Page 56 of The Penalty Shot (Totally Pucked 5)

Her eyes whip up to mine; her brow furrowed. “For what?

“There’s something specific I want to put there one day, but I wanted to wait to put it on my skin until I felt it fiercely,” I say.

“I see.” Hesitantly, her fingers trace over the empty spot again, then she moves on to my arm and asks questions about those.

My fingers brush over her hair, that’s hanging like a loose curtain in her face, and I brush it back and tuck it behind her ear. “Are you feeling brave enough to get one like you’ve always wanted?”

“I do still want to get one, maybe when the time is right and I have the money. I think I’d get Alex’s birthday. After I had him, my life changed, and even though sometimes it was difficult, being his mother is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.”

I cradle her face. "You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met, Auden, and I’m in awe of you.”

She lowers her head and her lips ghost over mine, the barest brush, but it’s enough. I capture her lips in a consuming kiss, swallowing her gasp.

Her hips roll against my hardening cock, and for the rest of the night, I show her just how badly I’ve been craving her body.

Chapter Nineteen

Auden

My knee bouncesnervously under the white linen covered table. For the fifth time, I check the time on my watch, and fall back against the wooden chair as I glance around the packed restaurant.

Elijah is officially late for our first lunch since he’s been back stateside. Not that I’m surprised. I love my best friend, but the man will literally be late to his own funeral. And, I’m nervous.

Because since he’s been gone, I have a lot of things to catch him up on. I haven’t really divulged all my time with Asher and how the roommate situation came to be, and everything that has gone down with my parents, and I know he’s going to have a fit when he finally hears about it all. I hated keeping things from him, but his new husband’s parents gifted them an extended trip to Fiji for their wedding present, and I didn’t want to take any time away from their that. It was Fiji... and theirhoneymoon. The rest could wait.

The waiter eyes me sympathetically before walking over, yet again, with a full pitcher of water to refill my glass.

“Are you sure I can’t bring you anything else? An appetizer? Some…wine?

Oh…wait. This poor guy thinks I’ve been stood up.

I shake my head and laugh. “No, my best friend should be here any minute. He’s horrible at being on time. I swear.”

The waiter’s face relaxes and he clears his throat. “Okay. Great. I’ll be back to check on you.”

Moments later, Elijah appears through the entryway, still wearing his five-piece suit from work.

“Oh, look at you, fancy attorney-at-law.” I grin, my chair scraping against the floor as I stand and rush over to his side. The moment his arms close around me, I breathe in his familiar scent and sigh.

Eli has been a constant in mine and Alex’s life since moving to Chicago, and I missed him more than I even realized.

“I missed you so much. Blake sends all his love,” Elijah says, letting go of me.

He looks the same as I last saw him, only a little tanner and a lot happier. Marriage looks good on him. At just over six-feet, and built like a football linebacker, he looks more like an NFL player than a criminal defense attorney.

“You look happy, Eli.”

His dark blue eyes light with euphoria, and he nods. “I am happy, Aud. So fucking happy. The honeymoon was incredible, and fuck, I needed that break from work. More than I realized until I laid back on the beach with my hot as fuck man.”

I love that. That the two of them are so completely in love that they’re unashamed to scream it from the rooftops. That also means they both sometimes overshare, but, seeing them both so happy is all that matters to me.

“Let’s sit, I didn’t order an appetizer because I wasn’t sure what you were in the mood for,” I tell him as we take our seats. “I can’t believe you’ve been gone for so long. It’s absolutely insane that his parents gave you guys an all-expense paid vacation.”

Elijah laughs as he sets his napkin in his lap. “You and me both. Blake said that since my parents paid for the wedding, they wanted to give us something great for our honeymoon, and damn…it was great. I couldn’t have asked for a better wedding gift.”

Blake comes from a wealthy family, so it isn’tthatsurprising that Blake’s parents gave them a paid vacation, but for over a month in Fiji? Crazy.

The waiter interrupts to take our drink order now that Elijah is finally here and, of course, he orders the strongest margarita they’ve got, and I order one just so he doesn’t have to drink alone. We both decide to put in our lunch order, and I’m thankful because my stomach is growling something fierce. It’s been doing flips since I sat down.

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