Page 46 of O Goalie Night
He wants to kiss me, a tiny voice inside my head says.
It’s completely illogical. So far-fetched that I dare not give the thought another moment of consideration except that Foster is staring at me like he wants me. Logic be damned.
I imagine what his lips would feel like on mine. Soft and tender or firm and demanding? Would he take my lower lip between his, marking me as his own? Would he pull me onto his lap? Place one strong hand on my hip, holding me to him while the other skated up my neck to get tangled up in my hair?
I feel myself getting wet, that dull and unmistakable throb of arousal pooling between my legs and I know that I’d only need the smallest amount of friction to come apart.
The song changes to something more upbeat and I’msuddenly very aware of where we are. Not in a hidden corner far from prying eyes, but a crowded bar with Ben nearby.
“Good?” A voice that sounds remarkably like mine says, though I didn’t intend to say it.
“Good.” His response is strained.
With great difficulty, I tear my gaze from his, looking back at Kim. To be honest, I’d quite forgotten she was here.
Her mouth is slightly agape as her eyes bounce from me to Foster, and back to me again, blinking rapidly.
“I have to pee,” she states bluntly, struggling to stand. “You know, pregnant bladder.”
“Me too.” I jump up to assist her, almost spilling my drink. “The peeing thing. Not the pregnancy part. I’m not pregnant.” I laugh loudly, like an awkward person at a funeral. I stare into Kim’s amused face with a look that I hope says “for the love of God, please take me with you.”
“Right,” she says, prying the drink from my hands and placing it on the table. “Follow me, not-pregnant new friend.”
Without so much as a glance at Foster, I let her lead me away. Sweat prickles at the base of my scalp. My heart pounds so hard that I swear I hear it over the deafening club music. Kim parts the sea like Moses with her giant belly leading the way. People are practically diving in the opposite direction as though her water is breaking.
“Okay, folks. Out of the way. Sacred vessel, coming through,” she says as we weave our way through the masses.
I see my brother talking to one of his teammates. Ben spots me and waves me over, but I shake my head andmouth “bathroom” as I point at Kim. He nods and gives me a thumbs up, completely unaware that I was moments from mounting his best friend twenty feet away.
What was I thinking?
You weren’t, you horny little minx.
Finally, we make it into the ladies’ room. When the two women scrutinising themselves in the mirror spot us, they promptly collect their purses and leave, giving us a wide berth on their way out.
“I swear, some of these girls think pregnancy is contagious,” Kim sighs as she checks the stalls. When she’s satisfied we’re the only one’s here, she asks, “What was that all about?”
“What do you mean?” I am a horrible liar, but I’ve got to at least try to deny it.
“Are you sleeping with Foster? Or are you just thinking about it? And does your brother know that you’re sleeping/thinking about sleeping with Foster? I’m guessing not, seeing as he’s still breathing. Forgive me if I’m out of line, but sweet Jesus, the sexual tension between the two of you nearly put me into labour.” Her Newfoundland accent is much stronger than before.
“I don’t…I mean, he wouldn’t…we can’t…it’s just…” Panic takes over and every moment that’s transpired between us over the last three weeks comes out of me like verbal lava.
I tell her about the airport, the non-existent apartment, and the offer to stay with him. The text messages, the winter tires, the run in with Jacob and the skating lessons. Kim gobbles it up like my life is a trashy soap opera, hanging on my every word until I get to tonight.
“I feel like you’ve just recapped the first half of aHallmark movie,” she sighs, resting her hands on her chest. “What are you going to do?”
“What am I going to do about what?”
“About the rising price of gasoline.” She rolls her eyes. “About the fact that you and your new roommate want to play a lot more than tonsil hockey.”
Forget what I wished for earlier, Santa. All I want for Christmas is a black hole to disappear into.
“We don’t! Okay, maybe, under different circumstances, I might…but I assure you, he doesn’t want that.”
Kim puts her hands on where I assume her hips would be if she weren’t more belly than woman and regards me through narrowed eyes. “Beth, I realise I don’t know you. To be honest, I don’t know Foster very well either. But I know what I saw and what I saw is a man who wants to rearrange your insides with his mini-stick.”
As I open my mouth to protest, the bathroom door swings open and another long-legged stunner saunters in. Kim smiles at her and then waddles into the nearest stall as the woman goes into a separate one. I walk to the sink, turn the faucet to the coldest setting and hold my hands under the frigid water until they ache.
