Wild About You (Wildcat Hockey, #2)

by Rebecca Jenshak

I finally let myself look at Everly’s father. His name and hers swirl together in my head like a tornado waiting to swoop down and destroy. And when I meet his green gaze, that’s exactly what it does—wreck me. I’m no longer the capable woman starting a new job, but a brokenhearted teenager crying over the boy sitting across the room. Except he’s not a boy anymore. Tyler Sharp is all grown up. I already knew this. His face is everywhere in this city, but no amount of media exposure prepared me for seeing him in person. “Piper,” he says, my name a jagged whisper from his lips. Still, it knocks the air from my lungs. I’m still walking forward to my seat, gaze locked on his. I ram into the side of Principal Best’s desk and buckle forward on impact.

“It’s good to see you, Piper,” he says. “I hoped I might run into you someday. I didn’t imagine it like this.” My heart beats wildly, but anger flashes too. This boy broke my heart in a million pieces. We dated for the most amazing eight months. We lived in different cities, so we were mostly long-distance, but somehow it felt like he was with me every second of the day: texts, all-night phone calls, weekend visits cramming in hours of making out and kissing until my lips hurt. I loved him so much. I thought he was my forever. Maybe that’s dumb at eighteen, but I’ve never met anyone that made me feel like he did. Not before him and not since.

“Is your number still the same?” He pulls his phone from his pocket. When I don’t answer, he looks up from the screen at me. “In case I need to get in contact with you about Everly.” “Oh, uh, if you need anything you should contact Mrs. Best or Kim in the office.” He taps out something and my phone buzzes in my pocket. I’m sure he can hear it, but I don’t make any move for it. Tyler wraps his long fingers around his phone and finally smiles at me. Really smiles. With all that teenage Tyler charm I fell in love with four years ago. But there’s something else in it too. Regret? Pain?

I’ve dreamt about this day. How I would look (ahhh-mazing!), what I would say (oh, so many things—all perfect and cutting), and most importantly, the validation I would feel when I realized he no longer makes my body come alive with a single look. Instead, I’m standing here in a thrift store dress that’s a size too big, I can’t seem to make anything coherent come out of my mouth, and worst of all his stare still ripples over my skin like electricity. It pisses me off. All of it.

Only when he’s out the front door do I release a breath and pull out my phone to read his text. You look even more beautiful than you did four years ago.

“I ran into her.” They exchange a look and Ash asks, “Who?” “Her. Piper. My Scarlett.” I wave a hand toward Leo. “Except without the sneaking-around drama.” “She sounds kind of dull.” Ash’s lips quirk up when I glare at him. “I need more information.” “We dated in high school—long distance.” “Why’d it end?” Leo asks. “Because I was a stupid teenage boy.” “Ooooh, shit.” Ash gets a wicked grin on his face. “This is your girl. The one that got away? It’s all coming back to me now.” I might have gotten drunk and mentioned her a time or two. “She’s a teacher at Everly’s new school.” Piper’s face fills my mind. I’ve missed her every day for four years, but something about seeing her again has the pain of losing her as fresh as the night it happened.

His throat works with a swallow and his jaw flexes. “Drinks? Coffee? It’s been a long time.” “Not long enough.” Hurt flashes in his eyes. “I deserve that, but I would still like to talk about Everly. I think there are things you should know that might help you understand her better.” “Mrs. Best or the counselor, Mr.—” “You, Pipes. I want to tell you. You’re the only one I trust not to treat her differently. You never did me.” I can’t seem to get enough oxygen in my lungs. I don’t know how he can piss me off and make me want to cry all at the same time.

He runs a hand along his chiseled jaw. His face is more angular now, and the short stubble makes him look older. “Can you meet me at the arena at six?” “The arena?” “Yeah, I’m not picking Ev up tomorrow. I have a conflict. But if you meet me at the arena, we can walk downtown and get drinks or dinner.” “This is sounding more and more like a date.” “Not a date. Promise.” He holds up both hands. “Fine,” I say, mostly to be done with this conversation. And maybe a little because I want to prove to him and to myself that I’m over him. I can meet up with him downtown, have dinner or a drink, talk about his sister, and it not be weird. Why? Because I’m OVER him.

