Breaking News: Ashtyn Valor and Rhys Cole got naked wasted last night!

Okay, maybe I was the only one wasted, but I remembered everything.

The way he kissed practically every inch of me.

The way he licked me between my legs.

The way he drove into me, causing my back to arch and me to come undone.

I was buzzed for sure which made me loosen up and agree to go home with him. And I didn’t regret it.

As I woke, I faintly smelled coffee. I hadn’t woken up to that smell since I lived at home with my parents. Never once had Corey made me a cup of coffee or brought me breakfast in bed. I was always the one awake first. In fact, none of my previous boyfriends woke up before me. Was Rhys making me coffee or just for himself?

I crawled out of the warm bed, grabbed my clothes, and went to the connecting bathroom to freshen up the best I could. After getting dressed, I finger-combed my long blonde hair and took a swig of mouthwash before finding my way to the kitchen.

Coming out of the bedroom, I stopped at a table at the end of the hall. It sat between both bedrooms. One was the master bedroom, and the other was an office. Just like my place. The skinny, wood table had pictures of Rhys standing with who I assumed were hockey players because they were all autographed to him. I smiled as I looked at each one, and then turned and walked down the hall in the direction the coffee smell was coming from. It didn’t take me long to find it because the moment I cleared the hall, the kitchen was to my right. Rhys was sitting at a breakfast bar, with his back to the living room. The sports paper and a cup of coffee were in front of him.

“You read the paper too?” It might be a weird question to ask, but I meant it in the sense that he wasn’t getting his news from the internet.

“Only for the stuff I missed the night before. Usually, I get it all on my phone or the computer.”

“Me too.” I smiled.

Rhys slid off the brown stool, his eyes roaming my body. “Sit. I’ll make you a cup of coffee.”

It wasn’t coffee in bed, but the fact that Rhys was going to make it for me made it that much better. As he put a pod in the Keurig, I grabbed the front page of the paper and started to skim it. Corey never understood why I actually bought and read the newspaper when the news was always at our fingertips, but it was because everything I needed to know was right there in black and white. Granted, just like Rhys, I too read a lot online, but there was just something about reading the morning newspaper while sipping coffee that made me feel like our lives weren’t consumed with social media and notification alerts.

“How do you take it?”

I looked up to meet his blue eyes. “Cream and one packet of stevia.”

I’d expected him to tell me he didn’t have stevia and I’d have to drink real sugar, but he didn’t. He smiled and turned to do just that I assumed. He placed the mug in front of me and then sat beside me on his stool.

“What do you want to do today?”

The mug of hot java stopped at my lips. “With you?”

He smiled that smile that made his dimples appear. “Yeah. We are fake boyfriend and girlfriend after all. Plus, I’m assuming we both have today off.”

“How do you know I don’t have plans?”

“Do you?”

I shook my head. “No, but I thought we were both just letting off sexual frustration and heartbreak last night?”

Rhys turned his body toward me, his knees pressing against the side of my thigh. “We did, but that doesn’t mean it needs to stop there.”

“I’m not ready to date,” I confessed.

“I’m not either,” he admitted. “I just thought we could spend the day together and not have to sit alone while we think about our exes.”

Rhys was right. I would go home, and even though I unfriended Corey, I’d go to his page and see if he posted a picture with someone else. After a few seconds, I asked, “What do you have in mind?”

“Well, looking at the weather report it seems this might be our last day to have decent temperatures. Before we know it, it will be snowing and shit. So, how about we take a boat ride on Lake Michigan?”

“Friends take boat rides on Lake Michigan together—alone?”

He smiled again. “Maybe, but so do fake boyfriends and girlfriends.”

“This feels like it will be a real date.”

Rhys grabbed my hand, running his thumb along the back. “It’s just two people who don’t want to be alone, out on a boat and getting to know each other. I even promise not to kiss you—much.”

I grinned at him. “Much?”

He shrugged and released my hand then reached over to grab his coffee. Before he took a sip, he smirked. “What can I say, you taste amazing.”

My cheeks heated at his words. I grabbed my coffee to take some time to think about what he was proposing. The two times I’d spent with him, I enjoyed it. Granted the last time was sex, and I’d definitely enjoyed that. I didn’t want to go home and stalk Corey like I knew I would, but going on this non-date with Rhys felt like it would be a real date. Was I ready to take that step?

I turned my head toward him and smiled. “Okay, but we buy our own lunches.”

“Deal.”

