Page 24 of The Rival (Looking to Score 2)
Back at the house, we unload our shopping bags onto the dining table.
She unpacks a head of garlic, a package of goat cheese, and a loaf of French bread. “Yum. Look at all this. I can only imagine the kinds of things you’ll cook for me.”
My grin is immediate. “I have big plans to impress you this summer.”
Aspen chuckles. “Confession, I’ll be easily impressed. I usually survive on takeout. But as far as I can tell, there’s not a single takeout option this far off the beaten path.”
“Hey, you do you, girl.”
She laughs. “I always do.”
Deep down, I do like the idea of impressing her.
• • •
We decide on a light dinner, and I try to teach Aspen how to skewer and grill shrimp.
“That’s all you.” She grimaces and turns a slight shade of gray at the deveining process, so I take over, pulling the little blue globs from each shrimp.
She’s so different from the girls I’m used to. The fact that I’m a professional athlete doesn’t seem to faze or impress her, and since she works for the same league that I do, I can just chill.
After we’ve eaten and cleaned up the kitchen together, Aspen makes us some of the ginger tea she bought today, and I open the candied pecans. Sitting on the couch, we debate topics such as the best action movies, and which are the most impressive goalies in the league. I haven’t smiled this much in ages.
“Another confession,” Aspen says after a moment of silence. “Dale texted me today.”
My stomach tightens at the mention of her douchebag ex. “Oh?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t reply. I’m sure it’s just going to be some bullshit excuse about how he misses me, and that he’s sorry and wants me back. But there’s definitely no going back.”
I wait for her to continue, but she doesn’t. She just takes another sip of her tea, then sets the mug on the coffee table.
She turns to me. “I’ve decided that I’m in a place where I just want to be single. I want to find me again and be happy with myself. You know what I mean?”
“I know exactly what you mean.”
“I mean . . . why date when they make toys that can replace any boyfriend? My life would be so much simpler.”
Imagining Aspen using a sex toy is not a visual I can allow myself. I cross my arms over my chest and try to act casual. “Well, just know that if you ever decide to jump back into the dating game, the guy you choose will be a very lucky bastard.”
Her breathing slows and her eyes turn molten, latching onto mine. She gives me a slow blink and then a quick nod. ”Thanks, Alex. For everything.”
“Of course,” I say, my voice coming out rough.
“It’s been a big day, so I think it’s time for me to go to bed,” she says, rising from the couch. “Good night, Alex.”
“Sweet dreams, Aspen.”
I lock the doors, turn off the lights, and then climb the stairs not long after her.
Despite the comfortable mattress and bazillion-thread-count sheets, I can’t seem to get to sleep. My frustration climbs, and I roll over and punch the pillow into place.
Letting out a deep exhale, I know the reason I don’t feel tired. Technically speaking, I should be tired. I’ve worked out and done manual labor the past two days, and then spent the day in town, but I’m so fucking worked up that my entire body feels as tight as a wire. And the reason for that is unmistakably my intense attraction to Aspen.
My right hand drifts down beneath the blankets, and I give my semi-erect dick a warning squeeze. Aspen is very pretty, and really fucking cool. But none of that means I need to nail her into next Tuesday.
Jeez. I need to chill.
This trip will be about proving to myself that I can hang out platonically with a female I’m attracted to. It shouldn’t be that difficult. Maybe it would have been easier to shut down my attraction to Aspen if I’d hooked up with someone more recently. Maybe I wouldn’t be this on edge. But honestly, hooking up with a stranger just hasn’t appealed to me lately, and it certainly has no appeal to me now.
I suck in a long, slow inhale and scrub my hand over the stubble on my face. I never struggle to get to sleep. Usually, I work so damn hard that the moment my head hits the pillow, I’m out.
It’s been a while since I’ve been this torn up. The last time would have been when I was still in a relationship that I knew wasn’t working, when I used to lie in bed at night thinking of my life before the NHL, before Eden. It was easy and fun. I thought being single again was what I needed.
