Page 43 of The Penalty Shot (Totally Pucked 5)

“Y-yes.”

He quickly reaches behind him and pulls his t-shirt over his head, then works to undo the tie on his sweatpants. I watch as he hooks his fingers in the waistband of his pants and pulls them down, along with the black boxer briefs he steps out of.

Before my eyes can follow the ink that runs down his side any lower, I turn around and squeeze them shut. Seconds later, the door opens, cool air assaulting my skin, goosebumps spreading on my flesh as he steps into the shower. Immediately, I feel his heat along my back as he wraps his arms around me, covering my stomach and pulling me tightly against him.

“You don’t have to run from me, Auden,” he says roughly. My body sinks into his embrace, even though I shouldn’t but it feels right. He feels right. He makes me feel safe. Protected.

“I don’t know how to do anything else, Asher.” Turning to face him, I gaze up at his dark hair that’s plastered to his face, as water cascades over us. His dark, stormy eyes blaze as they hold mine. “I just feel all these things, and it feels impossible to not.”

“Then don’t stop them. Whatever is happening between us, it doesn’t need a label, baby. It’s just us. That’s what matters. You feel it, and I feel it, and that’s all there is to it.”

He makes it sound so easy, and for a second, it feels like he could be right.

“It’s just been a long, overwhelming day full of emotions, and I feel like I’m on overdrive right now. Everything is lit up at once, every emotion that I have. My feet hurt, I’m exhausted, and I just want to crawl into bed and sleep.”

“Can I stay with you tonight? Just sleep? I just want to hold you.”

We’ve been keeping things between us a secret. I’m not ready to tell Alex that…whatever…is going on between Asher and me. Especially because it’s supposed to be purely physical. There’s an end date, and I don’t want Alex to think that Asher will be a permanent part of our lives. It’ll only end up hurting us both in the end.

“Yes.”

The word tumbles from my lips anyway.

Chapter Fifteen

Asher

For a guywho has yet to meet a girl who could keep his interest for longer than a night, all I can seem to think about is Auden.

Night and day, twenty-four-fucking-seven.

Which has me here at the grocery store, staring at the wine for the past thirty minutes, making absolutely zero progress. I know she likes white wine, but fuck, there’s at least a hundred different white wines here. I’m not a wine guy, more of a beer guy, but I’m not going home empty-handed.

She called me earlier when I was leaving our preseason team meeting and said she was cooking dinner tonight and asked if I was good with Italian.

Shit, I can’t even remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal. At least since we went to Graham and Emery’s wedding. His ma cooked us all dinner, and I’ve been craving something savory ever since.

After another ten minutes of staring at the bottles, I decide on a bottle of Chardonnay, and then on the way to the register, I stop and grab a bouquet of fresh flowers.

If only Hudson could see me right now. He’d never fucking let me live it down.

Matter of fact, I’m pretty sure the conversation that he had with me this morning was, ‘I told you that you were going to end up falling for her. Watch.’

I’m not saying that I’m falling for Auden. I’m not. We’re roommates, and falling in love complicates shit. We do have mind-blowing chemistry, and there…there might be some feelings involved.

I’ll admit that much.

I fucking love her smile. I love that she giggles after a lame pick-up line, and I love that she wakes up every single morning happier than I’ve ever seen anyone. She’s fiercely loyal and so down-to-earth. She doesn’t give two shits about makeup and would probably prefer that Iwasn’ta hockey player because she doesn’t want to be noticed.

She’s opposite of every girl I’ve ever known, and it’s refreshing as fuck.

Not to mention, she’s a goddamn firecracker, and she detonates in my hands. I love that I’ve gotten so many of her firsts, and that she trusts me enough to give them to me.

“Asher Hart,? Hey man! I’m a big fan. Can I have a picture?” A scruffy guy, wearing an Avalanches jersey, asks with his phone already raised for a selfie.

“Yeah, of course. Thanks for the support.”

I smile for his photo and quickly sign his jersey with a pen the cashier has, then pay for my items and make my way out to my truck. I’ve got another stop to make before I can go home today, which works out perfectly, since it’s still early, and Auden won’t be home for a few more hours.

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