Suuuuuuure

My breath hitches as everyone around me gets to their feet and cheers on number twenty-one. A couple people near us are wearing his jersey. It’s too weird. Everly even looks happy. She glances back at me still in my seat. “Are you okay?” “Perfect.” I stand. “I’m going to get some food.” “You’re not leaving, right?” she asks as I turn to flee. She has to yell over the continued applause and cheers for Tyler. It’s exactly what I’d planned to do, but looking at Everly and knowing I’ll have to face her and her brother again no matter how this night ends, I change my mind. “No, I’m not leaving. I’m gonna grab some food though.” I hold up the vouchers Tyler left me. It’s a pretty big stack and I’m going to use every last one on greasy, delicious food that will hopefully distract me from watching my hot ex-boyfriend being cheered on by twenty-thousand people. “Do you want anything?” She nods, and I get the first real smile I’ve ever seen from Everly Kent.

She turns the wineglass by the stem slowly, keeping her gaze forward. Angling my body in her direction, I study her. Her hair is longer, but the same shade of dark brown, and so thick I want to run my fingers through it. She still looks so much like the girl I fell in love with all those years ago, I have to remind myself that this one isn’t mine even though my fingers burn to touch her. She catches me staring at her. “Stop looking at me like that.” “Like what?” “Like you’re cataloging all the ways I’m different since the last time you saw me.” “The opposite actually. You look exactly the same. It’s like no time has passed.” “Except it has. I’m not the same girl I was then.”

“I didn’t ask you to dinner only to talk about Everly or bitch about her boyfriend.” “No?” she asks, sarcasm dripping from the word. She finishes her wine and pushes the glass away from her. “Why did you ask me?” “Because I’ve missed you every day for four years and because now that I’ve seen you again, I can’t imagine another day going by where I can’t.”

I shove my hands in my pockets and swallow the lump in my throat. “I figured you’d want nothing to do with me, but I still had to tell you. I messed up, Pipes.” “It’s a little late to be figuring that out.” “I’ve known it for years, but I still wasn’t in a position to be the guy you deserve. I’m still not.” “Then why tell me now?” “Because you’re here.” I stop myself from reaching out and touching her again, but God, I want to feel her. “I didn’t think I believed in fate, but then you walked into that principal’s office and my heart stopped.”

Everly scrunches up her face in disgust. I bet there’s a long list of women hitting on her brother. And who could blame them? Young, hot, rich professional athlete? Any one of those things would make him a catch. All three? Hold on to your panties, ladies.

I reach out and run my fingers along the wooden stick on the wall and goosebumps climb up my arm. The hall leads to an open kitchen with a giant island. A piece of paper catches my eye. Tyler’s penmanship sucks the air out of my lungs. Why is it the smallest things that hit me the hardest when it comes to him? Ev, Here’s my card for food and emergencies, or whatever you need. Stay out of trouble. Ty I hate how even when I want to hold on to every ounce of anger for the things he did in the past, the present version draws me in.

“And what did he not exaggerate about?” “Answer that and I might have to kill you in your sleep.” Tyler places a hand on Ash’s shoulder and cuts in. I suck in a breath at being caught off guard. I was so busy trying to appear like I didn’t care that I forgot to keep an eye out for him. Now here he is, and ugh, why does he have to be so hot?

“Hey, Piper,” he says. “See you met some of the guys.” “Hey.” I give him the same greeting as I did his teammates. Only he doesn’t let me off so easily. He takes a step closer and I pull in another breath, this time inhaling the scent of him. He smells like leather and cologne and hot guy. (Yeah, it has a smell. Or maybe I’ve just associated it with Tyler.) “You look beautiful.”

Tyler tips back the bottle and takes a long drink. His throat works and I watch the column of this neck, noting how much he’s filled out over the years. He was always muscular but he’s broader now. Everywhere. He sets the bottle down and looks at me. All the things I’ve despised about him are hard to remember when he looks so broken.

She sits on the end of the bed. “This all feels like too much, even for a night or two.” “Ash is fine with it. I promise. I think he likes having a bunch of people around.” “I meant me staying in your house. Even if you’re not here, it’s a lot. I’ve seen you more in the past week than I did most weeks when we were actually dating.” Guilt and remorse prick at my skin. She’s right, of course; I may not have seen her every day but I felt her, wanted her, loved her. She was mine, no matter the distance. Until I fucked it all up.

“Before I go, I need to come clean on something.” She stiffens. “What?” “I said this was about what is best for Everly, and I meant it. I think you are the best person for the job, and I don’t want to screw with that.” “O-kay.” I step closer. Her bottom lip trembles as I invade her space. “But it doesn’t change how I feel about you. There’s something still here, Pipes. I know it.”

