The next morning Sarah woke up with a smile spread across her face. She reached over to the empty space in the bed next to her and verified she’d made it through the night without giving in to Aaron’s pleading over the phone.
There had been a dozen texts on her phone by the time she made it home shortly after ten. Sarah had wanted to ignore them to keep the temptation down to zero, but she was afraid he’d call the cops if she didn’t acknowledge she was alive. He’d of course asked to come over, but Sarah had remained strong and assured him that the door would be locked if he did.
The news didn’t go over well, which led to Sarah hanging up on him and turning the ringer off. She didn’t know what it was about shooting pucks with Reid, but he was right that it helped focus her thoughts. There had been part of her that wanted to make things work with Aaron because what she thought was missing in their relationship was suddenly there. He seemed sincere about her being the only person in his life, but there was no way for her to know how long that would last.
The more shots at the net she managed and the small touches Reid and her shared through the night made her realize Aaron had never made her stomach feel like it was full of butterflies like Reid did. He excited her, comforted her and somehow made her feel safe. It was the oddest sensation after things always feeling off with Aaron. Whether they could make things work romantically or not, Reid was someone Sarah hoped could be in her life.
She rolled over and reached for her phone. The sound of it vibrating on the small table next to her bed had serenaded her to sleep. She wasn’t looking forward to the messages from Aaron, but the alarm clock on the same table said it was a little after eight, so she thought maybe Reid sent something.
She groaned seeing twenty messages from Aaron before she could see anything else. She swiped them to the side to ignore them for the time being, and then swiped the alerts from her email saying there were messages there to. When it was clear there was nothing from Reid, she felt something in the pit of her stomach burble.
The guy admitted he didn’t do dating, so the chances of him being caught up in all the emotions Sarah was were slim. She’d hoped he’d show some kind of sign that he really was in to her, but maybe it was too early. A knock from the other room startled her, causing the phone in her hands to fall on the purple comforter covering her stomach.
Having little doubt about who would be on the other side of the door, Sarah lazily rolled out of bed. The cool air of the apartment hit her naked body, sending a shiver up her spine. Ever since she had total say in her pajama choices, she’d opted for the no pajamas option. She didn’t like the feeling of something bunching up against her as she slept.
Normally, she would’ve grabbed the robe hanging off the back of her bedroom door, but it was bright red, short and silky. All things that would send the wrong message to Aaron. She’d gotten a bed and the nightstand delivered while she was moving in, but hadn’t picked out any other furniture, so her clothes were in three different boxes in one of the room’s corners.
Sarah walked over to them and opened the one with her exercise clothes. She quickly pulled out a pair of sweats and a somewhat baggy t-shirt. A second knock on the door pushed her to hurriedly pull the clothes on, not bothering with a bra or underwear.
“Just a second,” she yelled to make sure the knocking didn’t get louder or more frequent.
Not bothering to stop in the bathroom to look in the mirror and tone down what was sure to be a mess of makeup and hair going every direction, she stumbled out into the living area. The wood floors were bare except for her desk and chair tucked into one corner by a window. She needed to get out and do a little shopping to finish making the apartment her own.
Taking a deep breath to set her no sex resolve, she swung the door open. Seeing Reid standing on the other side with a pair of coffees and a small brown paper bag in his hand sent the butterflies a flutter in her stomach, but at the same time had her wanting to slam the door in his face.
The man was in a tight pair of jeans and a dark green t-shirt that clung to his chest. Both articles of clothing looked like they were basically painted on his body, and damn if they didn’t look sexy. There was a hint of whimsical laughter in his eyes, but he didn’t outright laugh at the nightmare that greeted him at the door. Sarah was sure he wouldn’t consider her appearance a nightmare, but she did.
“Crap.”
“I know I should’ve called first, but my morning skate just got over and I thought I’d drop by to see if you need any help running a certain someone off.”
Sarah opened the door wider and held out her arm to usher her guest in. She watched his face as he got a good look around the bare apartment, before she shut the door behind him. He showed no signs of being shocked about the barren space.
“I wasn’t saying crap because you’re here. I dressed this way because I figured you’d be someone else and I didn’t want to look remotely sexy.”
Reid glanced back at Sarah and raised his left eyebrow. There was a smoky hint to his blue eyes that told her without him saying it that he apparently liked the just rolled out of bed look.
“A little advice on the subject, if you don’t want someone to think about throwing you on a bed and having wild sex, it’s probably best if it doesn’t look like you just came from there.”
“Good advice. Next time I hear someone at the door this early, I’ll make sure I jump in the shower and get ready for the day.”
“Good idea,” Reid said as he took a step forward and leaned down to brush a quick kiss across Sarah’s lips. “I take it the ex didn’t find his way into your bed last night.”
The minty flavor that seemed to be attached to Reid’s lips reminded Sarah that her morning breath wasn’t doing her any favors. She bit her lip as she considered asking Reid to hang tight while she went and put herself together.
