misses me makes me hard as hell.

“There’s an apartment open in your old building,” she says. “Not the penthouse like some people,” she gives me a pointed look and a grin, “but it looks pretty nice.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” I say noncommittally. Neither have us have brought up the obvious answer to her housing predicament which is for her to move in with me. I think she thinks asking me will test the limits of my relationship skills a little too hard. And I haven’t brought it up because…reasons. So, for now, she’s house hunting. “I bet Jax knows who’s place it was. He knows all the dirt on everyone in that building.”

“Oh, noted. I’ll ask him when I go to pick up the hyena.” I laugh at her description of Zamboni. He’s a great dog, but he really is crazy as hell, especially when he gets the zoomies. He literally ran in a circle around the living room thirty-seven times in a row the other night. Thirty-seven. In a row. Without stopping. It was nuts and of course hilarious, and the video has gotten over a million views.

“So, are you ready for my big St. Patrick’s Day Blow Out? It’s going to be epic. Beyond epic. I’m still waiting to hear back from the city officials about dying the whole lake green, but I have high hopes. I’m very charming and usually get what I want…”

“You are so ridiculous, but I’m definitely ready to see one of these parties for myself.” My annual St. Patrick’s Day parties are pretty legendary around Seattle and this one is sure to top them all. “Are you sure I can’t help you set up or take care of anything for it?”

“Nope, it’s all taken care of. Jax’s girlfriend is a fantastic event planner. Her people are doing all of the work. We just get to show up, drink an unhealthy amount of green alcohol, and have fun.”

“Well, I guess I better find something special to wear then. Something green and…crotchless, perhaps?”

I groan loudly at that particular visual.

“It’s bad form to get me hard as fuck right before game time, Natalie,” I scold. She gives me one of those sultry, challenging looks and my cock throbs. I’m already dying to get back between her thighs, to have her nails digging into my back and her breathy moans caressing my skin. It’s crazy that we’re still so fucking feral for each other, but I honestly hope it never fades.

“Mmm, I guess I might need to be punished when you get back. What was that word you love so much again?... Edging ?”

I lick my lips, memories of the last time we’d played out this little game flashing in my mind and making me hard as fuck. Natalie, strapped to my bed, body soaked with sweat and trembling as I brought her to the brink over and over and over but never let her fall, not until hours later. God it had been the sexiest thing I’d ever experienced in my life and the thought of a repeat makes me want to hop a plane back to Seattle right this second. They can play the game without me, right?

“I think that can be arranged,” I say in a low, gruff voice.

“Rizzo! Stop dirty talking with your girlfriend and get the fuck out here already!” Jules calls and Natalie giggles. I grin and sigh.

“Alright baby, I gotta go.”

“Good luck. You may just have a video waiting for you when you get done…”

“You are an evil, beautiful, perfect woman. Love you.”

She bites her lip and smiles. “Love you too.”

“I was thinking about our next Ireland trip,” mom says the next morning as we chat while we wait for our flight back to Seattle.

“Oh yeah? Anything special in mind this time?” We’re set to go in just a few months again and she’s in full planning mode already.

“I was thinking that a certain pretty blonde might want to come with us…”

“Hmm, yeah, I can ask Gronski if he wants to join.” Mom laughs.

“I’m serious. I know this is still new but…well, I’ve never seen you so serious about anyone, AJ.” You have no idea, ma , I think. “So, she should come with us. It’ll be fun and I promise to be on my best behavior.”

I snort.

“You and Natalie will be causing mayhem at the earliest opportunity, I have zero doubts.”

“Alright, that’s probably true, but I still think it’s an excellent idea. Just float it to her and see what she thinks.”

“Alright, I will.”

“Oh good! I’ll wait until after you ask before I bring it up.” I shake my head, grinning. She and Nat are regular texting buddies and Ray told me that mom has been overjoyed with my new relationship. She never shamed me for my playboy lifestyle, of course, but I know she always worried that I was lonely.

My phone buzzes at my ear and I pull it away to check the screen. It’s a text from Jax’s girlfriend, Lucy, with planning questions.

“Hey, ma, I gotta run. I’ll talk to you later, alright? Love you.”

“Ok, sweetheart. I love you too.”

I grin as I scroll through the picture options Lucy sent. I text back my answers. This night is going to be amazing. Shep settles into the chair beside me, offering up one of the two bottles of water he snagged.

“Thanks, man.”

“So, how’s the planning going?” he asks with a grin.

“I think it’s safe to say it’ll be a night no one will forget any time soon.”

“Hell yeah,” he says, clamping me on the shoulder. “Can’t wait. Anything else I can do to help?”

“Nah, man, thanks. I’ve got one more thing to take care of myself, and Lucy’s got the rest covered.”

He smiles wider and squeezes my shoulder before dropping his hand.

“This is going to be a night for the books, my friend.”

“Even better than Drunk Hunt sophomore year?” Shep and I had orchestrated a huge drunken scavenger hunt that year. We had fifty people split up into teams of five, each team had a video camera, and a list of over two hundred different challenges to complete or things to find spanning all over campus, each one worth a varying number of points. Most things involved alcohol, or nudity, or both. More than one team had been chased by police and the videos that each team took would make fantastic blackmail tools for a few of our classmates who went on to become congressmen and senators. It was one hell of a fucking good time and one of the best nights of my life.

“That night will live in infamy, it’s true, but…this one may just top it.” He winks at me and my lips curl.

It’s going to put Drunk Hunt to shame.