I go straight upstairs. Tugging my hair down from my ponytail, I moan my relief and massage my scalp with my fingertips. I toss my purse on my bed, kick off my shoes, and glance toward the bathroom. It’s dark, but Tyler’s door is open, and his light is on. He walks into the bathroom while I’m still staring in that direction. Shirtless, jeans unbuttoned, he’s got a shirt in one hand and the other is running through his messy hair when he spots me.

Slowly, I turn back. He stands inside my room looking too good to be real. Mostly I’ve seen him in workout clothes, shorts, sweats, T-shirts, that kind of thing, occasionally a pair of jeans that I’m pretty sure he had when we were together four years ago, but tonight he’s wearing a cream sweater that stretches over his broad chest and a pair of black jeans that hug his muscular legs. His bare feet move a step closer. “Do I look ridiculous?” “No.” The word comes out raspy. I find myself reaching out to smooth my hand down his bicep. It’s something I did a million times when we were together, but as soon as I do it now, I wish I hadn’t. He feels different and I want to run my fingers up and down his arm until I know his body as well as I once did.

He invades my space and I stop breathing. His right hand lifts and stretches toward me as if he’s going to caress my face. I don’t move. I lock my gaze on his. I can read everything in his expression. He wants me. He’s made no attempt at hiding it, and a large part of me wants him too. His fingers glide across my cheek, and then he holds out a single finger in front of me with an eyelash. “Make a wish, Pipes.” My pulse slows as I realize he isn’t going to kiss me. Of course, he isn’t. He thinks I have a boyfriend. I blow the eyelash off his finger, but I don’t make a wish. Making a wish without knowing exactly what you want is a dangerous thing. And I have no idea if I’m ready to give Tyler another chance.

Piper sits in the back with a big bowl of popcorn in her lap. The wet spot on her shirt has grown and I can see the outline of her bra. I settle back into my seat. It’s weird if I don’t sit next to her but being this close is difficult. She’s dating someone and has made it very clear that she is only here to help with Everly. She props her long legs up on the seat in front of her. “Were you raised in a barn?” I ask with a playful smirk, without looking directly at her. “My feet are clean.” She wiggles her bare toes which just draws my attention back to her smooth legs. The shorts she’s wearing ride up high on her thighs. Piper always did have great legs. I remember just what it was like to slide my hand up them, and what it felt like to have them wrapped around my back. I wipe a hand across my brow. Fuck, it’s already hot in here. Everly hits the lights, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so grateful to not be able to see Piper.

My gaze drops to her lips and holds. Adrenaline and want courses through me. She’s right here, the only woman I’ve ever felt this way about, and I can’t have her.

I thought it was hard to be around her when she hated me, but I was wrong because this is so much worse. Hate kept a line drawn between us. “Break up with your boyfriend, Piper.” “Wha-at?” Her voice breaks on the word. I invade her space. She doesn’t step back. “I want good things for you too.” “Okay.” A line forms between her brows. I allow myself only to brush my fingers against hers. It’s the smallest contact. Not enough, but still so fucking good. “Break up with him because I’m what’s good for you.”

My pulse thrums loudly in my ears as Tyler stares at me, waiting for a response. God, he’s beautiful. Heartbreakingly beautiful when he looks at me like he’s doing now.

I find him in the game room. He’s standing in a small group of guys and girls. A beer bottle hangs from his fingertips. Everyone else is smiling and laughing. Tyler wears a smile that I can tell is fake even from across the room. The girl standing next to him puts a hand on his arm. He doesn’t even look at her, but I still feel an all-consuming rage to claim him. I already knew what I wanted, but it pushes me to act. My strides are long and sure as I start for him. I don’t take my eyes off him, but I notice the group around him goes quiet as I approach. When Tyler’s green eyes finally lock on mine, I summon every bit of courage in my body, close the remaining distance between us, and kiss him.

He’s shocked and slow to respond. His teammates and friends are cheering, but as soon as his arms wrap around me, I couldn’t care less. He picks me up and squeezes me to him. And it feels like no time has passed at all.

“All of my clothes are in my room.” Her lips twist into a smile. I take her hand and tug her to me. “You don’t need any clothes.” Adrenaline pumps through me. I don’t even know where to start. This isn’t our first time, but for years I’ve dreamt of this moment. My mouth crashes down on hers and I capture the tiny yelp that tries to escape her lips.

