Page 51 of Stick Play

“Jesus, you’re not that much older than her, and if what we’ve been doing is old lady things…” I slide my hand over her stomach and reach up to cup one of her breasts. “Then bring it on.”

She moans as I lightly brush my thumb over her nipple, but I don’t want to start anything with her tonight. No wait, that’s not true, I’m desperate to put my cock in her, but she’s had a long day and needs a good night’s sleep.

I kiss the top of her head, breathing in the sweet scent of her shampoo, and when the water begins to get cool, I shift, lifting her from my body. She sits up, and I push to my feet, pulling her up with me.

“Come on. It’s getting chilly, and I don’t want you getting sick. One sick person in the house is enough.”

She laughs at my joke. “First, you can’t get sick from cool water, and second, the sick person in the house is faking it.” She smiles up at me. “It’s nice how he cares so much about you, Ash, and really, he only wants what’s best.”

He thinks Gina is best for you, dude.

I grab a towel and wrap it around her. Dad was right about one thing, though. He did warn me about Liza. He saw things I didn’t see. Maybe it’s because of his experiences with Mom leaving. I don’t know, but he saw the signs, and I didn’t listen. I’m certainly not going to listen to him this time either. Gina’s not interested in more. She just told me that, when she said it was different for her because she had a child.

“Stay put,” I order in a soft voice as she hugs the towel to herself. I grab another and quickly dry off and when I’m done, I pick her clear off her tired feet, and carry her to my bed. I set her down for a second, and pull the covers back. “Don’t move.”

“My, you’re awfully bossy tonight.”

I hurry back to the bathroom and grab my old jersey. Back in the bedroom, I step up to her and pull it over her head. She finds the arm holes and once it’s on her, I step back and my heart beats a little faster.

“I like you in my clothes,” I explain when her brows raise. “If you ever come to a game, you could wear it.”

“Aren’t there enough girls at the game wearing your number, Mountain?”

“None of them look as good in it as you do.” She crawls into bed and I double check the lock on the door. I don’t need any little ones catching us sleeping together, and I’ll set my alarm early to take her back to her own bed.

I slip in beside her and pull her to me. She snuggles against me, her back to my chest and I drape one arm over her body. She laces her fingers with mine, and I really fucking hope she can’t feel how hard my heart is pounding.

“Come to Thursday’s game?”

“I don’t have a sitter, remember. Margo is with her family.”

“Bring Zoe. She’d love it. I’m sure Camryn and Tate will be there.”

“But what if…” She nibbles her lip as she crinkles her nose. “We don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea.”

“No, we don’t. I don’t want that either,” I agree, not bothering to explain that Coach would kill me.

“With Zoe…it’s. just…I don’t want her to think…”

“It doesn’t have to be anything more than taking your daughter to a game to see her manny play hockey, Gina.”

She chuckles at that, and my gut tightens, because yeah, maybe I want it to be more than that.

Fuck.

17

Gina

I can’t believe I’m behind the glass, seated between Brighton and Melanie, watching the Bucks play Vegas on home ice. The action is fast, and while I can’t really keep up to what’s going on, not that I’m looking at anyone but Ash, the kids sure are having fun.

Zoe wasn’t too happy when we went back home on Monday morning, and school started up again. If she could have it her way, she’d stay at Ash’s forever. It’s only her and me at home and I think she liked having both Ash and Grant around, as well as Camryn and Tate.

I glance at Camryn, Zoe and Grant standing just to the left of us, banging on the glass. I grin. Grant definitely needs grandkids of his own, and I don’t want to think about how that might never happen for him. Tate is home with a sitter tonight as these games run too late for him, and while they run too late for the girls too, they really wanted to cheer on their favorite players. Naturally, Camryn’s favorite is her father. It was all I could do to get Zoe out of her too big jersey, and get it washed. She tried to wear it to school Monday, but I put my foot down.

It’s okay to wear it to a game. I just don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea, even though it could be too late for that. With Mel on the other side of me, Kayce also with a sitter, I have no doubt she picked up on the tension between Ash and me when we all had dinner the other night—and the fact that Zoe adores him.

I am not in the jersey Ash likes me wearing. God, how could I put that on, knowing how he’d slipped it on me that night after the bath, after he’d shared a part of himself with me, and then snuggled me until I fell asleep. Dammit, I’m starting to feel emotional, so I shove my hand into my popcorn to swallow all the crazy things I’m feeling down deep.

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