Page 86 of Hit Me With Your Best Shot

For the briefest moment I wish I was back in college, in a cheap double bed with a cheap headboard, so we’d hear the sound of the headboard slamming against the wall—and so neighbors would hear us fucking.

I come to that thought.

My body jolts as a guttural moan tears from my throat, and I come hard, spilling into the condom. The release is blinding, mygrip on her hips tightening as I ride the wave, every muscle in my body tensing and then giving way all at once.

Then.

Several seconds later Austin comes, too, lowering herself and burying her face in the crook of my neck. Her breath is warm, her skin slick against mine, and the weight of her feels perfect.

My arms go around her, pulling her close, holding her as her body relaxes into mine.

Neither of us speaks.

We don’t need to.

“Are you awake, too?”

Her voice breaks the stillness of the dark, soft and hesitant, carrying across the quiet space between us. My eyes open, and I turn my head toward her.

I shift my arm beneath the covers, sliding it closer until my fingers find hers. Her hand tightens around mine, and the small gesture feels like an invitation. I take it, rolling onto my side to face her.

Raising my other arm, I glance at the watch on my wrist. The faint glow of the dial reads three.

“Yeah,” I whisper back, my voice low, barely louder than hers.

“Can’t sleep.”

The bed shifts as she mirrors my movement, turning onto her side and curling her body toward mine. I feel the faint brush of her breath against my shoulder, warm and steady.

We lie there for a while, our hands tangled beneath the covers. The silence isn’t heavy—it feels peaceful, like we’re sharing something unspoken. Her breathing slows and deepens, and I wonder if she’s drifted off.

Just as my own eyes start to close, her voice breaks the quiet again, soft and unexpected.

“Tonight was the most fun I’ve had in forever.”

I smile into the dark. “Same.”

“I still can’t believe you talked the guy into letting you drive the Zamboni,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice.

I chuckle, the memory fresh and vivid. “It wasn’t that hard. You just have to find the right bribe.”

Cash.

“I’ve never been in an ice rink with no people. It was surreal.”

It was.

“Yeah,” I say, my voice softer now. “It’s not often we’re in there alone. There’s always a crowd—teammates, coaches, someone. But tonight…” I trail off, letting the memory fill the space between us.

“Tonight, it was ours,” she finishes.

I tilt her chin up with my fingers, just enough to find her lips in the dark. The kiss is slow, tender, the kind that says all the things we don’t have to say out loud.

When we pull back, she doesn’t move far, her forehead resting against mine. Her breath is warm, mingling with mine, and for a moment, I think the night can’t get better.

Then she speaks.

“You know what the best part of tonight was?”

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