When she recovers from the shock, Piper presses back. She’s as eager as I am, and we’re a tangle of limbs and teeth grabbing at each other, exploring and caressing, while refusing to break apart.

Scarlett hangs by Leo, the two of them kissing and touching every time he’s finished with his turn. It hits me—that’s what I want. It’s why I didn’t follow Piper upstairs five minutes ago when all I could think about was being inside of her, finally. I want all the moments we’ve missed out on—the fun, the flirty, the drunken nights, the PDA, and yeah, the sex. And while I’ve spent the last four years thinking of nothing but earning that second chance, Piper might not be on the same page just yet.

The air shifts between us. I close the space between our mouths. His arm comes around me and flattens me against his chest as he takes over the kiss. My head spins and my stomach flutters. God, I missed this. Not just Tyler. I mean, of course Tyler, but it’s more than him. It’s us. I’ve never had this type of insane chemistry with anyone else. My body comes alive when he’s nearby. A hit of dopamine, a rush of adrenaline, and an underlying connection that tugs me toward him. He pulls back, drops his forehead against mine, and groans. “Cherries. You always taste like cherries.” “It’s my favorite Chapstick,” I say and pull out the tube from my pocket. It’s true it had been my favorite when I’d met him, but now I don’t know if I continued to wear it all these years because I really liked it or because I knew he had.

“Let’s play ‘I’ve never.’ It’ll help us get to know each other again.” “All right.” I think for a minute. “I’ve never had sex in public.” Tyler brings the glass back up to his lips and drinks, then I do the same. “Maybe this was a bad idea,” I admit as jealousy surges through me. I want to know all these things about him. What his life has been like, who he’s dated, how serious he was with other girls, etc… but I was not prepared for how angry it would make me. “The beach with you,” he says, and the memory hits me so hard I can almost taste the salty air from that night. “There hasn’t been anyone but you.”

He steps to me and tips my face up with a hand at my chin. “I’ve waited a long time for this, another week or month won’t kill me. I’m a patient guy.” “That’s great for you, but what about me?” I whine. I feel like I might burst at the seams. The entire night his hands roamed over me and now I want more. Chuckling lightly, he presses his hips against me to let me feel how hard he is. “Take your time and figure out what you want, Piper, because I plan on being the last guy inside of you.”

I hold out the blanket and she climbs in next to me. Smooth legs tangle with mine and her scent envelops me. My heart hammers in my chest as she grips the hem of my shirt. I left it on so I could keep smelling her all night long. I let her remove it, then she reaches out and places a hand on my shoulder while I’m still admiring the smooth skin on display in front of me. Her fingertips move across my pecs and down over my stomach, stopping before she reaches the top of my boxers. “Your body is insane.” “You’ve seen me naked before.” I tuck her hair behind one ear and let my hand graze along the circle of her neck. “You’ve changed.” I know what she means. I’m two inches taller and I’ve added a lot of muscle thanks to strict dieting and workouts, but inside I’m exactly the same—still obsessed with her. “I didn’t have you. I had to work out my frustration somehow.” I bring my lips to the sensitive skin above her collarbone.

A smile graces her lips, and she lets her hands drop. Then, she hooks a finger under the waistband of my boxer briefs and tugs me closer. Her fingers slip inside and wrap around me. I see spots. “Condom?” she asks, stroking me.

She pushes my boxers down my hips as I grab a foil packet from the bedside table. I tear it open with my teeth and cover myself. She continues to run her hands all over my body. A shiver rolls down my spine. I’m going to last all of five seconds. It’s been too long and she’s too fucking perfect. I bring my mouth to hers, kissing her softly as I line up at her entrance, not pushing in but teasing her. “Hurry,” she says, nipping at my bottom lip. She arches up until the head of my dick nudges at her entrance.

Oh goddamn. I push in so painfully slow. Piper’s groan mixes with my own. I consider pulling out and going down on her, so I don’t finish on my next exhale, but she lifts her hips and claws at my back, all while squeezing me so tight. There’s no other option than to give her what she wants. I’m out of my mind, but so is she. I place my hand around her throat again, not squeezing, just caressing it with enough pressure to get her attention. She looks up at me with those dark blue eyes.

“You’re mine. Always have been. Always will be.” Her head tips back and she starts to close her eyes. I stop moving and increase the pressure ever so lightly around her throat. “Say it, Piper.” She bucks into me and whines. I’m so close, if she does that a few more times, it’ll be game over. But I don’t relent. I need to know tha...

