Juliette eyes me suspiciously but produces the tin, rattling the tiny white mints inside. “You want to go again?”
I laugh. “Fuck no. Not tonight anyway. I want you to put one on my tongue and then sit on my fucking face. We’re about to see if this little trick has the same effect on you.”
Spoiler alert: It did.
Chapter 40
Bunny ears
Excitementthrumsthroughmeas I sit in the front row of the Brewers’ arena. Tonight is the season home opener for the team, and the atmosphere is electric in here. All the hardcore fans saw the exhibition game, and they can sense that something is different this year. Namely, the defense.
My man…
The entrance music, “Boom! Shake the Room” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, begins, and everyone jumps to their feet. It’s an old-school tune, but it gets the crowd hyped as hell.
Since our families are acquainted now, Reno arranged for his mom and grandfather to sit in our section. Gramps is directly to my right, and he and I do a little hip bump dance as we watch the entrance.
And the guys take the ice. I always love this part, but seeing Reno skating across the rink gives me an extra thrill. Especially when he finds me immediately in the crowd like I have a tracking device on me.
He tosses up two fingers in front of his chest, which looks like a simple peace sign, but I know it’s meant for me. He said he wanted a secret signal to show me he loves me, so he decided to do bunny ears. It’s truly the most fucking adorable thing ever… and it makes me feel special.
I make the sign back to him and then casually lift the front of my brother’s jersey to flash the red tank top underneath. The one with Reno’s name and number on it. That makes him grin.
I wish with all my heart I could wear his jersey with pride, but I know it would look suspicious. Next season everything will be different.We’ll tell Bubba about our relationship, and he’ll have time during the off-season to come to terms with it. And everyone will live happily ever after.
As long as my brother doesn’t kill us.Good times.
Reno skates to a section near us and approaches a little boy with dark hair. I watch on the Jumbotron as he hands the kid a puck and then receives a big, happy hug from the boy.
When they pose for a picture and Reno kisses the top of the kid’s head, my ovaries stage some kind of coup where they wrestle all the rest of my internal organs into submission and take over my entire body. I’m just one big, needy reproductive organ at this point.
I smile sadly as I think about what I have to do at my doctor’s appointment tomorrow.
The game isn’t going as well as expected. Our defense and goaltending are great, but our offense is struggling to score. Seattle is doing a good job of keeping our center and wingers contained, and we’re tied at one goal apiece near the end of the third period.
Reno is covered with sweat, his face an intense picture of determination as he skates backward and angles to control the play. He looks so fucking hot, I’m surprised he hasn’t melted the ice.
Seattle’s center is heading toward the net, trying to score, and I yell, “Come on, Gibby!” at our goalie. Gibby reaches to the right to save it, but instead of taking the shot, the center suddenly passes to the right winger, and the entire crowd gasps. Dammit, he’s going to score.
Then Reno comes out of freaking nowhere and steals the puck before making a crisp pass to Bubba. He’s got wide open ice in front of him, and the crowd absolutely loses their minds as mybrother puts on a burst of speed toward the other goal. And just as the final horn sounds, he sneaks the puck past Seattle’s goalie to put the Brewers on top.
The crowd erupts and the other players swarm my brother. I’m crying the happiest of tears when Reno picks up Bubba with both arms, and the camera zooms in to show the pure joy on their faces, projecting it on the large overhead screen for everyone to see. Then they headbutt each other like the idiot hockey players they are.
When they’re done with their celebration, Reno’s green eyes find mine, and I flash him bunny ears. He laughs and does the same, his smile doing very naughty things to my vagina. Yeah, my man deserves a treat.
I might have to break out the Altoids again when we get home.
Strong arms surround me as I push through the fog of sleep the next morning. This is how I wake up every morning, Reno kissing the back of my neck and holding my boob like it’s his own personal security blanket.
“You’re gonna be late for work,” he murmurs. “Not that I’m complaining about morning snuggles with my girl.”
I roll over in his arms and stick my nose in the hollow of his throat. He smells like soap and sleepy man. “I’m actually off today because I have a doctor’s appointment. It’s in the afternoon, but I took the entire day anyway.”
“Good, baby. You deserve a day off.” Then he pauses. “Are you feeling bad or something?”
“No, it’s my annual exam with my gynecologist, but I was…” I exhale a breath and decide to tell him the truth. “I was going to have my birth control implant removed.”
“Hmm, how often do you have to replace it?”
