Page 56 of Off Season

I raise my brows. “You want to see me without my teeth?”

He nods, more excited than I thought he would be at seeing me that way. Ian hated seeing me without my teeth in.

“Come on. I lived with my grandparents, both who had dentures. I’m used to seeing a gummy smile.”

I snort, shaking my head. I quickly pop them out, giving him a wide, toothy—or rather, toothless—smile before putting them back in.

He grins, pressing a kiss to my lips. “I still think you’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”

“Such a charmer.” I shake my head slightly, feeling my face heat under his compliment.

He runs his fingers through the hair on my chest, grazing his nails against my skin. “Just being honest. Plus, is it weird I kinda want to know what it would feel like to get a blow job from you without your teeth in?”

I burst into laughter.

He grins. “What?”

Shaking my head, I trail my lips up his neck and nip his lobe.

“Do you ever go to the games with Alex?”

He shakes his head. “No, I haven’t been to any. This sounds a little crazy, considering I’m laying in bed, naked, with you, but I haven’t had the best experience with guys who play sports.”

My body goes rigid. “What do you mean?”

“When I was in high school, I was bullied by some of the guys on the football team and a couple from the hockey team. I’ve always been smaller and quiet, and I was kind of a loner because nobody wanted to be friends with the kid whose parents died. They saw me as weird, and they used to say some pretty awful things to me.”

I rise up on my elbow, keeping my eyes locked on him.My jaw clenches as I try to squash the anger bubbling away inside me as he continues.

“They would push me around, or steal my lunch, or do things like knock my books out of my arms while I was walking down the stairs…” He sighs, “Basically, they were just assholes, but their size scared me. I knew they could really hurt me, and I wouldn’t have been able to protect myself, and that terrified me. I didn’t fight back or report them because I was too afraid of what they would do.”

“I’m so sorry that happened to you.” I cradle his jaw with my hand, smoothing my thumb over the curve of his lips. “If I’d been there, I would have broken their fucking legs if they laid a finger on you.”

He kisses the pad of my thumb and smiles. “You were busy being a hockey superstar when I was in high school. They idolized you. They had photos of you in their lockers and everything,” he admits, laughing quietly. “Alex and Blaine have invited me a few times, but I haven’t taken them up on it. It took me a while to teach my brain that you guys weren’t going to hurt me, but every time I meet someone new, it’s like a wave of panic, even after all this time.”

I noticed how his shoulders tensed up the first time when we filmed in the bakery. The subtle way Alex would comfort him. It pains me that he went through that, and that the aftermath of those kids’ actions still impacts him to this day.

I chew on the inside of my cheek, debating whether to ask the question that’s been playing on my mind. Taking a deep breath, I bite the bullet and ask, “Were you afraid of me when we first met?”

Jacob’s silence tells me everything, and my heart sinksinto the pit of my stomach. He gives me a small smile, but it’s filled with sadness.

“Yes, but I think part of that fear was because I found you so damn attractive. You were a danger to me in a very different sense than those idiots in school. You were a danger to my heart.”

Chapter Eighteen

Ethan

The featherlight feel of fingers tracing my abdomen stirs me awake. Blinking open my eyes, I’m greeted by sunshine, but it’s not the one in the sky. The morning sun creates a glowing halo around Jacob’s smiling face.

“Good morning, birthday boy,” he sings, leaning down to press a smacking kiss against my lips.

Before he can pull away, I curve my hand around the back of his head and deepen the kiss. I want to hit the pause button and stay here in our bubble, but I know reality won’t wait for a daydream.

“Good morning.” My voice comes out like gravel. “I have to say, this is a great way to wake up.”

He grins at me. “Good. I don’t want you to think about anything today except relaxing and enjoying yourself.” I open my mouth to argue but he silences me, pressing a finger to my lips. “Nope. That means no cooking or evenmaking a cup of coffee. You’re doing absolutely nothing all day. Although, maybe I’ll let you work out if you want to, but I think we should try another form of cardio.” Mischief sparkles in his gorgeous blue eyes.

Lacing my fingers through the strands of his dark blond hair, I pull him forward until our lips are a breath apart.

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