Page 76 of Fake Shot

“Okay, so what other hockey players do you know?”

I lift an eyebrow but don’t say anything.

“If this is about Brock fucking Lester, and you’re lumping me in with him, I’ve got some thoughts about that.” His jawclenches so tightly I’m afraid he’s going to shatter some teeth, so I cup his face in my hands and smooth my thumbs over his cheeks, hoping he’ll relax a bit.

“I hate that what he did has colored my perception of all men, but it is what it is. He wrecked my confidence and my ability to trust myself.”

“Jules, let’s get one thing straight. Brock is an asshole and what he did was wrong. He was too fucking blind to see what he had right in front of him?—”

“Story of my life.” I don’t mean for that to slip out, to reference that Colt, also, apparently couldn’t see me right there in front of him, despite how desperate I was for him to notice me. But it comes out anyway.

“Don’t you dare compare me to him,” Colt practically growls in an attempt to keep his voice low. “Isawyou. But you were my best friend’s little sister, and I was never planning to let myself see youlike that. I also wasn’t at a place in my life where I could trust any woman enough to let her get close to me, and there was no way in hell I’d have slept with you and then just never talked to you again, which was what ninety percent of my hookups were.”

“And the other ten percent?” I ask, letting my curiosity get the best of me.

“I definitely had some repeat hookups, but that’s all they ever were to me.”

“And now? What about us?”

I’m so fucking proud of myself for asking this question. It would be so easy to give in to the fear of discussing the future of this relationship, to ride out this high and wait to see where it goes. But I deserve to know where we stand right now, even if that might evolve and change over time.

He brushes his lips against the bridge of my nose. “We’re not ready for this conversation, Tink. I know you think we are. Hell, maybe you are, but I’m not. You’ve got work to do to be able to trust me enough for this to be real, and I’ve got work to do to prove to you that I’m worth trusting.”

What does that even mean?Just as I’m about to ask, a throat clears from behind me and the floating dock rocks as someone steps onto it.

“Ummmm,” Gabriel’s uncertain voice sounds from behind us, “I’m supposed to tell you that apparently there’s cake? And Mom and Dad would like you to join us for it.”

I turn my head, and he’s got his arm bent over his head as she scratches the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable to have interrupted our conversation. It seems impossible that we didn’t hear him coming, so either he’s some sort of stealthy ninja, or we must have been intently focused on each other. I pray that we were quiet enough that he didn’t hear what we were saying, since the whole point of this ruse was that he and Cheri would think Colt was happily engaged and had moved on.

“Okay,” Colt says as I stand, “we’re coming.” He gets up, but I don’t miss the wince as he stands, and when my eyes flick over to Gabriel, I see that he didn’t miss it either.

“Thanks,” Gabriel says, “for the ticket offer. I have to see if I can get someone to cover my shift at the hospital and make sure Simon can miss school on Thursday and Friday. But as long as that works out, we’d love to be there for the game.”

Colt’s gaze is locked on his brother, and I watch his throat bob as he swallows down whatever emotions he’s working through. I’m not sure what he’s feeling, but itcertainly seems like these two are long overdue for a private conversation.

“You know what,” I say quickly. “I’m going to run up to the house so I can use the bathroom before we have cake. You guys take your time.” Turning, I practically sprint up the dock, across the outcropping of rocks, and up the staircase built into the hillside, all the while hoping that giving them a few minutes alone is the right choice.

Chapter Thirty

JULES

Colt's body stills over mine as he says, “Are you sure you're ready for this?”

My entire core clenches, feeling the emptiness that I need him to fill. I run my hands up along his sides marveling at the way his cut muscles create ridges and valleys.

“Oh, believe me, I am more than ready.” When he still doesn’t move, I say, “Colt, now.”

He hesitates a moment longer, and then he pushes into me, filling me so completely that there’s no room for anything else. I’m not even sure there’s space for air to fill my lungs. Nothing in my entire collection of vibrators could have possibly prepared me for this fullness, this feeling of being joined together with him, or the way it feels as he brushes his fingers over my nipple while he says, “I’m going to make you come so hard, they’ll hear you screaming in the suburbs.”

I close my eyes as I adjust to his size and the delicioussensation of him dragging his cock along my inner walls, and then pushing back into me, filling me as far as I can take him. “Yes. Please, Colt...” I groan out the pleading words.

I’m about to tell him how amazing it feels now that he’s finally inside me, but something is poking me in my side, a persistent nudging that won't go away. I go to swat at it when I open my eyes back up and realize that I'm in Colt's fancy SUV.

Fuck. It felt so real, just like it always does in my dreams.

My underwear is so damp I’m worried he’ll be able to smell my arousal. I'm so turned on that I just want to close my eyes and jump right back into the dream. But that poking at my side happens again, and I glance over to find Colt looking at me. “Hey...we're home.”

“Okay,” I croak out because my throat is so thick with longing I can hardly speak.

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