Page 76 of One Pucking Destiny

She reaches between us and circles her hand aroundmy length. “That sounds perfect to me.” She positions me at her entrance, and I slide in.

We release a collective moan.

The entirety of the city may be partying until dawn in celebration of tonight. But this right here is exactly where I want to be.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-NINE

ARI

“Oh, you poor thing.” I place my hand under the dried brown petals of flowers atop my countertop. Three vases of decayed floral arrangements sit atop the small space, dropping their sad petals.

Ever since Bash first visited me here and saw how little space I had for flowers, it became a running joke for him to keep sending them. I looked forward to the deliveries every week despite my cramped living quarters. The fresh bouquets made my apartment smell amazing and were beautiful to look at. Plus, the flowers meant that Bash hadn’t given up on me, and though I was still deluded at that time, I subconsciously needed that reassurance.

The past month has been a blursince the final game of the Stanley Cup and my brother’s birth. I came back the day after the big events to pack some clothes and visit Dr. Pedlow. It was hard to say goodbye to the vet office where I’d volunteered for two years, but seeing as I literally have thousands of hours more than I need, it wasn’t necessary to come in all summer. Dr. Pedlow was proud of me for taking time for myself before my final year of clinicals, something she’s been encouraging me to do for a while. After wrapping up a few things at school, I went back to Bash’s, where I’ve been for the past month.

Hence the sad state of my bouquets.

While I’ve only been the official girlfriend of an NHL hockey player for a month, I think the summer months are incredible. There is a break between seasons, and besides some light conditioning sessions in the weight room, he’s all mine. I’ve never had a serious boyfriend before, so my point of reference may be skewed, but I can’t imagine anything better than dating Bash.

He’s simply perfect. We’ve had the best month dating—exploring new places, eating at delicious restaurants, dancing, laughing, and making love. It’s hard to believe that this is what I was so afraid of.

I’ve only been away from him for a couple of hours, and I already miss him. I had to come back to school to turn in some paperwork and run a few errands. I knowthat when clinicals start in a couple of months, the longing and complete ache of missing him is going to hurt like crazy. But knowing that it’s temporary will get me through it. I have no doubt that after graduation, I have a fantastic life with Bash waiting for me.

I shake out an oversized garbage bag and toss the three dead bouquets into the bag. While I have no desire to deep clean the place right now, I start picking up and wiping everything down. The only thing worse than coming back to school and missing Bash would be having to come back to a stinky “closet” as Bash likes to call it. I’m serious when I say that I love it here, but the thing about small spaces is you have to keep them clean because little odors that would go unnoticed in a large house are amplified in a place like this. The inch of rotting water at the bottom of the vases has already filled the space with a bit of a funk.

My phone rings from my purse. I set the cleaning spray and rag down and retrieve it.

I look at the bookstore’s name flashing across the screen. “Hello?”

“Is Ariana there?”

“This is.”

“Oh, good. We’ve caught you.” The woman on the other lines sounds relieved. “We’ve tried calling you several times but never got through, and your voicemail has been full.”

I don’t remember missing a call from the bookstore, nor did I realize my voicemail was full. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you’d called.”

“No problem. We just wanted to let you know that the book you ordered has finally arrived. Are you able to come in and get it?”

“I ordered a book?” I say more to myself than to the woman on the other line.

“Oh yes, and it’s a good one.”

“Oh, okay. Sure. I’m just finishing something up, and I’ll be over in a little bit.”

“Sounds great. We’ll be here. You can pick it up from the front desk.”

After the call ends, I toss my phone back in my purse, trying to remember what book I ordered. The past couple of months have been a blur. It’s no wonder I don’t recall. I hope it’s a spicy beach read. Bash’s house has a beautiful pool, and we’ve been spending a lot of time outside. Curling next to the pool with a good book would be nice.

I finish cleaning my place, which doesn’t take long—another perk of living in such a small space. Scanning my apartment, I pack up any other clothes and essentials I need for the rest of the summer. I don’t see needing to come back here until the fall semester.

It’s a short drive to the bookstore. This quaint little shop has always brought a smile to my face. There’sjust something special about a privately owned bookstore. But now, it’s more special as this is the place where I first met Bash, even if I did only know him as the book thief then.

I make my way up to the front counter. “Hi, I’m Ariana. I have a book to pick up.”

A wide smile forms on the employee’s face. “Oh, great. You are going to love this one. It’s an insta-love, he falls first, fated mates, secret relationship, cinnamon roll hero romance.”

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