Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
So for her to host a little get-together means she’s pushing past her boundaries, and that makes me happy. Just like the way she’s pushed past some boundaries with me. Every moment we spend together, I see her loosening up just a little more. She lets her guard down with me, and through her actions I see her gently poking at the parameters we established so early on when we started sleeping together.
Friends with benefits. It’s still our motto, but only because the friendship started first. It’s holding strong, but Josie’s exploring the benefits side more, and I’m not talking just about the sex. I’m talking about intimacy, and the reason it’s so important to me is because I’m exploring it right along with her.
We’re like two people stumbling along a path, not knowing where it’s leading and with a little bit of fear causing us to falter even more. But the excitement is there, knowing the destination could be fucking fantastic, so we keep pulling each other along.
This is so new to me, and in a million years I never thought my heart would start to get tied up with a woman. I thought that because I always told myself I was too young to settle down, but I guess fate has a funny way of grabbing you by the balls to lead you in another direction.
Better yet, Josie invited me over tonight to hang with everyone.
Best yet, she was disappointed when I had to decline, as along with several other teammates, I’d already committed my Saturday to helping Stephanie and Lucas move into a new house they purchased. Seeing that disappointment on her face was almost enough to make me bail on Lucas, but Josie quickly wiped it off and followed it up with a hug as she said, “That’s so sweet.”
Life is fucking awesome right now, that’s for sure.
Once I get into my house, I toss my keys onto the kitchen counter and rummage through my fridge. Stephanie fed us all copious amounts of pizza before we started the unloading process, but that feels like it was hours ago. I stare at the box of cold pizza and a container of General Tso’s chicken, but before I can make my decision, my phone chimes with an incoming text.
I pull it out of my pocket and see it’s from Josie. I notice your Tahoe sitting outside. Get your butt over here, Olson.
Grinning that she was apparently watching for me to get home, I respond. I’ll come if you tell me you have food. I’m starved.
We do, she responds. And lots of beer.
Be there soon.
While I don’t mind mooching on food, it’s always polite to bring more alcohol to a party. I dive back in the fridge and pull an almost full twelve-pack out, tucking it under my arm.
When I step into Josie’s house, I immediately understand that the beer has been flowing freely. There can’t be more than fifteen people spread across her living room, kitchen, and balcony, but they are all laughing and cutting up with music playing in the background. It’s just a vibe…a party vibe for sure.
My eyes focus on Josie as she stands in the kitchen. She’s leaning in toward a guy, stabbing her finger playfully into his chest, and I can hear her voice rise above all the others. “The Cold Fury kicked your team’s ass in the conference finals this past year and they’ll do it all over again this season.”
Holy shit…my girl is spouting out Cold Fury talk. She’s clearly a quick study, as I’ve spent several nights lying in bed answering her questions about the sport, which have included a recap of this past season and our road to the Stanley Cup. She was obviously paying attention when I told her we met the New Jersey Wildcats in the conference finals, and that produces a feeling within me that I hadn’t felt before with Josie.
It’s a warmth, a humility perhaps, that Josie is as invested in what I do as I am in what she does. She’s not been able to see me in action yet, but that doesn’t mean she’s not proud of me, and that knowledge sets me on fucking fire.
I stride through the crowd, smiling and nodding as they look at me curiously. My eyes are locked on Josie and she turns to face me as I approach. The heat over her defense of the Cold Fury fades and is replaced with pure happiness to see me. It causes my stomach to flip and my heart to stutter.
“You came,” she says with a bright smile.
“Well, you said you had food,” I say, teasing her, and then I’m about bowled over backward when she throws herself at me. She wraps her arms around my waist and squeezes me. I can only reciprocate with one arm, since I’m holding a beer with the other.