Page 120 of Riding the Pine

“Isn’t Ophelia a goddess?” I glance between the two.

She nods. “Goddess of snakes and believed to have healing powers. My name means ‘help’ or ‘aid.’”

Huh. Well. Isn’t that quite the coincidence?

She studies my face. “Why?”

The server comes over and asks what we want to drink. When he retreats with our drinks orders and a request for appetizers from Slade, I address Ophelia. “Slade told you some of the backstory?”

The woman shifts in her seat as she nods. “Your girlfriend went through something awful.” She swallows. “Andyou’re looking for someone to pleasure her in case she’s understandably turned off from the dick forever.”

Succinct and to the point. I kind of like it.

“Exactly. And your name meaning aid or help, well, it just resonates with the situation, I guess.”

She smiles again, and I can’t deny she’s a beautiful woman. She has some of the most intense green eyes I’ve ever seen. They’ve got brown flecks when the light hits. She’s got a button nose like Jenna Ortega, a slightly asymmetrical smile like Kaley Cuoco, and she has long, wavy dark hair that has been dyed purple from the middle to the end.

When she leans forward, her shirt gapes, and yeah, it’s hard not to look, but I manage to keep my eyes on hers.

“She’s not ready.” I swallow. “She may never be ready, and that’s okay. I just…” This isn’t easy for me to talk about with strangers. “If she ever is ready, and not for me, well, I wanted to look at some options.”

Ophelia nods. “It’s strategic, I like it. But I won’t be butt hurt if this is the first and last time I hear from you.” She shrugs. “I’ve seen pictures of Athena online.” She grins at me. “She’s gorgeous.”

“She is. And so are you.”

That makes her cheeks flush, but she doesn’t look away. “Thank you.”

It’s a few minutes before the apps arrive and Slade digs in, and over the next hour, I get to know a woman who potentially may make my girl come.

Shit. Should not have had that thought.

Should definitely not have had that thought.

Fuuuuuck. I’m painfully hard.

I’ve spent so much time thinking about finding someone to help her, us out in the bedroom when the time comes that Ididn’treallythink about it, and now my dick is hard as fucking glass and it wants to have a good time.

“You okay there, buddy?” Slade cups his hand over my shoulder and squeezes. He’s got this look on his face that’s teasing, filled with amusement. “Do you need a moment?”

I nod, dropping my face into my palms. “Sorry. It’s not very professional.”

Ophelia snorts. “Finding a woman to fuck your girlfriend isn’t really professional no matter how you look at it.”

The woman has a point.

“It’s my first time.” I offer by way of explanation, my cheeks sizzling.

“We all started somewhere.” She shrugs. “It’s easy to be embarrassed because that’s how society tells us we should be. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Is it unorthodox to find another woman for your girlfriend? Sure, if you’re confined to society’s definition of a ‘typical’ relationship. But when you open your mind a little, it’s not such a big deal.” She grins at me. “And I don’t mind you getting all hot and bothered about the idea of me with your girl.” She licks her lower lip.

No matter what ends up happening between Athena and this woman—if anything—my spank bank will forever be filled with images of Ophelia making Athena come. Over, and over, and all the way over again.

It takes me another twenty minutes after they leave and jerking off in the front seat of my truck to simmer down enough to go back to the house. Athena knows me better than I know myself, so if I was to walk into the apartment with that level of arousal pumping through my body, she’d know.

“Hey,” she calls out from the kitchen as I open the door. “I’ve made lunch.”

My stomach groans, not because Athena isn’t a competent cook in the kitchen, but because Slade ordered three appetizersat the bar, and they weren’t small. I toe off my shoes. “On my way.”

As a hockey player, I always have space for food, but Athena’s portions are every bit as huge as her grandmother’s. And I’m not wearing stretchy pants.

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