After we drank our coffee, Rhys walked me to my condo so I could get ready. I expected him to only walk me to the front door of the building, but he surprised me and walked me all the way to my door. He didn’t kiss me, and the moment he walked away I realized that I wanted him to. I was so confused. My brain was telling me that it was only a one-night thing and that we’d got what we wanted and he’d be long gone. My body was telling me I wanted it to be more. And maybe I would get more since he wanted to spend the day together.

I’d been on tours on Lake Michigan many times. There was even talk about someone building a private, floating island in the middle of the lake. Paradise would be just a short boat trip away, and I wanted to experience everything I’d read about from the sundecks to the pools, to the cabanas, to the spa, and to the restaurants. I was going to pitch that I should cover that story when the island opened.

I dressed in jeans, a purple sweater, and my dark grey Chuck Taylors. When I got downstairs, there was a black Mazda SUV parked in the loading zone with Rhys leaning against it. As I walked to him, a smile graced each of our faces.

“Cupcake,” he greeted, taking a step away from the car.

I laughed. “Still calling me that after last night?”

“You’re telling me that you’ve only eaten one cupcake in your entire life?”

“No.” I snorted.

I stopped just before him, and he stepped forward, almost coming nose to nose with me. “Exactly. Now that I’ve had a taste, I’m not stopping at just one time.”

“Is that right?” I chuckled again although my belly dipped at the thought.

He stepped back and opened the passenger side door for me. I slid in. “Well, at least I hope I’ll have more. Cupcakes are fucking delicious.”

My face started to hurt from the wide smile I had spread across it. It was clear to me that Rhys had licked his fair share of icing off cupcakes before, and honestly, I wasn’t going to tell him he couldn’t.

Rhys drove us to Navy Pier. I realized I hadn’t been there since the night Corey told me he loved me. Now I was making new memories. We locked my purse in the truck so I wouldn’t have to carry it out on the water. After he closed the trunk door, I noticed the Blackhawks sticker on the window.

“I didn’t peg you as a bumper sticker kinda guy.”

“Have to represent the boys.”

We exited the parking garage and came upon a building in front of the carousel. “We’re going on a booze cruise?”

Rhys smirked. “Nothing wrong with a little day drinking.”

I wasn’t opposed to day drinking. If I were at home stalking Corey on Facebook, I’d probably have a glass of wine in front of me. “Sounds fun.”

I insisted I pay my way. This wasn’t a date. At least I kept telling myself that. Rhys hadn’t kissed me once today. No good morning kiss. No goodbye kiss. No you-just-showered-and-smell-fucking-awesome kiss. He hadn’t even held my hand. So we weren’t on a date. Just two friends going out for lunch on a booze cruise.

After we paid, we boarded a multi-level blue and white boat. It was more than just a boat. It was huge, and I figured it could hold at least one thousand people. We were instructed we could do whatever we wanted for the two hours we were out on the lake. There were games on the upper deck, a buffet on the middle level and a couple of open bars throughout. Since we hadn’t eaten breakfast, Rhys and I sat at a table for two against the window after filling our plates with salad to start. We each ordered a cocktail, and then enjoyed the view as we chartered away from the city.

“That building right there,” Rhys pointed to the Aon Grand Ballroom, “is where I first got laid.”

I choked on my bite of lettuce. “In the ballroom?”

“Junior prom with Natalie Westwood.”

“I had my prom there too, but I was too busy dancing.”

“Then you did prom all wrong, Cupcake.”

I laughed, and then we made small talk as we ate another round of lunch from the buffet. Afterward, Rhys led me to the upper deck where people were drinking, laughing and playing games like shuffleboard and life-sized Jenga.

“Want to play anything?”

I grinned. “Of course.”

We grabbed another cocktail each. Since the only game I really knew how to play was Jenga, we decided to wait until the current game ended. I hadn’t played in at least twenty years, and the last time I’d played wasn’t on a rocky boat. As we waited for the other team to put the pieces in place after their game ended, Rhys left to get us another drink. He didn’t ask. He just did it. I could deny it all I wanted, but this felt like a date.

We played with the other couple: two versus two, taking turns strategically taking a wooden block out of a layer and placing it on top of the tower. The closer we got from removing each bottom layer, the more my anxiety kicked in. I didn’t want to be that person: the loser who caused the high tower to fall.

“Do you do this often?” I asked Rhys.

“Jenga?”

“The booze cruise.” It was essentially a bar on the water with games.

“Never have, but always wanted to. What about you?”