I repeat it with every thrust until she cries out and clenches around me. I follow a second later and I think I might black out from the pleasure that zaps through me. This right here is why I never moved on. There is no ...

“I’m sorry. I’m just freaking out a little. I like you. I like you a lot, and I am terrified that I will end up heartbroken again.” “You think this isn’t scary for me too?” He brushes my hair away from my face with a hand. “I spent the last four years wishing to have you back in my life and now that it’s happening, I feel like I’m gonna screw it all up. Or blink and realize I was hallucinating.” A true smile finally tugs at the corner of my lips and my body relaxes. “So, it isn’t just me?” “No, of course not.” He glides his thumb along my lower lip and then drops his mouth to mine. When he pulls back my heart is racing, but not because I’m nervous—because I know it’s already too late to be trying to guard my heart. He’s had it since I was eighteen. “Be terrified with me, Pipes? Give me a real shot to get it right this time. That’s all I’m asking.” I nod. “Yes. A thousand terrified yeses.”

I kiss her and push her backward into the dressing room. She squeaks and giggles as I pull the curtain closed behind us. Every time I kiss her, it feels so unreal. I frame her face with my hands and urge her to open wider so I can sweep my tongue inside of her mouth. The silky material of the dress pressed against me is sexy as fuck. I run my hands down around her waist and up her back to the zipper. The only thing sexier than Piper in this dress? Taking her out of it. Nothing is more satisfying in this moment than the purr of the metal coming apart.

His hands find their way under my shirt, and he cups my boobs as he continues to kiss his way along my neck and collarbone. He sucks and kisses, and it feels so good I stop pushing for him to go.

He laughs and disappears under the blanket. He slides down my body and works my panties down over my hips. Then his mouth covers me with no prelude or teasing. He dives right in. A moan slips past my lips and my hands thread through his thick hair. Every time I think it can’t get better with Tyler, he proves me wrong. It’s like he has some secret key to my body that even I don’t possess.

He brings me over the edge so quickly that it doesn’t seem possible. I cry out in the quiet, dark room, chanting his name almost like I’m trying to convince myself it’s really him. Maybe I’m having a really amazing sex dream. He doesn’t relent after the first waves roll through me and my second orgasm builds just as quickly. This one hangs in the distance just out of reach. I reach for him and try to get him to move up and inside of me, but he keeps his hold on my thighs and continues licking and sucking on my clit.

“Tyler.” He hums a response, the sound vibrating through my body. “I need you inside of me,” I mutter. He stops his torment and repositions so that his dick nudges my entrance. Pleasure spreads through me. I’m so close. He reaches over and gets a condom from the side table. “Whose pussy is this?” “Yours.” I’m so close if he blew on my clit I think I’d come. He covers himself and rubs the head of his cock along my slit. “Whose pussy?” “Yours,” I repeat. ...

His phone vibrates on the nightstand but neither of us stops or makes any move to shut it off. We’ve been making up for lost time with sex that’s sweet and mildly possessive, the latter a kink we’ve both always enjoyed, but this is something more. It’s hard and fast and claiming in a way I didn’t know existed. As my orgasm finally hits, he drops his mouth to mine and kisses me in the same...

I head into the steamy bathroom and start the shower. I pull my shirt over my head and Piper’s gaze falls to my chest. “If you’re about to kick me off the phone, you should have hung up before taking off your shirt.” I push my pants and boxers down. “I’m not kicking you off the phone.” “Oh.” Her eyes widen and then she understands. “Oooh.” “Lift your shirt up, baby.” She complies, raising it so her tits are bared to me. I stroke myself and set the phone on the counter. “Fuck, I miss you.”

I go to her and kiss her, then back Piper up against the closest wall and slide my hand up the slit in her dress until I reach the lacy panties underneath. She widens her stance, giving me better access to slide my fingers inside. A gasp slips past her lips as I move in and out of her in slow strokes.

Her fingers fumble for my belt and she has it undone and my pants falling to my ankles so fast. I love how much she wants me. It’s a fraction of my feelings mirrored back at me. I reach down to grab a condom from my wallet, but she stops me. “I’m on birth control.” She turns and moves her long, brown hair so I can unzip her and then she lets the red material fall to the floor. She’s bra-less and only her small, matching red panties adorn her skin. “I don’t know how I survived a day without you.” She smiles. “I don’t know how you did either.”