Page 26 of The Wildest One

She shook her head. “You make everything seem so easy.” When she crossed her arms, finally filling the space in front of her, her hair fell over them, and her tits pushed up higher. “I know you’ve been to Boston a bunch before, but by the way you were reacting today during each of our little outings, I could tell you hadn’t seen much of the city. What we’re going to do tomorrow night is going to show you a lot more of it, but it’s going to show it to you my way.”

“Your way, huh?”

“Even though you’re a California boy who isn’t used to the New England cold, hopefully, you’ll still enjoy it.” She winked.

And that fucking wink was so hot.

“I went to college in Michigan. I know cold.”

She nipped her lip. “You say that now”—she laughed—“but just wait.”

SIX

Jolie

Champagne wasn’t what I had in mind for breakfast, but that was what room service had just rolled in now that Beck was back from practice. Once the delivery dude was gone, after leaving the cart in the center of the living room, Beck took the bottle out of the ice and poured some into two glasses. I wrapped my fingers around one of the flutes and took a seat on the couch, watching the little bubbles shoot from the bottom of the liquid to the top while I waited for him to join me.

The breeze of air that swished past me as he sat beside me made my eyes close.

Over the last couple of days, I’d learned that Beck had his own unique scent. It didn’t matter what products he used in the shower or the cologne he sprayed on after he was dressed. His body would absorb each of those aromas and create something entirely different.

And it was pure spice.

A smell that clung to his skin, hair, even his beard.

I’d never forget it.

“All I thought about during practice was how badly I wanted to get back here.” His eyes weren’t just staring at me. They were eating me. “To you.”

I smiled, my breath quivering in my lungs, and I held my glass in front of his. I tried to think of a toast, and since the only thing that came to me was how badly I didn’t want him to leave tomorrow, I said, “To getting drunk.”

He chuckled. “Breakfast is coming in about twenty minutes. I ordered every kind of meat they had on the menu. For you, avocado toast with a poached egg.” He pointed at his glass after he finger-brushed the sides of his mustache. “The cocktail is to celebrate. The food is to make sure we don’t get too drunk and ruin everything you have planned.” His finger left the air and landed on my thigh.

Tingles instantly exploded in my chest. “What are we celebrating?”

“Our last day together.”

Once the truth hit my heart, those tingles began to die down. Given that it was a subject I didn’t want to dwell on, I said softly, “You know, that’s my favorite breakfast order.”

“I’ve seen you eat, what, three meals and a couple of snacks? You’ve ordered clean every time, so I figured it would be something you’d enjoy.”

“It’s like … you know me.” I grinned.

“To another day—the final day—of holding you hostage.” He smiled and clinked his glass against mine.

That smile.

My God.

I swore, there was nothing in this world more beautiful. There couldn’t possibly be. Certainly nothing sexier, from the way his lips spread around his straight white teeth—a detail we’d joked about after we left the bar last night since hockey players were notorious for getting their teeth knocked out—to the tinygrooves next to his hazel eyes, and to the hairs that teased his lips when he pulled them wide.

Hairs that had teased my lips too.

A sensation I would desperately miss.

“Cheers,” I whispered. I wouldn’t allow any emotion to come through my voice, but the reality was, this goodbye was going to suck.

I could feel it in every part of me.