I smiled. “Same.” I had to admit that playing games while drinking on a boat with the Chicago skyline in the background was fun.

That was, of course, until she came up to us.

“Rhys.” It wasn’t a question. She knew it was him. I could tell in her tone before either one of us turned to look at her.

Rhys turned first, and then I followed. He didn’t say anything for a few moments as though he was taking time to gather his thoughts. He stared directly into her brown eyes. I, on the other hand, gave her a once over. I wasn’t sure if this was his ex or not, but it didn’t seem like he was excited to see her. She had long brown hair, doe eyes, and a slender body. Her boobs were trying to overspill from the top of her halter top.

“Bridgette,” Rhys finally clipped.

His ex. Rhys found this attractive? As I stared at her, I envisioned how Rhys must have seen her in his bed with another man.

She smiled. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“And?” he clipped.

As I stood awkwardly, I wondered if I should introduce myself. Should I pretend to be his girlfriend just like he’d bailed me out? I had no idea what to do because I wasn’t sure if he still harbored feelings for her. They had just broken up like Corey and I had, and if he were to come out of nowhere, I’d want Rhys to be my fake boyfriend again.

Bridgette’s gaze moved over to me, and she glared. I took that as my cue to move closer to Rhys and slip my arm into the crook of his. I felt Rhys’s gaze move to look down at my arm. I didn’t look at him. Instead, I smirked at Bridgette.

“Can we talk?” she asked.

“I hate to be rude,” I smiled and then looked up into Rhys’s blue eyes, “but I think they have cupcakes at the buffet and we didn’t have dessert yet.”

Rhys furrowed his brows, and then he smirked. “Cupcakes?”

“Cupcakes,” I confirmed.

Rhys took my hand, and we didn’t say another word to Bridgette, though we hollered quickly to our Jenga opponents that they’d won.

As we made our way to the second level, we didn’t go to the dessert table. I wanted to make sure Rhys knew what I meant by cupcakes, so I led him to the women’s bathroom. It was a single bathroom, and thankfully it was empty. I turned and locked the door, then stared at his handsome face and wondered how many times this bathroom had been used for this exact thing.

“There’s cupcakes here?” Rhys asked, looking around the small room that had a nautical themed décor.

I stepped forward, removing my sweater as I did. “Only the ones you crave.”

“Those are the best ones.” Rhys licked his lips as he watched me place my sweater on the sink’s counter.

We both looked at the door as the knob jiggled and I held my breath, worried someone was going to walk in and catch us. “We better hurry.”

“Not like they can kick us off the boat. We’re in the middle of the lake.”

“True.”

Rhys bent and tugged my jeans down to my ankles, bringing my panties with them. I expected him to spread me open as best he could from that angle, even hook my leg over his shoulder so he had a better angle to lick, but instead, he picked me up and placed me onto the edge of the counter next to my sweater. He removed my Chucks and then my jeans, leaving me in only my black laced bra.

“Once again I’m more naked than you,” I stated.

“Seeing as we only have a short amount of time before someone breaks down the door, I’m going to need to taste your cupcake later.”

I watched as he took his wallet out of his back pocket, pulled a condom out and then tossed his wallet onto the counter as he stuck the foil between his teeth.

“I see you came prepared.”

He smirked. “It’s like an American Express. You should never leave home without it.”

I chuckled as he undid his own jeans, slid them and his boxers a little down his hips and then sheathed himself. The doorknob jiggled again. This time we didn’t look to see if someone was going to walk in. Instead, I spread my legs, inviting Rhys to step forward and into me. He did just that, not checking to see if I was ready. I was. Just the thought of being with him again was enough to make me wet.

I was aching to feel his lips on mine again—craving it even. “Kiss me,” I whispered.

His azure eyes met mine, and at the same time his lips descended upon mine, he quickened his pace. We kissed, my arms going around his neck and my back moving against the mirror behind me.

“Thank you,” he mumbled against my mouth.

“For what?”

He pulled his head back, still thrusting into me. “For letting me use you.”

I didn’t need for him to explain. It was a weird line, but at the same time it fit perfectly with what I was trying to do for him. We were using sex as a way to take his mind off of his ex upstairs. His ex that was still on the same boat. Maybe even his ex who was trying to use this very bathroom. It didn’t matter.

What mattered was I wanted this man to be happy. When I was with him, he made me happy, so I felt I needed to do the same in return. We were there for each other to chase away the darkness that held us hostage because the pain was too fresh and raw to deal with it alone.

And I had to admit, I was enjoying the chase.