The Wingman (Vancouver Storm, #3)

by Stephanie Archer

He exhales a rough noise, pacing across the room, agitated. “I ne...

“Read a book,” I suggest lightly. I hate fighting with him like this. It feels all wrong. ...

“You’re my type,” Hayden says like it hurts him. “More than anyone.” His head drops to my shoulder, and he takes a deep inhale, his fist coming to the wall beside my head on his shaky exhale. “I want you, Darcy,” he murmurs against my neck, and I shiver. “I want you so bad I can’t stay away. If you want things to stay the way they are, you need to leave my bedroom right now.”

I don’t care that we’re best friends. I don’t care that this is going to massively complicate everything. I just need him to touch me, right now, do something with this intense pressure he’s created between my legs. I need to see what it would be like with us. Just once. I flatten a hand on Hayden’s chest, feeling the gallop of his heartbeat. His eyes burn me, helpless but dark with lust. “I don’t want things to stay the way they are,” I whisper, and his mouth crashes to mine.

Hayden claims my mouth with an urgency that scrambles all my thoughts.

“No more double dates,” he says against my lips, and I nod.

His fingers sink into my hair, and mine into his. All the frustration radiating off him is refocused into something sharper and hotter as he coaxes my lips open and strokes inside, exploring and tasting. He presses me against the wall. I th...

“God, yes,” he groans when he gently sucks on the tip of my tongue. “No more da...

“Good girl.”

He pulls his hand away and sits on his heels, kneeling as he slides my panties off. With his hands on my inner thighs, he presses my legs open. My pulse jumps with the vulnerability, spread wide under him, unable to hide. But our eyes meet and he mutters a curse under his breath. He’s so gorgeous, I don’t know where to look—his handsome face, his fucked-up and messy hair, the carved chest, shoulders, and abdomen dusted with hair, or the strong thighs braced on the bed.

“I love that look on your face, so desperate for me to touch you.” He pauses, watching me with an expression ...

No one’s ever looked at me like that. He slides his hand between my legs, brushing every sensitive nerve ending with his flat palm, and my thi...

“You’re so pretty here.” He watches his hand move over me with a glazed look on his...

Heat gathers and throbs between my legs, and every time he brushes my clit, electricity jolts through me. His cock strains against his boxers and I feel another needy ache. “Hayden.” I reach for it, but his ha...

I make a noise of frustration and arch against his hand, seeking more friction, but he leans forward and clamps his forearm over my hips, holding me down.

She snickers into my neck. “It was hot.” She trails her fingers through my hair and inhales, her nose buried in my neck. “I’m going to be daydreaming about that tomorrow.”

I sink my hand into her hair and tilt her mouth to mine, coaxing her lips open. Our kiss is slow, deep, and intimate. How could I ever doubt that Darcy and I were perfect for each other? This is everything. It’s like nothing else exists when we’re together. After cleaning up, we lie in bed, Darcy tucked against my chest and exploring my body with light, teasing touches. I press a kiss to her temple. “You know on Valentine’s Day, when you asked what kind of porn I watched and I got weird?” She nods. “I didn’t want to send it to you, because they look exactly like us, and it’s the only porn I’ve watched for years.” I lift my head to hold her eyes with a steady gaze. “I imagine they’re us.”

The corner of her mouth pulls into a tiny, adora...

“Yeah. And you mentioned that I always take a shower after we touch, like after we cuddled and after you tried flirting with me?” She nods, eyebrows sliding together. “It’s because you turned me on so goddamn much, Darce, that I needed to come, and I ca...

She swallows, cheeks going ...

“Yeah.” There’s a flare of surprise in her eyes, and I know, inside her head, she’s processing this info. That’s fine. I’ll give her time to let it sink in. “You’re really cute when you’re flustered.” She chuckles into my shoulder before glancing at the...

I kiss her forehead, inhaling her, stroking my hand over her back. “You want some water?” She shakes her head, takes a deep breath, and lets it out slow, her body relaxing into mine. I listen to her soft breathing as she falls asleep, and my thoughts begin to clear. I’m done with being her wingman, and I’ll do what it takes to convince Darcy she’s mine. She’ll need time to process this, and the last thing I want to do is rush her. Telling her she’s it for me, that she’s the only woman I’ve ever wanted and will ever want, will make her panic. So I’ll give her time. I’ll take the pressure off. My heart does an uneasy tug. What if I show her how good we could be together, but it’s still not enough? Just a pretty face and a good fuck. I tighten my arm around her. In her sleep, she sighs and nestles farther into my chest, and determination floods me. I’m racing toward a cliff with a cut brake line. My only option is to push the pedal to the floor and hope I clear it.

“Mhm.” He pulls me into a hug and presses his mouth to my temple in a sweet kiss.

“I promise.” She gives me a quick grin. “I’m not a kid. I can take care of myself.”

“I know.” I like taking care of her, though, and I like making sure she has enough food in the fridge. “You can call or text anytime. Or you can call my parents if you need help with something.” She nods, resting her gaze on me, and something in my chest tugs. Things are finally on the right track for us, and leaving now feels all wrong. But I know taking things slow and giving her time to process is a good thing.

I don’t want to see him. As far as I’m concerned, he’s out of our lives, but a part of me wants to lay into him for what he did.

“Have a great trip.” Darcy wears a small, shy smile as her eyes move over my face. She’s been doing this more in the past few days, openly looking at me, studying me.

“You’re going to miss your plane,” she whispers between kisses.

I give him a strange look. “Of course I was. And I wore your jersey during it, obviously.”

“Why are you surprised? I love watching you play.

“You should say something to Ward.”

He arches an eyebrow. “You should.”

Hayden is a whole new element to why I can’t take this job. I’d be working closely with him. I’d probably be traveling with the team. This thing, whatever we’re doing with his sweet kisses on my neck and sleeping in the same bed every night, has an expiration date. And then I get to watch as he moves on to other girls, showering them with his teasing smiles and pulling them into his lap. I can’t watch that. I can’t take the job. I meet Hayden’s curious gaze and shake my head with a small smile.

“He’s going to know who it’s coming from,” he says.

“Tell him you were contacted by a for...

I laugh. “You’ll have to wait to see it when you get home.”

His head falls back and he groans. “Darce, when I get home, you’re going to show me a lot more than the new lingerie.”

A thrill runs through me, and I bite back my excited grin, my mind racing with dirt...

“Hey,” a familiar deep voice says behind me. “Can I get some help lacing up my skates?”

“This is unnecessary,” I laugh, upside down, as he carries me to the front door and unlocks it. “Anyone could see.”

“Let them see.” Inside, he kicks his shoes off while gripping the back of my thighs to hold me steady. “They’ll know we’re busy for the rest of the night.”

Heat coils between my legs. “You’re not going to tell...

“No.” He drops his bag and strides to his bedroom. “That ...

In his room, he gently sets me on my feet. In the next instant, his mouth is back on mine. Then his hands are on the hem of my dress and lifting it over my head. When he sees the lingerie he bought me, his eyes ...

“No.” He groans, frowning at my lingerie. “I’m so...

“I want to see you.” She trails her fingers up and down my length.

Just like last time, I can feel the coiling pressure around the base of my spine, the heavy ache in my balls. Fooling around with Darcy gets me there ten times faster. “I’m so fucking close already.”

“Prov...

I let out a tight laugh at her determined but playful expression. “You’re going to fucking kill me, you know that?” Her pretty mouth twists into a happy smile, and I slide my boxers off. My cock springs free, hard and dripping pre-cum, and the first brush ...

“Wow,” she breathes, staring at it with a reverence that should embarrass me but instead makes the blood beat harder through my veins...