“I’m a little surprised my phone didn’t blow up, but I am happy to report that he did not make a guest appearance in my bed last night and I stayed far away from his. What about you? Did you find any fangirls who gave you an offer you couldn’t refuse after you dropped me off?”
Reid laughed as he turned and walked towards the kitchen. Placing his bounty on the counter, he leaned against it and looked back at Sarah.
“Yeah, no,” he said, shaking his head. “Before I went home and tucked myself in bed, I stopped by an all-night pharmacy and bought three boxes of condoms because I was warned there may be a time in my future they’ll come in handy.”
Sarah laughed and covered her eyes for a second to hide the instant heat she felt running through her body. He hadn’t mentioned how many condoms were in a box, but three boxes were probably a healthy supply.
“I should’ve mentioned that I am on birth control, not that that negates you needing to use protection, but I didn’t want you to think there was a chance we’d find out down the road that I was carrying his kid.”
It felt a little awkward having to say the words, but Sarah thought it was important that he knew her slutty behavior did have a limit. After the first time of not being fully aware of how quickly things were happening with Aaron, she’d made sure the subsequent times all had protection. He had protested, saying that they’d already done it once without and it had felt amazing, but she stood strong. It was pretty much the only time she stood strong during the crazy time they’d spent together.
“So, I won’t lie and say I wasn’t worried there was a chance of a surprise. I mean, you did say that in less than forty-eight hours you’d hooked up with him over a dozen times. I’m not judging a healthy sex life, but a guy has to wonder if there were more consequences than that whole vagina turning inside out thing.”
Sarah wished she had something to throw at him. It was bad enough he showed up looking like sex on a stick. Then he just had to bring up the delirious vagina comment. After how crazy she’d acted, Sarah was surprised he was standing in her apartment at all.
“Well, just so you know, it seems my vagina fears were for not. Everything seems to be right where it’s supposed to be down there.”
Things were tender, but the question of whether things would turn inside out had fled. Talking about those kinds of things with anyone was a new experience for Sarah and she was surprised at how well Reid was going with the flow.
“I suppose that’s cause for some celebration. I brought doughnuts and coffee. I’m not sure you like either of those things, but I didn’t want to come empty handed.”
Smiling, Sarah skipped over to check out what he’d brought. After the failed dinner and spending an hour or so on the ice, they’d grabbed some burgers from a drive-thru and ate them in the parking lot. Sarah was surprised to find Reid didn’t mind the grease in his flashy car, and even with permission to be as messy as possible, she’d been careful not to drop anything and wipe her hands on a napkin instead of the seat.
“You brought me some food. Isn’t that considerate of you, my possibly, in the near future, new boyfriend. It’s a working title,” she said as she shrugged and tried to get to the food behind him.
Reid moved to block her and grabbed her hips. Spreading his legs out a little, he pulled her closer to his body and kissed her forehead. She looked up at him and the butterflies in her stomach seemed to flutter down lower in her body.
“I think,” he started, drawing out the word think, “that if we’re going to a wedding together this weekend, we should do what we can to make the possibly and near future part of that title obsolete. That is, if you still need someone to fill in as a groomsman. We didn’t get to circle back to whether the position needed filled.”
The wedding hadn’t been the first thing on Sarah’s mind, but after dinner, things were clear as far as who she wanted to go with her. That sadly meant they had to work on getting him a tux that matched the rest of the groomsmen and they didn’t have a lot of time to do it.
“The position is all yours, but just because you brought me doughnuts.”
He was still hanging on to her, but her arms were free to snake around him and open the bag. The fact that she couldn’t see in it didn’t stop her from reaching in and grabbing the top doughnut. She needed a sugar fix and she assumed the coffee didn’t have her usually hundred packets of sugar poured into it yet.
“I guess you know my evil plans to get myself out of trouble in the future.”
Sarah had a chance to take a bite of the basic glazed doughnut before Reid’s hand latched onto it and he stole a bite for himself. She narrowed her eyes at him, threatening him with bodily harm without saying so. He didn’t take the doughnut from her, just redirected it to his mouth, so she was able to take another bite and let the sugar dance on her taste buds.
“Okay, but doughnuts only work for the little stuff. So, you said you had morning skate already, do you have any other work commitments today?”
The sooner they got the tux thing figured out, the sooner they could play with the idea of making it official that they were seeing each other. Sarah didn’t expect that to be a one-day thing, even if it was just words. They still needed to get to know each other and she needed to prove she was reasonable girlfriend material. Being able to not hook up with her ex for one night didn’t really qualify.
“I do have a game tonight, which I was hoping I could convince you to come to. I don’t think they’ll let you on the ice like last night, but there’s a nice cushy suite that families and girlfriends sit in during the game.”
Sarah must have made a face showing how much the idea terrified her, because Reid was quick to continue. Before he did, he pulled her a little closer so for the first time she felt his groin on her body. She prayed that what she felt was him in the mood and the firm bulge wasn’t his resting state size. As big as he was in general size, if it was a resting state, the man’s penis had to go down to the middle of his thigh.
“Knowing your claims of not enjoying situations with new people, I figure it may be awkward, but there will only be about a dozen people there so it’s less interaction than if you were sitting in the stands. And, if you have a friend who could come, that would probably be even better for your anxiety.”
“Is it weird that we’ve been together in person for about four total hours and you already know all of my quirks and issues?”
And yet he wasn’t running for the door. That fact amazed Sarah.
“I’m sure there are more to be found. So, what do you say? You want to watch me play tonight?”
Sarah slowly finished taking the last three bites of her doughnut and considered the question. It was all for show, because she knew her answer was already yes.
“Well, if you’re coming with me to the wedding, we need to talk to May today and see about a tux, so I can ask her at the same time whether she’d go to the game tonight. Plus, it’s probably a good idea for you to meet her sooner rather than later. I haven’t managed to scare you away yet, but there’s a good chance she will.”
The worry on Sarah’s part was more about the possibility that Reid would meet May and forget all about her. The friends had never had a problem with guys coming between them, but Sarah wasn’t sure what May would do when someone who looked like a god walked in the room. Sarah had met quite a few of the other woman’s flings, but she didn’t remember anyone like Reid.
“Has anyone ever told you how expressive your eyes are?”
Reid reached up and smoothed some of Sarah’s red hair out of the way. She still hadn’t taken the time to even run her fingers through it.
“I don’t think anyone has ever mentioned anything specific about them. Most people just wonder if I’m wearing green contacts.”
She wasn’t. Her eyes were good enough that she didn’t need glasses or contacts generally, but she did like to wear reading glasses when she was writing. For some reason, they made her feel smarter.
“Well they are, and as proof of such, I’m guessing you were just worrying about what will happen when I meet this May character you’ve mentioned.”
Sarah looked at him skeptically. Obviously, that had been exactly what she’d been thinking, but she couldn’t believe he’d picked that up from just looking at her eyes.
“And now you’re questioning my words. Why don’t you take that cute scowl of yours into the other room and think about getting ready to go find this May of yours. I’ll do what I can to try to temper down my friend I saw you worrying about a few minutes ago. I tried to keep him under control, but like I mentioned, you look like you want to be thrown on a bed.”
The guy was a mind-reader. That had to be how he knew things all the time. She’d noticed that about him from the very beginning and still wasn’t sure what to think of it.
“I need to take a shower, which will probably take a little while. Are you fine hanging around twiddling your thumbs? I’m not sure if by tempering down you mean putting ice down your pants or relieving pressure, but I guess, make yourself at home?”
Sarah wasn’t sure how to respond, so she covered her bases. The words apparently weren’t appreciated as a hand swatted her bottom. She squealed at the mild sting.
“You say you’re shy and antisocial, but you just offered to let a guy you barely know beat off in your apartment. I know things feel like they’re moving quickly between us, but maybe it’s best if we get a little more familiar before we move to that level.”
“It’s that shyness that makes me say crazy things and wonder whether they came out as weird as they sounded in my head. Anyway, it’s up to you what you want to do, but I’ve only got that chair behind me and a bed for you to sit on.”
She was going to add the toilet was another option to sit on, but she was already giving him a bad impression. He was right about things feeling like they were moving fast, and yet, they sort of felt like they were moving at a snail’s pace. They’d kind of been on two dates and there was a friendly familiarity that had taken her months to develop with Aaron. Even after they moved in together, there was a part of her Sarah held back. There didn’t seem to be the usual filter keeping her crazy thoughts in when it came to Reid.
“How about if I go wait in my car and work on making sure you and your friend won’t have any trouble getting in tonight. I think I just need to leave your name with someone, but I have to double check.”
“I suppose that would make sense. I wouldn’t want to tell May we were going to a hockey game and then not be able to get in. You don’t have to leave, though. It’s probably chilly out and I’ll be at least thirty minutes.”
Reid pulled her body into him again in what seemed like a reminder of how his jeans were snug to his crotch. The swelling she felt hadn’t diminished one bit.
“If I stay in here, I’ll know you’re close by and naked. If we’re lenient, today will be our third date and with your recent relationship still on your mind, I figure it will take us until at least our tenth date to start using the condoms I bought.”
He laughed as he saw Sarah’s eyes widen. It was nice that he was counting it as their third date when the speed dating thing had lasted less than thirty minutes. She just hoped that he was planning on seeing her every day and counting them all as dates. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be willing to keep her hands to herself.
“Have fun in your shower,” Reid said before he leaned down for one of his teasingly quick kisses on her lips. “Make sure you lock the door behind me. I may think a little too hard about you rubbing soap everywhere.”
Sarah wasn’t sure how that was supposed to be an incentive for her locking the door, but after seeing him out, she followed the instructions. Since she hadn’t spoken or seen Aaron, she was more worried about him showing up than Reid deciding to see just how strong their chemistry was.